Just Geeky

Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) launched a new version of its Web-based mail service Monday, incorporating advanced communication functions it says have not been offered before.

The new version of Yahoo Mail includes “real-time communication” in the form of instant messaging and SMS (short message service) text messaging as well as several other performance enhancements that will mainly benefit those with up-to-date computers.

Users of Yahoo Mail, a Web-based mail service first launched a decade ago, can now send free text messages to cell phones in the United States, Canada, India and the Philippines, said Yahoo. They are also capable of firing off instant messages (IMs) to people who use the Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger IM services.

Get Out of Beta

Yahoo tested the features in a beta period during which the company sought and received suggestions from users, said Yahoo Mail Vice President John Kremer. “We have always been focused on making it easy for people to connect to those who matter most to them, and during the beta testing period of the new Yahoo Mail, we were able to incorporate a number of enhancements based on valuable feedback from our users.”

The company recognized the popularity of social networking and, in crafting the new mail product, tried to make “a more social e-mail experience,” said Kremer. Because some of the Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)-enhanced functions now sprinkled throughout Yahoo Mail are not going to work on older computers, Yahoo is continuing to offer its “trusted Yahoo Mail Classic interface,” said Kremer.

Both versions now include unlimited e-mail storage and accessibility from any computer or mobile device without the need for a software download.

Souped Up

Yahoo promises the new Yahoo Mail is faster and more user-friendly. The company said it refined the system’s search capabilities so that users can narrowly focus their e-mail searches using filters for sender, folder, date, attachment type and message status

Right-click functionality is now available for Yahoo mail subscribers in the United States, enabling them to take additional action with underlined dates, names and keywords within messages. For example, users can right-click to add events directly to their Yahoo Calendars, add friends to their contacts, instantly view a Yahoo Map of an address or conduct a Web search.

Other enhanced features include tabbed navigation, a reading pane, an integrated calendar and an RSS reader. The new interface includes some personalization functions too. Users can choose one of six color themes.

The Web 2.0 Way to E-Mail

Yahoo said the service’s text-messaging feature is built on its IM platform. It says the “sleek, easy-to-use interface” that’s as fast and responsive as a desktop application offers “a more dynamic, Web 2.0 experience” for Web mail users. Yahoo said sending a text message is accomplished by simply entering a mobile phone number, typing the message and hitting send.

Using the instant messaging function is similarly painless, said Yahoo. “People can also easily convert their e-mail messages into IM chats or switch to a text message dialog with the click of a button, when friends come online or go mobile, and vice versa,” promised the company.

Yahoo said it partnered with AT&T (NYSE: T) , Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and the Canada-based Rogers Yahoo Hi-Speed Internet to offer “co-branded” versions of the new Yahoo Mail that will become available later this year. Also scheduled to come soon is a new Yahoo Mail version for Yahoo Small Business Mail users, said the company.

One-Stop Communication Shop

Yahoo has come a long way from its initial role as a search engine. The company is now a communications hub, said Yankee Group analyst Jen Simpson.

“Yahoo, among others, offers a pretty wide range of communication services now,” Simpson told TechNewsWorld. “It’s looking like a communication company as much as an Internet or software company. They are recognizing that, when people are communicating with one another through these services, there is a variety of ways they can do it.”

Simpson noted Yahoo has “a fairly large e-mail base, in the U.S. at least,” and she said the new features “do a nice job of tying people using that e-mail to one of the other additional services such as SMS texting.”

However, Yahoo is not alone in the field. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) , with its Gmail service, allows users to chat from the mail client.

Sometimes, all the bells and whistles can actually get to be too much, said tech analyst Alan Chapell of Alan Chapell Associates.

“The functionality, particularly the IM aspect, seems very cool, although I think it’s an open question regarding how many folks will use it given the myriad of alternatives,” he told TechNewsWorld.

By Nic Fildes

Published: 30 August 2007

 

Nokia unveiled an array of new mobile products designed to steal a march on the iPhone yesterday as it launched an online music store to challenge Apple’s dominance in the digital music market.

The world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer’s initial plan to enter the music market was deemed conservative by some observers, unimpressed that the new music store was not substantially different to what is available from other providers.

The company has long been linked with a move to challenge Apple’s near 80 per cent market share in the digital music market based on its hugely popular iPod music player. With Apple’s iPhone set to launch in Europe this year, Nokia has unveiled its own music-oriented handset, the N81, which has been designed to steal Apple’s thunder this Christmas by allowing customers to download songs directly on to their handset.

As well as the stylish N81, which has eight gigabits of storage capacity and was described by Nokia as a “jukebox in your pocket”, the company launched a series of lower-end handsets also aimed at the digital music market.

With 1 million of its devices sold every day, Nokia believes it can make a mark in the burgeoning market for digital content, and argues that customers want to download music directly on to their phone, not via a computer as is the case with iTunes.

At the gala event held in London’s Old Billingsgate Market yesterday, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia’s president and chief executive, said the industry was “on the threshold of one of the most opportunity-rich markets of all time,” as he launched the Nokia Music Store which in time expects to offer “all the music in all the world”.

It is surely no coincidence that the venue that Nokia chose for its global launch was the same as that Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder and chief executive, used three years ago to announce the launch of iTunes in Europe.

Nokia, one of the most recognised brands in the world, also unveiled a new brand – “Ovi” which is Finnish for “door” – as an umbrella term for its digital content services in the mobile internet, music and gaming sectors, a unit that will become increasingly important for the handset maker.

Nokia has been working on perfecting its digital music product for years and last year bought the digital music distributor Loudeye, the company that acquired Peter Gabriel’s OD2 system. Ben Wood, a research director with CSS Insight, said Nokia’s move was “a logical next step”. He added that Nokia’s revenue from services such as downloadable music will be dwarfed by its enormous profits on mobile phone sales over the coming years but added that content that is tied to handsets will help maintain loyalty among customers upgrading handsets.

Other analysts were less impressed with the launch. Paul Jackson, a principal analyst with Forrester Research, said: “It is a shame that Nokia did not take this opportunity to use its strong industry position to push the envelope and offer something more radical.”

More can be found on:

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2909554.ece

It has been talked up quite a bit, recently. After Apple’s public fuss over the iPhone is starting to taper off, people online are talking about the phone by Google. The on again, off again offering to the mobile world by the search giant is reaching fanatical levels of hype and thanks to a recent news story by Rediff News in India, the hype is only getting worse.

The story published by Rediff said that the gPhone is two weeks away from launch. The new report said that talks are taking place with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, India’s first and third largest mobile telephony operators. They also mention state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam and another manufacturer.

“Sources close to the development said a simultaneous launch across the US and Europe is expected, and announcements would be sent to media firms in India and other parts of the world. US regulatory approval, which is expected soon, is the only hurdle that Google is waiting to cross, they added. Google plans to invest $7-8 billion for its global telephony foray,” the story said.

A Google spokesperson told the news site, “We don’t comment on market rumor or speculation. However, Google is committed to providing users with access to the world’s information, and mobile becomes more important to those efforts every day. We’re collaborating with partners worldwide to bring Google search and applications to mobile users everywhere. However, we have nothing to announce at this time.”

Earlier this month The Wall Street Journal published a story that said Google has already built a prototype of the gPhone. The idea for the R&D is to design a phone that could be mass produced quickly and sent to the European and US markets.

It is still simply a rumor, but a good one nevertheless. Until Google announces it officially, no one knows for sure if Google will jump into the mobile race. This news could be tied to recent comments to the press by CEO Eric Schmidt that Google will likely take place in the FCC auction to be held later this year.

By Steve Ragan Aug 27, 2007, 16:03 GMT

When Will This Recovery Work?

You’ll want to use the steps on this page to recover from a corrupted registry when you have already tried other options such as System Restore and you receive a message similar to one of the following when you try to boot your computer with Windows XP.

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSYSTEM

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSOFTWARE

Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): SystemRootSystem32ConfigSOFTWARE or its log or alternate

System error: Lsass.exe
When trying to update a password the return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct.

Be careful using this procedure in other circumstances or with an OEM version of Windows XP since OEM installations create passwords and user accounts that did not exist previously and may cause you not to be able to log into the Recovery Console to restore files.

Booting into the Recovery Console

You’ll need to use the Windows XP Recovery Console to fix a corrupted registry, this will either require you to boot from a Windows XP Installation CD or boot directly to the Recovery Console if its installed. Follow these steps to boot into the Recovery Console from a Windows XP Installation CD.

1) Place your Windows XP in the CD-ROM Drive
2) Restart your computer and make sure your BIOS is set to boot from CD
3) When you see the following command press the space bar.

“press any key to boot from cd…”

4) Wait until you see the “Welcome to Setup” screen, and press R to start the Recovery Console
5) Choose which Windows installation you wish to load (this is usually #1 unless you have a multi-boot system)
6) Type the administrator password and Press Enter
7) You should now be at the C:Windows> prompt

Copy Repair Files Using the Recovery Console

This procedure assumes Windows is installed on Drive C, if you have installed Windows on another drive, please substitute the appropriate drive letter in the procedure below.

At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:

md tmp
copy c:windowssystem32configsystem c:windowstmpsystem.bak
copy c:windowssystem32configsoftware c:windowstmpsoftware.bak
copy c:windowssystem32configsam c:windowstmpsam.bak
copy c:windowssystem32configsecurity c:windowstmpsecurity.bak
copy c:windowssystem32configdefault c:windowstmpdefault.bak

delete c:windowssystem32configsystem
delete c:windowssystem32configsoftware
delete c:windowssystem32configsam
delete c:windowssystem32configsecurity
delete c:windowssystem32configdefault

copy c:windowsrepairsystem c:windowssystem32configsystem
copy c:windowsrepairsoftware c:windowssystem32configsoftware
copy c:windowsrepairsam c:windowssystem32configsam
copy c:windowsrepairsecurity c:windowssystem32configsecurity
copy c:windowsrepairdefault c:windowssystem32configdefault

Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart, press F8 as it starts and choose Safe Mode.

Restart in Safe Mode and Find a Recent Snapshot Backup

Restart your computer in Safe Mode by pressing F8 during the initial bootup and choosing Safe Mode. Once in Safe Mode, you need to make sure the files and folders are visible so you can access them. Follow these instructions to accomplish this.

1. Open My Computer
2. Click on the Tools menu, then click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.
5. Click Yes when the dialog box that confirms that you want to display these files appears.

In My Computer, Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP (usually Drive C) to display a list of the folders. then double-click on the “System Volume Information” folder. This folder contains the system restore points stored on your computer. The folders will look similar to

_restore{EE42BEB8-700A-495F-8004-53D26C2E12C5}

You might receive an access denied error message similar to the following when trying to access the System Volume Information folder.

C:System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied.

This is generally caused because the user you are logged in under does not have permissions set on the folder. To fix this, follow the instructions in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 309531 to gain access and continue. Each version of Windows XP is different on how to change these permissions.

Once you have access to the snapshots, use the instructions below to copy one of the latest snapshots to the WindowsTMP directory so you have access to it.

1) In the System Volume Information Folder, click on View, and then click Details to display the date of each snapshot folder.
2) Double-click on a folder that was not created at the current time but rather before the problem started.
3) Double-click on the Snapshot subfolder
4) Using your normal windows copy and paste techniques, highlight the following files and copy them into the C:WindowsTMP folder

_REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT

_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM

5) Rename the files that you just copied into the C:WindowsTMP folder by right-clicking on each filename and choosing Rename, then typing the new name. Repeat this for each file in the list below.

Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM

6) Once you have renamed the files, restart your computer again with the Recovery Console (refer to the instructions above to do this)

Replace the Repair Files with a Current Backup of the Registry

After rebooting the computer and starting the Recovery Console again, type the following commands at the prompt to replace the files with a current backup. You’ll need to press Enter after each command.

del c:windowssystem32configsam
del c:windowssystem32configsecurity
del c:windowssystem32configsoftware
del c:windowssystem32configdefault
del c:windowssystem32configsystem

copy c:windowstmpsoftware c:windowssystem32configsoftware
copy c:windowstmpsystem c:windowssystem32configsystem
copy c:windowstmpsam c:windowssystem32configsam
copy c:windowstmpsecurity c:windowssystem32configsecurity
copy c:windowstmpdefault c:windowssystem32configdefault

After the files have been replaced, type EXIT at the command prompt to restart Windows in normal mode.

Use System Restore to Return to a Good Backup Point

Because there is more to a System Restore than just the registry files, follow these steps to restore your computer to a good backup point.

1. Click Start, and then click All Programs.
2. Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.
3. Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous Restore Point and finish the restore

By Abeel Zyman

Data recovery is a process whereby you can save data and files you accidentally deleted, had eaten by malicious software or viruses, hardware failures, corporate espionage and many more scenarios. Data recovery is a tricky thing, and if you’ve somehow deleted or had your important files corrupted or lost due to human error, business espionage, faulty hardware or software or any other reason; the good news is that your lost data is probably recoverable. When you discover that you have suffered some data loss, the first decision is always if data recovery is possible. One of the most common questions about data recovery is “why is it so expensive” and if you use software it doesn’t have to be.

Software

There are many types of data recovery software to choose from. Software programmers recognize the importance of data files, and thankfully, they have been able to create products that demonstrate their understanding of how often people accidentally delete or lose important data. Recovering or salvaging the data from media can sometimes be performed using simple hardware or software but may occasionally require the assistance of data recovery specialists. Software can recover your file allocation table in FAT, master file table and partition table in NTFS file system. Sometimes, even the so called “soft errors” can be fixed using data recovery software.

Files

Losing your files is something that is going to happen to you one day, not something that might happen, and if you do not backup your drive you will find yourself in a very unfortunate situation.

Backup

Have a disaster recovery plan, do frequent backups. Test that your backups work and can restore your systems to a fully working condition. Hard drive failure is especially disastrous for smaller companies working with a single server and a single disk, if they do not have a complete and working data backup at hand. Having an online backup system will save your day should your premises ever burn down, or the fireproof box containing your backup disks get stolen. Online backup is possibly the most convenient form of backing up files, leaving you with few excuses not to do it. If you have ever wondered about the importance of keeping a backup, imagine how you would feel if a virus destroyed the contents of your hard drive.

Whether you’re an individual or a large corporation, sometimes data recovery is the only way (if you didn’t do your backups). Physical data recovery is simply the extraction of the raw data from a damaged disc; logical data recovery means the rebuilding of damaged data files but if you are so fortunate that can see your deleted files then data recovery is quick and easy.

By Mikael Rieck