My System Journal

Companies that have fleets of commercial vehicles such as those in the trucking industry and car rental industry use commercial fleet tracking to keep track of their vehicles. Tracking systems enable companies to be able to locate where there vehicles are at any given time. Car rental companies that use tracking systems know where their rented vehicles are at all times while their customers have them. Trucking companies that use tracking systems know where their trucks are all the time while they are out making deliveries within city limits or out on the open road. When companies keep track of their fleets they can reduce the risk of their vehicles being stolen and ensure that their employees are doing their jobs and not taking care of personal business during working hours.

Tracking systems are used for many different reasons and used by companies, government agencies, the military and many other organizations. Many companies in the private sector can actually ensure the safety of their employees by keeping track of the vehicles they are driving. If during business hours they find one of their vehicles at an unauthorized location they can check with the employee to make sure they are safe.

There are many different types of vehicle tracking systems such as lo jacks and GPS. Tracking systems can identify the vehicle down to the VIN number and license plate. A GPS tracking device uses satellite signals making it a more accurate tracking device. If you need a tracking system check out gpstrackit.com and browses their extensive inventory of tracking systems.

Your CPU’s speed plays a large role in how you will carry out tasks and it’s always a good idea to know what its speed is as it indicates what kind of tasks can be carried out quickly as well. So, here are a few steps, depending on the operating system you use, that one can follow so as to determine your CPU’s speed:

#1: Windows XP
For Windows XP, the steps include: Right-click on the icon ‘My Computer’ and find ‘Properties’ in the menu that appears. By default, the ‘General’ tab is displayed. You will find the processor speed as well as the amount of RAM on your system. You can also find the CPU speed by using the Help & Support Center. For this, you have to select ‘Help and Support’, ‘What’s New in Windows XP’, Tools and Advanced System Information. Afterthis, select ‘View Detailed System Information’ and you will find the CPU speed shown as well.

#2: Windows Vista & 7
For Windows 7 & Vista, all you have to do is select the ‘Start’ button and the ‘Control Panel’ icon. After this, select the ‘System and Maintenance’ icon and you will find the type of processor you have and its speed. In fact, it also tells you how many processors you have if you do have a few.

#3: Mac
For the Mac, select the Apple Menu as well as the option ‘About this Mac’ to find the CPU speed displayed. Another way to do this is to use the shortcut key which includes the Command + Space bar and which will open the Spotlight search field. Key in Activity Monitor and hit Enter. At the bottom of the Activity Monitor, select the tab which reads ‘CPU’. This will also give you the information about
your CPU’s speed.

Any firm or organization that likes to leave its mark on any Word document, in particular, usually uses a background known as the ‘watermark’.

However, this doesn’t require any additional software to insert in any document for that matter. In just following simple steps, you can easily ‘stamp’ your documents with a unique watermark of your own.

Since Microsoft Word has more than one version, let’s look at the steps for Microsoft Word 2007 and 2002/2003.

Microsoft 2007

First, go to the Page Layout tab, and in the group titled ‘Page Background’, you’ll find ‘Watermark’ where all you have to do is select the option. Next, you can choose to either select a pre-designed or a custom watermark. There are a couple of watermarks already available such as Urgent, Do not copy or Confidential which one can pick.

Alternatively, you can select ‘Custom Watermark’ and choose to either create your own text or picture watermark by picking from the dropdown box for the test watermark or even upload a picture from your computer for the picture watermark option. Remember to his ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ if you are done with the Custom Watermark option.

Also remember that you can only view the watermark in the ‘Printed Layout’ view in Microsoft Word.

Microsoft 2002/03

For this version of Microsoft Word, one must go to the ‘Format Menu’ and then select ‘Printed Watermark’ and then, ‘Text Watermark’.

In the text box, enter the text you want to appear as the watermark, pick a font, size, color and layout as well as check the semitransparent check box. Click OK and you are done.

With GPS tracking capabilities becoming standard in many products today (especially mobile phones) it is all too easy to become confused about what products are exactly on the market today and which may be the right choice for you. This can be especially important for companies utilizing commercial fleets as having the right GPS tracking system installed in their vehicles can mean the difference between regularly having useful and valuable data pertinent to their business and having no worthwhile data at all.

Contrary to most GPS devices located in many personal electronics today, specialized GPS trackers designed for vehicle use can provide business owners with regular real-time updates on all of their vehicles at all times. When coupled with a specialized computer program designed to collect, process and analyze this data this can allow companies to more effectively optimize their overall performance and profitability.

When looking to install a vehicle tracking GPS system into one of your vehicles consider carefully what your exact needs are prior to choosing which product you will purchase. Websites such as gpstrackit.com, for instance, can offer a range of different products to choose from, with other companies such as ProMiles offering much more specialized tracking solutions. Just as each company is different so are the needs they have to meet with their tracking solutions, and finding the right balance between functionality and price to match your particular business is the key to success. As always, don’t be afraid to shop around before making a final decision on which product to go for.

Adding a template to Microsoft Word is useful for several reasons. In particular, doing this can help you create documents that need to be crafted in a certain type of format such as a resume or a marketing report and so on and so forth.

So, here is a list of 7 steps to add and use templates in Microsoft Word:

Step #1: Look for new templates online. One of the best sites that you can visit is the Microsoft Office website itself. Also, you can use search terms like ‘templates for MS Word’ and so on and so forth.

Step #2: Verify if the template is compatible with the version of Microsoft Word that is installed on your computer.

Step #3: Download the template to a location that you can remember easily until the moment when you will have to install the template.

Step #4: Now, find the ‘Templates’ folder for Microsoft Word and move the template that you just downloaded into this folder from the temporary one.

Step #5: Quit and restart Microsoft Word to avoid any possible glitches that might occur.

Step #6: Open a new Word document and click on the ‘File’ menu in order to open “Project Gallery”.

Step #7: Now go to the ‘Templates’ folder and select the template that you want to use. Remember that in using this template, you won’t be changing the original document that you had downloaded earlier. Simply put, this step enables you to use the format of the template itself in a new Word documents.

If it isn’t apparent already, the Blue Screen of Death error is a hardware or device driver issue that occurs commonly with systems that use Windows.

Also known as a STOP error, this usually occurs for a number of reasons including installing a new program, update, driver or hardware for that matter. Hence, it is recommended that you run a Repair Installation or Startup Repair after backing up your files.

Here are 6 steps to fixing the Blue Screen of Death on Windows:

Step #1: Start Windows using the Safe Mode or Last Known Good Configuration

Step #2: Select “Repair your Computer” in Advanced Options for Windows 7 to run software that are either system diagnostic or repair tools in nature. Some of these include Command Prompt, System Restore and Start-up Repair.

Step #3: If you’re not aware of these tools, you can also contact online computer support to run diagnostics once you’ve started the system in Safe Mode with Networking. The advantage of such an approach is that you will be able to fix your computer, thanks to a remote technician who should be access your computer over the network.

Step #4: Also, run Windows Memory Diagnostic to test if any RAM errors exist. This application usually runs automatically if you boot the computer using Windows from a CD.

Step #5: Another tool which can be used is the Windows Scan Disk which will test hard drives and repair disk errors. Ensure that in order to improve the PC’s health, it’s also a good idea to defragment the hard disk and run optimization programs as well.

Step #6: Finally, install Windows Updates and Service Packs.

Apart from installing the operating system as well as application software, and which you manufacturer would have taken care of, device drivers are also an important element that can help you use your computer for various reasons.

There also comes a point when technical issues might arise, leaving you to format your PC, and so here is a list of steps that will help you install or update drivers on your PC:

Step #1: Locate the CD-ROM drive on your system and insert the recovery disc provided by the manufacturer. Also, check whether these have been provided as a separate partition on your hard disk.

Step #2: Wait for the Installation Menu to appear, and select the ‘Drivers’ option. Among the list, you’ll find options for sound, video and Ethernet LAN drivers.

Step #3: Now begin to install the drivers necessary for your system and ensure that you follow the installation down to the letter. Usually, you have to click ‘Next’ until the installation procedure of each driver is complete.

Step #4: Once you have installed all drivers from the CD, please remember to reboot the system before you resume using the computer once again. In some cases, you won’t have to reboot the system in order to install these drivers correctly.

Step #5: Now if you want to obtain the latest device drivers, you’ll have to visit the manufacturer’s website online. Once you’re in the home page, look for the support section, and view all the device drivers that the manufacture offers. Download the one you need for your computer and install it accordingly once saved on your hard disk.

Consumers have to be cautious more than ever when surfing the internet as they will come across many entrepreneurs who might appear to be authentic but can leave you high and dry when it comes to the products or services that they are offering.

So, here are 5 tips by which you can become a smarter consumer over the internet:

#1: Every time you come across a website, always tell yourself that just because they have a website they don’t necessarily run an authentic business.

#2: Look for the owner’s name and location of the business. Remember: you need to find a proper address and PO Box addresses don’t count as one.

#3: Also, call the city business license department and check as to whether the business is a legal one. Of course, if they aren’t, and you wish to transact with them, it won’t be a legal contract that you will sign with them.

#4: If the website has different trademark characters all over it, you can be sure that they aren’t legal. Also, if you look at the product list closely as some of these sites might be selling products that aren’t considered legal and aren’t available in your state or country. If you choose to buy the product anyways, you might still get in trouble with the post office.

#5: Don’t get fooled by labels that say that the business is an authentic one. Double-check it from other sources before you give your credit information away. Often times, it’s always safer to look for companies or brands that are local so that you can trace them if something goes wrong.

Finding freelance clients can be a real problem if you are a budding writer or editor. However, one of the best ways to showcase your work is to create a well-managed blog for prospective clients to look at. For starters, you can start with going with a WordPress blog which is very user-friendly.

So, here are simple steps to creating a WordPress Blog:

#1: Open a WordPress account

It’s as easy as going to the wordpress.com website and opening a blog by signing up. What you must keep in mind is that you pick a user name that will come across as a professional one.

#2: Get familiar with the Dashboard

Almost every change related to your blog will be made from the Dashboard. So it’s a good idea to look through WordPress’ video tutorials in order to get familiar with the interface and its basic functions.

#3: Be conscious of your self-image

Among the things that you must think about is the logo for your site, a company name if you want one as well as presenting information that informs clients about the work that you do.

#4: Post Regularly to your Blog

Posting regularly to your blog will definitely maintain readership and it could be anything from tips for readers, your personal experiences, book and blog reviews.

#5: Use social media for exposure

It’s a good idea to not only link your site to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and in the signature line of your email but also blogs among other sites that have similar content such as your blog. Commenting on popular blogs as well as writing about your favorite blogs are also good ways to drum up a list of readers.