Segundo o blog TecnoTur, A Sony está preparando o lançamento de uma nova linha de câmeras, denominada NXCAM.

Sony NXCAM

O signatário do blog acima citado, Allan Tépper, afirma já estar com um modelo de pré-produção da nova série de câmeras, a qual ele diz ser muito parecida com a HVR-Z5.

Alguns detalhes sobre o novo equipamento:

- Gravação H.264 no formato AVCHD, em até 24mbps, full raster 720p e 1080i/p (onde os modos progressivos são realmente nativos).

- Gravação de áudio linear PCM, ao invés do Dolby Digital, normalmente usado nas câmeras AVCHD.

- 3 sensores CMOS EXMOR de 1/3″ e lentes Sony G, exatamente como na Z5.

- Gravação em cartões Memory Stick PRO DUO, PRO-HD Duo, ou em uma nova unidade externa NXCAM de memória flash, um tipo de SSD (ainda sem preço definido).

- Saídas HDMI e SD/HD-SDI, com sinal 10-bit 4:2:2, muito úteis para monitoramento de alta qualidade, ou gravação em dispositivos externos como o KiPro (AJA), ou nanoFlash (Convergent Design).

- Opção para sincronia entre várias câmeras, muito interessante para gravação de eventos.

- GPS embutido, que grava informações de localização geográfica nos metadados.

Por enquando a Sony não informa mais detalhes sobre modelos e preços. O anúncio oficial está previsto para Janeiro. Mais informações no link do começo deste artigo.

This is the best video I have seen that includes so much action. DSLR’s are known for their rolling shutter issues (classic with CMOS sensors) in shaky situations but Simon Cudby somehow keeps it smooth even in the pits. Also, with a lot of great slow motion shots, this video is a testament to the 60p setting on the 7D.

Just how much innovation is really possible in a simple transaction under which one man borrows money and another one lends it? All financial transactions ultimately reduce to a simple formula: I provide you money—and you pay me the money back, plus-some. The plus-some is my reward for letting you have the money. What more is there to it? Investing is also just another form of lending.

• Hedge funds don’t hedge. They consist in exploiting tiny differences in prices between markets.
• Real hedging is just a bet. If transaction A is fully hedged by transaction B, the owner of the hedge makes no money at all. A hedge is therefore always just a bet that either A or B is the more likely outcome. All hedges reduce the ultimate gain to be realized.
• Buying on the margin isn’t buying—it is borrowing.
• To own a consolidated mortgage obligation (CMO) is just to own a mortgage. To own a consolidated debt obligation (CDO) is to own what had been several CMOs before they got merged and sliced up—thus it’s still just a mortgage.
• A credit default swap (CDS) is not a swap. It is an insurance policy the worth of which entirely depends on the policy-seller’s accessible assets. If the seller has fewer reserves than the insured bond or loan is worth, the insurance lacks all value.

The business papers are full of handwringing. Regulation will curb financial innovation and progress. What is meant by innovation here? What “progress” is possible to the basic act of borrowing and lending? Am I missing something?

So let’s look at the underlying basic relationship coldly. Normally, all depending on the amount, through long use and experience certain additional practices have grown up to ensure that lending transactions work out properly. If the amount is large, some kind of security is demanded in exchange. If I buy a car on credit and default, the car may be repossessed. Requiring that the buyer carry property insurance on the car was a sensible precaution. You don’t want to repossess a wreck. Requiring a meaningful down-payment was a way of ensuring a certain attention to debt service by the buyer. He might lose his cash investment, and the higher the down-payment, the more secure the loan. Checking on the buyers earning potential—does he or she have a job held for some reasonable period, earning enough to live on and pay for the car—was only sensible. If this was true for a car, how much more so for a residence.

I look at this soberly. I haven’t sniffed the crazy-glue of modernity. Let’s call this a 1950s view. From that standpoint, the requirements mentioned above strike me as reasonable “innovations”—intended to secure both parties, borrower and lender, from unpleasant surprises down the road. And shit happened even in the 1950s, hence a certain small percentage of foreclosures and repossessions took place then and always have. The earnings on the rest had to pay for the small incidence of failure which is unavoidable.

So let us now consider what goes by the name of “innovation” nowadays. Is it really innovative to package a bunch of mortgages and then to sell them to others? Realizing cash now and passing on the risk to others? Profitable for the seller, perhaps, not necessarily for the buyer. What was the buyer thinking? Did he wrongly assume that the seller of these bundled mortgages would still exercise the same care if he could simply off-load all those loans on a third party? Didn’t it occur to the buyer that incentives were being eroded by the very transaction in which he was participating?

But if you could dump your mortgages quickly and cleanly as CMOs, wouldn’t you then sort of ease off on the would-be homebuyer? Require less down payment, become a little less careful in checking credit and earnings history? Especially if doing the job cost money and foregoing a down payment increased your mortgage volume? Was it an “innovation” to get into these games? Or was it the shedding of responsibility?

The various “creative” ways of slicing and dicing the mortgage bundles into A, B, and C-rated clumps, getting high prices for A (for security) and paying high interest to C (for high risk) really “innovations”? Or was this, in plainer language, “gaming the market”?  

Silk purses from sows ears? This is what happens when excessive admiration of limited, greedy men with not even the odor of integrity still adhering to their skin are held in great awe because they operate in the Olympian atmospheres of what is euphemistically called the financial services industry. And do I hold what the papers insist on calling “ordinary Americans” as the innocent victims? I don’t. The failure, ultimately, is at the bottom. Who is to blame? The greedy consumers, piling up credit card debt and signing ridiculous contracts with smooth-talking salesmen. They should have said no, stayed in the small house or the apartment, and lived within their means. Sorry. But ultimately everybody who played this game has had to pay the piper. And a lot of us who didn’t have found ourselves having to chip in too. Because “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” [John Donne]

CANON EOS-450D Kit 18-55 mm eos450d camara reflex Sensor CMOS de 12,2

* Sensor CMOS de 12,2 Megapíxeles

* 3,5 fps

* AF de área amplia en 9 puntos

* Sistema Integrado de Limpieza EOS “EOS Integrated Cleaning System”

* Pantalla LCD de 3,0” (7,6 cm) con Modo de Visión en Directo “Live View Mode”

* Procesador DIGIC III

* Visor grande y luminoso

* Control total de la imagen

* Compacta y ligera

* Compatible con los objetivos EF/EF-S y los flashes Speedlite EX

La Canon EOS 450D combina unas prestaciones sin límites con una gran facilidad de uso en un cuerpo ligero y ergonómico. Capta todo tu mundo con un sensor CMOS de 12,2 Megapíxeles y las más recientes y avanzadas tecnologías de Canon.

Camaras Canon

The process of chip design is very complex and its understating requires many years of study and practical experience. From a digital integrated circuit design perspective, it could be divided into different hierarchies or stages where the problems are examined at several different levels: system design, logic design, circuit design, layout design, fabrication and testing. These steps are not necessarily sequential; interactions are done in practice to get things right.

System Design: This stage provides the specifications and main operations of the chip. It examines such issues like chip area, power, functionality, speed, cost and other design factors while setting these specifications. Sometimes, the resources available to the designer could act as a constraint during this stage. For instance, a designer may like to design a chip to work at 1.2V, but available process technology can only support a voltage of 5V. In this situation, the designer has to adjust these specifications to satisfy the available tools. It is always a good habit to understand the process technology available before system design and specifications. Process technology is basically the specific foundry technology rules where the chip would be fabricated. Typical examples are AMI 0.5um, TSMC 0.35um and IBM 0.13um. A design based on one process technology is unique to that process and accordingly should be fabricated in a foundry that supports that process. At the system design level, the main sections of the system are illustrated with block diagrams, with no details on the contents of the blocks. Only the input and output characteristics of the sections are detailed.

Logic Design: At this stage, the designer implements the logic networks that would realize the input and output characteristics specified in the previous stage. This is generally made of logic gates with interconnecting wires that are used to realize the design.

Circuit Design: Circuit design involves the translation of the various logic networks into electronic circuitries using transistors. These transistors are switching devices whose combinations are used to realize different logic functions. The design is tested using computer aided design (CAD) tools and comparisons are made between the results and the chip specifications. Through these results, the designer could have an idea of the speed, power dissipation, and performance of the final chip. An idea of the size of the chip is also obtained at this stage since the number of transistors would determine the area of the chip. Experienced designers optimize many design variables like transistor sizes, transistor numbers, and circuit architecture to reduce delay, power consumption, and latency among others. The length and width of the transistors must obey the rules of the process technology.

Layout Design: This stage involves the translation of the circuit realized in the previous stage into silicon description through geometrical patterns aided by CAD tools. This translation process follows a process rule that specifies the spacing between transistors, wire, wire contacts, and so on. Violation of these rules results to malfunctioning chips after fabrication. Besides, the designer must ensure that the layout design accurately represents the circuit design and that the design is free of errors. CAD tools enable checks for errors and also incorporate ways of comparing layout and circuit designs provided in form of Layout Versus Schematic (LVS) checks. When errors are reported, the designer has to effect the corrections. A vital fundamental stage in layout design is Extraction, which involves the extraction of the circuit schematic from the layout drawings. The extracted circuit provides information on the circuit elements, wires, parasitic resistance and capacitance (a parasitic device is an unbudgeted device that inserts itself due to interaction between nearby components). With the aid of this extracted file, the electronic behavior of the silicon circuit is simulated and it is always a good habit to compare the results with the system specification since this is one of the final design stages before a chip is sent to the foundry.

Fabrication: Upon satisfactory verification of the design, the layout is sent to the foundry where it is fabricated. The process of chip fabrication is very complex. It involves many stages of oxidation, etching, photolithography, etc. Typically, the fabrication process translates the layout into silicon or any other semiconductor material that is used. The result is bonded with pins for external connections to circuit boards.

Fabrication process uses photolithographic masks, which define specific patterns that are transferred to silicon wafers (the initial substrate used to fabricate integrated circuits) through a number of steps based on the process technology. The starting material, the wafer, is oxidized to create insulation layer in the process. It is followed by photolithographic process, which involves deposition of photoresist on the oxidized wafer, exposure to ultra-violet rays to form patterns and etching for removal of materials not covered by photoresist. Ion implantation of the p+ or n+ source/drain region and metallization to form contacts follow afterwards. The next stage is cutting the individual chip from the die. For external pin connection, bonding is done. It is important to emphasize that this process steps could be altered in any order to achieve specific goals in the design process. In addition, many of these functions are done many times for very complex chips. Over the years, other methods have emerged. A notable one is the use of insulators (like sapphire) as starting materials instead of semiconductor substrate (the silicon on which active devices are implanted) to build the transistors. This method called Silicon on Insulator (SOI) minimizes parasitic in circuits and enable the realization of high speed and low power dissipation chips.

Testing: The final stage of the chip development is called testing. Electronic equipment like oscilloscopes, probes, pattern generators and logic analyzers are used to measure some parameters of the chip to verify its functionalities based on the stated specifications. It is always a good habit to test for various input patterns for a fairly long time in order to discover possible performance degradation, variability, or failures. Sometimes, fabricated chip test results deviate from simulated results. When that occurs, depending on application, the designer could re-engineer the circuit for improvement and error corrections. The new design should be fabricated and tested at the end.

Ricoh ha deciso di investire il suo futuro (?) su un nuovo tipo di tecnologia: sensori intercambiabili.

RICOH GXR SYSTEM

Un dubbio mi viene: ma a chi potrebbero mai interessare dei componenti di questo tipo? A cosa dovrebbe servire cambiare sensore? Rimango ancora più perplesso quando vedo che nessuno dei sensori raggiunge il pieno formato, anzi si avvicinano a quelli di una bridge. E il prezzo? Corpo macchina Ricoh GXR 459,00 € circa; sensore CMOS formato APS-C (23,6 mm x 15,7 mm ) da 12,30 megapixel con obiettivo GR A12 50 mm F2.5 Macro 670,00 € circa; sensore CCD da 1/1,7 pollici con risoluzione di 10 megapixel e obiettivo Ricoh S10 24-72 mm F2.5-4.4 VC. 370,00 €.

Ma la RICOH non poteva semplicemente continuare a produrre stampanti?

The remarkable success of information and telecommunication technology within the last few decades has been facilitated by the phenomenal growth of the microelectronics technology. While nanotechnology has future prospects, microelectronics has already transformed global competition and commerce. It offers strategic advantages to firms, institutions and nations through its capacity to develop products and services cheaply and efficiently. It is the engine that drives present global commerce and industry.

The world has experienced many new dimensions in knowledge acquisition, creation, dissemination and usage courtesy of this technology. The advancement of Internet and digital photography could all be linked to better performance from microchips. When microelectronics technology advances, a dawn emerges in global economy in speed, efficiency and capacity.

Microelectronics is considered a very revolutionary technology noting the disruptions it has brought to the dynamics of the global economy via its different applications since its invention by Jack Kilby in the late 1950s. Of the gross world product (GWP), estimated (2007) at about $55 trillion (currency) (The Economist, 2008), microelectronics contributes more than 10%. Microelectronics is very pivotal to many emerging industries in the 21st century with a central position in the global economy. Because Internet, medicine, entertainment and many other industries cannot substantially advance without this technology, it has a vantage position in engineering education in many developed nations. These nations invest heavily in microelectronics education as in the United States, Canada and Western Europe where the MOSIS, CMC and Europractice programs respectively enable students to fabricate and test their integrated circuits for full cycle design and learning experience on integrated circuits. On the other hand, developing nations increasingly lag behind in adopting and diffusing this technology in their economies owing to many factors, which include human capital and infrastructure. Absence of quality technical education has contributed to stall the transfer, diffusion and development of microelectronics in both the emerging and developing economies.

Microelectronics is a group of technologies that integrate multiple devices into a small physical area. The dimension is about 1000 larger than nanotechnology dimension; micrometer vs. nanometer. Usually, these devices are made from semiconductors like silicon and germanium using lithography, a process that involves the transfer of design patterns unto a silicon wafer. There are accompanying processes which include etching, oxidation, diffusion, etc. Several components are available in microelectronic scale such as transistors, capacitors, inductors, resistors, diodes, insulators and conductors. The microelectronics can be divided to its subfields which in turn are connected to other micro related fields. These subfields are micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), nanoelectronics, optoelectronics and single electron devices. Integrated circuits or microchips are typical microelectronic devices, which can be found in computers, mobile phones, medical devices, toys and automobiles. There is a high level of convergence between nanotechnology and microelectronics. The major difference lies in the size of the materials; nonetheless, the techniques are very different. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistor is the most common transistor used in the industry owing to its ease of integration and low static power dissipation. Bipolar junction transistor is another popular version. With the sizes of CMOS transistor in the nanometer range, the behaviors of the transistors are radically affected by parasitic noise and power dissipation. These problems pose potential challenges to the continuous progress of CMOS technology and microelectronics industry in general. The survivability of Moore’s Law, (after Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel Corp) which states that the numbers of transistors in a semiconductor die double every 18 to 24 months, is presently challenged if engineers cannot downscale the transistor size any further efficiently. This scaling has been the driver that has enabled microelectronics products to improve in speed, capacity and cost-efficiency. Many efforts have been geared to overcome the problems faced in the industry as transistors scale into the deep nanometer. They include improving the structure of the metals and polysilicon materials used in making the devices, more enhanced doping profile, new materials to keep the industry alive and well into the future.

Leica X1 Preview!



Seems like today more and more people are wanting more from a pocket sized cameras. Leica is working hard to bring this to the masses. The Leica X1 has a good platform to start on:

* Compact lightweight body with analogue-style control dials
* Fixed 24mm F2.8 lens (angle of view equivalent to 35mm lens on full frame)
* Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, Manual exposure modes
* Full range of manual controls
* 12.2 Mp APS-C CMOS sensor
* ISO 100-3200
* DNG raw format recording

The mere mention of the name ‘Leica’ causes certain photographers’ hearts to beat just a little bit faster; this sole survivor of the once-mighty German camera industry is one of the very few genuine ‘heritage’ brands left. The company’s long-running reputation for sheer engineering quality and optically-superb lenses is legendary – many a budding snapper has aspired to own a ‘real’ Leica, eventually. Unfortunately though, this quality is (inevitably) accompanied by heart-stopping prices, meaning such aspirations are often left unfulfilled for many years. – DPreview





Click the image above for full preview.

Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera

Technical Details

• New 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor
• Includes Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
• Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution; HDMI output
• 3.0-inch Clear View LCD; Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video
• Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 12 x 7 inches ; 1.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001XURPQS
• Item model number: T1i 18-55mm kit
• Average Customer Review: // // 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews) //
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

ما هو البيوس وما هو ال السيموس

محاولة لاستقراء الماضي والحاضر ومعرفت ماهيتهما

BIOS لنبدأ أولا ب ال

Basic Input Output System

ممكن نقول عن البيوس انو سوفت وير “مجموعة تعليمات “موجودة

rom  على قطعة اسمها

وهي القطعة “روم ” موجودة على اللوحة الام

من وظائف البيوس

نقل نظام التشغيل من الهارد الى الرام ليتم اقلاع الجهاز

و جعل اتصال المعالج مع باقي قطع الجهاز ممكن “حيث ان المعالج لا يعرف التواصل مع الرام او الهارد” ولكي يستطيع ان يتواصل معهم يحتاج الى سوفت وير يحتاج الى برنامج الا وهو البيوس

هذا البرنامج سيحتاجه المعالج في كل عملية اقلاع للجهاز وفي كل وقت سيحتاج المعالج للرام او للهارد او لكرت الشاشة او لكرت الدش

ولذلك يخزن هذا البرنامج او هذه التعليمات بشكل دائم في مكان اسمه الروم وهذا البرنامج يبقى محفوظا في الروم حتى لو قطعنا التيار عن الكمبيوتر

مع ملاحظة انه قديما لم يكن بامكان المستخدم التعديل عل هذا البرنامج الموجود في الروم

اما حديثا فانه بامكان اي موين ان يحدث البرنامج وعملية التحديث تعرف ب فلاشينج

وهنا ننتقل الى فكرة رخرى

يمكن تقسيم القطع الموجودة في الحاسب الى قسمين

قطع ليس لها اعدادات يجب ان تاخذ بعين الاعتبار عند التواصل معها من قبل المعالج  مثل الكيبورد او سبيكرات النظام –

واقصد هنا ب سبيكرات النظام اي الهدفون الموجودة داخل الكمبيوتر التي تصدر صوتا مثل بيب او توت او بع

وهذه القطع يتم التعامل معها عن طريق البيوس كما اسفلت سابقا

قطع لها اعدادات يجب ان تاخذ بعين الاعتبار عند التواصل معها من قبل المعالج مثل الرام او الهارد –

قد نملك رام 1 غيغا من نوع

ddr2 او ddr3

او قد نملك رام 512 ميغا

وهكذا……

هذه القطع لا يمكن التعامل معها بواسطة التعليمات الموجودة في الروم والتي تدعى بيوس بل هنا نحن نحتاج الى سوفت وير اخر يدعى

cmos :

ويتميز ال السيموس انه قابل للتعديل

فعندما تشتري حضرتك راماية جديدة وبضيف مثلا 1 غيغا على راماتك فورا بتتعدل الاعدادت الموجودة بل السيموس

مشان لما يجي المعالج ويحكي مع البيوس ويقلو خليني احكي مع الرام

فهون بجاوبو البيوس مو تكرم عينك فبيعطي الطريقة  وبجلبلوا مساحة الرام وباقي اعداداتها من ال سيموس

طبعا ممكن يجي شي موين  ويسال طب ليه هل الاعدادات مو موجودة بل البيوس مو احسن من هل اللفة الطويلة

انا بجاوبو نعما شو انك ماستك مو قلنا البيوس ما بيتعدل عليها  وتعليماتا ما بتتغير

اسالة رخرى

اين تخزن الباسورد

بل البيوس ولا السيموس ؟؟؟؟

طبعا سيموس

وملاحظة مهمة لما منشيل البطارية بل الجهاز مشان ترو كلمة السر

فهون بتتصفر كل الاعدادات الموجودة بل السيموس

كللللللللللللشي

يعني لما منكبس دليت دليت دليت اول ما بشتغل الجهاز ومندخل ع برنامج البيوس ومنعدل في

هون نحن منكون عم نعدل عل السيموس مو البيوس

لانو البيوس ما بيتعدل عليه لكن ممكن تحديثه بطريقة استوكية اسمها فلاشينج كما اسلفت سابقا

اتمنى ان يعجبكم الموضوع او تستفيدو منه

للاستكة وتوابعها  HOP مع تحيات

كالعادة الموضوع غير منقول

Anunciada recentemente pela Sony, vem para substituir a PMW-EX1, com algumas modificações relevantes, que listo abaixo:

- Suporte a Memory Stick, através de adaptador
- Botão de atalho para a função S&Q Motion
- Saída HDMI
- Modos de gravação em Definição Standard (incluindo DVCAM)
- Modo de gravação em 1440×1080 em 35mbps (XDCAM HD)
- Cache recording de até 15 segundos
- Novo viewfinder com mais qualidade (o da EX1 é praticamente inútil)
- Inversão de imagem para uso com adaptadores de lentes fotográficas
- Melhor ergonomia, com novo design do Hand grip, e melhoras nos botões, principalmente o Power Switch.

São várias modificações, que trazem algumas funcionalidades e melhorias pedidas pelos usuários. Sinal de que a Sony está escutando o que nós queremos de uma boa câmera (e a RED fazendo escola…). O que é mais importante dizer: sensores, lente e os formatos de maior qualidade para gravação (HQ) continuam os mesmos. Isso significa que aqueles que compraram uma EX1 recentemente (meu caso) não precisam se descabelar. As duas câmeras (EX1 e EX1R), em seus modos de maior qualidade, continuarão gerando imagens rigorosamente iguais, apesar das modificações no novo modelo.

Segundo o press release da Sony, os modos de gravação em definição standard foram solicitação de usuários da Ásia e América Latina. Eu só tenho uma leitura disso: estamos atrasados. Em fóruns, a maioria dos usuários europeus e norte-americanos acharam dispensável essa adição. E isso encarece a câmera. Ela ainda não caiu no mercado, mas parece que custará pelo menos 1.500 dólares a mais que a atual EX1. Pagar 1.500 dólares para andar pra trás? Eu acho que não…

Funcionalidades que, na minha humilde opinião, fazem diferença: todas as citadas mais acima, tirando a adição dos modos de gravação standard e XDCAM HD. Eles valem a diferença de preço? Não! Tirando os novos modos de gravação, as outras modificações são relativamente fáceis de serem implantadas, demandando pouca mudança interna. Eu acho que compensaria a mudança se fosse oferecido também um modo 1920×1080 com 50mbps 4:2:2.

E a EX1 foi tirada de catálogo. Boa sorte para quem iria comprar uma agora, e terá que pagar uns tostões a mais pelo modelo atualizado. E espero que as novas funcionalidades façam valer a diferença de preço.

The latest video sample I obtained is from JVC Everio GZ-HM400 AVCHD Camcorder.

• 32GB Internal Memory.
• SD/SDHC Memory Card Slot.
• 1/2.33″ CMOS Sensor.
• 10x Optical Zoom.
• 24MBPS (VBR).

The video quality is above average thanks to the larger CMOS sensor (at 0.429 inch). The video was taken in a low light condition thus the grainy pictures. You can view the h.264 video here or download the Raw file in ISO format (150.5MB).

The video is imported using iMovie ‘09; iPhone and iPod touch compatible.

JVC Everio GZ-HM400 info page

JVC Everio GZ-HM400 @ Amazon.com

Setelah instalasi hardware yang anda rakit beres tanpa masalah, maka selanjutnya anda perlu masuk ke setup BIOS untuk melakukan beberapa settingan. Disini hanya di bahas hal yang pokok saja agar mobo anda tidak bermasalah nantinya. Mengutak-atik BIOS tanpa tahu fungsi dan kegunaannya maka sangat beresiko perangkat computer anda bermasalah. Jadi sebaiknya tidak melakukan perubahan apapun terhadap setup bios kecuali yang standart misalnya; membenahi tanggal atau jam, mengecek harddisk atau Optical drive, melihat Processor & kapasitas RAM yang terpasang, mengubah urutan boot sequence, dan melakukan optimasi atau default setting otomatis dengan memilih tombol F5 atau F6 atau F7 atau F9. Dan utuk masuk ke setup BIOS umumnya dengan cara menekan tombol DEL atau DELETE secara terus menerus setelah PC anda nyalakan.

Canon 7D Double Trouble???

The word on the street that there is problem with Canon’s 7D where it will show during burst mode it will show the preceding frame. I have not seen this myself when shooting with the 7D, but i have not done alot of shooting with this camera.

Phenomenon
In images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible. This phenomenon is not noticeable in an image with optimal exposure. The phenomenon may become more noticeable if a retouching process such as level compensation is applied to emphasize the image. Source:[Imaging Resource/Canon]

Official release after the jump.

CMOS Switch Operates With Hi-Speed USB

Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) has introduced a miniature, low-power CMOS switch IC for use in USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed USB) applications. The TC7USB221 is a USB 2.0 dual single pole double throw (SPDT) bus switch with low ON resistance and low pin capacitance, making it suitable for Hi-Speed USB operation with data rates up to 480Mbps. A typical application for the IC would be a multiplexer/demultiplexer function between two USB controllers. The switch operates within a voltage range of 2.3V and 3.6V, has a typical ON resistance of 6.5ohm and a low typical switch on capacitance of 7pF.

This results in a typical 3dB bandwidth of 720MHz and 820MHz for the TSSOP and WLCSP package, respectively. A maximum quiescent current of 2uA (at 3.6V) helps designers to reduce system power consumption. Switching between different ports is achieved via a select pin, while an output enable (OE) pin can be used to isolate a USB controller and devices. Designed to minimise board space, the TC7USB221 is available in two package options.

The miniature WCSP10 package measures 1.6mm x 1.2mm x 0.67mm, while the TSSOP14 alternative has dimensions of 4.4mm x 5.4mm x 1.2mm. OE and I/O pins are equipped with power-down protection. In addition, every pin is equipped with ESD protection according to machine model and human body model of at least 200V and 2,000V, respectively.

Image sensors embedded in digital cameras are expensive, and issues with their circuitry limit the quality and resolution in the pictures they produce. Now a research group from the Netherlands believes a cheaper solution could be right before our eyes – the team’s “gigavision” technique exploits the high light sensitivity of memory chips to produce inexpensive gigapixel sensors that perform very well, especially in extreme lighting conditions.
Today’s image sensors in digital cameras are based on CCD or CMOS technology, which is effective but relatively complex and not very energy-efficient. With CMOS sensors, as light hits the objective its intensity is translated to an analog voltage for each pixel; the voltage is then transferred to the edge of the chip, where it’s converted to a greyscale value between 0 and 255 by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in a process that often compromises image quality.
Source:gizmag

Finally a new version of my favorite “AiO” Tech Tool is out once more…

Hiren’s BootCD 10.0 With KeyBoard Patch

Hiren’s Boot CD is a boot CD containing various diagnostic programs such as partitioning agents, system performance benchmarks, disk cloning and imaging tools, data recovery tools, MBR tools, BIOS tools, and many others for fixing various computer problems. It is a Bootable CD; thus, it can be useful even if the primary operating system cannot be booted. Hiren’s Boot CD has an extensive list of software. Utilities with similar functionality on the CD are grouped together and seem redundant; however, they present choices through UI differences. Hiren’s BootCD – All in one Dos Bootable CD which has all these utilities.

Hiren's Boot CD

Partition Tools
- Partition Magic Pro 8.05: Best software to partition hard drive.
- Acronis Disk Director 10.0.2160: Popular disk management functions in a single suite.
- Paragon Partition Manager 7.0.1274: Universal tool for partitions.
- Partition Commander 9.01: The safe way to partition your hard drive, with undo feature.
- Ranish Partition Manager 2.44: a boot manager and hard disk partitioner.
- The Partition Resizer 1.3.4: move and resize your partitions in one step and more.
- Smart Fdisk 2.05: a simple harddisk partition manager.
- SPecial Fdisk 2000.03v: SPFDISK a partition tool.
- eXtended Fdisk 0.9.3: XFDISK allows easy partition creation and edition.
- GDisk 1.1.1: Complete replacement for the DOS FDISK utility and more.
- Super Fdisk 1.0: Create, delete, format partitions drives without destroying data.
- Partition Table Editor 8.0: Partition Table and Boot Record Editor.
- EASEUS Partition Master 3.5: Partition Resize/Move/Copy/Create/Delete/Format/Convert, Explore, etc.

Backup Tools
- ImageCenter 5.6 (Drive Image 2002): Best software to clone hard drive.
- Norton Ghost 11.5: Similar to Drive Image (with usb/scsi support).
- Acronis True Image 8.1.945: Create an exact disk image for complete system backup and disk cloning.
- Partition Saving 3.71: A tool to backup/restore partitions. (SavePart.exe).
- COPYR.DMA Build013: A Tool for making copies of hard disks with bad sectors.
- DriveImageXML 2.02: backup any drive/partition to an image file, even if the drive is currently in use.
- Drive SnapShot 1.39: creates an exact Disk Image of your system into a file while windows is running.
- Ghost Image Explorer 11.5: to add/remove/extract files from Ghost image file.
- DriveImage Explorer 5.0: to add/remove/extract files from Drive image file.
- WhitSoft File Splitter 4.5a: a Small File Split-Join Tool.
- Express Burn 4.26: CD/DVD Burner Program to create and record CDs/DVDs, also create/burn .iso and .nrg images.
- Smart Driver Backup 2.12: Easy backup of your Windows device drivers (also works from PE).
- Double Driver 1.0: Driver Backup and Restore tool.
- DriverBackup! 1.0.3: Another handy tool to backup drivers.

Recovery Tools
- Active Partition Recovery 3.0: To Recover a Deleted partition.
- Active Uneraser 3.0: To recover deleted files and folders on FAT and NTFS systems.
- Ontrack Easy Recovery Pro 6.10: To Recover data that has been deleted/virus attack.
- Winternals Disk Commander 1.1: more than just a standard deleted-file recovery utility.
- TestDisk 6.11.3: Tool to check and undelete partition.
- Lost & Found 1.06: a good old data recovery software.
- DiyDataRecovery Diskpatch 2.1.100: An excellent data recovery software.
- Prosoft Media Tools 5.0 v1.1.2.64: Another excellent data recovery software with many other options.
- PhotoRec 6.11.3: File and pictures recovery Tool.
- Winsock 2 Fix for 9x: to fix corrupted Winsock2 information by poorly written Internet programs.
- XP TCP/IP Repair 1.0: Repair your Windows XP Winsock and TCP/IP registry errors.
- Active Undelete 5.5: a tool to recover deleted files.
- Restoration 3.2.13: a tool to recover deleted files.
- GetDataBack for FAT 2.31: Data recovery software for FAT file systems.
- GetDataBack for NTFS 2.31: Data recovery software for NTFS file systems.
- Recuva 1.27.419: Restore deleted files from Hard Drive, Digital Camera Memory Card, usb mp3 player…
- Partition Find and Mount 2.3.1: Partition Find and Mount software is designed to find lost or deleted partitions.
- Unstoppable Copier 4b: Allows you to copy files from disks with problems such as bad sectors, scratches or that just give errors when reading data.

Testing Tools
- System Speed Test 4.78: it tests CPU, harddrive, etc.
- PC-Check 6.5: Easy to use hardware tests.
- Ontrack Data Advisor 5.0: Powerful diagnostic tool for assessing the condition of your computer.
- The Troubleshooter 7.02: all kind of hardware testing tool.
- PC Doctor 2004: a benchmarking and information tool.
- CPU/Video/Disk Performance Test 5.7: a tool to test cpu, video, and disk.
- Test Hard Disk Drive 1.0: a tool to test Hard Disk Drive.
- Disk Speed1.0: Hard Disk Drive Speed Testing Tool.
- S&M Stress Test 1.9.1: cpu/hdd/memory benchmarking and information tool, including temperatures/fan speeds/voltages.
- IsMyLcdOK (Monitor Test) 1.01: Allows you to test CRT/LCD/TFT screens for dead pixels and diffective screens.

RAM (Memory) Testing Tools
- GoldMemory 5.07: RAM Test utility.
- Memtest86+ 2.11: PC Memory Test.
- MemTest 1.0: a Memory Testing Tool.
- Video Memory Stress Test 1.7.116: a tool to thoroughly test your video RAM for errors and faults.

Hard Disk Tools
- Seagate Seatools Graphical v2.13b
- SeaTools for Dos 1.10
- Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools 11.2
- Western Digital Diagnostics (DLGDIAG) 5.04f
- Maxtor PowerMax 4.23
- Maxtor amset utility 4.0
- Maxtor(or any Hdd) Low Level Formatter 1.1
- Fujitsu HDD Diagnostic Tool 7.00
- Fujitsu IDE Low Level Format 1.0
- Samsung HDD Utility(HUTIL) 2.10
- Samsung Disk Diagnose (SHDIAG) 1.28
- Samsung The Drive Diagnostic Utility (ESTOOL) 2.12a
- IBM/Hitachi Drive Fitness Test 4.14
- IBM/Hitachi Feature Tool 2.13
- Gateway GwScan 5.12
- ExcelStor’s ESTest 4.50
- MHDD 4.6
- WDClear 1.30
- Toshiba Hard Disk Diagnostic 2.00b
- HDD Regenerator 1.61: to recover a bad hard drive.
- HDAT2 4.53: main function is testing and repair (regenerates) bad sectors for detected devices.
- Ontrack Disk Manager 9.57: Disk Test/Format/Maintenance tool.
- Norton Disk Doctor 2002: a tool to repair a damaged disk, or to diagnose your hard drive.
- Norton Disk Editor 2002: a powerful disk editing, manual data recovery tool.
- Hard Disk Sentinel 0.04: Hard Disk health, performance and temperature monitoring tool.
- Active Kill Disk 4.1: Securely overwrites and destroys all data on physical drive.
- SmartUDM 2.00: Hard Disk Drive S.M.A.R.T. Viewer.
- Victoria 3.33e and 3.52rus: a freeware program for low-level HDD diagnostics.
- HDD Erase 4.0: Secure erase using a special feature built into most newer hard drives.
- HDD Scan 3.1: This is a Low-level HDD diagnostic tool, it scans surface find bad sectors etc.
- HDTune 2.55: Hard disk benchmarking and information tool.
- Data Shredder 1.0: A tool to Erase disk and files (also wipe free space) securely.

System Information Tools
- PCI and AGP info Tool (0906): The PCI System information & Exploration tool.
- System Analyser 5.3v: View extensive information about your hardware.
- Navratil Software System Information 0.60.32: High-end professional system information tool.
- Astra 5.42: Advanced System info Tool and Reporting Assistant.
- HWiNFO 5.2.7: a powerful system information utility.
- PC-Config 9.33: Complete hardware detection of your computer.
- SysChk 2.46: Find out exactly what is under the hood of your PC.
- CPU Identification utility 1.16: Detailed information on CPU (CHKCPU.EXE).
- CTIA CPU Information 2.7: another CPU information tool.
- Drive Temperature 1.0: Hard Disk Drive temperature meter.
- PC Wizard 2008.1.871: Powerful system information/benchmark utility designed especially for detection of hardware.
- SIW 2009-05-12: Gathers detailed information about your system properties and settings.
- CPU-Z 1.51: It gathers information on some of the main devices of your system.
- PCI 32 Sniffer 1.4 (0906): device information tool (similar to unknown devices).
- Unknown Devices 1.2 (0906): helps you find what those unknown devices in Device Manager really are.

MBR (Master Boot Record) Tools
- MBRWork 1.07b: a utility to perform some common and uncommon MBR functions.
- MBR Tool 2.2.100: backup, verify, restore, edit, refresh, remove, display, re-write…
- DiskMan4: all in one tool for cmos, bios, bootrecord and more.
- BootFix Utility: Run this utility if you get ‘Invalid system disk’.
- MBR SAVE / RESTORE 2.1: BootSave and BootRest tools to save / restore MBR.
- Boot Partition 2.60: add Partition in the Windows NT/2000/XP Multi-boot loader.
- Partition Table Doctor 3.5: a tool to repair/modify mbr, bootsector, partition table.
- Smart Boot Manager 3.7.1: a multi boot manager.
- Bootmagic 8.0: This tool is for multi boot operating systems.
- MBRWizard 2.0b: Directly update and modify the MBR (Master Boot Record).

BIOS / CMOS Tools
- CMOS 0.93: CMOS Save / Restore Tool.
- BIOS Cracker 4.8: BIOS password remover (cmospwd).
- BIOS Cracker 1.4: BIOS password remover (cmospwc).
- BIOS Utility 1.35.0: BIOS Informations, password, beep codes and more.
- !BIOS 3.20: a powerfull utility for bios and cmos.
- DISKMAN4: a powerful all in one utility.
- UniFlash 1.40: bios flash utility.;
- Kill CMOS: a tiny utility to wipe cmos.
- Award DMI Configuration Utility 2.43: DMI Configuration utility for modifying/viewing the MIDF contents.

MultiMedia Tools
- Picture Viewer 1.94: Picture viewer for dos, supports more then 40 filetypes.
- QuickView Pro 2.58: movie viewer for dos, supports many format including divx.
- MpxPlay 1.56: a small Music Player for dos.

Password Tools
- Active Password Changer 3.0.420: To Reset User Password on windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista (FAT/NTFS).
- Offline NT/2K/XP Password Changer: utility to reset windows nt/2000/xp administrator/user password.
- Registry Reanimator 1.02: Check and Restore structure of the Damaged Registry files of NT/2K/XP.
- NTPWD: utility to reset windows nt/2000/xp administrator/user password.
- Registry Viewer 4.2: Registry Viewer/Editor for Win9x/Me/NT/2K/XP.
- ATAPWD 1.2: Hard Disk Password Utility.
- TrueCrypt 6.2: On-the-fly disk encryption tool, can create a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mount it as a real disk, can also encrypt an entire HDD/Partition/USB Drive.
- Content Advisor Password Remover 1.0: It Removes Content Advisor Password from Internet Explorer.
- Password Renew 1.1: Utility to (re)set windows passwords.
- WindowsGate 1.1: Enables/Disables Windows logon password validation.
- WinKeyFinder 1.73: Allows you to View and Change Windows XP/2003 Product Keys, backup and restore activation related files, backup mcrsft Office 97, 2000 SP2, XP/2003 keys etc.
- XP Key Reader 2.7: Can decode the XP-key on Local or Remote systems.
- ProduKey 1.35: Recovers lost the product key of your Windows/Office.
- Wireless Key View 1.26: Recovers all wireless network keys (WEP/WPA) stored in your computer by WZC.
- MessenPass 1.24: A password recovery tool that reveals the passwords of several instant messangers.
- Mail PassView 1.51: Recovers mail passwords of Outlook Express, MS Outlook, IncrediMail, Eudora, etc.
- Asterisk Logger 1.04: Reveal passwords hidden behind asterisk characters.

NTFS (FileSystems) Tools
- NTFS Dos Pro 5.0: To access ntfs partitions from Dos.
- NTFS 4 Dos 1.9: To access ntfs partitions from Dos.
- Paragon Mount Everything 3.0: To access NTFS, Ext2FS, Ext3FS partitions from dos.
- NTFS Dos 3.02: To access ntfs partitions from Dos.
- EditBINI 1.01: to Edit boot.ini on NTFS Partition.

Browsers / File Managers
- Volkov Commander 4.99: Dos File Manager with LongFileName/ntfs support (Similar to Norton Commander).
- Dos Command Center 5.1: Classic dos-based file manager.
- File Wizard 1.35: a file manager – colored files, drag and drop copy, move, delete etc.
- File Maven 3.5: an advanced Dos file manager with high speed PC-to-PC file transfers via serial or parallel cable.
- FastLynx 2.0: Dos file manager with Pc to Pc file transfer capability.
- LapLink 5.0: the smart way to transfer files and directories between PCs.
- Dos Navigator 6.4.0: Dos File Manager, Norton Commander clone but has much more features.
- Mini Windows 98: Can run from Ram Drive, with ntfs support, Added 7-Zip, Disk Defragmenter, Notepad / RichText Editor, Image Viewer, .avi .mpg .divx .xvid Movie Player, etc…
- Mini Windows Xp: Portable Windows Xp that runs from CD/USB/Ram Drive, with Network and SATA support.
- 7-Zip 4.65: File Manager/Archiver Supports 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, MSI, WIM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS formats.
- Opera Web Browser 8.53: One of the fastest, smallest and smartest full-featured web browser.

Other Tools
- Ghost Walker 11.5: utility that changes the security ID (SID) for Windows NT, 2000 and XP.
- DosCDroast beta 2: Dos CD Burning Tools.
- Universal TCP/IP Network 6.4: MSDOS Network Client to connect via TCP/IP to a mcrsft based network. The network can either be a peer-to-peer or a server based network, it contains 91 different network card drivers.
- NewSID 4.10: utility that changes the security ID (SID) for Windows NT, 2000 and XP.
- Registry Editor PE 0.9c: Easy editing of remote registry hives and user profiles.
- Registry Restore Wizard 1.0.4: Restores a corrupted system registry from Xp System Restore.

Dos Tools
- USB CD-Rom Driver 1: Standard usb_cd.sys driver for cd drive.
- Universal USB Driver 2: Panasonic v2.20 ASPI Manager for USB mass storage.
- ASUSTeK USB Driver 3: ASUS USB CD-ROM Device Driver Version 1.00.
- SCSI Support: SCSI Drivers for Dos.
- SATA Support: SATA Driver (gcdrom.sys) and JMicron JMB361 (xcdrom.sys) for Dos.
- 1394 Firewire Support: 1394 Firewire Drivers for Dos.
- Interlnk support at COM1: To access another computer from COM port.
- Interlnk support at LPT1: To access another computer from LPT port.
and too many great dos tools, very good collection of dos utilities
extract.exe, pkzip.exe, pkunzip.exe, unrar.exe, rar.exe
ace.exe, lha.exe, gzip.exe, uharcd.exe, mouse.com
attrib.com, deltree.exe, xcopy.exe, diskcopy.com, imgExtrc.exe
undelete.com, edit.com, fdisk.exe, fdisk2.exe, fdisk3.exe
lf.exe, delpart.exe, wipe.com, zap.com, format.com
move.exe, more.com, find.exe, hex.exe, debug.exe
split.exe, mem.exe, mi.com, sys.com, smartdrv.exe
xmsdsk.exe, killer.exe, share.exe, scandisk.exe, scanreg.exe
guest.exe, doskey.exe, duse.exe, biosdtct.exe, setver.exe
intersvr.exe, interlnk.exe, loadlin.exe, lfndos.exe, doslfn.com

Cleaners
- SpaceMonger 1.4: keeping track of the free space on your computer.
- WinDirStat 1.1.2. 80 : a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for Windows.
- CCleaner 2.20.920: Crap Cleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool.

Optimizers
- PageDfrg 2.32: System file Defragmenter For NT/2k/XP.
- NT Registry Optimizer 1.1j: Registry Optimization for Windows NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista.
- DefragNT 1.9: This tool presents the user with many options for disk defragmenting.
- JkDefrag 3.36: Free disk defragment and optimize utility for Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista.
- Process Tools: IB Process Manager 1.04 a little process manager for 9x/2k, shows dll info etc.
- Process Explorer 11.33: shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.
- Pocket KillBox 2.0.0.978: can be used to get rid of files that stubbornly refuse to allow you to delete them.
- Unlocker 1.8.7: This tool can delete file/folder when you get this message – Cannot delete file: Access is denied, The file is in use by another program etc.
- CurrPorts 1.65: displays the list of all currently opened TCP and UDP ports on your computer.

Startup Tools
- Autoruns 9.50: Displays All the entries from startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys, Explorer shell extensions,toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, Scheduled Tasks, Winsock, LSA Providers, Remove Drivers and much more which helps to remove nasty spyware/adware and viruses.
- Silent Runners Revision 59: A free script that helps detect spyware, malware and adware in the startup process.
- Startup Control Panel 2.8: a tool to edit startup programs.
- Startup Monitor 1.02: it notifies you when any program registers itself to run at system startup.
- HijackThis 2.0.2: a general homepage hijackers detector and remover and more.

Tweakers
- Dial a Fix 0.60.0.24: Fix errors and problems with COM/ActiveX object errors and missing registry entries, Automatic Updates, SSL, HTTPS, and Cryptography service (signing/verification) issues, Reinstall internet explorer etc. comes with the policy scanner.
- Ultimate Windows Tweaker 1.2: A TweakUI Utility for tweaking and optimizing Windows Vista.
- TweakUI 2.10: This PowerToy gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows Xp.
- Xp-AntiSpy 3.97.3: it tweaks some Windows XP functions, and disables some unneeded Windows services quickly.
- Shell Extensions Manager (ShellExView) 1.37: An excellent tool to View and Manage all installed Context-menu/Shell extensions.
- EzPcFix 1.0.0.16: Helpful tool when trying to remove viruses, spyware, and malware.

Antivirus Tools
- Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool 7.0.0.290 (0906): Free on-demand virus scanner from Kaspersky Lab to remove viruses.
- Spybot – Search & Destroy 1.6.2 (0906): Application to scan for spyware, adware, hijackers and other malicious software.
- Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware 1.34 (0906): anti-malware application that can thoroughly remove even the most advanced malware.
- SpywareBlaster 4.2 (0906): Prevent the installation of spyware and other potentially unwanted software.
- SmitFraudFix 2.419: This removes Some of the popular Desktop Hijack malware.
- ComboFix (0906): Designed to cleanup malware infections and restore settings modified by malware.
- CWShredder 2.19: Popular CoolWebSearch Trojan Remover tool.
- RootkitRevealer 1.7.1: Rootkit Revealer is an advanced patent-pending root kit detection utility.
- SuperAntispyware 4.26 (0906): Remove Malware, Rootkits, Spyware, Adware, Worms, Parasites (a must have tool).

Changes:
+InfraRecorder 0.50
-ExpressBurn
+TestDisk for windows
+PhotoRec for windows
+Virtual Floppy Drive 2.1
+HxD 1.7.7.0
+FastCopy 1.99r4
+Angry IP Scanner 2.21
+TCPView 2.54
+OpenedFilesView 1.40
+ProcessActivityView 1.10
+RegScanner 1.77
+USBDeview 1.42
+Streams 1.56
+RemoveWGA 1.2
+RRT – Remove Restrictions Tool 3.0
Intel Matrix Storage Driver iastore.sys 8.9.0.1023 (Minixp)
PE Network Manager 0.45 (Minixp)
Security Tab (Minixp)
Pointsec Filter driver (Minixp)
Double Driver 2.1
GetDataBack 4.0
EASEUS Partition Master 4.0.1
TrueCrypt 6.2a
HDD Regenerator 1.71
Recuva 1.29.429
Unstoppable Copier 4.2
IsMyLcdOK (Monitor Test) 1.02
Samsung The Drive Diagnostic Utility (ESTOOL) 3.00g
IBM/Hitachi Drive Fitness Test 4.15
HDD Scan 3.2
System Analyser 5.3w
Astra 5.43
HWiNFO 5.3.0
CPU Identification utility 1.17
PC Wizard 2009.1.90
SIW 2009-07-28
CPU-Z 1.52
ProduKey 1.36
Wireless Key View 1.27
Content Advisor Password Remover 1.01
MessenPass 1.26
CCleaner 2.23.993
CurrPorts 1.66
Autoruns 9.53
Ultimate Windows Tweaker 2.0
Xp-AntiSpy 3.97.4 beta
ShellExView 1.40
Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool 7.0.0.290 (2908)
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware 1.40 (2908)
SpywareBlaster 4.2 (2908)
SmitFraudFix 2.423
PCI 32 Sniffer 1.4 (2908)
PCI and AGP info Tool (2908)
Unknown Devices 1.2 (2908)
ComboFix (2908)
Spybot – Search & Destroy 1.6.2 (2908)
SuperAntispyware 4.27 (2908)

You may visit Hiren’s BootCD website for updates.  Download.

Um dos usos mais comuns da memória flash é o do sistema básico de entradas/saídas do computador, conhecido como memória BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) ou simplesmente BIOS. Em praticamente todos os computadores, a BIOS assegura que todos os outros chips, discos rígidos, portas e CPU funcionem em conjunto.

Todo computador do tipo desktop e laptop de propósito geral contém um microprocessador como unidade central de processamento. O microprocessador é um componente de hardware. Para fazer seu trabalho, o microprocessador executa um conjunto de instruções conhecido como software (veja Como funcionam os microprocessadores para mais informações). Você provavelmente já está bem familiarizado com dois tipos de software diferentes:

• o sistema operacional - o sistema operacional fornece um conjunto de serviços para os aplicativos em execução em seu computador e também fornece a interface de usuário fundamental para seu computador. Windows e Linux são exemplos de sistemas operacionais (Veja Como funcionam os sistemas operacionais para mais informações);
• os aplicativos – aplicativos são trechos de software programados para efetuar tarefas específicas. Agora mesmo você pode estar executando, além de um aplicativo de navegação (ou browser), um aplicativo de processamento de texto, um aplicativo de e-mail e assim por diante. Você também pode comprar novos aplicativos e instalá-los em seu computador.

Acontece que a memória BIOS é o terceiro tipo de software que seu computador precisa para operar com êxito. Neste artigo, você aprenderá tudo sobre a BIOS: o que ela faz, como configurá-la e o que fazer caso sua BIOS precise de atualização.

O que faz a BIOS

O software da BIOS tem diversos papéis diferentes, mas o mais importante é o carregamento do sistema operacional. Quando você liga seu computador e o microprocessador tenta executar sua primeira instrução, ele tem que obter essa instrução de algum lugar. Ele não pode obtê-la do sistema operacional porque esse sistema se localiza no disco rígido e o microprocessador não pode se comunicar com ele sem algumas instruções que digam como fazê-lo. A BIOS fornece essas instruções. Algumas das outras tarefas comuns que a BIOS executa incluem:

• um auto-teste durante a energização (POST – Power On-Self Test) para todos os diferentes componentes de hardware no sistema, para assegurar que tudo esteja funcionando corretamente;

• ativação de outros chips da BIOS em diferentes cartões instalados no computador. Por exemplo, placas SCSI e de vídeo freqüentemente possuem seus próprios chips de BIOS;

• fornecimento de um conjunto de rotinas de baixo nível que o sistema operacional usa para interfacear de diferentes dispositivos de hardware. São essas rotinas que dão à BIOS o seu nome. Elas administram coisas como o teclado, o monitor de vídeo, a porta serial e as portas paralelas, especialmente quando o computador está sendo inicializado;

• gerenciamento de diversos parâmetros para os discos rígidos, relógio, etc.

A BIOS é um software especial que faz a interface dos principais componentes de hardware de seu computador com o sistema operacional. Ela geralmente é armazenada em um chip de memória flash na placa-mãe, mas algumas vezes o chip é de um outro tipo de ROM.

Quando você liga seu computador, a BIOS faz diversas coisas. Esta é a seqüência normal:

1. verifica a configuração (setup) da CMOS para os ajustes personalizados
2. carrega os manipuladores de interrupção e acionadores (drivers) de dispositivos
3. inicializa registradores e gerenciamento de energia
4. efetua o autoteste durante a energização (POST)
5. exibe as configurações do sistema
6. determina quais dispositivos são inicializáveis
7. começa a seqüência de inicialização (conhecida como bootstrap ou, de forma mais reduzida, como boot

A primeira coisa que a BIOS faz é verificar a informação armazenada em uma minúscula quantidade de RAM (64 bytes) localizada em um chip fabricado com a tecnologia CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semicondutor). A Configuração da CMOS fornece informações detalhadas particulares para seu sistema e pode ser alterada de acordo as mudanças do sistema. A BIOS usa essas informações para modificar ou complementar sua programação padrão conforme necessário. Vamos falar mais sobre essas configurações daqui a pouco.

Manipuladores de interrupção são pequenos trechos de software que atuam como tradutores entre os componentes do hardware e o sistema operacional. Por exemplo, quando você pressiona uma tecla, o evento associado ao sinal é enviado para o manipulador de interrupção do teclado, que informa à CPU do que se trata e o envia esse evento para o sistema operacional. Os drivers de dispositivos são outros trechos de software que identificam os componentes básicos do hardware como teclado, mouse, disco rígido e disco flexível. Como a BIOS está constantemente interceptando sinais de e para o hardware, ela geralmente é copiada (espelhada) na RAM para ser executada mais rapidamente.

Inicializando o computador

Sempre que você liga seu computador, a primeira coisa que vê é o software da BIOS fazendo seu trabalho. Em muitas máquinas, a BIOS exibe um texto que descreve coisas como a quantidade de memória instalada em seu computador, o tipo de disco rígido e assim por diante. Acontece que durante a seqüência de inicialização (boot), a BIOS faz uma grande quantidade de trabalho para deixar seu computador pronto para funcionar. Esta seção descreve rapidamente algumas dessas atividades para um PC típico.

Depois de verificar a configuração de CMOS e carregar os manipuladores de interrupção, a BIOS determina se a placa de vídeo está operacional. A maioria das placas de vídeo possui sua própria BIOS em miniatura que inicializa a memória e o processador gráfico de sua placa. Caso não o façam, geralmente há informações do driver de vídeo em outra ROM na placa-mãe, que a BIOS pode carregar.

Em seguida, a BIOS verifica se se trata de uma inicialização a frio (cold boot) ou de uma reinicialização (reboot). Ela faz isso verificando o valor no endereço de memória 0000:0472. Um valor 1234h indica uma reinicialização e a BIOS salta o restante do POST. Caso contrário, é considerada uma inicialização a frio.

Se for uma inicialização a frio, a BIOS verifica a RAM fazendo um teste de escrita/leitura de cada endereço da memória. Ele verifica as portas PS/2 ou portas USB em busca de um teclado e um mouse. Ela procura por um barramento PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) e, caso encontre algum, verifica todos os cartões PCI. Se a BIOS encontrar algum erro durante o POST, ela notificará o usuário por meio de uma série de bips ou uma mensagem de texto exibida na tela. Um erro nesse ponto quase sempre representa um problema de hardware.

A BIOS então exibe alguns detalhes sobre seu sistema. Isso inclui tipicamente informações a respeito do (a):

• processador
• unidades (drivers) de disco flexível e disco rígido
• memória
• versão e data da BIOS
• monitor de vídeo

Quaisquer drivers especiais, como aqueles para adaptadores de SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) são carregados a partir do adaptador e a BIOS exibe essa informação. A BIOS então considera a seqüência de dispositivos de armazenamento identificada como dispositivos de inicialização na configuração de CMOS. “Boot” é outro nome para a inicialização, e é uma forma reduzida de “bootstrap”, alça para ajudar a calçar uma bota. A relação se origina em um antigo ditado, “Lift yourself up by your bootstraps”, algo que pode ser traduzido como ”Levante-se por conta própria “. O boot se refere ao processo de carregamento do sistema operacional. O BIOS tentará iniciar a seqüência de boot a partir do primeiro dispositivo. Se a BIOS não encontrar um dispositivo, tentará o próximo dispositivo na lista. Caso ela não encontre os arquivos apropriados no dispositivo, o processo de partida será interrompido. Se algum dia você esqueceu um disquete no drive quando reiniciou seu computador, provavelmente já viu essa mensagem.

A BIOS tentou inicializar o computador a partir do disquete esquecido no drive. Como ela não encontrou os arquivos de sistema corretos, não pôde continuar. É claro, isso é fácil de resolver. Simplesmente retire o disquete e pressione uma tecla para continuar.

Configurando a BIOS

Na lista anterior, você viu que a BIOS verifica a configuração da CMOS quanto a configurações personalizadas. Eis o que se deve fazer quando você deseja alterar essas configurações.

Para entrar na Configuração de CMOS, você deve pressionar uma determinada tecla ou combinação de teclas durante a seqüência de partida inicial. A maioria dos sistemas usa “Esc,” “Del,” “F1,” “F2,” “Ctrl-Esc” ou “Ctrl-Alt-Esc” para entrar na configuração. Há geralmente uma linha de texto na parte inferior da tela que informa ”Press ____ to Enter Setup”.

Assim que você entrar no Setup, verá um conjunto de telas de texto com algumas opções. Algumas delas são padronizadas, enquanto outras variam de acordo com o fabricante da BIOS.

• System Time/Date – ajusta a data e a hora do sistema.
• Boot Sequence - a ordem na qual o BIOS tentará carregar o sistema operacional.
• Plug and Play – um padrão para auto-detecção de dispositivos conectados. Deve ser ajustado para “Yes” (sim) caso seu computador e sistema operacional suportem essa opção.
• Mouse/Keyboard – “Enable Num Lock” (habilitar teclado numérico), “Enable the Keyboard” (habilitar teclado), ”Auto-Detect Mouse” (auto-detectar o mouse).
• Drive Configuration – configura os discos rígidos, CD-ROM e discos flexíveis.
• Memory – direciona a BIOS para ser espelhada para um endereço específico da memória.
• Security – estabelece uma senha para acesso ao computador.
• Power Management – seleciona o uso do gerenciamento de energia, assim como estabelece o tempo de espera (standby)e suspensão (suspend).
• Exit – salva suas alterações, descarta suas alterações ou restaura os ajustes-padrão.

Tome muito cuidado quando fizer alterações da configuração. Ajustes incorretos podem impedir que seu computador inicialize. Quando você tiver finalizado suas alterações, deverá escolher a opção “Save Changes” e sair. Então a BIOS tentará reiniciar seu computador para que os novos ajustes tenham efeito.

A BIOS usa a tecnologia CMOS para salvar as alterações feitas nos ajustes do computador. Com essa tecnologia, uma pequena bateria de lítio ou Ni-Cad pode fornecer energia suficiente para conservar os dados durante anos. De fato, alguns dos chips mais recentes possuem uma pequena bateria de lítio com capacidade para 10 anos incluída no chip CMOS.

Atualizando sua BIOS

Às vezes, um computador precisará atualizar sua BIOS. Isso vale principalmente para máquinas mais antigas. À medida que surgem novos dispositivos e padrões, a BIOS necessita mudar para aceitar o novo hardware. Como a BIOS é armazenada em alguma forma de ROM, sua alteração é um pouco mais difícil do que a atualização da maioria dos outros tipos de software.

Para alterar a própria BIOS, você provavelmente precisará de um programa especial fornecido pelo fabricante do computador ou da BIOS. Veja as informações de revisão e data da BIOS exibidas durante o boot do sistema ou verifique com o fabricante de seu computador (ou de sua placa-mãe) para descobrir o tipo de BIOS. Então vá ao site do fabricante da BIOS para ver se há uma atualização disponível. Faça o download da atualização e do programa utilitário necessário para a sua instalação. Algumas vezes o utilitário e a atualização são combinados em um único arquivo para o download. Copie o programa junto com a atualização da BIOS em um disquete. Reinicie seu computador com o disquete inserido no drive para que o programa apague a BIOS antiga e escreva a nova. Você pode encontrar um assistente de BIOS, que poderá fazer uma verificação da sua BIOS, em BIOS Upgrades (em inglês). Sistemas mais modernos já conseguem fazer atualização da BIOS dentro do próprio sistema operacional, facilitando a vida do usuário.

Os principais fabricantes de BIOS são:

• American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) (em inglês)
• Phoenix Technologies (em inglês)
• ALi
• Winbond (em inglês)

Da mesma forma que para a configuração de CMOS, tome cuidado quando fizer a atualização da BIOS. Assegure-se de fazer a atualização para uma versão que seja compatível com o sistema de seu computador. Caso contrário, você poderá corromper a BIOS, o que significa que ela não será capaz de inicializar seu computador. Se estiver em dúvida, verifique com o fabricante de seu computador para assegurar que você precisa de uma atualização.

Para mais informações sobre BIOS e assuntos relacionados, confira os links na próxima página.

Mais informações

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• Como funcionam os PCs
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• Como funcionam os microprocessadores
• Como funcionam os discos rígidos
• Como funcionam os sistemas operacionais
• Como funcionam as portas eletrônicas
• Como funciona a lógica booleana
• Por que o computador precisa de uma bateria? (em inglês)
• Qual é a diferença entre os sensores de imagem CCD e CMOS em uma câmera digital?

Mais links interessantes (em inglês)

• Treinamento A+ – aprenda sobre escolas que oferecem programas de treinamento e certificação A+.
• Webopedia: BIOS
• PC Guide: BIOS do Sistema
• Kingston’s Ultimate Memory Guide
• Uma Breve História da Microprogramação
• TweakBIOS
• Wim’s BIOS
• American Megatrends (AMI)
• Phoenix Technologies
• Winbond

Fonte: HowStuffWorks