Configuring Your Motherboard Jumper Settings

Some motherboards still rely on jumpers, small plastic-coated pieces of metal that sit across two pins, in order to perform some tasks that might otherwise be controlled via the BIOS.

Computer motherboards can be a mystery. While appearing to be large pieces of plastic and metal and sand soldered together in very specific patterns, it is true that motherboards are the type of hardware that you take care of. However there is no need for any mystery – the parts that comprise a motherboard are all there for a reason, and positioned in a logical manner to improve efficiency. In most cases, none of this matters as there are very few times in which we need direct interaction with the motherboard. Where physical interaction is required, however, small switches called jumpers are provided, and these can be used to enable or disable various optional motherboard functions that cannot be activated in the BIOS or operating system

What is a Motherboard Jumper?

Found on motherboards and IDE drives, a jumper is a small connector that when linked to a pair of pins forces a particular behavior. For instance on an IDE hard disk drive it might determine whether the drive is a slave or master device.

Jumpers are made from a conductive metal and housed in a tough plastic sleeve, suitable for handling manually or manipulating with tools.

Over the years, motherboards have featured fewer jumper blocks, the term given to pairs or groups of jumpers. There has been a concerted effort in recent years to move away from jumpers in favor of adding options to the BIOS, facilitating a quicker system setup. However a jumper-free system doesn’t necessarily mean a safer system. Jumpers need only be set once, while software settings can be destroyed by a virus or power failure

Typical Motherboard Jumper Controls

Although all motherboards are different, there are certain jumper settings that are quite common. Older systems would have jumpers that enabled or disabled certain parts of the motherboard (and as such controlled resources to and from these areas) although commonly there are only one or two jumper switches found on modern motherboards.

These are the Flash BIOS jumper and the Clear CMOS jumper. Each must be in the default position to use your system normally, and should be changed only in specific circumstances. For instance you would change the setting of the Flash BIOS jumper with a new BIOS software ready to install from a floppy disk, whereas the Clear CMOS jumper might only be used when the BIOS password has been lost

Jumper

 

Jumpers allow the computer to close an electrical circuit, allowing the electricity to flow certain sections of the circuit board. Jumpers consist of a set of small pins that can be covered with a small plastic box (jumper block) as shown in the illustration to the right. Below the illustration, is a picture of what the jumpers may look like on your motherboard. In this example, the jumper is the white block covering two of the three gold pins. Next to the pins is a silkscreen description of each of the pin settings. In the picture jump pins 1-2 for Normal mode, 2-3 for config mode, and when open the computer is in recovery mode.

Jumpers are used to configure the settings for computer peripherals such as the motherboard, hard drives, modems, sound cards, and other components. For example, if your motherboard supported intrusion detection, a jumper can be set to enable or disable this feature.

In the past, before Plug-and-Play, jumpers were used to adjust device resources, such as changing what IRQ the device is using. Today, most users will not need to adjust any jumpers on their motherboard or expansion cards. Usually, you are most likely to encounter jumpers when installing a new drive, such as a hard drive. As can be seen in the picture below, ATA (IDE) hard drives have jumpers with three sets of two pins. Moving a jumper between each two pins will change the drive from master drive, slave drive, or cable select.

Motherboard

Alternatively referred to as the mb, mainboard, mobo, mobd, backplane board, base board, main circuit board, planar board, system board, or a logic board on Apple computers. The motherboard is a printed circuit board that is the foundation of a computer, located at the bottom of the computer case. It allocates power to the CPU, RAM, and all other computer hardware components. Most importantly, the motherboard allows hardware components to communicate with one another.

Below is a picture of the ASUS P5AD2-E motherboard with names of each major component of the motherboard. Clicking on the image below gives you a larger more detailed version of the picture below.

What is RAM and what does it do?

What is RAM and what does it do?
RAM - Random Access Memory, or volatile memory, is used by the system to store data for processing by a computer's central processing unit (CPU), also known as the processor. RAM stores the data in memory cells that are arranged in grids much like the cells are arranged in a spreadsheet, from which data, in the binary form of 1's and 0's, can be accessed and transferred at random to the processor for processing by the system's software.
The data stored in a hard disk drive (HDD) cannot be accessed at random. Whole sectors, containing blocks of data, are transferred from a hard disk drive, placed in a large swap file on the same drive, and only then are selected files transferred to RAM for random access by the processor, which is itself only performing the instructions of the system's operating system (usually Windows), and its application software.  
Whenthe computer is turned off, all of the data in the RAM memory is lost, hence its alternative name of volatile memory, whereas all of the data on a hard disk drive is retained permanently until it is intentionally erased. The motherboard (or mainboard) manual (that should be provided with a new or a second-hand PC) will provide all of the details about the different types of supported RAM, and the various combinations of modules per bank for each type that can be successfully installed.
You can use some of the easy tools to find your exact DDR or DDR2 Memory Upgrades for your Desktop, Laptop or Servers.
Use the Memory Selector to find compatible DDR or DDR2 Memory Upgrades, or the all new system scanner tool to scan your system to find exact matching DDR RAM. If you need more help use the Live Chat Support

Earth Quake threat to Karachi exposes cracks in system By AFP News

Legend has it that seven revered Islamic saints whose shrines are located across Karachi have for centuries protected the city from natural calamities.

But after another deadly earthquake killed up to 300 people in Balochistan recently, there are fears that the presence of the saints may not be enough to protect the 14 million people from death and destruction as the city is ill-equipped to cope if disaster strikes. 

Deep beneath the bustling port city, the Indian, Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates are in constant friction, with the potential to wreak havoc above. As a result, seismologists say Karachi is as much at risk from earthquakes as Los Angeles. 

But unlike the sprawling coastal city of Los Angeles or other cities lying on or near fault-lines, Karachi is ill-equipped to cope if disaster strikes, according to experts.

"The earthquakes in other parts of the country are warnings for us and we should take them seriously," Noman Ahmed, an architect associated with the NED University of Engineering and Technology, told AFP. 

"We are not realising the danger we are surrounded by." Once known for its suburban green spaces and tree-lined streets, Karachi is now a concrete jungle of haphazard settlements, sprawling upwards and outwards as far as the eye can see. More than half the population live in slums. 

Architect Noman Ahmed estimates that virtually all of the city's 500,000 buildings are structurally unsound. "Not more than five per cent of our buildings are constructed by following the building rules. The rest are self-built by builders without taking any professional advice," he added. 

"You can see negligible provisions for evacuation or accessibility in our buildings. There are no fire or hazard escapes in the majority of structures."Civic leaders, including Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, also admit that most of the city's buildings are not built to bear strong quake shocks and the public is unaware of the need to take precautions. 

Although that follows a trend in the country as a whole, Architect Noman Ahmed says he also fears for the safety of other structures. "Our bridges have no accessibility provisions. Most bridges have either completed their designated age or are bearing excessive load. They are dangerous because there is no building monitoring here," he adds. 

"We have underground water and electricity conduits and gas lines, which can expose extra dangers in the wake of a major disaster," he observes.

For Roland De Souza, a member of the Shehri (Citizen) organisation that monitors civic violations in Karachi, most of our disasters and emergencies in Pakistan are man-made, not natural. "Earthquakes do not kill, falling buildings do," he says. 

Meagre resources
Civic leaders also complain of inadequate resources that could hamper any relief effort if the worst happens. The city government has an annual budget of Rs47 billion from which funds must be found for effective disaster management. 

"We have very limited staff and resources, which is enough for routine disasters but not for large-scale calamities," says Masood Alam, chief of the municipal services department.

The department controls the city's poorly-staffed and resource-strained fire brigade, which struggles to cope at the best of times. 

With a population growing at a staggering 3.75 per cent each year, it will be stretched further in years to come. "Our firemen are brave but they are few in number," says Mr Alam. "We have just 50 fire tenders and 20 fire stations. We need much more professional staff, at least 365 fire tenders and 178 fire stations in Karachi." 

In comparison, Karachi's sister city, Mumbai, in western India, has a similarly-sized population but more fire stations, resources and a bigger budget to cover a smaller area, he observes.

Fahim Zaman Khan, a former city mayor, also points to a lack of joined-up administration. "Not more than 40 per cent of the city is under mayoral governance. The rest is controlled by 30-odd agencies that do not collaborate with the city government," he says. 

"We seriously lack a disaster managing set-up that could pool the resources of all the agencies and use it under a single disaster management commissioner." The fire brigade needs trained and skilled staff, but Pakistan lacks a single training facility for fire fighters, he says, calling for greater investment in an effective emergency response system. 

Meanwhile, doctors say that already-inadequate healthcare facilities will be overwhelmed if a disaster strikes. There are only 10,000 hospital beds and one doctor for every 1,500 people on average.

A massive earthquake in northern parts of the country in 2005 killed 73,000 and displaced 3.5 million others. Some 20,000 people were killed when a quake struck the western Indian state of Gujarat, just across the border in 2001. 

According to Dr Shershah Syed, "We are totally unprepared to cope with major disasters. Our hospitals have negligible facilities that can deliver treatment, provided survivors get to them because all hospitals are located in congested places.

'Pollen Tsunami' Causing Misery in the Northeast

Kiyotsugu Tsukuma | a.collectionRF | Getty Images

Move over, pollen vortex, the pollen tsunami is here.

A ferocious winter, delayed spring and even the beginnings of climate change have created a "pollen tsunami" that is slamming allergy sufferers in the Northeast, says one expert.
Oak and birch trees — the "big bad" pollen makers — are coming out at the same time as the seasonal ones like poplar, alder and ash. And soon the grass pollens arrive.

"It's a triple whammy," Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York. "The early and mid-spring tree pollen and the grasses are hitting all at once to create misery and suffering."

Winter snow and rains fed tree root systems and triggered a "robust response," according to Bassett. And now, a deluge of pollen is irritating susceptible sinuses and leaving its telltale green residue on porches and window sills.


And don't think you are off Scot-free if you live in a big city, said Bassett. Air pollution makes people even more susceptible to allergies.
"It's pretty bad — you can actually see it on your car," said Guy Robinson, who teaches in the natural science department at New York's Fordham University and runs its two pollen testing stations.
But, Robinson said, the pollen numbers are not "unusually high" for the first week of May.


"We haven't seen anything close to record-breaking."
Does this mean it could get worse?
Experts say if you have allergies, check the pollen count and stay indoors if it's high. Use air conditioning and exercise indoors. Wear a hat and sunglasses when outdoors.

Home cleaning tips for allergy sufferers

• If you live in the suburbs, don't hang clothes out to dry.
• Wash your face after going outdoors.
• Keep pollen-laden clothing out of the bedroom.
• Keep floors clean.
• Consider "air-cleaning" indoor plants like English ivy and bamboo palm.

As for the nasty green pollen that lands on the porch, don't sweep, hose it down. "I am allergic myself and I use a wet mop," said Robinson.
Allergist Bassett agrees.


"Sweeping can drive the smallest pollen particles into your breathable space," said Bassett. "Wear a pollen or dust mask to avoid it or just ask a non-allergy friend [to do it].

Tsunamis

A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet (30.5 meters), onto land. These walls of water can cause widespread destruction when they crash ashore.

These awe-inspiring waves are typically caused by large, undersea earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries. When the ocean floor at a plate boundary rises or falls suddenly it displaces the water above it and launches the rolling waves that will become a tsunami.

Most tsunamis, about 80 percent, happen within the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” a geologically active area where tectonic shifts make volcanoes and earthquakes common.
Tsunamis may also be caused by underwater landslides or volcanic eruptions. They may even be launched, as they frequently were in Earth’s ancient past, by the impact of a large meteorite plunging into an ocean.

Tsunamis race across the sea at up to 500 miles (805 kilometers) an hour—about as fast as a jet airplane. At that pace they can cross the entire expanse of the Pacific Ocean in less than a day. And their long wavelengths mean they lose very little energy along the way.

In deep ocean, tsunami waves may appear only a foot or so high. But as they approach shoreline and enter shallower water they slow down and begin to grow in energy and height. The tops of the waves move faster than their bottoms do, which causes them to rise precipitously.

A tsunami’s trough, the low point beneath the wave’s crest, often reaches shore first. When it does, it produces a vacuum effect that sucks coastal water seaward and exposes harbor and sea floors. This retreating of sea water is an important warning sign of a tsunami, because the wave’s crest and its enormous volume of water typically hit shore five minutes or so later. Recognizing this phenomenon can save lives.

A tsunami is usually composed of a series of waves, called a wave train, so its destructive force may be compounded as successive waves reach shore. People experiencing a tsunami should remember that the danger may not have passed with the first wave and should await official word that it is safe to return to vulnerable locations.

Some tsunamis do not appear on shore as massive breaking waves but instead resemble a quickly surging tide that inundates coastal areas.

The best defense against any tsunami is early warning that allows people to seek higher ground. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System, a coalition of 26 nations headquartered in Hawaii, maintains a web of seismic equipment and water level gauges to identify tsunamis at sea. Similar systems are proposed to protect coastal areas worldwide