Words from Alejandro U. Alvarez
alex
Hello, I am Alex a software developer currently established in the north of Spain. At the moment I am studying communications engineering here in Spain, a career centered in software development and communications signals. I have been working on website development for many years now, you can see my portfolio in my main website.
Homepage: http://urbanoalvarez.es
Posts by alex
A beginners guide to error codes
Feb 16th
The appearance of an error code in a computer screen usually signify that something is going wrong or are not functioning the way that it is supposed to be. It usually comes in the form of numbers or a group of numbers and letters which can signify different meanings and messages all of them indicating that failure have occurred and what needs to be done to the computer system.
For most computer users, these can be baffling especially if you are not familiar with the different meanings that are attached to the different codes. The fact that there are more than 50 codes also contributes to confusion that can result from the appearance of one. The meanings of each error code can range from missing drivers and damaged system files to application failures and insufficient memories.
Computer Errors codes are originally designed to be used by developers and software support staff. This is because they allow anyone, even those who are not professionals to work on the problem consistently and in an organized manner. Aside from that error codes can also be best described as a shortcut for the different problems or failures that can possibly occur to computers. By using numbers or letters, all the different types can be easily remembered, catalogued and be accessed every time it is needed. However, memorizing all the different error codes can still be very bothersome so it’s good to know that a complete list is available online.
Knowing what error codes are is just the first step in familiarizing with them. The next thing that you must know is how to deal with them. You can do this better if you are familiar with the type of error code that has occurred. This is because the approaches for each code differ depending on their meanings or effects on the computer system. For example, a code 1 appears on your computer screen. This means that a device has malfunctioned because it has no drivers installed or the drivers that are present are not correctly set or configured. To resolve this, you may be asked to update the driver that is the cause of the problem.
Other codes such as 15, 16 and 31 can mean that a specific system file is damaged and helps in making the search for the specific system file much easier. For error codes 400 and 500, it usually means that a computer has been neglected and not properly maintained for a very long time.
A code 10 error usually occurs because of a malfunctioning or missing driver. It could also occur because of incomplete device driver files. On the other hand, a code 39 error may occur because your CD-ROM drive is not visible in My Computer. Similar to these errors, a runtime error 429, a software error, occurs when there is a problem with the automation server that is required by MS Office applications.
In spite of the many different meanings that are associated with the many different error codes, all of them signify only one thing. Something is wrong with your computer. However it’s good to know that error codes can easily be prevented especially if you regularly keep and maintain the working physical condition of your computer. These can be done by regular system scans and updating important programs and softwares such as antivirus and registry cleaning tools. If it still appears and you still don’t know what do with it, then it will not hurt to ask for help from any professional technician or troubleshooter.
Drive Errors: What They Are and How To Fix Them
Jan 28th
A driver is a software program that provides instructions that allow a computer’s operating system and various programs to work in congruence with different hard disk devices, controllers, and peripherals hooked up to your computer. A couple of errors relating to drivers may sometimes occur. These errors are generally caused by corrupt, missing, erroneous, or unsuited divers. To prevent these errors, it is important to have the operating system and device drivers appropriately updated. Regular antivirus and cleanup scans should also be performed to pin point and eradicate erroneous data.
Potential Drive Errors and Their Solution:
Improper connection of device to computer. To correct this, frequently inspect the cabling between the device and the computer to locate any loose connection. If a card or adaptor is being used, make sure that both are properly inserted in the appropriate slot.
Errors in device drivers. This problem arises when the driver is a buggy, poorly designed, incompatible with the operating system, when the recent driver update is faulty, or when there is a hardware divergence within the system. To address this problem, keep each component driver updated accordingly.
Resolving XP Drive Errors
Typically, driver errors in Windows XP can be addressed with the Device Manager tool as this presents information pertaining to the devices hooked up to your computer. With the Device Manager, you can revert to a previous driver update, and install or uninstall a new one. To access the Device Manager, click on Start, Control Panel, System, Hardware, and then Device Manager.
Potential XP Drive Errors and Their Solution:
Drive error caused by recent driver update. If this problem occurs, it would be best to install the previous driver version. To do this, access Device Manager, specify the problematic device, select Driver Tab, and click Roll Back Driver.
Outdated driver: This can cause computer errors which can be resolved by installing the latest driver version. Then, in Device Manager, select the problematic device, click on Driver tab, and then click on Update Driver. Perform the instructions presented on how to upgrade the driver to the version that was previously downloaded.
Corrupt driver: When a driver is corrupt, your best option is to download and install a recent driver version. Remember to uninstall the old driver first, restart your computer, and then install the new driver.
Driver errors can also be resolved by the Recovery Console. To access this feature, boot your computer with Windows XP CD-Rom. On the Welcome to Setup screen, select R and then log on to the Recovery Console by using the administrator password and typing in the command cd windows\system32\drivers. To change the name the faulty driver’s driver file, run ren Driver_Name.sys Driver_Name.old. To resolve the driver error, copy the original driver file from XP’s installation CD-Rom to the driver folder by running copy CD-Drive:\i386 Driver_Name.sys. You can then exit the Recovery Console and restart your computer. If these procedures do not resolve the problem, the error probably lies in the hardware, which should thus be repaired or replaced.
Registry Problems
A registry cleaner software can be used to keep the registry healthy. This is achieved by locating and deleting erroneous and damaged entries from the windows registry. These entries, when unchecked, will eventually cause drive errors.
Display time since last visit in PHP
Jan 20th
Have you ever seen those social networking sites that display the time since your last visit? They do it in a very neat way actually, that is a lot more friendlier that simply "Last login date..."
Well, this little php snippet will allow you to display messages like "Last visit was 4 days ago" or "2 weeks ago" or whatever it was, up to a year.
To use simply include the function in your code and then you'll need two timestamps to compare. One is the one that should be in the database, and it should be the date of the last user activity on the site, or the last time user logged in. The other would be normally the current time ( time() )
function timeBetween($start,$end,$after=' ago',$color=1){ //both times must be in seconds $time = $end - $start; if($time < = 60){ if($color==1){ return '<span style="color:#009900;">Online'; }else{ return 'Online'; } } if(60 < $time && $time <= 3600){ return round($time/60,0).' minutes'.$after; } if(3600 < $time && $time <= 86400){ return round($time/3600,0).' hours'.$after; } if(86400 < $time && $time <= 604800){ return round($time/86400,0).' days'.$after; } if(604800 < $time && $time <= 2592000){ return round($time/604800,0).' weeks'.$after; } if(2592000 < $time && $time <= 29030400){ return round($time/2592000,0).' months'.$after; } if($time > 29030400){ return 'More than a year'.$after; } }
And here an example of usage:
echo timeBetween($timeFromDatabase,time());
And an example output for that could be: 4 minutes ago
There are two configuration variables, $after and $color. $color sets online to a nice green color, and $after is what is displayed after the time. Default is " ago". But you can set it to anything you want.
Well I hope you find this useful 
Tired Of Your Slow PC? Here’s How To Speed It Up
Jan 15th
If you are tired with your slow computer, you may be considering calling a computer maintenance professional to help you speed it up. Such services will be commonly available in the proximity of your office or home. While these are great solutions for people who do not mind spending a lot of money, a common computer user may choose to evaluate other available options, before contacting a computer technician.
Listed below are a few of the secrets that computer professionals do not want you to know. Once you know these secrets, you will save money and can maintain the performance of your computer without any external help.
Secret 1: It may be the registry
Computer experts know that many of the computers become slow because a critical part of your operating system known as the Windows Registry needs to be cleaned up. The Windows registry is a data bank containing vital information about the day to day functioning of your computer. The registry may become slow due to several reasons ranging from installation of a large number of programs to not properly removing applications from a computer. This leads to bloating and corruption of the registry and its symptoms include slow down of your PC, registry errors or system crash.
These experts are wary of sharing this reason for slow down of a PC with the user as they don’t want the users to know that registry can be cleaned easily by anyone using a reliable third-party registry tool. This tool can be easily downloaded and installed on your computer.
It is possible that there could be other reasons for a slow down of your computer, but scanning and repairing your Windows registry can improve the speed of many systems.
Secret 2: It may be the Clutter in your Hard Disk
Your Hard disk is like a house and it needs regular housekeeping. Now, you may choose to appoint a housekeeper (a computer expert) to clean up your hard disk, every once in a while, or you can take things into your own hands. Performing regular cleaning of your hard disk is good housekeeping and will save you a lot of time and money. It is similar to preventive maintenance which reduces the chances of a slow-down of your computer.
There are two important tools that have been provided by your operating system manufacturer.
- Disk Cleanup: It is a maintenance tool provided by Microsoft to free hard disk space. It performs cleaning of the hard disk by searching, analyzing and then deleting unnecessary files.
- Disk Defragmenter: It is a program which has been created to help improve the speed of accessing files in a hard disk by rearranging them in a proper, contiguous manner.
If you use these two system tools on a regular basis, you may find that the speed of your computer is improved dramatically.
Secret 3: It may be a Virus
Many malicious software like virus, Trojans or spyware that manage to enter your system may be the reason behind the slowdown of your computer. Therefore, it is advisable that your computer must be equipped with a reliable anti-virus and anti-spyware tool. This will not only protect your computer from slowdown, but will also prevent any serious damage to your computer or the important data it contains.To get the best out of these tools, you must update them and run thorough scans on your computer on a regular basis.
Creating original website backgrounds
Dec 30th
This tutorial is all about creating beautiful backgrounds for website with a modern/stylish look, have you ever wondered how those curved shapes were created? Here is a preview of one I created for this tutorial:
Fyre sample image
The image is only 300x300px, I didn't want to make anything huge, since it was only a test. The program we will be using will work both under Linux and Windows (No support for Mac users yet), it is called Fyre.
So if you are using Windows, scroll down until you see the tab "07 February 2005 - 0.9 released" and there you'll find both a Windows installer and a Windows zip. I prefer the installer, it runs a bit faster, but it is up to you.
If you are using Linux, before you download it and compile it yourself go to Synaptic and get it from there. It is available at least in Ubuntu (Which is the one I am using right now), if you can't find it in the repositories then download the latest release from their website and compile it. It comes with handy instructions on the configuration, so it shouldn't be hard. (If you have no clue on how to compile/install linux programs use Google, although I'll tell you a fast version: If there is a file called Makefile go to the Terminal, browse to the folder where the files are (First you have to extract them from the .tar.bz or whatever filetype it is, and type >> make all, or >> make. It depends on the program)
Now that Fyre is intalled open it and you'll see a main window to the right with a preview, and to the left a column full of options. For our website, select a bigger width and height. 1000x1000 will do most times. Now play with the controls, center the result, adjust the zoom to fit exactly the canvas WITHOUT touching the corners, and then save it. I've had some issues saving some images, so I sometimes simply print the screen and then cut out the image with Gimp...
Now that you have it place it in the website's folder and simply set it as background. If you don't know how to use this CSS code:
body{ background:url('fyre_image.png') no-repeat top left; }
The top left can be changed to top center, top right... or bottom corners, although I think that top alignment is much better.
Hope this helped you