Prior to 1984, ink delivery systems were not as dependable as they are now. The inkjet system replaced old dot matrix method, which required changing a ribbon. It wasn’t long before printer industry began conceptualizing a new ink delivery technique, including drop on demand method. Several companies were driving forces behind developing inkjet technology, and by 1990 method was widely accepted. Today it is method of choice for printing requirements, and will print both black and white documents as well as color graphics and photos.

The quality is excellent, thanks to development of printer ink cartridges. It is possible to print on many different sizes and types of paper, fabric, film, etc. These printers are used in businesses, in schools and homes of millions of people worldwide.

Each printer uses a specific printer ink cartridge, most often one each of black and color. Each cartridge is given an identifying number and lists model number of each printer in which it can be used. While each printer manufacturer recommends its own brand of printer ink cartridge, it is possible to refill cartridge yourself, or purchase a refilled, remanufactured or a compatible cartridge.

How to Backup Windows XP Home Edition

By Stephen Bucaro

Your computer cost you from hundreds to thousands of dollars, but computer itself is not most valuable part. The data on hard disk is most valuable part. How many hours of work did you put into creating that data? One little event, like a power line spike from a lightning strike, and all that work could be lost. Unfortunately, backing up with Windows XP Home Edition is not as simple as it should be.

The first step is to choose a backup device. You might choose a tape drive or a DVD drive, but those devices might require drivers to be installed before you could restore from them. The simplest option is to install a second hard drive in your computer.

The second hard drive doesn't have to be equal to your main hard drive. You can use an older, smaller hard drive as backup device, as long as backup drive has more "Free Space" than main hard drive has "Used Space".

Install a Second Hard Drive

When installing a second hard drive in your computer, it's important to configure drives correctly. Your motherboard should have two ATA (sometimes called IDE) connectors. The primary connector should have a cable with two drive connectors. The end connector should go to your main hard drive, middle connector can be used for a backup hard drive. The second motherboard ATA connector should go to your CD-ROM.

On back of each hard drive is a jumper. The jumper on your main hard drive should be set to "Master" position. The jumper on your backup hard drive should be set to "Slave" position. Most modern computers use "Cable Select", so you can set both jumpers to "Cable Select" position. Don't forget power connector for second drive.

When you restart your computer, second drive should be automatically recognized and be designated with next drive letter available, usually E: (D: being used for CD-ROM drive).

Format Second Hard Drive

Generally, you will want to re-format second hard drive after installation to remove any previously installed operating system and to remove any previous file access rights. To format drive, select Start | Settings | Control Panel | Administration Tools | Computer Management. In "Computer Management" window, under "Storage", click on "Disk Management".

Right click on backup disk's drive letter. In popup menu, select All Tasks | Format... In Warning dialog box that appears, click on "Yes" button. In "Format" dialog box, in "File system" drop-down list, select NTFS. Click on "OK" button. Again, in Warning dialog box that appears, click on "Yes" button.