Windows Vista: Enable/Disable Network Discovery

In Windows Vista, Network Discovery enables your computer to be seen on the network. It also enables you to see other computers on the network.

To enable or disable Network Discovery, perform the following steps:
1. Click Start and type network in the start search box.
2. Click Network and Sharing Center.
3. Scroll down arrow all the way to the right of Network Discovery. Click on or off theTurn on network discovery radio button and click Apply. Click Continue if prompted by UAC.

Windows Vista: Enable Support for More than 4GB of RAM

Windows Vista can’t utilize more than 4GB of RAM by default. Here’s how to enable the ability for it to see 4GB of RAM or more.
1. Press Window key + R to open the Run dialog, and then type cmd to open a command prompt. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to tell the command prompt to open with elevated privileges.
2. Type BCDEdit /set pae ForceEnable and press Enter.Note: PAE must be supported by the processor.
3. Type BCDEdit /set nx AlwaysOff & BCDEdit /set pae ForceEnable and press Enter.
4. Restart Windows Vista.
See also:Enable 4GB of Memory on Vista

Windows Vista: Disable UAC

A quicker way to disable the User Account Control or UAC feature in Windows Vista.
1. Open Control Panel.
2. Type UAC in the Start Search box.
3. The first link that appears should be Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off. Open it.
4. Uncheck Use User Account Control (UAC) then click OK.
Restart the computer and UAC is disabled.

Prevent Firefox From Hogging RAM While Minimized

You can set Firefox to reduce the amount of RAM or memory it uses while it is minimized with this tweak.
1. Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter.
2. Right-click any area in the window and click New > Boolean.
3. In the box that pops up enter config.trim_on_minimize and press Enter.
4. Select True and press Enter.

The Internet (F.A.Q)

How would you define the Internet?
The Internet is a network of computers, which is now global, that uses a standard protocol (TCP/IP) to connect themselves together. The applications which work on top of the Internet, such as the World Wide Web or E-mail, should not be confused as the Internet itself.

When did the Internet begin?
By the mid 1960's a computer network was built in the United States, which was the genesis of the Internet. This network was solely to link military installations together, but the backbone of this system was soon opened for civilian design and funding. Packet switching was recommended for the system. And the first working example of the network was called ARPANET. During the 1970's E-mail was launched on ARPANET and International packing switching was developed. By 1988 commercial funding and interests were launched, and by the mid 1990's countless commercial ISPs were founded.

Who coined the term 'Internet'?
Jennifer Wimborne. The year she coined the term is generally thought to be 1986. Information Superhighway is another popular term for the Internet, and this term was coined by the US politician, and presidential candidate Al Gore.

Did any one person invent the Internet?
No. Unlike the World Wide Web which is credited to Tim Berners-Lee, the Internet did not have one founding father. The Internet was developed for over four decades, and by countless research facilities. However, there are a few persons who stand out in contributing major features to the Internet. Leonard Klienrock developed packet switching, Larry G. Roberts was chiefly responsible for starting ARPANET, and Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf created the TCP protocol. Some people like to credit Cerf and Kahn with creating the Internet. But neither they or most credible experts confirm this claim.

Could you name some of the applications available on the Internet?
There are too many to name. But some of the most popular applications must be the World Wide Web, E-mail, VoIP, file sharing, instant messaging, instant chat and network gaming.

Is the Internet nonproprietary?
Is it. The Internet has no copyright and it's protocols are open to anyone. Many people agree that this open development allowed the Internet to grow at a rate which most centrally administered concepts could never achieve. At it's peak during the late 1990's, the Internet was growing at over one hundred per cent per year.

Who is responsible for the technical infrastructure of the Internet?
Although many of the applications used on top of the Internet can vary in their scalability. The backbone of the Internet's architecture is rigorously set to a specific standard. The group which delegates this process of standardising the software and hardware of the Internet is the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The standards for the Internet are set down in Request for Comment (RFC) publications, which can be read on the IETF's website.

Who governs the Internet?
Nobody does. There is no body which has ultimate control of the Internet. The reason for this is that the Internet is made up from voluntary connected networks. But the one corporation which has more control than any other is the ICANN. The job of the ICANN is to assign and control domain names and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. The US government also has a role in controlling this system as well.

Is there a default language for the Internet?
No. But the most prevalent of any language is undoubtedly English. After English, Chinese closely follows it, with around 30% and 20% respectively. Other notable languages are French, Portugese, Spanish, Japanese and German (althoug none of these have a % share above 10%). The dominance of English is probably due to a combination of it being the current 'lingua franca'. And, that the creation of the first computer (England) and the Internet (United States of America) came from English speaking nations.

Can the Internet only be accessed from a computer?
This was the case for the majority of the time that the Internet existed. But, in the last decade mobile devices have advanced so far that they can also access the Internet as well. Whether mobile phones, PDAs, and mobile games consoles could be described as mini computers is a debatable fact however.

Which options are there for connecting to the Internet?
The most common access point is a telephone socket. The options available are either dial-up, Wi-Fi and broadband. Broadband is currently the most popular connection method for Western nations. While dial-up was the primary access type before the year 2000. ISDN was another cable option, which has generally been supplemented by broadband now. Likewise satellite and mobile phone access is an option, but expensive and less common. Recently, Wi-Fi has gain widespread in public spaces. Hotspots are in airports, hotels, cafes, universities, and are spaces which provide access to anyone entering them with an Internet enabled device.

Which country has the most active users?
The stats suggest China has, closely followed by the European Union. Then we have the USA, Japan, India and Brazil as major Internet users. The highest percentage of the population using the Internet belongs to Iceland. With 90%. Western nations have a percentage of around 65-70% usage on average. The USA and UK having around 74% and 73% respectively.

(webfaq)