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There are several audio and video data file formats recognized by common audio video application.
This article is just a brief description of what the very commonly used audio and video file formats.

AAC
Advanced Audio Coding. This is the audio file format utilized by Apple for their iTunes Music Store, and it may appear with the M4A extension. The sound quality is much better than MP3. It was prepared as part of the MPEG4 group owned by Dolby (see below).

AU
This audio file format is the common utilized by Java, Sun and Unix.

MPEG
Moving Pictures Expert Group. Presently, there are numerous MPEG types. They are all described below.

MPEG-1
This data format is utilized in digital cameras and camcorders for small video recording. VHS quality playback can be expected from MPEG-1.

MPEG-2
Used for digital satellite Television, professional film recording and make personal DVD recordings. Provides provision for multi-channel surround sound recordings.

MPEG-3
MPEG-3 was offered as a different formats, but eventually combined into MPEG-2.

MPEG-4
This is the newest MPEG system and is utilized for streaming cyberspace content. It is also used in camcorder and for internet downloads. Required for DivX, it improves digital circulating, interactive graphics and multimedia.

MP3
Digital audio files, most commonly utilized to save and playback music. It compresses the files to nearly ten percent of a typical audio file, and a regular music track is around 5 – 6 MB. MP3 stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, not MPEG-3 as many people think of. A regular MP3 audio file is near to CD quality.

OGG
An audio file format support a variety of codecs, the well known audio codec is Vorbis. Yet, MP3 files are even more supported than Vorbis.

RA
Real Audio. This format is planned for streaming audio through the Internet. It is a self-contained file format with complete audio information kept within the file itself.

WAV
The most simple audio file formats, improved by Microsoft and IBM, and built together with Windows 95. It is an uncompressed audio file format, that is why this data format has large file size (10 x MP3), and does not need further processing to play. The WAV data format consists of three blocks of information. The RIFF block which identifies the file as a WAV file, The FORMAT block which describes parametric quantities such as sampling value and the DATA block which carries the actual information, or music sampling.

WMA
Windows Media Audio. A digital system manufactured by Microsoft, and is used in portable digital audio players. Using WMA, a file can be protected so that it cannot be replicated, and it can also be used to protect copyright.

WMF
Windows Media Format. These are audio-video files consisting of WMA and video codecs. They supply high quality and media protection for streaming, downloading and playing applications on computers.

WMV
Windows Media Video. Used in the Windows Media Player, this is used to stream, download and play audio and video content.

When handling audio and video file formats, sometimes you will notice the term ‘codec’. A codec is the acronym for encoder-decoder or compressor – decompressor. A primary function of a codec is to compress audio or video data flows so that the process of transmitting digital audio sample and video frames can be speeded up and reduce storage space.

The target of most codecs is to reduce the file size to the smallest while keeping audio and video quality.
A fast indication of the codec’s position in the track of transmission and reception is:
Video device (e.g. camcorder) – video capture card – video digitized – codec (compresses digital info) – result (MPEG2, AVI, WMV etc) – codec (decompress) – video frames – display device.

Between the two codecs, the compressed result is transported to the display device then transmitted, stored on file, etc. So, to condense the flow even further, we could essentially identify it as:
raw data – codec – transmit – codec – play

This description is simple, but it shows up where the codecs are used. Thus, in order to play a movie, video or music of a particular format, you need a codec in your PC to allow you decompressing the file and playing it.

To view web pages you to utilize web browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome, Safari, etc.
Web browser usually requires some space of your hard disk to save temporary internet files and also known as browser cache.

Different browser comes with a different setting and different location where they save temporary internet files (cache). Each browser has their procedures to clear the cache. If you don’t clear the cache regularly than it will consume a lot of disk space.

This article will describe how to clear the cache in three web browsers, they are Internet Explorer, Opera and Firefox.

Internet Explorer
To clear cache on Internet Explorer, first thing you need to do is to open the browser window. Once the new window is open then select “Tools” and choose Internet Options and a new window will be open, look for “Delete all offline content” and click “OK”.
When the process is executed, it takes some time to delete all temporary internet files. If all the deleting process is completed then click OK.

Opera
Cleaning of the cache on Opera web browser is almost as simple as clicking buttons.
First, open the Opera window, select Tools, and choose Preferences. See the left side of the preferences window, search for “History and Cache” button and click the button.
On the side of the preferences screen you should see “Empty Now” button, press that button. It takes time to complete the deleting process. If deleting process completed then click on the OK button.

Mozilla Firefox
To clear Firefox’s cache is almost the same as clearing other browsers cache.
First thing you need to do is open the Firefox window, click on Tools ? Clear Recent History ? click on “Clear Now” button or you can press Ctrl + Shift + Del combination key from your keyboard.

Virus is a computer program that able to spread from one computer to another computer.
They are designed specifically to gain access into parts of your computer system and they have the ability to duplicate and infecting another computer.

Below is some of the most common methods for a computer virus to spread.

Boot Information

Every disk (hard disk, floppy disk, CD, DVD) contains a boot sector even if it is a bootable disk or not.
When you turn on your computer, then it will search for boot information.
If the computer finds a disk containing boot information, it reads the boot information and uses it to start the computer in normal procedure.
For an example if you accidentally boot your computer from a bootable CD that contains a computer virus, that way the computer virus are being triggered and it is possible to be transferred into the computer’s hard drive.

After the boot information on the hard drive has been infected with the virus, it will be loaded into your computer’s memory every time you start your computer. From that memory (RAM) the computer virus infecting every disk that attached with your computer. This is how the infection spreads.

Most boot viruses could stay on a computer system for a long time without generating problems, it was designed only to stay there and spread themselves.
Such computer viruses are designed to activate their bad behaviour on a specific date depends on the creator.
But there are some nasty boot viruses that can destroy the boot information or forcing a complete format of a hard drive right after they are transferred into a computer.

Application Infections

When a computer program that has been infected with a virus is running, the virus is loaded into the RAM.
While the virus is in the RAM, if you are running another application that application can become infected.
It means that more applications on your system are possible to be infected.
Multiple infections are very common and it will definitely generate system problems.

For some time the program files may operates normally without any problems but eventually they will have problems or the infections causes the whole computer system down.

Generally, when an application is infected with a virus, the first sign of an infection is when you are saving files it is saved without a proper names or the data that you save is incomplete.
This type of viruses are often designed to search for a programs that are used to share information between users/computers such as email applications, screen savers, office document Macros, and self-extracting compressed files.

E-Mail Attachments

Most of dangerous viruses are spreading through an e-mail attachments.
In such cases, the user does not realize that they are attaching infected file/s to an email message and send it to a friend/s or colleague/s.
By the time that email is received, the virus is triggered when the attachment file is opened then infecting a new computer.

These days mass mailing email contains worms or viruses are being released.
These kind of attacks AUTOMATICALLY scans your computer’s files and search for any email address it can find and uses your email application to AUTOMATICALLY send infected messages to every email address that it has found in your computer.

It is very important to be aware over the emails that you open. Make sure that it does not contain dangerous viruses.
Even if that email comes from your family or friends, it may contain a virus.
This is the moment where an anti-virus program would be really helpful to detect your incoming messages and to make sure that the messages you receive does not contain a virus.

Have you ever loss your important data ? Well, i have.
At that moment I really agree on what people say that prevention is always a better cure.
Here are some steps that I want to share with you in order to prevent data loss.

1. Use an updated Anti Virus software and always keep it up to date
Antivirus is a special software developed to protect your computer against malicious computer virus.
Some virus can remove or modify your data without you ever realize it and some virus can cause your computer to crash.
So make sure to keep your Antivirus software uptodate with the latest patch and signature files for maximum security.

2. Protect your computer against power surges with UPS
UPS is an Uninterruptible Power Supply. It protects your computer and data during a power surge or failure.
UPS is equiped with a spare battery that provides you some time to save your documents and shutting down Windows properly so that you don’t lose any files and avoiding your computer hardware components from the possibility of damages.

3. Make sure your machine is dry and keept in dust-free area
Place your computer far away from places that can be directly exposed to rain, sun or humidity.
These places have the tendency to cause rusting and can damage your hardware components.

4. Don’t try to repair or open up your computer without any assistance
If you have no experience in repairing computer hardware, you may accidentally damage the circuit boards,
hardware components or even worst, get an electric shock! Always consult with an expert.

5. Don’t over-tweak your system
Avoid modifying your windows registry or perform an overclock to your hardware in order to boost the performance unless if you are definitely sure on what you’re doing. I’m sure you don’t want to fry your computer.

6. Make a backup copy and keep them at an off-site location
This helps protecting your backup copy from damage, just in case if there is a natural disaster such as flood, fire or any kind of disaster.

7. Don’t move your computer while it still running/operating
I’m sure that you don’t want your power cord falling off and generates a data corruption or a physical damage to your hard disk such as a head crash while you still working on a project.

8. Avoid sharing access to your computer with strangers on the network
Your data can be stolen or modified if anyone on the network can have access to your files.

9. Perform hard disk maintenance
Delete temporary files, unnecessary files and defragment your hard disk regularly.
This can help you keeping up your hard disk on good condition.

10. Aware of failure symptoms
When you hard disk starts making noises and your systems are getting cranky, it is time to start making backups on all of your data files.

I hope this steps can help you to prevent from loosing your data files.

There are numerous matters that cause a computer to perform slower than before.
It can be from software to hardware.
It can be the storage is too small or not enough RAM.
It can be your BIOS, Operating System Settings or software that are eating up your CPU and RAM.
Or perhaps it can be your network.

Here are numerous tips that can help maintaining your computer perform faster:

1. This is so classic I shouldn’t need to tell it, keep clean which ever email software you use.
I have customers who are constantly complaining, but who will resist dumping years of accumulated emails.

2. Make sure you have a great anti virus program, apply only one anti virus on each computer, make it up to date and auto monitoring.

3. Make sure you use a strong anti spyware program, utilize only one anti spyware along each computer, have it up to date and automatic monitoring.

4. Run Disk Clean Up Daily by following these steps : Start, Pograms, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Clean Up – a box opens – be certain all box is selected, click ‘OK’ – a box pops up – Click Yes).

5. Delete Cookies and Cached Files Periodically by following these steps :
Start, Control Panel, Internet Options, Delete Cookies, Click OK, Click Delete Files – select ‘Delete All Offline Content’ – Click OK, then set your clear history to no more than seven Days – Click OK.

6. A really essential measure almost everyone misses Clean The Prefetch Folder :
Start, My Computer, ‘C’ , Windows, Prefetch Folder, Edit, Select All, File, Delete – Click Yes, Close Windows.

7. Empty Recycle Bin. I believe everyone knows how to empty the recycle bin.

8. Scan drive ‘C’ :
Start, My Computer, Right Click ‘C’, Click Properties at the bottom, Click Tools, Click Check Now.
Be certain both ‘Automatically fix file system errors’ and ‘Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors’ are selected, Click Start.

9. Defrag Computer :
Start, software, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter, Select ‘C’ Drive, Click Defragment.

The last two steps, step 8 and 9, can take a while if they haven’t been done recently.
I complete this entire routine on my computer before I finish working for the day everyday and the total steps requires no longer than twenty minutes.