Drive 1: The OS and Applications (NVMe SSD)

• Type: NVMe M.2 SSD
• Capacity: 500GB – 1TB
• Purpose: Host your Windows/macOS, streaming software (OBS Studio, Streamlabs), chat bots, and other essential applications.

Why an NVMe SSD? This drive is the brain of your operation. An NVMe SSD offers blistering read/write speeds, which means your system and software will boot and run incredibly fast. This leaves more system resources available for encoding and gaming, rather than being bogged down by a slow storage drive.

Drive 2: The Game Library (SATA SSD)

• Type: 2.5″ SATA SSD
• Capacity: 1TB – 2TB (or larger, depending on your game library)
• Purpose: Store and run all your games.

Why a Separate SSD for Games? Modern games load vast amounts of textures and assets from the storage drive. A SATA SSD provides excellent load times without the premium cost of a large NVMe drive. By isolating games on their own drive, you prevent them from competing for bandwidth with your operating system or your live stream recordings.

Drive 3: The Recording & Archive Vault (HDD or Large SSD)

• Type: High-Capacity HDD (7200 RPM) or a Large SATA SSD
• Capacity: 2TB and above
• Purpose: Store your live recordings, stream archives, video clips, and edited content.

HDD vs. SSD for Archives:

• HDD (Cost-Effective Choice): A 7200 RPM Hard Disk Drive is perfect for storing massive amounts of data cheaply. While slower than an SSD, it is perfectly adequate for writing high-bitrate video recordings and accessing stored files for editing.
• SSD (Performance Choice): If your budget allows, a dedicated large SATA SSD for active projects and recent recordings will drastically speed up video editing and file manipulation.

Optimizing Your Setup for Performance

1. Record to a Separate Drive

This is the golden rule. Never record your high-bitrate video files to the same drive you are running a game from. The constant writing of large video files can cause stutters and performance hits in your game. Always set OBS’s recording path to your dedicated archive drive (Drive 3).

2. Leverage Your NVMe Cache (Intel Optane / AMD StoreMI)

For streamers using a large HDD as their archive vault, technologies like Intel Optane Memory or AMD StoreMI can be used to accelerate the slower hard drive by caching frequently accessed files on a small NVMe drive, offering a nice balance of speed and capacity.

3. Implement a File Management Routine

A great storage setup is useless without organization. Create a clear folder structure on your archive drive (e.g., Recordings/2024/01-January). Regularly move finished projects to long-term cold storage (like an external HDD) to free up space on your primary archive drive.

Sample Configurations

Starter Streamer (Budget-Conscious)

• Drive 1 (OS/Apps): 500GB NVMe SSD
• Drive 2 (Games/Recordings): 1TB SATA SSD
• Rationale: A solid two-drive setup that separates the OS from games and recordings. It’s a massive upgrade over a single drive and prevents most performance issues.

Professional Streamer (Recommended)

• Drive 1 (OS/Apps): 1TB NVMe SSD
• Drive 2 (Games): 2TB SATA SSD
• Drive 3 (Recordings/Archive): 4TB+ 7200RPM HDD
• Rationale: This is the ideal trifecta. It provides top-tier speed for the system and games, while offering abundant, cost-effective storage for video archives and content creation.

Conclusion

Investing in a thoughtful, multi-drive storage solution is a non-negotiable aspect of a professional streaming setup. By dedicating specific drives to your operating system, games, and recordings, you eliminate critical bottlenecks, enhance stream stability, and create an efficient workflow for content creation. Don’t let a single, overworked hard drive be the weak link in your broadcast chain.

The internet has a seasonal schedule when it comes to promotional activity, buying and selling, and advertising. The summers are always slow and activity always greatly increases in the Fall.

There does seem to be a slow down during the holidays after Christmas and New Year’s time.

Shortly after that the activity of buying, selling a and advertising resumes non-stop until school is out in the Spring.

I am thinking that much of the seasonal change is due to other activities in which folks are involved during the summer. Things like vacations, summer sports for kids, and other demands take people outside and away from their computers.

Fall and cooler weather which ushers in the start of school always seems to bring them back inside and on line.

How does this affect you and your work on line?

What can you do to benefit from these seasonal activity changes?

Here are 9 suggestions:

– Tweak your website to insure it is ready for new business. Give it a facelift; new content; a fresh look.

– Read and Learn some new information that will help you in your work on the internet this Fall.

– Develop an army of allies on the internet on which you can rely when you have a problem or need some help with your promotional efforts.

– Clean up your computer and all of those icons on your desktop and your hard drive that are going un-used and just clutter things up.

– Build your mailing list and improve your method of delivering your messages to make sure they are not getting filtered out before they reach subscribers.

– Write a group of articles that are ready for use in your newsletter and distribution through a service like iSnare.com.

– Examine closely your approach to working on the internet. What can you do to improve how you are doing things on line? Do you need a new approach?

– Update and add to your autoresponders and make sure they are ready to go this Fall.

– Clean and arrange your personal work space at home to increase your productivity and efficiency. (Honey, I need a new computer desk.)

(This article may be reprinted or published or your website by keeping the resource box below intact)

There are several autoresponders available on the Internet, although they are divided into three main types – remotely hosted, locally hosted, and desktop hosted. For many Internet marketers, locally and desktop hosted are far preferred over remotely hosted. Although remote hosted are good, locally and desktop hosted autoresponders will allow you complete control – as you are running the program on your own site.

If you have a domain name, you can use as many autoresponders as you like, all of which will match your domain name. When you use a remotely hosted program, you won’t be able to use your domain name with the autoresponder. Instead, you’ll receive an address from the provider that resembles their link. This can be great for some, although many prefer to have their own domain names listed in the autoresponder.

If you use your own domain name with your autoresponder, you can normally keep it secret that you are using an autoresponder. When you send out emails using your autoresponder, it will display your website email, making it very hard to detect an autoresponder. This can be a great way to use your autoresponder, especially if you don’t want your customers to know that you are using one.

If you use a remotely hosted autoresponder, those you send messages to with notice that you are using an autoresponder. You should think of this from their prospective – if you were their customer, you probably wouldn’t want to receive messages from an autoresponder. Instead, you would want to receive your emails and messages from someone real, giving you complete individual attention.

If you are just starting out with your company and happen to be on a tight budget, a remotely hosted autoresponder may very well be the best solution. You can use it until you get more money and get back on track, although you shouldn’t use it long term. Remotely hosted programs can get expensive very quickly; as the monthly charges will add it quick each month you use the program.

You can find remotely hosted autoresponders all over the Internet; all you have to do is run a search through a search engine like Google or Yahoo. One of the best on the net is www.automatic-responder.com – Once you have found a website you can read more about them and what they have to offer. If you like what you see, all you’ll need to do is sign up and then you begin using their services with a remotely hosted autoresponder.

Although locally hosted autoresponders are preferred, they do have disadvantages. Some types will limit how many domains you can install them on. If the vendor doesn’t provide free installation, you could have a problem installing the script, as most require some degree of technical experience. Although you have complete control over the program, locally hosted programs don’t have as many features as remotely hosted programs.

Desktop hosted autoresponders are also great, although they too have disadvantages. Some types will limit how many copies you can install on different computers. To get the most from them, you’ll need a computer that is always connected to the Internet. You’ll also need some experience to set them up, and they aren’t recommended for those who have large mailing lists.

Although there are 3 main types of autoresponders, the type you choose should depend on your website and your needs. What’s the best idea for you may be completely useless to someone else. When you make your final decision, you should always decide on what you need for your company – then pick an autoresponder that works best for you.

Mobile phones are changing fast. Over the years they have shrunk in size and have become packed with additional features. Almost all phones now come with a colour screen and can play a range of games. SMS Text Messaging has boomed in the last 5 years and has been extended with Picture Messaging using inbuilt cameras.

The biggest change however is just around the corner. This is using the mobile phone to connect to the Internet and use the device much like you use a desktop computer to browse websites and read and write email.

Most mobile phones have been able to do this to a limited extent for about 5 years. However they were limited to accessing specific web sites cut down for mobile devices. Also connection speeds were slow and overall it wasnt a great experience for the phone user.

Now though, the mobile phone networks have got faster with the rollout of what is termed 3G (for 3rd generation). Newer phones come enabled to use this faster network and they also have better Internet browsers so they can work with most web sites.

Very soon it will not be uncommon to see people on the move using the Internet on their mobile phone to search for phone numbers, look at a map showing locations of interest such as restaurants, and even make an online purchase just as you would from a PC.

In fact it is suggested that more people will eventually access the Internet from their mobile phones than with their desktop PC. In particular this is forecast with emerging markets such as Africa where desktop PCs are not so common.

The rise of the Internet search engine has contributed significantly to how people use the Internet today. The home pages of companies such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN are often the first places people go to when they use the Internet. From there they can search for pages of interest based on a key word search. These search companies are now very interested in the mobile Internet and intend to have the same influence with mobile users. They do this by providing a search page optimised for the mobile user which will work well with small screens and contain references to useful information such as directory searches and maps.

The operators who run the mobile networks are also particularly interested in the mobile Internet. When their customers access the Internet from a mobile phone, the operator will typically charge them based on the amount of data transferred when the page is loaded. More and more network operators are offering unlimited access to the mobile Internet for a flat fee to encourage mobile Internet use. The mobile network operators are also partnering with the search companies to make it easy to use the mobile Internet and find information quickly.

One of the most interesting areas in the mobile Internet is the use of mobile advertising. The search engine companies make their money with the desktop Internet search through placing advertisments on the search results pages. A lot of web sites also use adverts within their pages to pay for the development of the site. Doing similar things with the mobile Internet is generating a lot of interest.

The mobile Internet now seems set for widespread use, making the mobile phone a much more useful gadget. As well as making calls from most places in the world you can connect to the Internet, browse, buy, and email from just about anywhere!

The Good And The Bad OF Internet Explorer

As the internet has evolved and become part of everyday life, Internet Explorer has also become a household name, used numerous times each day by the majority of internet users. As with any market, Internet Explorer needs to keep it’s competitive edge, offering regular updates and improvements on previous versions. The latest Internet Explorer package to be released is IE 7.0, and is expected to make a solid impression with increased security features and an improved user-experience.

Internet Explorer has listened to what it’s customers need and want, and stepped up to the plate and delivered. For example: Internet security is by far one of the biggest concerns for all internet users, whether it be in a corporate environment, a small business, personal computer or a computer used by young children. Each internet user needs specific protection, so IE 7.o offers a wide range of security features, and the ability to turn features and restrictions on or off.

More Internet Explorer 7.0 improvements:

Increased Online Security – Protecting your computer from spyware that monitors your internet usage habits, records sensitive information (banking details, passwords etc…), as well as rejecting applications that will install annoying or malicious software on your computer without consent, this includes everything from basic adware to full scale virus software.

Adult Filters – One of the biggest threats online today is the ease in which children can access inappropriate material. With this security add-on, you can block adult content and trust your children will be safe online.

Pop-up Blocker – Stop annoying pop-ups ruining your online surfing experience.

Privacy – For this feature, you have better control access to sensitive information, as well as your personal internet surfing habits.

You will also find some extra add-ons for Internet Explorer 7.0 that will save you time by personalizing your browser settings. As you will see from the list below, the features can be very helpful if implemented correctly.

Auto-Fill Forms – If you expect to regularly be completing online forms (order forms etc…), now you can simple store address, account, and shipping information to easily and quickly populate online forms.

Business Tools – Rather than have your company do things differently in various locations or even departments, you can now streamline processes easily and efficiently.

Developer Tools – With this add-on for Internet Explorer 7.0, you will save tremendous time pertaining to programs, utilities, and tools.

Download Manager – Set your download options, applications and software updates to autopilot, for a time that suits you!

Live Feeds – Have your favorite news broadcasts, blogs, stock quotes, sports schedules and results sent directly to your desktop each morning or night.

Offline Browsers – Save websites and visit them at a later date… no internet connection necessary.

One of the most exciting developments of IE 7.0 is the graphic imagery add on options. These developments will increase your options online and generally enhance online user experience.

Animation Players – Allows you to produce, and visit interactive websites, mobile content, and digital applications.

Design Tools – This add-on allows you to add power and enhancement to your desktop publishing, digital design, or illustration.

Digital Photography – Gives you enormous flexibility when organizing, editing, uploading and sharing digital photos.

Since the advent of the Internet, computers have changed the way people work, play and communicate.

Today’s children are learning by computer games. Today’s businesses are building stronger relationships and experiencing significant change in organization and filing, research and operation – and even advertising and marketing – through their desktops.

There are more than 200 million Internet users, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. To keep up with the rapidly expanding Internet marketplace, many businesses are turning to companies like Centale Inc. (OTC BB: CNTL), based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which helps communicate, market, brand and advertise on the Internet.

The company’s “next generation tools,” like Catalyst EV, Music On Demand for Windows Media Player, custom Web browsers, instant messengers, media players and toolbars are used in all types of organizations where the goal is to build a community; communicate with subscribers or customers; develop new revenue channels; and increase brand exposure, traffic and customer loyalty.

With Catalyst EV, businesses are building effective marketing campaigns through a programmable desktop application that can be distributed as an e-mail attachment or downloadable via the customer Web site. This cutting-edge technology has Centale customers communicating with their audience, one-to-one direct to the desktop in audio, video, rich media, animation or text format.

Centale’s universal instant messenger connects simultaneously to AOL, MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber, IRC, Napster and other networks. Music on Demand is a desktop application that allows users to find virtually any song or video in the world and play it instantly without downloading any files. Centale plans to unveil an iTunes-compatible version of Music on Demand to attract digital-music listeners.

Music On Demand for Windows Media Player includes a publishing tool that allows webmasters to create and list their songs in the search directory.

Centale’s custom-made branded browsers offer Internet security that blocks pop-ups and sexually explicit material. The browsers include an efficient search engine, an easy-to-use interface for people who are visually and audibly impaired and multilingual menus and translators.

There has been a technological revolution over the last twenty years. From the spread of the pc to the rise of CDs, DVDs and MRP3 players; how we approach and record our images of the world is changing. One of the most significant developments to have appeared on the market has been the digital camera. Almost everyone who owns a pc also owns a digital camera. The beauty of these is that you can view your picture as it will be and then decide whether to snap or not-once snapped you can see the picture again. Pictures taken with a digital camera can be uploaded to a computer and then printed out on the special paper that you can buy; alternatively you can put them on disc and take them to a professional processor.

The digital camera is uniquely different from what went before. Prior to the invention of the digital camera, even the most high tech cameras depended on mechanical and chemical processes. Digital cameras work differently because they have an inbuilt computer that records images electronically. Basically they are filmless cameras. When they first came out digital cameras were beyond most people’s budgets-as they have become more popular, the price has dropped to the point where they are as affordable and flexible as similarly priced film cameras. The amount of images you are able to store depends on the amount of memory you have-storage can be anything from 16mb to 256mb. The memory size also has an effect on the resolution of the pictures you are taking-memory cards are removable however, and can be replaced with something that has more storage capacity.

There are three main styles or shape of digital camera, the first is small enough to fit into a pocket, it is the most sort after style and also quite expensive. Next you have the standard size, which is bigger and able to do all the things that the point and shoot camera will do. This model is good value for money. Finally there is the digital SLR which produces the best photographs. It is an extremely flexible model and you can switch lenses with this one, but these enhanced features come with a corresponding price tag.

Other information you should be interested in when buying a digital camera is pixels-briefly put, pixels are the dots that go to make up a picture. These pixels are measured in thousands of such dots; called megapixels. The more megapixels you have the sharper your pictures will be and the bigger the price tag on the camera. If all you want to do is produce 4×6 photos and maybe email some images then a 4 megapixel camera should be adequate for your needs. You need to bear in mind however, that the quality of the images you produce depends on three things; the speed of your computer, the type of software that the camera works with, and the quality of your laser or inkjet printer.

The final thing that you might want to bear in mind is optical zoom-this lets you magnify what you are shooting and gives you more control over framing the shot. The one most recommended for flexibility is the 3x optical zoom, don’t let vendors confuse you with digital zoom-it is not a viable consideration. With this information at your fingertips you should have no trouble in purchasing you first digital camera.

Just a few years ago, web-based learning through PCs was seen as revolutionary. Companies could put their orientations and ongoing trainings on line and all employees would get standardized learning. Soon, with the spread of wifi, router-based, and satellite wireless networks, people could tap into this type of training while on the run. A salesperson could get trained in the latest marketing presentation while riding on a plane to her or his next destination. Or a person could get oriented to their new job from home before the first day they work.

Now, web-based trainings have taken another step forward due to the technology involved in internet-enabling devices besides computers. There are some obvious examples of how this might work. For example, your TV may be connected to the internet in a way that allows you to tune in to a training or conference as easy as changing to a specific channel. You could use your DVR and truly get the most out of the conference.

There are also less obvious but still valuable examples of the potential of internet enabled devices. For example, an internet enabled printer could tap into web-based trainings in helping you maximize the quality of photographs before printing them. You could learn how to crop, sharpen, lighten, etc. your photos by having an online guide that directs real-time information to a nearby computer. That web-based guide, because the device is internet enabled, can actually “know” what you’ve just done and direct you about whether that was correct or not. If you have an internet-enabled all-in-one device, you could also learn how to scan and fax for maximum results.

There are even some far out, but truly interesting ways this technology could be used. In the kitchen, internet-enabled appliances could actually teach you how to cook as you go, sending information to a nearby monitor about when food is done, or ready for the next step. An internet enabled coffee maker could use web-based training to help you brew perfect coffee that responds in real time to the fineness of the ground beans, the temperature of the water, or the density of the resulting beverage.

In all of these examples, web based learning would take place in real time, and could lead to new skills being developed. And in each example there is also the potential of tapping into live help. In the first example, a guide could catch you up with whatever you’d missed in the conference if you “arrive late”. In the internet enabled printer example, live help could assist you when a document presents particular difficulty – the person on the other end could “see” what is going on in real time. In the third example, a cook could teach people how to cook her or his recipes almost like he or she is there – even checking the temperature and other information from their remote location.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of web based learning and internet enabled technology is the ability for people to do things together even when they are far apart. Literally hundreds of people could be part of a web based conference that helps them learn the latest uses for an internet enabled device. Or, your friend, relative, or teacher who knows how to do something you don’t could provide you with web based learning where they can see and react to your input on an internet-enabled device.

The Advantages Disadvantages Of Internet Marketing are many.
A few Advantages Disadvantages Of Internet Marketing are:
It’s on the internet so it’s low cost
Very fast
And you can reach a global audience
However it:
Can leave the businessman feeling isolated
Hard to tell if people are lying because you can’t see their face
And you can be overloaded with information.
There are more Advantages Disadvantages Of Internet Marketing, but I wont cover them all in one article. However I will focus on a few important ones.
Positives:
Low cost:
The internet is made up of electrons, so there is not really anything physically to grab hold of like in a brick and mortar business. This considerably reduces your costs as you don’t really need many materials or buildings. Just a computer with world wide web capabilities : )
Very fast:
A great advertisement I saw once said “If you were an electron, you would be there by now”. This was an ad at an airport. It’s referring to the internet. It’s made up of electrons so it’s VERY fast. Click a link, and you could be looking at an Australian website, click another one and you could be in America. If you wanted to get information any other way from these countries, you may end up having to go there.The world wide web eliminates the need for this. Go any where you want with the click of a button.
You can reach a global audience:
By this I mean, you don’t have to set up shop somewhere and sell to the locals. You can set up an online shop, and sell to anyone in the world. This means a huge increase in potential revenues and a fraction of the cost it would take for you to set up shops all over the world.
Negatives:
Can leave the businessman feeling isolated:
This is very common. Because the world wide web is faceless (In most cases), it can appear cold and inhuman. This can leave you feeling isolated and very inward. Not a nice feeling at all. Everyone likes to socialize and meet people, but in this case, its quite difficult to, in business anyway.
Hard to tell if people are lying:
There is so much information on the world wide web now, it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between crap and quality. A lot of the crap is targeted at newbies. Here’s an example “Make money fast by doing NOTHING”, sound familiar? I bet you’ve had a ton of emails saying something similar.
Information Overload:
Once again we get to the part of there being a lot of information on the world wide web. There can be too much good information too. There can be a lot of competition for an industry, this can leave you more confused than if there were presented with loads of crap. You might not be able to tell who to chose. If you are a veteran of the net, you wont have much to worry about, however if you’re a newbie then this is a problem.
The above are the positive and the negatives. Overall, I would definitely say that if you can do business online, then definitely do it.

A little bit of time invested into learning about internet security can go a long way in preventing mishaps on your computer. Temporary internet files are not something we should be afraid of, but we should certainly be careful in how much we trust them and how we deal with them.
Temporary internet files are image, text, and formatting files that are stored on your hard drive by the websites that you visit. They are placed there by the websites without your having to do anything. The files are stored on your computer the first time you visit the site so that the next time you go to that webpage you only have to load new information or files that have changed since the last time you visited – files that have not changed are loaded from the temporary internet files folder at a much faster speed than over the internet.
This seems like an incredibly appealing option, especially to those of us still working at home on dial-up connections (my teenage brother-in-law insists I’m “old school” because I don’t have DSL – I think he may be right). Storing the temporary internet files on the hard drive significantly cuts down the amount of time it takes to completely load and view a website.
There are a few question areas, however, that need to be considered in any discussion about temporary internet files. First, and arguably the most trivial of the concerns, is that you may miss out on all of the updated information the website has to offer. If your browser loads the files from your temporary internet files folder rather than the updated material from the website, you may miss out on an updated football score, or you may get a different image than the one others are viewing. The system is designed so that things like that don’t happen, but the possibility is out there.
Second, storing huge numbers of files can bog down your computer, slowing down its ability to do even the simplest of tasks, such as word processing (a deadly one-two combination if you’re working with dial-up!). Fortunately, you can control the number or size of the files that are being stored on your hard drive. Typically under the Tools>Options menu of your browser you’ll be able to set the amount of your hard drive you’re willing to dedicate to temporary internet files. You may want to set this high or low, depending on your browsing habits and need for speed.
Third, the temporary internet files folder may contain files that contain viruses, inappropriate images or text, and files that could leak personal information to websites. This is obviously a huge concern any time you allow someone virtually unregulated access to your hard drive. Images from an inappropriate website you accidentally stumbled across (it has happened to all of us) may be stored on your hard drive. Corrupted files may be placed there by an unfamiliar website you only visited once. Cookies and other files may potentially spawn popups that cover your screen in a matter of seconds.
Before you grab your pitch fork and storm the beast’s castle, let me mention a few things you can do to bring a little control to your temporary internet files folder without destroying it completely.
I already mentioned limiting the amount of your hard drive dedicated to holding files from visited websites. This is the best option for those who may be less concerned about corrupted or inappropriate files being stored and more concerned about the ability of their Jurassic-era computer to perform at a decent speed. Some versions of the popular browsers won’t allow you to completely eliminate storing files, but you can limit the resources to 1% of your hard drive or a small number of megabytes.
Some opt to regularly clean out their temporary internet files folder – obviously this will eliminate malignant files and free up some space for your computer; but it will also eliminate files you may want. A quick note about the files that begin with “Cookie:” – cleaning out the folder will not actually delete the cookies. The cookie files in the temporary internet files folder are simple files that point the browser to the actual cookie in the “Cookies” folder on your hard drive. If you are interested in truly purging your system of internet files, you’ll need to clean out that folder as well.
In my view, the most judicious option is to utilize available software to manage the content of your temporary internet files. Some files you want because they make your life easier. Some files you don’t want because it bogs down your computer and makes your grandmother blush. Software is available that scans your computer and finds all the internet files (including cookies). The software makes recommendations as to whether the file in question is good, bad, or ugly – all you have to do is decide to keep or trash it, then click the appropriate button.
Temporary internet files can make our internet browsing time a quick and convenient experience. Unfortunately, they may also pose a risk to the security of our hard drives. With a little hands-on management we can keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our computers happy, safe, and protected.