In January of 1988, I was self-publishing an area newsletter in San Jose, California, called HOMEWORK. I would trade ad space for paper, copies and printing. I found a copy while sorting through some papers yesterday. On Page 2 of the first issue, I found this:
Technical Information
Our System:
Hardware: AT compatible, 44 meg, 28 ms, Miniscribe HD, 200 dpi hand scanner (The Complete PC), Amdek 1280 x 800 minitor, Logitech mouse. All camera-ready art was printed with ann HP LaserJet II, using HP's expanded memory board (1 meg.)
Wowie. -tp.
YOU MAY HAVE TO COPY AND PASTE THE LINK SHOWN INTO YOUR BROWSER TO FOLLOW THE LINKS. SOMETHING IS HINKY, LATELY. TRY A RIGHT CLICK ON THE TINY BLUE TEXT..AND open in a new tab FROM THE DROP DOWN MENU.
SEQUIMTECH BLOG - a.k.a. STB
On line since JUNE of 2006.
USE SEARCH TOOL In top of column on the LEFT.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Get rid of those temp files at STARTUP
Unfortunately, Disk Cleanup misses certain temp files. To make a little batch file that clears these folders, open Notepad and type the following:
del /s /q "C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\Local Settings\Temp\*.*"
Replace yourname with the name of the account you've logged into and adjust the drive letter or path as needed. Save the file with a .cmd or .bat extension (for example, killtemp.bat) and put the file or a shortcut to it in your Startup group (Start, All Programs, Startup). This way, it will run each time you log in to your Windows account.
My startup folder is here, for example:
C:\Documents and Settings\Tom\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Hopefully, you will be able to located your settings and temp folder after you have been fooling around with you default folder settings.
del /s /q "C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\Local Settings\Temp\*.*"
Replace yourname with the name of the account you've logged into and adjust the drive letter or path as needed. Save the file with a .cmd or .bat extension (for example, killtemp.bat) and put the file or a shortcut to it in your Startup group (Start, All Programs, Startup). This way, it will run each time you log in to your Windows account.
My startup folder is here, for example:
C:\Documents and Settings\Tom\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Hopefully, you will be able to located your settings and temp folder after you have been fooling around with you default folder settings.
Keep XP fresh until Windows 7 arrives
By Scott Dunn
When Windows XP was released, wireless routers were rare, few cell phones supported e-mail, and YouTube was just a gleam in some PayPal employees' eyes.
But like a fabled perpetual motion machine, XP keeps on going and going — and if you follow some simple guidelines, the OS will keep running in top condition until Vista's successor is ready in 2010.
XP is an operating system with serious legs
Microsoft may not have planned it this way, but XP could end up rivaling NT and 2000 as the version of Windows with the longest lifespan. According to recent news reports, Dell, Lenovo, and other computer manufacturers will continue to sell new PCs running Windows XP well past Microsoft's June 30 cutoff date.
PC vendors will do so by invoking a downgrade plan that lets them ship a system with Windows XP installed as long as the customer is also paying for an upgrade to Vista Business or Ultimate editions, either of which is included in each box.
Of course, computer manufacturers aren't the only ones looking for ways to extend XP's usefulness. One pundit has predicted that Microsoft itself is going to fast-track Windows 7 to get customers to leapfrog over the unpopular Vista and go directly from XP to the next version. In fact, according to the technology site Ars Technica, one major American corporation, General Motors, is considering doing just that.
Eight simple rules for keeping XP rejuvenated
If you're one of the many people who plan to stick with XP as long as possible, you need to take a few relatively painless steps to keep that aging OS perky. Here are my eight rules for extending XP's usefulness to 2010 and beyond.
Rule 1: The latest ain't always the greatest. As a rule, older operating systems were designed to work with older software. Unless you need some utterly indispensible feature found only in the latest Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office 2007, stick to the preceding releases. Not only will the senior apps run faster, most of the kinks and bugs have already been worked out of them.
If your hardware and software work fine as is, don't bother upgrading any drivers, either. At the same time, driver upgrades often smooth out minor problems that you've just grown used to.
One way to check for out-of-date device drivers is to use the online scanner from Driver Updates. (Note that using this service requires running an ActiveX component in Internet Explorer.)
Should you discover that one of your drivers is out of date, go to the manufacturer's site to find and download the latest version available (but skip any beta releases). Remember to back up your system before installing the new driver in case it causes problems.
Rule 2: Make an exception for security. Set Rule 1 aside when it comes to your security software and services. Update your virus and spyware definitions frequently. Get the latest security updates for your browser and for QuickTime, Flash, and other media players as well. Some of the dangers of unpatched software are explained in the April 17 Top Story.
Rule 3: Stay young and beautiful. The last exception to Rule 1 is to make a cautious investment in a handful of utilities that improve and modernize XP. You'll find a number of free and low-cost programs that approximate or even duplicate Vista's best new features without having to invest in a whole new operating system.
For a guide to applications that give XP handy features of Vista's Business edition, see my July 12, 2007, column. To read about ways to add features from Vista Enterprise or Ultimate editions to XP, check out my July 19, 2007, column.
Rule 4: Shop carefully for new hardware. If your XP system needs a processor, memory, or other hardware upgrade to keep it from bogging down on your applications, there is no reason why you can't swap out an aging component or add some RAM.
However, since some new components are designed with Vista in mind, make sure the products you buy work as advertised under XP. Check the manufacturers' site for XP driver downloads before you make your purchase, and look for online reviews that mention the products' XP compatibility.
Rule 5: Don't let startup stuff slow you down. It seems like every program you install these days wants to start along with Windows. These auto-start apps are usually represented by an icon in your system tray (the area near your clock). Even if your system has oodles of memory, these little doodads can slow you down without offering any real value.
An excellent tool for finding what gizmos are starting up each time you log into Windows is Autoruns, available from Microsoft (originally from Sysinternals). Simply uncheck the item to disable it from starting, or select an entry and delete it to effect a more permanent removal.
If you can't figure out what a particular startup app does, right-click its entry in the Autoruns window and choose Search Online. This performs a Google search (rather than a Live search, which you might expect). Scour the results to find out whether the program has a legitimate reason for needing to run all the time.
If the Web search isn't helpful in rooting out a program's purpose, check the list of common startup applications maintained by Paul Collins to figure out what's getting started with Windows.
Finally, the free version of WinPatrol can warn you whenever a program attempts to add an item to your startup list.
Clear the clutter from XP's many cubbyholes
Rule 6: Save on disk space. A problem that plagues nearly all aging systems is the pack-rat syndrome. Just using a PC day to day causes an ever-increasing amount of data to be stored in ever-shrinking disk space. These tips will help you recover some of that precious drive capacity.
* Eliminate hibernation files. XP's hibernation feature stores everything currently in RAM onto your hard disk, which allows you to return to your session more quickly after a period of inactivity. Unfortunately, hibernation needs about the same amount of disk space as your current amount of RAM (for example, 1GB of disk space if you have 1GB of RAM).
If you don't use XP's hibernate feature very often, you can save the space occupied by the hiberfil.sys file: choose Start, Run; type powercfg.cpl; click the Hibernate tab; uncheck Enable hibernation; and click OK.
* Don't let iTunes make you hear double. If you use Windows Media Player to rip CDs to your computer in the Windows Media Audio (.wma) format and then decide to give iTunes a try, beware! iTunes will convert those songs into its Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format, resulting in duplicate files for every song iTunes manages. To avoid that, use a single music format (such as .mp3) that all media players can handle.
* Store stuff online. Another way to save on disk space is to transfer files to an online storage service. You may already store your e-mail and photos online. Yahoo's Flickr service lets you store as many photos as you like, but unless you upgrade to a paid account, you'll never be able to see more than the last 100.
Google's Picasa Web albums provide 1GB of free storage. And if you're willing to pay, you can get a whole lot more storage space than that.
Of course, you don't need to limit yourself to mail and photos. A number of sites offer free or low-cost online storage. For example, Mozy gives you 2GB of free storage through its MozyHome service. MozyPro accounts start at U.S. $4.50 per gigabyte per month.
Many sites, including ElephantDrive, Omnidrive, and Box, provide only 1GB of free storage. Each service offers larger storage options at varying prices.
Finally, IBackup has economy plans that charge only $1 per gigabyte per month (and less for annual rates). By comparison, the popular Data Deposit Box charges $2 monthly for each gigabyte you use.
* Offload files to a new drive. Even if you've purchased a new hard drive to expand your storage space, you may still be running out of room on your Windows drive. Fortunately, you can move your virtual memory paging file, Internet Explorer cache files, My Documents, and other system files to another drive or partition. For step-by-step information, see my column from the Feb. 28 issue.
Rule 7: Keep it clean. It makes no sense to hang onto useless junk files that Windows uses for its own purposes. Fortunately, Windows' own Disk Cleanup tool can clear out this system clutter. For details on how to customize Disk Cleanup for maximum efficiency, see Fred Langa's Mar. 13 column in the paid portion of the newsletter.
When Windows XP was released, wireless routers were rare, few cell phones supported e-mail, and YouTube was just a gleam in some PayPal employees' eyes.
But like a fabled perpetual motion machine, XP keeps on going and going — and if you follow some simple guidelines, the OS will keep running in top condition until Vista's successor is ready in 2010.
XP is an operating system with serious legs
Microsoft may not have planned it this way, but XP could end up rivaling NT and 2000 as the version of Windows with the longest lifespan. According to recent news reports, Dell, Lenovo, and other computer manufacturers will continue to sell new PCs running Windows XP well past Microsoft's June 30 cutoff date.
PC vendors will do so by invoking a downgrade plan that lets them ship a system with Windows XP installed as long as the customer is also paying for an upgrade to Vista Business or Ultimate editions, either of which is included in each box.
Of course, computer manufacturers aren't the only ones looking for ways to extend XP's usefulness. One pundit has predicted that Microsoft itself is going to fast-track Windows 7 to get customers to leapfrog over the unpopular Vista and go directly from XP to the next version. In fact, according to the technology site Ars Technica, one major American corporation, General Motors, is considering doing just that.
Eight simple rules for keeping XP rejuvenated
If you're one of the many people who plan to stick with XP as long as possible, you need to take a few relatively painless steps to keep that aging OS perky. Here are my eight rules for extending XP's usefulness to 2010 and beyond.
Rule 1: The latest ain't always the greatest. As a rule, older operating systems were designed to work with older software. Unless you need some utterly indispensible feature found only in the latest Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office 2007, stick to the preceding releases. Not only will the senior apps run faster, most of the kinks and bugs have already been worked out of them.
If your hardware and software work fine as is, don't bother upgrading any drivers, either. At the same time, driver upgrades often smooth out minor problems that you've just grown used to.
One way to check for out-of-date device drivers is to use the online scanner from Driver Updates. (Note that using this service requires running an ActiveX component in Internet Explorer.)
Should you discover that one of your drivers is out of date, go to the manufacturer's site to find and download the latest version available (but skip any beta releases). Remember to back up your system before installing the new driver in case it causes problems.
Rule 2: Make an exception for security. Set Rule 1 aside when it comes to your security software and services. Update your virus and spyware definitions frequently. Get the latest security updates for your browser and for QuickTime, Flash, and other media players as well. Some of the dangers of unpatched software are explained in the April 17 Top Story.
Rule 3: Stay young and beautiful. The last exception to Rule 1 is to make a cautious investment in a handful of utilities that improve and modernize XP. You'll find a number of free and low-cost programs that approximate or even duplicate Vista's best new features without having to invest in a whole new operating system.
For a guide to applications that give XP handy features of Vista's Business edition, see my July 12, 2007, column. To read about ways to add features from Vista Enterprise or Ultimate editions to XP, check out my July 19, 2007, column.
Rule 4: Shop carefully for new hardware. If your XP system needs a processor, memory, or other hardware upgrade to keep it from bogging down on your applications, there is no reason why you can't swap out an aging component or add some RAM.
However, since some new components are designed with Vista in mind, make sure the products you buy work as advertised under XP. Check the manufacturers' site for XP driver downloads before you make your purchase, and look for online reviews that mention the products' XP compatibility.
Rule 5: Don't let startup stuff slow you down. It seems like every program you install these days wants to start along with Windows. These auto-start apps are usually represented by an icon in your system tray (the area near your clock). Even if your system has oodles of memory, these little doodads can slow you down without offering any real value.
An excellent tool for finding what gizmos are starting up each time you log into Windows is Autoruns, available from Microsoft (originally from Sysinternals). Simply uncheck the item to disable it from starting, or select an entry and delete it to effect a more permanent removal.
If you can't figure out what a particular startup app does, right-click its entry in the Autoruns window and choose Search Online. This performs a Google search (rather than a Live search, which you might expect). Scour the results to find out whether the program has a legitimate reason for needing to run all the time.
If the Web search isn't helpful in rooting out a program's purpose, check the list of common startup applications maintained by Paul Collins to figure out what's getting started with Windows.
Finally, the free version of WinPatrol can warn you whenever a program attempts to add an item to your startup list.
Clear the clutter from XP's many cubbyholes
Rule 6: Save on disk space. A problem that plagues nearly all aging systems is the pack-rat syndrome. Just using a PC day to day causes an ever-increasing amount of data to be stored in ever-shrinking disk space. These tips will help you recover some of that precious drive capacity.
* Eliminate hibernation files. XP's hibernation feature stores everything currently in RAM onto your hard disk, which allows you to return to your session more quickly after a period of inactivity. Unfortunately, hibernation needs about the same amount of disk space as your current amount of RAM (for example, 1GB of disk space if you have 1GB of RAM).
If you don't use XP's hibernate feature very often, you can save the space occupied by the hiberfil.sys file: choose Start, Run; type powercfg.cpl; click the Hibernate tab; uncheck Enable hibernation; and click OK.
* Don't let iTunes make you hear double. If you use Windows Media Player to rip CDs to your computer in the Windows Media Audio (.wma) format and then decide to give iTunes a try, beware! iTunes will convert those songs into its Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format, resulting in duplicate files for every song iTunes manages. To avoid that, use a single music format (such as .mp3) that all media players can handle.
* Store stuff online. Another way to save on disk space is to transfer files to an online storage service. You may already store your e-mail and photos online. Yahoo's Flickr service lets you store as many photos as you like, but unless you upgrade to a paid account, you'll never be able to see more than the last 100.
Google's Picasa Web albums provide 1GB of free storage. And if you're willing to pay, you can get a whole lot more storage space than that.
Of course, you don't need to limit yourself to mail and photos. A number of sites offer free or low-cost online storage. For example, Mozy gives you 2GB of free storage through its MozyHome service. MozyPro accounts start at U.S. $4.50 per gigabyte per month.
Many sites, including ElephantDrive, Omnidrive, and Box, provide only 1GB of free storage. Each service offers larger storage options at varying prices.
Finally, IBackup has economy plans that charge only $1 per gigabyte per month (and less for annual rates). By comparison, the popular Data Deposit Box charges $2 monthly for each gigabyte you use.
* Offload files to a new drive. Even if you've purchased a new hard drive to expand your storage space, you may still be running out of room on your Windows drive. Fortunately, you can move your virtual memory paging file, Internet Explorer cache files, My Documents, and other system files to another drive or partition. For step-by-step information, see my column from the Feb. 28 issue.
Rule 7: Keep it clean. It makes no sense to hang onto useless junk files that Windows uses for its own purposes. Fortunately, Windows' own Disk Cleanup tool can clear out this system clutter. For details on how to customize Disk Cleanup for maximum efficiency, see Fred Langa's Mar. 13 column in the paid portion of the newsletter.
Restore right-click Search function after installing SP1 for VISTA
How to restore the right-click Search function after installing SP1 for VISTA: One big complaint about Service Pack 1 is that it removes the Search function from the right click context menus as well as the Search link on the right side of the Start menu (not the search box at the bottom). You can restore it by editing the registry. Here's how:
1. Open the registry editor.
2. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\find
3. In the right pane, right click on LegacyDisable
4. Click Delete.
5. Click Yes to confirm deletion.
6. Restart the computer to make the change take effect.
1. Open the registry editor.
2. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\find
3. In the right pane, right click on LegacyDisable
4. Click Delete.
5. Click Yes to confirm deletion.
6. Restart the computer to make the change take effect.
Future blinders firmly attached...
Written to and for epinions.com in October of 2000 by someone that had an opinion, but didn't know squat:
Dell is the top of the line in computers, but for a hefty price. I bought the Dell XPS 1000 system because I really don't think that there can or needs to be a better system. Intel has recently come out with the new Pentium 4, which I believe to be a waste of valuable money. Most people won't ever need to have a 1.4 Ghz processor. A 1 Ghz will do just the trick and thats what this system offers. I have bought many computers in my life and I honestly do not believe that this computer will ever get outdated. The 1Ghz Pentium processor in this thing should be sufficient for all of your programs. What application could possibly require a higher speed? Also, I have a 42 gigabyte hard drive and I refer to it as the "eternal hard drive" since there is no way I can fill it all up so I don't ever worry about having my computer too full of space which was a huge problem with past computers. The 128 megs of Ram lets my system and applications run simultaneously without having problems. The slimline Harman/Kardon speakers are unbelievable with the huge subwoofer. All aspects of this system are great, and all Dell systems are known for being the most reliable. Dell computers can work best for business and pleasure. We have 5 computers in our household and all are Dell Systems. We trust Dell 100% and are very loyal due to its great benefits.
The only problem with Dell systems is that they can be costly. They are definitely one of the most expensive systems out there, but if you can afford it and you want the best, I highly recommend this system. I really don't think that you will ever need to buy another system after buying this one. It will be one of the best investments you'll ever make.
Amount Paid (US$): 3000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 41-50
Dell is the top of the line in computers, but for a hefty price. I bought the Dell XPS 1000 system because I really don't think that there can or needs to be a better system. Intel has recently come out with the new Pentium 4, which I believe to be a waste of valuable money. Most people won't ever need to have a 1.4 Ghz processor. A 1 Ghz will do just the trick and thats what this system offers. I have bought many computers in my life and I honestly do not believe that this computer will ever get outdated. The 1Ghz Pentium processor in this thing should be sufficient for all of your programs. What application could possibly require a higher speed? Also, I have a 42 gigabyte hard drive and I refer to it as the "eternal hard drive" since there is no way I can fill it all up so I don't ever worry about having my computer too full of space which was a huge problem with past computers. The 128 megs of Ram lets my system and applications run simultaneously without having problems. The slimline Harman/Kardon speakers are unbelievable with the huge subwoofer. All aspects of this system are great, and all Dell systems are known for being the most reliable. Dell computers can work best for business and pleasure. We have 5 computers in our household and all are Dell Systems. We trust Dell 100% and are very loyal due to its great benefits.
The only problem with Dell systems is that they can be costly. They are definitely one of the most expensive systems out there, but if you can afford it and you want the best, I highly recommend this system. I really don't think that you will ever need to buy another system after buying this one. It will be one of the best investments you'll ever make.
Amount Paid (US$): 3000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 41-50
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Webcams, Music and Radio music
Webcam links: http://www.abcwebcam.net/webcam_index.php?var=4033 Our community web cam is listed in for Sequim, of course. Main site: http://www.abcwebcam.net
Twitter for Music: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/12/twitter-for-music/
Kompoz for Radio: http://www.kompoz.com/compose-collaborate/kompoz.radio
Twitter for Music: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/12/twitter-for-music/
Kompoz for Radio: http://www.kompoz.com/compose-collaborate/kompoz.radio
Friday, May 9, 2008
Read Daily Newspapers from around the country or around the world
The Newseum displays these daily newspaper front pages in their original, unedited form. Some front pages may contain material that is objectionable to some visitors. Viewer discretion is advised.
Every morning, more than 500 newspapers from around the world submit their front pages to the Newseum via the Internet to be part of Today's Front Pages.
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/?tfp_chr=W
Every morning, more than 500 newspapers from around the world submit their front pages to the Newseum via the Internet to be part of Today's Front Pages.
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/?tfp_chr=W
Web Tools
The Directory divides the Web 2.0 tools into these main categories:
- Blogging Tools
- Blog Monitoring Tools
- RSS Feed Readers
- RSS Feed Creators
- Pinging Tools
- Podcast Recording Tools
- Videocast Resources
- Wiki Tools
- Social Network & Community Tools
- Other Tools
- Web 2.0 Suites
http://www.directimpactnow.com/leadgentools/web2-tools-directory.html'
Windows XP Service Pack 3
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
Friday, May 09, 2008 8:00 AM PDT
Installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 sends some PCs into an endless series of reboots, according to posts to a Microsoft support forum.
Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft and a prominent Windows blogger, has worked with users to tentatively identify the problem as involving only machines using processors from Advanced Micro Devices .
Messages from frustrated users began accumulating on the XP SP3 support newsgroup Wednesday, just a day after Microsoft released the update to the general public.
"I just installed Windows XP SP3 and after completing the processes and when the system reboots, the system cannot proceed to load the Windows," said a user labeled as "Olin" in a message that kicked off a long thread . "It just displays the flash screen of Windows then after it reboots again."
Most users who left messages on the forum said that they were unable to boot into Windows Safe mode -- a last-ditch way to sidestep the normal boot process for troubleshooting purposes -- or revert to a previously saved System Restore point.
Some were understandably upset. "Way to go, Microsoft, releasing the pile of dung called SP3 that hoses your system so bad even Safe Mode isn't working!" said a user identified as Mike Voss. "Props to your QA guys, they certainly have done their job."
Johansson, who watched one of his PCs repeatedly reboot after installing XP SP3, traded accounts with several other users on the newsgroup, and summarized the results on his blog.
According to Johansson, there appear to be two separate issues. One affects only AMD-equipped PCs sold by Hewlett-Packard . "The problem is that HP, apparently along with other OEMs, deploys the same image to Intel -based computers that they do to AMD-based computers," said Johansson. "Because the image for both Intel and AMD is the same all have the intelppm.sys driver installed and running. That driver provides power management on Intel-based computers. On an AMD-based computer, amdk8.sys provides the same functionality."
Running the "intelppm.sys" driver on an AMD-powered PC isn't normally an issue, but on the first reboot after a service pack installation, it causes "a big problem," Johansson said. The machine either fails to boot or crashes and immediately reboots.
The other problem, according to Johansson, also seems to affect only AMD machines, and involves an error message indicating trouble with the PC's BIOS. Johansson said that the ensuing recommendation to update the BIOS is "most likely not your problem," but said that the problem may be isolated to a specific motherboard. "Possibly, it is related to computers with the ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard in them," he said.
Johansson also spelled out workarounds for both problems on his blog. The HP issue can be solved by disabling the intelppm.sys driver, while the second fix requires the user to plug in a USB flash drive before booting.
Microsoft was not immediately available for comment early Friday, but someone identified as a Microsoft employee on the support forum had asked users to e-mail him information such as the PC's system configuration, tell him whether they were able to enter Safe mode, and submit event viewer logs.
This isn't the first endless reboot problem Microsoft's faced in relation to a service pack recently. In February, the company pulled a Windows Vista SP1 prerequisite update from automatic delivery because it was crippling some machines.
Friday, May 09, 2008 8:00 AM PDT
Installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 sends some PCs into an endless series of reboots, according to posts to a Microsoft support forum.
Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft and a prominent Windows blogger, has worked with users to tentatively identify the problem as involving only machines using processors from Advanced Micro Devices .
Messages from frustrated users began accumulating on the XP SP3 support newsgroup Wednesday, just a day after Microsoft released the update to the general public.
"I just installed Windows XP SP3 and after completing the processes and when the system reboots, the system cannot proceed to load the Windows," said a user labeled as "Olin" in a message that kicked off a long thread . "It just displays the flash screen of Windows then after it reboots again."
Most users who left messages on the forum said that they were unable to boot into Windows Safe mode -- a last-ditch way to sidestep the normal boot process for troubleshooting purposes -- or revert to a previously saved System Restore point.
Some were understandably upset. "Way to go, Microsoft, releasing the pile of dung called SP3 that hoses your system so bad even Safe Mode isn't working!" said a user identified as Mike Voss. "Props to your QA guys, they certainly have done their job."
Johansson, who watched one of his PCs repeatedly reboot after installing XP SP3, traded accounts with several other users on the newsgroup, and summarized the results on his blog.
According to Johansson, there appear to be two separate issues. One affects only AMD-equipped PCs sold by Hewlett-Packard . "The problem is that HP, apparently along with other OEMs, deploys the same image to Intel -based computers that they do to AMD-based computers," said Johansson. "Because the image for both Intel and AMD is the same all have the intelppm.sys driver installed and running. That driver provides power management on Intel-based computers. On an AMD-based computer, amdk8.sys provides the same functionality."
Running the "intelppm.sys" driver on an AMD-powered PC isn't normally an issue, but on the first reboot after a service pack installation, it causes "a big problem," Johansson said. The machine either fails to boot or crashes and immediately reboots.
The other problem, according to Johansson, also seems to affect only AMD machines, and involves an error message indicating trouble with the PC's BIOS. Johansson said that the ensuing recommendation to update the BIOS is "most likely not your problem," but said that the problem may be isolated to a specific motherboard. "Possibly, it is related to computers with the ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard in them," he said.
Johansson also spelled out workarounds for both problems on his blog. The HP issue can be solved by disabling the intelppm.sys driver, while the second fix requires the user to plug in a USB flash drive before booting.
Microsoft was not immediately available for comment early Friday, but someone identified as a Microsoft employee on the support forum had asked users to e-mail him information such as the PC's system configuration, tell him whether they were able to enter Safe mode, and submit event viewer logs.
This isn't the first endless reboot problem Microsoft's faced in relation to a service pack recently. In February, the company pulled a Windows Vista SP1 prerequisite update from automatic delivery because it was crippling some machines.
Search tool, music on line, music player and POP art tool.
Search across many sources, including ask.com, Google news, digg, technorati, live.com, topix, wordpress, yahoo, bloglines, you tube, etc. http://addictomatic.com
Music...find yours: http://lite.grooveshark.com/
New. Lock It down, Free, file locker,file encryption,encryption,encrypt,decrypt,decryption,files,folders,encrypt folder, free download: http://free.lockitdown.com/
Radio Stream Player - Overview . This program allows you to stream online radio stations without having to run a bloated player, or having a internet browser window open. It offerers a nice and handy menu with access to the station list in your local language.
# Features Stream / Listen to online radio station from the internet
# Small and easy to use GUI
# Hide in system tray
# Easly adding your own stations
# Automatic updates for both program and station list
# Translation system (Supports: English,Norwegian,Danish,Dutch,German,French and Portuguese)
# Minimal GUI that only shows you what you need to know
# Minimal CPU and RAM footprint
Get it at: http://www.thexsoft.com/DownloadFolder/RadioStreamPlayer_Setup.exe
Pop Art from your photos, a la Andy Warhol: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/warholizer.php FREE
Music...find yours: http://lite.grooveshark.com/
New. Lock It down, Free, file locker,file encryption,encryption,encrypt,decrypt,decryption,files,folders,encrypt folder, free download: http://free.lockitdown.com/
Radio Stream Player - Overview . This program allows you to stream online radio stations without having to run a bloated player, or having a internet browser window open. It offerers a nice and handy menu with access to the station list in your local language.
# Features Stream / Listen to online radio station from the internet
# Small and easy to use GUI
# Hide in system tray
# Easly adding your own stations
# Automatic updates for both program and station list
# Translation system (Supports: English,Norwegian,Danish,Dutch,German,French and Portuguese)
# Minimal GUI that only shows you what you need to know
# Minimal CPU and RAM footprint
Get it at: http://www.thexsoft.com/DownloadFolder/RadioStreamPlayer_Setup.exe
Pop Art from your photos, a la Andy Warhol: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/warholizer.php FREE
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Pangea Day starts at 11AM, PDST
You will need Flash installed to watch the four hour stream at Pangeaday.org. Tune in on Saturday, 10 May.
Use iLocker, free. Upload, store and send files for one week, FREE
Safe, free and fast.
Filemail at: http://www.filemail.com/ I tried it, of course, and it was very fast. They provide link to the file and it is encrypted when handled. Their site is busy, as it is new and popular at this time. Their site reads: 1. First, the files you want to send are uploaded to one of several filemail.com servers located in Oslo (Norway) and San Diego. Files are encrypted on our servers using a 128bit AES algorithm to ensure security and privacy.
2. A small e-mail is delivered to the recipients, containing a short message from you and a hyperlink where the files can be downloaded.
3. The recipients click the hyperlink in the e-mail, and are taken to the download page.After the specified number of days/number of downloads, the files are removed completely from our servers.
Filemail at: http://www.filemail.com/ I tried it, of course, and it was very fast. They provide link to the file and it is encrypted when handled. Their site is busy, as it is new and popular at this time. Their site reads: 1. First, the files you want to send are uploaded to one of several filemail.com servers located in Oslo (Norway) and San Diego. Files are encrypted on our servers using a 128bit AES algorithm to ensure security and privacy.
2. A small e-mail is delivered to the recipients, containing a short message from you and a hyperlink where the files can be downloaded.
3. The recipients click the hyperlink in the e-mail, and are taken to the download page.After the specified number of days/number of downloads, the files are removed completely from our servers.
New OPEN OFFICE - beta for Win, MAC and Linux
Worked fine on my MAC. No hitches, whatsoever. -tp.
Here is what the FEATURES page said about the Windows version:
In addition to read and write support for the Microsoft Office binary file formats (.doc; .xls, .ppt, etc.), OpenOffice.org 3.0 is now capable of opening files created with Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac OS X (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.).
Thus, OpenOffice.org users can interact with users still using Microsoft Office. The various filters for the Microsoft Office file formats also make mixed environments possible, so that some users stay on Microsoft Office while others use OpenOffice.org.
http://download.openoffice.org/3.0beta/
Here is what the FEATURES page said about the Windows version:
In addition to read and write support for the Microsoft Office binary file formats (.doc; .xls, .ppt, etc.), OpenOffice.org 3.0 is now capable of opening files created with Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac OS X (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.).
Thus, OpenOffice.org users can interact with users still using Microsoft Office. The various filters for the Microsoft Office file formats also make mixed environments possible, so that some users stay on Microsoft Office while others use OpenOffice.org.
http://download.openoffice.org/3.0beta/
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers
This is an update to the one posted below. Download this one and NOT the other. The post below is NOT for a retail version of Windows.
I just tried to install it and found it would not install. This is the correct site.
Steve
I just tried to install it and found it would not install. This is the correct site.
Steve
Win XP SP3 Download site
Overview WinXP SP3
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system. This specific package also contains debugging symbols specific to binaries included in Service Pack 3.
This is the FULL download 342MB for those who may want to install it on more than one machine.
http://tinyurl.com/4t627w (Microsoft)
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP Home Edition ; Windows XP Professional Edition ; Windows XP Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 2
List of fixes that are included in Windows XP Service Pack 3
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946480/
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system. This specific package also contains debugging symbols specific to binaries included in Service Pack 3.
This is the FULL download 342MB for those who may want to install it on more than one machine.
http://tinyurl.com/4t627w (Microsoft)
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP Home Edition ; Windows XP Professional Edition ; Windows XP Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 2
List of fixes that are included in Windows XP Service Pack 3
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946480/
CFTMON.EXE
Have you got MS Office installed? If so you may have noticed a little program in the task manager, under processes called cftmon.exe.
Have you ever asked yourself....what the hell is it or...... have you removed it only to find it's back again.....
It is a relatively easy removal and it will stay gone, just follow these steps.
FYI - This pesky little program is related to speech recognition in MS Office.
- Just open up Add/Remove programs from Control panel.
- locate MS Office and click on Change
- Click on Add/Remove features (and check mark "advanced customizations of features")
- Expand Excel tab
- Click on "text to speech" and select "Not Available"
- Expand "Office Shared Features"
- Click on "Alternative User Input" and select "Not Available" (this should remove both Speech and Handwriting)
- Expand "Proofing Tools" under "Office Shared Features" and select under both French and Spanish "English - (French/Spanish) Translation "Not Available"
- and then click on "Update"
When Update is complete
- Click on Start-Run and type in "regsvr32 /u msctf.dll" (without quotes) and hit ok/enter
- and again - Click on Start-Run and type in regedit32.exe and hit ok/enter. [I used regedit.exe...not regedit32, and it worked fine.]
When the program is open, search for
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run\
Once located - right click on cftmon.exe and delete entry.
you will have to repeat these steps for each user on the computer.
Have you ever asked yourself....what the hell is it or...... have you removed it only to find it's back again.....
It is a relatively easy removal and it will stay gone, just follow these steps.
FYI - This pesky little program is related to speech recognition in MS Office.
- Just open up Add/Remove programs from Control panel.
- locate MS Office and click on Change
- Click on Add/Remove features (and check mark "advanced customizations of features")
- Expand Excel tab
- Click on "text to speech" and select "Not Available"
- Expand "Office Shared Features"
- Click on "Alternative User Input" and select "Not Available" (this should remove both Speech and Handwriting)
- Expand "Proofing Tools" under "Office Shared Features" and select under both French and Spanish "English - (French/Spanish) Translation "Not Available"
- and then click on "Update"
When Update is complete
- Click on Start-Run and type in "regsvr32 /u msctf.dll" (without quotes) and hit ok/enter
- and again - Click on Start-Run and type in regedit32.exe and hit ok/enter. [I used regedit.exe...not regedit32, and it worked fine.]
When the program is open, search for
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run\
Once located - right click on cftmon.exe and delete entry.
you will have to repeat these steps for each user on the computer.
-
Preparing a PERSONAL 'MASTER' DOCUMENT
How to Prepare a Master Information Document
Preparing such a document is pretty simple, actually. You just need to create a single document that includes all of the information your loved ones might need to settle all of your outstanding accounts and get all of the benefits they should be getting. Here’s a checklist of what you should include.
Account information for every account you have open. Everything from your retirement account all the way down to your library card should be included here. This will allow the person using the document to systematically go from account to account and, at the very least, have access to them.
A complete list of every benefit anyone is entitled to upon your passing. This means life insurance benefits, Social Security information, retirement accounts that may disburse, and anything else that might benefit people once you’re gone. This is the stuff that you’re paying for now so that they can have it later - make sure they get it.
A complete list of all debts and all assets. This will provide a complete financial picture for you. For each of these, provide plenty of information - the current balance as of your writing, how to contact that entity, and any account information that’s relevant.
A detailed description of how to handle any business assets you may have. This is only true for some folks, but it’s vital. If I were to have an untimely passing, I have a plan in place and it’s well-documented - all of the steps that someone needs to take to ensure that The Simple Dollar’s archives remain up and running and my other business interests are handled well.
A copy of your will, your living trust, and any other documents pertaining to your estate. You should have several copies of these documents, but be sure to include an extra one here just in case.
What Now?
Once you have the document prepared, what’s next? Here are a few steps worth taking.
Make sure everyone has access to a copy. For us, my parents, my wife’s parents, my wife, and our safe deposit box will all have copies of this document very soon. It’s currently saved on my computer’s hard drive and on my backup drive, too, so the information could be found if need be, but I intend to print it out and give it to each of these people so they’re sure to have one if it’s needed. You can distribute these electronically, but be very careful, as the document is larded with personal data that an identity thief would love to have.
Talk it over with them. Make sure they know what the document is and what they should do with it. It’s not useful if it’s not in people’s hands or if they don’t know what it’s for.
Update it regularly - at least annually. Just pull out your electronic copy, read through it, and update anything that needs updating. If it’s significant, print out new copies for everyone and distribute them.
Take a few hours and put this document together, especially if you have a family. You’ll feel much better knowing that one of your bases is covered.
Windows XP SP3 update
Finally the last (or they say) update for XP, XP SP3 is here without any bugs. It was stopped last month because of a bug in Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System.
The download is available on the Microsoft download page or so they say. Many customers have complained that the network is down or showing a 404 page.
Our guess is that many Microsoft users are downloading the 316.4 MB big file and that is creating the problem. If you do not want the update just now just wait a week and you will be fine. Do not risk getting stuck with half a download and you know they will update it in 1 week again.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Google Mail Storage, find sounds, and find YOUR product key.
GMail Drive (REDUX) is a Shell Namespace Extension that creates a virtual filesystem around your Google GMail account, allowing you to use GMail as a storage medium. GMail Drive creates a virtual filesystem on top of your Google GMail account and enables you to save and retrieve files stored on your GMail account directly from inside Windows Explorer. GMail Drive literally adds a new drive to your computer under the My Computer folder, where you can create new folders, copy and drag'n'drop files to.GMail Drive shell extension is a tool that creates a virtual filesystem. Ever since Google s... [ read more about GMail Drive shell extension >> http://download1us.softpedia.com/dl/d38d94bd74102cb715f82e61e93b6d79/481df13d/100015944/software/internet/email/gmailfs112.zip
Tiny URL for this is: http://tinyurl.com/6gbykq
Find sounds: http://www.findsounds.com/types.html FREE. Search, listen, save if you wish.
REDUX: Need to save or write down the Windows Vista product key on your current PC? A beta version 2.0 of the previously-mentioned Magical Jelly Bean Key Finder app has been released, which reveals the product keys for Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007, other Windows apps and even dead Windows installations. When you run the Key Finder, it will automatically display the keys for common apps, as pictured. To check a dead Windows install, from the menu choose "Load Hive" and point it at the Windows installation directory. This one's a must-have for those of you who, ahem, lost your original install disks. —Gina Trapani. Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder v2.0 Beta 2 [Magical Jelly Bean Software] http://magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/
Tiny URL for this is: http://tinyurl.com/6gbykq
Find sounds: http://www.findsounds.com/types.html FREE. Search, listen, save if you wish.
REDUX: Need to save or write down the Windows Vista product key on your current PC? A beta version 2.0 of the previously-mentioned Magical Jelly Bean Key Finder app has been released, which reveals the product keys for Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007, other Windows apps and even dead Windows installations. When you run the Key Finder, it will automatically display the keys for common apps, as pictured. To check a dead Windows install, from the menu choose "Load Hive" and point it at the Windows installation directory. This one's a must-have for those of you who, ahem, lost your original install disks. —Gina Trapani. Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder v2.0 Beta 2 [Magical Jelly Bean Software] http://magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/
Excellence...
Visit their sites to read excellent writing, humor, etc.
Wired at http://wired.com
Huffington Post at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com
The Onion at: http://theonion.com
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Maximum PC past issue downloads for FREE
These are just some of the issues available from Maximum PC website free for the download.
April 2008: Build Your Own No-Compromises $1500 PC!
Posted 04/24/08 at 03:51:16PM | by The Maximum PC Staff
February 2008: Squash the New Internet Threats!
Posted 02/20/08 at 06:00:55PM | by The Maximum PC Staff
Friday, May 2, 2008
New publication and web site
Domain just established. The site will be up as soon as everything propagates across the name servers. The site is dedicated to the Cascadian region, and will deal with the three, BIG E's...including the economy, education and the environment. Published by Thomas Pitre, (dba Thomas Pitre Associates) - licensed in the State of Washington.
Unlock files to delete and VISTA System RESTORE steps.
Unlocker - Version: 1.8.6 - File Size: 237k License Type: Free Operating Systems: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000. If Windows won't let you manually delete a program file or folder, try Cedrick Collomb's free Unlocker. Once installed, Unlocker comes up automatically when Windows refuses to delete, move, or rename a file or folder, or you can launch it from the file or folder's context menu. Once up, it shows you what processes are hanging onto the culprit and lets you kill them.
--Lincoln Spector Go to the download page now: Unlocker: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,70551-order,1-page,1/download.html
Create and Use SYSTEM RESTORE in VISTA:
1. Type "system" into the desktop search box and select it from the list that is returned. Or you can open the Control Panel and then click the System icon. Either way you should end up the Windows Vista System applet.
2. Click the System protection link to get to the System Protection Tab of the System Properties applet.
On this tab you basically have two options: Create a restore point or restore from a previously saved one. Click the Create button to start the wizard.
3. Type in a description so you can recognize this restore point later on and click OK. Depending on your system, this could take a few minutes to complete. To restore system files and settings from a previously saved point you would click the System Restore button on the System Protection Tab on the System Properties applet.
4. This starts the System Restore wizard, where a list of possible restores is presented. Choose on of these points and click Next.
5. This is your last chance to cancel the process. Once the restore process begins you will have to let it run its course, which can take several minutes. Your Vista PC will have to reboot to complete the process. When it is completed your PC will restart with system files restored to the condition they were in at your chosen restore point.
--Lincoln Spector Go to the download page now: Unlocker: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,70551-order,1-page,1/download.html
Create and Use SYSTEM RESTORE in VISTA:
1. Type "system" into the desktop search box and select it from the list that is returned. Or you can open the Control Panel and then click the System icon. Either way you should end up the Windows Vista System applet.
2. Click the System protection link to get to the System Protection Tab of the System Properties applet.
On this tab you basically have two options: Create a restore point or restore from a previously saved one. Click the Create button to start the wizard.
3. Type in a description so you can recognize this restore point later on and click OK. Depending on your system, this could take a few minutes to complete. To restore system files and settings from a previously saved point you would click the System Restore button on the System Protection Tab on the System Properties applet.
4. This starts the System Restore wizard, where a list of possible restores is presented. Choose on of these points and click Next.
5. This is your last chance to cancel the process. Once the restore process begins you will have to let it run its course, which can take several minutes. Your Vista PC will have to reboot to complete the process. When it is completed your PC will restart with system files restored to the condition they were in at your chosen restore point.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
How to FORWARD an email, the correct way.
A computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Please read the short letter below, even if you're sure you already follow proper procedures.
Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT.
Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it? Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses and names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every E-mail address that has come across his computer.
Try the following if you haven't done it before:
(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the 'Forward' button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on 'Forward' f irst, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC:(blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say 'Undisclosed Recipients' in the 'TO:' field of the people who receive it.
(3) Remove any 'FW :' in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.
(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent. If your e-mail has pictures, some of you will have to click on Format and then check 'Send pictures with message' before you sent. If you don't then there will only be boxes with little x's in the corner.
(5) Have you ever gotten an e-mail that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and e-mail addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and e-mail addresses contained therein. DO NOT put your e-mail address on any petition. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and e-mail addresses on a petition. (And don't believe the ones that say that the e-mail is being traced. It just ain't so!) Often the e-mail address that you are suppose to send the petition to is a fake address.
Some of the other e-mails to delete and not forward are:
1. The one that says something like, 'Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen.'&n bsp; Or sometimes they'll just tease you by saying 'something really cute will happen.' IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (We are still seeing some of the same emails that we waited on 10 years ago!)
2. I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed.
3. Before you forward an 'Amber Alert', or a 'Virus Alert', or some of the other e-mails floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an e-mail that is in question can be checked out at Snopes.com. Just go to www.snopes.com or http://www.truthorfiction.com/ It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.
2_5_ Kanguru QuickSilver - USB 2 Hard Drive' -
AS in should be.......click on IMAGE for LARGER view..
Direct link to PRODUCT: http://www.kanguru.com/25ecohd.html
-tp
Freeware and Open Source
Welcome to the NewFreeware.com!Software makes your hardware work for you, nothing can be done without software!
http://www.newfreeware.com/
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Repair XP
How to Repair Windows XP
How to access Safe Mode:
Reboot your computer while holding down the F8 Key. At the Advanced Options Menu select the option for Safe Mode and press Enter.
How to access Last Known Good Configuration:
Reboot your computer while holding down the F8 Key. At the Advanced Options Menu select Last Known Good Configuration.
Hopefully you've set a restore point rather than let the computer do it for you. Download the program System Restore Point posted earlier in this blog.
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm#How%20to%20access%20Safe%20Mode:
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Windows Vista Tip of the Day
Restore the Run Command to Vista’s
Start Menu
From PC World Magazine
Scott Dunn
Here’s a quick fix for the omission of this important option from
the default Start menu in Vista.
If you use the default Start menu in Windows Vista (as opposed to
the Classic Start menu), the Run command doesn’t appear in it. To
change that, right-click the Start button and choose Properties. With
the Start Menu tab active, click the Customize button in the upper
right. Scroll through the list of options and check Run command.
Click OK twice. The command will now appear in the lower-right
corner of the Start menu.
April 29, 2008
Start Menu
From PC World Magazine
Scott Dunn
Here’s a quick fix for the omission of this important option from
the default Start menu in Vista.
If you use the default Start menu in Windows Vista (as opposed to
the Classic Start menu), the Run command doesn’t appear in it. To
change that, right-click the Start button and choose Properties. With
the Start Menu tab active, click the Customize button in the upper
right. Scroll through the list of options and check Run command.
Click OK twice. The command will now appear in the lower-right
corner of the Start menu.
April 29, 2008
Windows Steady State:
Lock down your user interface
Users sometimes go places and do things they shouldn't on shared machines. Now you can help protect sensitive locations and restrict user access to features such as Control Panel. Ever wish you could undo everything?
You can't always prevent problems during a user session, but now you can undo the whole session. Learn how Windows SteadyState can return your computer and hard disk to its exact condition before the user touched it, simply by rebooting.
I installed and used Returnil. It was a Giveawayoftheday freebie a little while ago. Returnil info at: http://www.returnilvirtualsystem.com/
Users sometimes go places and do things they shouldn't on shared machines. Now you can help protect sensitive locations and restrict user access to features such as Control Panel. Ever wish you could undo everything?
You can't always prevent problems during a user session, but now you can undo the whole session. Learn how Windows SteadyState can return your computer and hard disk to its exact condition before the user touched it, simply by rebooting.
I installed and used Returnil. It was a Giveawayoftheday freebie a little while ago. Returnil info at: http://www.returnilvirtualsystem.com/
Monday, April 28, 2008
Updated: Creation of a System Restore Point
System Restore Point
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_sysrestorepoint.htm
Note: version 1.2 is preferred.
Single Click Creation of a System Restore Point/Runs as a Scheduled Task
© 2002 - 2007 - Doug Knox
SysRestorePoint.exe is a small VB utility that will allow you to create a System Restore Point, with no user intervention.
There are now two versions:
v1.0 - When run automatically creates the Restore Point with no dialogs or notifications, unless there is a problem creating the Restore Point.
v1.1 - Displays a dialog while the Restore Point is being created, and a dialog will show that the Restore Point was successfully created or not. If it was successful, the dialog will automatically dismiss after 5 seconds.
v1.2 - Modified to work with Windows Vista.
Usage: Download the appropriate file and extract the contents to your hard drive. Create a shortcut to the EXE that you extracted. This shortcut can be placed in your Start Menu, on your Desktop or even your Quick Launch bar. To run this utility every time the system starts, simply place a shortcut in Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder. Restore Points are listed in the System Restore Calendar as "Automatic Restore Point" along with the time it was created.
v1.0 - SysRestorePoint.zip
v1.1 - SysRestorePoint_v11.zip
v1.2 - SysRestorePoint_v12.zip (Works with Windows XP and Windows Vista).
This utility is only intended for Windows® XP. If run on Windows 2000, it simply won't do anything. It may crash if the VB 6 runtimes are not installed, but it will NOT create a Restore Point, regardless.
Get Visual Basic Run Time 6.0 from here: http://tinyurl.com/6qy3m (Microsoft)
Based on original work by Bill James.
This page last updated 06/07/2007 15:13
All material © Doug Knox
The Portable Freeware Collection
Portable Freeware
Portable Means:
- It must run without installation.
- It must run on older versions of Windows which might not have been updated.
- It must not have any coupling with Internet Explorer, audio/video codecs, DirectX etc.
- It must not write settings to the registry or local filesystem.
- It must not leave any trace on the host machine at all, even when the app crashes (hereby referred to as "stealth").
- It must run with guest access rights.
- It must be able to compensate for USB memory stick drive letter changes.
- http://www.portablefreeware.com/
WinPenPack Free USB portable apps
winPenPack is an applications environment of Free Softwares, modified for being run and used from an USB pendrive, without need of installation. The removable device, so, is no more a simple data container, but becomes a really self-contained environment, within programs and documents are homogeneously integrated.
"Portable" softwares included into winPenPack does not need to be installed, does not write their settings into host PC, and can be easily carried between multiple computers through any external device, as removable hard disks or USB pendrives.
After inserting the USB pendrive into a free USB port of host PC, user will have immediately available a collection of pre-configured and ready to use programs, subdivided in categories and executable through a practical menu, analogue to Windows Quick Launch, the winPenPack Launcher. User will feel as is working on its own PC, with web browsers, e-mail clients, image and drawing editors, chat clients, PC maintenance and security, school, development. All he needs, always available. All these features make winPenPack extremely useful in any field.
http://winpenpack.com/main/page.php?10
http://winpenpack.com/main/download.php
Even more Portable apps to come.
Portable Apps for your USB drive
PortableApps.com provides a truly open platform that works with any hardware you like (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc). It's open source built around an open format that any hardware vendor or software developer can use.
We've shown this before but this is still a good website with lots of FREE software. You don't have to use a USB drive to run this software, come to a SPCUG meeting and we'll show you how to install it. There are several other apps similar to this, more to follow on this blog.
http://portableapps.com/
KeyScrambler Personal 2.0
KeyScrambler Personal 2.0
The anti-keylogging program protects all parts of the browser and encrypts everything you type into a web page—logins, account numbers, addresses, and email messages. Absolutely Free.
Installation Specifications:
- Windows 2000, 2003, XP, or Vista (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Internet Explorer 6 or 7, Firefox 1.5 and later, Flock 1.0 and later, or others
- Internect connection
- File size: ~1.2MB
- Download time: 2 minutes
MD5 checksum: No longer necessary. KeyScrambler 1.2.0 and later are digitally signed by QFX Software Corporation.
Note: I've been using this for about a year and it works fine, great for people that do banking online!
http://www.qfxsoftware.com/Download.htm
Track email received and MORE music on line.
Now you can find out when your email has been read by the recipient! No more guessing: "Has he or she read my email yet?" SpyPig is a simple email tracking system that sends you a notification email as soon as the recipient opens and reads your message. It works with virtually all modern email programs: Outlook, Eudora, Yahoo Email, Gmail, Hotmail, AOL Email and many others. http://www.spypig.com
Music on Demand: http://www.deezer.com/ On line music, radio, etc. Free. NO downloads necessary.
Music on Demand: http://www.deezer.com/ On line music, radio, etc. Free. NO downloads necessary.
Broadband 2.0
Wow - speeds up to 50-100 mbps! Wonder when that will hit Sequim?
Read more about it here.
Read more about it here.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Karen's Replicator v3.5.12 Backup Utility Free
Automatically backup files, directories, even entire drives! Karen's Replicator copies selected files from one drive/folder to another. Source and Destination folders can reside anywhere on your network.
Options include repeated copies at intervals as short as a few minutes, or as long as several months, copy only files that have changed, and the replication of folder and file deletions.
New features allow you to specify which files should not be copied, and also which days a file should be skipped!
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wireless Internet in Sequim
Nikola Broadband - Wireless, high speed internet. No contracts. Faster than DSL or Cable. 99.9% up time. Up to 8Mbps. Service starts at $49 month. Visit the web site at: http://www.broadband.nikola.com or call 582-1051. Nikola is a local, Sequim company on Washington Street in downtown Sequim.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Electronic parts, printable papers, NEWS, free books and Psych on line
Search for electronic parts: http://octopart.com/
Printable papers. Graph paper, lined, stationary, musical staves, etc. FREE http://www.printablepaper.net/
RocketNews - http://www.rocketnews.com/
Mentioned before, in issue 93 of this newsletter, RocketNews discovers the most popular stories from over 60,000 news sources from around the web. RocketNews organizes all stories into categories like sports and entertainment and into subjects making it easy for users to find and connect to the issues and stories that interest them. RocketNews discovers the most popular stories from over 60,000 news sources from around the web.
RocketNews organizes all stories into categories like sports and entertainment and into subjects making it easy for users to find and connect to the issues and stories that interest them.
JustFreeBooks http://www.justfreebooks.info/
“JustFreeBooks search the content of more than 450 web sites, including gutenberg.org, wikibooks.org and archive.org. With JustFreeBooks you can find public domain texts, open books, free audio books, ad-supported books and more.”
AllPsych Online http://allpsych.com/ AllPsych Online is one of the largest and most comprehensive psychology websites on the Internet. Inside the site you'll find over over 920 individual, cross referenced, web pages and an estimated 3000 pages of printed material.
Printable papers. Graph paper, lined, stationary, musical staves, etc. FREE http://www.printablepaper.net/
RocketNews - http://www.rocketnews.com/
Mentioned before, in issue 93 of this newsletter, RocketNews discovers the most popular stories from over 60,000 news sources from around the web. RocketNews organizes all stories into categories like sports and entertainment and into subjects making it easy for users to find and connect to the issues and stories that interest them. RocketNews discovers the most popular stories from over 60,000 news sources from around the web.
RocketNews organizes all stories into categories like sports and entertainment and into subjects making it easy for users to find and connect to the issues and stories that interest them.
JustFreeBooks http://www.justfreebooks.info/
“JustFreeBooks search the content of more than 450 web sites, including gutenberg.org, wikibooks.org and archive.org. With JustFreeBooks you can find public domain texts, open books, free audio books, ad-supported books and more.”
AllPsych Online http://allpsych.com/ AllPsych Online is one of the largest and most comprehensive psychology websites on the Internet. Inside the site you'll find over over 920 individual, cross referenced, web pages and an estimated 3000 pages of printed material.
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.0
Basic antivirus and antispyware protection for Windows available to download for free. Limited features, no support, for private and non-commercial use only. This replaces AVG Free 7.5.
I've downloaded and tried this, it has a new user interface and appears to be easier to use and configure.
I've downloaded and tried this, it has a new user interface and appears to be easier to use and configure.
Archival Storage Materials, including CDs and DVDs
Have a look at this site if you have a need for archival storage of papers, pictures and data. For example: http://tinyurl.com/6d56lt
The gold CDs are supposed to be viable for 300 years. The problem is what to play them on in 300 years, right?
The new gold CD-R and DVD (-R) have been tested for long life capability by subjecting them to accelerated exposure to extreme heat, humidity, bright lighting and other factors.
The gold CDs are supposed to be viable for 300 years. The problem is what to play them on in 300 years, right?
The new gold CD-R and DVD (-R) have been tested for long life capability by subjecting them to accelerated exposure to extreme heat, humidity, bright lighting and other factors.
New template coming...
Our competent and professional web designer is working on some templates and color schemes which will better suit our materials and a unique site design we are want to see here.
Hard drive with the COVER off - TURN ON YOUR SOUND.
This video was made with an inexpensive FLIP video camera at my home office. It was then imported into iMovie, where the titles and transition between scenes was added. I bought my Flip camera at CostCo for $89.00. Flip video at: http://www.theflip.com
While filming, I wrote and read to the drive, but the heads did not move enough to show on the video.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
A couple of new links...save ink, make podcasts, etc.
Do complete uninstalls of programs, and clean out your system. Revo Uninstaller solves an all-too-common problem: Programs whose uninstallation routines are sloppy. Not uncommonly, when you uninstall programs in Windows, they leave bits and pieces of themselves behind, such as Registry entries. This program promises to find all those bits and pieces and zap them so that when you uninstall software, your computer gets truly clean.
The program does more than just uninstall software. Revo Uninstaller also includes other cleaning tools, including an Autorun manager, that will show you all the programs that start on system startup--and lets you kill or remove any that you don't want run. And there's a very useful "Tracks Cleaner" that will remove traces of your browsing history, as well as traces left behind by Microsoft Office applications. http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,66703/download.html
---------------------
Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
File Size: 23602KB
Downloads Count: 2089
Author: GreenPrint Technologies
Streamline your printouts and save money with this free utility.
The GreenPrint Technologies CEO says the company's goal is "ending wasteful printing worldwide." To that end, it recently released this free version of the $35 GreenPrint Home.
GreenPrint World has many of the same features: It scans print jobs and removes pages that it determines are waste, like Web pages with just one line of text. It also removes most ads from Web pages automatically; lets you preview print jobs and remove images, text, or full pages; creates PDFs; and tracks the paper, money, and greenhouse gases you're saving. The free version is ad supported, with pitches for eco-conscious companies that appear in the Preview window. It lacks tech support, automatic version updates, and a few other features that the paid versions support.
In my tests GreenPrint World worked well. It installs as a separate printer that you select when printing from any application. You can set the default device that GreenPrint uses when you install the software, and you can change devices once you're in the program's Preview screen. You can also customize GreenPrint's parameters, choosing to strip out all graphics, for example. The program removes most advertisements, but not all, so you may need to do some fine tuning--but that's easily accomplished.
GreenPrint World is a great tool for home users who hate to waste printer ink and paper. Businesses are invited to evaluate the free version, but asked to upgrade to the $70 GreenPrint Enterprise edition. http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,69661/download.html
----------------------
License Type: Free
Price: Free
Date Added: Feb 2008
Operating Systems: Windows XP
Requirements: Microphone, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
File Size: 25931KB
Downloads Count: 4001
Author: Equicast Media LLC
Podcast like a pro with this easy-to-use recording, mixing, show-building software. You don't need a professional recording studio to immortalize your brilliant thoughts and dulcet tones. All you need is a free program called WildVoice Studio.
WildVoice Studio's compact main window is broken into four components: Sound FX, Background Tracks, Mixer, and Show Builder. WVS includes a number of common sound effects--car horns, kisses, thunder, and so forth--and lets you add your own as well. Background Tracks can search your folders for files in the supported formats (AIFF, MP1, MP2, MP3, OGG, WAV,) and fade them in and out of your show. In Mixer, you move the sliders to get the volume mix right. Show Builder shows you a recording preview so you can see the volume levels, and you can create several clips to paste together into one show. None of this takes any special knowledge or equipment, although of course better recording equipment will produce better results.
I tested WildVoice Studio by reading bits of a Dickens novel aloud, doing each paragraph as one take. WildVoice lets you add sound effects and your own background tracks as you go, instead of creating separate tracks to mix. I slapped in a few of WildVoice's provided sound effects for good measure. One nifty feature: You can freeze all the tracks in place if you have to stop for a moment, then unfreeze when you're ready to record again.
Building the show was a snap. I just lined up my clips, saved the show as a WildVoice file, then selected "Save Show to MP3 and Publish" (skipping the "publish" part) to save as MP3.
That said, if you register with WildVoice, you can upload your podcasts to WildVoice.com, where your adoring fans can listen, comment, and Digg your work. It's a simple way to broadcast your shows without eating up your own bandwidth.
Note: WildVoice Studio Setup will install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, if it's not already installed on your PC. http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,69518/download.html
------------------
Oh, and if you do decide to get a new router, here's a tool that'll help if you ever lose your router's wireless network keys--the WEP or WPA codes. (We've all been there, right?) NirSoft's free WirelessKeyView lets you recover them all, saving everything to a file or right onto your clipboard. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wirelesskeyview.zip
Nirsoft has a lot of utilities on their site. Check it out.
The program does more than just uninstall software. Revo Uninstaller also includes other cleaning tools, including an Autorun manager, that will show you all the programs that start on system startup--and lets you kill or remove any that you don't want run. And there's a very useful "Tracks Cleaner" that will remove traces of your browsing history, as well as traces left behind by Microsoft Office applications. http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,66703/download.html
---------------------
Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
File Size: 23602KB
Downloads Count: 2089
Author: GreenPrint Technologies
Streamline your printouts and save money with this free utility.
The GreenPrint Technologies CEO says the company's goal is "ending wasteful printing worldwide." To that end, it recently released this free version of the $35 GreenPrint Home.
GreenPrint World has many of the same features: It scans print jobs and removes pages that it determines are waste, like Web pages with just one line of text. It also removes most ads from Web pages automatically; lets you preview print jobs and remove images, text, or full pages; creates PDFs; and tracks the paper, money, and greenhouse gases you're saving. The free version is ad supported, with pitches for eco-conscious companies that appear in the Preview window. It lacks tech support, automatic version updates, and a few other features that the paid versions support.
In my tests GreenPrint World worked well. It installs as a separate printer that you select when printing from any application. You can set the default device that GreenPrint uses when you install the software, and you can change devices once you're in the program's Preview screen. You can also customize GreenPrint's parameters, choosing to strip out all graphics, for example. The program removes most advertisements, but not all, so you may need to do some fine tuning--but that's easily accomplished.
GreenPrint World is a great tool for home users who hate to waste printer ink and paper. Businesses are invited to evaluate the free version, but asked to upgrade to the $70 GreenPrint Enterprise edition. http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,69661/download.html
----------------------
License Type: Free
Price: Free
Date Added: Feb 2008
Operating Systems: Windows XP
Requirements: Microphone, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
File Size: 25931KB
Downloads Count: 4001
Author: Equicast Media LLC
Podcast like a pro with this easy-to-use recording, mixing, show-building software. You don't need a professional recording studio to immortalize your brilliant thoughts and dulcet tones. All you need is a free program called WildVoice Studio.
WildVoice Studio's compact main window is broken into four components: Sound FX, Background Tracks, Mixer, and Show Builder. WVS includes a number of common sound effects--car horns, kisses, thunder, and so forth--and lets you add your own as well. Background Tracks can search your folders for files in the supported formats (AIFF, MP1, MP2, MP3, OGG, WAV,) and fade them in and out of your show. In Mixer, you move the sliders to get the volume mix right. Show Builder shows you a recording preview so you can see the volume levels, and you can create several clips to paste together into one show. None of this takes any special knowledge or equipment, although of course better recording equipment will produce better results.
I tested WildVoice Studio by reading bits of a Dickens novel aloud, doing each paragraph as one take. WildVoice lets you add sound effects and your own background tracks as you go, instead of creating separate tracks to mix. I slapped in a few of WildVoice's provided sound effects for good measure. One nifty feature: You can freeze all the tracks in place if you have to stop for a moment, then unfreeze when you're ready to record again.
Building the show was a snap. I just lined up my clips, saved the show as a WildVoice file, then selected "Save Show to MP3 and Publish" (skipping the "publish" part) to save as MP3.
That said, if you register with WildVoice, you can upload your podcasts to WildVoice.com, where your adoring fans can listen, comment, and Digg your work. It's a simple way to broadcast your shows without eating up your own bandwidth.
Note: WildVoice Studio Setup will install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, if it's not already installed on your PC. http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,69518/download.html
------------------
Oh, and if you do decide to get a new router, here's a tool that'll help if you ever lose your router's wireless network keys--the WEP or WPA codes. (We've all been there, right?) NirSoft's free WirelessKeyView lets you recover them all, saving everything to a file or right onto your clipboard. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wirelesskeyview.zip
Nirsoft has a lot of utilities on their site. Check it out.
WebReaper...download whole web sites...FREE
The WebReaper home page - WebReaper is web crawler or spider, which can work its way through a website, downloading pages, pictures and objects that it finds so that they can be viewed locally, without needing to be connected to the internet.
The sites can be saved locally as a fully-browsable website which can be viewed with any browser (such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, etc), or they can be saved into the Internet Explorer cache and viewed using IE's off line mode as if the you'd surfed the sites 'by hand'. I have used it for over a year and I find it easy to install and use. It's fast and I have never had a problem with it. I've used it recently to download the whole SPCUG web site. -tp. BTW...doesn't work with VISTA, but I know of one that does, so there are FREEBIES for this task if you look. I use the search string: "download web site + freeware" [no quotation marks].
The sites can be saved locally as a fully-browsable website which can be viewed with any browser (such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, etc), or they can be saved into the Internet Explorer cache and viewed using IE's off line mode as if the you'd surfed the sites 'by hand'. I have used it for over a year and I find it easy to install and use. It's fast and I have never had a problem with it. I've used it recently to download the whole SPCUG web site. -tp. BTW...doesn't work with VISTA, but I know of one that does, so there are FREEBIES for this task if you look. I use the search string: "download web site + freeware" [no quotation marks].
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Windows Sysinternals troubleshooting tools
Great troubleshooting tools by Microsoft
The Sysinternals web site was created in 1996 by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell to host their advanced system utilities and technical information. Microsoft acquired Sysinternals in July, 2006. Whether you’re an IT Pro or a developer, you’ll find Sysinternals utilities to help you manage, troubleshoot and diagnose your Windows systems and applications. If you have a question about a tool or how to use them, please visit the Sysinternals Forum for answers and help from other users and our moderators.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx
Any time we post, we will try to make all the URLs "hot", so you do not have to type in the URL. -Site Admin.
The Sysinternals web site was created in 1996 by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell to host their advanced system utilities and technical information. Microsoft acquired Sysinternals in July, 2006. Whether you’re an IT Pro or a developer, you’ll find Sysinternals utilities to help you manage, troubleshoot and diagnose your Windows systems and applications. If you have a question about a tool or how to use them, please visit the Sysinternals Forum for answers and help from other users and our moderators.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx
Any time we post, we will try to make all the URLs "hot", so you do not have to type in the URL. -Site Admin.
Easy WiFi Radar
Easy WiFi Radar
Some things in life should be free. Easy WiFi Radar helps you find and connect to open wireless access points with a single mouseclick. It's WiFi for Dummies. And we're giving it away for your PC.
If you have ever tried to use Windows XP's built-in connection manager, you know what a hassle it can be to quickly check your mail or browse the web on the go. You need to browse through a list of access points, find one that you can connect to, manually try to connect to it, confirm the connection and then wait. Even if it says that's it connected, often it doesn't open a webpage or you mail will stall. Easy WiFi Radar automates all of this. It's main goal is to let you get your mail or surf the web without having to go through all of the connection trouble, and without having to pull your creditcard. Just run it and it'll connect you for FREE to the internet. It doesn't get easier than this.
CHANGE OF TEMPLATE FOR SITE
The template was changed to accommmodate information in left hand column. The previous template did not accommodate the information in the narrow, RIGHT column.
T. Pitre
Blogster
T. Pitre
Blogster
Monday, April 21, 2008
Latest posts...electronics shopping and what's your IP info?
Product advisor for ELECTRONICS...prices, pictures, etc. Good resource when shopping: http://www.retrevo.com/
What's MY IP address...where am I...etc.
http://www.ip-adress.com/ipaddresstolocation/
What's MY IP address...where am I...etc.
http://www.ip-adress.com/ipaddresstolocation/
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Mail To Web....
mail2web.com provides a free web-based email retrieval application that allows users from anywhere to anonymously pick up their email from almost any POP3 and IMAP4 email server. No registration is required to access or use the application. Rather than offer another email address like Hotmail® or Yahoo Mail!®, mail2web.com allows you to use your existing email account.
Retrieving and sending email with mail2web.com is as simple as entering your email address and password. Now you can easily read, reply, forward and even delete messages all while you're away from your regular email program. [From Steve S.] Pub. on SPCUG web site for members in August of 2007.
Retrieving and sending email with mail2web.com is as simple as entering your email address and password. Now you can easily read, reply, forward and even delete messages all while you're away from your regular email program. [From Steve S.] Pub. on SPCUG web site for members in August of 2007.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Quiz question for today...4/19
I am an international CHESS champion from Hungary. My name is Zsusa Polgar.
Friday, April 18, 2008
SPCUG Photos
Assorted photographs and graphics pertaining to the Sequim PC Users Group from 2005 through 2008.
Click on the individual pictures for larger images. There is even a map to our meeting place and the meeting room, itself, in this series of images.
Latest links
Reverse telephone look up on AnyWho: http://www.anywho.com/qry/wp_rl
Only2Clicks - speed dial to favorite web site and make it your start page: http://http://www.only2clicks.com/
PicLens Version: 1.6.2 License Type: Free Operating Systems: Windows Vista, Windows XP Add PicLens to your Firefox Web browser to get a new way of viewing many photos at once on selected sites. Supported sites include Flickr, Smugmug, Facebook, Google Images, and others. On those sites, if you mouseover a photo you'll see a small play button in the lower left of the image. Click that button to get the PicLens photo display, a 3D-animated presentation screen with a wall of thumbnails for all the pics on the page you started on. You can shift left and right through the wall using a box at the bottom of the display. If you ever view photos on the supported sites, give PicLens a whirl. It's not oftn that an applet makes something more glitzy and more efficient at the same time. -- Erik Larkin Go to the download page now: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,70443-order,1-page,1/description.html?tk=nl_ddxdwn
Update. a-squared Free 3.5.0.8 (formerly a² free) Freeware! A2 is a free of charge Anti-Trojan, Anti-Worm, Anti-Dialer and Anti-Spyware Software - optimal protection: http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/ Download a-squared Free - Free for private use! http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/download/ Direct link to first, download mirror: http://download6.emsisoft.com/a2FreeSetup.exe
Only2Clicks - speed dial to favorite web site and make it your start page: http://http://www.only2clicks.com/
PicLens Version: 1.6.2 License Type: Free Operating Systems: Windows Vista, Windows XP Add PicLens to your Firefox Web browser to get a new way of viewing many photos at once on selected sites. Supported sites include Flickr, Smugmug, Facebook, Google Images, and others. On those sites, if you mouseover a photo you'll see a small play button in the lower left of the image. Click that button to get the PicLens photo display, a 3D-animated presentation screen with a wall of thumbnails for all the pics on the page you started on. You can shift left and right through the wall using a box at the bottom of the display. If you ever view photos on the supported sites, give PicLens a whirl. It's not oftn that an applet makes something more glitzy and more efficient at the same time. -- Erik Larkin Go to the download page now: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,70443-order,1-page,1/description.html?tk=nl_ddxdwn
Update. a-squared Free 3.5.0.8 (formerly a² free) Freeware! A2 is a free of charge Anti-Trojan, Anti-Worm, Anti-Dialer and Anti-Spyware Software - optimal protection: http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/ Download a-squared Free - Free for private use! http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/download/ Direct link to first, download mirror: http://download6.emsisoft.com/a2FreeSetup.exe
Thursday, April 17, 2008
NSFW - not safe for work
Ever clicked a link and felt embarrassed with the content in front of your co-workers?
Ever caught unaware because the funny link your friend sent was a little beyond funny?
Main page at: http://nsfw.in/
Ever caught unaware because the funny link your friend sent was a little beyond funny?
Main page at: http://nsfw.in/
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Example of SHARED file on A DRIVE
This is a .pdf TEMPLATE for a CD or DVD envelope.
http://adrive.com/public/2a027775c5e510d460af05c944b88c9fee2ef5392a0d0b12f404e65cc3d7d48d.html
http://adrive.com/public/2a027775c5e510d460af05c944b88c9fee2ef5392a0d0b12f404e65cc3d7d48d.html
Monday, April 14, 2008
Officers Will Have Access
One really nice feature is that all the officers can have access to posting information, graphics, and sources. This should really bring more of a sense of ownership to the club's web presence and maybe create some interest that wasn't there before.
Announcement
The Sequim PC User's Group will be directed to this BLOG late in the year. The SPCUG web site will be decommissioned, thus saving the club time, money and resources which can be better used elsewhere.
T. Pitre, VP, SPCUG
T. Pitre, VP, SPCUG
Friday, April 4, 2008
Marketing on The Web with VIDEO - 4 Apr., 2008
NEW YORK — You don't need a pan and a stream in California to join the next gold rush. A video camera, computer and high-speed Internet connection will do.
A vast array of professional and semiprofessional producers are starting to use those tools to create ad-friendly entertainment and news videos expressly for the Web. The goal is to dramatically change people's video-viewing habits — and cash in on a potentially enormous business opportunity.
"It's like the early days of cable," says former Viacom executive Herb Scannell, now CEO of Internet video investment and support firm Next New Networks. "We're inventing new business models, new talent and new programming models."
Internet users already can find countless fresh choices in the middle ground between reruns of slick network TV programming, such as the shows on Hulu.com, and amateur clips such as the kind popularized by YouTube.
Popular genres for original Web productions include dramatic series (Lonelygirl15and Prom Queen), topical comedy (BarelyPolitical.com, 236.com and comic Will Ferrell's Funny Or Die), news analysis (TalkingPointsMemo) and specialized interests (for example, ThreadBanger offers the latest about sewing and knitting).
Producers have powerful incentive to test the market: Ad spending for Internet videos will rise 455% by 2011 to $4.3 billion, says research firm eMarketer."It's growing faster than any other advertising category," says George Kliavkoff, NBC Universal's chief digital officer. "There's just a sea change." That's one reason his company and other major TV network owners are starting to dip their toes into original Web production. Over the past few weeks:
Friday, March 28, 2008
Studded Tire deadline extended in Washington and Oregon
Studded Tire deadline extended in Washington and Oregon
Date: Thursday, March 27, 2008
Contact: Chris Christopher, Co-Director Maintenance and Operations, (360) 705-7850
Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 705-7080
OLYMPIA – The studded tire deadline is extended through April 5.
“The anticipated winter weather for the next few days plus the desire to give drivers time next week to remove studded tires led to this decision,” said Chris Christopher, WSDOT Co-Director for Maintenance and Operations. “We don’t anticipate extending the deadline past April 5."
In a coordinated effort with Oregon’s Department of Transportation (ODOT), the last day to legally use studded tires this season in Washington and Oregon is Saturday, April 5.
Date: Thursday, March 27, 2008
Contact: Chris Christopher, Co-Director Maintenance and Operations, (360) 705-7850
Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 705-7080
OLYMPIA – The studded tire deadline is extended through April 5.
“The anticipated winter weather for the next few days plus the desire to give drivers time next week to remove studded tires led to this decision,” said Chris Christopher, WSDOT Co-Director for Maintenance and Operations. “We don’t anticipate extending the deadline past April 5."
In a coordinated effort with Oregon’s Department of Transportation (ODOT), the last day to legally use studded tires this season in Washington and Oregon is Saturday, April 5.
The Future of the Internet-free from Stanford
Using iTunes (works on MACs and PCs and is free to download) - you can take this course and others. Carry the course on you MP3 player (iPod, etc.) -tp.
How To Fight and Win
Fight Companies Online And Win
The Consumerist's step-by-step guide to posting your complaint against a company online and getting results.
Those results can be money, an apology, a new device, or a hug, but you can tap into the power of the magical internet to get you some serious traction.
After blogging about customer complaints for nearly a year, and even ending up on TV a few times ourself, we've got what we think is a pretty good idea of what works.
STEP ONE: GET SCREWED
This is the easy part...
START A BLOG
For ease and speed, Blogger.com is pretty good. Give the blog a catchy title, like "Verizon Is Eating My Face."
POST YOUR INITIAL COMPLAINT
Type the letters, one after another. Be sure to include Who, What, Where, When, and How. It's fine to be all emo but at least get the facts in there before you start slicing your wrists all over the screen.
INCLUDE CONTACT INFORMATION
A valid email address should do. If you don't feel like dealing with this blog for the rest of your life, set up a new email address like verizoniseatingmyface@gmail.com.
ENABLE COMMENTS
People will need to offer you advice and solace, as well as throw text-based poop in your direction. Leave these playground gates open. Respond to questions when appropriate.
STOCK SMOKING GUNS
Include pictures, audio, video, phone call recordings, scanned copies of letters, and conversation transcripts. YouTube is good for uploading video. You can even get away with uploading pure audio there too. The key idea here is to publicly publish evidence to bolster your case. The more and the more irrefutable it is, the better your chances are of getting that money or hug you want.
Some of the following involve using HTML code. Don't worry if you don't know much about it. These services offer code you can drag and drop into your blog. Their sites also include instructions on doing so, in case you get stuck. Everything is learned through trial and error, so if it doesn't look right, tweak until it does!
INCLUDE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE COMPANY
If people hear your cry and are sympathetic, they may take it upon themselves to call or write the company on your behalf. Boom! Instant protest campaign.
EMBED A SITEMETER
Insert sitemeter code into your site. This will keep track of the traffic your blog receives. Images from its graph also makes for an easy post, "Look, traffic is up 300%!"
The Consumerist's step-by-step guide to posting your complaint against a company online and getting results.
Those results can be money, an apology, a new device, or a hug, but you can tap into the power of the magical internet to get you some serious traction.
After blogging about customer complaints for nearly a year, and even ending up on TV a few times ourself, we've got what we think is a pretty good idea of what works.
STEP ONE: GET SCREWED
This is the easy part...
START A BLOG
For ease and speed, Blogger.com is pretty good. Give the blog a catchy title, like "Verizon Is Eating My Face."
POST YOUR INITIAL COMPLAINT
Type the letters, one after another. Be sure to include Who, What, Where, When, and How. It's fine to be all emo but at least get the facts in there before you start slicing your wrists all over the screen.
INCLUDE CONTACT INFORMATION
A valid email address should do. If you don't feel like dealing with this blog for the rest of your life, set up a new email address like verizoniseatingmyface@gmail.com.
ENABLE COMMENTS
People will need to offer you advice and solace, as well as throw text-based poop in your direction. Leave these playground gates open. Respond to questions when appropriate.
STOCK SMOKING GUNS
Include pictures, audio, video, phone call recordings, scanned copies of letters, and conversation transcripts. YouTube is good for uploading video. You can even get away with uploading pure audio there too. The key idea here is to publicly publish evidence to bolster your case. The more and the more irrefutable it is, the better your chances are of getting that money or hug you want.
Some of the following involve using HTML code. Don't worry if you don't know much about it. These services offer code you can drag and drop into your blog. Their sites also include instructions on doing so, in case you get stuck. Everything is learned through trial and error, so if it doesn't look right, tweak until it does!
INCLUDE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE COMPANY
If people hear your cry and are sympathetic, they may take it upon themselves to call or write the company on your behalf. Boom! Instant protest campaign.
EMBED A SITEMETER
Insert sitemeter code into your site. This will keep track of the traffic your blog receives. Images from its graph also makes for an easy post, "Look, traffic is up 300%!"
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
40 tons of monitors
The Seattle paper reported that Children's Hospital and the Regional
Medical Center recycled FORTY tons of computer monitors in 2006 !!!
That's a lot of monitors.
Medical Center recycled FORTY tons of computer monitors in 2006 !!!
That's a lot of monitors.
Be sure to check the SPCUG web site often
...for changes, updates, revisions, etc.
http://spcug.net
---------------------
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Gaza doctors say patients suffering mystery injuries after Israeli attacks
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Gaza doctors say patients suffering mystery injuries after Israeli attacks: "Gaza doctors say patients suffering mystery injuries after Israeli attacks " - of course, they are using US made weapons, I'm sure....testing them for us, before we use them on our "enemies".
The Small Print Project
The Small Print Project: "The following examples are tucked deep within EULAs (End User Licensing Agreements) and are easily overlooked despite their potential impact on consumer use."
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Friday, October 6, 2006
Instant Messages, Lingering Paper Trail - washingtonpost.com
Instant Messages, Lingering Paper Trail - washingtonpost.com: "Instant Messages, Lingering Paper Trail
HP, Foley Cases Illustrate Risk
By Mike Musgrove
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 6, 2006; Page A06
People who think their instant messages disappear after being sent should think again."
HP, Foley Cases Illustrate Risk
By Mike Musgrove
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 6, 2006; Page A06
People who think their instant messages disappear after being sent should think again."
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
California wants WiFi warning stickers
California wants WiFi warning stickers: "California wants WiFi warning stickers
8/31/2006 11:58:08 AM, by Nate Anderson
California is getting serious about network security—well, serious enough to legislate stickers. AB 2415 has cleared the General Assembly and now heads to Governor Schwarzenegger's desk for his signature. It's an attempt by the state to make sure that consumers know how to activate security features on their WiFi routers in order to prevent personal information from being accessed 'by unauthorized users who piggyback onto their network connection.'
The bill requires that all WiFi routers manufactured after October 1, 2007 and sold in the state of California come with a prominent warning about the dangers of unsecured routers and include instructions for password protecting the devices. While most manufacturers include this information in the product manual, this will no longer be enough. Instead, the state wants the warnings to be impossible to miss, and that's where the stickers come in.
Vendors are given two basic choices: 1) they can include a security warning in the software setup routine or they can 2) attach a 'temporary warning sticker' to the device that must be peeled off before the router can function. These warnings do not need to contain the complete information—one can only imagine the size of the sticker that would be required—but the"
8/31/2006 11:58:08 AM, by Nate Anderson
California is getting serious about network security—well, serious enough to legislate stickers. AB 2415 has cleared the General Assembly and now heads to Governor Schwarzenegger's desk for his signature. It's an attempt by the state to make sure that consumers know how to activate security features on their WiFi routers in order to prevent personal information from being accessed 'by unauthorized users who piggyback onto their network connection.'
The bill requires that all WiFi routers manufactured after October 1, 2007 and sold in the state of California come with a prominent warning about the dangers of unsecured routers and include instructions for password protecting the devices. While most manufacturers include this information in the product manual, this will no longer be enough. Instead, the state wants the warnings to be impossible to miss, and that's where the stickers come in.
Vendors are given two basic choices: 1) they can include a security warning in the software setup routine or they can 2) attach a 'temporary warning sticker' to the device that must be peeled off before the router can function. These warnings do not need to contain the complete information—one can only imagine the size of the sticker that would be required—but the"
Monday, October 2, 2006
The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities: "The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
There are a lot of great freeware products out there. Many are as good or even better than their commercial alternatives. This list features my personal pick of the 'best of the best.'
All the utilities in this list have featured in past issues of my free monthly newsletter 'Support Alert' More freebies are published in each new issue. If you are interested in great utilities and freeware you really should consider subscribing. It's free.
Listed below are 46 different freeware categories with my selection of the best products in each category. The list is ordered by program function rather than merit so you'll get the most out of it by browsing down this page at leisure. The pathologically impatient can consult the index below. "
There are a lot of great freeware products out there. Many are as good or even better than their commercial alternatives. This list features my personal pick of the 'best of the best.'
All the utilities in this list have featured in past issues of my free monthly newsletter 'Support Alert' More freebies are published in each new issue. If you are interested in great utilities and freeware you really should consider subscribing. It's free.
Listed below are 46 different freeware categories with my selection of the best products in each category. The list is ordered by program function rather than merit so you'll get the most out of it by browsing down this page at leisure. The pathologically impatient can consult the index below. "
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Flash memory data recovery and protection | Tech Hints
Flash memory data recovery and protection | Tech Hints: "Flash memory data recovery and protection"
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
How It Works
How It Works The Visual Thesaurus is an interactive dictionary and thesaurus which creates word maps that blossom with meanings and branch to related words. Its innovative display encourages exploration and learning. You'll understand language in a powerful new way.
Say you have a meaning in mind, like "happy." The VT helps you find related words, from "cheerful" to "euphoric." The best part is the VT works like your brain, not a paper-bound book. You'll want to explore just to see what might happen. You'll discover -- and learn -- naturally and intuitively. You'll find the right word, write more descriptively, free associate -- and gain a more precise understanding of the English language.
Say you have a meaning in mind, like "happy." The VT helps you find related words, from "cheerful" to "euphoric." The best part is the VT works like your brain, not a paper-bound book. You'll want to explore just to see what might happen. You'll discover -- and learn -- naturally and intuitively. You'll find the right word, write more descriptively, free associate -- and gain a more precise understanding of the English language.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Eight Ways to Quickly Resize Images: etc: quick links to good stuff
Eight Ways to Quickly Resize Images: etc: quick links to good stuff: "Eight Ways to Quickly Resize Images
September 20, 2006
Image resizing tools aren't just for people who don't have Photoshop, or the non tech savvy. I often take screen capture snippets for posting to this blog and if they exceed the width of my content area, I need to resize them. And I don't want to open up Photoshop (or another image program) to do it. Call me impatient or lazy or whatever, but that just seems like killing a fly with a hammer."
September 20, 2006
Image resizing tools aren't just for people who don't have Photoshop, or the non tech savvy. I often take screen capture snippets for posting to this blog and if they exceed the width of my content area, I need to resize them. And I don't want to open up Photoshop (or another image program) to do it. Call me impatient or lazy or whatever, but that just seems like killing a fly with a hammer."
Powers of Ten Day
Powers of Ten Day: "CELEBRATE OCTOBER 10, 2006
Why a Powers of Ten Day?
EarthIn 1977, Charles and Ray Eames made a nine-minute film called Powers of Ten that still has the capacity today to expand the way we think and view our world. Over ten million people have since seen the film and it continues to be shown in classrooms, business meetings, festivals and retreats everywhere. Starting with a sleeping man at a picnic, the film takes the viewer on a journey out to the edge of space and then back into a carbon atom in the hand of the man picnic, all in a single shot. It is an unforgettable experience."
Why a Powers of Ten Day?
EarthIn 1977, Charles and Ray Eames made a nine-minute film called Powers of Ten that still has the capacity today to expand the way we think and view our world. Over ten million people have since seen the film and it continues to be shown in classrooms, business meetings, festivals and retreats everywhere. Starting with a sleeping man at a picnic, the film takes the viewer on a journey out to the edge of space and then back into a carbon atom in the hand of the man picnic, all in a single shot. It is an unforgettable experience."
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities: "The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
There are a lot of great freeware products out there. Many are as good or even better than their commercial alternatives. This list features my personal pick of the 'best of the best.'
All the utilities in this list have featured in past issues of my free monthly newsletter 'Support Alert' More freebies are published in each new issue. "
There are a lot of great freeware products out there. Many are as good or even better than their commercial alternatives. This list features my personal pick of the 'best of the best.'
All the utilities in this list have featured in past issues of my free monthly newsletter 'Support Alert' More freebies are published in each new issue. "
Saturday, September 9, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Darik's Boot and Nuke (Hard Drive Disk Wipe)
Darik's Boot and Nuke (Hard Drive Disk Wipe): "Darik's Boot and Nuke
Darik's Boot and Nuke ('DBAN') is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.
DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis."
Darik's Boot and Nuke ('DBAN') is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.
DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis."
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