The Microsoft Interent Explorer 9 ( IE9 ) Platform Preview is just a wrapper for the Browser Object, so it doesn’t have much UI, but behind that lack of UI is actually quite a few useful tools.
When you first run the IE9 Platform Preview you get a screen that has minimal menus, and a few [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

While Apple is announcing the availability of the iPad in April, you can already buy screen protectors and portfolios for the iPad you don’t yet have.   Griffin makes this really nice looking portfolio.
 

Not bad for $44.95
You can also get iPad Screen Protectors and other accessories.
 
“iPad is something completely new,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

The Joojoo was formerly the “CrunchPad”, made famous by Michael Arrington. The original CrunchPad was recently pronounced dead and now is alive again.
The Joojoo is a reborn version of the CrunchPad and instead of costing less $200 is now selling for $499.
The term “joojoo” is really supposed to be “juju,” an African word meaning [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

If you want to get a jump on Windows 7 you can download it from Microsoft.   It’s a 2.24 Gig Download, so it’s not for the faint of heart, but it is a great way to try it out before it goes live.  That said, this version has a LOT of downsides since it is [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows Recycle Bin may get you out of a jam from time, to time, but occasionally you empty the bin just as you remember that there was an important document that you need to undelete.  To recover files which have been truly deleted you need a powerful Undelete program.  Norton Used to be the leader [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Betanews is reporting that you shouldn’t upgrade to Windows 7 unless you are buying a new PC.  Carmi Levy is a Troll.  His “philosophy” may have been right with Microsoft Vista, but not with Windows 7.  Windows 7 is faster, smarter and better looking than Vista, and it will run on even the lowliest of [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

This Amazon Search Provider Plugin will enable you to search Amazon, it includes product previews.  Very useful if you shop Amazon a lot.
Just click on the link Amazon Search Provider Plugin and then select to add this search provider, or make it your default search provider. That’s how its done, now happy shopping.

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

CruzMail is the campus email system for UC Santa Cruz. You can access CruzMail using a supported email program(iMail, Outlook, Windows Mail, Etc) or securely on the web using a supported web browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome). CruzMail features include a vacation auto-response tool, virus scanning of attachments, and spam scanning.
New students are pre-assigned email [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs, Site Reviews

While not officially supported you can upgrade from Windows 7 Beta to Windows 7 RC, or Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM / Windows 7 Final.
This will work on any 32 bit, to 32 bit, or 64 bit to 64 bit.  If you need to upgrade from a 32 bit Windows to Windows 7 [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

StalkDaily.com Created several of those “fun” twitter apps that ask for your user and password then show you information about your friends list.
When it got to critical mass it started spamming people via the web interface to twitter.  It is also sending e-mails from users who have the same e-mail address as they have twitter [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Jake writes about how to get Internet with no Phone:
Piggybacking Internet service as DSL over a phone line or high speed cable service are the two easiest ways to have Internet access, although they aren't the only solutions. Depending on where your aunt lives, there may be several ways for her to access the Internet [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Unhappy with how Office Looks on my Windows 7, I decided that I’d share with the world how to change the color scheme of Office 2007 to something a little sexier than it is by default.
Open Word 2007 then click Word Options from the Home Menu

Now select Black or Silver

Now my Windows 7 [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Good news if you are a Mac User, you too can run Windows 7.  Using Parallels 4.0 Windows 7 runs mostly ok.  There are a few pesky issues, but you didn’t want sound did you?
So Here are some of the issues you will face.
- Windows 7 x86_64 installation media cannot be automatically detected.
- No sound [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows Photo Viewer is a feature in Windows that you can use to view and print your digital pictures.

Windows Photo Viewer is designed to be used with the Pictures library, the main storage location for pictures on your computer. Any pictures in the Pictures library—which includes those you've imported—appear in Photo Viewer. To [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows DVD Maker in Windows 7 will burn a disc that can be played in most standard DVD player, Xbox 360, or another Windows PC or Mac.  Windows DVD Maker will allow you to create reasonably professional looking DVD’s with photos, music, video, and menu system.
To access DVD Maker got to Start –> All Programs [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

There are only two buttons in Windows 7 Sound recorder.  A big Red button to start recording, and it is labeled as such, and a Question Mark button that is for help.

How much help do you need if your only choice is to hit the big red record button?  Did Microsoft have a technical [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

While Google has a great Unit Conversion Tool Built in, that won’t help you on a plane, when you need to quickly figure out how many Feet per second 200 knots are before you crash in to the ocean will it?
If you start Calc.exe in Windows 7 and select Options –> Unit Calculator you will [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

This registry file will set Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7 to run in IE7 mode which is compatible with more websites.  It also sets performance settings which should make Windows 7 faster and more stable, such as removing the “Send Feed Back” text from all Windows, and the “For Testing Purposes only” from the [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows 7 adds display calibration which allows you to set your Color Management much more accurately than ever before.
To access this Windows 7 Feature, go to the Screen Resolution area in your Control Panel,
Click Advanced Settings, then Color Management.

Then on the Advanced Tab select Calibrate Display.

A Wizard will walk you through tuning your [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

To install the 32 or 64 bit Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Drivers for Windows 7 you will first need to download this file.
This Driver will work for Audigy, Audigy 2, and Audigy 4 cards, on Windows 7 32 bit, and Windows 7 64 bit.
You will have to save this file, and then “lie” to [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows 7 Adds support for desktop Sticky notes.  I use Outlook, so not a lot of use to me, but combined with a touch screen in a common area / Shared computing environment they could be useful.  You can Pick colors, and change sizes, there are not timers or reminders, nor can you forward a [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

It still isn’t as good as Paint.net, but Paint gets support for some brush shapes, and some useful features like Rotate, and Crop.  It also will now Save to JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and DIB

 

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows 7 Wordpad has gotten a major face lift and looks a lot like MS Word’s main screen.  You now get page lay out options, margins, and Zoom functions that were never there before.  But Wordpad.exe still lacks Spell Check.  While Live Writer has spell check and is free, it won’t save to a .doc [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows 7 suffers from some Bloat around its Windows.  You can get quite a bit more on the screen with out hurting readability, by changing a few settings.  This is a life saver on Netbooks and computers with lower resolutions screens.
First we will Skinny up the Windows Border which is oddly called “border padding”
[...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

A friend looking over my shoulder asked why “my” Google was so much better than hers. I run a Google Custom search which removes a few thousand spam sites from the results, and has some search modifiers so I can quickly change how I search for things.
By setting your Search box in IE for my [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

The Default Values in Internet Explorer 8 ( IE8 ) as they ship for Vista and Windows 7 Leave a lot to be desired.  As such I recommend doing the following steps after install, or if you have already done an install, choose “Reset” from the Tools –> Internet Options –> Advanced  and then configuring [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

While there is an ATI Driver included with Windows 7 there is a more complete version available from ATI.  The downloadable version of the Windows 7 driver includes the ATI control panel.
Catalyst 32-bit Windows 7 Beta Driver Catalyst 64-bit Windows 7 Beta Driver
There is support for:
ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 Series GPUs [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows 7 Beta offers several new personalization options for making your Windows 7 desktop personal. One of the cooler is the ability to shuffle desktop backgrounds. Windows 7 supports selecting multiple pictures as desktop backgrounds which then shuffle or “rotate” based on a timer.
Windows 7 shuffling between photos in a folder every 10 minutes [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows 7 has some new Hot Keys.  Some of them are more useful than others.  I don’t know Why I need “Peek at Desktop” vs Show Desktop (Windows+D).  Windows+P is the same as Function+F7 is on most Laptops. 
General

Win+Up
Maximize

Win+Down
Restore / Minimize

Win+Left
Snap to left

Win+Right
Snap to right

Win+Shift+Left
Jump to left monitor

Win+Shift+Right
Jump to right monitor

Win+Home
Minimize / Restore all other [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

You can’t upgrade directly from Windows XP to Windows 7, so we will grab a copy of Windows Vista which will be installed briefly prior to the complete upgrade.
If you have an MSDN subscription you can download a copy of Windows Vista 32, you can also borrow a copy from someone.  When you do the [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

I have been installing Windows 7 on every Computer I can get my hands on just to test how well it does.  I have to say I have been impressed.  At the lowest end so far I have installed it on a Toshiba Libretto U105, and while there is no Vista Driver for its Graphics [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

The Magic Folder is a Windows Vista gadget that allows you to categorize and move files. Easily clean your desktop with Windows Vista Gadget "Magic Folders". Download this from Windows Live Gadget Gallery which is free with your purchase of Vista. Customizing the folder to understand the placement of certain file extentions such as (doc, [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

I saw a BigFoot KillerNic (killernic.com) in the Microcenter the other day, and wondered how good it really was, so I bought it figuring if it sucked I could return it.  It did, and I did.
I put the KillerNic up against the real world experiences I could simulate in my humble home, and compared [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs, Hard on the Pocket Book, Reviews

Changing a Password Means you Should set a Windows Restore Point I found this out the hard way, or the easy way depending on how you look at it.  I set my Windows password accidently with the numlock on on a laptop which meant I had a weird password, which I didn’t know.  Doing a [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

All 32-bit client versions of Windows (not just Vista/XP) have a 4GB address space. That's the theoretical upper limit beyond which you can not go. But you can't use the entire 4GB of address space. Even though you have a 4GB address space, you can only use about 3.1GB of RAM. That's because some of [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

You can quickly Increase Screen Real-estate By Shrinking Windows Vista Borders  This doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but the 8 pixels it shaves off of every window adds up when you are trying to put 3 windows Side By Side and it is then saving 24 pixels or about 3% of your screen.
Changing the [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

If you are having trouble with a website that is not coming up in IE7, or which only partially loads.  Or if you suspect that an Add-on or toolbar in Internet Explorer is causing problems you can run IE in “No Add-ons” mode.
The "No Add-ons" mode in Internet Explorer lets you start Internet Explorer in [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

If you suspect that you have a virus, or Malware, and your Internet Explorer is not rendering pages correctly, or is slow, or you are getting a Google Error that “We’re sorry but… ….your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application”  It may be necessary to Reset Internet Explorer [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Occasionally you may have to Re-Enable Sleep and Hibernate on Windows Vista. The problem occurs when the Disk Cleanup Tool disables the hibernation file. The hibernation file must be enabled to access the hybrid sleep feature and the hibernation feature in Windows Vista. When the hibernation file is disabled, and the hybrid [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

The variety of options for home networking can make buying decisions difficult. Before you decide what hardware to get, you should decide what type of network technology (the way computers in a network connect to or communicate with one another) to use. This article describes and compares the most common network technologies and lists hardware [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

You cannot Uninstall Windows Vista. However, you can change the code that starts the operating system (often called code master boot ) and then remove Windows Vista system multibooting and return to Windows XP or Windows 2000. To perform this procedure, you need the installation disk Windows Vista.
Before you begin, make a backup programs, files [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Windows ReadyBoost can use the storage space some devices Removable , such as USB flash drives , to speed up the computer. When you insert a device with this capacity, the dialog box Autoplay offers you the option to speed up the system using Windows ReadyBoost. If you select this option, you can choose how [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Disabling Writing to Removable Drives such as USB Sticks, CD-Rom, or Floppy disks is a great way to make sure that the corporate secrets on your network stay secret.
Using Regedit you can set the following, or use Group Policy Objects to set
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies"WriteProtect"=dword:00000001

When this is set to 1 you will be unable to write to [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

The Windows Vista Assessment tool which gives you those lovely how great or sucky is your computer, it has some bonus features.  The Vista Assessment Tool is based on another product called WINSAT.  Winsat has some cool 3d effects which can you can access.  The Benchmark score isn't shown, but they are still fun.
Press [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

These Windows Vista Components are that are safe to remove, just make sure you know if you need them, or are going to use them.
 
ActiveX Installer ServiceDon't removeIf you want flash updates and things of that nature to happen you will need this.
GamesFeel Free To RemoveGames will just waist time.
Indexing ServiceSafe to removeThis might make [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Ah they said it couldn't be done.  It is impossible they say.  They lied.  Doing an upgrade from Windows XP 32 Bit to Vista 64 bit, is not straight forward but it is in fact possible.  Why would you want to do something like that?  Well for example if you had a Asus GS1 Laptop [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

I am constantly annoyed by the low disk space warning on hard disks which are packed full, but I'm just using for swap files, hibernate files, or Video Files.  So here is How To Disable the Low Disk Space Warning In Window Vista and XP.
Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Genius Playlists are the premiere feature of iTunes 8. It uses metadata to create playlists based upon a single song in your library. Firmware 2.1 allows you to create Genius Playlist on Apple iPhone or iPod Touch. It has works well in my experience.
Here's how you can have your Apple iPhone or iPod touch [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Helios Linux is a free Linux OS for the PlayStation 3.  Helios Linux is designed to be a high performance PDF and Image server for Mac, Windows and Unix Web Clients.  The Playstation 3 makes a great platform for Helios Linux, as it supports Sata Hard disk, and Gigabit Ethernet, so it can easily handle [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs, Gaming

Following the success of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 last spring, Microsoft (MSFT)has been working hard on Windows Vista Service Pack 2. As a part of the development and testing process, they are going to start by providing a small group of Technology Adoption Program customers with Windows Vista SP2 Beta for evaluation. The final [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Little know fact for all those girls who think computer programming is just for geeky guys.  Computer programming was practically invented by a countess.
In a world of men, for men, and made by men, there were a lucky few women who could stand up and be noticed. In the early nineteenth century, Lovelace Augusta Byron [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

Many schools faced with high cost of maintaining the computers look for creative solutions to reduce the cost per student.  Most computers today are grossly over powered 90% of the time.  If you have ever looked at the CPU Usage of your PC you will see that much of the time you are using less [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

If you have ever encountered the error:
Your system is low on virtual memory. To ensure that Windows runs properly, increase the size of your virtual memory paging file. For more information, see Help.

You probably have your Page File mis-configured.  There are several things you can do to speed up your system and avoid this error.
With [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

The advent of wireless routers has helped small offices and home computers interconnect and function fast. No more sharing of files with thumb drives or squabbles over who will access the internet fast. If you have notebook or laptop you can keep repositioning your place of work within your house, such is the convenience of [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

When you use a wireless network at home, range and performance can be influenced by a lot of factors. The location of your wireless router as well as the location of your PC and/or laptop can make a lot of difference. Concrete walls also have a strong influence on Wi-Fi signals, so too many concrete [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs