HDMI partners, the break up story

It turns out that it was fairly good plug and play (Toshiba A200/W00 and Philips LCD HDTV)

The problems was the HDTV and Laptop were forced into a 700 resolution. My laptop is 800 and the HDTv is 1080 so that was disappointing. After some fiddling around with the resolution, I ended up messing up the PnP and now the HDTV won't even display anything so back it goes to 700, everything is bigger and some parts of my screen on my laptop is crammed. But I am mainly using it for display videos so it should be fine for time being. Keep you posted if I find out how to make the HDTv 1080 and my laptop 800. That would be awesom. Suggestions also welcomed.


BTW the way I fix the no signal problem was to bring the HDTv's resolution back to 700 and did that via the ATI Catalyst program and also the Display Properties (Right click desktop > Personalise > Display Properties)

HDMI Partnered Finally

I was one of the first guys in my group to have a laptop with HDMI connections!!
I had it for a whole year now but have never used it because I don't have a HDTV, all the other folks had a HDTV but no laptop with a HDMI port. Finally after lots of saving and sale prices, I've got one!

#1 . I've been warned over and over about the HDMI cables not being included with HDTV purchases (almost every manufacturer doesn't supply one)

#2 . I've also been told that I should not buy the $150 HDMI calbes as HDMI is digital and the need for super good anti-interferencecables are even less important than for analouge cables.

So the question most people ask: Where can I find cheap HDMI cables from??

* Dick Smith - $49 for a 1.5M
* Target - $49 for a 1.5M or $39 for a 2M thats dedicated to PS3 but compatible of HDTVs
* K-Mark - $30 for a 3M cable that is gold plated!!!!!
* Online (as suggested by forums but I don't like delivery costs)

Are expensive cables a scam?? well maybe not you do get better quality cables, but are the cables producing 5 times as much quality images like how the price is 5 times?? most likely not as suggested by websites I visited before hand.

Leadtek DTV Dongle Gold

I went to MSY yesterday to get an Asus U3100 USB TV Tuner and for those who have been to MSY you will know they never have stock. Seeming I travelled fairly far to go there I asked for a similar model and I got the Leadtek DTV Dongle Gold istead for $3 cheaper.

At the moment I am still having a black screen and can't pick up any TV. But I am hoping WinFast PVR2 will work soon, keep you posted

--------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE:
Oppps, I've once again done it! I've applied more than 1 possible solution without testing in between but now my TVs all good!

0. Un-installed previous drivers and software that came with disk (Google has it that the discs installs drivers for the wrong model of TV tuner)

1. Installed latest driver from LeadTeks website

2. Moved laptop to another room near a window (picked up SBS channels only)

3. Connected house TV rooftop aerial to TV Tuner (BANG! 23 channels found)

Open QuickLaunch Programs using hotkeys

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, haven't found anything IT to post about and also been busy with uni.

I have my TurnOffLCD program on my quicklaunch bar because making a shortcut on the desktop and making a shortcut key doesn't work like i mentioned before it turns off and then back on but now there is a solution!!

If you want to launch a program off your quicklaunch bar using shortcut keys:

1. Choose the icon of the program you want to launch from the quicklaunch bar

2. Count from left to right, what place is that icon placed under?

3. Now press Windows button + the number its ranked as, the program should now open


* you can re-arrange the icon placements say if Windows + 1 is more comfortable move the icon to first place on left and now you can use Windows + 1 to launch it!

* Haven't figured out how to launch 10th place or more icons, not that the average person has 32 quicklaunch icons ;)

Malwarebytes Review (Anti-Adware,spyware etc.)

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Its a very small sized program for a security program. The installation was fast and easy although i got some errors about missing dlls but it seemed to install OK.

Did a quick scan and it seemed to do the job, found a couple of Trojans sitting there, it was very quick for a scanning process, faster than any other reputable software out there and it picked up everything in the quick scan, i did a detailed scan and it returned nothing so it seems the quick scan is very effective, usually i never run the quick scans in my other software because it would usually leave something behind for the deep scans to pick up.

Did a scan in safe mode Windows Vista, seemed to find two reg entries and deleted them but then they came back, ran the program in normal Windows and it found some other entries that belonged to the same nasty. So i ran a scan twice and now the third time in normal Widnows and it seemed to have stopped it from coming back.


Overall:

Simple (< 4 minutes scan on my rig),
Faster (Than anyhting I've seen including SpyBot SD,
Small file (Good for downloading when your already in trouble),
Fair update file sizes (Not the smallest but hey other program install files are worth 15 updates),
Low memory and RAM usage


EFFECTIVE (ONLY SCANNER THAT PICKED UP ON THE NASTY I WAS HAVING)PROBLEMS WITH,


Am so curious to see if the Pro version will be super duper awesom and if its feasible to replace my other scanncer,s will comapre their results later on, i guess more scanners installed the more fine the comb will be but if it can find everything the others can, it will be such a simplistic security plan for me home network.

** Sounds like something you can run weekly without wasting time, energy or wearing computer too much.

Super Browser Hijacker Attack

Recently, My Laptop's Vista partition has been hacked at by a Virus that hijacks my browsers both FireFox and Internet Explorer.

Hijacking involves something like:

* When you hit a result in Google it opens to a new advertising related website
* You can't type in and hit enter some websites
* It is hard to download as all links in the browser are redirected to some other search engine (non-genuine) or some advert web site.


This was a scary experience for me as it showed that my usual trust applications could not find let alone attack and save me from this nasty.

My usual trust apps found some problems but none found the virus that's causing this web havoc:

* Spy Bot S&D
* Avast AV
* AVG AV +SW
* Ad-Aware
* Commodo Firewall
* Vista Windows Defender


SOME WORK AROUND:

* Use Google to find a web page say for solutions to this hijacker, and then use the cached pages, for my virus i found it was scared of google

* Use Google translator and paste in the web link and then use non-English ---> English for English websites, using Google Translator seems to proxy through somewhere avoiding the redirects

* Use a different computer and download/search problem resolutions (Most effective)




SOLUTIONS (Possible)

Download an excellent software called Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

Installed it and with only a quick scan it fixed my problem, so far (Hoping it will stay this way after a reboot)

BTW the virus that got me was called "Trojan.Agent" according to the software scan results.

I got my information from:
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6132_102-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=310254&messageID=2868932

Please upgrade to the Pro version cause this is seriously the best detection tool, its a keeper.
Will do a review on it after i see how the reboot goes.



Example hijack redirect destinations

http://go.google.com http://bridge1.admarketplace.net Myaussiesearch.com http://www.theglobalsearchengine.com http://www.clicktosee.com.au
http://analystspecies.info/search.php? http://impactmedicine.info
http://www.ozpricehunter.com http://77.91.229.143/click.php?
http://questionnaire-guardian.info http://blow-operation.info http://ranksupplement.info
http://classroom-lot.info http://festival-gaze.info
http://stimulussock.info http://77.91.229.143/click.php?
http://revenue-classification.info http://4yousauce.info
http://banfuture.info/search.php? http://condition-draft.info
http://abuseobstacle.info http://biassickness.info
http://bomberworry.info

Some More Info, Google : "trojan.agent redirects", no "" required


Registry keys
affected:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\tdssdata

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\tdss


The problem i found i had was i only knew the websites it was redirecting me to and had no idea about the name of virus so couldn't get rid of it. Please save some website addresses you've been redirected to and post them here for future reference to others (if you've been attacked by the same kind of virus, thansk).

Creative Soundblaster Live 5.1 Driver for Windows Vista Download

Ok, some news on the Vista sound card, I've managed after months, got Vista to produce sound but only stereo of my 5.1. I not sure what i really done but the last thing that i did before it worked was disable all on board sound devices and then uninstalled the creative drivers. Then got my CD that came with it and install the driver off that.

Then it just suddenly worked after a restart. Well actually i went into properties and clicked the Test button that tests the left and right speakers. Then it worked on from there. Sorry there isn't much details but I am still confused how i did it.

But i think if you really wanted it to work you could always use the on board plugs to connect your speakers to.


Backtrack:

I tied these websites before but their suggested application driver installs couldn't find my sound card.

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Sound_Blaster_Audigy_Driver_for_Windows_Vista/1011672251/2

http://www.aeonity.com/david/creative-soundblaster-live-51-driver-windows-vista-download

http://www.softwarepatch.com/utilities/creative-live-driver-vista.html

Some Desktop News

Still haven't been able to install my HP Deskjet 3325 printer on Vista although the net suggested that the Deskjet 3500 drivers will make it work, still yet to find out, let me know if it worked for you.

I had my old windows 95 scanner working on my old XP partition, that is before i delete it and did a fresh install, all the drivers were only windows 95 compatible so i had no idea how i did it before, anyways, so to fix it I searched for my Epson Perfection 610 drivers for windows xp online and found it, did a virus check and then install into XP and it works now! yay! Still doesn't work in Vista but for a windows 95 age hardware its done great.

I've also found out why my Vista partition has been so slow on my desktop but decent on my laptop, it turns out that the power options were default set on power saver, which makes no sense and that means the desktop will only use a max of 50% of my CPU. Now i flicked it back into Max Performance and it seems to be much better, now to install SP1 and see if it makes things more equal to XP's performance ;) Its suppose to be fair good, my desktop is only lacking graphics else it should be suffice for Vista so lets hope the SP1 will make things fly a bit more.

That's one thing about durable hardware from good manufacturers, you have to make sure they support you when you upgrade software and not their hardware. but Still cheers on HP and Epson's durability (with the exclusion of my Epson printer which seemed to have to no probs but the printer software that Epson gave assured me i should go out to shops and buy a new one, which i did only it was a HP)

How do I send to taskbar, programs that load on start up?

Start programs minimised:


Go to your StartUp folder from the Start Menu > Right-Click on shortcut icon > Properties > Edit the value for Run from "Normal" to "Minimised"

Done!

Obvious but sometimes forgetten procedure ;)

Send To: Backup folder

You've read my Send To post before, now think about placing a folder shortcut in the Send To menu, now you can send any file you need to back up to a backup folder!

For example you can set the backup folder in the other hard drive.

Back up uses for a 2.5" external hard drive

Google some answers, think of some using your logic, there are many benefits that are simple and obvious such as back ups that can be stored in a remote location, extend your disk space in your computer by storing less used data on the external dirve etc.

But a random thought today was what the hell would happen if my homework/project was trapped on a broken or disabled laptop? and you didn't have a back up on another disk or it was not updated? that's where the external hard drive comes in, most if not all laptops use the 2.5" hard drives and then can be unplugged from the laptop and connected into the external hard drive holder, if you brought a already made external hard drive you may not be able to disconnect your hard drive but if you brought the hard drive and the external case seperate then you are pretty much able to rescue your data from the laptop hard drive,

Now for the software part, some laptop hard drives are locked into the hard drive via serial codes and pins numbers? maybe not sure but IBM hard drives are rendered useless if you just unplugged them from a laptop and tried to steal data (which is good for anti-theft purposes but for that major project deadline? dam)

Anyone got any advice for this? would be very appreciated as I am doing all my work on a laptop, my current solution is to back up recent work on a thumb drive and back up the whole data drive onto an external hard drive.

Problems using Upek Protector Suite QL

Getting this message?

The windows could not be registered because of following reasons:

Internet Explorer module: This is not an Internet Explorer window.
Firefox browser module: This is not a supported browser window.
Dialogue module: Window does not contain controls suitable for registration.


If your using Protector Suite QL and Firefox, then do this:

• Scan your finger to make Protector Suite QL window pop up or open it from the program files folder.
• Control Center > Applications > Password Bank > (bottom line of text "Firefox:") click hyperlink to "Install Extension"

If Internet Explorer opens up and you get a message to tell you to set Firefox as default then do this:

• Open Firefox > Tools > Options > (At botton section named "System Defaults") Click [Check Now]
• It will ask if you want to set as default, have a guess at what you should answer!
• Repeat step above to install extension.
  

How to unzip a Zip file for people who think they know how to

You think you know how to unzip a file yes? Problems with unzipping files? Unzipped software/program not working/installing?

Well have you had any software/program/zip files with more than one file inside the zip file that didn't unzip properly?

You wouldn't have noticed as some of the files are unzipped but not all. Its a problem many have but because there is error message people don't seem to know why their zipped files don't work.

As there is no formal error messages, I am hoping that you can still find this post and solve your unzipped errors.


The common problem is people open the winzip and extract the files, sometimes not checking the "extract all" box. A better practice is to right-click the zip file and select the unzip to /folder

Where can i get an update for Protector Suite QL?

Here:

http://www.upek.com/support/downloads/

Stuck/stubborn lcd/monitor/crt cable screws

You know what I am talking about, stuck cables, the VGa or DVI type where there are screws, you screw them on tightly and then when you need to remove them, dam its stick and your fingers are just too weak to unscrew the dam thing.

The solution? its the same solution to many previous posts, use a screwdriver, did you actually know that there is a gap on the bottom of the plastic screw? you place a flat head screwdriver in there and turn, its very easy to turn but if you want you can unscrew a bit and then use your fingers to do the rest, so to show your man powers!!!

^ A photo to prove I am not randomly typing letters on the keyboard, lol.

Its on the bottom end, the part you can't see, dam what a stupid photo choice.

Edit the "Send To" destinations in Vista

How cool is the "Send To" function when you right-click but too bad you can't add your own destinations to Send To, oh wait you can!!

Open a Windows Explorer file and type this in:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

Press enter, now paste the shortcut files in this folder, shortcut files, not the actual file else it will send it to the actual file, unless you wanted to send it to an application such as Photoshop.

The website i got this from is: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/01/04/use-vista-sendto-folder-to-add-or-delete-send-to-menu-items-or-shortcuts/

Fixing blunt pencil sharpeners

Do you got a very annoying pencil sharpener that won't actually sharpen your pencils, it barely rubs against the wood?

Well, As i mentioned before, its very handy to have one of those jeweller's screwdriver kits of computers and technology, it turns out its good for fixing pencil sharpeners too!

All I had to do was tighten the screw on the blade and now the sharpener cuts nicer or at all now. Still not as sharp as brand new but really can't do anything about that without sharpening the blade which sounds very dangerous.



And yes if you just noticed this is the first post of the labels of non-tech posts, which will be on random fixes that aren't inside the circle of high tech.

Yucky Premium SMS experience

Well it would start from when i decided to switch from company X and decided to change to Vodafone. I brought a sim cad for $2, came home and activated it. I sent sms to all my friends to tell them about my new number. On the first Sunday after activating it, i got a premium sms and was angry at my account balance being robbed. It was a new number so i couldn't have given it over the internet, I didn't sign up for anything and only my friends being idiots with my number could be the only reason. I continued to get these sms every Sunday and knew it wasn't mine because the star sign it talked about wasn't even my star sign. I contacted Vodafone and they gave me contact details to premium sms company. I had to deal with them for ages and then deal back with Vodafone and threated to leave the service, return my sim card or even take it up with gov agencies. Then they gave up and contacted the sms service who elevated my case and i was contacted by them to work out a cheque which came to me a few weeks later with the wrong name! I then contacted Vodafone and then they finally gave up and credited my $12.50 to my account.
The sms stopped and a few weeks later I got an sms from Fernwood Parramatta (I am a male student) and it was then that i realised that maybe my number is owned by someone else and I am coping their subscriptions. I then started to use my phone more and regularly receive calls from friends of the ex-owner of my mobile number.

My questions were why didn't Vodafone give me my credit back in step one and take it up with the premium sms service. The other is how does the number system work and how long does a number have to be inactive before its re-sold as a new number.

My Article

I hate wasting electricity but I hate bumping my head against the keyboard holder even more. In the past when trying to unplug devices I don’t need I’d shift backwards and bump my head due to the position of the electrical plugs and keyboard holder. Not any more, to save electricity from devices such as printers, modems, wi-fi routers and external hard drives I use a surge board with individual switches for each plug, that way I can prevent wasting standby energy overnight (or day them if I am not using them) without the hassle of unplugging at all, just turn off the device and flick the switch off on the surge board. It’s a really simple solution and has saved me the stress of dealing with stubborn tight plugs as well as letting my power packs rest.

Switching between windows

Did you know?

To switch between windows open you can use a keyboard shortcut:

ALT + TAB


To switch between files opened in the same program:


CTRL + TAB



(For some Vista versions) to switch between windows opened with a nicer interface:

WINDOWS + TAB

Can't receive "unsafe" files over MSN,

Read the message properly, geez, it says how to fix it. Actually I took 3 times before i actually read it, LOl

Fine, you can be lazy too, just go into MSN > Tools > Options > File transfer > Add a virus scanner.

Need drivers for HP Deskjet 3325 for Vista

I've installed Vista like i mentioned before and am yet to get my printer and scanner working.
I am developing a solution but haven't yet seen it working.

Don't install the CD like you do in Windows XP for this printer, instead make Vista detect the device and ask you for drivers, get it to search for drivers and then insert the CD and make Vista search around for it, it should find a Deskjet 3320 driver and install that instead of the 3325 one but its meant to be compatible (fingers crossed)

So far I haven't been able to the printer to respond to the computer. And I am not even going to bother with my scanner cause its so old.

My best solution for you is to dual boot with Windows XP and use it when you need to print, that's what I am doing as Vista provided better graphics card performance (doesn't make sense yes? well its not better performance but in XP i get graphics glitches)

I will see if I can get it working with the 3320 driver as you can imagine its very annoying to switch and restart OSes in order to print.

Post your comments if you've followed my instructions and got it to work some how.

Clean up networking record

Do you have some wi-fi connections/networks that you don't use any more and would like to get clean off from your computer?

Say you connected to a wi-fi in an airport and will never be there for ages and want to get rid of the airport connection in your list of wi-fi networks.

Do this then:

Start > Network > Network and sharing centre (button at the top part of window) > Manage wireless networks (from side menu)

Select network you want to remove > Click Remove button at top of window)

Vista on my desktop

Just got a spankin copy of Windows Vista Business =D I've been avoiding installing it on my desktop:

AMD Athlon 3500+ (2.25Ghz)
1.2GB of ddr400 Ram
200Gb of HDD space
128 MB nVidia GeForce 6600gt+

Due to the forecast of knowing thign s just won't work. But due to a glitch I've been having with y grpahics card in Windows XP i decided to give it ago to see what happens, on another partition of course to avoid harsh recovery methods.


Heres what i found:

PLUSes:

• Windows Vista has seemed to be able to help me skip finding my 10 or odd CDs for drivers, which I have to do in XP
• Windows Vista's driver for ym graphics card has made my display nicer and clearer and best of all prevented my graphics glitch of freezing up when scrolling too fast or switching windows too often
• The Internet seemed to work straight away, no set up, no account setting, This may have been due to my router having all the settings? Not sure and hoping to not have to re-install XP to find out
• The computer seems to perform faster, what the heck? Vista is suspoe to not work and be slower, but... I am confussed
• Most of my old software seems to work ok, feeew
• Installing MS software seems to take forever but other software seems to zip right through, maybe its visualisations of the transfer / progress bars but it makes me feel like the hard drives are faster and performing better but this could also be due to comparison of a fresh Vista and year old XP install.
  

FAILs:

• Creative Sound Augity sound card is fully dead on this OS
• Yet to test printer and scanner
• UAC is delayed for longer than other Vista computers
• Screen blacks out during log ins and log outs (not sure if its an effect or problem due to the controlling of the graphics' card)
• Software installs are taking longer after installing other software to the OS
• Can't get a Vista experience rating
  

OVERALL:

• If I can't get the sound to wrok at least this partition will be a high performing PC in terms of graphics card reliability and will be suffice to work for school and office.
• I could get a new sound card but me being a greenie and all, I don't think i shall waste this card yet.
• I can always use the onboard motherboard sound if needed, but it will mean no 5.1 sounds
  

Beijing Olympic 08 Tech.

Looking at the opening ceremony I was surprised at some of the technology that may well soon become general consumer technology.

I saw:

Cloths with LEDs in them, in future it is predicted that cloths will be able to have dynamic advertising and designs as well as changing colours.

Flexible and large LCD screens, the future newspaper medium?

A quick look at MS SyncToy

Ok, I installed SyncToy and tested it between two files, I get an error telling me that the folder location name is too long and has to be less than 200 characters.

I uninstaller, my opinion? you tell me

Looking for web translation

If your looking for a website that can translate English to Chinese or Chinese to English or other languages, I recommend that you use Google's translator. I have used Yahoo!'s Bablefish or AltaVista but for Chinese it gives them in simplified characters even though traditional is selected so I am quite weary of its accuracy.

You really could do without accidentally insulting someone in another language!

How to Create / Insert the Infinity Symbol in MS Word

Start Up MS Word > Insert > Symbol
Then enter in the following
Character code: 221E from: Unicode (hex)

OR you could always try to copy and paste this: ∞

You can usually Copy and Paste symbols from MS word and use them in other applications such as MSN Messenger Display Names, etc. So keep this tip in mind for when you want to use symbols that are non-keyboard assigned. You could always try to use it for graphic designs and abstracts etc.

Turn off lcd screen with one click / keyboard shortcut

How To Manually Turn Off Notebook or Laptop LCD Screen
How to turn off lcd screen with one click
How to turn off lcd screen with keyboard short cut

I've been googling for a click or one keyboard shortcut solution for turning off my lcd screen on my lapyop manually without using the power settings cause its only someitmes that i need to turn off the lcd after 1 minutes of idle but it gets annoying if it does that all daya every day.

I downloaded a software called Orandy OneClick but it ended up being a freeware that placed an icon in the system tray and requires a right-click on the icon and then left click on monitor and then a left click on turn off screen. This was quite annoying and didn't allow me to apply any keyboard short cuts but was better than nothing.

A good freeware that i found was simple and did what it was suppose to, and that is turn off the lcd screen, I really couldn't see why other alternatives had shut down and hibernate functions when all i wanted was a turn off lcd. Is Redmond Pie's Turn off LCD screen, downloadable here and belongs to here.

Its basically a icon you click and then it opens a command prompt like window for half and second and then turns off your screen, when you move the mouse or keyboard it will tun back on and the window will be gone, you basically have no interface for the software (unlike other software) so you pretty much have yourself a virtual off button that functions like a real button on lcd screens.

BTW I haven't managed to make it wok yet, but if you place a shortcut to the .exe file on the desktop and right click it and click properties and then add a keyboard shortcut it will work but the screen will only turn off for a few secs and then turn back on but I am working on it.

After that last post

I think I can say before calling technical support if your using Vista and something won't run properly (especially if it ran perfect in Windows XP) try:

* Disabling UAC
* Running as Administrator.

Installing Applocale In Windows Vista

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/05/26/workaround-to-install-microsoft-applocale-utility-in-windows-vista/

That is a good link to a solution but lacks some details like how to get to command prompt and how to move navigate command prompt to the location of the apploc.msi file directory.

Command prompt:
Start > All Programs > Accessories > Right click command prompt > Run as Administrator

Navigating to apploc.msi
I still have no idea how to navigate to another hard disk so I simple copy and pasted the installer file into the System32 folder (default place that my command prompt was at) so all I have to do was type "\apploc.msi" and press enter

Turning off UAC
Go to control panel > User Accounts > Turn on or off UAC



It installed correctly but I still can't get a program to work using Applocale. Save Me

Fix: I was running Applocale from the start menu, you have to run it as administrator (unless you followed link above and disabled UAC first) for me it was installed in C:\Windows\AppPatch\

If you want to find out you can right click on the shortcut in the start menu and click properties and the address in the "Start In" form box is the place its located in, copy and paste that into Windows Explorer address bar and hit enter.

BTW what I am trying to do is open a rar file that has files saved in Chinese and it won't extract as my Vista can't recognise the file names. So I use Applocale in XP and am trying it in Vista.

Update: It wasn't as quick and easy as XP, Using IZAC to extract Chinese files only extracted the English files but double clicking the other files extracted it into the folder with only English files that were extracted in the first go.

Vista Search

I just realised something. When your searching for files using MS Windows Vista's search toolbar, you have to search for the whole file name. You can search for half of it. I was looking for a song called something Driver.mp3 but when searched it would show up. Then I remembered my computer course I did and used a wild card (? and *) so *driver brought up all the mp3 songs with driver in the file name and found it!

? - Used for when your not sure of a certain letter in the search word
e.g. ?ing can give ping, ding, bing, sing

* - Used for when your not sure of an unlimited number of letters in search word.
e.g. *top can give rooftop, stop, bigtop, coolestbiggestcircusbigtop

? and * can be used in many search programs and they can be used in anywhere in the search words. Like it can be Toma?o or Tri*

Comments

My advice is the best I can give but there are many great people on the Internet who have invested the time and effort and have post many good suggestions to solutions and other sites you should check. So please if you have time, compare my post and comments of others, You'll often find that the material in the comments are very valuable and better than my suggestions.

Enable Hibernation in Vista

Re-enable hibernation in vista
Hibernation disappeared in Vista
Can't hibernate computer in vista
Enable hibernation in Vista
Turn on hibernation in Vista

I've been searching everywhere for a way to enable hibernation again, it was so useful for my laptop especially running with the battery and such.

Here is a good solution site:
VistaJuice

It writes:

1. Click Start, All Programs, and then right click on "Command Prompt".
2. From the context menu click on "Run as administrator".
3. If User Account Control prompts you to allow the action, click on Continue.
4. In the command prompt window, type "powercfg –h off" (or "on" without the quotes) followed by Enter button.
4. Close the Command Prompt window and you're done :)


But I'd prefer due to different "All Programs" set out:

1. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories and then right click on "Command Prompt".
2. From the context menu click on "Run as administrator".
3. If User Account Control prompts you to allow the action, click on Continue.
4. In the command prompt window, type "powercfg –h off" (or "on" without the quotes) followed by Enter button.
4. Close the Command Prompt window and you're done :)

200th Post!!! (Cheap adhesives)

Picture stolen from (hope its ok)

Thanks all to those who have read all my 200 posts (which should be almost none of you)
Anyway Yay, and i hope to get to the 500 mark with more readers : )
__________________________________________________________________

The 200th post is about an easy cheap way to sticking computer/technology together. Do you have anything that was glued but due to cheap labour it has come off? SuperGlue is a solution and can be quite cheap, blu-tack won't hold and sticky tape makes you look like an irresponsible technology consumer.

My solution can be undone unlike SuperGlue, My solution; is pineapples, WHat?? All this excitemnet about the 200th post must have made this autor crazy. Well I am not sure about in other countries but in Australia, most pineapples come with a sticker tag label which is held by glue, usually flexible sticky glue, take a bit of it and use it as blu-tack to stick things together. When you, if, want to undo this adhiesive, just pull really hard and you should be able to remove whatever you stuck together with a bit of a glue smudge that is removable but that's it, completely undo-able, but for those moments that you want to stuck things flat and never remove, use SuperGlue! enjoy, and I hope that your pineapples don't use solid hot glue or what not.

The Marketing of this Blog

I just came across this Blog also about technologies, sort of.
A special thing I have noticed is that each post is accompanied by an irrelevant or semi-relevant picture of good looking girls holding or using the technology (its kinda like some Japanese marketing theory, lol) but has little contribution to the content at all.
I mean I have an irrelevant banner with two females on it but is that enough? What can I do to increase the presentation of my Blog? your comments are necessary.

Backspace and Delete

A common function that I've been using ever since I discovered it is the del key.
You usually use backspace (commonly known as the delete key but in fact its a backspace for obvious reasons after reading this post) to delete letters you've typed and you usually have to move the cursor in front of the letter(s) you want to delete then press backspace to delete backwards.

If you use the del key it deletes keys that are in front of the cursor and this can be very useful for when you want to fix mistakes in front of the cursor without having to press the arrow buttons or use the mouse to adjust the cursor position to backspace.

NOTE: Del and Delete is the same. On my laptop its written as Del, on desktop keyboards it can be either Delete or Del. And whilst I am at it, INS is the same as Insert.


Website with worksheet for keyboard learning

A really good website for royalty-free stuff

Wow, i wished i knew about this earlier. I usually Google what media I want with an additional "royalty-free", "free", "public domain" "free to use", "freeware", "opensource" or "GNU" etc. keyword to make sure the things I download and use for school/uni projects/websites/games are ok to use (I usually give credit to them anyway just in case I broke a condition, I hate fine print)

Anyway, There is this search engine that does that for you, it only brings up results that have had the licence of use determined and sorted so you can be sure that there is the ability to use the material free no strings attached, free with credit given or special usage conditions etc.

Its called : CC Search or Creative Commons Search

Exceptions for clear cookies action firefox add-on

Ok, I have no idea how do this but I know someone who does!

Link

Quote:

1. Go to Tools->Options->Privacy tab.
2. Make sure 'Accept cookies from sites' is checked and in the dropdown menu underneath that starts with 'Keep until' , make sure 'I close Firefox is selected.
3. Now click 'Exceptions' and in the Exception - Cookies window, type in the name of the site you want to keep the cookies for and then click the 'Allow' button. It should be added to the exceptions list below.
4. Repeat for all the different cookies you want to keep and click Close. You should now be back in the Privacy tab.
5. Keep in mind that some sites may have multiple cookies with slightly different addresses from a particular site. So check out your current cookies for that site by clicking the 'Cookies' button to make sure you have all needed cookies for a particular site added.
6. These next steps are very important and if you don't do these correctly, there may be a conflict that prevents the cookie saving from working properly. In the Private data section of the Privacy tab, make sure that 'Always clear my private data when I close firefox' is unchecked.
7. Click on the 'Settings' button and in the 'Clear Private data' window, make sure that 'Cookies' is unchecked and then click OK.
8. Make sure 'Ask me before clearing private data' is checked and click OK to close the Options window.

Woolworths Self-Serve Counters

You've heard about the use of RFIDs (microchips that are wirelessly detected and have individual reference ids unlike barcodes) to automatically checkout a cart of items in 5 seconds all in one go!

In Australia we might be behind in technology due to us having to import in lots of technology and not inventing enough (I think) You might be thinking self-serve checkouts? ... oh i remember them, the good old days before these robotic checkout androids (in your country).

Anyways, I was scared!! scared!! an indescribable feeling when i went to Woolworths and suddenly there are self-serve checkout counters. I wasn't surprised by iPods or such but wow (btw, I am only like 19)

My Summery about it is:

* I didn't feel it was simple enough (too many buttons possible for non-tech savvy customers, the steps to take next aren't clear enough, I felt there was too many other options (which are needed but yeah I like to complain)

* You need to place items in the bagging area for sensors to detect before you can get next item scanned. I was buying a cube of Coke, for me this was doing weights, picking it up, scanning it, placing it in the bagging area (but not placing it in a bag) and then picking it up and re-scanning it (I was buying more than one cube)

* I would like a detachable scanner but most products have barcodes in the right places (even the box of Coke had a barcode on the bottom so no need to tilt the box.

* The notes change and coins come from very separate areas and I fear that many people may forget to get their change, but I haven't experienced the machines enough to know how it works in reminding people to get their change. I guess i should trust IT ppl in the design more

* A good thing is the supporting check out staff was very supportive and will tutor you in how to use it, which made me feel that it wasn't fast and easy enough, maybe my IT student ego had a play in that...

Lets discuss if you want. Here are some more solid facts: (I could be wrong . . . . sometimes . . lots)

I liked the change system (I wonder if its fool proof, how can I prove that I did put in $100 note and it ripped me off $80, but then again who uses a $100 note for $20 of items)

I feel like a thief, without interacting with a human and just grabbing the items and walking out after pressing some buttons, something the next generations should feel (I am feeling old now)

News Article about it (Apparently I am months behind, I should go to shops more, lol)

Creating your own power plan (Vista)

How do you create a new power plan in Vista? and Why?
Sometimes you want to use Power Saver or High Performance mode but want to have some adjustments to them in less common cases.

Like for me, I want all Power Saver/High Performance/Balanced modes to turn off the screen on battery/plugged in after about 5-10 mins cause that's how I liked it on the desktop.

My problem is when I am watching a movie or whatever the screen turns off automatically, which is annoying to move the mouse every 10 minutes. But I also don't want the screen on all the time when I am defraging the laptop or left it.

Here is How

Right-click on the power icon in the system tray > Power Options

In the left menu click "Create a power plan" > Give it a name > Choose what plan you want to edit > Make further edits if you want like never turn off the screen etc.

Now everytime you want that power plan just left-click the power icon and change it like you usually do with changing to power saver plan etc.

If you don't have a power icon on your system bar:

Right-Click bottom bar > Properties > Notification Area > Check Power


If you don't have a power icon on your system bar and DON'T want it:

Start > Control Panel > Power Options



I hope I've been detailed enough, questions always welcomed

MSN sound clip not working

Hmm, Not sure if it is obvious how to fix this but just then I got taps instead of what my mic was recording and it annoyed the recipient as they thought I was playing with it but I was really saying and sending a message which turns out to be a tap.

Tools > Audio and Video setup > go thorough the process and set up mic to right level etc.

Sending E-mails to many people w/ the use of BCC

A very very very commonly asked question and exam question is that use and acronyms for BCC and CC.

BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy - Used so no one can see who (in Bcc) you sent the e-mail to

CC stands for Carbon Copy - Hmm, Not really sure, maybe you in the past couldn't be able to use "," in the "To:" section to add more recipients.?? Can someone please confirm for me?


Anyway, If your e-mail client/program/website doesn't let you send an e-mail with no one in the To: section, just add your own e-mail address in the To: and then all recipients in the Bcc field. This will allow you to send an E-mail to everyone without anyone knowing who else you sent the e-mail too.
I find this should be used for when sending e-mails to different groups of friends to help protect your high school friend's e-mail addresses from being visible to your relatives and vice versa for example. Especially if you send chain mail!


If your using Thunderbird, just select the To: (which is a drop down) and select Bcc to not even need to Add a To: in the e-mail. Your recipient(s) will only see a From: field with your e-mail and nothing else.

Open links in new tab Firefox (V2.0)

For those who didn't like my method of using the CTRL or CTRL + SHIFT to open links etc. in a new tab. You can get it to open in new tabs as default.

• Get a add-on called Tab Mix Plus
• Goto Tools > Tab Mix Plus Options > Events > Tab Opening > "Open Tabs From:" section tick all the things you want e.g. search box, hyperlinks, bookmarks.

Some may find this annoying but I think you can use the CTRL to inverse the open in tab actions?

Anyway, use this method only if you like to open in new tab more than open in existing tab web surfing experience.

Firefox not opening jpgs

Firefox tries to save jpgs/pictures instead of opening/viewing them in a tab/firefox.
Firefox tries to save images
Firefox won't display images and asks me to save it instead.

I was having some problems, selective actually, not all jpgs do this but some from some websites won't open in a new tab, window or existing tab instead it shows me the Open with/Save As dialogue. Its been very annoying as I will save images I want (to see only) manually and hate it when my documents folder gets filled up with useless pictures.

I figured out the simple solution, its actually quite obvious, I've just been too lazy to read the dialogue till it annoyed me enough.

Anyway, Go to the open with bit, it should by default have something like windows fax viewer or something like that. Click browse to select a new program to open the pictures with. Find Firefox, check the "Always perform this action from now on" or similar message and click OK. Future pictures should open in Firefox now, that way you can always clear temp internet data and delete all the pictures you've viewed instead of having to select them manually from your my documents folder to delete.

Vista Disk Clean Up Results

Is it a coincidence?
I just did a disk clean up scan on my Vista computer and it had 50MB of Temporary Internet Data and 1.2GB of Windows compatibility data (apparently data used to try and track down and solve compatibility issues?)

Finding out song names

Don't you just hate it when you get a glimpse of a good song in a movie or TV series and never know what the song is called?

I have found two ways, The first, if its not heavy metal or instrumental, listen carefully to the words of the song and type it in Google with lyrics attached to the words and search for a lyrics site that has the correct lyrics and get the song name from that page.

Else if it is really catchy try to search for (movie name) background songs

Another chance could be to try and find it in the credits, which should have been your first step before the two attempts above.

Audacity missing "What you hear" recording option (Follow Up and Success Fixed)

"What you hear" option is missing from audacity
Can't record with "What you hear" in audacity
How do i enable "What you hear" recording in audacity
How to record what you hear in vista

This seems to be the question we were having in our last post:
http://gecsoft.blogspot.com/2008/07/audacity-missing-what-you-hear.html

It seemed to be an issue with MS Vista and last time i suggested that it may need a driver update to overwrite the existing one which may be causing some sort of limitation of the "What you hear" function that allows you to record everything your speaker plays.


After a bit of tips and inspiration from Judas (Thanks Judas) from the forum DriverHeaven I've come up with my simple to follow complete guide for fixing (really re-enabling this feature in Vista machine) the problem of not being able to record "What you hear" and lets be honest there are some of us who use this for legit reason and why should we suffer?

SOLUTION

STEP 1 (Re-enabling "Stereo Mix", apparently this is the name of the function in the sound card that allows recording of output audio.)

Start > Control Panel > (In Classic View) Sound > Recording This is for Vista, XP is similar

Right-click in empty area > Click [Show Disabled Devices]

There should be a icon in the list called "Stereo Mix"

Right-click and uncheck [Disable], so it is not disabled (i.e. no tick next to disable)

than click OK and your Done!!


STEP 2 (Getting Audacity to record from the Stereo Mix device) If your not using Audacity, you'll have to search a tutorial for the software your using else search my blog to find out more about Audacity and use it instead. BUT read this part anyway it may contain similar instructions just in different properties dialogues for your software.

Open up Audacity

You will see that the traditional box that has Mic, What you Hear, Line-in etc. is still shaded out and has nothing in it, unlike that of Windows XP and 98se machines. For me at least

OK so what we got to do now and in the future is:

(In Audacity btw) Edit > Preference > (In "Recording" Box) Change the Device to "Stereo Mix (Realtek High Definition)" It may not be Realtek, depending on the brand of your sound card.

Now click [OK]

Open a movie or MP3 and start recording in Audacity, stop and play. Does it play back what you've just recorded? If so your done!

If you ever want to change back to recording from the Mic. change the settings in the "Recording" Box of preferences to Microphone.

Its not as convenient as the Windows XP or 98SE Audacity but at least it now works so you can continue to record sound clips from your digital videos and make mp3 ringtones from family holiday movie sound clips etc. Enjoy!!

If I've helped you solve this huge problem that I thought was impossible too, please post a comment on how I've helped you or how happy you feel in the post. Or you can always support my supporters websites above in Google Ads too if your interested in their products/services.




My final conclusion:
Install and Run WINDOWS XP as dual boot =D

http://www.swapace.com

http://www.swapace.com Is quite fun and I am hooked, lol.
I am not a real big fan of eBay or such sites but I'll see how this site goes.

I am using it mainly because as an IT student you get new gear and also because I am a bit green and hate e-waste, my council won't do much, no one will do much either without charging me a pick-up fee so I am trying to find owners for my out-dated tech. and hope to extend its life and hope that by then its new owner will have the free facilities from governments etc. to recycle the electronics.

I am sure the site does a better job at describing their wide free services so I'll leave it to them instead of trying to cover it all here.

Google Earth and Lively not working

Comodo Firewall doesn't start up automatically with Windows Vista.
A problem I am having with Vista has caused this problem. For some reason Comodo firewall won't start up automatically with Vista, well I am sure its not in the processes in the task manager but am not sure if it is running behind the scenes as it is blocking the proper installation and running of Google's software (which needs Internet connection).

To overcome this problem before I had to launch the Comodo firewall (cfp.exe) and then the allow or block windows come up for the Google software and clicking allow gets it all working again. But if I ever forget that its not running and forget about this fix I spend lots of time trying all sorts of useless solutions.

Another fix is to add the cfp.exe as a shortcut in the Start > All Programs > StartUp folder
This will make it run automatically at start up but a problem is that the Comodo control panel window opens up each time, which is really annoying.

The fix i found today (hopefully the winner) is setting the auto-startup settings manually, its usually set up automatically in XP but for Vista apparently do this:
Open cfp.exe > Miscellaneous (in top menu buttons) > Settings > General > Check (Automatically start the application with windows (Recommended), Show the balloon messages, show traffic animation in the tray)
This will make it start up automatically and also make it more apparent that it is running.

Back Up benefits

As you may know, I've a laptop and desktop that are primary computers. Backing up data from both allows me to keep a copy in case of software/hardware failure, it also allows me to use the hard disk to sync data between computers but some data I won't sync to the laptop due to the nature of the laptop and theft. So instead when I need these types of files, I get my hard disk out instead of stating up my desktop computer. This allows me to save lots of time!

Why I think Generation Y is more Internet than TV

The nature of the Internet lets individuals request information, This allows people to choose what they want to watch on a computer (TV only allows you to add captions that's about as dynamic as it gets, although I predict TV will have DVD features soon like audio, angles, 5.1, chapter selection?) but a TV station will only broadcast certain shows they have rights for and only show them if enough people or advertisers want them to. Your also restricted to a number of channels on free-to-air TV.
The Internet allows you to watch videos that suit your specific interest. For example I am able to watch interesting documentaries on technology or Anime etc. when and where I want, shows that TV won't even consider showing unless there is demand and a large viewer range.
This is most likely a reason why YouTube is so famous too, If your not into the top40 countdown on TV you could always watch classical music concerts on YouTube or paining tips and tricks etc. all these may seem boring to you but that's why the Internet is so great, it gives an economical way for people with similar interests (even if its a rare one) to watch and share programs and shows of interest.

Thought about eduction and piracy

Do you think that general consumers and the public (even the older generation of grandparents) are becoming more tech. savvy and educated as a result of piracy??
What that sounds stupid yes? the only thing you can learn from piracy is that "you wouldn't steal a car, although some slacko do so why would you steal a movie, piracy is theft" Some parents and grandparents are getting mp3 players from the younger generation are are learning to how use it and how to buy mp3s off the Internet.

As for the younger generations I think they've learnt technology for piracy benefits, if they learn and teach themselves, they get the reward of ripped off movies, music etc. I am not saying its good but I am saying that could it be a drive behind the new tech. savvy generation? If you tell them there is an exam after learning all this, I think less people would be so interested and have this never giving up attitude towards learning about technology.

• How to use Google
• How to use peer to peer sharing networks and software
• How to use and download torrent content
• Learn about ISOs and burning discs
• Learn about CODECs and compression such as MP3s
• How to search digitally in general
• How to use the Internet and Internet browsers
• Using compression software such as winzip
• Setting up networks and firewalls
• Learning about IPs and ISPs
• Understanding digital protection and copyrights

If they used a proper site such as iTunes, its made simple and easy to use for consumer benefits and business reasons so there is no need to learn these other technology methods. Still as an IT student piracy is bad, I've done programming and I am telling you its not easy to program a simple script let alone a whole game so pay for it and reward those who somehow managed to survive programming class.

Comments?

Laptop Opps

I was playing a game on my laptop yesterday and was hungry so i decided to get something to eat, in front of gaming (a rule I made to never be broken (by others, lol) but I did) and opps, the food crumbed and it was horrific.
Those who know me will know what I am like with my laptop and will wonder why polishing the LCD cover has to be a multiple task each day.
Anyways the crumbs were near and on the keyboard, if I were to slide it off it would surely smudge so in panic but still conscious I decided to vacuum it off and it worked. So keep in mind of using that to clean things dropped into the keyboard of laptops, shaking it may make it fall behind the keys, wiping it down will make it smudge or wet. Your probably not going to not ever eat near your computer so just know the solution as the prevention is only effective for a matter of time.

Recycling Mobile Phones, Free

21 posts to go until we hit the 200 post count!

WaterAid
This site claims they will send you a post paid bag for you to ship your old mobile phones to them. They say that if you do they will donate money for every phone you send. So gather you family, friends etc. that don't use the Internet as much as send it all off!

Another similar site without the charity
Pretty much the title says it. This is another site with free shipping paid bags for you to send your mobiles and save the environment.

Another solution
Go to your local phone store and ask if they accept it, some major service providers will accept the phones and send it off for you.

My Little Project

Remember about how I last time posted about making a duct tape USB drive from an old MP3 player?

Well as my post below showed, I am trying to theme it and decorate it.

A thing that i find useful from old technology (namely printers) are their stickers of their logo. Its not a complete recycling plan for electronic waste but I've saved a couple of grams re-using these stickers.

Its worked for an Epson printer and a HP one. I am not sure if all printers brands use sticker based logos or engraved logos etc.

Check out my photos:


HP printer that is waiting for a place to be recycled at.


My custom USBstick, now with a big brand name badge


Thats one less thing to need recycling.

Customise your USB thumb drive

^ Screenshot of what USB stick looks like in My Computer.

Add a icon to your USB thumb drives to make it unique and also help distinguish between devices.

What we are going to do in this tutorial is create or use an icon (.ico format) and make it the icon for a USB thumb drive. By experience this will only work on Windows Xp, Vista and maybe 2000 but not for Windows 98se or lower.

I can't teach you how to make your own icon, maybe i can hellp you convert a .gif or jpeg file to a .ico file but in this tutorial I won't cover how to create a custom icon. Search Windows folder for ".ico" files for some cool icons.

OK, first of all what we are going to do is create an Autorun.inf file which is what they usually use for CDs and DVDs that has something pop up automatically like installer windows etc (aka AutoRun) To make it clear which device to assign the icon to and
to allocate the icon to be used no matter what computer you plug the USB into
we are going to create an autorun.inf file and place it and the icon file into the USB drive.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Open up Notepad.exe:

Type in:
[autorun]
icon=logo.ico

File > Save as "Autorun.inf" into your USB drive

Copy your icon file into the USB drive too (make sure the icon file is named as "logo.ico" else you will have to edit "icon=newfilename.ico" in the Autorun.inf file but its easier renaming the icon file.

Unplug the drive and now re-plug it, Tar-Dar

To make the USB drive folder neater:

Right-click the two files and click properties and check the hidden boxes for both files.

Tools > Folder Options > View > Do Not Show Hidden Files or Folders (hides hidden folders throughout your computer, can be a drastic change for you, "Choose Show Hidden Files" or Folders to restore back to showing hidden files. )

That will make your file hidden so they never get in the way.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Just recently did this for fun to all my USB sticks, if you’re silly enough or for what ever reason what your own photo or face on it, you can always send me photo and I can make it into an .ico file for you or you can use software out there that does that too. Remember pictures should be simple as icons are 32 by 32 and you’ll have hardly any detail if you place a huge picture for me to convent. Also if you have .exe files such as games, software etc. that you want to use the logo for (private use) you can try this free and wonderful program called rainbow iconextracter.

A bit of fun on the net

InterfaceLift
A website of some really nice wallpapers, mostly high definition. A moderate range of gallery, from nature to cars and abstracts. A really good place if your planning on showing off your new LCD HD TV or screen.

Randy Glasbergen Computer Humor
A website with a demo collection of really funny comics featuring computers and technology irony and humor. Its by a famous artist and you may have seen his work in newspapers before. An alright sized range of comics to view for free.

PocketMovies
This use to be my favourite website for small sized 3D videos to download and watch on portable devices. But has now become a website with High Definition (720p) video. It also features, short films, commercials, trailers and funny clips. A must for HD lovers and portable movie watchers.

MovieMistakes
This site is amazing, it managed to catch and write down all the mistakes in movies, TV series on TV. I really don't realise these mistakes until reading about them, a really nice site for some fun and laughs.

Email Cash

This is my favourite program so far. There are many things that make EMC different from other programs out there on the Internet; Guaranteed points each day
This is by far the biggest earning program i have participated in.

Guaranteed daily ways:

• Daily survey (one question survey, sometimes none but you still get the points)
• Web clicks (click on a web banner ad)
• Thats 5cents a day for ~3 minutes of time
  

Chance ways of getting points:

• Guessing game (lottery style game, 200 points as prize ~$2)
• eBank (place your points to deposit to earn interest)
• Games (vs. other members in games and win their points, or lose yours)

Main way to earn big:

• Buy things from EMC's partners to earn points per dollar you spent
• Reading e-mails sent to you (very good frequency, not annoying at all and works out to be about 5cents per e-mail)
• Doing surveys (mostly all good ones, no stupid or too personal surveys. Mostly things are like have you seen theses ads and do you like to watch this ad, did you find it funny? etc.)

----------------------------------------------------------------
My personal results:
Tested by me: YES
Min for payout: None ($32 for cash payout)
Total earnings: $30 cheque, $30 cheque, ~$20 chess game i won in auction (as at posting date)
Payment type: gift cards, cheques, prizes, auctions, charity
Joined: 3 years
Annoyance: Not at all, wished i had more surveys etc.

Family member results:
Total earnings: $30 cheque x 3
Joined: 2 years

These results were gained without buying a single thing from partners of EMC and NOT doing the daily points each day, just participating in surveys and web clicks. Results can vary depending on your interest profile. Results can be astronomically increased buy buying from EMC partners.
----------------------------------------------------------------

More Info

Join here (please use this one)

Gomez Peer

Basically, You download and run an application like a Boinc application except that this one uses your CPU only a couple of hours instead of continous long time processing (like Boinc projects) and it also uses the Internet a bit more often than most Boinc projects but low in bandwidth, high frequency but low data flow. It says it uses your computer to create reports for clients about the accessiblity and speed of their websites over different countires and connectiosn.

OS: >Windows 2000
Internet: Anything even dial up (actually dial up users get a $2 bonus for just joining)

Website for more information: http://peer.gomez.com
Website to use to join: Join! (i get referal points, please)

----------------------------------------------------------------
My personal results:
Tested by me: YES
Min for payout: $5
Total earnings: $6 (as at posting date)
Payment type: PayPal
Joined: 1 year
Annoyance: Nill
----------------------------------------------------------------

FAILED TO CONTACT GOMEZ PEER(2)

This is a roblem i had with a program/service i am going to talk about soon. The good people at this site had solved the problem, make a note of this post before signing up for the program/serivce later.

The main problem is that people download incorrect GOMEZ PEER software.

When you will go for downloading GOMEZ PEER software you will find.

1> Download US PEERInstall.exe (19.1 MB)

2> Download International PEERInstall.exe (22.1 MB)

The user thinks that the option 1 is only for US members and option 2 is only for international members. Now this is the thinking which causes the error FAILED TO CONTACT GOMEZ PEER(2).

Actually the option 1 is for those who have the US-English Language as their operating system language. So, if you are from India, US etc. and if yours computer uses US-English Language for operating system then you have to download the US PEERInstall.exe of 19.1 MB.

And if yours computer uses any other language except US-English then you have to download the International PEERInstall.exe of 22.1 MB.

Bag of CDs

I've been using computers for about 8 years now and I have a bag of 5 CDs that i can stamp as defiantly obsolete. That's not much you would probably say but it looks like its going to start to rise in number as I switch to Vista as a heap of very old games won't work, old driver CDs for dead printers and scanners etc. but what to do with them?

I've seen websites with donate your CDs to them kind of things but I really don't trust ppl with my burnt CDs, don't mind the ones i brought but don't know what they can do with my old music compilations etc.

Still looking for recycling methods, care to suggest?

Win98se USB drives

Hmm, I must have uninstalled a driver or soemthing because no USB thumb drives will work on my Win98se computer.

I am trying a driver from this site to see if that was what i had installed before.

I'll have to use a floppy disk to get the file onto the computer of course.

Update: Umm a simple restart seemed to fix the problem, lol

Free Mobile Links

I hate the so called free stuff where you actually pay $5 for the sms delivery of your "free" thing. Anyway a good thing most phones and computers have bluetooth or use cables now so you can download for free and upload to your phone free stuff.

Zedge
Free mobile content downloads features themes, ringtones, videos, wallpapers, games for download.

Mobile 9
Also in a free to download format, features themes, ringtones, wallpapers, videos, screensavers, software, operator logos, flash, sms? and sony psp?.
I have only used the ringtones before and they worked and was free.
You also have the ability to upload your own work and creations for others to use on their phones.

MobileRated
Download free Java games for your mobile by uploading it via bluetooth or usb data cables. I have downloaded a few games from this site successfully and freely without joining and they have a huge range of phone support but unfortuanately due to my phone being only able to install games from sms and can't from bluetooth, I am not able to give you any feedback about quality of legit of their games.

Fishing story

You know about the electronic mail fishing techniques and have heard about people falling for the bait.

"You bank needs you to update and verify your bank account details and password, please go to the website and update this information now (so we can spend your money asap as there is a car on ebay i really want)"

^ That kind of stuff.

But recently I received a scam in the physical mail (yes I do too have a mailbox for physical mail, lol)

"ms ____ please sit tight for the next few day take a few minutes to get used to the idea of what it will feel like if your are the confirmed winner of our $30,000 lucky number give away. in the next few days important documents will arrive at ______ in a blue and white envelope marked "EXPRESS DAY TIMED DELIVERY". it contains everything you need to guarantee your chance to take delivery of the prize cheque. (Please see over for details on how to recognise your package when it arrives) then be prepared to respond at once. the regulations governing this prize draw require timely response. And of course, were always pleased to award a big cash prize to a new winner. There for we hope your prepared to reply as soon as your package arrives.

Best regards "

^ Thanks for that Reader's digest
So its not only on the Internet, keep an eye out for p-mail scams, they're still out there!

I want to know how they got my info, under the Freedom of Information Act, I should be able to find out what data organisation have about me. I thin avoiding giving your information out when signing up on the Internet is a good start or use throw away e-mails (I'll talk on that laters).

Change due to technology

We've all heard it before, the love of technology but also the other side of the story, the business or employment losses due to technology. Should we try to wind back technology or live with the changes it has made and advance on? and as an IT student will I benefit from the job losses of other industries due to IT industry?

• Computerisation of labour-based tasks
  
• Multimedia industry with piracy
• Phone industry with VOIP and mobile phones
• DVD/CD rentals with Internet based download, pay per view services
• 
  

Comment with your personal list of technolgoy that have made business or job loss.

Good uses of VOIP

Some people are leaving their home phones and switching to VOIP as a full time phone.
I am not sure about your country but in mine there are some problems with telemarketers, too many calls really.

I was thinking if you use VOIP would you be off their list as VOIP numbers aren't in the phone books? of course if you enter competitions and give out your phone number in forms and membership clubs etc. you could get some calls even though they're not meant to sell your info to marketing companies. But I was also thinking does it open you to telemarketers even more? if you think about it, it costs 55cents to make a landline phone call and like 10cents or even free to call you via VOIP, it makes so much more sense to telemarketing you cause if i don't make a sale, fine, I've only wasted time and wages, no phone calls.

Some advantages that still exist in landline phones:

• emergency calls and relation between phone number and residence location
• ability to make a call even when the Internet is down or your computer has a virus, your modem died, or there is a black out as most home phones use a built-in power source
• ability to make prank callers pay more for their fun and hopefully discourage long term prank calls.
  

Hacking benefits?

What is hacking? reverse engineering? altering original design?

I think some of us "hack" in many of our technology lives, not so much as laughing hugging a ball of cash that the ATM threw up but small things like altering the design of technology, installing informal software to override limits in software (unlimited nudges in MSN, removing annoying software designs etc.) some "hacks" are legit and provide personal benefits to mass produced technology.

The more commonly known involves exploiting "hacked" access to systems and taking advantage of this access (providing damage to other people to provide benefits to themselves). But "hacking" forces can help to provide benefits such as creating more jobs in the security sector and creating a need to develop really advanced technology to protect people from "hackers", they can also be used to battle big giant corporations or dig dirt up on governments?? (highly not recommended)

Defining on and off in tech.

I am not too good at law but to my understanding if your car keys are still in the ignition, your considered as still driving and you as a person in the driver's seat must have a seat belt on or you will get fined. You must remove the key to be considered as being parked and no longer driving in order to sit in your car with no seat belt on.
If this is how we define a car as being in or not in operation, why do we get fined for being in a no parking zone if the car is stopped but the keys are still in? its still considered as driving right?

Audacity missing "What you hear" recording option

"What you hear" option is missing from audacity
Can't record with "What you hear" in audacity
How do i enable "What you hear" recording in audacity

I love Audacity, its excellent for converting to .mp3 and cropping audio to use for mp3 ring tones for my phone. It also provides a quick and simple solution to all my simple audio editing needs.
A really good feature of Audacity is the ability to record what you hear so you can play multiple songs and make remixes and what not as well record sound clips from movies and music streaming that is currently playing in your computer's speakers (which is what they don't want you to do) but its possible and nice to use for legal purposes.
Hmm, haven't gotten around to reviewing this great software, can't believe.

Anyways I have lost the option to record what you hear before but got it back on both my computers (Win 98se and XP) but I couldn't remember how I did it and can't get it back for my Vista laptop. Then after reading this site, It hit me and i realised that it could have something to do with Vista. Its a long process so I'll link to professionally written instructions.

I haven't proved it to work yet as I haven't found my drivers yet.

Follow Up/Fix: http://gecsoft.blogspot.com/2008/07/audacity-missing-what-you-hear_11.html

Belkin Tech. Support (Temp Fix?)

OK, I went online for ages and couldn't find a solution so I decided to call technical support, so hopefully you don't after reading this site.

Background Info on my specific case:

• Belkin G Plus Mimo Router has drop outs during download and streaming music
• Belkin model number: F5D9230-4
• Original firmware with problem: V 5.01.16
• Updated to firmware V 5.02.08 (temp fix?)
  
• Location: Australia
• ISP: Bigpond (home user)
• I personally think this is a temp fix, as firmware is pre-release version and only available in the UK website. I think if you live elsewhere like Australia you should be able to get a formal release and update at a later date and be able to fix just using "firmware update" function with no technical support needed but if you want a fix now! read on.
  

The steps I went through with Tech. support:

Things you may not want/need to follow:

• Asked for my phone, full name, e-mail
• Asked for my router model and firmware version
• Asked for my problem
• Why did i put this here? who knows. Just skip to next section really
  

Things your interested in (the possible fix):

• I was told to disable my firewall first, not sure if you need to but don't say I didn't tell you so if you needed to.
  
• Go to www.belkin.com/uk/support OR if you have the same model as I do:
  http://belkin.com/uk/support/article/?lid=enu&pid=F5D9230uk4&aid=9465&scid=282
• IF NOT, choose your router model on that page
• Download the firmware update
• Open the main control page for your Belkin router (should be http://192.168.X.X)
  
• Go to the "Utilities" heading on the left hand menu
• Choose "Firmware Update"
• Read that page carefully and make a backup of your existing settings
• Then use the [browse] button and locate the new firmware file and update your router.

• I had mine stop responding for a while and it tells you that is normal
• But mine like really didn't come back to life at all
• I hit the reset button on the back (of router) and then restarted my computers and checked the main control page and firmware updated! it shows the new version number at least.
• I downloaded a 10Mb file, 3MB file and a 7MB file and it seemed to be fixed now, soon I will test for a 200MB + file to see if it has really fixed it up good.
  

I am just a student of IT (barely). I am NOT a technician nor qualified for it and don't work for Belkin. I only post this for my own future reference. You may follow and use my advice at your own risk. I am not responsible.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personal Record of downloading, showing max file size downloaded before disconnection.

Before Update Fails: 73MB, 9MB, 3MB, 2.1MB, 10MB, 17MB, 34MB
Before Update Successes: 2KB, 5KB, 1.2MB

After Update Successes: 9MB, 3MB, 7MB, 13MB, 16MB, 44MB, 2.1MB, 14MB, 202MB

Yet to try: 700MB and 1.5GB


Again the main knot in the rope (difficulty in solving the problem) is that the firmware to fix the problem is only still in pre-release stage and available in UK website. In my knowledge its not in Australia and USA's website which was the problem many other on the net had.
Either use UK's website (see above) or wait until it is avaliable through the normal update process of your routers main settings page.

After solving this problem you appriciate working tech. so much ... :) so get going and make yourself happy.