Archive for the ‘Tech Tips’ Category

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Another XP Annoyance Bites the Dust!

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

I’ve been using Windows XP for 8 years.  8 long years.

Ironically, one reason that I have been so hesitant to upgrade to Vista or Windows 7 is that my transition from Windows 98 to Windows XP was so traumatic.  (OMG, I sound like an abuse victim on Dr. Phil.)

Anyway, one thing that has always irritated the sh*t out of me is the “All Programs” menu that you get when you click on the XP “Start” button.

If you love software as much as I do (especially free demos), your “All Programs” menu is chock-full of mysterious menu items arranged in a random, non-alphabetized mess.  More than once I’ve started to download software only to find out that it was already installed on my PC.

And for 8 long years, I’ve assumed that there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

But today is a new day!

Just open up the All Programs menus, and right-click on any menu item.  Near the bottom of the drop-down menu, you’ll see the magic words “Sort by Name.”  Give that baby a click, and all of a sudden, everything is in alphabetical order.

Yep.  8 long years…

Here are some more tips:

  1. You can rename any item on the All Programs menu by right-clicking it.
  2. Specifically, if there are any items that you want at the top of the list, you can add an initial zero or two to the name of the item to get it to come first in the alphabet.  (Some folder names shouldn’t be changed.  Don’t rename “Startup.”  Also, pay attention to any warnings that pop up — it’s XP trying to stop you from doing something stupid.)
  3. You might also want to rename any items with non-intuitive or downright baffling names.
  4. If you want to go to the folder containing the items on the All Programs menu, you can right-click on the All Programs button and then click on “Explore.”  (The items on the All Programs list should be located in the folder containing your profile in a sub-folder named “Start Menu\Programs.”)
  5. Actually, clicking on “Explore” will only show you the menu items associated with the profile you logged in with.  If you can’t find what you’re looking for in that folder, try right-clicking on All Programs and then clicking on “Explore All Users.”
  6. One reason that you might want to go into the Start Menu\Programs folder(s) is to create groups and subgroups of menu items — you can create new folders, name them whatever you want, and then drag (or cut-and-paste) menu items to your heart’s delight.
  7. If there’s a menu item that belongs in more than one group or subgroup, you can make as many copies of that item as you need.
  8. You may find one or more All Programs menu items consisting of a folder containing a single folder or shortcut.  You can chop out a layer of the hierarchy by dragging, moving, or cutting and pasting the single lower-level item up into the “Start Menu\Programs” folder, and then deleting the original folder (which should now be empty).
  9. If you want, you can move individual menu items from one profile to another.
  10. Finally, the All Programs list includes both shortcuts and folders containing shortcuts.  After you alphabetize the list, the folders and the shortcuts will be alphabetized into two separate groups.  If that bothers you, you can move each shortcut you care about into its own appropriately named new folder.

Before you get too creative, especially with Tips 6-10, I urge you to make a backup copy of any “Start Menu\Programs” folder that you want to make changes to.  (But you knew that already, didn’t you?)

Good luck!

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Windows XP Tip — Selecting from Cursor to the End of the Doc

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

This has bothered me for years.

Here’s the situation — you’re working with a long document (20, 50, 100 pages, whatever).  You want to chop off the last 10+ pages.  So you move the cursor to the cutting point, click on it, and then laboriously scroll through the pages to be deleted while holding down the left mouse button.  Then, when you get to the end, you hope that everything is still highlighted as you hit the Delete key.  But more often than not, your finger slips somewhere or other, and you have to spend a couple of really annoying minutes trying to figure out if you’ve deleted exactly what you wanted to…

Never again!

Shift-Ctrl-End

will highlight everything from the current cursor location to the end of the document.

Shift-Ctrl-Home

will highlight everything from the current cursor location to the beginning of the document.

Unbelievable!

Time for a doughnut.

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The joy of the extended desktop…

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

It’s only a matter of time before just about everyone at work will have more than one monitor on their desk.  (I’ve got 5.)

It’s unbelievably handy — you can use one monitor for a document you are working on, and another monitor for looking at other documents or doing research on the internet.  You can even open the same document on both computers — this saves a bunch of time and aggravation, for example, if you’re revising a document and need to look at page 22 while editing page 50.

Years ago, I had two PCs on my desk, and I used a KVM switch so that I could use the same keyboard and mouse for both computers.

However, there is a far more elegant solution — the extended desktop.  In effect, the desktop of the primary computer is stretched across one or more secondary computers.  You can move your mouse cursor seamlessly between the monitors, and you can also drag individual windows from one monitor to another.  The keyboard is operative in whatever window is the “active” one, regardless of which monitor it is located on.

The easiest way to create an extended desktop is to connect a monitor to your laptop. (Just about every laptop or notebook has an external monitor jack.)  Assuming you’re using Windows, you can go to “display properties” and select “extended desktop.” Your desktop now extends across both the notebook’s built-in monitor and the external monitor. If you like, you can also hook up an external mouse and keyboard to your notebook — that way, you can position the two screens any way you want.

Another way to create an extended desktop is if your graphics card has a second monitor jack.  (Not all graphics cards have a second monitor jack, but it’s worth a look.)

A third way to create an extended desktop is to place a second PC and monitor on your desk, network the second PC with the first PC, and then install Maxivista multi-monitor software.  The basic version costs $39.95, and is worth every penny.  (If nothing else, it will keep your old PC out of the landfill.)  In addition to an extended desktop mode, Maxivista also has a “remote control” mode that allows you to control the second PC with a keyboard and mouse connected to the first PC.

I’m a PC guy, so I can’t speak for Apple computers — the extended desktop is so awesome, though, I can’t imagine that there isn’t some way to use a Mac to drive multiple displays.

Good luck!

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Why did my TiVo stop working?

Monday, April 26th, 2010

TiVo rules! (Except when it sucks...)

I have a love/hate relationship with my TiVo.

99% of the relationship is love — really, it’s a terrific device that has completely changed the way I watch television.

But 1% of the relationship is deep, searing hatred.

You can sail along for a few months — maybe even a full year — without incident, and you’re Master of the TiVo Universe.  Then, one day, you try to transfer a show to your PC, and you find that your computer is no longer able to find shows on your TiVo.

As you grind your teeth into non-existence, you shake your head in disbelief.  It was working perfectly yesterday!  What the f**k happened?

The answer usually boils down to software and firmware updates.  Late at night, while you’re asleep (or while I’m working), your TiVo is dialing into the Mother Ship for the latest TV schedules.  Every once in a while, it also gets an updated set of instructions.  While all of this is going on, your cable box may also be getting its own set of updated instructions.  And in the meantime, you may also be updating TiVo DesktopPlus (or Sonic MyDVD, or whatever) on your PC.

Hilarity often ensues.

The problem is that TiVo isn’t in bed with Verizon FiOS (or whoever your local provider may be).  Thus, when your local provider makes some change in your cable box, it takes time for TiVo to catch up.  Sometimes a lot of time.  Sometimes, TiVo never catches up (at least, not without intervention on your part).

The other night, I spent a good 3 hours trying to get my TiVo DesktopPlus 2.8 software to work again.  If the internet is to be believed, there are thousands of frustrated subscribers out there having similar issues.

One fix that has apparently worked for a lot of people is to unplug the  TiVo box for a couple of minutes. (Note — this is not the same thing as using the TiVo reset option on the onscreen menu.)  For those lucky folks, when the box is plugged back in, it magically starts working again.

That didn’t happen for me.

After trying a half-dozen other fixes, this is what finally did the trick:

(BTW, I’m running DesktopPlus on an old Dell Dimension, Windows XP Home Edition, SP3.)

  1. Completely uninstall everything on your PC having anything to do with TiVo, Sonic, and Roxio.
  2. Use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility to remove any dregs that you can’t remove otherwise.
  3. Use the fabulous freeware CCleaner to scrub your registry of anything relating to TiVo, Sonic, and Roxio.  (Of course, make a backup copy of your registry before making any changes to it.)
  4. Reboot.  (It may not always be necessary, but IMHO it’s never wrong to reboot any time you remove software.  In fact, you might want to reboot between steps 1 and 2, and between steps 2 and 3.)
  5. Now, get the latest version of DesktopPlus from the TiVo website.
  6. Install the software, and cross your fingers.

DesktopPlus now works perfectly.  I haven’t summoned up the courage to reinstall Sonic, but I’m cautiously optimistic…

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Things to try before throwing that old _____ away…

Friday, December 18th, 2009

I’m on a roll!  I’ve gotten three things to work that were headed for the scrap heap:

  1. My dad’s Gateway notebook computer.  It’s maybe 5 years old, running Windows XP Home.  It had slowed to an agonizing crawl, and my dad was thinking about tossing it.
  2. My old Dell P991 Ultrascan monitor.  Maybe 6-7 years old.  It was working okay, but it couldn’t show a true “black,” and there were these tiny green diagonal lines spaced apart by two inches or so.  Really annoying, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.
  3. My old Zenith color TV.  Maybe 8+ years old.  It was working fine, but then one day, the greens started looking blue, and the picture in general had an orange tint.

Here’s how I fixed them, without spending a dime:

It turns out that the old Gateway computer was the victim of the security suite that comes with Verizon FiOS.  (My dad had recently switched over from Optimum Online.)  I uninstalled the Verizon bloatware, and all of a sudden the notebook was blazing fast.  (I subsequently installed Microsoft’s free Security Essentials software, which apparently has a way smaller footprint than the Verizon package.)

I fixed my Ultrascan monitor by rolling the driver back to the OEM driver that came with the monitor all those years ago.  I then used the “color return” feature, and the monitor is now as good as ever, with true black and without those unbelievably annoying green lines.

I fixed my old Zenith color TV by unplugging it (literally pulling the plug out of the socket), and leaving it unplugged for 2 hours.  (I found this tip somewhere or other on the internet — it acts as a hard reset.)  Amazingly, when I plugged it in again, the greens had come back.

Hope this helps!

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Tech Tip: You Might Want to Rethink Buying That Secondhand Lithium Ion Battery

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Before you shell out any cash for a secondhand lithium ion battery on ebay or wherever, be warned!  Unlike their predecessors, lithium ion batteries have a limited shelf life. 

That means that, if a lithium ion battery is old enough, it may not work very well for very long, even if it has never been used.

Buyer beware!

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Geek Tip: Send Sensitive Stuff over Email as Images

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

If you have to use email to send highly sensitive material to someone, convert the information into an image (e.g., a PDF, JPEG, TIFF, GIF, etc.).  Doing so will add a significant layer of protection against malware that is programmed to automatically search email for anything looking like SSNs, passwords, bank account numbers, and the like.  Likewise, if you insist on storing highly sensitive information on your computer, that should be stored as an image as well.

If you have Adobe Acrobat (or other PDF maker), you can easily convert a Word doc into a PDF image file.  (Warning — be careful not to create a PDF with ”embedded text.”  If you can search a PDF, then it’s got embedded text, ripe for the harvesting.)  A quick and dirty (and free) way to convert a Word doc into an image is to use the “Print Screen” function to add an image of your screen to your Clipboard.  You can then paste the screen image into another Word doc that you can save and email.

Note — when you save a doc as an image, you will no longer be able to search the body of the document.  Keep that in mind when you name and store the doc on your PC.

Good luck!

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Two Stupid Geek Tips: Printers and Malware

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

First Tip:  What do you do when you accidentally start printing out a 100-page document, when you only meant to print one page?

1. Don’t turn off the printer (or yank the plug) – you’ll get the mother of all printer jams.

2. Don’t try to cancel the print job from your computer — it’s too slow.  Your printer is going to spit out 20-plus pages before it finally stops.

Here’s the answer — pull out the paper tray.  (Or if you don’t have a paper tray, just pull out the paper — but not the piece that’s currently being printed on.)  Your printer will finish the page it’s on and then tell you it’s out of paper.  Now’s the time to cancel the print job from your computer.  After the print job has been canceled, now’s the time to unplug the printer (to clear all those stored pages).

Second Tip:  What do you do if you’re surfing the internet and a strange window pops up, telling you that you need some anti-spyware or other security product?

1. Don’t even think for a second of following the link — you’ll be sorry!

2. Don’t try to close the popup window, or click the “cancel” button — it could be a booby trap!

Here’s the answer (for users of Windows XP and Internet Exporer, anyway) — go into Task Manager, Processes, and immediately use “End Process” to shut down all instances of iexplore.exe.  With luck, you’ve avoided infection.  (But it may already be too late – make sure your security software is up to date, and do a full scan as soon as possible.)

Hope this helps!

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Stupid Geek Tip: Email Yourself (After You Install Google Desktop Search)

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Some annoying things that have really happened to me:

  1. I will write down a phone number, but won’t be able to find it when I need it.
  2. I will find a phone number on a piece of paper, but I won’t remember whose number it is, or why I wrote it down.
  3. I will store something valuable in a special place, and then completely forget where that special place is.  (Or even the fact that I own that particular valuable thing.)

It goes on and on.

The solution?  Email yourself (after you install Google Desktop Seach, or “GDS”).

The email is completely free form — you want to jot down the crucial data (i.e., the phone number, date, etc.), and free associate to add as many “fuzzy” search terms as you can think of in 30 seconds.

So, I might email myself something like this:

piano tuner, tuning, guy with mustache, glasses, friend of sister-in-law, Young Chang, (987)-654-3210, last tuning in March, $90, next tuning in September

Then, when you need the info, just do a GDS search — you should find what you’re looking for in 5 seconds or less.

With a little practice, you will start *amazing* those around you.

Good luck!

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Stupid Geek Tip — DVDs That Skip

Friday, February 20th, 2009

I can’t take credit for this one — I read it in the New York Times yesterday.

Use Listerine (or comparable generic mouthwash).  Apply it with a Kleenex.  Use gentle strokes “across the grain.”  (That is, you want to rub back and forth along the direction of rays emanating from the hub.)  Keep going until the surface of the DVD is completely free of any smudges, greasy spots, etc.  Make sure the DVD is 100% dry before playing.

It really works!  (At least it worked on a Blockbuster DVD rental last night…)

BTW, according to the New York Times you can also use vodka.

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