tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28212569252625558032024-01-29T05:34:07.652-05:00FrugalTechTech Support You Can AffordFrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-88839709933052043812014-07-21T13:00:00.000-04:002014-07-21T13:00:02.799-04:00Nearly 300 Free Ebooks From Microsoft<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Normally I would just tweet about this sort of thing, but this list big list of ebooks is something I want to reference for myself in the future. So I'm posting it on the techblog!<br />
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There are several Windows 8 and 8.1 related books which I'm interested in. Several Office related books and Shortcuts cheatsheets. Powershell cheatsheets and books - will have to save these for future reference.<br />
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There's really too much there to mention it all. So <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mssmallbiz/archive/2014/07/07/largest-collection-of-free-microsoft-ebooks-ever-including-windows-8-1-windows-8-windows-7-office-2013-office-365-office-2010-sharepoint-2013-dynamics-crm-powershell-exchange-server-lync-2013-system-center-azure-cloud-sql.aspx">Here's the link</a>.<br />
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What books and cheatsheets do you find helpful? Leave a comment and let us know what you are interested in.<br />
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FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-24718649644074576672014-07-16T00:30:00.000-04:002014-07-16T11:06:24.790-04:00Unrecognized Kingston Data Traveler 8GB Windows 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been struggling with a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DYQYJ3Q/?tag=frny0d-20">Kingston Data Traveler 8GB flash drive</a> for nearly a week now.<br />
It was a very strange problem and I thought it was a software driver issue with Windows 7 on one particular computer.<br />
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The drive worked fine on other computers, both Windows 7 and 8. This ruled out any hardware issues with the flash drive itself - or so I thought.<br />
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After removing and uninstalling many unused drivers in windows device manager, I rebooted my pc a couple of times to be sure everything that is installed still worked properly. After all this, the flash drive still did not work.</div>
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I tried all 4 usb ports at the front of my desktop pc and occassionally I would see a windows pop-up showing something was plugged in. The drive never shows up in the computer's removable storage list.</div>
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Then I had a thought, something I've seen on rare occasions on this pc, what if the usb contacts are not doing it's job? I've had other devices not work properly from time to time, but never with all the usb ports. So I held the flash drive at a slight angle so the contacts would be closer to that of the pc's - voila! it worked!</div>
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I tested this several times, in the other ports and they all did the same thing. I compared the USB flash drive contacts to others that do work on this pc and I noticed it does look slightly thinner than the others. So I think it's a combination of the ports on this pc and device connectors.</div>
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<b>THE FIX</b></div>
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I have three of these devices and two do not work on this pc, while one does. It could be a manufacturing issue, but I do have a quick fix now. I use a usb extension cord like the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TH7GUU/?tag=frny0d-20">AmazonBasics USB 2.0 Extension Cable</a>, and it works like a charm!</div>
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My other usb flash drives like the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KFAG7U/?tag=frny0d-20">SanDisk Cruzer Blade 8GB</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JR5368/?tag=frny0d-20">SanDisk Cruzer 16GB </a> do not have this issue. I'm leaning toward a manufacturing quality control issue since the problem is not consistent and it does work on most other machines.</div>
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FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-33721671565873373672014-06-15T22:41:00.000-04:002014-06-15T22:41:21.414-04:00Android Tablet for 20<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few weeks ago I purchased the Azpen A727 Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) Tablet from the Queens Micro Center store for $20. In short, this was a GREAT BUY for the price. I use it for a number of things including checking weather, news, email, Pandora for music and checking Facebook.<br />
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You won't be able to find this tablet for this price regularly. I received a promotional coupon, which they sent out to hundreds, or likely thousands of people. The day I went to pick this tablet up, there were several hundred people lined up purchasing the same tablet. Micro Center sells this for $80 currently, which is not worth it, as you can buy something better for a little bit more. Micro Center has very good prices on other computer gear and supplies, if they were closer to where I live, I'd visit often.<br />
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The tablet has the following specifications:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Capacitive Multi-Point Touchscreen LCD 7" 800x480 Display - very responsive</li>
<li>Allwinner A23 1.5GHz Dual-Core CPU - zippy!</li>
<li>512MB RAM & 4GB SSD Storage - not so great</li>
<li>Android 4.2 Jelly Bean - comes with Play Store, GREAT!</li>
<li>Expandable up to 32GB via microSD Card - makes up for the low built-in storage</li>
</ul>
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It comes with a charging cable and charger. Only about 1GB of storage is really usable when you check the settings. It's good enough for light use. I have the following apps installed and they run well on a regular basis.<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>2048</li>
<li>Chrome</li>
<li>CPU-Z</li>
<li>Facebook</li>
<li>Gmail</li>
<li>Go Launcher EX</li>
<li>Merriam-Webster Dictionary</li>
<li>Pandora</li>
<li>Premium Walpapers HD</li>
<li>Temple Run 2</li>
<li>Weather</li>
<li>YouTube (doesn't run very well)</li>
</ul>
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The one problem I have with the device is the screen glare. I think that's where they they cut back a lot to make the device so cheap. For occasional use it is a good device, especially for the price. If you use it everyday, take many breaks - or you may need to get new glasses.<br />
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Let me know if you picked one of these up and how you like it.<br />
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One problem I found from various owners is the audio. Many people say it is terrible and sounds like you are in a tin can. I had that issue with several of my mobile phone headphones. When I put in a dedicated audio headset it sounded fine. The audio issue may have something to do with the wiring of the mobile phone headsets. If you have this problem, try an over the ear stereo headset.</div>
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FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-91726259184588588212014-03-25T23:00:00.000-04:002014-03-25T23:00:03.038-04:00Nook Tablet - Restore Android CyanogenMod's Trebuchet Status Bar in 2 Taps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
To me the iPhone and iPad are the working tool, Android is a toy to tinker with and <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/2014/03/nokia-lumia-520-windows-phone.html">Windows Phone </a>is still to be decided. That's from my experience and I'll stick to that for now. Your opinion on the devices may differ.<br />
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I have a Nook Tablet, one of the older ones with 8GB storage. I run CyanogenMod on it and it works great. It runs from an SD card so I can pop in another one and have a fresh install anytime I want. It's an old device, but still works great. From time to time, the built in Trebuchet launcher will crash or another app will crash, but I've seen that on other Android phones and tablets as well. The device itself will continue to work most of the time.<br />
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A few days ago, the kids got their hands on my Nook Tablet, and when I got it back, my status bar and navigation buttons (back, home and recent apps list) were gone. I spent a few minutes going through all the settings and could not find anything that could bring it back. I put it aside since it was something I will tinker with when I have time.<br />
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Today I spent a few minutes looking for an answer and finally found it. Here's the fix:<br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>On the Home Screen</li>
<li>Hold power button until menu appears</li>
<li>Tap <b>Toggle status bar</b></li>
</ol>
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In general you can control the status bar and toggle between Tablet and phone type status bar using the following settings:<br />
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<b>Settings - System - Tablet Status Bar</b><br />
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I find the built-in trebuchet launcher to be efficient and fast. Sometime it does crash more than it has to. That's why I also have <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.pierrox.lightning_launcher">Lightning Launcher</a> (last updated February 2014) on my tablet. I also just discovered <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avatarrom.bazooka">Bazooka Launcher</a> (last updated December 2013) as I was searching for my answer to the missing status bar.</div>
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If you own a Nook Tablet or other tablet that uses CyanogenMod, I hope this has helped you recover your status bar. What launchers do you use? Let me know in the commments.</div>
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<i>For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.</i></div>
FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-57224732680225943502013-11-01T17:30:00.000-04:002013-11-01T17:30:00.672-04:00USB Device Driver Removal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you plug a flash drive into your pc, you'll notice a quick installation prompt and then your drive starts to work. If you plug enough usb drives into your system, eventually you'll have problems with some of them such as drives not coming up properly. Your system will get slower as windows has to load more and more drivers upon boot.<br />
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There are tools out there that help clean out some of this driver glut. But if you want to get your hands dirty or just don't have internet access to download those tools when you work on a pc - here's a way to do this without any additional software.<br />
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<i><br /></i>
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<br />
This procedure has been performed and tested on several Windows 7 Pro computers.<br />
These instructions work for other devices too, not just usb devices.<br />
<b>WARNING: DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU ARE NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE REMOVING!</b><br />
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It sounds complicated from the steps below, but its really just a two step process.<br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Show hidden devices and remove them</li>
<li>Update the list of devices by removing the file and reboot.</li>
</ol>
<b>HERE ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Open a command prompt with Administrator access</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Click Start - type <b>cmd</b> - Right click icon and run as administrator</li>
</ul>
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<b>Type the following at the command prompt:</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1</li>
<li>devmgmt.msc</li>
</ul>
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<b>In the device manager screen:</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Click <b>view</b> - <b>show hidden devices</b></li>
<li>right-click, and choose uninstall on any items to remove it from the system completely</li>
<li>I would do this for only devices in the following groups - if you just want to clean out usb flash drive related items:</li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Universal Serial Bus Controllers - Remove anything greyed out</li>
<li>Universal Serial Bus Devices - removed anything greyed out</li>
</ol>
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Once you are done, we want windows to update the list of devices still available. We'll need to delete the infcache.1 file.<br />
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Go back to the <b>CMD </b>screen.<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>type: <b>cd c:\windows\system32\driverstore</b></li>
<li>type: <b>start .</b> (this should open up explorer in a new window.)</li>
</ul>
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<b>Delete the file infcache.1</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Right click the file <b>infcache.1 </b>(do this so we can delete the file)</li>
<li>Click properties - security - edit - add - type <b>Administrators</b> - OK - Add full control for administrators - click apply</li>
<li>Now you can Delete the file infcache.1</li>
<li>Reboot pc</li>
</ul>
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That's it!<br />
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Now if you do have internet access and want a simple tool to do this for you - and a little more. <a href="http://www.uwe-sieber.de/drivetools_e.html#drivecleanup">Download drivecleanup</a>. Though Drive cleanup does not help you remove other old drivers such as old video cards, modems, etc...<br />
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For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.</div>
FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-66837851939295597622013-10-30T17:30:00.000-04:002013-10-30T17:30:01.793-04:00Ping Sweep Using DOS Commands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I want to find out what machines are on my local network, I have always relied on tools such as <a href="http://angryip.org/w/Home">Angry IP Scanner</a> or <a href="http://download.cnet.com/Look-LAN-Network-Monitor/3000-2085_4-10145550.html">Look@LAN</a> (XP). Recently I could not get Look@LAN working properly on a 64-Bit Windows 7 machine, I kept getting crashes or errors. I ended up finding and alternative they have made, called <a href="http://www.overlooksoft.com/download">fing</a> for Desktop. They have great GUI versions for IOS and Android, but no GUI for windows. However, they did have the command line version, which is better in some respects but not as easy to start out with. I'll write more about that in another post.<br />
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I wanted to look for something simpler and I started to write my own script, but figured I can find it online. I've looked in the past but never found one that was simple enough. Recently, I found a very simple one line command by <a href="http://youfoobar.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/cmd-ping-sweep/">YouFooBar</a>. I couldn't believe how simple it was once I saw it.<br />
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<i>
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In short, the command is:</div>
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<b>FOR /L %i in (1,1,255) do @ping -n 1 -w 200 192.168.1.%i | find "Reply"</b></div>
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This command will skip any non-responding systems and give us the "alive" systems on the local subnet.</div>
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You can put the above command in a batch file (make sure to add the extra % in front of %i) and redirect output etc..</div>
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For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.</div>
FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-29478796505523474972013-10-28T17:30:00.000-04:002013-10-28T17:30:00.149-04:00Getting Your PC's Serial Number Without a Reboot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you're in my line of work and have to setup or reconfigure machines on a regular basis, it helps to have a tool to help keep your hardware inventory. One item on my inventory that I need to update any time I work on a computer is the Serial Number of the machine. This number helps me keep track of who is on what machine and when service is needed, it's usually the first number you look for.<br />
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In the past, I've had to rely on external stickers on the pcs themselves or rebooting the computer and getting the serial number. Some systems will provide the number in certain system software. It's great that we can find it in all these places, but if you have to remember where to look just to get to the number, it's a hassle in itself.</div>
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A couple of years ago, I discovered a command line that will shoe just the serial number:</div>
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<b>wmic bios get serialnumber</b></div>
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This has saved me much head scratching and looking for online tips every time I need it. I've used it enough now that I have memorized the command and its just a few click away! I've primarily used this on Dell computers and it has worked on a few other brands as well. It will work on Windows XP, 7 and 8.</div>
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Many of you sysadmins already know this command, if you didn't, I hope this will help you save some head scratching.</div>
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For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.</div>
FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-2922447815610524642013-03-31T22:25:00.001-04:002013-03-31T22:25:27.908-04:00Change Drive Letter of Media Card Readers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've had problems renaming the drive letter on built-in media card readers on some computers.
Usually, it's very easy to change a drive letter. Just open the Disk Management tool in windows and choose the device and change the letter.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Step by step instructions:<br />
<br />
<b>Right click Computer - Manage - Storage - Disk Management - Right click on the drive and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.</b><br />
<br />
In this instance, I could not do so. So I did a search for <b>cannot change drive letter of sd card reader</b> and <a href="http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproui/thread/dfd5ea9c-103b-4a78-b4b9-80594e8cd1f5">found my answer here</a>.<br />
<br />
To make it short: to <b>Change drive letter designation on internal SD card reader </b>you need to rename the following registry key.<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices</li>
<li>Right-click "\DosDevices\D:", and then click Rename</li>
<li>Rename it to \DosDevices\S: - or whatever letter you want</li>
<li>Reboot pc and it's set</li>
</ul>
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.</div>
FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-61962703552009663382013-03-09T11:54:00.001-05:002013-03-09T11:54:39.393-05:00USB to Ethernet Print Server<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have a very old printer, it's over 10 years old but still works very well and I still have a lot of spare ink cartridges for it. Instead of letting it go to waste or throwing it away, I use it to print drafts and exam prep work for the kids. Yesterday I had a little dilemma, the printer won't work on my Windows 8 laptop. There are no drivers available for this printer on Windows 8, and it was not even picked up by Windows as a device.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I did have an old HP print server, which has been sitting around without use. The wonderful thing about this print server is simple to use. I plugged my decade old printer into the print server (USB) and plug the printer into my router. Now I can add the printer just like any network printer from Windows 8.<br />
<br />
In 5 minutes I had put the old printer back to use, no additional software needed. The device uses very little power and takes up very little space. Another benefit - the device can be used on any USB printer. The model I use is old but price has stayed high, but I found several others on Amazon that would do the same job. (Amazon associate links)<br />
<br />
<table>
<tr>
<td><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00006BBDW&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</td>
<td><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002LB8XFK&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000FW60FW&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</td>
<td><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B004VRGRI2&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<br />
What would you have done? Share your thoughts and solutions in the comments.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-48527566982238586782010-09-23T18:00:00.001-04:002010-09-23T18:00:01.256-04:00Extra Pages Printed With Word DocumentIf you get an extra sheet that prints out with every Word Document you print, it can be very wasteful, not to mention annoying. To save some paper, ink, money and the environment - here are the easy steps to stop that extra page from printing.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I am referring to MS Word 2007 for all steps here. If you are getting extra pages from everything you print, you may want to check your printer hardware options, or windows print driver properties.<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Click the Office button, then click Word Options. Word displays the Word Options dialog box.</li>
<li>Click the Display option at the left side of the dialog box.</li>
<li>Make sure the Print Document Properties check box is cleared. Click on OK.</li>
</ol>There you have it, no more extra sheets of paper to waste. Hope that's helped you and save you some time.<br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-82433692029837923122010-05-13T15:00:00.000-04:002010-05-13T15:00:01.269-04:00Permanently Delete Facebook AccountAre you tired of all the changes to Facebook's privacy policy? Are you seriously thinking about deleting your Facebook account permanently?<br />
<br />
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<br />
If you just want to <b>deactivate</b> your account for now, so others can't find your information you can do the following:<br />
<ul><li>Log into your account.</li>
<li>Click <b>Account</b> - <b>Account Settings</b> - <b>Deactivate</b> (all the way at the bottom)</li>
<li>Once you do this, your profile will no longer appear on Facebook, but information is saved so you can reactivate later.</li>
</ul>If you are really tired of Facebook, you can permanently delete your account by doing the following:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Log into your account.</li>
<li>Go to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=12271">Security Hacked account FAQ page</a> (12771).</li>
<li>Click on the link at the end and confirm on the next screen.</li>
<li>Once done, your profile is saved for 14 days before deletion, just in case you change your mind.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-11020312505257407692010-03-31T09:30:00.000-04:002010-03-31T09:30:00.247-04:0010 Reasons why your PC is slowI often get asked about why someone's pc is slow. As many of you know, the more programs you install and the older your pc, the slower it will become. Much of the "speed" of a pc is relative - much like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity">theory of relativity pertaining to space and time</a>. To put it simply, your computer gets slower as you compare it to faster machines.<br />
<br />
Now I'll list a number of reasons why your computer is slow. Perhaps the next time you want to speed it up, you can check it against this list to help speed up your pc.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>10 reasons why your PC is slow</b><br />
<br />
<b>Old CPU</b> - If your CPU is several years old, you'll run current updated software much slower than current processors. In it's day, your pc may have been top of the line, but time takes it's toll. If you were to run older software, your computer will most likely zip along like it used to.<br />
<br />
<b>Not enough RAM (physical memory)</b> - Running your computer with not enough memory is the worst thing you can do for your computer. It will end up taxing your hard drive and other components more. Running any modern 32-bit OS, you should have as much RAM as you can get. 32-Bit systems can handle up to 4GB of RAM, anything more is a waste of your money. If you are running a 64-Bit OS, such as Windows 7, you can use up to 8GB or more - depending on your version of Windows 7.<br />
<br />
<b>Low free disk space</b> - Computer can start acting sluggish if you run out of disk space. In worst case scenarios, your computer won't be able to boot because there is no more hard disk space for temporary files that are required during boot-up. Be sure to keep an eye on your disk space and delete things you don't need.<br />
<br />
<b>Failing hardware</b> - When hardware such as motherboards or hard drives start failing, all kinds of random problems can start popping up. Sometimes, you may think you have corrupt files or perhaps even a virus. The easiest way to test it is to use a Boot CD, such as Ubuntu and run it to see if that also has problems.<br />
<br />
<b>Windows updates</b> - Recently my computer slowed down to a crawl for no apparent reason. I thought I had a computer virus. After doing some malware and virus scans, I found nothing. Then I checked my system logs and found the problem, windows updates! The updates were downloading and installing in the background, taking up a huge chunk of system resources.<br />
<br />
<b>Too many running programs and services</b> - If you've had your computer for a few years, chances are you are running more programs and "services" than you need. I try to make it a point to uninstall programs I have not used in the last 6 months. Doing so keeps my computer running fast.<br />
<br />
<b>Virus, spyware or other malware</b> - Spyware and other types of malware have become more of a scourge than traditional viruses. If your computer is slowing down and you are getting popups or having problems getting to websites, your computer may be infected.<br />
<br />
<b>Your Filesystem needs cleaning up</b> - If you have a lot of temporary files or other digital junk, chances are, it's taxing your computer. I find cleaning out temporary files periodically helps my PC run much smoother.<br />
<br />
<b>Desktop has too many icons</b> - In my days as a tech, I have seen many computer "desktops" cluttered with hundreds, yes, hundreds of files. I'm not sure why anyone would do such a thing, but one result is a much slower computer, since everytime you move a window - your computer has to refresh the screen with more desktop icons. Clean out that desktop!<br />
<br />
<b>Power saving settings</b> - I think saving power and the environment is great. However, if you have a high demand / high use system that needs to be at it's peak, turning off some energy saving settings can speed up your computer.<br />
<br />
The best solution to most of the above software problems is to reinstall your OS and add only the applications you need. It's a good chance to backup your critical data, you do backup right? As for hardware issues, you can replace it or buy new. Oh, and donate your old computer equipment to those who can use it. Landfills are full enough and there are always people around who would appreciate a computer to use.<br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-54292766876475318632010-03-10T11:00:00.000-05:002010-03-10T11:00:11.333-05:00How To remove Avast AntivirusSeveral weeks ago, I was helping someone remove a copy of Avast Antivirus 4. To my surprise, it would not let me remove it using the normal uninstall process.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">After a minute or so of Googling, I found the answer - <a href="http://files.avast.com/files/eng/aswclear.exe">awsclear.exe</a>. Apparently, this problem is more widespread, so there is a tool to remove it in circumstances when the normal uninstall doesn't work.</div><div><br />
</div><br />
Why would I want to remove a good product such as Avast you ask? There are numerous reasons.<br />
<ul><li>Corrupted virus signatures due to a bad update</li>
<li>It just wont start properly</li>
<li>Corrupted files are causing 100% CPU usage</li>
<li>You want to replace it with another product that you want to try out etc...</li>
</ul>Avast is not alone, I've had problems removing other antivirus problems in the past. It's good that Avast has a simple removal utility to help. Have you had problems removing an antivirus program? What's your favorite antivirus program?<br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-87090899996297674852010-03-02T10:30:00.002-05:002010-03-02T10:30:00.417-05:00Wifi StatusI was recently asked: "How do I know how strong my Wi-Fi signal is?". The answer is very simple, check your taskbar!<br />
<br />
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<br />
First, move your mouse to the computer icons on your taskbar (bottom right of your computer screen). This example uses Windows XP.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4vODq3--6I/AAAAAAAAA6s/v9whqZFcCbg/s1600-h/taskbar_wifi.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4vODq3--6I/AAAAAAAAA6s/v9whqZFcCbg/s320/taskbar_wifi.PNG" /></a></div>Hovering over the wireless icon will bring up a status dialog. You will know what Wi-Fi access point you are connected to (it's been crossed out here) along with the speed, signal strength and status. To get obtain a little more information, you just have to click on the icon your mouse was hovering over.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4vO1uS7JyI/AAAAAAAAA60/4gfI6z_NgsY/s1600-h/wifi_status.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4vO1uS7JyI/AAAAAAAAA60/4gfI6z_NgsY/s320/wifi_status.PNG" /></a></div><br />
Doing so will give you the above dialog box which displays your signal strength in a graphical view. The more bars, the better your signal. In this case, the signal is very good. You will also see how long you've been connected to this Wi-Fi AP and the send and receive activity since you connected.<br />
<br />
To get extended information, I recommend a tool such as <a href="http://www.stumbler.net/">NetStumber</a>, which can help you figure out Wi-Fi issues you may be having and plan your Wi-Fi AP placement and channel selection.<br />
<br />
I hope this has been helpful. What Wi-Fi tools do you use in your Tech belt?<br />
<br />
<b>Related Books</b><br />
<table><tbody>
<tr> <td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=1593271697" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td> <td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0764558943" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td> <td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=1587052660" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-50997971166116512902010-02-24T11:00:00.006-05:002010-02-24T11:38:22.013-05:00Using Team Viewer To Remote Control A PCHere is a quick tutorial on how to use TeamViewer to remote Control your pc. Assuming you want to remote control your work computer from home. <br />
<br />
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<br />
Here are the steps.<br />
<br />
<b>Work Computer</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.teamviewer.com/download/TeamViewerQS.exe">Download this on your work computer</a> and leave it running. You will get an ID and Password assigned for this session. Write it down or email it to yourself so you will have the information at home.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4VTOA2yqsI/AAAAAAAAA5w/VmU9c0QCKeU/s1600-h/TeamViewer_host.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4VTOA2yqsI/AAAAAAAAA5w/VmU9c0QCKeU/s320/TeamViewer_host.PNG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>Home Computer</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Download the <a href="http://www.teamviewer.com/download/TeamViewer_Setup.exe">TeamViewer Setup</a> file.<br />
There are three simple steps to take at home.<br />
<br />
1. Run Software<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4VUVzBZ9HI/AAAAAAAAA54/tyKVlJchulE/s1600-h/TeamViewer_Run-software.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4VUVzBZ9HI/AAAAAAAAA54/tyKVlJchulE/s320/TeamViewer_Run-software.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
2. Accept Agreement<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4VUbSYdrNI/AAAAAAAAA6A/t6CczKRO1RI/s1600-h/TeamViewer_acceptAgreement.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4VUbSYdrNI/AAAAAAAAA6A/t6CczKRO1RI/s320/TeamViewer_acceptAgreement.JPG" /></a></div><br />
3. Create Session<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4VU7FlUbHI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/p2DAITy7Rl0/s1600-h/TeamViewer_createSession.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S4VU7FlUbHI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/p2DAITy7Rl0/s320/TeamViewer_createSession.JPG" /></a></div><br />
You will have the Session ID from above. You can enter the password when prompted.<br />
You are not controlling your work computer from home, and can do anything you would be able to do while at work.<br />
<br />
I hope this quick tutorial has been helpful.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommended Books</b><br />
<ul><li>You can buy the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847194680?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1847194680">Learning FreeNAS: Configure and manage a network attached storage solution</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1847194680" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> book if you are looking for a good reference book.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271913?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593271913">Network Know-How: An Essential Guide for the Accidental Admin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593271913" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271514?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593271514">Absolute FreeBSD: The Complete Guide to FreeBSD, 2nd Edition</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593271514" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
</ul>For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-8050184430982425582010-02-17T15:00:00.000-05:002010-02-17T15:49:22.469-05:005 Super Portable Diagnostic ProgramsPortable applications are a tech's best friend. Luckily, there are many portable applications resources now, such as <a href="http://portableapps.com/">PortableAps.com</a>. More and more applications are written for portability and there are numerous advantages for this. Below are five of my favorite Portable tools.<br />
<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;"><br />
</span><br />
<ol><li><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,82967/description.html">Ccleaner Portable</a> - My favorite Registry cleaner and repair tool in one. This helps remove broken windows registry entries and gets rid of browser cache and cookies.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,73211/description.html">Revo Uninstaller Portable</a> - This great tool removes junk that an unwanted program's uninstall routine leaves behind.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,16180-order,1-page,1-c,systemresourcestuneup/description.html">EasyCleaner Portable</a> - This complements CCleaner. It's great at helping you remove files from a full Hard Drive. The Space Usage tool shows how much space each folder takes up.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.superantispyware.com/onlinescan.html">SuperAntiSpyware Online Safe Scan</a> - The best malware scanner I've used to date. Only issue I have had with SuperAntiSpyware was it didn't work in Safe mode.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.piriform.com/recuva/download/portable">Recuva</a> - This little app helps undelete files you may have deleted. This app is from the makers of CCleaner.</li>
</ol>What tools do you use to help maintain your pc? Share your treasured utilities in the comments.<br />
<br />
<b>Books I recommend</b><br />
<ul><li>You can buy the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847194680?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1847194680">Learning FreeNAS: Configure and manage a network attached storage solution</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1847194680" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> book if you are looking for a good reference book.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271913?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593271913">Network Know-How: An Essential Guide for the Accidental Admin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593271913" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271514?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593271514">Absolute FreeBSD: The Complete Guide to FreeBSD, 2nd Edition</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593271514" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
</li>
</ul><br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-70739638473965479632010-02-09T09:30:00.000-05:002010-02-09T09:30:01.336-05:00Windows 7 Simplified Book Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S3AcrrvyMLI/AAAAAAAAA40/0n2hnb43drc/s1600-h/Windows+7+Simplified.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S3AcrrvyMLI/AAAAAAAAA40/0n2hnb43drc/s320/Windows+7+Simplified.PNG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
If you have bought a computer recently, it will run Windows 7. There are still ways to get Windows XP, but it is getting rare and hard to buy. If you are new to Windows, are a beginning PC user or just want a simple and easy introduction to Windows 7 - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470503874?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0470503874">Windows 7 Simplified</a> is a great book for you. For those of you with more experience and are familiar with Windows XP for years, this book will not help you much.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The best part about this book is the screenshots provided during every stage of the book. Nearly every step is accompanied with a screenshot that lets you visualize what's happening, even if you don't have windows 7 in front of you.<br />
<br />
The book shows you the basics of getting started with Windows 7. Topics include:<br />
<ul><li>Starting and getting familiar with Windows (boot, shutdown, etc..)</li>
<li>Working with programs - install, getting to know parts of applications, uninstalls, switching apps.</li>
<li>Creating and modifying documents - Basic text and document editing.</li>
<li>Working with images - Viewing, importing, editing and printing images.</li>
<li>Working with Music and Movies - Listening, ripping music, playing DVDs and other Windows Media player features.</li>
<li>Files - Basics of organizing, creating, moving, copying, moving, searching and deleting of files. Also Burning files to CD/DVDs.</li>
<li>Sharing Computers - Home groups, wireless networks, user accounts.</li>
<li>Surfing the Web - IE and basics of using a web browser.</li>
<li>Windows Lie Essentials - Email, contacts and calendars</li>
<li>Security - Passwords, parental controls, junk mail</li>
<li>Customizing Windows - Themes, wallpapers, modifying some basic settings that change how windows look and feel</li>
<li>Maintaining your PC - Disk space, defrag, disk check, backup and restore.</li>
</ul>If you are new to computers and have just been given or purchased a new PC with Windows 7, this book should help you get up to speed very quickly. If you are a windows veteran, this is not a book for you. You may find an interesting tidbit here and there, but nothing you won't find elsewhere for free.<br />
<br />
<b>Related Books</b><br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr> <td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0470503874" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td> <td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0470509090" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td> <td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0735626650" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-5288978651559479602010-02-02T09:30:00.000-05:002010-02-02T09:30:00.410-05:00Work With Microsoft Office 2007 Files Without Office<div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S1ou6eR8_zI/AAAAAAAAA3w/ahHXmltlU0I/s1600-h/Office2007Logo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S1ou6eR8_zI/AAAAAAAAA3w/ahHXmltlU0I/s200/Office2007Logo.PNG" width="200" /></a></div>Many people have opted to keep older versions of Microsoft Office because the older versions are good enough to do what they need. At times, you will receive Office 2007 versions of files or you may have to work with Access 2007 Databases. If you don't want to shell out cash for the full package, you can still work with these files via readers and runtime file installs.<br />
<br />
Using viewers, you can view Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio and Access files. Using the Access runtime install, you can work with Access 2007 databases, including data entry, printing etc. This means you can purchase fewer copies of the full Office install and still work with the files.<br />
<br />
You can download Office viewers and the Access Runtime files from Microsoft, links are provided below.<br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d9ae78d9-9dc6-4b38-9fa6-2c745a175aed&displaylang=en">Access 2007 Download: Access Runtime</a> : The Microsoft Office Access 2007 Runtime enables you to distribute Access 2007 applications to users who do not have the full version of Access 2007 installed on their computers.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=B73DF33F-6D74-423D-8274-8B7E6313EDFB&displaylang=en">Snapshot Viewer for Microsoft Access</a> : The Snapshot Viewer enables you to view a report snapshot without having the standard or run-time versions of Microsoft Access 97 through Access 2007.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=048DC840-14E1-467D-8DCA-19D2A8FD7485&displaylang=en">PowerPoint Viewer 2007</a> : Microsoft Office PowerPoint Viewer 2007 lets you view full-featured presentations created in PowerPoint 97 and later versions.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3657CE88-7CFA-457A-9AEC-F4F827F20CAC&displaylang=en">Word Viewer</a> : View, print and copy Word documents, even if you don't have Word installed. This download is a replacement for Word Viewer 2003 and all previous Word Viewer versions.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=d88e4542-b174-4198-ae31-6884e9edd524">Visio 2007 Viewer</a> : The Visio 2007 Viewer allows anyone to view Visio drawings and diagrams (created with Visio 5.0, 2000, 2002, 2003, or 2007) inside their Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later Web browser.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>Links to Software</b><br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000HCZ8EO" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td><td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000HCVR3A" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td><td><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000HCXKKS" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HCXKJY?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000HCXKJY">Microsoft Office Professional 2007 UPGRADE</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000HCXKJY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HCVR3K?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000HCVR3K">Microsoft Office Standard 2007 UPGRADE</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000HCVR3K" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HCXKLC?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000HCXKLC">Microsoft Outlook 2007</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000HCXKLC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
</ul><br />
<b>Books</b><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0324826842?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0324826842">Microsoft Office 2007: Introductory Concepts and Techniques, Premium Video Edition (Shelly Cashman)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0324826842" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470046910?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0470046910">Office 2007 Bible</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0470046910" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735622736?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0735622736">2007 Microsoft Office System Plain & Simple</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0735622736" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735623244?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0735623244">2007 Microsoft Office System Inside Out (Bpg-Inside Out)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0735623244" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470045892?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0470045892">Microsoft Office 2007 Simplified</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0470045892" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470045906?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0470045906">Teach Yourself VISUALLY Microsoft Office 2007 (Teach Yourself VISUALLY (Tech))</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0470045906" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
</ul><br />
What tools do you use for office productivity? Did you find this post helpful?<br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.</div>FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-2921879618104366842010-01-28T09:30:00.003-05:002010-01-28T09:30:00.328-05:00Avast Free Antivirus 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S2Dfmfg4mEI/AAAAAAAAA34/qYGX63fTYH0/s1600-h/Avast5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMXan4Sxt4c/S2Dfmfg4mEI/AAAAAAAAA34/qYGX63fTYH0/s320/Avast5.PNG" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><br />
A new version of Avast antivirus has been released.<br />
<br />
<br />
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The new avast! Free Antivirus 5.0 has a completely revamped interface and significantly enhanced malware protection. Its new heuristic anti-malware engine offers code-emulator technology, and powerful boot-time scan. Avast is one of my favorite FREE Antivirus offerings. One of the best things about it is the boot-time scan, which can help remove some nasties that other anti-virus protection cannot, even paid ones like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IT9H50?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002IT9H50">Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GUY8SM?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002GUY8SM">McAfee AntiVirus</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002GUY8SM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. The plus for the paid versions are for businesses who need support.<br />
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Check out the <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2358288,00.asp">review of avast 5 on pcmag.com</a>. You can download <a href="http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download">avast! Free Antivirus 5.0 for XP, Vista or Windows 7 here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Alternative Free Antivirus Software</b><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://free.avg.com/ww-en/download?prd=afg#tba2">AVG Antivirus version 9</a> - Another favorite of mine</li>
<li><a href="http://www.free-av.com/en/trialpay_download/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html">Avira Antivir</a> - My current recommendation. It's simple to use and you get updates daily</li>
<li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/">Microsoft Security Essentials</a> - Microsoft did a good job with this one. Will be testing on a few systems with this soon.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.clamwin.com/">Clamwin</a> - Open Source Antivirus. If you love Open Source, this is a product for you.</li>
<li><a href="http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/WelcomePage.asp">Norton Security Scan</a> - A free product from a leading antivirus maker. It's simple, but may not offer as much as some of the others above.</li>
</ul>Do you use avast!? What Antivirus software do you use and why?<br />
<br />
<b>My Current Recommended Books</b><br />
<ul><li>You can buy the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847194680?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1847194680">Learning FreeNAS: Configure and manage a network attached storage solution</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1847194680" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> book if you are looking for a good FreeNAS reference book.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271913?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593271913">Network Know-How: An Essential Guide for the Accidental Admin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593271913" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271514?ie=UTF8&tag=frny0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593271514">Absolute FreeBSD: The Complete Guide to FreeBSD, 2nd Edition</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=frny0d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593271514" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></li>
</ul>For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-84925497109208364322010-01-21T10:00:00.001-05:002010-01-21T10:00:04.158-05:00Prevent Your PC From Being Hacked<div></div><div><br />
<a href="http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2010/01/privilege_elevation_bug_affect.php">More bugs</a> have been found on Internet Explorer 6 (IE 6). If you are still using this old browser, you are likely either very lucky or don't browse the web much. If you have been keeping up with Windows updates, you should have gotten at least IE 7 by now. This Zero day exploit is known as <a href="http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2010/01/microsoft_to_issue_out-of-band.php">the Aurora IE vulnerability</a>.<br />
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To keep your pc safe, it's best to update your browser to one of the following:<br />
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<ol><li><a href="http://www.google.com/chrome">Google Chrome</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html">Firefox 3.5.7</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.apple.com/safari/">Safari 4</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx">Internet Explorer 8</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.opera.com/">Opera 10.10</a></li>
</ol><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Browser related books:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=6130264445" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frny0d-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0789739739" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.<br />
</div>FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-90418040016449570172010-01-05T09:00:00.001-05:002010-01-05T09:00:01.415-05:0010 Ways To Free Up Disk Space Quickly<div></div><div>If your pc is running low on disk space, you will experience all kinds of "weird" issues. Systems can hang or freeze. Programs can close out unexpectedly and other unexplained issues will arrive more often. Sometimes it might seem like your pc has a virus or other malware. When in a pinch and you don't know how to free up disk space quickly, here are ten tips on how to do just that.<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Remove the system pagefile if you have enough RAM</li>
<li>Remove the hibernation mode</li>
<li>Empty your Recycle Bin</li>
<li>Run Disk Cleanup</li>
<li>Uninstall applications, starting with the largest app first</li>
<li>Move large media files to external drives</li>
<li>Delete large files you no longer need</li>
<li>Delete Application install files you no longer need</li>
<li>Uninstall large applications and reinstall in another drive or partition</li>
<li>Empty your browser cache</li>
</ol><div>The above list should help you quickly remove large files so you can get a stable system back ASAP. I'll go into details on how to do some of the above in future posts.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.<br />
</div>FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-59898668013284520312009-12-29T09:00:00.033-05:002009-12-29T09:00:04.900-05:00Top 10 Favorite Google Products<div></div><div>It all started with Google Search (lets not forget <a href="http://blogsearch.google.com/">Blog Search</a>), then I added Gmail and now I'm an official Google fan boy. Yes, I think Google may take over the world one day, at least until some other upstart starts besting Google in the future.<br />
<br />
For now, here are my favorite Google Products, in no particular order.<br />
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<ol><li><a href="http://news.google.com/">Google News</a> and <a href="http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/">Fast Flip</a> - If I want to do a quick check of what's going on, I head to Google News. Now Fast Flip has made the magazine stand nearly obsolete for me!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.google.com/chrome">Google Chrome</a> - It's the fastest browser around. I recommend it to all my friends. What else is there to say?</li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Blogger</a> - I'm a blogger thanks to Google's Blogger platform.</li>
<li><a href="http://gmail.google.com/">Gmail</a> - I remember when I first started using Gmail, I hesitated. Now like most, it is my primary email account! Gmail makes having a single inbox very easy.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.google.com/calendar">Google Calendar</a> - I'm ramping up my use of Google Calendar. Liking it more and more each day.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com/voice">Google Voice</a> - This has changed the way I handle my phone calls. What else is there to say?</li>
<li><a href="http://picasa.google.com/">Picasa 3.6</a> - Using Picasa, Google has made organizing and quick editing Photos easy and FREE!</li>
<li><a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a> - I never leave home without checking Google Maps before heading to a destination!</li>
<li><a href="http://docs.google.com/">Google Docs</a> - I've yet to delve into this much, but I have seen what many people have done using Docs and it makes sharing documents easier than most methods I've seen. The move away from MS Office is easier thanks to Google Docs.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/">YouTube</a> - You can find entertainment, education, music, and all sorts of things on YouTube!</li>
</ol><br />
I'm waiting to add <a href="http://wave.google.com/">Google Wave</a>, and <a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Chromium OS</a> to this list at some point. I have not used Google Wave enough to add to this list and Chromium OS is not due out yet. I'm sure there will be even more products I'll be adding to this list soon.<br />
<br />
What about you? What are your favorite Google products?<br />
<br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.<br />
</div>FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-56178632756204452142009-12-22T09:00:00.012-05:002009-12-22T09:00:07.754-05:00Win XP Boots, But Not Safemode - Fixed!<div></div><div><br />
I recently resolved an issue with a machine that boots into windows normally, but could not boot into safe mode. Since this issue was not too urgent for me, I had not searched for the answer thoroughly, until recently. I recently worked on another machine that has similar problems.<br />
<br />
I wanted to boot into safemode to doublecheck some malware removal issues. After doing some searching online, I initially got no where. Then I tried some other search terms and found one that got me the answer "XP Pro won't boot in safe mode". This led me to the answer I was searching for, the thread contained the exact issue I was having. I found the answer via the SuperAntiSpyware app, which I used to help remove the malware previously.<br />
<br />
After using <a href="http://www.superantispyware.com/">SuperAntiSpyware</a> and verifying I can boot back into safe mode, I searched for the term "<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=repair+safeboot+key">repair safeboot key</a>". The result helped explain the issue and gave me an answer via <a href="http://blog.didierstevens.com/2007/02/19/restoring-safe-mode-with-a-reg-file/">DidierStevens.com</a>. The issue stems from the fact that malicious malware removed my registry keys for safe mode. It tried to keep itself safe by making sure I cannot remove it by going to safe mode. Lucky for me, I did remove the malware, but was left with a system that did not boot into safe mode, since the registry keys at <b>HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Safeboot</b> were all deleted.<br />
<br />
I'm happy to say that I have learned a good lesson that I would not have known about were it not for the malware that infected my machine. Like the saying goes, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade!<br />
<br />
Have you dealt with this issue or something similar? Share your thoughts and solutions in the comments.<br />
<br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.<br />
</div>FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-66994540324309251942009-12-15T09:00:00.001-05:002009-12-15T09:00:07.799-05:00Speed Up Your PC With One Line<div></div><div>If your computer is acting sluggish, and you know you have enough memory for the tasks at hand, here is a quick tweak to give your pc a speed boost.<br />
<br />
Create a text file and name it FreeUpRam.vbs<br />
The content of this file should be only this following line:<br />
<b>Mystring = (80000000) </b><br />
<br />
If your computer has less than 128MB Ram - doubtful these days.<br />
The line would need to be:<br />
<b>Mystring = (16000000)</b><br />
<br />
Save the file to your desktop and double click it ONLY after you have closed out most of your apps you are not working on any longer.<br />
<br />
This line of VB script flushes out your RAM, thus a quick speed boost since your newly opened apps from this point on can work with all the FREE RAM.<br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.<br />
</div>FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821256925262555803.post-15662786009326974502009-11-19T21:10:00.001-05:002009-11-19T21:24:03.248-05:00Chrome OS<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LjOsZCSLy90&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LjOsZCSLy90&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<div></div><div>Have you been waiting to check out the Google Chrome OS? Here's a video. Looks like we can take Windows XP and make Chrome Browser the Shell to get a similar effect!<br />
<br />
Below is the video Google Released<br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0QRO3gKj3qw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0QRO3gKj3qw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
For additional links to tips and tricks follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/frugalnyc">Twitter</a>. If you would like to contribute to <a href="http://frugalnyc.blogspot.com/">FrugalNYC</a> or <a href="http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/">FrugalTech</a> in any way, contact me via <a href="mailto:frugaltech@gmail.com">email</a>. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/frugaltech">Click here to add this to your RSS reader</a> or <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2765772&loc=en_US">Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email</a>.<br />
</div>FrugalNYChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098633530635580156noreply@blogger.com0