Casey Tech

Windows 7 is stuck on an “Unidentified Network” with no internet access.

2011-11-23T23:17:00.000-05:00

I just got a new router (yay!) and after setting it up I tested everything on my network. Everything on a wired connection worked fine but nothing wireless worked. I opened up the Network and Sharing Center and found that I wasn’t on my network.

My connection kept jumping back and forth from “Identifying…” to “Unidentified Network” and never connected to the internet. After rechecking the router settings and my WiFi adaptor’s settings I found that nothing was configured wrong. After some intense Googleing I found out what was wrong. The default gateway had changed to 0.0.0.0 .To fix this just do the following:

1: Click on Start, then type “cmd”, right click and select open as administrator.
2: type ROUTE DELETE 0.0.0.0
3: Restart and your computer should connect properly.

A little up date

2011-11-14T17:39:00.001-05:00

As you can see I have updated the theme of the blog to an easy to read onyx and carrot color theme. I have also added a mobile view and updated the ways the ads display so they are less intrusive. I no longer have a background image and Live Writer has been updated to include post splitting which I will start using so the main page isn’t so long and this should help everything to load quicker. I will re-center the blog title.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted but I will start again soon.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the new look, please leave them in the comments, which are still open for anyone to post in without signing in. Comments are moderated so I can respond to questions and comments as they are posted.

A look into Windows’ Explorer in Windows 8

2011-09-02T21:19:00.001-04:00

Windows 8 is going to be bring lots of little UI changes to Windows. One of the most interesting changes is the redesign of Windows’ Explorer. This post from the MSDN ‘Building Windows 8’ blog shows how much research had gone into the redesign based on how people use Explorer. It is very interesting and I highly recommend you read it if you use Window's explorer a heavily or if you are excited about Windows 8.

How to get CrashPlan to back up to a network drive (NAS)

2010-06-27T21:12:00.004-04:00

CrashPlan is a great backup program that has many great features. I won’t go into detail describing them all but I will point out that the one major missing feature is the ability to backup to a network drive (also called Network Attached Storage, or a NAS). After reading through many forum posts and seeing that CrashPlan has no work around for this I was able to piece together a solution.

IMPORTANT: This process involves running CrashPlan as another user and may mess up the integrate of your existing backups on the CrashPlan servers! I have not tested this solution with CrashPlan Central and I take not responsible to fouled up backups! Please read and understand all instructions before starting.

1: Install Crash Plan

Download and install CrashPlan from their website. Once CrashPlan is installed and you make (or log into) a CrashPlan account you should see this screen:

Now you can close CrashPlan

2. Now you have two options:
A: Install CrashPlan on your NAS and use the ‘Back up to another computer’ or Backup to a friend’ option. If your NAS is simply a Windows/*nix box attached to the network, then I highly recommend this. Backing up to and running archive maintenance on another CrashPlan client over a LAN is much faster then backing up to a shared network folder (option B). If you can’t install CrashPlan to your NAS, then use option B.

B: Backup directly to shared network folder. This option has the same speed backups as option A, however backup syncing and maintenance will be extremely slow. If you can’t install CrashPlan to your NAS, then follow these steps you make your backup folder/drive accessible to the CrashPlan service.

A lot of custom made NAS devices have special ways of making their folders available on a network. You should read the help files and guides that can with your NAS on how to do this. The folder/drive you want to backup to should be able to be read and written to (you should be able to make and delete files) by anyone on the network. If it is not then CrashPlan will say “"The backup engine does not have access to the given location." and you wont be able do backup to the folder/drive.

On Windows, to make a folder available on the network that has read and write access for everyone, do the following:

Right click on the drive/folder and select properties. Click on the Security tab and then on the Edit button. Click Add and then type ‘everyone’ without quotes into the box labeled “Enter the object names to select”. Now click on OK. Select Everyone from the group or user name list and then check the box next to Full Control and under Allow. Now click OK and then Ok.

Now the backup folder/drive can be written to and read by everyone accessing the computer. Next you have to make the folder available on the network. To do this right click on the backup folder/drive and click on Properties. Then click on the Sharing tab and click on the Advanced Sharing button. Check the box next to ‘Share this folder’ and then enter the name you want to call the shared folder. Now click on the Permissions button and select Everyone in the new window. Now check the box next to Full Control and under Allow and then click on Ok, then Ok and finally OK.

3: Make a symlink to the shared folder

Now you need to make a symlink on your computer the backup folder on your NAS. If you are using Windows XP or are uncomfortable with the command line then follow the directions over at The How To Geek on how to do this. To create a symlink with Vista or 7 use Windows Explorer to navigate to the back up folder on your NAS. Then right click on the address bar and select “Copy Address as Text”

Now open a command prompt as an administrator and type in this command:

mklink /d “local\directory” “\\server\share”

So for me to make a symlink at the root of my C drive called NAS to the backup folder on my NAS I would have to type this: mklink /d “C:\NAS” “\\HP-NAS\Backups\”

Once the symlink is made you can type “exit” to close the command prompt.

4: Make a CrashPlan user account

Now go the the User Accounts panel in the control panel and click on “Manage another account”. Click on “Create a new account and and then create an account called CrashPlan (the name doesn’t make, you can make it what ever you want) and set the account type to “Administrator”. It has to be an administrator account because otherwise you will net be able to backup files within your user folder.

Click on the “Create Account” button and give the new CrashPlan account a password.

Next you need to click on the Start Orb and then on the little arrow next to the shutdown button and click on “Switch user”.

Next you log into the new CrashPlan account and then once the desktop is up you can log right back out and into your normal account.

5. Make the CrashPlan service run as the CrashPlan user

Now click on the Start Orb and type in “Services” and then click on the result that is called Services. Find the “CrashPlan Backup Service” and double click on it to bring up its properties dialog box. Click on the Log on tab and select the radio next to “This Account”. Now type in the user name and password for the CrashPlan Windows account you just made.

Now click on Apply then go back to the “General” tab and click the “Stop” button and once the service has topped click on the “Start” button. Exit out of the Service window and open up CrashPlan

6. Add Folders and Backup!

In the main CrashPlan Window click on the “Folder” button in the '"Backup Destinations” box. Now click on the “Select” button and select the symlink you made in step 2.

Once you add the symlink click on the “Start Back” button and it should look like this:

Now click on the “Backup” tab on the upper left of the program and click on the “Change” button in the “Files to Back Up” box. Now select the folders you want to back up and then click OK.

If all goes well then CrashPlan should back up with out a hitch.

I have tested the back up and restore and everything worked fine. You can now take advantage of the free 30-day CrashPlan Central online back up.

If this work around for getting CrashPlan to backup to a NAS has worked for you then please let us know by leaving a comment, no log in required! Or you can email us at CaseyTech@GMX.com !

Dragon Naturally Speaking Transcribe Error: “You must enter a filename to read from.”

2010-05-14T21:19:00.001-04:00

Recently I helped a friend setup Dragon Naturally Speaking on their computer so they could transcribe lectures and sermons that they’ve given. According to the Dragon Naturally Speaking website and Youtube, transcribing with Dragon was as simple as training the program and then telling it which .wav or .mp3 you wanted to have transcribed.

So I installed and setup Dragon Naturally Speaking 10.1 for my friend, I helped him train the program so it would understand his voice and then we tried to transcribe a recording he had made. I clicked on the ‘Transcribe’ button on the Dragon toolbar, navigated to the audio file to transcribe and then clicked on the second ‘Transcribe’ button. To my and my friends dismay we were greeted with an odd error message that simple stated: “You must enter a filename to read from.”

I played the .wav file and it worked fine so I tried to transcribe the file again and was greeted with the same unhelpful error message. After many hours of help file reading, converting audio files, YouTubeing, and Googleing (which showed only one unhelpful related result when searching the error message) I realized the cause of the problem. There was a semi-colon in the file name on the file to be transcribed. I removed the semi-colon from the file name, click ‘Transcribe’, navigated to the file, then clicked ‘Transcribe’ again and it worked!

If you are getting the “You must enter a filename to read from.” Error message, then try removing any characters and symbols from the filename and try again. I have only received the error when filenames have a semi-colon ( ; ) in them, but other symbols and characters may trigger the error.

If you have any questions or comments on Dragon Naturally Speaking, then leave us a comment below! Our comment thread is open so no login or email address is required! You can also send us an email at CaseyTech@GMX.com !

Download Marble Mouse Scroll Wheel Here!

2010-03-18T15:15:00.001-04:00

Marble Mouse Scroll Wheel is a small program for the Logitech Marble Mouse that emulates a scroll wheel. This program is normally hosted at http://simans.net/marble/ but that web site is down and I have seen many people on the Logitech forums requesting it so I figured I could act as a download mirror for the program.

You can download Marble Mouse Scroll Wheel from my SkyDrive.

If you have never used Marble Mouse Scroll Wheel before and would like to learn more about it, then you can read the programs description from Google’s cache here.

Note: This is not my software and I am not an official mirror for it. I am only distributing it because the original site is down and it seems to be abandoned by it’s owner. If you are the original author of Marble Mouse Scroll Wheel and would like this mirror taken down then please contact me at Casey-Tech@GMX.com .

4 Steps To A Faster Netbook or Laptop Hard Drive!

2010-03-05T17:08:00.001-05:00

When it come to data throughput, the hard drive in your computer is probably the slowest component in your computer. Most laptops have a 5400 RPM and some netbook hard drives are only 4800 RPM; the slower the RPM of the drive, the slower the drive can read and write data. The only way to fix this is to get a faster hard drive which is not an option for most people, or to have your hard drive reading less data when it tries to read and write data. The less data your hard drive has to read in order to do something, the faster it can do it. Normally to do this you would have to do use a utility like WinZip or Peazip and compress your files, but this is a hassle and makes you files harder to access.

All modern versions of Windows feature hard drive compression and unlike utilities like Winzip or Peazip, this compression is completely transparent to the user. Now, if you Google ‘NTFS compression’ you will see lots of results with people debating on how effective compression is and whether or not it it can make a difference in a computer’s speed. Well here's the truth: if your hard drive is the bottle neck in your computer (if your hard drive light is almost always on), then compression will speed things up. If your processer is the bottle neck on your system (if taskmanager shows your processer at 100% most of the time) , then compression won’t help.

The idea behind using compression to speed up your computer is simple when you look at it like this: The speed of your hard drive is measured in milliseconds, and the speed of your processer is measured in nanoseconds, which are smaller than milliseconds. By compressing your drive you can shrink the size of the data on it (say from 50mb to 15mb) which will speed up the time it takes to read the data. So to read 50mb of compressed data, your hard drive only sends 15mb of data to the processer, which then decompresses the data back to 50mb. The speed difference is really noticeable on slow hard drives.

There are 4 simple steps to speeding up your netbook or laptop hard drive.

1. Run CCleaner. This will remove junk files (internet history, temp files, etc) from your computer and will speed up the next step.

2. Compress your files. Click on the Start Orb on your taskbar, then Computer and then double click on your C: drive. Next select all of the folders EXCEPT for the Windows folder. Right click on the selection and select properties. On the General tab click the Advanced button. Check the box next to ‘Compress contents to save disk space’ then click Ok. Back in the properties window click on ‘Apply’ and then in the new window select to apply changes to subfolders and files then click OK.

After a few minutes you should get a warning saying that the attributes could not be applied to a file, just click ignore all. The compression process will take a while to complete.

3. Add Anti-virus exclusion. Any anti-virus software with resident protection will scan each file as it is read or written to the disk. This is good for catching viruses, but bad for performance. As you compressed you hard drive in step 2, your antivirus software should have been scanning each file for viruses at the same time meaning that if it didn’t see any popup warnings about infected files, then you should be virus free. I would recommend adding your ‘Program Files’ folder to the exclusion list of your anti-virus program. This will speed up the launch of your programs, especially executable heavy programs like GIMP, Photoshop and any video editing software.

4. Defragment. This last step is crucial. After you first compress your hard drive you will have a ton of fragmented files. You can easily get rid of the fragments by searching for ‘defragment’ in your start menu and then running the built in Windows defragmenter tool. If you’d like a nicer tool for removing fragments, I recommend using Defraggler. It is free and has a lot of handy features.

That’s it! Hopefully after doing these four simple steps you will notice that your slow hard drive isn’t as slow as it was. If you have any tips for speeding up your hard drive, then email us at CaseyTech@GMX.com with ‘Speed Up Hard Drive’ as the subject. Or you could leave us a comment below!

Fixed! Google Gears: Failed to load required resources Failed to enable local store

2009-12-21T18:46:00.001-05:00

Today I was playing around with Gmail’s offline mode and testing out Thunderbird 3 to see which I preferred for offline mail access when I temporarily disabled the offline mode. Once I decided on Gmail’s offline mode for mail access, I tried to re-enable it and was greeted with this message: “Failed to load required resources Failed to enable local store”. This means that enabling offline mode failed and I wouldn’t be able to use it for accessing my mail. After some Googling I found that this was a very common problem and often occurs when disabling and enabling offline mode. I couldn’t find a real fix for the problem, but here is what I did to fix it on my computer.

1: Make sure offline mode is disabled for your Gmail account. To do this, open your Gmail account using the “Offline Mail” shortcut that was made when you first enabled the offline mode. Next for to settings, offline mode and click on disable.

2: Next remove Google Gears access to Gmail by clicking on the wrench button on the right of the Google Chrome interface and then select options. Click on the “Under the hood” tab and scroll down to the Web Content section. Click the “Change Gears Settings” button. Now click the blue remove button next to all of the Gmail addresses. Click Apply and close out the options menu and then exit Chrome.

3: Delete your Google Gears profile. It should be located in “C:\Users\(User Name)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Plugin Data”. If you can’t delete the Google Gears folder then open Taskmanager and make sure that all instances of Chrome have been closed. If you are still having problems then you may want to install Unlocker and use it to delete the folder. If you can’t find the Google Gears profile, then you may want to install the Everything Search Engine and then search for it.

4: After the Google Gears profile is delete, run Ccleaner with all of its options for Google Chrome checked. You can leave the “Saved Form Information” box unchecked.

5: Now open Chrome, log into Gmail and enable offline access.

Hopefully the above steps have helped you solve the “Failed to load required resources Failed to enable local store” error message in Gmail. If it didn’t but you found another way to fix this problem, then please let us know in the comments.

3 Easy Ways to Easily Remove Inaudible High Pitched Noise from Audio

2009-08-19T13:12:00.001-04:00

I recently heard of someone with a very unique audio problem. An audio engineer had recorded some live music directly to his computer and used an old CRT monitor to monitor the recording. Everything came out fine, but when he played the recordings back for review, his children said that there was a high pitched whine in the song that he couldn’t hear. Now instead of having a perfectly crafted song ready for sale, the engineer had to figure out a way to get rid of noise that he couldn’t even hear.

The inability to hear high frequency noises is called presbycusis. It is occurs naturally in adult 30 years and older and it means that you can’t hear anything in the 14 to17 kilohertz range. This isn’t a problem for most people because dialog and common sound are far below this range. Children, however, can here these frequencies very clearly and can be harm by them if heard in excess or at loud volumes.

Fortunately, most audio programs have handy tools to help combat this called a spectral frequency view. This view gives you a visual representation of the sound you are editing so you can edit with your eyes and not your ears. This makes removing what you can’t hear a snap!

In your favorite audio editing program open up the file that has the noise you want removed, then switch to the spectral view. You have to consult the program’s help file to find out how to do this.

Above is a the linear spectral view in Adobe Audition. As you can see, there is a bright horizontal line at the top half of the left and right channel. That line represents the high pitched sound that young people can hear but adults can’t. To remove the sound, use the marquee tool (the square made form dashed lines on the main tool bar, or just press M ) Then select the horizontal line in the spectral view.

Once you have selected the high pitched noise, you can use floating amplitude dial above the selection to turn the volume down to 0db, or you could just press the delete key on your keyboard.

After Audition finishes saving the undo data and redrawing the spectral view, your file should have a blank horizontal line in the top half of each channel.

To prevent getting inaudible high pitched noise in your audio files you may want to do some of the following:

Always use grounded equipment and outlets. This will prevent some noise from being recorded.
Use power stripes that have RF filters. These will also prevent some noise from being recorded. The faint dark horizontal line in the above spectral pictures is from the noise that the power strips I use blocked. You can buy some nice but cheap Belkin surge protected and RF filtered power strips at Google’s Product Search.
Use LCD monitors instead of CRT monitors. In my experience, LCD monitors don’t interfere with and type on computer based recording.
Use cables that have ferrite beads (the round cylinders that most USB and laptop power cord have at the ends). If you don’t have cables wit ferrite beads built in, you can buy ones that clip on to cables from The Shack, or from many on-line retailers.

Keeping your kids safe online is now easier than ever!

2009-05-20T18:14:00.001-04:00

Last year we mentioned Microsoft’s Steady State and how it’s simple imaging and rollback capabilities made it easy to protect your computer from your children, “Guest” users and elderly people. Today we will be highlighting another easy to use program that makes it easy to protect your computer and its users when on the internet.

K9 Web Protection from Blue Coat makes it easy to filter and restrict what websites can be viewed on the internet. It’s great for keep kids from stumbling on to naughty sites, for keeping web novices off of mal-ware filled site and for keeping employees from shopping, gambling, and from visiting Facebook or Myspace when they should be working. More features are explained below.

To get K9 Web Protection, go to the K9 website via the link at the bottom of the page, click the Download K9 Today For Free button on the left of the page. After getting a free license, you will be emailed the link to the program download. Once the program is downloaded, install it. You will be asked for the license key and to setup an administrator password. Remember this password because it is needed to update/uninstall the program, as well as changing its filter settings. After the installation you will have to restart your computer so the K9Filter can be activated.

After your computer is restarted you can start setting the web filter by clicking on the Blue Coat K9 Web Protection Admin button in the start menu. This will take you to the admin login page which will ask you for your admin password which you set up during the installation. Once logged in you can set up filters, manage time restriction, enforcing Safesearch on search engines, blocked keywords and more!

The first settings panel lets you chose which types of sites to block. You can block common things like porn, malware, drug and nudity. You can also block stuff like email, blogs, software downloads and shopping sites and even advertising! .

The Time Restrictions panel lets you set when you want users to have internet access. You can chose from unrestricted access; Nightguard, which lets you set when the internet turns off at night and comes back on in the morning; and custom which lets you pick what hours to to allow and deny internet access.

The Web Site Exceptions panel lets you chose which sites to allow or block by URL in addition to the filters setup in the Filters panel.

The Blocking Effects panel lets you set what happens when a blocked site is reached. If you Show Admin Options, you will have the option to temporarily or permanently allow a site after supplying your admin password. If you enable the time out option, when you can choose to deny web access for so many minutes if so many blocked pages are accesses with so many minutes.

The URL Keywords panel lets you create a list of key words to block in addition to the main filtering rules in the first panel.

The Advanced panel has the option to force Safe Search on search engines that support it like Google, AOL, Live, and Yahoo!. There is also the option to filter HTTPS traffic.

Whether for home, school, business, or library, K9 Web Protection is a great choice for free, advanced web filtering.

Bootstrapping: Sinclair ZX80

2009-05-14T20:37:00.002-04:00

The Sinclair ZX80 was introduced in 1980 and only cost £100. It was available preassembled or as a kit for a discounted price. The ZX80 had had a tape storage device, 1 KB of RAM and 4 KB of ROM that held the Sinclair BASIC programming language, and the operating system. Commands were entered into the computer in the same fashion as a scientific calculator, each key had a different function and could be changed by a shift key, of by the context in which it was being used.

The computer’s display shown over an RF connection on a normal television. The display generator used a mixture of of hardware and software to generate a signal. Because of the very minimal configuration of the ZX80, it could only show an image on the display when it wasn’t processing data. Running a program or even typing would cause the display to black out until the processor became idle.

Now You Can Fix Most Computer Problems With Just One Click!

2009-02-05T21:24:00.001-05:00

According to Cnet, for the past few weeks, Microsoft has been adding “Fix It” buttons to some of the help documents in the Knowledge Base. The purpose of the Fix It button is to automatically do the steps that are described in the Knowledge Base help article. This is great because if there is a problem that has to be fixed by tinkering in the registry or deleting system files, you no longer have to worry about accidently doing something wrong and messing up your computer. Just click Fix It and the problem is gone!

Currently the Fix It button is only on a couple hundred of the Knowledge Base’s thousands of articles. Microsoft is working fervently to have automated fixes; as this is up from just four Fix It buttons when the program started in December. The fixes available now include common problems like enabling the DVD library in Vista’s Media Center, speeding up Outlook downloads , and even download errors in Street & Trips 2008 .

When possible, Microsoft is even going to add a Fix It button into the error reporting tools in future versions of Windows. This is a great improvement from the old “Send error report to Microsoft“ option. The Windows 7 Action Center already includes the framework to offer automatic fixes when a user encounters a problem. In the future, Microsoft aims to have products that are able to spot problems before they happen, or offer ways to take action before problems happen.

It seems that with each day, reports of the new features of Windows 7 are restoring the publics confidence in Microsoft that was lost with Vista. If you have any ideas or improvements that you would like to see implemented in Windows 7, then email us at caseytech@GMX.com, with “Windows 7” as the subject. You can also get instant gratification by leaving a comment.

Find Deep File Paths in Windows Vista

2009-01-22T18:31:00.001-05:00

I recent had the fun opportunity of fixing a computer that couldn’t open files because the file’s path was to deep. For the many people who have not had this problem, some Windows programs can only handle file paths that are 255 characters or less. This means that some programs won’t able to open the following file “C:\Documents and Settings\Casey Tech\Audio-Music Files\Music\Archived Flac Files\Intelligent Dance Music\The Future Sound Of London\The Far Out Son of Lung and The Ramblings of a Mad Man\Disc One\03 - Smoking Japanese Babe (Live In South America -Argentina).flac” because there are 262 characters in the file path. The only way to file this problem is to find all of your files with a long file path, and then rename them so that there are 250 files or less

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a free program that can search for long file paths (However, long file name programs are rampant), but I was able to discover a simple way to find them using the command line and a text file. First, open a command prompt by clicking on the Windows Orb and then typing “cmd”and pressing enter. Next, input the following command and press enter.

dir c:\ /s /b > files.txt

Once the command is complete (it may take several minutes if you have a lot of files.), navigate to C:\User\(Your Name)\ if you use Vista or C:\Documents and Settings\(Your Name)\ if you use XP. Open the file called “Files.txt”.

Now for the boring part, scroll down until you spot a long file path and count the characters. My screen is 1280x800 and was 180 characters wide. I would recommend renaming any files with a file path longer than 240 characters. If your screen is under 240 characters wide, then you can easily just scroll down and until you spot a file path that runs off of your screen. If your screen is wider than 240 characters, then you may want to resize the window so it is narrower. Also, if you have a long list of files, you may want to use the page up and down keys on your keyboard to speed up the process.

Once you file a long file path, you can use Windows Explorer to rename the file, or move it to a different directory. When I found the long file path mentioned at the beginning of this article, I moved and renamed it to ”C:\Home\Casey Tech\Music\Flac\IDM\FSOL\The Far Out Son of Lung and The Ramblings of a Mad Man\01-03- Smoking Japanese Babe (Live In Argentina).flac” Now the file path is only 147 characters long and will no longer be a problem for any programs.

If you have any tricks for dealing with files in Windows, then email us at CaseyTech@GMX.com and put “Dealing With Files” in the subject line, or tell the world by leaving a comment.

Ubuntu Sets It's Sights On The Mainstream Desktop Market

2009-01-11T20:35:00.003-05:00

The New York Times has a very interesting article on Mark Shuttleworth who is the founder or Ubuntu. The article gives brief but through background information on Mr. Shuttleworth and Ubuntu, as well has his plains for the future of Ubuntu and how he thinks he could become a real competitor for Microsoft. You can read the New York Times article here and you can download Ubuntu, the free Linux desktop, from here.

Better Dual Boot and Easier Fullscreen

2009-01-09T18:29:00.001-05:00

Our previous article on How To Dual Boot Better has been updated with more information on how to mount hibernated drives. Also, the article on Better Fullscreen in Firefox has also been updated with information from Sajb.

If you ever have information that could improve our articles, email us at CaseyTech@GMX.com , please have “Update” as your subject, and include the title of the article that needs updating, and the new information.

Use Ctrl+Alt+Del to Cancel Booting in Ubuntu Linux

2009-01-02T12:04:00.007-05:00

Dual booting is a great way to run Linux and Windows on the same computer, however, sometimes you may accidentally boot in Linux when you need to boot in to Windows. To cancel the boot process of Ubuntu and most other Linux operating systems, simply press that great key-combo; Ctrl+Alt+Del. Linux will immediately stop booting and begin shutting down. This is very handy it you have Linux set as the default operating system, but still have to boot in to windows often.

If you have any handy Linux tips, then please email us at Caseytech@GMX.com , with "Linux Tips" in the subject line. If you want instant gratification, then leave a commit that includes your tip.

Articles that may interest you:

Ubuntu Quick Reference Command Line Wallpaper

Better Dual Boot

10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do in Ubuntu

Get Better Full Screen View in Firefox in Less Then 10 sec!

2009-01-01T17:39:00.002-05:00

Using the fullscreen view in Firefox is a great way to maximize your screen real-estate and immerse yourself in a great website. Unfortunately, fullscreen view can make navigating websites hard because the address bar automatically hides itself when your mouse moves off of it. You can keep the address bar from auto hiding in a few simple steps.

Open a new tab in Firefox and type in about:config

Next, type browser.full in the the filter box. Double click on the result that says browser.fullscreen.autohide to change it to false.

Now when you press F11 to go fullscreen, you won’t lose your address bar and website navigation will be easier.

Do you have any great Firefox tips or tweaks? Then email us at CaseyTech@GMX.com with FireFox in the subject line. Or you can leave your tip in the comments!

Update: According to Sajb at Reddit, when in fullscreen mode, you can simply right click the toolbar and uncheck 'Hide Toolbars".

Slice Splits Your MP3 OGG & FLAC Files Fast & Free!

2008-12-28T19:35:00.001-05:00

Do you have a large music library or audio files scattered all over your hard drive? Then chances are that you have a couple of CD wraps or songs that are too long to easily listen to all at once. I’m sure you’ve have the frustration of being in the middle of a great song, and then have some one interrupt you with something to do, causing you to lose your place in your favorite song. Ever try to let a friend listen to a great 30 second guitar solo in the middle of a song, only to spend two minutes trying to find it? These long songs used to be a burden to listen to and they took up lots of a hard drive space. But now, thanks to the free program Slice, you to will be able to enjoy these songs at the your convince!

Slice is a free audio splitter made by NCH of Australia. Slice can split MP3’s, OGG, WAV and FLAC files in to two or more files with the simple click of a button. You can decide to split files into X files, into files of a certain length or after a certain length of silence. When slicing files, you can chose from many preset quality settings or you can specify your own constant or variable bit rate settings.

Because a picture is word a thousand typed words:

Main Interface:

Options:

Encoded file output options:

Slice is a great free program that we use regularly to split hour long lectures into four minute tracks. Slice only takes about 10 seconds to split an hour of audio, which is great because the previous version of Slice took about eight minutes to do this. If you want to make your life easier, then head on over to NCH.com and get your exclusive of Slice for free!

Computer Ownership

2008-12-27T20:54:00.003-05:00

Via The Economist

Zune Software Prevents It From Charging

2008-12-19T22:47:00.001-05:00

Recently a friend ran in to a very frustrating problem. The battery in his Zune mp3 player had gone completely dead. When he plugged it in to his computer to charge, the Zune software would try to sync the Zune with the computer and one the syncing started, the Zune would turn off because of the low battery. Unfortunately, one the Zune was off, the battery would charge a little and the Zune would turn on, the syncing would start and then it would shut off again. After an hour of this, he called me because he was worried that constantly turning on and off his Zune could damage it. I told him that the Zune was fine and that all he had to do was look through the Zune software settings and turning off the setting that automatically starts syncing.

Once the auto-sync setting was turned off I informed my friend that that feature was one only on older versions of the Zune software and that he should update to the latest version to get lots of new features. After he connected to the internet (dial-up was why the auto update didn’t work.) I had him unplug his Zune, launch the Zune software, click settings, general and then the check for updates button. After the update was complete, he plugged in his Zune and let it get to a full charge, then he reconnected to the internet and launched the Zune software. Next he clicked settings, device and device update. Once the Zune was all up to date. there were no more charging problems.

Have you had any frustrating problems with your mp3 player or music management software? Tell us about it by leaving a comment!

Adobe Air For Linux!

2008-12-18T20:18:00.001-05:00

Today, Adobe has finally released Adobe Air or Linux and it can be downloaded here! For those of who don’t know, Adobe Air is a free program for Windows, Mac and Linux that lets people build feature rich web programs using Flash, Flex, HTML or Ajax. These programs can also be deployed as desktop programs that seamlessly integrate with their web counterpart.

You can read more about Adobe Air in our original post, and to get great free Air apps, you can go to RefreshingApps, or the Adobe Air Market Place. You can read more at ArsTechnica.

8 Free Ways To Keep Vista Running Fast

2008-11-25T01:11:00.001-05:00

Recently, one of our readers was in a public computer lounge and notice a very frustrated trying to get some work done on a computer that looked no more than a year old. She said that her computer was too slow and that she wanted to just get rid of it and get a Mac. The problem is that if the computer is slow because it hasn't done any regular maintenance done to it, or it's slow due to poor computing habits, then getting a Mac won't fix the problem. Also, most people can't afford to get a new computer just because there current one isn't lighting fast. Because of this, I have made a list of things you can do to keep your computer running fast.

Monthly maintenance:
Run Ccleaner- No mater how objectively someone tries to write, they will find no other way to describe Ccleaner other then one of the most useful free tools for windows. Plus, with over 200 million downloads, if is one of Windows most popular utilities. When you run Ccleaner, it will quickly scan your hard drive and remove extra junk files, and free up tons of space on your computer( it freed almost five GB from my computer the first time I ran it). Aside from freeing up tons of space, it can also show you what programs automatically run at start up, and help you manage your installed programs, clean your registry.

Run disk Cleanup- No mater how good Ccleaner is, there are some files that if won't delete because it doesn't if it is safe too. To get rid of these extra files, click on the Windows Orb, click on 'Computer' and then right click on your C: drive and click Properties. Next click on the 'Disk Clean Up' button. Windows will analyze what is on your hard drive and delete what is unneeded.

Defragment your hard drives- As you use your computer and create then delete files; your hard drive will become fragmented. Excess fragmentation will slow down your computer and could make programs stop responding. Before you defragment your hard drive, I recommend that you ---read what to do before start defragmenting to speed you the process---,then run Ccleaner to remove any excess files, which will also speed up defragmenting process. Once you have done that access the windows defragmenter by clicking on the Windows Orb, typing 'defrag', then click on the Windows Defragmenter. Click 'start defragmenting' and then take a nap or read a book out side. Defragmenting could take a few minutes or several hour depending on how big your hard drive is.

Run an anti-virus, spyware, adware program- Did you know that over one half million computers get infected with some form of virus, ad-ware or spy-ware everyday? These infections can slow down your computer, reduce your Internet speed and steal your personal information. The easiest way to rid your self of the pesky parasites is to run an anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-adware program.

If you don't have a good anti virus program or a currently paying for an anti-virus program, then I would recommend that you download and install Avast Anti-Virus. Avast is free and has a very high detection rate of virus'. It also updates it's self automaticly, and has 7 built in protection modules to keep you safe. Avast is free for home use but will require you to register the program. You can download Avast here.

If you don't have a good anti-spyware program, then I recommend that you download and install Spybot Search & Destroy. Spybot is free and will very quickly scan your computer rid it of any nasties. You can download Spybot Search & Destroy here.

If you don't have a good anti-adware program, then you should download Ad-Aware. Ad-Aware is one of Cnet's most downloaded programs, has a very high detection rate and, or course, is free. You can download Ad-Aware from here.

Update your Computer- Nothing's slower than an un-patched and upgrade operating system. The free upgrades and patches provided by Microsoft can help remove bottle necks in your operating system and remove any security flaws or vulnerabilities and resolve some hardware compatibility issues. Updating your operating system is free and easy. All you have to do is click on the Windows Orb, type windows update and then hit enter. Once the Windows Updating window opens you can click the 'Check for updates' button. Within minutes your computer will be safer, more compatible and a little bit faster.

Restart your computer- As you use your computer, it's memory can become fragmented, cache files build up, and things can just slow down. An easy way to fix this is to restart your computer.

One time changes:

Remove Items for Startup List- Every time your computer boots up, it loads programs in to its memory. Most of these programs will place an icon in the system tray and each one of these programs will slow your computer down a little but. If you have installed Ccleaner like suggested earlier, then you can end needless start up program with a few simple clicks.

Open Ccleaner, then click on 'Tools', then click on 'Startup'. Next select the programs that you don't want to run at start up and then click the 'Disable' button. The next time you restart your computer, the disabled programs wont load at start up and your computer should be faster. If you need these programs, then you can always run them from the Windows Start menu.

Move paging file to a separate drive- When your computer thinks, it stores information in RAM. If you run out of RAM, then Windows will start using the paging file on your hard drive as virtual RAM. If you don't have a lot of RAM then your paging file will get use a lot and your computer will slow down. Fortunately, of you have more than one hard drive then you can move you paging file to another hard drive with will decrease the load on your main hard drive and speed up your computer.

If you use a laptop or have a desktop with only one hard drive, then you can take advantage of Vista's ReadyBoost feature. ReadyBoost can make a small paging file on a USB flash drive or SD Card. Moving some of your paging file to a flash drive will speed up your computer just like moving it to another hard drive. To use ReadyBoost (figure this out with Vista.

Turn off extra user interface elements- The user interface in Vista takes up almost 512 MB of memory. This video will show you how to turn off extra interface elements, turn off indexing and more ways to make Vista better:

Upgrade your computer- If you have done all of this and your computer is still slow, then you may need to upgrade your computer. the easiest way to upgrade your computer and get major speed boost is to buy more RAM. To find out what type of RAM you need you can use Crucial's memory scanner and then look for that type for RAM on Newegg. If you can't add more RAM to your computer, then you may want to consider buying a new one because the cost of other upgrades like a faster processor and a new mother board may cost almost as much as a computer that's on sale at BestBuy or Newegg.

Do you know of any great ways to speed up a Windows, Apple or Linux computer? Then leave a comment, or email us at CaseyTech@GMX.com , and make sure to put 'Fast Computer' in the subject line.

Find Your Perfect Pen in Under One Minute

2008-11-23T10:19:00.001-05:00

Ballpoint, roller ball, gel, liquid graphite... there are so many types of pens that it may seem hard to pick the right one. That's way Tul has made a quick, simple handwriting analysis flash applet to help you choose the right pen for your writing style and personality. The handwriting analysis only takes about one minute to complete and is surprisingly accurate. Once the analysis is finished, you'll be greeted by Dr. Gerard Ackerman who will tell you about how the way you shape and form your letters when your write says a lot about your personality. After that he will recommend a pen that fits your writing style.

I did the writing analysis and surprisingly, Dr. Gerard Ackerman was write (lame pun but its still funny). He described my personality perfectly and even recommended that I write with a rollerball pen, which happens to be my preferred type of pen!

You too can try Tul's handwriting analysis by going to the Tul website an clicking on on the 'Begin Your Analysis Now' button. And if you want to know more about hand writing analysis, then you should read more at Wikipedia and at Paralumun.

15 Things You Didn't Know About The New MacBook

2008-11-14T12:48:00.001-05:00

APCmag.com did a great article on 10 things you didn't know about the new MacBook, however there article was a little long winded, so here is a summery of 10 things you didn't know about Apple's news product:

1. Target Disk Mode is gone
This means no more using your MacBook like an external hard drive, or accessing and repairing the file system without removing the internal hard drive or booting into the system

2. The system migration tool has been upgraded
The system tool is now faster and features a pause button

3. The system chipset has changed, not just the GPU
MacBook's will no longer feature Intel integrated graphics and will have the NVIDIA 9400M chip set instead. This means that you have an Intel CPU but not an Intel controller chipset. Unfortunately, Nvidia's new integrated graphics have caused problems.

4. Brake the glass screen cover; replace the whole screen.
The new glass front panel that covers and protects the LCD is bonded to the aluminum case to keep the laptop lid extra thin and extra strong. However, if you drop your MacBook and brake the screen, then you will have to replace the entire laptop lid.

5. The new MacBook has a special build of OS X
The new MacBook runs OS X 10.5.5, build 9F2114. The latest release on all other Macs is build 9F33. The main difference seems to be changes to the Energy Saving and Trackpad options.

6. The battery indicator is now on the left side of the notebook
The battery indicator is no longer attached to the battery. It's now on the left front of the notebook, which means no more flipping over your laptop to see how much battery you have left.

7. No more flimsy keyboard
Thanks to the ultra-ridged unibody design, the MacBook has a very stiff chassis which means no more flimsy keyboards!

8. The speakers are better!
There are no speaker grills, but speakers quality is really good. There's no real bass, but they don't sound like tinny netbook speakers.

9. The LCD viewing angle still sucks
There is still a very real difference between the screens on the MacBook Pro and MacBook. Tilting the screen helps a bit but not much.

10. Installing a hard drive is super easy!
To change a hard drive in MacBook, all you have to do is pop off the battery cover, undo do one screw, then pop out the current hard drive and pop in the new one.

Bonus Features!
11. Dual Hard Drives!
The new MacBooks are the first notebooks from apple to use a SATA optical drive, this means that you could remove the optical drive and replace it with a second 500GB hard drive and have the first 1TB MacBook.

12. Spend more to use a projector
Apple is not providing any video adaptors with the new laptops which means you will need to shell out an extra $50-$150 to get external display adaptors.

13. Brake the keyboard, replace the whole body.
Thanks to the new unibody design, it you brake a key on your keyboard, you will have to have the entire top case replaced. iFixit wrote about this here

14. Easy hard drive installation for MacBook Pros too
The MacBook Pro now has the same great design for accessing the hard drive as the MacBook does. This means no more paying an Apple technician to replace your hard drive.

15. The cheapest MacBook you can get is a MSI Wind
As long as you don't mind replacing the stock WiFi card for a Dell 1500 WiFi card, and you don't mind using a a USB sound card; then you can install OS X on the MSI Wind just by hooking up a USB disk drive and popping in the OS X install disk. You can find out more about how to do this at the MSI forums.

So, with all of the cool new features and and unfortunate downfalls, what do you think of the new MacBooks? Is a glass covered display worth the cost of replacing the whole lid if it cracks? With better graphics, will more games get ported to OS X? And could more companies start making OS X compatible netbooks? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment or by sending us an email at CaseyTech@GMX.com , with 'MacBook' in the subject line.

Easily Delete ANY Vista Font!

2008-11-09T19:10:00.001-05:00

One problem I have seen many people struggle with when dealing with Vista is the inability to delete most fonts. Vista comes with almost 200 fonts preloaded and most of them respond with "you need permission to complete this action" when you try to delete them. One would think that all you would have to do to fix this it to open the font folder as an administrator, but there is no way to do this. Thankfully, with the help of one of our readers, we were able to find a way to get permission of the font folder, and the video below has a walkthrough on how to do it.

If you have any tips or advice, feel free to email us at CaseyTech@GMX.com , or leave a comment!

Dell Mini 12 - MacBook Air Killer?

2008-11-06T15:42:00.001-05:00

Dell has announced that the Dell Mini 12 (the largest of the Mini line) will be coming to the USA before Christmas! The Mini 12 was released in Japan earlier this year and has been a huge hit. This new net book is being compared to the MacBook Air because of it's of lightweight, ultra thin profile and potential to dominate the ultra portable market.

The Mini 12 will have a 12.1 inch 1280x800 WXGA LCD screen which should look extremely crisp seeing as it has the same resolution of most 15.4 inch laptops. The Mini will only be .9 inches at the front and gently taper up to 1.09 inches. The operating systems available will be Ubuntu, Windows XP and Vista. Because of Microsoft's licensing, you will only be able to have 1GB of memory pre-installed, but thankfully you can easily upgrade the memory yourself to 2 GB

Currently there is no mention of the hard drive size, but the Japanese version has a 60GB hard drive and with the sub-$600 starting price, solid state drives probably won't be an option. The processor for the Mini 12 won't the Atom N270 (800MHz- 1.6 GHz 2.5W) like the Mini 9 has, but an Atom Z530 (1.60 GHz 2W). The new processor will have features like Intel Vitalization, low power consumption and demand-based clock switching to help extend battery power.

The Mini 12 isn't on Dell's US site yet but you can see it at Dell Japan

Money Shots:

Conclusion:

The Dell Mini 9 is already extremely popular because of the ability to remove a single panel on the bottom of the netbook and have access to everything inside. It's been called a hackers dream and is one of the easiest netbooks to upgrade. It's only downside has been the small hard drive and slightly cramped key board. Now the Mini 12 is here and hopefully it's large hard drive, crisp roomy screen and luxurious keyboard will enable it to pick up were the Mini 9 left off.

Learn. Read. Click.

Obama is the New President!

2008-11-04T23:46:00.001-05:00

Obama is now the president of the USA. Hopefully he will be even better than Bush.

Pic via 4chan's /b/

Matte or Gloss Screen?

2008-11-02T20:47:00.001-05:00

One love/hate feature among laptops having a glossy screen. Glossy screens are great because they look good and help the colors being displayed look crisper and nicer. However they reflect light like crazy, get smudged very easily, can be hard to clean and can be a pain to see when they are used outside unless you are in the shade.. Matte screens have a surface that is covered in millions of small riffs (think Teflon) so it doesn't smudge easily and is easy to clean. These small riffs also defuse some of the light that hits the LCD panel, this cuts down on reflection. however, this diffusion can make colors look not as crisp.

SchneiderMan at www.macrumors.com took some great pictures of a direct comparison of a matte screen MacBook wand a glossy screen MacBook:

Left is a matte screen, right is a glossy screen. Pictured outdoors in indirect sunlight.

Left is a glossy screen, right is a matte screen. Pictured outdoors in direct sunlight.

Life is a matte screen, right is a glossy screen. Pictures indoors.

So, what type of screen do you prefer to have on your laptop, matte or glossy? Let us know by voting in the poll in at the top of the sidebar! Have any rants or glee filled stories about your screen? Tell us about them in the comments!

Need something cool to read on your monitor? Then go to CaseyTech

Ubuntu Quick Reference Command Line Wallpaper

2008-10-31T14:04:00.001-04:00

Helpful terminal commands on your Linux desktop!

Originally from gnome-look.org.

Color Correct then Beautify Your Monitor

2008-10-23T19:04:00.001-04:00

The average person spends 4-7 hours a day staring at a computer monitor. Unfortunately, most of these monitors have not been calibrated and are not displaying colors correctly which can cause a less than optimal computing experience. Calibrize is free windows only program that helps you correct the coloring of your monitor in three easy steps:
1. adjust the brightness and contrast
2. Adjust the Gamma level
3. Save the color profile

A color corrected monitor is a must have if you do any video or photo editing!

Once the coloring on your monitor looks great, you may want to display some great designer wallpapers on it! Desktoptopia is a free Windows/Mac program that downloads high resolution wallpapers from Desktoptopia's master archive and then apply's them as your wallpaper. You can pick wallpapers from eight different categories and have them changed at any interval that you specify. Great!

Fix more things by going to CaseyTech!

R.I.P. Textbook Torrent

2008-10-20T15:02:00.001-04:00

For over two years, College students everywhere could turn to Textbook Torrent to get free PDF versions of over 6,000 textbooks. Now because of concern of legal trouble and server issues, Textbook torrent so down for good.

The homepage of Textbook Torrent currently reads:

Textbook Torrents is now permanently offline.

There are a number of reasons for this, but I would be lying if I claimed that the concern of legal action wasn't a major factor in the decision. However, it was by no means the only reason. Upkeep of a site this size is a lot of work, increasingly so as time progressed. What's more, two years is a long time to be running a site of this nature.

I am at heart an activist, a crusader for the underdog. When I see something that I believe is wrong, I do what I can to fix it, if only in some small way. I believe this is what Textbook Torrents has stood for, and what we have done. The amount of attention that we have garnered would not have been possible by simply running around with a sandwich board and shouting slogans. We have opened people's eyes, and gotten them talking. At its true purpose, the site has been successful beyond my wildest dreams.

What we have started here does not stop with one site. It is real, and it is now up to you to continue. Take what you have learned and experienced here and go forth. If you're able, start new sites. Find new ways to open new eyes. Keep the revolution going. It is not a revolution of one, not even of eight staff members: it is a revolution of 100,000. We have done nothing here but provide you with a venue to voice your discontent, and the ideological sentiment that we all share need not end with Textbook Torrents. Indeed, it must live on.

For my part, I have other causes that need fighting for. There are all kinds of ways to fight all kinds of battles, and it is unlikely that I will find myself running a BitTorrent tracker again. I will step back from this and hope that you will carry on in our place.

Thanks for everything, folks. Thanks for making Textbook Torrents everything that it was, and for adding your voices to mine. Now it's your turn.

Geekman
(Former) Textbook Torrents administrator

Due to the large cost of textbooks, approximatly 40% of the cost of college, Textbook Torrent was a financial haven for the millions of students who go into debt every year trying to pay for college. Now these students have no site to turn to if they want to save money while furthering their education.

Until another book torrent site goes online, college students may able to find torrents for the textbooks they need by googleing the name of your text book with +torrent at the end.

Legal Disclaimer: While downloading copyrighted material is legal, uploading it is not. PDF versions of textbooks should only be used if you have already ordered a book, and are using the PDF version while you are waiting to receive it.

Due the popularity of the Bit Torrent protocol, I will try to feature more Bit Torrent related articles in the future.

Read. Learn. Do. CaseyTech

Easy ways to keep your programs and drivers up to date

2008-10-15T16:36:00.001-04:00

When I'm fixing a software problem with a persons computer, a lot of times the problem is caused by out of date programs. By updating your software, you can fix many security, stability and compatibility problems. A lot of times you may also get a nice easier to use interface like with the latest update of the free image editor , the GIMP.

One way resolve many minor problems is to run Ccleaner, to get rid of old useless files that are bogging down your computer, then run Microsoft Update and then restart your computer.

There many third party programs that can scan your computer and check for newer versions of programs or drivers, but most of them cost money and don't work very well. I have found three great programs that are free, work great and help keep you up to date.

Update star: Update star is a new program that doesn't rely on any special lists of programs, like most update checkers do, instead, it tries to find the website that each program came from, and then it checks the site for and updated version. This is a very clever method to use for update checking because most programs include their author's site in the program's help file, or in the programs about box. Currently I have had about a 60% success rate with update star. Which is very good because the programs was still in beta. Now it is at version 2 so it should be even better.

To use Update Star, just download it from the website, install it and have it check for updates.

File-Hippo Update Checker: Filehippo.com has hundreds of great free programs that you probably already use. The File-Hippo Update Checker is small, free, and only 150kb, and takes only a few seconds to run. After you download and run it, the program will take you back to Filehippo.com and show you a list of every program that you have, that they have an updated version of. Then all you do is click the download icon next to the program and then install your new, improved software.

DriverMax: Drivermax has thousands of hardware drivers that are all up to date. In order to use their driver update checker, you will have to register, but registation is free, and you don't have to sign up for any thing. then you can download the update checker, log-in and scan your computer to see if any of your drivers are out of date. If any out of date drivers are found, then the DriverMax driver updater will take you to their website, were you can download the latest drivers for your hardware Note: most drivers will require you to restart your computer in order to complete the installation.

Stop reading EULAs!

2008-10-10T23:05:00.002-04:00

A recent study discovered that if everyone in America read the End User License Agreement of every program that they installed, then over $300 billion dollars would be lost in productivity. This would be a terrible lost, but you should not install a program without reading the license agreement first because you may not like everything that you have agree to. To solve this dilemma, a group called JavaCool Software made a program called EULAlyzer.

With EULAlyzer, you can copy and paste the EULA of a program into the main menu of the program, then click analyze. After a second, you will get a list suspicious wording that is in the EULA. This makes it really easy to know whether or not you should agree and install the software, or fine a better equivalent.

You can get EULAlyzer and other great free software at JavaCool Software.

Windows Media Player, or WinAmp?

2008-10-08T11:47:00.001-04:00

Windows Media Player and WinAmp are both great media players that don’t use a lot of resources, play most file formats and launch quickly (unlike iTunes which is bloated, slow, a memory hog and only handles like 3 formats.). The other day I was uninstalling extra programs on my computer and realized that I don't need WinAmp installed since Windows Media player is also installed. This got me wondering why I never use Windows Media player even through it has all of the features that I like. It can sort by file path, has an equalizer that always displays, it can play media from a library or a playlist, it handles large amounts of files with out freezing, it is fast, light on memory, has lyric plugins available, plays most files (free plugins are available for ones it can't), works with an iPod [though not a Zune :( ]and even uses multimedia keys if you have them. Both WinAmp and Windows Media Player have all of the same features that matter to me, so why do I not like Media Player?

I decided to switch over to Windows Media Player and see if there was any real reason that I never used it. I was getting it set up and when I went to play a song I realized what was wrong.

WinAmp shows you everything at a glance. You can see all of your music, the equalizer, the now playing information, a search box and even song lyrics if you have a lyric plugin installed.

With Windows Media Player, everything is divided into two main tabs. The Now Playing tab and the Library tab.

The Now Playing tab will show album art, the current playlist, various enhancements (I have the equalizer shown) and song lyrics if you have a lyric plugin installed.

The Library view in Windows Media Player displays all of your songs and a search box.

I believe that more people would use Windows Media Player if it had a more condensed interface like WinAmp has. Clicking back and forth between the Now Playing tab and the Library tab gets old rather fast if you are listening to music for a long period of time. The easiest way to fix this problem would be to have the option of replacing the playlist pane in the Now Playing tab with a library pane, or by redesigning interface so you can see everything in one main tab or series of panes.

So, now that you're thinking about the layout and design of user interfaces for programs, are there any programs that you just love using because of the user interface? What about programs that you just hate because they are so clunky and awkward? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Read, think, learn, CaseyTech.

GIMP 2.6 is here!

2008-10-02T15:39:00.001-04:00

The long awaited version 2.6 of the GIMP is here! For those how have never heard of the GIMP before, it is a free open source photo editor that is fast and is great for use at home or use at work. It has many of the great features of Photoshop and PhotoPlus, but it has none of the cost because it's free!

Version 2.6 mainly has interface and usability changes. After the initial configuration launch, it take only about 3 seconds to launch, this is much better than the previous version which was plagued with slow launch times. The toolbox menu and image menu have been merged and now when you launch the GIMP, the image window opens by default, so you can now quickly edit an image from the Internet, or a screen shot by clicking edit>paste, instead of making a new image, and then pasting it, or saving it, then opening it. In Linux, the image window no longer covers floating windows like the toolbox or layer window, and floating windows no longer appear on the task bar or kicker panel. To see the full list of changes plus handy screen shots, read the official changlog. Then you can download it. Linux users can just check for updates and it will be updated for you.

Find out more at Caseytech!

Dear Customer, hahahaha,sucker! Love Wal*Mart.

2008-09-29T17:47:00.001-04:00

Wal*Mart has decided to shutdown all of its DRM servers, which means that if you downloaded music from Wal*Mart's music store, it is no longer playable. The good news is that if you are on of the millions that downloaded pirated music that is available from the music store, your music will still work. Read more at BoingBoing.

Read, Learn Do. CaseyTech!

Resize or Remove Vista's Shortcut Arrow

2008-09-28T19:08:00.001-04:00

One of the great things about Vista is that supports .pngs as icons. Unfortunately Microsoft decided to cover these great looking icons with unsightly shortcut arrows. Frameworkx has found an easy way to re-beautify your icons by shrinking or removing the shortcut arrow overlay.

Just download the Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover from the downloads section of their site, then install the program. Next run the program and pick the size of your arrow. It's that easy!

You can get the 32 or 64 bit version here.

Read, Learn Do. CaseyTech!

Microsoft Removes Bundled Apps from Windows 7!

2008-09-27T13:57:00.001-04:00

Microsoft has made the great decision of removing bundled apps that are current apart of Vista from Windows 7. This means windows 7 won't have under developed programs like Photo Gallery, Windows Mail, Movie Maker and more. The bundled programs will be replaced with downloadable components from Windows Live. Hopfully this means that Windows 7 will be lighter and faster, and the Windows Live services should get updated and improved faster. You can read more at cnet.com

Learn more at CaseyTech!

The MacBook Is Thin Enough

2008-09-25T17:55:00.001-04:00

MSI U90 and the MSI U100

2008-09-25T17:29:00.001-04:00

MSI has released the MSI U90 which is an cheaper version of their popular MAI Wind (U10 0). The U90 costs about $150 less then the U100, but it is basicly the same computer. The only difference is it has an 80 GB hard drive rather than a 120 GB, and it has an 8.9 inch screen rather than a ten inch. Other than that everything is the same!

As you can see, all MSI did was put a smaller screen in to the case of the MSI U100. The U90's 8.9 inch screen has the same 1024X600 resolution as the U100's 10 inch screen, so if you want to save some money and don't mind a slightly smaller screen, then you may want to consider the U90.

Other articles you may be interested in:
Fix the netbook 1GB RAM limit
The new EEE Box B202 Desktop
6 cell Wind due this September!

Read and learn more at CaseyTech!

Asus leaks Critical Internal Files, KeyGens and Microsoft Serials to Users

2008-09-21T13:59:00.001-04:00

ArsTechnica has an interesting article saying that people have found pirated software and Asus internal files on Asus supplied recovery DVDs. Asus say's that they don't know how it happened. Some of the things found on the disks include pirated software in a folder labeled "Crack", confidential Microsoft documents, internal Asus documents, source code for Asus software and a PowerPoint presentation outlining major problems that Microsoft has found with it's operating system and programs. To make matters worse, PC Pro said that one of it's readers even found personal files of Asus employees- including resumes.

Asus told PC Pro that "We will be investigating this at quite a high level. Once the investigation is complete, we will ensure it doesn't happen again."

You can read more at Astechnica

Read and learn more cool stuff at CaseyTech

Fix the Netbook 1GB Ram limit

2008-09-20T15:01:00.001-04:00

With the usability and functionality of netbooks casting a bad light on Vista, Microsoft decided to limit all netbooks running XP home to maximum of 1 GB ram. Luckily for us, this isn't a hardware of software limitation, just a OEM licence limitation. This means that your netbook may support 1.5 or even 2 GB of RAM! all you have to do is install it your self.

Here are some links that may help you upgrade the ram in your netbook.

EEE Pc:
Article: http://www.geek.com/eee-pc-chronicles-part-3-memory-upgrade/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_7ZZxb_q1g

Acer Aspire One:
Video: http://www.aspireoneuser.com/2008/08/29/how-to-add-ram-to-the-acer-aspire-one-netbook/

HP Onenote:
Article with Video: http://www.hp2133guide.com/how-to-upgrade-the-ram-in-the-hp-2133-mini-note/

Dell Inspiron Mini 9:
Picture: http://eeepc.net/dell-inspiron-mini-9-easy-to-upgrade/
There's no directions, but you just remove the bottom panel, take out the old ram and add the new ram.

MSI Wind:
Walkthrough: http://www.laptopmag.com/advice/how-to/msi-wind-ram.aspx

Have fun voiding your warranty !

Read and Learn more at Caseytech!

Run More Windows Programs on a Mac

2008-09-14T14:18:00.001-04:00

I was reading at article the other day that talked about how the hardest part of switching to a Mac is not being able to install any Windows software on it. Luckily this is not true.

Most Linux users know of the great program called Wine, and love how you can install alot of Windows programs in Linux with having to do having Windows installed. There is a Mac version of the same program called Darwine (a play off the Darwin Bootloader name)

All you you have to do is go to the Darwine site, click download on the left and select your version, then just drag n drop the Darwine file to your application folder and you're all set.

I don't have a Mac yet so I haven't gotten a chance to try it yet, but I have heard great things about it. If anyone has any experience with Darwine, please tell us about it in the comments.

Microsoft Office 2007 on Linux Update

2008-09-12T13:48:00.003-04:00

I just updated the "Microsoft Office 2007 on Wine on Linux Ubuntu!" post. It has new links that give more in-depth directions. Now it is even easier to run Microsoft Office in any Linux distribution! Have fun being more productive in Linux!

Alt + Left Click Window Drag in XP and Vista

2008-09-12T12:39:00.001-04:00

One of the many things I love about Linux is the ability to move a window just by holding the Alt key and then clicking and dragging the window. The ability to do this is a real time save when you have multiple windows open or have a large monitor.

I have been trying to find an easy way to get this functionality in Windows and when Vista came out, I hoped that Microsoft had added it, but they didn't (surprise!). So after doing some research on I found an AutoHot Key script on HowToGeek.com.

Basicly, all you have to do is download the script from HowToGeek (direct Link). Then extract the .zip file and run 'AltWindowDrag.exe'. If you have AutoHot Key installed then you can run the AltWindowDrag.ahk file. Now if you need to move a window, you don't have to go all the way to the title bar to move it! just press and hold the Alt key while left clicking anywhere in the window and dragging! If you want to know more then you can read the orginal article at HowToGeek.com

Read and learn more at Caseytech!

The New EEE Box B202

2008-09-11T18:34:00.001-04:00

The Eee is one the hottest netbooks on the market and now has a new brother. Asus has launched the Eee Box B202 which is a downsized version of the Eee 1000.

It has Intel’s Atom N270 1.6GHz single-core processor, an 80GB hard drive (no solid state option), 1GB of RAM, 802.11n wireless plus a Gigabit LAN port. The Box also sports four USB ports (two at the front and two are the rear) plus a multi-format memory card reader, but an optical drive remains missing from the list.

The Eee B202 will have Windows XP or Linux and is small enough that you can stick on the back of your monitor, or if you put LinuxMCE on it, you caould just stick it to the back of your TV. Retail is expected to be from $270

Read and learn more at CaseyTech!

Google Chrome

2008-09-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

I planed on doing a big review on the new browser from Google called Chrome but it seems like everyone else beat me to it because I wanted to really give it a good testing and use it everyday before writing about it. Now, sadly, there is really no need because other web-sites have done that for me. So, here are some great Chrome related links:

Download Chrome from here.
Read Google's comic explaining all of the cool features here.
Lifehacker articles on Chrome.
ArsTechnia articles on Chrome.
And of course a Google search for Chrome.

ArsTechnica has the best articles on Chrome and Lifehacker has a lot of posts for customizing it. Most of the other articles I found were just reiterating what was on Lifehacker and Ars .

Project Looking Glass

2008-09-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

Sun Microsystems is working on a cool new 3d desktop called Project Looking Class. It is coded in Java so it is cross platform and should work fine on any operating system. The project hasn't been updated in about two years, so it doesn't look like this will ever compete with GNOME of KDE, but it still looks cool and is fun to play with.

Read more about Project Looking Glass at its Wikipedia article, or at its web site .

Read and learn more useful stuff at CaseyTech.

Site Notices

2008-09-07T14:45:00.001-04:00

I will no longer be adding tags to my postings because Blogger's great built-in search feature has made tagging obsolete. If you need to find an article on my site, then scroll to the top of the site, and type in a word or phrase into the black search box and hit enter.

The new posting schedule will be Mondays and Thursdays, with some posts in between days, but there will always be a new post on Mondays and Thursdays.

Last, incase you didn't notice already, you can click any image in a post to see the larger version on Flickr. The pictures that you see in the posts are low resolution to help CaseyTech load faster, so don't bother squinting to trying and read them, just click the image and see the larger version.

Set up Internet In Linux

2008-09-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

I spent Sunday afternoon installing and setting up Fedora! After installing I tried to connect to my wireless network but network manager applet keep saying that the connection had been disrupted. I knew I had a good signal and that my wireless card worked with Ubuntu so I should work with most distributions. But I also knew that Ubuntu was Debian based and Fedora was Red Hat based so it wouldn't surprise me if it did not work. after some quick Googleing I found out that all I had to do is tell the network manager the MAC address of my card. Here is how you do that:

1. Right click the Network Manager applet in the GNOME Panel and select 'Edit Connections'
2. Open a terminal window from Applications> System Tools>Terminal
3. In the terminal window type "/sbin/ifconfig" The outputted data is your networking card information. eth0 is Ethernet, wlan0 is your wireless card and HWaddr is you MAC address.
4. Back in the Network connections windows, select the Wired Tab, click add then copy the numbers after the word 'HWaddr' in to the 'MAC address'. Then Click OK.
5. For Wireless Internet, click the Wireless tab, then copy the 'HWaddr' from the wlan0 part of the terminal output, to the 'MAC address' and click OK.

You should now be connected to the Internet! If you are using wireless Internet and are not connected, then left-click the network manager applet and see if their are any networks to connect to. If there are then select it and now you should be connected!

Read and learn more useful stuff at Caseytech!

Camera Drivers and Crapware

2008-09-01T16:13:00.001-04:00

I recently helped someone setup their net laptop and they were upset because their camera drivers weren't working with Vista and nothing happened when they plugged in their camera. I told them that with modern operating (Linux, OSX, XP and Vista) systems you don't need to install drivers to use most things, and most cameras show up as USB mass storage or an external hard drive in the (My) Computer window.

If you have already installed drivers for your camera and it doesn't show up in the Computer window, then try uninstalling the drivers. To do that, plug your camera in to the computer, then click the start button (XP) or Windows Orb (Vista) and then right click on (My) Computer and select Manage. When the Computer Management window opens, click on Device Manager in the left panel. In the right panel you will see the device list. If you see an yellow warning triangles, ten you should right-click that device and select to uninstall that device. You may have to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Another thing you should never do with a camera is install the 'helpful' companion software that comes with the camera. Most of this software is poorly made, not easy to use an, takes a large amount of hard drive space and adds extra programs that will run at start up and slow down your new computer. A example of this is the software that came with the HP camera that I use. The camera had a 7 Mb driver, a program to import the photos from the camera and put them in my Pictures folder, a program to edit the photos and a program to sort an tag the pictures. All of these programs took up a total of 1.37 gigabytes! I uninstalled all of it, then used Windows built in USB mass storage driver in place of the 7Mb driver, just drag-n-dropped the pictures to my Pictures folder instead of using the photo importer, I used GIMP to edit the photos instead of the bundled editor, and I don't tag my photos, but if I did then I would of used Picasa for the tagging and album making instead of the bundled tagger. I got all of the functionality of the bundles software for only about the 25Mb that the GIMP uses! And if I use Picasa then it would of only been about 45Mb! Plus I didn't get anything added to my start up list, so my computer still runs fast!

Read and learn more useful stuff at Caseytech!

10 Things you didn't know you could do in Ubuntu

2008-08-27T23:50:00.000-04:00

Create website links that automatically install software

Sometimes if you’re trying to help somebody ﬁx a problem, you’ll have to tell them how to install software. Yet for some Ubuntu newbies, even this can be confusing. The solution is to create a “software install” hyperlink within a web page (such as a forum posting), new email window, or Pidgin message window. To do this, simply click the “create link” button on the web page or within the email (the precise name of this will vary depending on the software/website used), and then type apt:packagename in the URL ﬁeld, replacing packagename with the precise name of the package as listed in Synaptic.

For example, let’s say you want to tell somebody how to install the thunar package, a lightweight file manager. If you’re creating an email with the instructions, ensure the new mail uses HTML (ensure HTML is checked on the Format menu), and then click Insert –> Link. In the URL ﬁeld, delete what’s there, and type apt:thunar. Don’t worry about the Description ﬁeld—leave it with the default contents that will probably mirror what’s in the URL ﬁeld. Then click the Close button. Note that there’s a slight bug in Evolution that means, for some reason, the hyperlink won’t actually appear as a link until you type some more into the new mail window, or click the Send button.

Perhaps it goes without saying that should you ever receive such a link in an email, or see one on a website, you should be very wary (especially if there are also additional instructions telling you to add a new software repository). It would be easy to disguise a malicious link as something seemingly benign, although you will always be prompted to conﬁrm the choice of software before installation.

Do stuff without touching the mouse

If you want to run an application, just hit Alt + F2 and then type the name of the program. If it needs to run with root privileges, just type gksu beforehand. For example, to run GNOME Terminal, you would type terminal. To run Gedit, type gedit. If the program is command line, check the Run In Terminal box (use the Tab key to move from field to field in the dialog box and hit the Space to select a field). This will then open a terminal window and run the command, but be aware that the terminal window will then close as soon as the command has ﬁnished, so you won’t be able to inspect the output. Want to browse to a file system location, but too lazy to grab the mouse and click the Places menu? Hit the forward slash (/), and then type the path into the dialog box that appears. Want to rename a file but don’t want to use the mouse? Just ensure the file is highlighted (use the cursor keys to highlight it if necessary) and hit F2. Then type the new filename. To change the file extension too (which isn’t highlighted for deletion by default), just hit Ctrl + a and then type the complete new filename.

Instantly Search Google for Any Word or Phrase

Have you ever been reading a document and wanted to look up something in Google? In Firefox you can just highlight the word or phrase, right-click it, and select Search Google. However, what if you’re reading, say, a PDF ﬁle? Or a man page in a terminal window? A very simple but effective solution is Googlizer, which you can install using Synaptic. Once installed, it’s added to the Applications –> Internet menu, so you’ll have to manually drag and drop it to a blank spot on the panel for quicker access. How it works is simple. Highlight any text, in any application, and then click Googlizer’s icon to instantly search Google. If a Firefox window is open, a new tab will be added showing the search results. Otherwise, Firefox will be started, and the search results shown. Give it a try. It’s one of those simple things that might just change the way you work forever. Googlizer can be personalized so that it searches the version of Google localized to your country, or even a non-Google search engine. To do this, you’ll need to discover the search URL for the engine you want to use. To do so, just perform a search using either the localized version of Google (for example, http://www.google.co.uk, if you live in the UK) or a different search engine. Then look at the URL for the part where your search term appears, and highlight/copy all that comes before. If I search for Ubuntu Kung Fu using http://www.google.co.uk, I get the following URL for the search results page:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Ubuntu+Kung+Fu&btnG=Google+
Search&meta=

…so I chop the end off, from the Ubuntu+Kung+Fu part onward, and I’m left with following, which I copy into the clipboard (highlight the text, and hit Ctrl + c ):

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=

Once you have the information, right-click the Googlizer panel icon, and select Properties. In the Command text field, add –url after googlizer, and then paste your Google URL. For example, I ended up with the following:

googlizer --url http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=

You can also change the icon if you want by clicking the icon preview at the top left of the dialog box. When finished, click the Close button, and then test the new localized search. Here are some URLs that will make Googlizer use other search engines—just add these addresses after the –url part of the Command text field, as described earlier:

Yahoo.com: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=
Ask.com: http://www.ask.com/web?q=
Microsoft Live: http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=

Create a File Delete Command That Uses the Trash

The rm command doesn’t have a trash facility. Once files are deleted, they’re gone forever. However, you can create your own trash command, which, when used at the prompt, will move files and/or folders to Ubuntu’s standard trash folder. The files can then be recovered, if desired, or permanently deleted in the usual way by emptying the Trash folder. To add the new command, you’ll have to create an alias. You’ll need to edit the .bashrc file in your /home folder and add a line to the bottom, as follows:

Open a terminal window, and type gedit ~/.bashrc.

At the bottom of the file that appears, add the following new line:
```
alias trash="mv -t ~/.local/share/Trash/files --backup=t"
```

Save the file, close Gedit, and open a new terminal window to test your new command. To delete filename.doc, for example, you would type trash filename.doc. The new command will work on folders too, and multiple files/folders can be specified one after the other (for example, trash filename1.doc filename2.doc).

Repair Windows from Within Ubuntu

If Windows is refusing to boot, for whatever reason, you can try repairing the file system from within Ubuntu. Use Synaptic to search for the ntfsprogs package. Once it’s installed, unmount your Windows partition (if it’s mounted), and type sudo ntfsfix /dev/sda1 to check and fix the partition (assuming your Windows partition is /dev/sda1—likely if you installed Ubuntu in a dual-boot configuration on a computer already running Windows). This tip is also useful if you see the “Cannot mount volume” error when attempting to access your Windows partition from within Ubuntu.

Dump the Text on a Virtual Console to a File

If you’re trying to fix a problem, you might want to capture the output of a command for reproduction on a website forum, along with the command you typed to get the results. If you’re working in a terminal window, you can cut and paste, but what if you’re working at a virtual console? If you simply want to capture the result of a command, just redirect the output:

ls > output.txt 2>&1

This will send both the output and error output (if any) of the ls command to output.txt. If you want to capture the command you typed and any other command-line detritus (including output), use the screendump command. The following will send everything currently on the current screen (command-line prompts included) to a text file called output.txt:

sudo screendump > output.txt

The command has to be issued as root because of permission issues, but the resulting file will be owned by you.

Instantly Hide a File or Folder

Any file or folder whose name is preceded with a period (.) is hidden from view in Nautilus and also won’t appear in the list of shell commands such as ls, unless the user specifically chooses to view hidden files (ls -a, or clicking View –> Show Hidden Files in Nautilus). So to hide a file or folder, just rename it (select it and hit F2), and then put a period in front of the filename. Gone. If the file doesn’t vanish, hit F5 to refresh the file listing. To return the file to view, just remove the period. If you want to make a file disappear from Nautilus’ view of files (including the desktop) but still appear in command-line listings, add a tilde symbol (~) to the end. For example, to hide partypicture.jpg, change its filename to partypicture.jpg~. To hide text file, change its name to text file~.

Print at the Command Line

You can quickly send text or configuration files to the printer using the lp command. For example, to print the /etc/fstab configuration file, you would type lp /etc/fstab. The formatting of the printed page is rough (no margins, and non-proportional font used), but it’s OK for quick hard copy viewing. If you want you can set a top page margins using the -o page-top= command option. The following will print the same file with a one-inch (72 pica) margin at the top:

lp -o page-top=72 /etc/fstab

Note that for the lp command to work, you’ll need to first make your printer the system default (even if it’s the only one attached). To do so, click System –> Preferences –> Default Printer. Select your printer, and then click Set Default. Then click Close.

Listen to MP3s when no GUI is running

So you’ve tweaked Ubuntu into a state of disrepair. Any hope of a GUI is a pipe-dream, at least for the moment. While you hack away fixing things, wouldn’t it be nice to have some music to console you at the console? Just switch to an unused virtual console, login, and type sudo apt-get install vlc. VLC s a GUI media playback application normally used on the desktop, but it can also run with a text-mode interface—just start it with the -I ncurses command option (note that’s a capital I, not L). For example, to play back filename.mp3, I would type vlc -I ncurses filename.mp3. Multiple files can be specified one after the other, thus creating a playlist, or a wildcard can be used to playback all files in a particular folder (ie vlc -I ncurses ~/Music/*.mp3). Use the a and z keys to alter the volume. If playback is still too quiet (or too loud), switch to another virtual console and type alsamixer. Hey, presto—primitive but useful text-mode faders. Use the left and right cursor keys to move between faders. Use the up and down keys to change the values. Hit Escape to quit.

Turn your desktop into your /home folder

Do you use your desktop as a dumping ground for files, and pretty much ignore your actual /home folder, which is where you should store things? If so, you might be interested in this tweak, which effectively makes Ubuntu use your /home folder for the desktop, instead of the actual /home/username/Desktop folder. Anything saved to the desktop, such as files/folders dropped there, will be placed in your /home folder. Additionally, anything in your /home folder will appear on the desktop. To give this a try, start gconf-editor (hit Alt + F2 and type gconf-editor) and navigate to /apps/nautilus/preferences and put a check alongside desktop_is_home_dir. Then log out and back in again. Remember that the contents of your desktop haven’t vanished. They’re still in the Desktop folder in your /home folder.

BONUS TIP! Quickly Set Wallpaper with One Click

The easiest way of setting your own picture as a desktop wallpaper is to click and drag the image to the desktop using the middle mouse button (if the image is already on the desktop, then click and drag it a few inches to the left/right). On most modern mice, the middle mouse button is the scroll wheel, which also doubles as a third mouse button. On the menu that appears when you release the button, click Set as Background. If that sounds a little too unorthodox for you (it can be hard to use the middle mouse button), you can also use Synaptic to install the nautilus-wallpaper package, which adds a simple Set as Wallpaper option to the menu that appears when you right-click an image ﬁle. After installation, you’ll need to log out and then in again before the option becomes visible.
[Via www.ubuntukungfu.com]

Important Windows Folder Share Notice

2008-08-24T23:59:00.000-04:00

Last month I wrote a review of the great program Windows Folder Share. I have been using this program for about two months now and can't even express how wonderful the program has been. One thing I did discover is that when ever Windows Folder Share deletes a file, it doesn't send it to the recycling bin, but to it's own trash folder instead. This is hand because it lets you easily recover deleted files, but it can also fill up your hard drive. My trash folder was 29.4 gigabytes before I noticed that my space was disappearing.

To empty the trash folder, just right click your Windows Folder Share tray icon, select "More" then click Trash. When the trash window opens, just select everything (Ctrl+A, or edit select all) then delete it.

If you are a user of the freeware program, Ccleaner (if you're not then you should be, read more here), then add the location of Windows Folder Share's trash folder to Ccleaner's custom folder list. To do that just follow the steps in the picture!

Make sure you put a check in the box next to "Custom Files and Folders" in the advanced section of Ccleaner's main screen!

Use Rainlendar With Sunbird

2008-08-20T23:32:00.000-04:00

Rainlendar is a great free desktop calendar program that is available for Windows and Linux. It displays a fully functional calendar right on your desktop and has a load of features. One of its great features is the ability to read other calendar program's .ICS calendar file, this lets you have your entire schedule on you desktop, right at your finger tips. This is great for most calendar programs, put Mozilla's Sunbird program no longer uses the .ICS format for local storage, but it uses it for remote storage.

You can read how to get to Sunbird output it's calendars to .ics so it is compatible with rainlendar, as well as other programs, at the SleepingCats blog .

Linux "Registry Cleaner"

2008-08-19T23:55:00.000-04:00

I just saw a download of Registry Booster 2 in the Linux section of TuCows.com. This is silly because Linux doesn't have a registry, it stores each programs configuration in a .conf file in the programs data folder. This lack of a central registry is what makes Linux based operating systems so secure, because everything is decentralized, and because of the file system permissions that Linux uses, it is very hard for virii and spyware to attack the operating system.

Linux alarm clock

2008-08-12T19:44:00.001-04:00

Some people have trouble waking up in the morning, here's a quick way to fix that.

Create the script wakeup.sh in your home directory:

#!/bin/bash

echo "Starting up"

mpg123 /path/to/nice/music/* &

for (( i = 1; i <= 100; i++ )) do
   echo "Setting volume at $i"
   setmixer vol $i
   echo "Sleeping 10 seconds..."
   sleep 10s
done

Add the following to your crontab:

 0 11 * * * /home/foobar/wakeup.sh

Of course, you might want to get up before 11 am.

If you have trouble finding some nice wake-up music I recommend Enya, it's great for this purpose. I experimented with heavy metal music at first, thinking that I needed hard music to get me up, but I found that I would just leap out of bed, turn off the speakers and crawl back. A gentle awakening works much better.

If you want to be really clever, you could add a snooze function to this, so that you can just slam your hand down on a keyboard lying next to your bed and it will stop for 10 minutes, then restart the whole process.

[Via EuroHacker ]

150 Free programs from Microsoft

2008-08-06T23:59:00.000-04:00

A lot of people know that Microsoft has lots for free programs on their web sites, but finding those programs has never been easy. Thankfully Blake Handler has put together a large list, with descriptions, of over 150 programs that are offered from Microsoft for free. Many of these programs add new functionality to Windows and fix problems that people have had over the years, and contains programs that will be of use to everybody!

MSI Wind with 6 cell battery comes in September!

2008-08-03T19:27:00.002-04:00

MSI has quietly announced that this September they will be releasing a new model of their critically acclaimed netbook, the MSI Wind. The new addition to the Wind family will have the model numbers U100-036 (white model) and U100-053 (black model) and will sport a refreshingly long lasting 6 cell battery!

The double sized battery should boost the netbook's run time from ~2 hr to a more satisfying ~4-6 hr with Wifi on and the screen at full brightness. As of yet there is no word on if the battery will stick out of the back or the bottom of the laptop, however the dimensions of the 6 cell netbook on the product page are the same as the 3 cell ones.

Hopefully this major improvement will increase the netbook's popularity and will pave the way for future improvements like stronger Wifi, a more robust processor and a larger trackpad like the one on the OLPC.

CD Art Display, WinAmp and Vista

2008-07-29T23:59:00.001-04:00

I recently had the problem of trying to get CD Art Display to work with WinAmp in Vista because the CD Art Display installer said that it was not compatibilitie with my version of WinAmp, I know that this was not true because I had the most recent version of WinAmp and it worked fine in XP. I figured that this error was because of many levels of control that Vista has and not the UAC because it was disabled at the time and there was no way around it so I wrote a batch script to fix the problem. If you are on familiar with batch scripts, you can read more about them at Allenware. I used the first method that I mentioned in a previous post on launching multiple programs with a single shortcut.

I opened up notepad and typed the following:

start "" "C:\Program Files\CD Art Display\CAD.exe"
start "" "C:\Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe"

Then I saved the file as "CAD & WinAmp.bat" in my Program Files folder. Then I changed all of my WinAmp shortcuts to point to the batch file by selecting the shortcut, right clicking it, and changing the path in the Target box to "C:\Program Files\CAD & WinAmp.bat"

Now CD Art Display will open at the same time as WinAmp in Vista!

Large Hadron Collider

2008-07-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

The Large Hadron Collider is due to be turned on sometime in August 2008. You can read more about it in >this< Wikipedia article.

Long Live Your Stable PC!

2008-07-23T23:59:00.000-04:00

Getting a computer setup just the way you like it can be a long and difficult process. If you have kids, share a computer or are a sysadmin, then keeping that computer nice and functioning is an even longer and more difficult process. That's why I recommend the free program Steady State, made by Microsoft. It has great features like program access limitations (great it you have a "PeeCee-Wiz" friend), Internet time restrictions(great if you employ social network addicts) , Windows restrictions (this covers the registry, control panel, task manager and the install/ uninstall of programs), drive access restrictions and tons more!

One very handy feature is disk protection. When this feature is enabled, Windows creates a large cache file to store all the changes you or anyone else is making to the system, which it dumps at restart, or whenever you tell it to. This will completely reset the computer to it's saved state.

This is a great free program and is very worth having. If you are interested in learning more then you should see >Lifehacker's screenshot tour< of the program, or you can download it from the >Microsoft Download Center<.

Microsoft Scalable Fabric

2008-07-23T13:33:00.001-04:00

A few days ago Microsoft quietly released a tech demo of their new Scalable Fabric program. Scalable Fabric is a window management tool (not to be confused with a window manager) for Windows XP and Vista that allows you to scale down your windows instead of minimize them.

Basically, your windows act normal when they are full screen, when you restore your window, they still act normal. But if you drag them out of the blue boundary line shown above they begin to shrink and get smaller the father they get from the blue boundary line. You can group related windows and restore or rescale them at a click of a button.
Surprisingly, if you play a video and scale the window, the video will continue to play. The video playback is jittery, but keep in mind that his is just a tech demo and isn't fully polished.

If you want to read more, you can go to >this< post at LogicalExpressions, and you can download Microsoft Scalable Fabric >here< from the Microsoft Research Center.

Change Your Static IP at the Touch of a Button!

2008-07-21T23:59:00.001-04:00

If you connect to multiple networks that require a static IP address, then you know how much of a hassle it is to change your static IP address, WIN gateway and DNS server with each network. Luckily Chris Knox made a sweet little widget that's aptly called IP Switcher that makes changing your connection settings as easy as clicking a button.

IP switcher lets you switch between 3 different IP addresses and DNS servers. Each IP address is assigned to one of the four buttons on the programs interface and the fourth button is reserved for using DHCP to automaticly assign and address. As you can see in the above picture, you can customize each aspect of your connection, change the level of the widgets transparency and any of the colors in the program.

The program requires Yahoo Widgets to run and uses very little memory
You can get Yahoo Widgets from here and IP Switcher from here

DrawBall

2008-07-13T23:59:00.000-04:00

I finally discovered DrawBall.com which is a Wiki like community blackboard where anyone can draw anything. I clicked over to the DrawBall Replay which shows the development of DrawBall in the scale of one second equals 40 hours. Its pretty fun to watch how groups of people can team up and make huge master pieces. Not too surprisingly, a few days in to DrawBalls existence, /b/ and all of its /b/tards invaded and tried to take over and eventually covered the ball in a giant /b/. This ticked off a bunch of people and the /b/ was erased. Immediately after this there was a quick blackout when the /b/tards massed together to black out the DrawBall by
drawing black ink over everything. The DrawBall has a neat history and you can read more at the links below:

You can read more about DrawBall's art at
the WilCollection.

U can reed moar about /b/ and DrawBall @
te encyclopaedia dramatica

USB Speaker Tube

2008-07-06T21:41:00.001-04:00

This is probably the coolest looking USB powered speaker/light combo I've seen. It has two stereo 45mm speakers in the ends of the tube, and a cool looking crystal in the middle. It looks like a mini plasma generator. It's powered by USB and comes with an audio cable so you can hook it up to your laptop, Zune, iPod, or desktop computer. Frankly, I think It would a cool desklamp, but the speakers make it soooo much cooler. It's only $22 and is available >here<

Privacy Policy

2008-07-05T22:09:00.000-04:00

Here at CaseyTech, the privacy of my visitors is very important. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information that we receive and how this important data is used.

Part 1 :

For each visitor to our Web page, our Web server stores your browser, IP address, City/State/Country automatically.
Our webservers collect only the domain name, but not the e-mail address of visitors to our Web page and the e-mail addresses of those who communicate with us via e-mail.

The information we collect is used for internal review and is then discarded, used to improve the content of our Web page, used to customize the content and/or layout of our page for each individual visitor.

With respect to cookies: We use cookies to store visitors preferences, record user-specific information on what pages users access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends.

With respect to Ad Servers: To try and bring you offers that are of interest to you, we have relationships with other companies like Google (www.google.com/adsense) that we allow to place ads on our Web pages. As a result of your visit to our site, ad server companies may collect information such as your domain type, your IP address and clickstream information. For further information, consult the privacy policy of:
http://www.google.com/privacy.html

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us by sending an to caseytechblog@gmail.com

Part 2 :

We offer a pay per minute tech support service through Skype. All Skype calls that we receive are recorded for quality control, and to improve the quality future support calls. In order to use this service you must have Skype installed, and agree to their privacy policy. You can consult their privacy policy at http://www.skype.com/legal/privacy/general/

Part 3 :

We are not lawyers or accountants. Any legal or financial advice we give is our opinion based on our experience. Always seek the advice of a professional before acting on something that we might say.

You should assume we have motivation for linking to everything on this page and will benefit from it somehow. You should assume we are no better then you are and your opinion has just as much weight as ours. You should question everything.

You should come up with your own thoughts and opinions and not trust everything you read on the Internet.

Tips for better defragmentation

2008-07-03T23:59:00.000-04:00

Here are some tips from the JKDefrag site on how to more thoroughly defragment your hard drive:

-Cleanup old junk from your hard drive before defragmenting by using the greatest junk file finder: CCleaner

-Stop your real time virus scanner before defragmenting. Virus scanners check all disk activity, making defragmentation and optimization very slow.

-Archive unused files with an archive such as Alzip The archive not only takes less harddisk space, but will also defragment and optimize much faster than the individual files. Note: This does not apply to Windows NTFS compression, which will actually make de fragmentation and optimization a lot slower.

-Buy the biggest harddisk you can afford. Investing in a bigger harddisk gives more speed-per-dollar than investing in a faster CPU or more memory.

-The first partition on a harddisk is significantly faster than other partitions. Try to use other partitions only for large file storage.

-If you have 2 physical harddisks (of the same speed), then place the pagefile on the first partition of the second harddisk.

Faster GIMP in Vista

2008-07-02T11:21:00.001-04:00

If you're having problems with GIMP running sluggishly in Vista, then try this. Right click the GIMP short, select properties and click on the Compatibility tab. Then check the box next to "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and then select Windows XP from the drop down box. Next click OK and the GIMP should be running a bit faster!

Open multiple programs with one shortcut

2008-07-01T23:59:00.000-04:00

There are often times when you need to open to programs at the same time and often.
you may want your batch photo renamer to open with your photo importing program, or a IP blocking program with your torrent (nota problem it you use the previously mentioned all in one Deluge bit torrent client)
Usually you have to click on the start menu and then find the program, launch it, then click start, find the other program and launch that. This slow and a big hassle. The better way to launch programs is to use one short to launch your related programs at once. There are two ways to do this, so I'll let you pick the one you like. To use these make a new text file, paste the displayed text, change the paths the ones for your programs and save it with the .bat extension instead of the .txt extension.

Way 1:

@echo off
start "" "C:\Program Files\Your Program\Run me.exe"
start "" "C:\Program Files\Other Program\Run me too.exe"

Way 2:

@echo off
cd C:\Program files\Your Program
start .\Run Me.exe
cd C:\Program files\Other Program
start Run Me Too.exe
exit

You can use these to launch as many programs as you want, all from one short cut!

I hope this makes life easier

Microsoft Office 2007 on Wine on Linux Ubuntu!

2008-06-27T23:59:00.001-04:00

First, the proof:

You can find out how to run Microsoft Office 2007 on any OS that Wine runs on by going to the WineReview.net.

Windows FolderShare

2008-06-23T23:59:00.000-04:00

FolderShare is a great free program allows you to create a private peer-to-peer network that will help you to synchronize files across multiple devices and access or share files with colleagues and friends. You no longer need to send large files via email, burn them to CDs/DVDs and mail them, or upload them to a website.

When you run FolderShare, it will create a personal Peer-to-Peer network that lets you retrieve and update documents or share your files (photos, reports, spreadsheets, music, movies, etc.) with family, friends, and colleagues. Create a Library with invited friends/colleagues and build a collection of files (documents, photos, or anything else you want to .) that everyone in the group can access. Securely share as many files as you desire (at this point, FolderShare only allows you to share up to 1000 files) because FolderShare has no file size limitations or bandwidth quotas.

Run FolderShare on multiple personal computers (like your home and office machines, or Desktop and Laptop) and you will have a powerful personal file manger at your disposal. Set your share as a private library and only you will have access to it. It can automatically create an identical set of files on all of your computers, and update the files if you change them. Make a file at home and it will instantly be copied to your office computer. Edit a file on your laptop and your desktop will automatically update its version of the file. If you are on the road, use it to view and download files from your office computer via any web browser.

How can I use it?

Synchronize all your devices - Retrieve work files at home or access photos at work. With your devices in sync, you no longer have to be frustrated that your information is on another computer.
Share files, photos, and home videos with your friends or family - Select the content you want to share, invite members, and they will be able to access the shared files directly from their computer or browser.
Access your computer or device remotely - FolderShare's mobile access allows you to access your computer from any web browser.

Any restrictions? We'll let you decide...

Share files up to 2 GB in size
Share up to 1000 files.
Any file type - files are synced and transferred in their original format

Deluge (updated)

2008-06-17T23:59:00.003-04:00

Update: This information is outdated. I recommend that all Windows users use µTorrent along with Peerblock.

Many Windows Vista users have lamented at the fact that Peer Guardian is not compatible with their operating system, and probably won't be for a very long time. the only alternative is to use Azureus (Vuse), but Azureus is a major memory hog, so most people can't use it. Thankfully, there is Deluge, which is a lightweight as uTorrent, and can block IPs like Peer Guardian!
Deluge is a lightweight, Linux, OSX, XP and Vista compatible feature rich bit torrent.
Some of its features are:

Web UI

BitTorrent Protocol Encryption

Mainline DHT

Local Peer Discovery (aka LPD)

FAST protocol extension

µTorrent Peer Exchange

UPnP and NAT-PMP

Proxy support

Web seed

Private Torrents

Global and per-torrent speed limits

Configurable bandwidth scheduler

Password protection

RSS

Deluge also comes with many plug-ins including a block list importer, desired ratio reacher, a scheduler, speed limiter, torrent creator and more!
To enable IP blocking in Deluge you first have to download it from >here<, install it and then go through the setup wizard. Then in the main window do the following:
1. Click Plug-ins
2. Check block list importer
3. Click Prefences
4. Select Emule IP List (GZip) From the drop down box
5. Put in this url http://www.bluetack.co.uk/config/pipfilter.dat.gz
6. Click OK and wait while the list is downloaded and loaded.
7. Click OK and you're done!

No to all

2008-06-08T13:17:00.000-04:00

I was reading a funny rant about Windows XP and how it has a Yes To All file conformation button, but not a No To All button. The renter went on about how their operating system was so much better because it had this button.
Even through Xp doesn't have a No To All button, you can simulate one by holding down the Shift key while clicking No.

Shift+Click No=No To All

Zune Won't Show Artists

2008-06-02T22:37:00.001-04:00

I noticed that after the recent firmware update for the Zune, I couldn't 'View Artist' when listening to a song by clicking the middle button and selecting to view the artist that I was listening to. This and most other Zune problems can be solved by turning the Zune off, and then back on. To do this, press and hold the bottom on the navigation pad (the down button) while holding the back button. After a few seconds the Zune will turn off. Once it is off, turn it back on by pressing and holding the play button. If your problems still persist, try resetting it by pressing and holding the bottom of the navigational pad while holding the play button. After a few seconds, the Zune will reset.

Windows and Folders Won't Open In the Same Window

2008-05-30T16:22:00.001-04:00

I recently had the problem of having all of my Explorer Windows were opening in a new window rather than in the same window. This was really a hassle because when ever I tried to get a to a file, I would end up with a bunch of windows open.

Solution 1:

If you have this problem, the easiest way to fix it is open a folder (My Computer or My Documents will do) and then click on 'Tools' and then 'Folder Options'. In the Folder Options window look in the Browse Folders part of the General Tab and make sure you have selected to open each folder in the same window.

To do this in Vista, Open a folder and then click on 'Organize' then on the drop down menu click on 'Folder and Search Options'. Then look in the Browse Folders part of the General Tab and make sure you have selected to open each folder in the same window.

If its not selected, then select it to open each folder in the same window, then click OK.

Solution 2:

If your folders are still opening in a new window then right click a folder and see what the default action is. You should see the word 'Open' in bold. If it is in bold, and your windows are still opening in a new window, then go to solution 3, If 'Explore' is bold, then keep reading.

To restore 'Open' as the default action, open up the Folder Options window using the steps in Solution 1, then click on the 'File Types' tab. At this point Windows will scan for all known file types, so your computer may slow down or lock up for a minute. Once the file list comes up, you should see the list of files types. To set 'Open' as the default action:
1: Click the file type 'File Folder'
2: Click the 'Advanced' button
3: Select 'Open'
4: Click 'Set Default'
5: Click 'OK'

Follow the same steps for the 'Folder' file type.

Hopefully this has fixed your problem. If it hasn't then we have to dive into the registry.

Solution 3:

IMPORTANT: You about to edit the registry. Everything you do will be applied immediately and with out confirmation! There is no undo or Ctrl+Z in the registry! Before you do anything , please back it up by clicking on start>run type 'regedit.exe' and hit enter. Click File, Export and save it somewhere.

The last way to fix this problem is to click on Start, then run, type 'regedit' and hit enter (Vista users click Start and type regedit and hit enter). Back up the registry, then open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT node (open it by clicking the + sign next to it, or just double click the node) then open 'Directory' and then click 'shell'. in the right pane, double click the word '(Default)' and in 'Value Data' part of the 'Edit String' box and type in 'NONE'.

Click OK and exit the Registry Editor, then open a folder and then a folder within it. If you still have one window open then you fixed the problem!

Better Dual Boot

2008-05-22T21:35:00.002-04:00

Running Windows XP or Vista and your favorite Linux distribution on the same computer is great. That is, until you're in the middle of a lot of work in one OS, and need access to a program that only runs on the other OS.

Thankfully if an Ubuntu user has this problem, they can fix it by following the directions in these two posts on the VentureCake site:

15 Minutes to using your existing Windows install & apps in Ubuntu

10 minutes to run every Windows app on your Ubuntu desktop

But what are Windows users to do? Well, you can simply enable hibernation on your computer and then you'll be in the land of dual boot bliss.

XP users can enable hibernation by going to the Control Panel, clicking on Power Options, click the Hibernate tab, and check the Enable Hibernation box.

Vista users can click Start, and type in powercfg.exe /hibernate on then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to run the command as administrator. if your have UAC active, then you will have to approve the action.

Now to switch Operating Systems, put your computer on into hibernation, then bring is back from hibernation and select your Linux distro from the boot menu

Boot in to Linux, and have fun. To return to windows, restart and choose Windows from the boot menu and Windows will resume from hibernation!

note: You can't access your Windows partition or Windows hard drive from Linux if you use this method.

Update: You can access all of your Windows files simply by mounting your Windows partition as read only. To do this, open up a terminal and run the following command:

sudo mount -t ntfs /dev/sda1 /media/Windows -o ro

If you have Windows installed on the first partition of your first hard drive, then the command will mount your partition as read only and you should see a drive icon on your desktop for that partition. When working with files on your Windows partition, remember that it is mounted as read only and that you won't be able to save files directly. If you have EXT2/EXT2 drivers for Windows installed (available here is you don't), then you can save any edited files to your Linux desktop, and then move them once you boot back in to windows. If you don't use EXT2/EXT3 for the file system in Linux, then you can just save the edited files to a flash drive.

Important:

2008-05-18T21:25:00.001-04:00

The blog is current undergoing a template upgrade so if things look or act weird, please ignore it. Thank you.

Hot Air Apps

2008-05-17T20:45:00.001-04:00

Adobe AIR is a great program that was released at the end of February. AIR stands for Adobe Integrated Runtime and is a very versatile runtime environment that uses Flash, Flex, HTML and Ajax. Because it is compatible with four programming languages, there are many great looking programs for it and most of them are cross platform, so they'll work with Windows, OS X and Linux! Today I'll show you the ones that are the most useful. Click the programs picture to go the the publishers website.

Shrink O'Matic

Shrink O'Matic is an easy to use batch image resizer. It handles JPGs, GIFs and PNGs. Just drag and drop the images, set your options and presto chango! The images are resized.

Snacker

Snacker is a RSS ticker that pulls random items from your feeds and scrolls them across your desktop. When you see a title that looks interesting, you can click on it to pop up the item in a window.

YouTube Air Widget

Get YouTube delivered right to your desktop! Browse through the top

rated or favorites videos, or search for videos directly from the widget. The search panel can be minimized / maximized by clicking on the arrow.

ImageDropr

ImageDropr is a new tool for uploading your images to flickr. This application takes a unique approach towards preparing your content, titles, tags, etc. by creating tools that expedite this process. You will simply drag your images into the application at which time your global flickr tags are automatically applied. You may then add additional tags to the entire upload set or click into the image's settings to further customize the image properties. Next, just click the upload button and get per image and overall upload status feedback. Finally, review all of your uploads in the upload log

Doomi

Doomi was designed from the ground up to stay out of your way and out of your browser. It has all the features you use, and none of the ones you don’t. Create, edit, set reminders, and keep archives of your old tasks.

LOLCats

An application that was made to allow you to view LolCats outside of the browser. Retrieves the 10 most recently posted LolCats from icanhascheezburger.com

There are many more Adobe AIR programs available and most of them are very useable. You can browse them all >here<

Toshiba Disk Drive Stops Working

2008-05-16T16:14:00.001-04:00

Today I had the joy of fixing a problem caused by one of Vistas buggy drivers. Apparently it is very common for the DVD drives Toshiba Laptops to corrupt their own driver and stop working. Usually these types of problems can be fixed by clicking 'Start' and right clicking on 'Computer' and selecting 'Manage'. The Computer Management opens and from their you can click on 'Device Manager' select the device and uninstall the driver. Reboot and Windows will reinstall it.

Of course, the Toshiba DVD drives have to be more complicated. To fix them you have to remove their upper and lower filters from the registry. If your DVD drive has stopped working, try the steps below to fix it:

You can right click and save the picture for future reference. Hope this helps.

Sidenote: the drive I had problems with was a Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-K1A ATA

UAC Bypasser

2008-05-16T15:04:00.001-04:00

Fed up with the UAC asking you every time you want to run one of your favorite programs that you know is safe? Well now their is a way to bypass the UAC on a per program basis.

Martin Zugec realized that the UAC doesn't prompt scheduled programs to run, so he made a script that automatically elevates what ever program you are trying to run, by running it as a scheduled task.