The StickyThis can help you:
"StickyThis allows you to turn a hard to remember URL like this:
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hl=
en&q=10+market+st,+san+francisco&f
=q&ll=37.792321,-122.395978&spn=0
.020823,0.053558&om=1
Into something easy to remember like this:
http://stickythis.com/directions
This new URL can then be used by anyone, anywhere!"
tag: Stickythis, software
"YouOS is an experiment in a new kind of computing platform.
* Access from anywhere.
Create a document at an office computer, drive home, continue right from where you left off.
* Built-in sharing.
Instantly share music, documents and more with your buddies.
* An application community.
Everyone from professional software engineers to high school age programmers can participate at no cost. Choose from a growing list of over 514 released applications developed by our users."
tag: software, youos, web, os, operating system
Here is the key: Create Fake Magazine's covers.
It's VERY cool stuff! You can paste your photo to the magazine's front page with your name and a title, and you can print it.
tag: software, fake, magazine, cool, stuff, front page
"Hideu.net is your one stop source for accessing websites that are banned. School or workplace banned your favourite website? You need not worry, Hideu.net is here to solve precisely that! We encode the website URLs you are accessing so you are getting to them through our server, meaning that you can access sites that would otherwise be banned!
To use Hideu, simply:
1. Enter the URL of the website you wish to access in the URL box below
2. Click Browse!
3. Enjoy a website that you'd otherwise be banned from!"
tag: Hideu.net, banned, banned website, software
Everybody can search sounds with this great search engine. I found this site with the StumbleUpon.
You can click on any link there to perform a search, or You can enter one or more words in the search box, and then click "Search".
You can find here the sounds of the alligators or the sounds of Jurassic Park too.
It's very amusing. I have three little kids and they love this sounds!
tag: findsounds, sound search, searching, search engine, search, sound
I've found a possible practical utilization for Google Map: it's called YourGMap
What is it?
"YourGMap Examples:
* A map of store locations embedded into another website
* Back from a trip? Show your friends where you went!
* Make a map of your favorite restaurants!
* Office locations around the world"
By the Author:
"About this Service
YourGMap is great for two kinds of users:
* Anyone who needs to an easy way to create a map and send to their friends,
* Web designers who want to add interactive maps to their client's websites.
The Google Maps API is great for creating powerful map-based applications, but requires JavaScript skills. YourGMap offers a simpler way."
"I had the idea for this site when I was looking for a place to cash my traveller's checks in New York City. When I googled for AmEx offices, the only page that came up was a simple address list. A native New Yorker knows each corner of Manhattan by heart and could instantly figure out which office is closest. For me, a map would have been better. Hopefully, people will use this tool to fill the web with beautiful maps instead of address lists."
tag: Google Map, YourGMap, map
A very nice stuff: Mailinator
My mailbox is always full of the spams, I hate them, and here is the key to the spamfree world! :)
"Here is how it works: You are on the web, at a party, or talking to your favorite insurance salesman. Wherever you are, someone (or some webpage) asks for your email. You know if you give it, you're gambling with your privacy. On the other hand, you do want at least one message from that person. The answer is to give them a mailinator address. You don't need to sign-up. You just make it up on the spot. Pick schminky@mailinator.com or funwump123@mailinator.com — pick anything you want.
Later, come to this site and check that account. Its that easy. Mailinator accounts are created when mail arrives for them. No signup, no personal information, and when you're done — you can walk away — an instant solution to one way spammers get your address. It's an anti-spam solution for everyone. Your temporary email account will be automatically deleted for you after a few hours."
tag: Mailinator, email, spam, spamfree
My favorite startpage is www.pageflakes.comwww.pageflakes.com from now on! I have found it today. and I like it very much. I can set in one page my email, favorite feeds, blogs, my address book, local weather information, to-do-list, news and much more. I can search here with Google or Yahoo! and it's absolutely free. I can set my favorite template, and can make public it. There is a good community and forum too . Try it! You will like it.
"What is Pageflakes?
Pageflakes is your personalized startpage on the Internet. Your address book, local weather information, to-do-list, news, blogs and much more – all on one page that you can access from anywhere.
Why should I use Pageflakes?
Until now you had to go to different web sites to check your email, start Web searches, get weather information and so on. With Pageflakes, everything you need is on one page! You can also use Pageflakes to keep up with your favorite blogs and news feeds. And best of all, it's free!"
tag: Pageflakes, startpage, free, address book, weather information, todo list, news, blog, search, email
One of the top Firefox (and IE) extensions: StumbleUpon!
By the web site:
"Channel surf the internet for great websites, videos, pictures, games and more!
Get personalized recommendations according to your interests
Rate, review and share what you find
Keep an online history of the things you've Stumbled
No adware or spyware guaranteed."
And it's really true.
tag: StumbleUpon, free, Firefox, Internet Explorer, extension
A fantastic and free stuff to surf the internet anonymously: Torpark. Download and try it!
"Download Torpark and put it on a USB Flash keychain. Plug it into any internet terminal whether at home, school, or public. Run Torpark.exe and it will launch a Tor circuit connection, which creates an encrypted tunnel from your computer indirectly to a Tor exit computer, allowing you to surf the internet anonymously. How much does Torpark cost? IT'S FREE."
tag: free, free stuff, Torpark, Internet, anonymously, USB, USB Flash, keychain, Microsoft, Windows
Computerworld's opinion about Vista's Pros and Cons
tag: Computerworld, Vista, Windows
Helipad is an online notepad with useful features:
* "Unobtrusive auto-save: set a timer to save automatically so you don't lose your work
* Organise your documents with tags
* Quickly find documents with a live-search on every page
* Customise your Helipad with themes and plugins
* Share your documents with friends
* Prepare documents for print by changing fonts"
It's cool! Try it!
tag: Helipad, online notepad, notepad
Lot's of people emigrated to the USA between 1820 and 1960. And now everybody can search in the emigrated people's list. It's free through November 30th.
Search>>>
Open DNS (free domain name service) speeds up the web surfing sessions and protects you from phishing sites. It provides free DNS server addresses.
OpenDNS
tag: OpenDNS, free protect, phishing sites, speed up
Now You can update your blog via email. It works with Blogger, LiveJournal, WordPress and with all popular blogging software, but I can't install it with Beta Blogger.
BlogMailr
tag: Blogger, Wordpress, LiveJournal, Blogmailr, blog via email
Skype 3.0 Beta for Windows is released. It offers an improved interface and some new features...
Download Skype 3.0 Beta
tag: Skype, Beta, Windows, download
By Low Jeremy
With digital technology at the forefront of every camera that you will see in the market today, it is not surprising that alongside this trend is the increase in the number of graphic tools for computers.
Now, not only do photographers have the ability to adjust the look of the pictures that they take with their digital cameras, they also have the necessary tools that will help them add more effects and create a whole new picture from the photographs that they have taken.
Below are just some of the best graphic tools and software in the market that photographers, both amateur and professional, will sure love.
Adobe Photoshop
This is perhaps the most popular and most reliable software in the market. It is widely used not only in businesses and commercial establishments but also at home. This software is remarkably easy to use and very useful. Because of its wide range of functions, there are but a few that this software cannot do, if there are any! It is one of the most flexible tools available for photographers.
Among the features that make this a stand out is the layering masks, the adjustment layers, the history brush and the layering effects, which is highly useful especially when doing multiple adjustments. Users can also make adjustments or corrections without changing the original composition of the photograph. The most recent version is the Adobe CS, which will run both in Windows and Mac.
Wacom’s Graphire3 Tablet
Because of its more ergonomic feel, this software is also a winner for digital graphic artists as well as photographers. Although, this is not as easy to use as the Adobe Photoshop, it is still comfortable to work with.
With this software, artists need not use the mouse to make adjustments. They will be using a special pen pointer which will come in handy especially when drawing a particular image or retouching a photo. This is very ideal for digital artists that deal mainly with retouching because the pointer will work best in these situations. Like Adobe, this software will also run on Windows and Mac.
Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9
Although it is often likened to the Photoshop, having basically the same range of functions, Graphic experts feel that it has a long way to go. Still, compared to its earlier versions, the Pro 9 is a definite winners, with its streamlined space and new tools and effects. Another really great feature is the option for personalization. This runs only in Windows.
Low Jeremy maintains http://digital-photography.articlesforreprint.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Low_Jeremy
By Carolyn Clayton
With advancing technology of computers and the internet more and more people self employed and setting up businesses from home. If your business is lucky enough to be growing rapidly you may have trouble keeping a track of all your finances.
The best way forward would be to look at buying some accounting software. This will make managing your accounts and finances a lot easier and will save lots of time.
Choosing the right accounting software is very important to each individual business.
The trouble with this is the amount of available software on the market. They range in price and the more expensive are not necessarily the more effective or user friendly.
To find the very best software you need to evaluate what your particular business needs are. Accounting software such as Pegasus Opera II makes online filing and accounting easy. Because filling and accounting takes a lot of time, Pegasus Opera II is a great business software solution which will save a lot of hours which could be better utilised within the business.
One of the leading providers for financial management is the Pegasus Accountancy Software; it is software that has an in-depth understanding for the small and medium-sized business market. Pegasus software is always evolving because of their active involvement in future technology. They are continually enhancing their product with user requirements in mind and with the latest legislation.
If you choose to use Pegasus it can help you run your business much more effectively. It will keep an eye on the day to day running of your business so as to allow you do spend your time more productively. Up until recently accounting systems were very complicated and had inflexible reporting tools. Pegasus makes reporting a lot easier with seamless integration, great reporting power, ease of use, accuracy and security. It is also the ideal solution for complicated payroll procedures.
The Pegasus Opera II Financials will give you the integrated tools to fully control your business and can help you drive it forward. It can help you keep track and analyse key information which can improve productivity and help you make informed strategic decisions.
So when making a decision on which accounting software to use make sure you take a look at Pegasus Accounting software reviews as you will find them to be one of the best if not the best.
Carolyn is the webmaster of Synergy Technology a leading UK reseller of Pegasus Opera accounting software.
This article is free to republish provided this resource box remains intact.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Clayton
By Rob Pirozzi
Beginning in the Zhou Dynasty, which was in the 11th century BC, construction was begun on what was to become the Great Wall of China. For 2,700 years, culminating in the mid-1600s, construction continued on the wall until it stretched 4,163 miles from east to west China. The wall was constructed to prevent invasion by other states of China and outer tribes. An interesting fact is that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object that can be seen from space.
When you connect your PC to the Internet either through cable, dial-up, or DSL, it is like China prior to the Great Wall. Anyone can invade your PC, and plunder, pillage, and destroy content on your PC. A firewall acts just like the Great Wall of China. When installed, it acts as a barrier between your PC and the outside world. It prevents unwanted and unauthorized access to your PC over your Internet connection.
Firewalls come in two basic forms:
Hardware firewalls - hardware firewalls are a piece of hardware, like a PC, that gets installed between your PC and your Internet connection. Literally, a cable from your cable or DSL modem gets connected to the hardware firewall. Another cable is connected from the hardware firewall to your PC. When done, the hardware firewall acts as a barrier between your PC and the Internet. It lets you get out to the Internet, but it does not allow unauthorized access from the Internet to your PC. Many cable, DSL, and wireless routers/switches have firewalls built into them.
Software firewalls - A software firewall serves the same purpose as a hardware firewall. It, however, is software that gets installed directly onto your PC. The software monitors all inbound and outbound Internet traffic, and creates a software barrier between the Internet port into your PC and everything else on your PC. Once installed, it lets you get out to the Internet, but it does not allow unauthorized access from the Internet to your PC. Software firewalls have an advantage in that they can implement rigid controls over what software installed on your PC will be allowed to access the Internet.
Many people use both a hardware firewall and a software firewall. It is similar to having a fence to protect access to your yard, and then a front door to protect access to your house. Everyone should use at least one firewall, hardware or software. If you have a laptop, you should use a software firewall. That way the firewall goes with you, wherever you go, protecting your PC.
Rob Pirozzi is a freelance writer who provides timely, quality professional writing of all types. He is also the publisher of the web site NuttyAboutSports.com, a web site dedicated to fans of popular North American Sports, including baseball, basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, motor sports, softball, soccer, and tennis!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Pirozzi
by: Dina Fedorova
Word processing and spreadsheets were the first of the killer apps for home computers when PCs first started to propagate to the millions of households out there. Then, there were Internet Browsers that took everyone by storm. So what are the hot categories and hot products now? There are more products then ever out there for the home shopper and many of them not that good. We looked over many, many different products and product categories to find the best home products, the hot home product categories, and the best software products period. The list is neither exhaustive nor scientific, but the products listed here are definitely great! If you have a computer at home, take a look at these products!
The Hot Product Categories
When searching reviews and products out there on the web some of these categories were not the top on my list, but nevertheless, they are not only out there, but getting a lot of attention. Here are ten top selling software categories for the home computer:
* Home design and gardening software
* Spyware and Adware
* Family Tree Legends
* Video Sharing
* Website builders
* Speech to text conversion
* Parental control and Internet filtering
* Disk-imaging utilities
* Spam Blockers
* Internet Security
Top 10 Best Software Products
The home software market has never had so many choices and for the categories listed above there are too many products to mention. Below are ten standout products for each of these areas.
* Home design and gardening software - Home Designer Pro 7.0
* Spyware and Adware - CounterSpy 1.5
* Family Tree Legends - Family Tree Legend 5.0
* Video Sharing - Grouper
* Website builders – SiteMaker
* Speech to text conversion – Dragon Naturally Speaking 8
* Parental control and Internet filtering – ContentProtect 2.0
* Disk-imaging utility - Acronis True Image
* Spam - Cloudmark Desktop
* Internet Security - ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6
The information about Home Software Programs presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about Home Software Programs or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.
For each of these products there are additional information in the following articles. Take a look at these home software products!
Below are some things to watch for in 2006, some of them are good and, unfortunately, some aren’t.
First the good news:
- We are getting a lot more serious about our security. This has a lot of reasons behind it. For example, new privacy laws are mandating organizations to tighten their security. Look to see more consumer privacy laws passed in the coming year and more tightening of security systems.
- Authentication requirements are increasing. This is closing in large security holes. Corporations are requiring a great deal more of authentication to get into secure systems (this also is on the bad news side)
- There is a plethora of sophisticated programs to help us be more secure and they will continue to get better. Competition right now is strong in the security industry sparking a lot of innovation.
- ISPs are now taking on the responsibility to help us with our security. Take AOL's recent commercials as a good sign that others will follow the trend.
Now the bad news:
- Securing our networks is costing us. Most companies are globalizing their organizations and making them secure costs a lot of money. It will get worse before it gets better.
- Authentication requirements are increasing. This is getting claustrophobic. Corporations are requiring a great deal more authentication to get into secure systems (This is also on the good news side) Unfortunately, for the end user, it is one more thing to be unhappy about, not unlike airport security lines.
- Hackers are getting more sophisticated. For example, Botnets are becoming more complex and harder and harder to catch and stop. Do a search on botnets on the Internet. They really are causing a whole lot of problems, but it does not stop there. The number of viruses and malware out there is staggering.
- Spammers keep finding more creative ways to fill our email boxes. Don't look for this trend to stop anytime soon.
So now you know a little bit about Home Software Programs. Even if you don't know everything, you've done something worthwhile: you've expanded your knowledge.
About The Author
Dina Fedorova, finding a Home Business that's Right for You.Visit my site and download "Dotcomology:The Science of Making Money online". Absolutely Free at: http://www.Net-Plus-Profit.com 3 Easy Steps to Make money Online: http://www.Net-Plus-Profit.com/pips.htmlFor more information please visit : http://successuniversity.com.
tag: software, design, spy, video, builder, text, spam, security
By Bob Hett
Technology continues to make giant steps forward. Technology has made it possible to burn your own CDs and DVDs, without resorting to expensive equipment or outrageous charges. Now, anyone can make their own personal music CD with their favorite songs. You can also clone your DVDs so that you have a backup copy or to distribute copies to others. For business people, CD burning is the ultimate way to backup their daily information to prevent it from loss.
The good news is that there are lots of free CD burning software offers widely available on the Internet. Any search will provide you with dozens of choices for free CD burning software. However, the downside is that all of them are actually free trials, and if you want to continue burning CD or DVDs after about 30 days, you must pay for the service. The prices are reasonable, though, and won’t set you back a small fortune. You can comparison shop among the various downloads and find the perfect one for you, then take a trial run and make sure it is actually the one you want before you plunk down any hard, cold money. Plus, they usually come with a thirty-day guarantee, so you can be sure you are getting what you want for your hard-earned cash. It is a very risk-free way to burn your own CDs or DVDs. It is a great idea for both individuals and businesses.
These online CD replication services are a simple download that anyone can do. The programs are user-friendly for beginners, but also extremely customizable for the experienced person, as well. Many of them integrate easily with Windows Explorer so that you don’t have to create image files or do any other fancy footwork before burning your CD. You simply download the free trial, insert your CD into your PC and burn away. It couldn’t be easier.
Many of these websites that offer free CD replication software also offer some other interesting choices, too. For instance, you can get a free trial of a CD label maker to add class and style to your CDs. Once you try it, you will probably have to add it to your software library along with the CD burning software. Other great software downloads include DVD cloning software that provides perfect copying of DVDs with no distortions.
Once again, technology is making our lives easier and a lot more interesting by allowing the average person to experience the personal thrill of burning their own CD. With the money back guarantees and the great free trial periods, it is the perfect way to give this new type of technology and try for personal or business needs before making a purchase.
Bob Hett offers great tips and advice regarding all aspects of CD DVD Duplication
Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.cdduplicationcenter.info
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Hett
By Scott Heath
Of all the files taking up storage space on your computer or server, PowerPoint® (PPT) presentation files require more storage space than almost any other file type. Photographic and other images require huge amounts of storage space because of their complex nature. Most PPT presentations are filled with these images, resulting in the need for extensive storage requirements. Additionally, files of this size are often too large to email, or take a huge amount of time to transmit via internet or intranet.
To remedy the extra costs associated with PPT files, compression software applications have been developed by many different IT and software companies. The goal is obviously to shrink the storage, backup storage, and transmission time requirements usually associated with PPT files.
When shopping for PPT compression software, it is important to keep a couple of things in mind. Though compression of large PPT files is the primary objective you want the format, functionality and integrity of your original PPT file to remain intact. Your choice of compression software should be based on the following factors:
• Ease of use – Does the software work independently? Can the average person use the compression software? Will any part of the file need manual adjustment, even using the compression software? If the software requires additional plug-ins, expert knowledge to use it, you may be defeating the purpose of your purchase.
• Quality vs. compression ratio – Some compression software applications will cause distortion or deterioration of the quality of your PPT file content at higher compression ratios. Though a 55% or 62% compression rate with no discernible quality loss may sound good, a 95% compression rate with no distortion is a much better return on your investment.
• Simple, automatic process – Look for PPT compression software that performs the task automatically, without requiring "zipping" or "unzipping" of files. This saves time at both the sending and receiving points of the transmission line.
Compressing PPT files creates much more manageable, more easily transferable files. You will be able to reclaim large amounts of existing storage space. You'll experience improved network efficiency and performance because traffic loads on LANS and WANS are reduced. Smaller PPT files reduce backup storage requirements and result in accelerated email and internet transfers.
There's no question that PPT compression software will enhance worker productivity and provide solutions for storage, backup and transfer issues, saving your organization time and money. The size of your ROI will depend on which compression software package you choose; research carefully, take advantage of free trial downloads, and compare product features before making your final decision.
Copyright (c) 2006 Scott Heath
http://www.powerpointcompression.com is one of the leading authorities on compressing power points. Also affiliated with http://www.bossdev.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Heath
By Kevin Stith
While complex audio-video conferencing installations may be expensive, there are audio-video conferencing software applications that can be downloaded from the Internet at no cost. This is particularly beneficial for smaller companies or other organizations that wish to take advantage of the benefits of audio-video conferencing.
Free audio-video conferencing software applications can be downloaded from Web sites that provide downloads in different categories such as software, music and video. The audio-video conferencing software applications are most likely to be found under the technical software category.
There are a few tips to keep in mind before downloading certain audio-conference software. You need to determine where the audio-video conferencing facility will be used. In most cases, free software is only applicable for small-time companies or organizations because of technical limitations.
Secondly, you may want to read posted reviews or ratings of the software. Download sites often include feedback forums for each featured software application. You may want to peruse comments from other users first before selecting an audio-video conferencing program to download. Aside from this, some download Web sites also feature a short description of the application software. This description usually provides a background on the preferred usage of the application and its limitations. Reading this description may help you determine if the application suits your needs.
It also helps to check the technical requirements of the featured software application. Free audio-video conferencing software usually requires an operating system of Windows 98 or higher. In addition, the user should check the estimated download time of the application. Free audio-video conferencing software applications have an average size of 330 KB. Depending on your connection speed, the download time may take between five minutes to an hour.
Shareware audio-video conferencing software applications can also be temporary. This means that the software can only be used without charge for a certain period of time. Hosting companies call this a trial period. Consider this option if you plan to buy a permanent and more advanced audio-video conferencing software application in the future.
Audio Conferences provides detailed information on Audio Conferences, Audio Conference Calls, Audio Conference Companies, Audio Conference Services and more. Audio Conferences is affiliated with Online Audio Conferencing.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Stith
By A Singh
The best anti-spam software is the one that gives you your privacy. Ideally, an anti-spam device should be the one that delivers only the emails you want, and blocks 100 percent of the emails you do not want. This, though, is never going to be possible. Spammers are always one step ahead, and the manufacturers of anti-spam filter tries to catch up.
Most anti-spam solution can be customized to your needs, and only the approved emails come into your inbox. Such software always presumes that all the incoming emails are spam, and only allow those, from the people you know, to come in.
Benefits of Anti Spam Software
Let us look at some of the benefits and features of anti-spam software:
Blocking Spam – Certain anti-spam solutions not only block specific email addresses, but also look for subject lines and text in the email messages. You can arrange to block incoming emails based on senders, and also if your email address is not in the recipient field.
Automatic Filter Updates – Most software programs for filtering Spam come with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of filters built in. In addition, companies offering these software release new anti-spam filters regularly. This ensures that your anti-spam software is always up-to-date.
Creating Custom Filters – Some anti-spam programs allow you to create your own filters, depending on the spam you receive.
Quarantining Spam – Anti-spam filters automatically quarantine the spam emails, ensuring your inbox is spam free. Such quarantined emails are held for a fixed number of days, say 30 days or so, and then dumped. The delay allows you to check and recover any legitimate email that may have been quarantined.
Your Personal Whitelist – A feature in certain anti-spam software allows you to maintain a ‘friendly’ list of people whose emails you wish to accept. These emails are never mistaken for spam as against the blacklist of spammers. You can always update your ‘whitelist,’ as and when you wish to.
Monitoring Multiple Accounts – Other than deleting spam from your email account, this feature allows you to monitor and filter your email from multiple accounts. It allows you to filter your home email from work, and vice versa.
Reporting Spam – There is an option in certain anti-spam software to report back to the company supplying the program. This allows the companies to develop new filters based on the analysis of the reported spam.
Some anti-spam software allow you to block attachments. Certain executable attachments could damage your computer.
Emails have become a very popular way of advertising, and it is time that you start filtering your emails, to avoid spam. Most software available can be customized to suit your requirements, whether they are the home or the business versions. Get a Spam Filter now to block spam mails.
Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Window Cleaner, Anti Spam Filter etc. More information can be found at Anti Spam Filter Resources and Anti Spam Filter
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Singh
By Khoj Badami
Does your Windows XP take ages to load? Does it do EACH AND EVERY little thing slowly? Are you absolutely sick of the slow speed? Then you have come to the right article! Congratulations!
In this article we will show you how you can get rid of all the “fluff” in Windows XP, and really speed it up! You see, Windows XP is made to look very pretty. All the buttons are stylish, and everything slides out smoothly etc. But, because of all this style, the computer can start to run very slowly. In this article we will show you how you can get rid of all the style and have a really fast Windows XP.
I know, that the system will not be “pretty” anymore. But wait till you see how fast it goes! You will never look back again…
To get rid of all the “fluff” and style, you will have to use the “Performance Options” dialog box in XP. It’s tricky to find it if you do not know exactly where to look!
To display the "Performance Options" dialog box, click Start > right-click My Computer, and choose Properties.
If your system is configured to have a My Computer icon on the desktop, you could right-click it, if you prefer. Either way, the System Properties dialog box comes up!
In the "Advanced" tab click the "Settings" button under the "Performance" section and the "Performance Options" window will open.
There are tabs in the Performance Options dialog box, each covering distinct areas of performance. We are interested in the “Visual Effects” tab. This is the tab the will let you control the “style”.
I bet you never gave much thought to the “visual effects” used in Windows XP. Most people don’t; the effects are very subtle. Just little things, like shadows in key places or screen objects that slide smoothly or fade as they’re no longer needed. Visual effects can rob a system of its performance.
Some people might like the windows visual effects and want to keep them. But if you are a serious user, you probably don’t care about visual effects. You want speed. You can use the Visual Effects tab to remove all the unnecessary visual effects and speed up your system.
The Visual Effects tab on the Performance Options dialog box is where you control what effects you want Windows to display. Do so by selecting or deselecting the check boxes.
Some of the visual effects options art explained here:
Let Windows Choose What’s Best for My Computer: By default, this is selected. If you would rather dictate what Windows does, select one of the other radio buttons.
Adjust for Best Appearance: This options selects all the visual effects.
Adjust for Best Performance: This option turns off all visual effects.
Custom: To turn individual effects on and off at your will, select this option. Then you can select or de-select the individual checkboxes to have or remove particular visual effects.
We recommend that you do not use any visual effects if you really want speed. This speeds up the system a lot.
After you have made the changes to the settings, take your comp for a test drive! How is it? It’s a whole lot faster isn’t it?
Note: There are some other "Performance Options" under the "Advanced" tab that I recommend that you do not touch unless you know exactly what you are doing!
This article is a part of the "How to speed up your Windows XP?" article that you can find if you visit http://www.indiahowto.com a website that provides in-depth "How to.." articles on many different subjects.
The complete article can be found here.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Khoj_Badami
tag: speed, up, windows, xp, software, startup, boot, speed, faster, fast, slow
By Mike Budra
Getting rid of the pesky spyware and adware from your Pc can be frustrating.But, there are easy steps you can take to make the job more effective. The first thing you will want to do is make sure you have the newest, most up-to-date anti-spyware scanning program on the market. But before you run a scan, shut down all windows and applications (including any open email apps) and then disconnect your computer from the internet. The easiest way to do this is to disconnect the phone line or cable that connects your computer to the modem.Now, step 2….
The second thing you will want to do is scan the computer system. You do this by running your anti-spyware scanning program and allow it to remove any adware or spyware that it finds. Then you reboot the computer, regardless of weather you were prompted to do so by the spyware program. After its done scanning, scan it again.But, do not reconnect to the internet just yet. If it still shows any signs of bugs, allow it to remove all the bugs and then reboot again.
A lot of times adware and spyware vendors will use files that work to keep the infection active no matter how hard you try and remove it. Sometimes even your adware/spyware scanner programs can’t even remove them. Another way to help with the removal is to run in Safe Mode. When booting up in Safe Mode, this allows only the most essential processes to be activated. And while doing this it will ensure that the vast majority of adware/spyware files will be killed, but it doesn’t guarantee it. Once you are up and running in safe mode, open your anti-spyware program and allow it to run a complete scan, thus allowing it to remove any last traces of infections found.
After you have removed all active infections, you will have to make sure it doesn’t reinfest when you are connecting back to the internet. After the scan is finished, reset any and all home pages and browsers. Go to the add/remove programs and check and see if there are any applications that are associated with the adware/spyware and if so, uninstall it /them. Make sure that no HOSTS files have been hijacked and that no unwanted websites have been added to your Trusted Sites.
After completing all of the above steps, reconnect your DSL or phone line to your computer, reboot as you normally would and access the Internet.
To find out more on removing harmful adware and spyware and other PC problems visit pcsolutionsonline.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Budra
tag: adware, spyware, software, computers, removal
By Rob Pirozzi
Beginning in the Zhou Dynasty, which was in the 11th century BC, construction was begun on what was to become the Great Wall of China. For 2,700 years, culminating in the mid-1600s, construction continued on the wall until it stretched 4,163 miles from east to west China. The wall was constructed to prevent invasion by other states of China and outer tribes. An interesting fact is that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object that can be seen from space.
When you connect your PC to the Internet either through cable, dial-up, or DSL, it is like China prior to the Great Wall. Anyone can invade your PC, and plunder, pillage, and destroy content on your PC. A firewall acts just like the Great Wall of China. When installed, it acts as a barrier between your PC and the outside world. It prevents unwanted and unauthorized access to your PC over your Internet connection.
Firewalls come in two basic forms:
Hardware firewalls - hardware firewalls are a piece of hardware, like a PC, that gets installed between your PC and your Internet connection. Literally, a cable from your cable or DSL modem gets connected to the hardware firewall. Another cable is connected from the hardware firewall to your PC. When done, the hardware firewall acts as a barrier between your PC and the Internet. It lets you get out to the Internet, but it does not allow unauthorized access from the Internet to your PC. Many cable, DSL, and wireless routers/switches have firewalls built into them.
Software firewalls - A software firewall serves the same purpose as a hardware firewall. It, however, is software that gets installed directly onto your PC. The software monitors all inbound and outbound Internet traffic, and creates a software barrier between the Internet port into your PC and everything else on your PC. Once installed, it lets you get out to the Internet, but it does not allow unauthorized access from the Internet to your PC. Software firewalls have an advantage in that they can implement rigid controls over what software installed on your PC will be allowed to access the Internet.
Many people use both a hardware firewall and a software firewall. It is similar to having a fence to protect access to your yard, and then a front door to protect access to your house. Everyone should use at least one firewall, hardware or software. If you have a laptop, you should use a software firewall. That way the firewall goes with you, wherever you go, protecting your PC.
Rob Pirozzi is a freelance writer who provides timely, quality professional writing of all types. He is also the publisher of the web site NuttyAboutSports.com, a web site dedicated to fans of popular North American Sports, including baseball, basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, motor sports, softball, soccer, and tennis!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Pirozzi
tag: firewall, firewall software, computer security, personal computer security
Playing QuickTime Movies on PC PowerPoint
By Andrew Williamson
Not as easy as it sounds, and to be honest, not having QuickTime readily available on the PC side is very frustrating. Since there is no support for QuickTime in PC PowerPoint, you are seriously limited in the role and use of content available to the general user. Limited, that is, in the narrow sense that if you're bringing content over from the Mac and also in the wider sense, if you have a slide show to present numerous times and find performance variable.
What do I mean by ‘variable performance?’ Well, imagine that you've got a series of nice high quality slides and you want a rolling slideshow with specific timing and you also want to play it along to some music. Then imagine that you want the slides to start for a specific duration and then change the duration to match the music right on the beat. You want your slide changes to be accurate and what's more, you want the show to run accurately every time.
Now suppose you have a Celeron running XP and Office 2003, do you get it to run accurately every time? Not if you do something differently in your workflow over a couple of sessions, such as, for example, run a few programmes and documents before your presentation. Now your RAM may be used up - if you have a Celeron, it is a good chance you may have less than a Gig of RAM and you have to think about what you do.
Also if you want to get the images and the slides to match your timing exactly, and do so repeatedly, you are relying on PowerPoint's tracking and the PC's ability to deliver the tracking and one or both of these could be subject to conditions and circumstances.
What's a good way round this? Put your slideshow and music in a pre-fixed arrangement that is already tagged and held in check one track to another - like a video format that has a soundtrack and a video track. If you can play the movie, you get the full experience every time.
Video is a very demanding proposition even for the best computers today, whether they be Mac or PC, video, that is, when you are creating or editing or capturing or applying special effects.
Video, when you are just playing back doesn't demand too much though, particularly if you are reading from the hard disc and not from a CD.
So you could really do with movie formats in PowerPoint – it has to be mentioned here that you can use other formats like Windows Media and AVI but – and this is arguable - they’re not so good as QuickTime and also, if you have the full range of content creation tools that are available to generate QuickTime movies such as Final Cut Pro, Motion and After Effects, you want to take advantage of what they have to offer.
At this point a ‘PC-only’ user will object that Windows Media is just as good as QuickTime and say something like: why don't you get 'Flip for Mac' which plugs into FCP etc an allows you to generate Windows media directly from the Export dialogue?
The answer to that is, 'Yes you can do that, but you'd have to pay for and download 'Flip for Mac' and there’s a free way to use QuickTime which is still, in my opinion more flexible.
By the way, you can do all the necessary chicanery on a PC; you don't even have to have a Mac if you're that bothered about these things. Personally, I wouldn't want to go down that road but its there for those that want it.
What you need to do on either platform is open up QuickTime Pro. Pro is the unlocked version of the standard QuickTime player and you can buy a key to unlock it from Apple for around £20 or so! You can get ‘Pro’ for both Mac and PC as I said before.
Now open your movie in QuickTime Pro and go File>Save As and save a reference version of your movie. A reference version is (a) 'not self contained' version, and is just a header or pointer for the main version. Ideally these will be in the same folder and should stay together in there. When you, or someone else, clicks on the reference version, QuickTime is directed to look for the move resource in the main movie. If those resources (i.e. the main movie) are present, the whole thing plays through. If, however, someone has moved the main movie, you will get an error message in the way that a referenced picture in a web page will produce a missing file warning on screen if it is moved from its expected location.
A reference movie will be many times smaller that the original movie so there is no real worries about disc space.
Now, this step of playing from a reference movie is an advantage in itself for the PC platform, as many PCs will ‘choke’ on a high quality QuickTime movie but will play well from a referenced movie file.
You can take advantage of the same trick to get PowerPoint to play QuickTime:
You will need QuickTime installed on your PC – not the Pro version just the freebie that comes with iTunes etc and is available from the Apple web site.
Make a folder with your main movie it, and then go ‘File>Save As…’ as above to make a referenced version. If your first movie is ’01.mov’ call the reference one ‘01a.mov’. You should do this or something similar as a common rule so that when in PowerPoint, you immediately know which one to import into your presentation.
Now open the dreaded MS PowerPoint and create a new blank slide.
The first thing to do is to go to the ‘View>Tool bars. Control’ toolbox and then click on the little icon of a hammer in the bottom right of this palette.
Clicking the hammer button described above produces a second dialogue box, all you want with this one is the ‘Custom’ settings button which is defined by three dots (…)
This button shows a drop down menu with a number of different objects which you can insert into the presentation, from this list select the ‘Apple 2.0 controller’.
Once you do this, your cursor changes to ‘cross hairs’ and you can draw a box – which will be invisible apart from white circular handles. Now right-click on this and choose ‘Properties’ from the pop up menu.
Now you are faced with a new dialogue box in which you can actually pick the specific QuickTime file you want to insert – I never said it would be short and snappy.
Choose the reference file and click ‘O.K’
Leave the controller setting and you will return to your presentation. The only things to bear in mind from here are that:
Every time you open up this presentation, it will probably warn you about running an Active X plug-in – just click ‘O.K’, its not going to kill you after all. Also, you will find that the first time, performance is sluggish when you open the presentation, give it a second and then it will run fine for this session.
Don’t forget that, as ever, the movie is hard-coded tot eh presentation, that is to say, it has an absolute path rather than a relative one. What this means is that it will read the path for including the movie as being from ‘C:Documents and SettingsUsernameDesktopFoldernamemovie.mov’ or ‘Macintosh HD: Users: Username: Desktop: Foldername: Moviename.mov’ rather than ‘/foldername/moviename.mov’ for example.
If you plan to use your presentation on another computer, make sure you re-insert the movie as above, or place the presentation in exactly the same position relative to the system so that, for example, you have an account named in exactly the same way on the new computer as the one in which you made the presentation, otherwise it won’t work.
Finally, when you play the movie in the presentation, you have to click on it once on screen to put focus on it, then you can use the spacebar to play and pause but if you then want to go on to the next slide, you will have to double click the surrounding background space of the presentation.
Enjoy….
Andrew Williamson is a web site manager and lecturer in multimedia in the South of England.
His blog is at: http://brown-sauce.blogspot.com
Andrew has a fine art background and is currently interested in all areas of multimedia work.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Williamson
tag: QuickTime, PowerPoint, Mac, PC, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, presentations, insert, movie, .mov
By Christopher W Smith
The bad news is that spyware is everywhere on the internet and you could have it on your computer right now. The good news is there are free spy ware removal tools for your computer that are easy to find.
There are several programs available online that you can download that will assist in detecting and eradicating spyware from your computer. My personal favorite is download.com, which is a great and trusted source for software downloads. Simply choose from an array of free programs, download and install and you're on your way. Be sure to read the comments from previous users to help you decide which one to use.
What if you don't want to download an actual program to your computer to scan for spyware files? Well, you are in luck because there are sites out there that will help you out but those are much harder to find.
Free spyware removal sites generally are fronts. Many of these sites will scan your computer but you won't be able to remove them unless you download the program that they are promoting, usually at a cost. Some of these sites will even put spyware onto your computer to increase the numbers on your computer and make you think that you need the program much more desperately than you did a few moments earlier.
It is for this reason that you are much better off trying to find a program of your own to download and use at your own leisure. Most of these programs are small, easy to download and take up very little memory on your computer.
According to download.com, the best programs available are Spybot and Bazooka Adware. Both of these programs boast strong user reviews and features which will help knock out your spyware. Other great programs that I can recommend to readers out there would be Ad-Aware and Spyware Doctor.
Both of these programs are very well programmed to update automatically to protect you against the latest forms of spyware that have found their ways online. I have Spyware Doctor installed on my computer at this moment and I have yet to find a single complaint about it.
Naturally not all programs out there are going to be useful or even helpful to you. You should always do some checking on each program to find out what its pros and cons are. If you are still in doubt, check the publisher's site and really take a close look at the details of each program to find out if it's right for you.
If all else fails, ask around. Chances are you already know someone who can help you with your search for a good scanner and then you'll be on your way to safe surfing.
Find out how to detect spyware before it infects your computer. Find out more at http://www.removespywaretoday.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_W_Smith
tag: spyware, removal, free, program, software
By Carmen Paden
It can be any software that can gather information through a user's internet connection without his or her knowledge. Once the software is installed, the spyware software usually monitors a user's activity on the internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also pick up information on a user's email address, credit card numbers or even a user's passwords.
Sometimes when a user unwittingly installs some kind of product, a trojan horse can be added because spyware is similar to a trojan horse.
Spyware can steal from a user by using the computer's memory resources and can also eat up one's bandwidth. Since spyware is using one's computer memory and system resources, the spyware software application that is running in the background can lead your system to cash.
Spyware has the ability to scan files on one's hard-drive, read cookies or even change your default home page. It is a malicious software that can just literally take over one's computer. This software watches what you do from your computer and then can send this information over the internet. Spyware can collect many different types of information about you, the user.
Do you get any of those annoying pop-ups? That would be consider as advertising spyware.
Spyware can collect your personal information easily and can even change the configuration of your computer without your consent. There are so many resources available to help you protect your computer. Start now if you have not done anything about this.
Now that you know what is spyware You get the idea. Protect your computer always and you really should start to get to work on this today. Solutions are available.
http://what-is-spyware-and-what-to-do.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carmen_Paden
tag: spyware, protect computer, trojan, software, memory, system, pop-up
Copyright Š 2006 Darren Dunner
Sitemaps are an important and the most difficult file to create to meet the search engines requirements. Sitemaps are used by website owners to get their content recognized on the search engines. One of the distinctive feature of having sitemaps for website is that it can be read by human as well as the search engines.
Sitemap generators have been popping up on the web every now and then. Some sitemap generators are easy to use while others are complex. Google too has come up with Google sitemap generators. However the Google sitemap is strictly for google and other search engines will not understand it.
If you are creating a sitemap for your website make sure you do not include folders or files you don't want the search engines to see. Similarly make sure that there is no missing file or folder that you do not want the search engine to see. It is very important to be updated with your sitemap files especially if you have deleted or added any pages in your website. Similarly you also need to be updated about any changes you made in a particular web page.
Every website needs to have three Sitemaps updated.
ˇ Sitemap in html
ˇ Sitemap in xml
ˇ Sitemap in txt
Apart from creating the above three sitemaps it is to be made sure that they are regularly updated
ˇ Never include folders you do not want the search engines to see
ˇ Never include files you do not want the search engines to se
ˇ Make sure that there is no missing file or folder you do not want the search engines to see.
So as you can see that there is a constant need to keep your three sitemaps updated. The sitemap generators out there will help you with these things however the problem we saw was there is still much work involved in keeping these updated.
If you are looking for an effective tool to help you with your problems, we at Sitemap Builder are here to help you with all your problems. Sitemap builder has developed a tool that meets the requirements from the search engines and generates the three sitemaps automatically. It also helps you update each page on daily basis or as needed. Sitemap builder gives you an opportunity to include or exclude files as needed. It loads to your root site directory folder and automatically installs the sitemaps.
