Today a great tip comes from guest blogger Jorge R. Hernandez. Jorge is a great computer repair technician who runs 123 Computer Repair Services (http://123ComputerRepair.com) in Florida.
Since learning this cool trick, I’ve been using it every day. Thanks Jorge!
“Save Keystrokes by using Ctrl+Enter to complete URLs”
You want to open http://www.bing.com – so you start typing http:// or www. and bing and .com
There is a much easier approach for this by using a shortcut.
On modern browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox, hitting Ctrl + Enter will automatically fill in the www. and the .com part of the URL.
Here is an example:
1) Just type in “bing” into the address bar in your browser
2) Press Ctrl + Enter
3) This is what you get: http://www.bing.com/
4) That’s all you need, enjoy the tip!
Professor Randy says:Great tip from Jorge! The most simple tips are many times the most useful! Commit yourself to learning more useful tips and you will find yourself enjoying your computer much more!!
A question that I often hear from my clients is the following: How do I get my Windows applications to always open “maximized” (full screen)? They complain about always having to employ a second click by hitting the maximize button in the top right hand corner of the screen. I totally understand their complaint because this issue bugs me too!
So today I would like to show you an easy way to do this which will work great with most programs (some programs have a mind of their own and will “disobey” this setting). Please remember that this works only on programs and shortcuts to programs (shortcuts in the start menu also), not on documents or on other files.
1) Right click on the shortcut or menu item that you use to start the program:
2) Now, click on properties:
3) Go down to the label “Run” that is set to “Normal Window”. Change this to “Maximized”.
4) Hit OK and you’re done! Your program will now start up maximized!Cool huh?
Professor Randy says: When you learn all of the cool tricks and tweaks that you can do with your computer, you’ll enjoy your computing experience much more!!
It used to be that when you bought a new computer, the computer manufacturer (Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, HP, etc.) would include a couple of discs which contained a backup of the original factory default operating system. These recovery CD’s allowed you to reinstall the OS to exactly as it was when you first bought the computer.
In recent years these recovery CD’s are no longer being included with the new computer (cheaper for the manufacturer – they don’t have to create the discs). The default recovery data is now on the actual hard drive itself, and you the owner must copy (burn) this backup information to two or three DVD’s.
The other day a client had just bought a new Gateway computer and asked me to make a backup of the original factory installation in case he ever needed to reinstall the OS, drivers and application files. Today I would like to show you the exact seven steps that I used for this important one-time process (I did this on a Windows 7 Gateway desktop but most manufacturers provide basically the same setup procedure):
1) From the Windows default Start menu, click All Programs, Gateway and then click Gateway Recovery Management.
2) In the Gateway Recovery Management window, click Create factory default disc.
3) In the Make Backup Image dialog box, insert a blank disc in the optical drive, and then click Next.
4) Disc 1 is burnt and verified.
5) In the Finished dialog box, insert the next blank disc in the optical drive, and then click Next.
6) Disc 2 is burnt and verified.
7) In the Success dialog box, click OK.
Professor Randy says:Better safe than sorry! Create a recovery disc of your OS as soon as you get your new computer and you will be prepared with an exact backup in case disaster strikes!!
YouTube celebrated it’s fifth birthday this week (youtube.com was registered as a domain name on February 14, 2005). From those humble beginnings YouTube has become a household name and now streams over 1 billion videos a day! If you would like, you can check out YouTube’s top five videos (views) of all time here.
Below you will see one of my all time favorites. The first time I saw “Big Dog” I couldn’t believe my eyes!! I’ve shown this to many people and they simply “flip out!” Can you even believe this? Is this awesome or what? Can you imagine what the future holds for “Big Dog” and other “Big Dog” types?
Professor Randy says:Internet video (especially YouTube) has opened us up to some amazing things. Seek out great video and you will benefit by it and be amazed too!!
There is nothing like great, high quality tech articles full of valuable content. Today I would like to point you to ten more awesome tech links. Enjoy the interesting and informative material!!
OK this one is for fun! I know this isn’t exactly “tech”, but I’m just so “blown away” by this video that I have to show it to you. I’m not just blown away because of the amazing performance but also because of the reaction that the performance provokes.
Some background:A bunch of midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy and a bunch of cadets from the U.S. Military Academy are bored before the Army-Navy football game. They decide to go see some young girls “jump rope”.
Watch what happens next!!
Professor Randy says:Perfect your passion and you too will create quite a stir!
Even though I call myself “The Tech Professor”, I must admit that the different categories of Ethernet Cable have me scratching my head! Some will enjoy the “geek speak” definitions that follow, but many will get more out of the great video by CNET’s Tom Merritt. Either way: confusion no more! Enjoy!!
Types Of Ethernet Cable:
1) Cat 5:Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA (Telecommunications Industry Association/
Electronic Industries Alliance). Defined up to 100 MHz, and was frequently used on 100 Mbit/s Ethernet networks. May be unsuitable for 1000BASE-T gigabit Ethernet.
2) Cat 5e: Category 5 has been superseded by the Category 5e specification structured cabling for computer networks such as Ethernet, and is also used to carry many other signals such as basic voice services, token ring, and ATM. Currently defined in TIA/EIA-568-B. Defined up to 100 MHz, and is frequently used for both 100 Mbit/s (up to 155 Mbit/s, over short distances) and 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet networks.
3) Cat 6:Compared with Cat-5 and Cat-5e, Cat-6 features more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise. Currently defined in TIA/EIA-568-B. Defined up to 250 MHz, more than double that of category 5 and 5e. Cat 6 is suitable for 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet), 1000BASE-T / 1000BASE-TX (Gigabit Ethernet) and 10GBASE-T (10-Gigabit Ethernet).
Professor Randy says: If you do any kind of networking your going to need stranded wire patch cables (Ethernet) sooner or later. Get to know and understand the different categories, eliminate any confusion, and you’ll setup a great network!!
I am living in an area of the country where there are many retirees. Many of these wonderful seniors have much of their most precious life memories (also movies, TV series, etc.) recorded on VHS (Video Home System) tape.
A VHS tape has an approximate shelf life of 15 – 20 years (the range depends on how well it’s taken care of, and how often it’s watched), and many of these highly valued tapes are literally starting to disintegrate. Many people ask me the following question: “So, is there some way to transfer old VHS tapes to DVD?”
Today I want to give you a video which explains how you can convert your old analog video into digital formats including DVD, VCD, SVCD and Blu-ray. There are various “kits” on the market that do this conversion, but I have been recommending the honestech VHS to DVD 4.0 Deluxe. This easy to use video conversion solution will convert VHS to DVD in no time (it also supports HD video and Blu-ray burning).
Professor Randy says:Don’t let those precious memories that are still on VHS tape “melt away”! Convert your VHS tapes to DVD and preserve those memories for many years to come!
Once the new OS has been installed successfully you are not through – in fact the most important part is yet to come. You must now reinstall your clients precious data, programs, emails, contacts, drivers and more. What good is a new OS installation if you loose all or some of your clients data in the process? Believe me they will not be happy, word will get around, and your reputation as a computer technician will suffer greatly.
Today in part 2, I would like to take you through my exact steps in the post-installation process.
After Windows 7 Successfully Installed:
8) Installed Windows Live Essentials (you cannot run Outlook Express in Windows 7 so I switched my client to Windows Live Mail. I then went into windows.old folder (Local Settings > Identities, and imported the actual email (originally from Windows XP) into Windows Live Mail.
9) Configured The Incoming And Outgoing Mail Servers (must know Internet Service Provider and then setup the POP3 incoming and SMTP outgoing mail servers. You will need your clients email address and password to do this. Many times the client will say that they don’t have a password but yes they do – if they can’t find it you will have to call the ISP and get it from them.
10) Imported The EMail Address Book (these are the contacts that used to be in Outlook Express. In the windows.old folder, go to Applications > Documents and Settings > Microsoft > Address Book (it’s a Windows Address Book file of type .wab). Import this address book into Windows Live Mail (they will now be called contacts). If your client is using Outlook you should backup the Outlook .pst file which includes messages and contacts (Apps > Microsoft Outlook), before you even begin to install the new OS.
11) Copy & Paste Desktop, Start Menu And My Documents Into Windows 7 (open up these folders from windows.old and copy & paste the contents of each into the folder by the same name in Windows 7. Your client will now see the same Desktop and Start Menu as before (in XP) and you also will remember how things looked before the new OS install! Windows 7 will neatly place the contents from the XP My Documents folder into six folders ( My Documents, My Pictures, My Video, My Music, Desktop, Local).
12) Installed Antivirus Program (I installed Microsoft Security Essentials).
13) Reinstalled Printer Software And Drivers (my clients printer was the HP Office Jet 6210 – no drivers were needed – Windows 7 already had all of the necessary drivers).
14) Reinstalled Office Software (my client was using Microsoft Office 2003).
15) Downloaded Any Programs That Didn’t Make The New Install (some older programs if they are not registry dependent will make it over to the new OS (for example Hoyle Card Games). I reinstalled the following programs: Picasa, Ashampoo WinOptimizer 6, InterVideo Win DVD, Malwarebytes, Sony Connect (SonicStage) software for MP3 player.
16) Done!! (the entire process [part1 & part 2] – a little over 4 hours!! Man, I’m glad that’s over with!!
Professor Randy says:There are no shortcuts! You learn your craft well, you will feel good about your work, your clients will spread the word, and there will be no room for regrets!!
Today I upgraded a clients PC (Toshiba Satellite Laptop: A75-S229) from Windows XP to Windows 7. In this post I would like to tell you my exact steps from beginning to end. It’s my fervent wish that this information will help you when you upgrade to Windows 7.
Before I Ever Inserted The Windows 7 DVD Install Disc:
1) Ran Windows Upgrade Advisor ( checks for any known compatibility issues with your hardware, devices, and installed programs). There were no problems.
2) Copied The Following Files To My Flash Drive (from the current XP installation):
A) Outlook Express Address Book B) Internet Explorer Favorites C) Actual Outlook Express Mail (Local Settings\Identities\GUID\Microsoft\Outlook Express) D) Desktop (so I know what’s on the PC, also some people keep full files on the desktop) E) Start Menu F) My Documents Folder
Note: I created a new folder (All Users) on the flash drive and put the Desktop and Start Menu in it. The Desktop, Start Menu and My Documents folders will eventually end up in a Windows.old folder after the Windows 7 installation. I put them on a flash drive just to be safe. After Windows 7 is installed the contents of the XP My Documents folder will be separated neatly into the following Windows 7 folders: My Documents, My Pictures, My Video and My Music, Desktop, Local.
If you have multiple users on the same computer you must follow the same procedure for each user. If a previous backup has been made to an external hard drive, you don’t have to put anything on a flash drive.
Now – Insert Windows 7 DVD Into The Laptop (Desktop) DVD RW Drive (answer questions):
3) Get Installation Updates Online – Yes! 4) What Type Of Installation Do You Want? Custom (can’t select upgrade option with XP). 5) Where Do You Want To Install? C:Drive ( previous C:\ files will be put in windows.old).
6) Begin Install (the install will go through the following five steps):
A) Copying Windows Files B) Expanding Windows Files C) Installing Features D) Installing Updates E) Completing Installation
7) Enter The 25 Characters Long Windows 7 Product Key (done – successful install!).
Professor Randy says:So far so good but we’re not done yet! In my next post I’ll chronicle what I did after the Windows 7 install in order to fully complete the upgrade procedure.
Hello everyone,
