December 2012

Inside Family Tree Maker (Parts 1-4) ....2 Free Services and Software   for Digital Photographers ............7 Easy and Fast Way to Update or   Install Free Software .................9 Microsoft’s Free Fix it Center ....11 Inserting International Letters into Word Documents ......................13 5 Office features you need to   know about ...............................14 Word 2010 Ribbon   Customization ............................16 Digital Photography Composition   for Dummies (Book Review) ......19 Windows Drivers ......................20 Collectorz.com Book Collector..21 TrueCrypt ..................................25 Freebie Programs .....................26 RoboForm ......27 Changing Display Settings ...28 Speed Up Your PC ....................30 SugarSync .............................33 Tracking the latest information ...34 Universal Mini Mount ..............35 Save Money on Telephone Calls ..36 Why You Need a Webcam .......37 Computer books .........................38 Free Full Length Movies on   YouTube ....................................39 Droid 4 Teardown .....................41 Is there such a thing as streaming   video on an iPad? ....................42 Windows Live Photo Gallery ......44 Newsletter articles for 2012 ...45

Future Meeting Dates Dec 8 - Microsoft Store Jan 12 - TBD Feb 9 - TBD Mar 9 - TBD

December 2012 meeting

We did not meet at the Fountain Valley Library for the December meeting. We had a field trip to the Microsoft Store at the South Coast Plaza. They gave us a one hour class on Windows 8 It was very interesting and they even gave us a book to keep on Windows 8. The book is very well done with lots of illustrations. It is designed for a touchscreen PC, as it tells the user to tap on what is need rather than click. They also gave me a tip on how to get into Windows 8 without a password.

“According to MediaDailyNews Smart TVs are growing, but many of those U.S. consumer owners are not smart enough -- or just not interested -- in using those TV units to their fullest potential. Estimates are that there are 25 million U.S. smart TV homes, out of some 114 million TV homes, according to the NPD Group. But only about half -- or 12 million -- are Internet-connected and not using the new television sets’ fullest capabilities, such as accessing the likes of Netflix, YouTube or Hulu. A recent study for the Council on Research Excellence from One Touch Intelligence added that the “50% ratio of smart TVs to actual Internet-connected smart TVs has held steady since the debut of smart TVs in the latter part of the last decade. It’s a conundrum no one industry has been able to solve.”” “Some reluctance may come from consumers’ mixed feelings about completely replacing their multivideo programming distributors’ (MVPDs) set-top boxes.” Read more: http://www.mediapost. com/publications/article/189950/ smart-tvs-not-utilized-to-fullcapacity.html#ixzz2GBFN1Oni

Board of Directors President Steve Dela stevede(at)aol.com Vice-President Terry Currier winnersug(at)aol.com Secretary Robin Theron rtheron(at)gmail.com Treasurer Max Lockie mlockie(at)pobox.com Board Members Ethel Kamber ethel(at)kamber.fastmail.fm Ken Kamber kenkamber(at)mail.com Louise McCain LMcEnterprises(at)ol.com Ed Koran edk246(at)aol.com Rebecca Feinstein [email protected] Editor editor(at)windowsusers.org

Family Tree Maker 2011 (Part 1)

Review by Mary Phillips, Secretary, Icon Users Group, MO February 2011 issue, The ICONNewsletter of the Interactive Computer Owners Network www.iconusersgroup.com mphillip1.mary (at) gmail.com Family Tree Maker 2011 has the same seven tabs as 2010 and the family sheets look and work the same. However, a number of updates have been added.

Tab 1 Plan -- Let’s you start a new tree in the program by any of three ways: 1) Entering what you know —begin with yourself), 2) Importing a tree from an existing file — Family Tree Maker (version 5 or newer); a WINNERS, contributors and GEDCOM file editors of Notepad do not assume (GEnealogical liability for dameages arising from Data the publication or non-publication COMmunication, of any advertisement, article, editoa standard rial, or other item in this newsletter. proposed by All opionions express are those of the LDS that the individual authors only and do can be exported not necessarily represent the opionfrom most if not ions of the WINNERS, its Board of all genealogy Directors, the WINNERS Notepad, programs), Personal Ancestral or its editors. File (free program that can WINNERS a computer association, be downloaded from the LDS is a volunteer organization providwebsite at www.familysearch.org); ing a forum for sharing informaLegacy Family Tree; or The tion and experiences related to Master Genealogist. Windows-based software, and 3) Downloading a tree you’ve hardware, encouraging ethical use of computers and software, offering created on Ancestry.com. service to our communities. One addition that I feel is especially important is that when a

file is imported, FTM 2011 makes a copy and leaves the original file as it was so it can still be opened in the other program. The program installs in its own folder and doesn’t remove earlier versions of FTM. When a tree has been created, a second tab is shown called Current Tree. It shows the person designated as Home Person (usually the person with whom you start, but it can be changed as desired by clicking on the Home Person button and in the Index of Individuals window selecting a different person.

Tab 2 People — two tabs (Family and Person. The Family tab consists of four panels that can be adjusted by either clicking to open or close a panel, or clicking & dragging to make a panel smaller or larger. The “buttons” to do this are actually series of dots to adjust sizes or eight dots with an arrow in the

middle to open or close the left panel or the lower panel. (Note Red Arrows in the picture below.) Another feature I especially like is in the upper right corner of the Family tab; the relationship between the person selected and the Home Person is stated. Example: The selected person in the above picture is James Jones and he is the Great Grandfather of La... Jones, the Home Person. Notice that there are open triangles at the right ends of grandparents of James S Jones (one in circle); open triangles indicate that no additional persons are added on the pedigree chart or that the person had no children. James Jones had children, 12 in fact, so there is a solid triangle to the right of his name (in circle). In the lower panel there is a solid arrow to the right of Frankey Jane showing that she had children. The arrow beside James Pollard has a tail indicating that he is in the direct lineage of La… Jones. Editing can be done in the right panel fields (boxes) of the Family tab and additional editing in the Person tab. Just below the relationship area are four small icons to enter information for categories: Facts, Media, Notes, and Tasks. Facts are events supported by documents such as Marriage or census records; Media includes photos, videos, audio tapes, scanned letters, etc.; Notes are the family stories, obituaries, newspaper clipping info; and Tasks are a To Do List of items or information needed.

Family Tree Maker (Part 2)

Review by Mary Phillips, Secretary, Icon Users Group, MO March 2011 issue, The ICON-Newsletter of the Interactive Computer Owners Network www.iconusersgroup.org mphillip1.mary (at) gmail.com I’m going to show you how to use another of the new features in FTM 2010/2011, Inserting a family photo to the top of a Family Group Sheet.

  Create a Family Group Sheet by the following: 1. On the Family tab of the People workspace, select one of the parents’ names, then click the Publish tab. 2. Click Relationship Reports, and select Family Group Sheet. 3. On the right side of the page, click the Create Report button. 4. Click the Save Report icon under Family Group Sheet Options. Name the report; click Save. 5. The report can be opened by clicking the Publish tab and then Saved Reports.   Before a photo can be used as the family picture on a Family Group Sheet, it needs to be assigned as Media to the Relationship for the parents.   1. Again, on the Family tab of the People workspace, select the same parent’s name, then click on the Marriage facts button.

names that have been entered, and 2) the names of the People. The map below, because I have no town, shows the middle of Lawrence County on a Roadmap in 2D and the drop

2. In the window that appears, click on the Media tab at the top. 3. Next, click the drop down arrow beside New and select one of the choices: Add New Media (import new photo from a folder on your computer), Link to Existing Media (attach a photo already in your media gallery to this fact), or Scan Media (scan a photo from your scanner). 4. Click OK. 5. Now, to add this photo to the top of the Family Group Sheet, open the Family Group Sheet from the Publish tab, Saved Reports. 6. Click on the Family Picture drop down menu on the right and change it from None to the selected photo.  

Family Tree Maker 2011 (Part 3)

Review by Mary Phillips, Secretary, Icon Users Group, MO The ICON-Newsletter of the Interactive Computer Owners Network www.iconusersgroup.com mphillip1.mary (at) gmail.com Tab 3 Places — Each time you enter an event in a person’s life you have the opportunity to enter the name of the place where it happened. FTM makes a master list of these locations and makes available Bing interactive maps much like Google maps so that you can view road maps and satellite images and even get the latitude and longitude of the places if you know exactly where the event took place. Names of places you enter are compared to a Place Name Authority that includes the city (or township, or province), county, state, and country. There are three sections of the Place tab: Manage Places, Location Maps, and Associated People. The Manage Places section has two options — 1) the Place

down box lists Cemeteries, Libraries, Courts, Churches, and Hospitals — all places for which you can search on the map and where you might find records. Map tools include zoom in/out, directional arrows (You can click and drag the map or use the mouse wheel to scroll in different directions.), Aerial view is a satellite image and with Labels turned on the towns are listed. Bird’s eye view is like Street View in Google Maps; landscapes and houses can be seen. The question marks beside the place names in the left section simply mean that they are different from the Place Name Authority or aren’t listed in the PNA. Right clicking on a place name provides a menu that allows one to Resolve the name or change in some way. There is also a Resolve All button next to the number of places. Two Associated People are shown with Lawrence County, TN and clicking on the plus sign expands to show the details.

document where I found it. A source contains unchanging facts about an item; for example, the author, title, and publication information for a book. In this case, it’s: J D Weaver’s Lace Collar. Source Citations are individual details that explain where a fact is found, such as the page number of a book. In this case, Citation Detail is: Vivian G DeGraffenreid Sheffer’s scrapbook in the possession of James Talbert Sheffer, (and includes his address, phone number, and email address).

Clicking on Person and Aerial w/Labels shows events in the individual’s life, lives of the immediate family, or lives of up to four generations. The line in the middle marks from where he was born in Lawrence Co, TN to where he died in Kaufman Co, TX. The reason some facts are listed more than once is because I had more than one source for items.

Family Tree Maker 2011 (Part 4) Review by Mary Phillips, Secretary, Icon Users Group, MO July 2011 issue, The ICON-Newsletter of the Interactive Computer Owners Network www.iconusersgroup.org mphillip1.mary (at) gmail.com

Tab 4 Source — Documenting our sources — recording where we get our facts about our families is one of the most important parts of our research because it proves to others which records our facts are based upon. If the documentation is detailed and correct, others will be able to follow our steps.   Each time information is added to your tree, a source and a source citation should be created. Example: In the Media section for J D Weaver, I have a scanned image of a lace shirt collar belonging to my great grandfather in a scrapbook created by a first cousin and in the possession of her son. Now I need to

A third section is Citation text: The collar was in the scrapbook in an envelope with the writing “Letter from Grandpa Weaver” and “Grandpa Weaver’s Collar”. Jasper Dasher Weaver was Vivan’s great grandfather. It was scanned 12 July 2004 by Mary Paula Jones Phillips. Another example: Source — 1880 United States Federal Census.   Citation text — James Jones household, Kaufman, Kaufman County, Texas. Page 27, Enumeration District 39. The same Source can be used with different Citation Texts, for example — Addison Weaver family, Kaufman, Kaufman County, Texas, Page 27, Enumeration District 39. Citation text if found through Ancestry.com and merged with FTM: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1850 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2010), www.ancestry.com, Database online. Year: 1880; Census Place: Kaufman, Texas; Roll: 1315; Family History Film: 1255315; Page: 135C; Enumeration District: 39; Image.

The Source tab above has four panels: 1) The Source Groups Panel can be sorted by Titles, People, or Repositories from the drop down menu. 2) The Source Citation Information Panel includes the Source Title, Repository, Citation text, and a Reference Note. 3) The Source Citation Panel shows what citations have been entered for a specific source; and 4) the tabs at the bottom show the individuals linked to the source, a notes tab, and a media tab.   Family Tree Maker lets you create sources in two ways: 1) Using one of the 170 templates based on Elizabeth Shown Mills’ book Evidence Explained (a preferred reference format for citing genealogy sources) or 2) a basic format. The templates make it relatively easy because you just have to fill in the fields with the information.  

Adding a source for a fact can be done on the Family tab in the People Workspace. Do this: 1. In the right-side editing panel, click the New source citation button next to the fact to which you want to add a source. Then choose Add New Source Citation from the drop-down list. 2. The Add Source Citation window opens. Click either “Create a Source from a Template” or “Create a Source Using the Basic Format.”

Sources and source citations can be created for both Facts and Media. Sources can also be added on the Person tab by: 1. Click on a fact in either the Fact view or the Timeline view. 2.  In the Information Pane, click Add a source citation. 3.  If the source already exists, click the drop– down list and select the correct title, OR if not click New and enter the source information, citation detail, and citation text.   A Repository stores a group of sources. The most common repositories are libraries and courthouses or other buildings that house legal documents. Ancestry.com is a newer type of repository that houses electronic documents. Knowing the repository helps you to find the source more easily. Family Tree Maker makes it easy to record a repository and link several sources to it. I strongly suggest you click on Help on the Menu bar and print out all the instructions for Source. The Companion Guide that is installed in PDF format with the program has some graphics. The following websites have helpful information about creating source citations.  

http://www.geneabloggers.com/Citations_Quick_Reference. pdf http://www.tmgtips.com/srcetmpm.htm http://cyndislist.com/citing/citations-in-genealogy/

   

Free Services and Software for Digital Photographers by Ira Wilsker WEBSITES:

http://www.advancedphotography.net/20-free-toolsphotographers http://www.irfanview.com http://www.vicman.net/lightartist/ http://pho.to/ http://funny.pho.to/ http://www.gimp.org/downloads http://picasa.google.com https://www.techsupportalert.com/pc/image-tools.html http://mashable.com/2007/07/23/online-media http://www.diyphotography.net/32-free-software-solutions-forphotographers

A quick visit to the big box electronics stores will show an incontrovertible fact about photography; for household (and even much professional) use, digital photography has overwhelmed film photography. Notice how even the typical corner drug store, once the primary drop off point for developing family snapshots, now offers in-house digital printing as its primary photographic service, rather than sending out film for processing. Even the renowned giant of the film industry, Kodak, may be approaching its demise as the demand for traditional photographic film and related services had dropped below the fiscal point of continued viability. When my kids were little decades ago, I exclusively used my Canon A-1 35mm camera, with its myriad of sophisticated lenses, to take albums of photos of my kids as they were growing up. When they were young, they had the ubiquitous 110 cameras, progressing to 35mm pointand-shoot cameras. It was not unusual for me to drop up to a dozen rolls of assorted film off at a local store for processing, especially when we knew that one of our local independent supermarkets periodically offered deeply discounted photo finishing as a loss leader in order to bring

customers into the store twice - once to drop it off, and again a few days later to pick up the processed film and prints. I will be honest and disclose that it has been about a dozen years or so since I last dropped off a roll of film for processing, as I have gone totally digital for my personal photographic needs. My first digital camera, which was very expensive in the mid 1990’s, was a .3 (point-three) megapixel, 640x480, JVC camera, with a 10x optical zoom lens. My newest digital camera, purchased recently for less than half of what I paid for that old JVC, has a 14 megapixel image capability, with an 18x optical and 6x digital zoom, and can record HD video as well as take high quality still images. It is not just amateurs like me using digital cameras instead of film cameras; at my daughters’ recent weddings, both the professional wedding photographers and videographers used digital cameras. Now that digital photography is the well established norm, there is an abundance of services and software available to enable us to crop, edit, improve, add special effects, and otherwise improve our digital imagery. For about 10 years I have been using what may arguably be the most widely used, free, digital image editing software available, Irfanview (irfanview.com). According to the Irfanview website, since 2003 over a million copies of Irfanview have been downloaded every month; using simple arithmetic, that would be over 100 million copies, and that is only the count from a few (3 or 4) of the major download websites, and does not include the dozens of secondary download websites, or copies passed among

individuals. As I had several times before reviewed Irfanview in this column, it should not take much of a reminder that it is an extremely powerful and capable image editor that can read, edit, convert, and write almost every known image format. In its basic form, Irfanview is simple enough for a novice to use, but by utilizing its advanced features, Irfanview has the power and features to successfully compete against its high-priced commercial competitors. For personal and academic use, the full featured Irfanview is totally free, but for commercial and professional use a license is a most modest $12. There are many other excellent image editing utilities available, many of them also for free. One very popular free image editor is GIMP (gimp. org), which is an acronym for, “ ... GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program,

an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.” GIMP will run under Windows, on a MAC, or on UNIX based machines. Google offers Picasa (picasa.google.com) as its free photo editor, which according to Google, “(can) organize, edit, and share your photos.” As is to be expected from Google, Picasa is full featured and powerful, and can be as simple or as sophisticated to use as desired by the user. Picasa can, “Make simple edits -- such as cropping, straightening, removing redeye, retouching blemishes, or adding text -- to your photos. Or click “I’m Feeling Lucky” to try Picasa’s

all-in-one lighting and contrast fix.” That “I’m Feeling Lucky” button will automatically determine what may be needed to improve a digital image, and automatically apply about a half-dozen fixes and improvements to the image, with the user being free to accept or reject the changes. The user can also select up to a dozen special effects, and implement another dozen “Picnik” special effects that can convert an image using a variety of other special effects. For those who may be concerned about losing the original image, Google says, “Don’t worry -- Picasa always

preserves your original photo. The photo edits you make are only viewable in Picasa until you decide to save your changes. Even then, Picasa creates a new version of the photo with your edits applied, leaving the original totally preserved.” Some digital photographers like to experiment with their images, and try a variety of artistic effects. One popular effect is to change the lighting on an image, and VicMan’s Light Artist (free, www.vicman. net/lightartist) can “ ... add realistic lighting effects to your photos. You can modify the light color, add multiple light sources, change the surface qualities of the image and add various ambient illumination effects.” A companion website, www.pho.to, offers free online photo editing and special effects, including Smart Fix, a one click, comprehensive, digital photo

enhancement. Other free services offered by Pho. To include an image touch up utility, a variety of specialty tools and filters, the ability to convert photos into animated avatars for gaming and other activities, convert images and faces into cartoons, and the capability to utilize over 400 frames and templates. These 400+ frames and templates (funny.pho.to) are a lot of fun to experiment with, as the user can bring a selected image into seasonal templates, calendars, montages, paintings, magazine covers, celebrity collages, photo frames, face photo montages, humanto-animal montages (put a human face on an animal body), cartoons, money (put a face on paper currency), zodiac signs, and monster effects. There are many more online and mostly free utilities and services available to the digital photographer, and several online directories have compiled comprehensive lists of these services. Even though it is over four years old, “ONLINE MEDIA GOD: 400+ Tools for Photographers, Videobloggers, Podcasters & Musicians”, available at mashable. com/2007/07/23/online-media, offers one of the most comprehensive directories of online editing services as well as image and video software utilities. “32 Free Software Solutions For Photographers” provides information and links about free image editing software at www.diyphotography.net/32free-software-solutions-for-photographers. Another website, 20 Free And Useful Tools For Photographers, online at www.advancedphotography.net/20-freetools-photographers contains an up-to-date lists of image editing and enhancement utilities. One of my personal favorite resources where I can always find the latest image utilities along with community ratings and recommendations is Gizmo’s The Best Free Image View and Edit Software for PC, www.techsupportalert.com/pc/image-tools.html. While I prefer to use Irfanview for almost all of my image editing, I also have the most fun creating unusual images from the hundreds of templates at funny.pho.to. It does not matter if the digital photographer is a greenhorn novice or an accomplished professional, there are some excellent free resources and utilities available to make the most basic digital snapshot into a work of art that can be cherished forever.

Easy and Fast Way to Update or Install Free Software By Ira Wilsker   WEBSITES:

http://ninite.com http://ninite.com/linux http://allmyapps.com http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/quick-way-installdozens-free-apps.htm

  A regular reader of this column suggested that I write about a free service that can automatically install and update the most popular freeware programs available. She recommended Ninite, but I was also familiar with a competitive service from AllMyApps. While both have comprehensive listings of free software, AllMyApps also includes links to some commercial software applications, so I would have to give the edge to Ninite when it comes to the mass installation of free software.

San Francisco based Ninite (ninite.com) offers about 85 of the most widely used free Windows programs which can be selectively installed without any intervention by the user once the programs have been selected from the Ninite list. To implement the Ninite service, the user simply checks the software



titles desired, and downloads the small installer that automates the install process. The automated installer installs all of the selected programs without any intervention; there is no “next” to click, and questionable optional items, such as toolbars, are automatically refused during the installation process. The freeware files downloaded and installed by Ninite are always up to date with the latest versions available. What is especially helpful and useful is that the single installer which is downloaded remembers which programs were selected, and rerunning the installer which was originally downloaded will automatically check for the latest versions and updates, and install them; there is no need to re-download a new installer unless additional programs are selected, or previously selected programs are no longer desired. The Ninite installer can identify the operating system of the computer, and intelligently install 32 or 64-bit versions as appropriate. Since most of the freeware programs are multi-lingual, the programs offer a selection of languages during the install process; Ninite will identify the chosen language on the computer, and install the software with the correct language option. It is not necessary to create an account on the Ninite website, and no signup is required to make full use of the services. For business and other commercial users with a large number of computers to maintain, Ninite offers a “Pro” version for a mere 20 cents per computer per month, which will transparently maintain the free programs on the covered computers, but the Pro version is not necessary for home users who use the free installer. The Ninite website at ninite.com is very intuitive and easy to use; the page is divided up into categories of free software, and all the user needs to do is check the box adjacent to the selected programs, and then download the customized installer at the bottom of the page. The downloaded installer does all of the work with no intervention required of the user. The categories of free software available on the Ninite website are Web Browsers, Messaging, Media, Runtimes, Imaging, Documents, Security, File Sharing, Other, Utilities, Compression and Developer Tools; each category contains from two to fifteen programs, all selectable by check box. For those who would like to try or use multiple internet browsers, Ninite offers Google’s Chrome, Firefox, Apple’s Safari and Opera. As with all Ninite categories, any one, any combination, or all can be automatically downloaded and installed with the

Ninite installer. As stated earlier, that same installer can be rerun to automate the update process, insuring that the user is getting the latest updates and versions available. Similar Ninite service is available for all of the other categories listed. Many people use a variety of messaging, and Ninite can selectively install any or all of several messaging products including Skype (Internet Telephone), Windows Live Messenger, Pidgin (supports multiple instant messaging clients), Digsby (supports multiple instant messaging clients), Google Talk, Thunderbird Email Reader, AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) and the Yahoo! IM Client. The media category includes 15 media utilities, including iTunes, Hulu (internet TV), VLC (most widely used video and audio player which plays almost all known formats), Winamp, and QuickTime. Ninite can help to keep the popular “runtimes” (programs used to run other programs) up to date on the users’ computer, and include such runtimes as Java, Flash, Silverlight, and .Net. Anyone who may need to view or edit digital images in a variety of formats can select Microsoft’s Paint.NET, Google’s Picasa, GIMP, IrfanView (my personal favorite that can also play all video and audio files with the “AllPlugIns” option) and a variety of other image editors and viewers. People often find that they need a multiplicity of document utilities in order to open, view or edit a variety of documents, and Ninite obliges by offering a wide assortment of document software. Among the selection are a trial version of Microsoft Office 2007, OpenOffice (reads and writes almost all office documents, including Microsoft office), LibreOffice (my choice that can (read and write almost all office documents, including Microsoft office), and several PDF writers that can create PDF documents from almost any program that can print files. Readers of this column may be aware that I am tenacious about security, and have layered security on all of my computers. The selection of free security software included on Ninite are among the most popular available, and includes Microsoft Security essentials, Avast, AVG, MalwareBytes (on every computer that I use), Ad-Aware, Spybot Search and Destroy, and SuperAntispyware (my favorite and on every computer that I use). Users who are engaged in file sharing (a possibly dangerous online activity) may find that uTorrent and eMule will serve them well. The “Other” category on Ninite includes several miscellaneous but useful free utilities including Dropbox (online backup and

file sync utility), Evernote (online notes), Google Earth, password managers, file search utilities, and the Mozy online backup service. Ninite offers 16 assorted utilities, including the very popular CCleaner (disk cleaner with additional utilities), Defraggler (hard drive defragmenting), Recuva (file undelete and recovery), Revo Uninstaller, Glary System Utilities (comprehensive computer maintenance tools) ninite. com/linux and several other useful utilities.

Microsoft’s Free Fix it Center Fixes Many Windows Problems By Ira Wilsker   WEBSITES:

http://support.microsoft.com/fixit/ http://fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal http://fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal/Features

              Some time ago, I wrote about an early beta (pre-release) version of Microsoft’s free Mr. Fixit utility. With the early beta test now closed, I am happy to report that Mr. Fixit is alive and well, and offering many times more free fixes than it did when I first reviewed it. Mr. Fixit is now the character or avatar for the Microsoft Fix it Center, which offers automated fixes for Microsoft products online, typically by downloading and installing a specific problem centered client to the PC. According to Microsoft, “Fix it Center finds and fixes many common PC and device problems automatically. It also helps prevent new problems by proactively checking for known issues and installing updates. Fix it Center helps to consolidate the many steps of diagnosing and repairing a problem into an automated tool that does the work for you.”

While recent versions of Windows can handle the common “zip” compressed file format, there are many other compression formats in wide use that Windows cannot natively process. Ninite offers 7-Zip (a popular free compression/decompression utility that can handle almost all compression formats), and a trial version of the commercial WinZip. Other useful free utilities available in the Ninite “Developer Tools” category are programming tools, FileZilla (FTP client), Notepad++ (text editor that can open and edit many file formats), and some other utilities. Ninite is not just for Windows, as it has a similar listing of 17 free programs for those using the Linux operating system, at ninite.com/linux. Just like the Windows version, checking the boxes and downloading the installer simplifies and automates the software installation process for Linux users. With a fine, free, service like Ninite, it is easy for any PC or Linux user to have the most popular free software programs on his computer, and keep them updated. Thanks Ninite!

            Mr. Fixit and the Fix it Center, available online at support.microsoft.com/fixit, has an interesting motto that simply describes its functions that can repair many common Windows problems; Easy, Relevant, and Be In Control. In terms of being easy, Microsoft say, “Microsoft Fix it Center makes getting support easier

than ever, with tools that help solve the issues you have now and prevent new ones.”  Mr. Fixit is easy to install and run, fully automated, and provides some degree of preventive care. In terms of being relevant, “Microsoft Fix it Center personalizes solutions for your device, showing you only what pertains to your hardware and software.”  The phrase “Be in Control” is appropriate because Mr. Fixit provides the user with a simple method to stay in control of the maintenance of the computer by allowing the user to customize

settings (choose the level of automation), manage multiple devices, and enable simple record keeping of all updates and repairs made on each device.             The online component of the Fix it Center (support.microsoft.com/fixit) allows the user to optionally select a problem area labeled “1 Select a problem area (optional)” displaying a group of eight large icons labeled Top Solutions, Windows, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Entertainment (Xbox 360 type icon, covers the Xbox, Zune, and Windows Phone), Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Info path, Live Meeting, and project), and Other (SharePoint, Exchange, SQL

Server, Streets and Trips, and several other Microsoft products). Clicking on one of the eight icons opens a context sensitive window “2 - What are you trying to do?”. In this window is listed many of the common problems faced by windows users; clicking on one of the items open a second selection window on its right, offering a more detailed list of issues or devices that are relevant to the original selection. Below that pair of windows are several possible fixes, listed as “3 View or run solutions for (your chosen problem)”. In that window is a selection of “Run Now” buttons, each linked to a context sensitive solution. Clicking on the appropriate Run Now button executes a file that contains the likely fixes for the selected problem, repairs any damaged, missing or corrupted files and registry entries, displays results and possible additional fixes, and then quietly exits.             Since I have been having periodic issues with the Windows Media Player on this Windows 7-64 computer, I tried the Fix it Center fix for Media Player problems. It downloaded a small client (339k), loaded a “Troubleshooter”, explained what it would try to do and the steps that it will take in order to rectify the problem, and gave me the option of allowing it to identify and repair the problems automatically (recommended), or allow me to choose the fixes. I chose the recommended option, and the troubleshooter ran, detecting the problems. After the first attempt to repair my Media Player, I was given the choice to reset my Media Player and libraries, or do nothing; I chose to reset it. In my particular case, the Fix it Center was able to successfully reset my Windows media player

and its scripting activities, but was unable to repair the Media Player Library. I was then asked to load the problem program, Windows Media Player, and asked if Mr. Fixit had successfully resolved my problem; it did not, but offered some additional possible solutions.         One of the most common irritants faced by many PC users is that their computer is running sluggishly, and appears to be much slower than when new. While there are many possible reasons for this degraded performance, the Fix it Center offers some possible automated fixes for this dilemma. From the Fix it Center main webpage (support.microsoft.com/fixit), click on the Windows button, and then in window #2, select “Fix performance, errors, or crashes”. In the right window, select “Slow performance, startup, shut down, or memory”. In window #3, select the Run Now button adjacent to, “Fix Windows system performance problems on slow Windows computers; Automatically troubleshoot and repair Windows performance problems. Improve, optimize and speed up Windows computers and make slow running PCs faster.”  That will initiate the downloading of another small 339k client that offers performance improvement diagnostics and solutions. Accept the license terms, and the performance “Fix it” client utility will be installed. Either allow it to detect and fix problems automatically (recommended by default), or let it detect performance problems and then you can select from a menu of possible fixes. On my desktop computer the only performance issue that it detected, which I chose to intentionally not repair, was that I had several programs loaded at boot.             There are hundreds, if not thousands of possible Windows fixes freely available from the Fix it Center, and it has become my first choice when looking for a fix for Windows problems. The Fix it Center detects the operating system on the computer (Windows 7, Vista, or XP), and displays appropriate fixes explicitly for that operating system and whatever Microsoft product is connected or installed on that computer.             Whenever a PC user encounters what may be a Microsoft related problem, the Fix it Center would be an appropriate first choice to check for a possible solution. The Fix it Center utilities may not just identify the problem (as well as other related problems unknown to the user), but may possibly fix the problems as well.

Inserting International Letters into Word Documents

By Nancy DeMarte, Columnist, Office Talk, Sarasota PCUG, Inc., Florida September 2011 issue, Sarasota PC Monitor www.spcug.org ndemarte (at) Verizon.net In our global society, languages have become more blended. English, for example, has adopted many words of different origins, some of which include special diacritical marks over the letters, as in the French word passé. Occasionally words can actually be misunderstood without a special mark over a letter, such as the difference between the “résumé” we provide when looking for a job, and “resume”, meaning to begin again. It helps to know how to insert these diacritical marks when using Microsoft Office. Word provides two fairly easy methods to add these marks: the Symbol dialog box and keystroke combinations. The Symbol dialog box (formerly called the Character Map) is easy to find in Word. It can be useful but also a bit tedious when you’re in the middle of composing a document. It provides both international characters and other symbols, such as the Euro symbol (€) or Pi (π). To use this dialog box in Word 2007, click the Insert tab, then Symbol to view a few common symbols. Click the one you want to make it appear where your cursor was flashing. Click Symbol, then More Symbols, to open the full dialog box. Click a letter or symbol, then Insert, and it’s done. This dialog box contains every symbol and international letter that Office has to offer, but inserting one may involve moving between different tables of fonts and symbol types before you locate the one you need. It is worth spending a few minutes exploring this box, though, if only to see what’s available. Once you insert a symbol using the dialog box, it will appear with recently used characters and symbols in a row near the bottom of the box for easy access in the future. Although the Symbol dialog box method is the best way to insert a symbol, there’s an easier method of inserting international letters using a combination of keyboard strokes. This method involves pressing the Control key (Ctrl) on the keyboard at the same time as a punctuation or symbol key, then releasing these

keys and pressing the key of the letter that needs the diacritical mark. Let’s use the example of the acute é. First be sure your cursor is flashing in the spot where you want the character to appear. Press the Ctrl key and the apostrophe key at the same time. Release them and type the letter “e”, which will appear with its acute mark in place, é. When learning this method, it helps to have a chart of the appropriate keys and corresponding diacritical marks nearby. The system is so logical that before long you won’t need to refer to the chart except for unusual marks. The chart below gives you many of the ones you might need: International Press these keys, Character then release and press the letter. à, è, ì, ò, ù á, é, í, ó, ú, ý â, ê, î, ô, û ã, ñ, õ ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ å æ or œ ç ð ø ¿ ¡ ß

Ctrl + ` (grave accent key) Ctrl + ‘ (apostrophe key) Ctrl + Shift + ^ (caret key) Ctrl + Shift + ~ (tilde key) Ctrl + Shift + : (colon key) Crtl + Shift + @ Crtl + Shift + & Crtl + , (comma key) Crtl + ‘ (apostrophe key) Ctrl + / (forward slash key) Alt + Ctrl + Shift +? Alt + Ctrl + Shift +! Ctrl + Shift + &

A few tips about this chart: 1. Many of the diacritical marks resemble the keyboard symbols that are used to create them, which makes them easier to remember. 2. Occasionally the Shift key is included in the procedure. This is because the keyboard symbol is the top one on the key and needs the Shift key to select it, as it would if it were a capital letter. 3. To get the upper case version of these letters with their marks, such as É, merely press the Shift key while pressing the letter. If you find that you type in languages other than English on a regular basis, Word 2007 and 2010 offer quite a bit of help. You can see the list of the languages which have editing tools installed in Word by clicking the Office button (File in 2010) and selecting Word Options. Click Popular in the left pane

and select the Language Settings button. I found, for example, that limited editing support is provided for more than 200 languages on my computer, including six dialects of French, five of Chinese, and twenty-one of Spanish. If you need more tools in another language, you can download free Language Interface Packs or purchase Language Packs for about $25, both of which provide extra editing tools for the language of your choice. Other options allow you to change the keyboard to a different language layout. To do this, open the Control Panel and put it in Classic view so all the icons are visible. Click the Region and Language icon, and then the Keyboards and Languages tab. English is the default, but you can add other languages from this dialog box. You can also customize formats for specific systems which differ among countries, such as currency and measurement, using the Format tab in that same dialog box. If you are interested in exploring more about using Word in a language other than English, here is a link to get you started: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ support/change-the-default-language-for-officeprograms-HA010356057.aspx. Meantime, clip the chart included in this article to use the next time you need to type an “international” word. :

5 Office features you need to know about

by Annik Stahl on May 04 Some things we just can’t do without in life: love, friendship, a bathroom door that locks. With Office, the same is true: Some features should not be overlooked. Today I’ll list five features that I think should come as second nature to you to use. Friday I’ll give you five more. Today: • Bcc box • Revision marks • AutoCorrect • AutoArchive • Security #1: Say it, don’t spray it: the Bcc box Bcc is an abbreviation for blind carbon copy. If you add a recipient’s name to this box in an email, a

copy of the message is sent to that recipient, and the recipient’s name is not visible to other recipients of the message. Consider using the Bcc box when: • You want your mailing list to remain private. • You want to protect your recipients from getting on a spammer’s list. Consider this: If you send a message to 10 people (and you don’t put their email addresses in the Bcc box), and each of these 10 people forwards it to 10 other people, and each of these 100 people forwards it to 10 more people, your original 10 email addresses are now available to 10,000 strangers. (This is how a version of that “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” game gets started.) Chances are pretty good that one of those 10,000 recipients is a spammer or even a distributor of a computer worm or virus. Of course, there are other reasons you may use the Bcc box (like helping to curb an out-of-control conversation that includes people who don’t need to be included), but I’ll leave you and your sneaky mind to come up with those. #2: I came, I saw, I wrote: Rev marks Writers and editors have to work together; it’s a law of nature, like gravity or feeling territorial about a parking space. Using revision marks in Word or other Office programs is one way to keep track of all the changes—agreed upon or otherwise—that you, as a writer or a reviewer, can talk about as a document is written. Using Word’s built-in reviewing tools, such as comments or tracked changes, is a lot easier than getting out the red pen or using strikethrough formatting (or whatever). Make use of this handy feature; it really facilitates the reviewing process. • •

Revise documents with Track Changes and Comments in Word More on revision marks

#3: I know what I mean: AutoCorrect This is one handy feature that I use a lot, and I use it in two ways: 1. I type “Crabby Office Lady” a lot, but since I’ve created an AutoCorrect entry for it, all I have to type is “COL” and my Office program detects what I really mean and fills in the full phrase for me. 2. I can also use AutoCorrect to automatically detect and correct typos, misspelled words, grammatical errors, and incorrect capitalization. See, I tend to type fast and quite erroneously. I often type “teh” instead of “the”

and “nac” instead of “can.” Since I’ve set up the AutoCorrect to note that, it changes the words back to what they should be. Does this make me lazy? Perhaps. But it saves me time, too. • •

AutoCorrect for Office 2010 AutoCorrect for 2007

#4: Help me, I’m drowning: AutoArchive Your mailbox is growing and growing...and growing. You need a place to store all those items that you can’t delete but don’t need on a daily basis, and you need a way to do it automatically. AutoArchive in Outlook is the way to handle it. It’s on by default and runs automatically at scheduled intervals, clearing out old and expired items from folders. Old items are those that reach the archiving age you specify. Expired items are mail and meeting items whose content is no longer valid after a certain date, such as a meeting you had four months ago that still appears on your calendar. I like to think of it as spring cleaning, but it’s easier and can happen more frequently, at any interval you desire. • •

AutoArchive for Outlook 2010 AutoArchive for Outlook 2007

#5 Get some insurance: Protect your work with Office security features Security is a big word these days, and you’d be wise to pay attention. There are many aspects to computer security, and being who I am, I’m here to encourage you to make your Office documents as secure as you can. Some of the ways you can do this are to password-protect your documents, presentations, and spreadsheets; lock your shapes in Visio and prevent changes to files; protect your InfoPath form designs. I’m not going to say that security is a simple, straightforward topic; it isn’t. But if you read the information we have out there and follow some of our guidelines, you can rest assured that your Office documents will be a lot more secure—from prying eyes, from spammers, from viruses—than if you just close your eyes and hope for the best. •

Find out how to protect your Office data

Some of these you may already know about, but one can always go deeper, learn more, and show off to friends and coworkers. See you Friday. — Crabby WINNERS - WINdows usERS has permission to reprint articles from Annik Stahl - AKA The Crabby Office Lady

Word 2010 Ribbon Customization

By Lynn Page, Editor / Webmaster, Crystal River Users Group, FL September issue of the CRUG newsletter www.crug.com editor (at) crug.com For those new to Office 2007 or 2010 perhaps the most confusing item is the Ribbon interface. I remember how I felt when I first moved to Office 2007. The confusion that the Office Button created has been eliminated in Office 2010 with the introduction of the File Tab. So it is no longer difficult to find the normal File menu commands. This month I will take a look at customizing the Ribbon. Office 2010 lets you personalize the Ribbon the way you want it. However the customization is specific to that particular Office 2007 application. The default tabs and groups can be renamed and rearranged. New custom tabs can be added and new custom groups can be added to a tab. Open Ribbon Customization To customize the Ribbon select the File tab and then Click Help. In the Help pop out menu click Options in the Tools for Working With Office section. In the Word Options dialog box select Customize Ribbon. The dialog box shows the options for customizing the Ribbon. The left column contains commands that can be added to the Ribbon. The right column shows what is already on the Ribbon.

Rearrange or Reorganize the Ribbon Built in Office 2010 default tabs and groups can be renamed and reordered but default commands cannot. To change to position of a tab click and drag it up or down in the right column. Here I have moved the View tab above Mailings and Review and its tab is before them on the Ribbon.

Groups on a Tab are rearranged in the same manner.

Add a New Tab or Group New Tab If you always use the same few but diverse commands and want them easily assessable in one location create a new tab and place the commands there. In the right column select the tab the new tab is to follow and click the New Tab button at the bottom of the column. Change the name of the new tab or new group select it and click the Rename button. New Group Add new groups to existing tabs in a similar fashion. Select the tab or a group in the tab and click the New Group button. If a tab was selected the new group is added at the end of the groups for that tab. If a group was selected the new group is positioned below it. Rename the group giving it a descriptive name by clicking the Rename button. Adding a new group is important because to add new commands they must be placed in a new custom group. Again I don’t feel the need to add new groups but for those who miss quick access to particular commands this is a good option. Reset The Reset button is a safety feature. It removes all customization and reverts the Ribbon to the defaults settings. Add or Remove Items Remember that to add commands to a group; you need to add a custom group to a default tab or to a new, custom tab. The custom tabs and groups in the Customize the Ribbon list have (Custom) after the name. However, (Custom) doesn’t show on the ribbon. To add a command locate and select it in the left column. Click the down arrow by Popular Commands to open a drop down menu for help in finding a command. Select the custom group the command is to be added to and then click the Add button between the columns. The command is added the bottom of the group. If a command in the custom group is selected the new command is added below it. To remove a custom tab, custom group or command in a custom group select it in the right column and click the Remove button. If a custom tab or group is deleted all nested groups and commands are also removed from the Ribbon. Example I really don’t have a problem with the default Ribbon. I did reorder the tabs to show how it is completed. I do have one Favorite command and that is Paste Special. The clipboard group on the Home tab makes Paste Special much handier then in other versions but for an example I used it as an added command.

First I added a new custom Paste group on the Home tab after the Clipboard group. Next I filtered the commands to those on the Main tab. Opening the Clipboard and then the Paste group showed the actual Paste Special command. With my custom group selected in the right column I selected Paste Special in the left panel and clicked the Add Button. Then I also added the Paste command and finally clicked OK. Now Paste Special is a single click operation.

Notice that the View tab is before the Mailings and Review tabs and the new Paste group contains Paste Special and Paste.

A little 10-year-old girl was walking home, alone, from school one day, when a big man on a black motorcycle pulls up beside her. After following along for a while, turns to her and asks, “Hey there, do you want to go for a ride?” “NO!” says the little girl as she keeps on walking. The motorcyclist again pulls up beside her and asks, “I will give you $10 if you hop on the back.” “NO!” says the little girl as she hurries down the street. The motorcyclist pulls up beside the little girl again and says, “I’m feeling generous today! I’ll give you 20 bucks and a big bag of candy if you will just hop on the back of my bike and go for a ride with me.” Finally, the little girl stops and turns towards him and screams out. . . “Look Dad, you’re the one who bought the Honda instead of the Harley! So ride it by yourself!” I just got off the phone with a friend in Minnesota. She said that since early this morning the snow has been nearly waist high and is still falling. The temperature is dropping below zero and the north wind is increasing. Her husband has done nothing but look through the kitchen window all day. She says that if it gets much worse, she may have to let him back in.

Digital Photography Composition for Dummies

Donna Kamper, Member, Tucson Computer Society, AZ September 2011 issue, TCS eJournal www.aztcs.org donna (at) kamper.com What’s the difference between an amateurish snapshot and a gallery-quality photograph? There are lots of variables, but the right “composition” makes the viewer’s eye snap to the essential element that tells the story. If there were only one way to tell a story photographically, it’d be easy. It used to be. Plop the subject in the middle and click. But does that really “tell the story?” This book, by a professional photographer, breaks down and explains the subject of composition element by element. Contrast, distance and patterns as well as lines, shapes and forms are introduced and their relevance to your photography is pointed out A minimal amount of space is spent on the equipment (camera, lenses, tripod, etc .) and the basics (aperture, focal point, ISO, etc .). I felt it was enough space/time for the subject, and the author states it’s expected that the reader has a basic understanding of their equipment. The subject of composition itself is then addressed, which covers how to use points of interest, framing and even color as an essential element. The concept of “leading the eye” or “drawing the eye” is referenced frequently. Multiple techniques are demonstrated and illustrated. This became particularly helpful when the subject was lighting. The names and descriptions of lighting methods (Paramount, Rembrandt, Broad lighting) are all very well, but actually showing how the light falls on a subject allows the novice (reader) to actually understand (and remember) its effect.

This is a copiously illustrated book, as one about photography should be. The best part is not simply that there are a lot of photos, mostly in color, but that they’re relevant and helped me to understand certain points. A broad range of subject matter is covered, which I also found particularly helpful. There are a lot of large, intimidating (expensive) books out there focused solely on “landscape” or “portrait” or “still life” photography. This small and inexpensive volume covers all those subjects and more quite nicely. Each subject does differ, and there are concise descriptions not only of those differences but the methods for adapting to them. Because Dummies books are written by different authors, I feel like it’s a bit of a gamble delving into one. This one is a big winner. It’s obvious the author knows his subject in a way only someone doing the work does, but he’s also one of the avis rara who can also explain it well. About: Digital Photography Composition for Dummies Author: Tom Clark Publisher: For Dummies / www.dummies.com ISBN-10: 0470647612 ISBN-13: 978-0470647615 Price: $29.99, $21.89 @ Amazon

Windows compatibility

By Neil Stahfest, Vice President, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington September 2011 issue, the Data Line NCStahfest (at) msn.com www.tapcug.org Microsoft Windows uses small files called device drivers to communicate with peripheral devices like printers and scanners. For example, when you use a word processing program and enter a line feed character, the code for a line feed must be translated to a code your printer understands to feed a new line. Drivers can be for a specific device or a family of devices like HP LaserJet printers. Over the years thousands of device drivers have been written. Windows 7 comes with many built-in drivers to simplify the installation when you plug in a new printer or scanner into your computer. If Windows 7 doesn’t have a driver for your device it asks you to provide one. This could be from a CD that came with your device or you can search the Internet for the right driver. So what if you can’t find a driver on the Internet? Your best bet is to check the device manufacturer’s web site for Windows 7 drivers. If your device is old, however, the manufacturer may no longer support it and there may be no drivers for Windows 7. In that case, try looking for drivers for Windows Vista or a similar model of the device. Ultimately, you may have to buy a replacement device. The good news is many new devices are faster, do more and are less expensive than the old ones. So what can you do if you have an old program that worked fine with Windows XP but now runs poorly or maybe not at all with Windows 7? Well it turns out that Microsoft has thought of that and created something called a Windows compatibility mode. Using the compatibility mode you can tell it to run the program using the settings for an earlier version of Windows (like Windows XP), limit the set of colors displayed, change the screen resolution and

other settings. There are two ways you can change the compatibility settings. You can use the Windows Program Compatibility Troubleshooter or change them manually. To use the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, right-click on the program’s name or desktop shortcut and in the window that appears, right-click on Troubleshoot compatibility and follow the on-screen instructions. If you cannot install the program, locate the program’s setup file, usually called Setup.exe or Install.exe, click on Troubleshoot compatibility and follow the instructions that appear. To change program compatibility settings manually, start by right-clicking on the program icon. At the bottom of the window that appears you will see Properties. Click on it and then click on the Compatibility. In this example Windows has already selected Windows XP (Service Pack 3) for the compatible operating system but if you click on the box above it you will see a drop down list of all the versions of Windows that you can select from, going back as far as Windows 95. Note that under Settings you can change colors, screen resolution, etc. Under Privilege Level you can restrict the program to use by an administrator only and you can change settings for all users. After trying different program compatibility settings your program may still not work properly. If you have a really old program they may be a hardware incompatibility with your computer. For example, I have an address database program that was written to run on Microsoft DOS (pre-Windows). It ran in a Command Window in Windows 98 and Windows XP but it will not run on my Windows 7 64-bit operating system. Sometimes you just have to move on and get a new program.

Software Review - Collectorz.com Book Collector Pro

By Tanya and Mark Mattson, Computer Users of Erie, PA August 2011 issue, Horizons www.cuerie.com cuerie1 (at) verizon.net   I am going to start off with an Excellent rating for not only the Book Collector software, but for the content and design of the Collectorz.com site all together.   I had searched for (and found) a book cataloging software application that would do what I needed. Loved it, but it was obsolete and no longer being supported or developed by the author. So I started on the hunt for a new one.   I came across the Colletorz.com Book Collector. It had what I wanted and so much more. I was looking for an easy way to catalog not only the CUE library but ours at home as well. And with simply typing in the IBSN or scanning the bar code, it is good to go. Yes you do need a barcode scanner to make that feature work, but it is an extra way of inputting your books...NOT the only way.   First I want to give you a screen shot from their site –

Book Collector page on Collectorz.com website   The first thing one notices is that they offer so much more. Music, movie, book, comic, game, mp3, and

photo collector applications. All their programs are Windows friendly, and several - Music, Movie, Book and Comic Collector - are also Mac compatible. This is always a big plus for me; I get annoyed at the software companies that cater to one system or the other. Just adds so much confusion. And since I know our members have PC and Mac systems all around, it is great to be able to do a software review that can benefit everyone.   So how does it work? Well there is a free trial, and once downloaded and installed it is easy to begin. You can just type (or scan) the ISBNs of your books. Or you can enter the author and title – either way it will auto-download book details and the cover art, and load all this information into the program’s database fields for you.

Screen capture of ISBN entry page, adding new book   This is not just a catalog of files. Once entered you can sort and search, you can browse the database (your book inventory – or collection) by Author, Title, Publisher, etc. Grouping books by Genres or Author into folders is another handy feature built in to the program.   Export your data in various formats, including to you iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. Won’t be at the book store rummaging around for that scrap of paper that in some weird shorthand I made up to tell me

what I have and don’t have in my library. Printing is also an option.   What I found to be one of the nicest features was their trial. Not a 15 day limit, but 100 book entries. Try it out for a spin, and see that it is a win. Be aware, however, that the TRIAL version is actually the PRO version...all features are available for you to try out. If you purchase only the Standard edition license, those features listed as being in the PRO version will no longer function. Please remember this when purchasing.   Catalog customization options are available in either Edition. One can edit a books’ details. There is a collection status field; is a title on your wish-list, for sale, already owned, or out on loan. You can flag any number of titles with such custom information tags.

only 5.5 MB in size...so it will download fairly quickly.   There is also the option to have it delivered via physical shipment of a CD for an extra $9.95. If you wish the CD to be shipped, be sure to select this option during purchase. The disc comes in a DVD-style case, with the program logo on the cover.   For those downloading the program, the file is a selfextractor; double-click on it to start the installation procedure. Installation is simple and straight-forward; select the default options, and you’re ready to go in a matter of about a minute.   As this review was based on a download version, we can only assume that the CD will auto-run when inserted in your computer drive, starting the installer

Book data editing window   Installation and System Requirements   Book Collector is available direct from the publisher’s website at www.collectorz.com. Click on the Book Collector tab at the top to go to the proper page. There you will find the link to download a trial version, or to go to their online store to purchase a license.   The program is delivered via direct download. You are emailed a link to the download location, where you save the file to your system. It is a small download,

automatically. However, we could not test this out. But as that is the way modern programs are set up, it is likely to be the case. The program appears to use very little of your system resources. In fact, I couldn’t find any listed system requirements on their website, other than the operating systems supported. For Windows, it needs Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or Windows 7. For Mac users, you need at least OS-X v10.4 or higher, up to and including Lion.   Please note that you will also need an active Internet

connection, to enable auto-downloading of your book details and cover images.   There are several localized translations for the Windows platform besides English, but the Mac version is English-only. Also, when you go to the store page to purchase, if you are buying a Mac license, be sure to use the link at the top right of the store page to go to the Mac order area...otherwise, you’ll be getting a Windows license.   Book Collector can be purchased in two versions: a Standard Edition for $29.95, and a Pro Edition for larger collections priced at $49.95. Remember that the trial version is actually the full Pro version. Many Pro-only features will NOT be available if you only purchase the Standard edition.   As indicated before, there are a ton of options available for you to work with your book data. You can sort your database by any field, do custom searches, and more. You even have the ability to save custom searches as presets for future use - saving you time in recreating them later.

Alternate main window layout   The default view of the program can be changed, either to one of several available presets, or you can go all out and create custom templates, to change the look of the interface to fit your taste.   One feature that is available is the ability to use a barcode scanner to input the ISBN numbers on your books. This will vastly speed up the process

of cataloging your collection, especially those with hundreds or thousands of titles.   Collectorz.com sells several barcode scanners that they’ve tested to work with the software. They are listed on the store page for your convenience. One such unit is the Cuecat scanner. It lists for $19.95 in their store. BUT, if you’re like me and like to haunt Radio Shack stores, about 10 years ago or so they gave away these units with their yearly catalog. I still have mine, and will be hooking it up to try out in the near future. The only thing is, I think it’s an RS-232 model, and I’ll need an RS232-to-USB adapter to connect it to my system.

Barcode scanners available from Collectorz.com   Are you one that lets others borrow your books? Then this program will also benefit you. The PRO version also has a Lending system built-in, giving you the ability to track the titles you lend to friends and family. You can enter names, dates, and other information such as notes, to help ensure you get your treasured books back.   You even have options for printing and exporting lists of your collection, to such formats as HTML and XML. Allowing you to publish to your website for all to see. But exporting is only in the PRO version.   The only area that MAY bother you to some extent, is the way that the dimensions of the book are shown. As this is a European company that designed Book Collector, they use the metric system for

measurements. Thus, the length and width are shown in millimeters, not inches. There also is no option available to switch it to the inch system we in the States use.   However, this really shouldn’t be a deal breaker for you when considering the program as a whole. It actually is more accurate, as some books published here use some weird measurements...I’ve seen books listed as 9.6” on a side. Measuring something like that on your inches ruler will give you fits. Metric measurements are more precise for this. If you really need inch measurements, be patient; the developer has indicated that an option to select inch measurements is on their To-Do list for a future revision, so it WILL be an available option at some point.   Currency fields use the OS default location to set the currency field to match your location. Thus, for US users, it uses the $ as we are all used to. If it shows something different, better check your system settings!   There is a LOT more that can be published here on this program. However, it would most likely fill up the rest of the available space doing so. If you want some really in-depth information and looks at Book Collector, be sure to go to the website and look at all related pages.   There is an online manual there, giving you details on all functions and features. Many topics also have short video tutorials or demos embedded in them, to give you a better grasp of a certain concept. A really well done and designed document. Unfortunately, there is no way it can be printed at this time...but it is always online, ready and waiting if you need it.   There is also a Help / FAQ page, with many standard questions and answers set forth. There are many there that you may not think of when first checking out the program...but the questions I was thinking of were there, and answered to my satisfaction (such as ‘What if my book doesn’t have an ISBN number?’).   It’s obvious that the majority of this review has concentrated on print books being cataloged. But never fear, if you’re moving to eBooks or audio books, they too can be added to the database, to ensure you have a complete listing of all your reading materials. Adding these types of media is as easy as scanning the

folders they reside in on your hard drives. Once the basic catalog information is imported from the scan, you can use the Update function to retrieve the full information form the online Collectorz.com database.   If books are not the collection manager that is being looked for - Check out their site www.collectorz. com – tabs on the top will direct you to Music, Movie, Book, Comic, Game, Mp3 and Photo Collector applications.   This program is not just for “collections” which one associates with first editions and rare books, it is an inventory, a database, a cataloging system, that is easy and fun to use. So check them out – we all know the holidays are right around the corner, this would make a nice gift for yourself, or someone that has a collection, be it books, games, or movies. And organization goes along way – to make less hectic lives. And less stress. (I hate it when I buy two, [and yes once, but only once three] of the same book or even movie).   For as simple as it is designed to use, this is an amazingly powerful piece of software. It already holds promise of organizing our home book collection, helping us avoid duplications of titles, and to plan which ones we’d like to add. For the price, it is a bargain. But it is worth a lot more just for the time and effort savings it brings to your life.   Two thumbs up from both of us.   Definitely a ‘Must-Have’.

 

TrueCrypt

Free open-source data encryption software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux By John Langill, Newsletter Co-editor, Southern Tier Personal Computing Club, NY August 2011 issue, Rare Bits, STPCC Newsletter jlangil1 (at) stny.rr.com The May 2011 issue of Rare Bits contained an article by Dick Maybach titled “Cloud Computing” in which he pointed out the necessity of securing your data via encryption when it “...is stored on the same disks, uses the same memory, and passes through the same processors as everybody else’s.” And I recall Dave Bilcik voicing a similar warning at the May meeting and also mentioning the program TrueCrypt. It just so happens that I am currently using TrueCrypt and I believe it to be very satisfactory solution whether you need relatively modest security or very tight and sophisticated protection. TrueCrypt is a software system for establishing and maintaining an on-the-fly-encrypted volume (data storage device). “On-the-fly” encryption means that data is automatically encrypted or decrypted right before it is loaded or saved, without any user intervention. The entire file system is encrypted; e.g., filenames, folder-names, contents of every file, free space, meta-data, etc. No data stored on an encrypted volume can be read (decrypted) without using the correct password and/or key file(s), or correct encryption keys. I’m not sure how unique TrueCrypt’s approach is but I was nevertheless intrigued by it. The first step is to create a “container;” otherwise known as a TrueCrypt “encrypted volume.” To my mind, this is somewhat like obtaining a safety-deposit box at a bank.

encrypted volume can be created to have as much capacity as you need. For example, it can be a specific portion of a hard-disk, or an entire flash drive or other storage device. Unlike a safety-deposit box, however, you hold the only key... so you need to remember and protect it. And, into the container (the volume) you can store any number of files. If the capacity of the volume is exceeded, you simply create a bigger container. One of the interesting facets of a TrueCrypt volume is that it has most of the characteristics of an ordinary file. That is, the volume can be moved or copied within the storage areas of a given PC, or to a different PC. The name of the volume can be changed; and the volume can be included in routine backups. It can be transmitted across the Internet; and even into the wildblue yonder, if you’re so inclined. And, even if you have no intention of salting “the cloud” with your personal data, what about that minuscule 8- or 32GB flash-drive you carry around in your pocket. The smaller they get, the easier they are to lose. Wouldn’t it be reassuring to have made it an encrypted volume so that whoever finds it won’t have an easy time of it when they try to discover the contents of your personal data? The downside of the file-like characteristics is that, like any file, an encrypted volume can also be deleted and all its content lost (...thank goodness for the Recycle Bin). That would be very bad if done unwittingly. But that’s why we do back-ups! Yes? Once a TrueCrypt volume is mounted, the data files it contains can be copied to and from the volume just like they are copied to or from any normal disk; for example, by simple drag-and-drop operations.

TrueCrypt provides a Files are automatically decrypted on-the-fly in RAM “wizard” to assist with the task. As at a bank where (Random Access Memory) while they are being read safety-deposit boxes of various sizes can be rented, the or copied from an encrypted TrueCrypt volume.

Similarly, files that are being written or copied to a TrueCrypt volume are automatically encrypted onthe-fly in RAM right before they are written to the volume. Note, however, this does not mean the whole file that is to be encrypted/decrypted must reside in RAM before it can be encrypted/decrypted. That is, there are no extra RAM requirements for TrueCrypt. The following paragraph explains how this is accomplished. Let’s suppose that there is an .avi video file stored on a TrueCrypt volume; that is, the entire video file is encrypted. The user provides the correct password and/or key file and mounts (opens) the TrueCrypt volume. When the user double-clicks the icon of the video file, the operating system launches the application associated with the file type — typically a media player. The media player then begins loading a small initial portion of the video file from the TrueCrypt-encrypted volume to RAM in order to play it. While the portion is being loaded, TrueCrypt is automatically decrypting it in RAM. The decrypted portion of the video in RAM is then played by the media player. While this portion is being played, the media player begins loading next small portion of the video file from the TrueCrypt-encrypted volume to RAM and the process repeats. This process is called “on-the-fly” encryption/decryption and it works for all file types, not just for video files. The process also ensures minimal impact on processing performance. Note that TrueCrypt never saves any decrypted data to a disk – it only stores it temporarily in RAM. Even when the volume is mounted, data stored in the volume remains encrypted. When you restart Windows or turn off your computer, the volume will be automatically dismounted and files stored in it will be inaccessible and encrypted. Even when power is suddenly interrupted (i.e., without a proper system shut-down), files stored in the volume are inaccessible and encrypted. To make them accessible again, you have to mount the volume by providing the correct password and/or key file. Of course, as with any unintended power interruption or shut-down, unsaved changes to files are lost because re-encryption of changes occurs only when files are saved to the volume in a normal fashion. I’ve only touched on a few of the main facets of

TrueCrypt. In addition, TrueCrypt offers a choice of encryption algorithms from which you can select one that will give the degree of security you feel you need. This and other aspects of TrueCrypt are fully documented in an excellent User Guide. The latest version of the free software, Release 7.0a, can be downloaded from the product’s home Website at http://www.truecrypt.org, as well as from CNET’s http://www.download.com, and other sites on the Web. The User Guide PDF and a more detailed description of TrueCrypt can be found at the product’s home website. TrueCrypt is one free program that is, in my opinion, an exception to my general perception of the breed. Of course, the developers gratefully accept donations. In this case, I think they are well deserved.

Freebies!

By Dave Bilcik, Program Committee, Southern Tier Personal Computing Club, NY August 2011 issue, Rare Bits www.stpcc.org Dlbilcik (at) yahoo.com Summer is still here and still hot. Thunderstorms and chances of heat waves are all a part of August’s endgame. It gets people to accept autumn more easily. In last month’s Freebie article I told you of DVD Flick and DVD Styler. Two free pieces of software that will allow you to take your finished movie clips and embed them into a DVD that is playable for everyone. What if your clips aren’t finished? We have some help for you here as well... think free video editors. This software will allow you to tweak, edit and clip your digital movies so that even Spielberg might get a twinge of jealousy. If not high art, at least edit out the part where you caught Uncle Bob scratching his behind at the family reunion (no one needs to see that). A good Samaritan (Yogesh Mankani) posted, as part of his blog (at http://bit.ly/cjHfMR), a list of 18 different free software packages that you can experiment with. I will only deal with #1 on the list, Windows Movie Maker. If you have XP as your operating system, you received Windows Movie Maker with your Service Pack 2 (SP2) updates. If you are using Vista (may the Lord have mercy on your soul), download it

from http://bit.ly/kXpG92 Or go to http://bit.ly/gT4F8Z if you’re running Windows 7. The location gives you a download link and tells you how to find out if Windows Movie Maker is already installed on your system. Mr. Mankani has also kindly included a list of the top 10 free online editing software at http://bit. ly/bICenR, if you don’t want to install any software on your PC. All you need is a browser and a broadband connection to the net and you are ready to go. Speaking of YouTube (subtle transition here), by starting your account today you might avoid the DVD building entirely. Last month I suggested YouTube as a possible source of stock movie clips. If you post your immaculately edited movie to You Tube, just send your friends the web address of your video and let them watch it in their browser. Go to http://www. youtube.com/ to get things started. Even radio shows are posting to You Tube. Check out http://www.youtube. com/user/JRense?blend=6&ob=5 to hear (see?) some alternative radio. You may not agree with it but what a range of topics. YouTube content goes from stupid to sublime so be aware of your filtering options. YouTube is Google owned and operated. Non-free warning! Do you want your YouTube posted podcast/rants sounding crisp and clear? Invest in a good microphone for your system. Don’t depend on small built-in mics in your laptop or cheap gaming headphones. Blue Microphones has some highly rated USB microphones that you can check out at http://www. bluemic.com/desktop/. . They may look a little funky but it is said their sound starts to get close (for the money) to the studio. I might suggest the Blue Yeti. Google “Blue Yeti” as key words, hit the Shopping button at the top of the screen and go from there. Almost last words... the Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor at $249 is the lowest price tablet disguised as an E-Book reader. You can read and browse as is. When the warranty runs out, root your NOOK and have a full Android tablet plus a well-regarded E-book reader. More details next month if I feel like it. My personal email address is [email protected] if you want to send me comments, questions or cash. Please put “Freebies” somewhere on the subject line so I will have some idea about its contents. Tell me about your best free software experience or your our best bargain (...ever!) and I will pass it on.

RoboForm

Program stores websites, login information By Jim Thornton, Member, Channel Islands PCUG, CA August 2011 issue, The Outer Edge www.cipcug.org Jasthorn (at) gmail.com RoboForm is one of my favorite software programs as it helps me very quickly log into secured websites. My listings of these websites include airlines, email, financial, medical, stores, travel, etc., and I currently have more than 50 of these secured websites listed. The program is very easy to use. For example, first open Internet Explorer, and then click on one of its little toolbars titled RoboForm and a list of several choices appear titled Logins, Identities, and Soft Notes. While I mentioned Internet Explorer, RoboForm also works equally as well with Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and many more browsers. Next, I click on Logins and then click again on the listed secured website that I want to enter. Next, RoboForm automatically redirects Internet Explorer to the website that I selected and when the login website appears, RoboForm automatically fills in my name and password, and I’m immediately logged into the secured website with unrestricted abilities. Once you have the program installed, when you go to a new secured website and fill in your user name and password and click on Enter, RoboForm will automatically add the information. Including the website address, to your list of Logins. If you need a new password, RoboForm will generate a highly secure password. On the Login list in RoboForm, the secured websites are listed alphabetically and you can easily rename any listing. Other RoboForm features include SafeNotes, which securely stores other information of your choice. For example, some banks will frequently ask you for your wife’s favorite color, your first dog’s name, etc., to ensure that you are the secured party attempting to access your bank account, etc. You can securely store this information in SafeNotes. RoboForm’s options under Logins include Edit, New, and Print List. Under Identities are Edit, New, and Fill

Empty Fields Only. SafeNotes includes Edit, New, Print to New, and Print Last. Numerous other choices include Fill Forms, Save Forms, Fields — Reset, Sat, and Clear, Profiles — Default, New, Date, Name, Refresh Fields, Explorer, Tools — Edit Identify, Edit Password, Edit SafeNotes, Search Fields, Taskbar Icon, Generate Password, and Sign RoboForm data, and Options — Help. I’ve used RoboForm for numerous years in Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, and now Windows 7. RoboForm’s website is www. roboform.com, and there are three versions of RoboForm available: Desktop, Everywhere, and 2Go. Desktop provides high security and restricts the access to RoboForm from only one computer. Everywhere allows you to access RoboForm from numerous computers. 2Go works using a portable USB drive, so that you can take your RoboForm information and use it on many computers while traveling on business or on vacation.

Discovering Windows 7 – Part 18 By Neil Stahfest, Vice President, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington August 2011 issue, the Data Line NCStahfest (at) msn.com www.tapcug.org

A reader emailed me to ask if I had any suggestions that would darken the text on his computer’s display and make it more legible. It was an interesting question and it occurred to me that this would be a good topic for “Discovering Windows 7.” In researching this topic I discovered Windows 7 provides three primary ways to improve the readability of your display. We’ll start with screen resolution. For the sharpest image, it’s important for your video settings to match your screen. Click on the Windows Start button and type “screen resolution.” In the window that appears select “Adjust screen resolution.”

RoboForm runs in numerous versions of Internet Explorer, including versions 6, 7, 8, and 9 but only on 32-bit versions and not the 64-bit versions. There is a free version of RoboForm that is limited to only 10 logins. For more than 10 logins, the Everywhere version is available for $20 per year, and the Desktop version is $30. The current version, which is version 6.10.2.0, was introduced earlier this year. When you install RoboForm for the first time, you will be asked to create a master password, which protects all of your secured data in your Logins, Identities, and SafeNotes. This prevents anyone else who has access to your computer from seeing or copying this information. If you prefer, you can eliminate this protection and allow anyone to access all of your important information.

When you click on the button next to “Resolution” (marked in red) you’ll see a slider that controls the range of screen resolutions available on your monitor. With LCD displays, the maximum number represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in your display. For the sharpest image, always use the maximum number of pixels; other settings may look blurry. After you’ve made your choice, click “OK.” Next, let’s look at color calibration. Color calibration adjusts the colors by changing different color settings so they are accurately shown on your screen. Windows

7 includes color calibration software with a “wizard” that makes it this easy to do. The changes that you can make depend upon your monitor and its capabilities so there may be some settings that you can’t change. The “wizard” will let you skip steps that don’t apply to your computer.

The welcome window for calibrating color opens. Click on the “Next” button in the lower right corner of the screen to start.

To start, click on the Windows Start button and type “color management” in the search box (marked in orange). Windows will display a list of programs that include “color management.” Select “Color Management” as shown (marked in red).

This will lead you through a series of screens. As you go through them you will learn how to adjust gamma, brightness, contrast and color balance settings. Brightness and contrast settings may not be available on all displays.

The “Color Management” window will open. Select the “Advanced” tab (marked in orange). There is a lot of information, with many settings on this page but we are just interested in the button labeled “Calibrate Display” (marked in red).

Laptops PCs, for example, often have brightness controls available among the function keys but no controls for contrast. If you have an LCD display, when you reach the last screen in the color calibration group, make sure that the box to “Start Clear Type Tuner” is checked (marked in red). Finally, to save your new color calibration, select the “Current calibration” button (marked in yellow) or click the “previous calibration” button to revert to the previous one.

The final step is to click on the “Finish” button to end color calibration.

If you clicked on the box next to “Start Clear Type Tuner” (see above) you will see the screen shown below. This utility, as explained on the screen, improves the readability of text on LCD flat screen monitors. It doesn’t do anything for old style CRT monitors.

If the box next to “Turn on Clear Type” is checked (marked in red) when you click on the “Next” button (circled in blue), you will be lead through a series of seven screens in which you select the “best looking” type (sort of like an eye test). This should give you the most legible type for your screen. The final process that we’ll look at allows you to change the size of the letters on your screen. You begin by clicking on the Windows “Start” button and typing “display” in the Windows search box. In the window that appears, select “Set custom text size (DPI)” (marked in red).

When you click on it you will see the “Custom DPI Setting” window (see below). Experiment with various sizes to improve letter readability.

The above procedures are particularly helpful if you install a new display or video card on your computer. Even if you don’t, you may discover that they will be an improvement on the settings that were on your computer when you bought it. In my case I noticed a subtile, but significant, improvement in the display on my desktop PC.

Speed Up Your PC by Cleaning Your Startup by Ira Wilsker   WEBSITES:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-startup-manager.htm http://codestuff.tripod.com/products_starter.html http://www.winpatrol.com http://www.winpatrol.com/wpsetup.exe http://www.soluto.com http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.html http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx 

(Autoruns)               We all love that new PC, especially how quickly it boots, loads programs, and runs applications. Inevitably, we start to install new programs, and notice that the row of icons on the toolbar adjacent to the clock starts to get longer, while the computer performance is degraded. Gradually our boot time increases, applications seem to slow

down even more, and we get lockups, the “Not Responding” statement from the software, the infamous “Blue Screen of Death”, and other irritations that may make us feel like chunking the computer out the window. While there may be many causes of the above maladies, one of the most common causes of slow booting, degraded performance, and non-responsive applications is that the user has too many items loaded when the computer boots.             Many of the applications that we install add themselves to the startup so they load whenever the computer boots, and may (but not always) add an icon to the toolbar by the clock. Every time we boot the computer, the programs in our startup load, and usually consume processing power (cycles), take up memory space, and slightly degrade our performance; the degradation is cumulative, the more programs loaded at boot, the more the degradation of performance. Some of these programs add themselves to the startup so they will load faster when needed, but are not really necessary in the startup, while security programs and some utilities are necessary at startup. By not allowing unnecessary programs to load at boot the boot process will be more rapid, free up memory, take some of the load of the CPU chip (the computer’s brains) which will improve performance, and reduce the chance of having programs conflict with each other.             Since the early days of Windows, Microsoft has provided a method to manage some of the startup process, but does not make the management process very easy. By going to Start - Run - typing “msconfig” (no quotes) in the box, and running it will open the “System Configuration” utility; clicking on the “Startup” tab will show which programs are scheduled to load at boot. Any program that is checked will load at boot; simply unchecking a box will prevent that program from automatically loading at the next and subsequent boots, unless rechecked. Just be sure to click the “Apply” and “OK” radio

buttons, which will save the changes. If a window pops up at the next boot (common in Windows XP) which tells the user that the system configuration has been run, simply tell the window not to show again, and it will be gone from future boots. While this method works well, and requires no additional software as it is integral with Windows, it only provides the program name, publisher, and some other basic information. If the user recognizes that a program is necessary, such as his security software, leave the box checked; if the user recognizes that a program loaded at boot is not always used, such as schedulers, updaters, media programs, and chat programs, the user may uncheck the program. When unchecked, the program can still be used by manually clicking on the desktop program icon, which will load

and run it. Just remember that the user can always check an unchecked box to start loading the program at future boots.             There are several free utilities that can ease the process of managing the startup process, and many of the combination system repair utilities available, both free and commercial, almost always include a startup manager. One of my favorite choices for free software information and ratings is Gizmo’s Freeware, which has the latest reviews and ratings of the top performing startup managers at www.techsupportalert.com/best-freestartup-manager.htm. Gizmo uses a community rating system where a large number of users test the various products, and rate them; these rating have proven to be reliable. Gizmo has recommended three free startup managers; Microsoft’s Autoruns, Starter, and WinPatrol. Autoruns is one of the Microsoft “Sysinternals” which has a lot of functionality and power, shows everything that can startup including parts of Windows itself, but is not the most user friendly. Starter (codestuff.tripod. com/products_starter.html) is an excellent free standing program that is very comprehensive, but more intuitive and user friendly than Autoruns. My favorite of the three recommended by Gizmo is WinPatrol (winpatrol.com). Which has a free version, and a more comprehensive paid Professional version. WinPatrol can provide a lot more information about each program in the startup by double clicking on the program title, which will open a page on the WinPatrol website that gives detailed information about the program. Based on the information presented, the user can decide whether or not to leave the item in the system startup.         There are several other utilities that I use periodically to clean my startup. One is the free version of Advanced System Care Free from IOBit (www.iobit. com/advancedsystemcareper.html). One of the administrative tools under the Utilities heading is a startup manager, which is simple to use, but does not provide a lot of information about the programs which are loaded at boot.

            One extremely popular program, CCleaner, which is best known as a hard drive file cleaner, but has a decent startup manager, is available for free download from www.piriform.com/ccleaner. To use the startup manager click on Tools - Startup, and all of the items will appear. By clicking on an item and then one of the radio buttons (Enable, Disable, Delete), the startup process can be easily controlled. If an item has been previously disabled (stopped from loading at boot), it can be easily restored if desired by clicking on the “Enable” button.             One of the most sophisticated, but easy to use startup managers is Soluto from www.soluto.com. This program is unlike any other startup manager because it uses a “genome” or database of startup information compiled by its large number of users. Soluto performs a “boot analysis” each time the computer

boots, and displays each item loaded into one of three

SugarSync – Sweet Synchronization Solution By Vinny LaBash, Regular Columnist, Sarasota PCUG, Florida August 2011 issue, Sarasota Monitor www.spcug.org labash (at) spcug.org

categories: No brainer (remove from boot); Potentially Removable; and Cannot be Removed. By clicking on each item under the first two categories, the actual boot time will be displayed (which may vary with each boot), as well as the boot recommendations of other users. Clicking on the “Advanced” link under each opened item will provide comprehensive information about that item, allowing for the user to make a more informed decision about whether or not to have the item load at boot, load after boot when the computer is idle, or not load at all. It is an easy process for the user to comment and include his recommendations in the genome database. Soluto may be one of the most unique but effective startup managers available.

            By controlling what programs load at boot, disabling any that are not really necessary, the user may find his computer boots much faster, runs faster, has fewer crashes, and better overall performance. There is no good reason not to periodically clean the boot startup sequence and have a faster computer.

There was once a time when having a rotary telephone put you in the front lines of innovation. That was long ago and modern communications technology is as far advanced from that day as communicating by smoke signal. If you have any combination of desktop computer, laptop, smart phone, tablet, and whatever, you need some way to coordinate information so that every device you own has the same up-to-date information. One way to make sure all your files are equally upto-date is using a popular cloud based utility known as Dropbox. However, there is another lesser known tool that gives you more for less. We’re talking about SugarSync which is constantly evolving into a service similar to Dropbox, but with better mobile support, advanced file control, and superior price performance. When you open your account at www.sugarsync.com, you supply a user name and password and then install the application. As long as you’re connected to the Internet, the files you drag into your local Sugarsync folder magically appear on all PCs, laptops, phones, and iPads that also have Sugarsync installed and are attached to the same Sugarsync account. The files also appear online when you sign into the Sugarsync site and specify the same user name and password. SugarSync sets up your system to start backing up your data as soon as you initiate the program. Don’t worry, it won’t do anything without your permission, and there is no need to be concerned about your information getting out of control. The interface is clunky compared to the more intuitive IE browser window which is one of few downsides to SugarSync. The developers are probably still concerned about legacy issues, a fear that will probably disappear over time, but may cost them customers before it’s eliminated. Support for mobile devices is nothing less than

outstanding. It supports more mobile devices than any other product. If you’re using Windows 7 or Symbian, SugarSync is there for you. These platforms may be relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things today, but if you happen to use one of them SugarSync should be of interest. SugarSync has a unique design feature for your Pictures folder. Of course synchronizing and viewing pictures from mobile devices is supported, but the process is treated as much more than a casual concession to photo buffs. It does more than backup your pictures. It creates online galleries to share with colleagues and friends. You don’t have to back up your photographs to one location and upload them. If you take a picture with your mobile device it’s automatically sent to SugarSync and downloaded to your computer. The gallery layout is superb for a webbased product, and the photo viewers are excellent. Music lovers will appreciate their MP3 files following them like puppy dogs. The computer does not have to be turned on because music files are being streamed from SugarSync. Audiophiles can listen to music no matter where they are. SugarSync continuously backs up your files in real time, not just once or twice a day. So if you edit a document in the morning, and accidentally delete it in the afternoon you can restore it quickly with no hassles. The program stores the five latest versions of any backed up file so it’s not a quandary if you need an earlier version. The downside to this is that five versions of multiple files can take up a lot of storage. The upside is that only the most recent version of a file is counted toward your storage quota. If you are having trouble thinking of some uses for SugarSync here are some suggestions: • Inadvertently overwriting a file is no longer a potential disaster a SugarSync keeps a copy of the older file making restoration easy and painless. • Many people treasure their old photographs. Keeping pictures safely backed up in digital format means storing them as long as necessary with no deterioration in quality. • Roboform users can synchronize passwords safely and securely.

• You can retrieve files no matter where you are or what device you happen to be using. • Share folders with family members. Any great vacation pictures, new additions to the family, celebrations, and other memorable events are instantly available. • Listen to music anywhere. • Synchronize documents such invoices across multiple devices. Accountants will love it. • SugarSync can act as an insurance policy against losing important information. Backups are no longer a hassle or a nuisance.

Tracking the latest information on anything

By John Weigle, Editor, Channel Islands PCUG, CA August 2011 issue, The Outer Edge www.cipcug.org jweigle (at) vcnet.com If you want to keep track of the latest news and Web postings on specific subjects, give Google Alerts a try. I’ve been using the feature for some time to track three subjects I’m interested in: UFOs, Annette Funicello and Sally Field. I’ve been interested in UFOs since the early 1950s, a fan of Annette since the Mickey Mouse Club Days and a fan of Field since her first TV appearance as Gidget. So now you know three of my not-very-secret “secrets.” Google explains its alerts this way at http://www. google.com/alerts: “Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.” “Enter the topic you wish to monitor, then click preview to see the type of results you’ll receive. Some handy uses of Google Alerts include: • monitoring a developing news story • keeping current on a competitor or industry • getting the latest on a celebrity or event • keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams.” When you create an alert you’ll be asked to choose the topic for it, the type of information you want (everything, news, blogs, videos, discussions); how often you want alerts (as-it-happens, once a day, once a week); volume (only the best results, all results); and

your email address so you can get the alerts. The fault choices are everything, once a day and only the best results. Consider starting with the defaults and then tweaking them if the results you get aren’t what you expected. You might also have to tweak your selected topic. My search for Annette is “Annette Funicello” (in the quotes). That limits results to items with her full name. On the other hand, my Sally Field search is just that (no quotes around the name), so I get everything with Sally and Field, which results in a few unexpected results. My UFO search results in news about unidentified flying objects, my intent, and the musical group UFO. I haven’t set up searches for computer-related items because I get several electronic newsletters that keep me informed about most of the technical subjects I’m interested in, but it’s easy to establish queries for any subject you’re interested in. For instance, you could use “Linux, Ubuntu,” Microsoft, “Steve Jobs,” “Bill Gates.” Or you could try your own name or the name of your business if you wanted to know what people are saying about you or your business. And if you’re a sports fan, you might want to track everything said about your favorite team(s). You’d need to set up a separate alert for each team name. The site lets you set up an alert and then shows sample results for it. Just for kicks, I tried my first and last name (in quotes) and got references to my Facebook page, an obituary for a John Weigle of Augusta, Ga. (I still get spam about real estate deals in Augusta), and the Weigle Music Ministries, which I had never heard of. A search for CIPCUG showed only the CIPCUG Web site. Not surprisingly, a search for “Los Angeles Dodgers” resulted in more hits than any of my other test searches. Topics that get lots of news coverage, such as the Dodgers, are obviously going to have more results than people or topics that are seldom in the news. All the results have live links to whatever the alert

finds. The alerts tool isn’t for everyone, but it’s useful if you have any interests you want to track regularly.

Universal Mini Mount

By George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ September 2011 issue, TCS eJournal www.aztcs.org georgehardingsbd (at) earthlink.net When you’re in your car (or motorcycle or boat), what do you do with your mobile device? Put it on the seat – slips down so you can’t find it; put it on the dash – always slips off; put it in your pocket – hard to get to when you need it? Try the Mini Mount. It’s a simple device that attaches to any flat surface and holds just about any mobile device smaller than a tablet. You make sure the flat surface is clean, then place the base on that surface, push down the clamp lock and you are set to put your mobile phone in it. There is a sticky surface on the mount that holds your device securely and can be swiveled or tilted to suit your need. The sticky surface on the mount is covered by a plastic film which you peel off. If you want to put the mount on another surface, you need to save the plastic film for transport. The sticky surface is refreshable with glass cleaner. And best of all, the adhesive doesn’t leave any residue behind! I tried it out in my car. My dash is all curved surfaces so I mounted it on the windshield. It adhered quite well, especially with the vacuum attachment that makes it so easy to fasten it to just about any surface. The device mounting area was accessible by rotating it properly. I was not able to affix my iPhone to the mounting area in a vertical position, but setting it sideways worked fine. The vertical position would have partially blocked the speakers on the iPhone, but the sideways position did not. I listened to my music in a hands-free method.

This is an inexpensive, easy way to use your mobile device while in your car. There are other mounts available for different devices, even an iPad. One even attaches to the auxiliary power outlet! About: Universal Mini Mount Vendor: Cobra www.cobrahandsfree.com Price: about $25

Save Money on Telephone Calls By Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com sandy (at) compukiss.com

Many of us remember when we all paid a monthly fee to the telephone company for our landline and paid exorbitant rates for long distance service. If you had friends or relatives living far away, those monthly bills could really add up. You may even remember that when a call from afar would come in, the person who answered the phone would promptly announce that the call was “long distance” and the recipient of the call would rush over to the phone so the connection time would be kept as short as possible. Thankfully, all of that is in the past. Technology has brought us many ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and business associates around the world quite inexpensively. There are actually two different technologies that have greatly impacted our telephone-type communications. First is the emergence of cell phones. Today most of us are using cell phones for everyday communications. Since cell phones work on “minutes” rather than distance, you can basically call anywhere is the US more economically than you can with the old “long distance” service that the telephone companies provide. Each cell phone company offers somewhat unique features, but all are money-savers. For instance, some carriers allow you to call anyone

else on that carrier at no charge. Some have special evening and weekend rates. Some allow you to list up to ten telephone numbers that you can call at any time with no charge. Cell phone charges are generally much more expensive when you want to call overseas, but there is a great technological solution for that too. It is the second technology that has greatly impacted telephone-type communications. It is called VoIP, which stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. VoIP uses the Internet to make telephone calls. Most of the major telephone and cable companies now offer some sort of “Internet” calling packages. Other companies like Vonage and Net2Phone have made a splash in this industry. VoIP allows you to use your broadband Internet connection to make phone calls. VoIP service through a major carrier often offers additional features that you not generally offered through a regular telephone service plan. With a VoIP plan from a telephone or cable company you can often get voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, and 3-way conference calling at no extra cost. Some VoIP providers also offer online account management, online voice mail, detailed call logging, and call-forwarding. You can also use VoIP with any “telephone-type” company involved. You simply use your computer to make calls. Skype is one of the most popular services of this type. And the price is right. Making Skype calls from computer to computer is totally free. If you hook up two computers that have webcams, you can make video calls where you can see and talk with someone at the same time. You can also call from your computer to landlines and mobile numbers in the US and Canada for $2.99 a month. If you don’t want to be tied to the computer, you can purchase a Skype telephone that uses your computer to call, while you talk on a traditional-type telephone handset. You can also access Skype from many mobile phones. This lets you to place calls without adding to your minutes. There are many Skype competitors like GoogleTalk, Yahoo Messenger, and iCall.

There are also other unique VoIP solutions. You may have seen magicJack advertised on late night TV. It is a small device that plugs into the USB port on your computer. With magicJack you get your own telephone number. You can make calls right from the computer screen or you can attach a regular telephone to the device and use it to make free phone calls in the US and Canada. I have a set of wireless phones attached to the magicJack that allows me to make and receive calls anywhere in the house. If a friend or relative also has a magicJack, you can make free calls to them even if they are one the other side of the world. magicJack costs about $40 for the device and first year of service and $20 a year for service after that. It’s pretty useful and inexpensive. By the way, if you have a land-line telephone number that you want to keep, you can move it (port it) over to a mobile phone. magicJack says that starting this August you will also be able to use your old telephone number with the magicJack, as well. So you don’t even have to give up your old number to use the new technologies. Whether you use a cell phone or a VoIP solution, you should realize that VoIP call may not be perfect. Cell phones sometimes drop calls and have areas where you can get service. Services like magicJack and Skype are dependent on your broadband Internet connection. So if you connection speed is good, the call will be excellent, but if your Internet slows down, you may get a poorer call quality. Yet, both of these solutions will save you money and you may find, like me that occasional slight inconvenience is worth the cost savings. I gave up both my business and personal land line almost two years ago. I now rely on my cell phones, Skype, and magicJack. I am saving a bundle and enjoying every minute.

Why You Need a Webcam By Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com sandy (at) compukiss.com

Would you like to talk on the telephone where you could see the other party? Even better, would you like to talk to 3 or 4 people at once and see them all? Want to do videoconferencing for business? How about setting up a camera to monitor your home?

All these things are possible with a simple little inexpensive device called a webcam. A webcam is simply a camera attached to your computer to transmit video over the Internet. Many of the current crop of laptop computers have webcams built right into the computer. All you see is a small “eye” above the screen. The software comes pre-installed on the computer so you can start using it immediately. If you don’t have a laptop with a built-in webcam, don’t dismay. You can easily add a webcam to your current computer. You can purchase a webcam fairly inexpensively. Logitech, one of the major webcam manufacturers, has webcams that retail from $30 to $130. Of course, you get what you pay for. The cheaper cams have basic capabilities and minimal picture quality. Logitech’s top-of the-line model has motorized tracking, autofocus, and Carl Zeiss optics. That said, I will tell you that even the cheapest webcam can open a whole new world and can really be fun. Once you purchase the webcam, you simply install the software and plug the webcam into your computer. Most webcams use the USB port on your computer and come with the necessary cable. Almost all webcams have a built-in microphone, so they handle the audio as well as the video. Once installed, you can start to use the webcam immediately. If you are already chatting with friends on Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, or AOL Instant Messenger, you can immediately use your webcam to show your friends live video of yourself while you chat. You can also use your computer with its webcam for calling other friends and relatives through their computers. The most popular software for doing this is a free program called Skype. You simply download their free program. Have your friends and/or relatives do the same. Each party gets a Skype user name when they install the program. Then you get simply use the Skype software to call your friend’s computer, using their Skype user name. The whole process is pretty simple. I use Skype to call my daughter and her family in Sweden. Not only do I get to see the grandkids, but since we are using the Internet, there are no long distance telephone charges.

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Check out what’s available now on Peachpit TV.

Free Full Length Movies on YouTube by Ira Wilsker WEBSITES: https://www.youtube.com/movies?fl=f&pt=fm

MOVIES

https://www.youtube.com/movies

FREE

ALL MOVIES

I recently found out that Google’s infinitely popular YouTube video service now offers over a thousand full length movies for free. Many other full length movies are also available on YouTube for a fee, typically about $3, but I found enough of a selection of free movies to keep me well entertained for many hours. The easiest way to locate the free, full length movies on YouTube is to simply go to www.youtube. com/movies, click on the “All Categories” button, and then select “Free Movies”. Once there, the movies are divided into genre’s, with some duplication if a movie falls into more than one genre’; for example “GhostBusters 2” is listed under both the “Comedy” and “Family” headings. The genre’s listed are Comedy, Nigerian Cinema, Horror, Documentary, Action & Adventure, Drama, Animation & Cartoons, Mystery & Suspense, Crime, Classics, Family, Romance, and Science Fiction. Clicking on the genre’ title will display the first 63 of the free movies in that category, with a button on the bottom of the page to move to the next page of the category. Moving the cursor over the movie poster for each movie displays a summary of the movie, its date, the stars of the movie, and a color coded rating system. My personal favorite category of full length movies is the Documentary group, since I am a fan of non-fiction. YouTube has 246 full length nonfiction documentaries, including the Oscar winning “Why We Fight” series of World War II movies that were produced by the Army Signal Corps, narrated by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and produced by some of Hollywood’s greatest producers. Dozens of other military history documentaries are available including the original Memphis Belle (filmed in color about the B-17’s 25 missions over Europe), The Battle of Britain, and The Fighting Lady (1945 Oscar Winner for Best Documentary, filmed in Technicolor about an aircraft carrier in the Pacific). Also in the Documentary group are dozens

of biographies including Nanook of the North, Mohammed Ali, Charles Manson, Marilyn Monroe, the Dalai Lama, Jackie Robinson, Evel Knievel, Lou Gehrig, and James Dean. Other documentaries cover environmental issues, political controversies, travelogues, historical events, technological history, international affairs, and a variety of other non-fiction topics. I sent the link for Animations & Cartoons to my daughters to have a source of entertainment for my grandchildren, as there are 41 free movies available. These movies, obviously primarily intended for children, include animated bible stories, Gulliver’s Travel (two different versions), Casper and Wendy’s Ghostly Adventures (Casper, the friendly ghost, first appeared in movie theaters in the 1930’s and on TV in the 1950’s), Peter Pan, Popeye, Superman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Hansel and Gretel, Swiss Family Robinson, and Tom Sawyer are but a few of the well known animated movies freely available on YouTube. For those who might like comedies, YouTube offers 335 free comedy movies, ranging from classics like Charlie Chaplin, to contemporary stand-up comedy shows. Since I prefer the classical comedy movies to many of the more modern comedies, I have found the free movies featuring W. C. Fields, Buster Keaton, Amos & Andy, Charlie Chaplin, Abbott and Costello, Danny Kaye, Laurel & Hardy, and Will Rogers often displayed more comedic skill and talent than most of today’s popular comics. For those who

disagree and prefer the newer comic styles, there are over 200 of those to choose from in this category. Sometimes it is nice as a family to sit in the living room and watch movies suitable for the entire family, and the Family category offers 94 such titles. While a few are duplicated from the Animations & Cartoons and Comedy categories, there is still enough of a unique selection of family movies to entertain a family for several months. Some of the better known family movies available for free include several of the Shirley Temple series, Heidi, GhostBusters 2, Rescue from Gilligan’s island (with the original TV cast), several religious movies, the original Miracle on 34th Street, musicals, several classic Christmas movies, Hemmingway classics, and other movies suitable for family viewing. Drama enthusiasts may find some interesting dramas among the 639 free movies available, while horror aficionados may appreciate some the 468 horror movies available. Sometimes it is enjoyable for us adults to snuggle on the couch and watch a good Mystery & Suspense movie; the 226 free movies in that genre’ could account for a lot of couch time. While many of the Mystery & Suspense movies are relatively recent productions, again I find that some of the older classics are among the most suspenseful, such as the several of the Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and John Barrymore features. I am cognizant that many people enjoy crime movies, and the 238 free crime movies available should satisfy most crime fans. The movies available range from one of the first movies ever made, Edison’s 1903 “The Great Train Robbery” (also listed under the Classic category), to crime movies released over the past few years. Science Fiction has always been among the most successful movies in theaters, and YouTube offers 138 free titles. Among the most popular SciFi movies listed are “The Lost World - Story of Atlantis”, Boris Karloff in the Snake People, Teenage Zombies, Southland Tales, Alien Uprising, Planet of the Dinosaurs, and enough other Sci-Fi titles to amuse fans of the genre’ for many hours. As I have already stated, I am a fan of the

classics, and YouTube obliges with 252 classical movies, many of which are redundantly included in other genre’s. Among the most interesting are old westerns of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s starring Gene Autry, Johnny Mack Brown, John Wayne, Clark Gable, and Buster Crabbe. The first of the Tarzan movies, from the 1930’s, are also available, and have a panache’ missing on the later Tarzan movies. Also quite interesting is the 1915 version of Alice in Wonderland, a grainy black and white silent production, with the story told by a sequential combination of short moving images, followed by a few lines of on-screen narration; despite its primitive nature, the production quality is quite entertaining, considering the technology of a century ago. Romantics may appreciate the 147 free movies in the Romance category. These range from classical romantic movies such as the 1938 “Tarzan’s Revenge” and films starring heart throbs Gina Lollobrigida, Susan Hayward, Elizabeth Taylor, Carole Lombard, Spencer Tracy, Jimmy Stewart, William Powell, and Myrna Loy. Some of the more modern romance movies incorporate more “adult” content and themes than the classics, but may still meet the needs of many contemporary romantics. With over a thousand free feature length movies available on YouTube, many in DVD quality, this broad selection of movies should delight anyone, at a price that cannot be beat.

Droid 4 Teardown

* Motorola has graced every Droid 4 with this mysterious little gem: http://bit.ly/wAOP3z. Initially we thought it to be a SIM card eject tool, complete It’s the dawn of a new year, and 2012 brings another with a Motorola logo and fancy design -- even though update to the Droid line of smartphones. Motorola’s labs continue to evolve the Droid into a faster, slicker, you don’t need the tool to take out the SIM card. and more pleasant device to use. This appears to be the However, after scanning through the four included manuals (that’s right, we do read the manuals), we best keyboard yet, and the phone feels better in one’s discovered that the object is actually a rear panel hand than earlier units. removal tool! For the first time in the history of our teardowns, a device manufacturer has actually Yet it’s not all fun and games at the iFixit labs. The included a tool to help take apart their device -newest Droid also introduces some compromises that although it’s for a procedure that shouldn’t require a did not exist in previous iterations: the battery is no tool to begin with. longer user-replaceable (according to Motorola, at least), and that super-swell keyboard is now integrated * The first thing we observed on the innards of this into the motherboard, meaning you’ll have to replace Droid was a large sticker covering the battery. It both components if a key on the keyboard fails. contained identifying information for the phone, as It’s akin to having to replace your brain if your arm breaks. Consequently, the Droid 4 earns a deplorable 4 well as several statements telling the user that the out of 10 repairability score, which is by far the lowest battery is not removable. This is a huge (negative) departure from earlier Droids, where the battery was score we’ve given to a smartphone bearing the Droid always user-replaceable. name. from iFixit

The teardown:

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Motorola-Droid-4Teardown/7759/1

Highlights:

* Removing the sticker revealed the Droid 4’s battery, and confirmed our assumptions: the Droid’s battery is a lot larger and more troublesome to remove than last year’s model. Two T5 Torx screws and gobs of adhesive hold the battery in place. The adhesive is so strong that you may accidentally bend the battery too much (and cause it to possibly ignite) if you try removing it with just your fingers. So instead, use a flat pry tool like a spudger to pry the battery from the phone. * A liquid damage indicator cleverly placed below the micro-SIM cover thwarts our hopes of a Droid 4 deep-sea excursion. Sorry little buddy, looks like you’re going to have to sit this one out. * Unlike last year’s Droid, the Droid 4’s keyboard pressure sensors are attached to the back of the motherboard, so you’ll have

to replace the entire motherboard if a key fails on your keyboard. * Cool! The keyboard letters are printed on raised rubber atop the pressure contacts: http://bit.ly/zsvLum. Our guess is as good as yours as to why Motorola chose to go that route; there’s no benefit we can see from having the letters printed on the rubber. * Motorola definitely understood the importance of designing a good keyboard for this phone. From our limited txt-testing, it appears to be the best Droid keyboard yet. The same shows in its internal construction (aside from it being integrated into the motherboard). * Interesting: The microSD card slot is not soldered onto the motherboard, but instead held in place by two screws. The slot connects to the motherboard via some pressure-sensitive pins, as well as a rectangular multipin connector. * And now for some chip identification: * Samsung K3PE7E00M-XGC1 4 Gb LPDDR2. * Hynix H8BCS0QG0MMR memory MCP containing Hynix DRAM and STM flash * Qualcomm MDM6600 supporting HSPA+ speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps * Qualcomm PM8028 chip working in conjunction with the Qualcomm MDM6600 to provide wireless data connection to the phone * Motorola T6VP0XBG-0001 LCM 2.0 LTE baseband processor * ZE55431140KHD, which appears to be the RAM sitting atop the 1.2 GHz main processor * Infineon 5726 SLU A1 * Skyworks 77483 700MHz LTE PA module * Avago ACPM-7868 quad-band power amplifier * Texas Instruments WL 1285C WiLink 7.0 single-chip WLAN, GPS, Bluetooth and FM solution * ST Ericsson CPCAP 6556002 System on a Chip * The back of the board is largely devoid of chips, save for one: the SanDisk SDIN5C1-16G flash memory that we found in the Droid Razr also graces the interior of the Droid 4. As its name suggests, this package provides the 16 GB of memory that comes

with every Droid 4. * Good news: the LCD is not fused to the glass display. This means users won’t have to purchase the LCD (which is significantly more expensive than just the glass) if they shatter their glass. * Not-so-good news: they will have to replace the touchscreen controller when replacing the front display glass, which will add a bit of cost to the repair. * What touchscreen controller does the Droid 4 sport, you may ask? The underside of the front panel reveals an Atmel MXT224E touchscreen controller, which we’ve found in several other phones in the past, including the Droid 3. Final layout: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/vUZ3jyRbGOCDEBsS.huge

Removing the “non-removable” battery: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/h2gJqkSPDsLsLJIj.huge

Revealing the motherboard/keyboard: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/3OxXdOHPJLosQtbQ.huge

Is there such a thing as streaming video on an iPad?

Story by Linda Gonse, Editor / Webmaster, Orange County PC Users’ Group, CA Research by Jon Jones, Newsletter, North Coast Mac User Group, CA September 2011 issue, nibbles & bits www.orcopug.org / www.ncmug.org editor (at) orcopug.org Recently an iPhone Life blog touted Boxee for the iPad. The headline read, “Boxee for iPad — free app lets you watch free streaming.” For people who wonder what streaming actually is, a definition from UnifiedCommunications.com, http:// bit.ly/nXSsul, explains it simply. “Streaming video is content sent in compressed form over the Internet and displayed by the viewer in real time. With streaming video or streaming media, a Web user does not have to wait to download a file to play it. Instead, the media is sent in a continuous stream of data and is played as it

intended as an option to stream from your PC content, apparently that part isn’t working right,” he said. “Additionally, the current version is getting a ton of 1 star reviews (at iTunes) stating that the audio is not functioning.” Jon downloaded the app from Boxee and set up an account to take a closer look at it on his iPad. He also sent a link to me of a Youtube video demo by its developer, Cord Cutters, so I could see what the app has to offer. (Take a look for yourself at http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=M7OVz84lPSI) arrives.” The iPhone Life blogger, Jim Karpen, said “I really enjoy Boxee’s free streaming video service. I have a laptop connected to my HDTV and pretty much exclusively watch streaming video from Boxee: The Daily Show, CNET videos, TV shows, movies. There’s a lot of free content, as well as on-demand HD movies from Vudu. And Boxee apps give you access to even more content. Plus, it works with the remote that came with my Mac. Now there’s Boxee for iPad (free). It gives you access to featured videos and to any videos that you’ve saved for later in your regular Boxee account. And it also gives access to videos posted by your friends in Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. In addition, you can use the app to stream any videos to your iPad that are on your Mac or PC. I highly recommend Boxee service and app.” The headline pointed to the iPad as having the ability to stream video. But, toward the middle of the review a different description of the iPad app is given. It doesn’t sound like the streaming video I had in mind from the headline. I don’t have an iPad, though. So, I asked Jon Jones, a member of NCMUG and president of a digital media production facility, what he thought of this new app’s claim and the iPad’s capability. Jon is also the proud, happy owner of a new iPad. Jon said he went through the FAQ on the Boxee site, http://www.boxee.tv/, to learn things that weren’t indicated in the app’s description. “Evidently, the app can operate as a standalone streamer, and while it was

Jon said, “It works as a standalone app, but is limited on its own. It definitely doesn’t let you stream live TV — and I admit, the very basic info from iPhone Life seemed to indicate that maybe it could…but it can’t. When they say ‘watching tv on your iPad,’ well…it’s not really that,” he added. “Basically, the app shows you three rows of aggregation. “Row 1 lets you set up your app with your social media feeds (Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr). When your feed references a video, they show up in that row. “Row 2 syncs to your desktop machine, and shows vids tagged in your desktop browser to ‘watch later’ via the app. They will then show up in the 2nd row. “Row 3 shows a limited selection of generic content aggregated by the staff at Boxee. I saw a two-minute clip of a Sagan series from NASA TV. The footage looked beautiful. I’m glad it was free. “Evidently, you can download the Boxee software on your desktop, and although this app cannot sync with it, you can also download something called the Boxee Media Manager that lets you download content to your desktop, and then stream it to your iPad through the Boxee iPad app. In this instance, the iPad is no longer a standalone device, and it still is not playing ‘live TV’ — which is so far mostly a non-starter in the ‘Cord Cuttersphere.’” With this information, the gleam left my eyes and I realized that this was a “not even ready for Prime Time” app and use for the iPad. But, these answers

should be useful to anyone who reads this, because you are bound to see more headlines and apps about streaming video that can, purportedly, be viewed on your iPad. Don’t rush to get this or similar apps, yet. But, don’t lose hope for live streaming on your iPad, either. Jon predicts that changes and innovation by cable companies are coming. “One of the larger cable carriers in the country recently started porting live TV over mobile networks in recent weeks as a test to see if the infrastructure can handle it,” Jon said. “My guess is that if it retains viability, other carriers will start porting such functionality through their own dedicated apps within the next two years. Then we will start enjoying REAL live TV on our mobile devices. Until then, I think we’re limited to ‘almost live’ streaming content bursts from specific news and entertainment outlets—not quite live tv, but close.” The blog headline that started the questioning! http://bit.ly/nasKvp

Windows Live Photo Gallery

by Lee Reynolds, Member, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL October 2011 issue, Boca Bits www.brcs.org leetutor (at) exploringwindows.com Introduction For Windows 7, Microsoft has stopped furnishing the Windows Photo Gallery that was built into Windows Vista, and instead made a version of the program available from the Windows Live site. Windows Live Photo Gallery can also be installed in Windows Vista and Windows XP. By removing this component from the operating system, it is to be hoped that Microsoft will be able to provide updates and improvements in a much more timely manner. Download You can download the latest version of Windows Live Photo Gallery from here:

http://www.windowslive.com/Desktop/PhotoGallery

About Windows Live Photo Gallery With Windows Live Photo Gallery, you can manage all your photos, search for them, import them from a camera or other removable media, order prints online, and publish them (upload to Windows Live Spaces, Flickr). When you import photos, they are automatically grouped by date and time. You can edit them to fix redeye, crop out unwanted sections, correct colors, and adjust the lighting, sharpness, etc. Any edit you make to your photos can be reverted later at any time. You can stitch several photos together to offer a “panoramic” view. You can also apply a treatment to color photos to convert them to black and white and shades of grey. The list of capabilities of the program goes on and on. For example, you can send photos by e-mail, burn them to a CD, and print them. You can add tags, ratings, and captions. Since Live Photo Gallery has the ability to automatically recognize faces, you can tag them with the names of the people in the photos and therefore be able to search by the people in your photos. You can resize, rotate, delete and rename the photos. There is QuickTime movie support if you have QuickTime 7 or later installed.

Newsletter articles for 2012

Good Enough – a tablet can be cheaper than an iPad and do everything you need. Are you Secure? - How can I secure my personal computer? Get ready, get organized, and get hitched with Office – Planning a wedding using Microsoft Office. Here are three articles from Ira Wilsker on where to go for free college courses 12 Dozen Places to Educate Yourself Online For Free Get a Free Education Online More Free Academic Classes and Free College Textbooks Computer Books – New books from O’Reilly and Peachpit along with discount codes. PC Cooling – How to keep your computer cool. Digital Asset Management Software – Help on saving information about the digital pictures you’ve taken. Tor, Anonymity On-line – Just what it says how to be anonymous on-line. Word Templates Can Simplify Your Life – How to create a MS Word template. Customizing the Notification Area – How to add programs to the notification area Geez - Gmail – Abby Stokes is not impressed with Gmail Should you worry about image retention on an LCD monitor? – Do you need to worry about an image being burned onto a LCD monitor? Online Marketing Inside Out – Review of the book. Slide Scanning – Review of Wolverine’s scanner Power Friending – “Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business” – Review of the book. Get it here - http://www.windowsusers.org/newsletters/WINNERSsep12.pdf       Here are five articles from Ira Wilsker – He writes an article every week for The Examiner in Beaumont, Texas. He also has a weekly radio show. Microsoft Warns “Kill Desktop Gadgets Now!”  October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month  OnGuardOnline.gov - Stop, Think, Click - Online Safety   . Protect Your Security While Browsing     FBI Warns About International “Ransomware” Email Scam  Computer Books for October 2012     Batch Image Converting with FastStone   Image Resizer  Registry First Aid Microsoft Security Essentials  - Microsoft anti-virus program (free) E-mail Hacked?   Testing Computer Memory  Disk Maintenance Get it here - http://www.windowsusers.org/newsletters/WINNERSoct12.pdf         Better File Information with Windows Explorer Windows Explorer in Windows 7 How to Backup Securely SSDs Backup! Backup! Backup! Online Backup Services Word 2007 – A few useful tips Searching - or better still, Finding

Books for November 2012 Disk Maintenance The Registry: What’s it all about Use Windows 7 Backup? Converting Documents to PDF Change Settings in Your Browser Pining program icons onto the taskbar Windows Mobility Center youSENDit East-Tec Eraser Get it here - http://www.windowsusers.org/newsletters/WINNERSnov12.pdf Family Tree Maker (Parts 1-4) Free Services and Software for Digital Photographers Easy and Fast Way to Update or Install Free Software Microsoft’s Free Fix it Center Inserting International Letters into Word Documents 5 Office features you need to know about Word 2010 Ribbon Customization Digital Photography Composition for Dummies (Book Review) Windows Drivers Collectorz.com Book Collector TrueCrypt Freebie Programs RoboForm Changing Display Settings Speed Up Your PC SugarSync Tracking the latest information Universal Mini Mount Save Money on Telephone Calls Why You Need a Webcam Computer books Free Full Length Movies on YouTube Droid 4 Teardown Is there such a thing as streaming video on an iPad? Get it here - http://www.windowsusers.org/newsletters/WINNERSdec12.pdf

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