Perfume was created to cloak body odor. I can't stand people who splash themselves (w/gas) everyday. (blah/cough)http://ping.fm/rgq1a

Evernote

Pretty good for remembering all sorts of stuff. You can also share will your mobile device,
and your friends. Check it out at http://www.evernote.com

Stop Security Warnings

Shut down the Windows XP Security Center by going to Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Services. On the right side panel, scroll down to Security Center and double click to open. In the "Startup type" field, choose "Disabled". Click OK, and exit Services.

Now, to stop these annoying Security warnings every time you run a file, just open Group Policy. (Start / Run / gpedit.msc) Then go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components >
Attachment Manager- then set -Inclusion list for low file types- to
Enabled and enter the file types you don't want to be warned about in
the box (for example: .zip;.rar;.nfo;.txt;.exe;.bat; .com;.cmd;.reg;.msi;.htm;.html;.gif;.bmp;.jpg;.avi ;.mpg;.mpeg;.mov;.mp3;.m3u;.wav; ).

Irfanview

IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista.

It is trying to be simple for beginners and powerful for professionals.

Click here for homepage.

Add detailed information to Device Manager

When you are solving problems with various devices and components, you would like to see information such as the hardware ID of the device or its firmware revision or other information that is not available in Device Manager. This is how configure Device Manager to display more detailed information than is displayed by default:

1. Click Start | Run.
2. Type cmd.exe and press Enter.
3. Type set DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS=1 and press Enter.
4. Type start devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open the Device Manager console.

A Details tab will appear in the properties for each device. This tab contains the additional information that you may need.

Resize using Photoshop

Use PhotoShop to Resize, Crop, Flip, Mirror, Rotate, and Resample Multiple Images.
Click here for tutorial.

How to find Windows XP system folders

It can be difficult to navigate through files to find specific system folders. For example, the one where your cookies are stored, or the one that holds the items in the "Send To" menu. Instead of trying to slog through directory, you can use the command line and find them quickly (if you know the names) with the run command. Here's how:

• Click Start | Run
• In the Run box, type shell:<folder name>

Here are some of the commonly used shell folders:

shell:Cookies - display the cookies folder
shell:Cache - displays temporary Internet files
shell:Favorites - displays the IE Favorites folder
shell:SendTo - displays the Send To folder
shell:MyMusic - displays the My Music folder
shell:MyPictures - displays the My Pictures folder

Click Here for the names of more shell folders in XP and Vista

Convert written words to audio files

Have you ever received an email, or found an article your interested in, but don't have the time to read it? Now you can listen to it.

HearWho is a free service that converts text to MP3 files. Just copy and paste the text in the box. Then, make a few selections and click "Start Conversion".

You will soon have an MP3 file of your document. It could take a few seconds or a few minutes. It depends on the size of the document and how busy the server is.

You can load your MP3 file onto any music player. Or, burn it to a CD for listening in the car or on the plane.

http://www.hearwho.com

Remove old entries from the boot menu in XP

If you don't like having all those old choices cluttering up their boot menus, here's how you can get rid of them. You don't even have to manually edit the boot.ini file.

1. Click Start | Run.
2. Type msconfig and click OK.
3. In the System Configuration tool, click the BOOT.INI tab.
4. Click the Check All Boot Paths button.
5. The system will scan the entries to determine whether they're valid installations. You'll be shown the ones that aren't.
6. Confirm that you want to remove the invalid entries. Click Apply and OK.

When you reboot, the old useless choices will be removed.

How to take ownership of a folder

I've somehow lost privileges to a folder that I recently moved. When I try to open the folder, I get the dredded "Access Denied" dialog.

Here are the steps to take back ownership;

Note You must be logged on to the computer with an account that has administrative credentials. If you are running Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, you must start the computer in safe mode, and then log on with an account that has Administrative rights to have access to the Security tab.

If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. By default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File sharing when it is not joined to a domain.

For additional information about how to do this, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 307874 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307874/) How to disable simplified sharing and set permissions on a shared folder in Windows XP To take ownership of a folder, follow these steps:

	Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
	Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
	Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
	In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.
	Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message: You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control? All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes. Note folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of.
	Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents.

How to change the listening port for Remote Desktop

This article describes how to change the port that Remote Desktop listens on.

Note The Remote Desktop Connection Client for the Mac supports only port 3389.
3389 is the default port.

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the Remote Desktop feature in Microsoft Windows XP Professional to connect to your computer from another remote computer.

Warning The Remote Assistance feature in Microsoft Windows XP may not work correctly if you change the listening port.

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307711 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307711/) Remote Assistance invitation file does not contain correct port number

To change the port that Remote Desktop listens on, follow these steps.

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1.	Start Registry Editor.
2.	Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\PortNumber
3.	On the Edit menu, click Modify, and then click Decimal.
4.	Type the new port number, and then click OK.
5.	Quit Registry Editor.

Note When you try to connect to this computer by using the Remote Desktop connection, you must type the new port.

304304 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304304/) How to configure the Remote Desktop client to connect to a specific port when you use Windows XP

This is hilarious how this guy can play Halo, and still answer calls.
:muaha:


Click Here to view the main page and watch it in full screen.

Using Internet Explorer as FTP client

If you're looking for a free FTP client, you might be surprised to learn you've already got one: Internet Explorer can be used to upload files to your website using file transfer protocol (FTP). It's particularly useful that it's installed on most computers, so if your site needs updating at short notice, you can edit it without any additional software on the nearest PC.

You will need:

• Your upload server address - ask your webhost if you don't know this. It might look something like ftp.yourhost.com or homepages.yourhost.com
• Your FTP user ID
• Your FTP password

You should already know the name and password when you signed up with your ISP. The user ID might be called a username and the server address might be described as the FTP address for your space. They will most likely not be the same as the username and password you use to access your email.

Here's how to use them.

Method 1: slower, but more secure

This method is slower, but it does not expose your password to anyone else looking at the screen. Use this method if you're in a public place, or if your using a computer other than your own.

• In Internet Explorer's address bar, enter ftp:// followed by your upload server address. For example: ftp://ftp.yourhost.com or ftp://homepages.yourhost.com.
• You'll see a dialogue box pop up asking for your username and password. Simply enter them.

Method two: faster, but less secure

This method is a lot less hassle, but your password will be visible on screen, so I can't recommend this for use on a public computer. The information you type in the browsers address bar is usually saved in the history. This can compromise your user name and password.

• In Internet Explorer's address bar, enter ftp://your-username:your-password@homepages.yourhost.com.
  

Moving files around

Once you've logged in using one of the two methods above, the IE window will look like a folder on your desktop. Now you can drag files into it from your desktop and they will be uploaded to your server. Download files from your FTP space by dragging them from the IE window to your desktop. Right-click in the IE window to open the menu for creating folders on your server

Limitations

Internet Explorer is ideal for making quick fixes (especially if you need to quickly update your website while on the move), but it's not really a complete FTP solution. There's no feedback, so it's not uncommon for the software to apparently hang while it's uploading large amounts of data. It also seems to be much slower than dedicated FTP clients.

If it's not working for you, check your settings in IE. Go to Tools / Internet Options / Advanced and make sure that 'Enable folder view for FTP sites' is turned on.

IE is useful for quick edits and management of small starter websites, but you'll want to progress to a dedicated FTP application as your site grows. I can recommend ws_FTP, but there are many other free FTP clients available at Downloads.com.

This also works in Firefox browsers as well.

LocationMail

LocationMail is a program that tells you where e-mail was sent from. It utilizes the most accurate data in the world to analyze your e-mail, trace it, and look up the orgin of a message. LocationMail integrates seamlessly into Outlook or Outlook Express; once installed, it shows you location information next to each message. Click Here to Download

The Regular Guys at 100.5 FM

Disable the login prompt for password in XP

1. Click Start and Run
2. Type "Control Userpasswords2" and press enter.
3. Uncheck the box for "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer."
4. Click Apply and Ok.

Refer:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231/en-us

Disable prompt for password when XP resumes from standby or hibernation

1. Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel
2. Double-click Power Options
3. Uncheck the "Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby" option.
4. Click Apply and then Ok.
   
   Disabling the Windows XP Welcome screen

1. Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.
2. Open User Accounts.
3. Click "Change the way users log on or off".
4. Uncheck the "Use the Welcome screen".
5. Click "Apply Options"

Slipstream Windows XP

How to Slipstream Windows XP Service Pack 3 to Create an Integrated XP Setup Disk with SP 3

This tutorial takes you through the steps of integrating the Windows XP Service Pack 3 into the files from an existing Windows XP setup CD. A new setup disk will be created. This disk will have the full XP installation with SP3 already merged into it. Such a slipstreamed CD has a few advantages over installing your current version of XP and then running SP 3 afterwards:

• Saves Time

  Installing XP slipstreamed with service pack 3 is considerably faster than installing a previous version of XP and then running SP 3 separately.

• More Secure

  If your computer is always connected to the network or the Internet, and you do not have Service Pack 3 integrated, it is vulnerable to any malware that targets pre-SP3 XP. Although the window of opportunity for a successful attack of your system is small (the time needed to apply SP 3 and reboot), some people prefer not to take the chance.

• Uses Less Disk Space

  If you install XP first and then install SP 3, the service pack installer will create backup copies of the previous versions in your Windows directory. System Restore will also make a backup set of files on your computer. These backup files take up space on your computer, to the order of a few hundred megabytes. (Note that this advantage is minimal, since you can manually delete all these backup files yourself later if you are short of space.)

Prerequisites

1. Windows XP Professional or Home Setup CD

   You will need your existing Windows XP Professional or Home setup CD. This CD can either be the original Windows XP release CD, or one with either SP 1 or Service Pack 2 integrated.

   If your computer did not come with such a CD, but you created your own Setup CD by following the instructions given in howtohaven.com's How to Create a Bootable Windows XP Setup CD/DVD on a Preinstalled Windows System, you might want to try using that CD instead.

   WARNING: do not attempt to use this guide to slipstream your Windows XP Media Center 2005 disk. Slipstreaming of this version of XP is not supported by Microsoft.

2. A CD/DVD Burning Software, a blank writeable CD and a CD/DVD Writer

   After creating a new XP Setup CD that has Service Pack 3 integrated, you will need to write it onto a new, blank CD (such as a CD-R or CD-RW). You can also use a DVD+/-R(W) if you want. As such you will need a CD/DVD writer and a program to burn the new CD.

   For the purpose of this tutorial, I will describe the procedure for using the ImgBurn, a free utility listed on the Free CD and DVD Burners and Copying Software page on thefreecountry.com.

3. XP Service Pack 3

   Windows XP service pack 3 can be downloaded directly from Microsoft.

The Basic Steps to Merging SP3 into the XP Setup CD

1. Download and Save XP Service Pack 3

   If you have not already downloaded XP service pack 3, get it now, and save it with the filename of "XPSP3.exe" at the top level of drive C:. Actually, you can save it anywhere you want, and leave it at its default name if you wish. However, for the purpose of this tutorial, I will assume that you saved it so that it can be accessed as C:\XPSP3.exe. If you save it as some other name, you will have to change the command lines I supply below yourself to the appropriate one.

2. Extract or Download the Boot Sector of the XP Setup Disk

   You will also need the boot sector of an existing bootable Windows 2000, XP or 2003 setup CDROM. You can either extract it from your CD yourself, or just download a boot sector already extracted by others. To save myself some time describing the procedure for extracting the boot sector, this tutorial will just use the same method mentioned in my guide to create your own XP setup disk. That is, download the file wxp10.zip from one of the links on http://www.nu2.nu/download.php?sFile=wxp10.zip and save it somewhere on your computer.

   When you've got the file, open it by doubleclicking it in Windows explorer. Go into the "cds" folder and into "wxphome" (or "wxppro"; it doesn't matter which) folder, followed finally by the "files" directory. Drag the "w2ksect.bin" file into C:\ (the root directory/folder of drive C:). Don't get creative and place it in some other directory. If you do that, ImgBurn will not be able to find "c:\w2ksect.bin" later.

3. Create a Working Folder

   Create a temporary folder for the integration to take place. For the purpose of this tutorial, I will assume that you have created a folder called "XPSETUP" at the top level of drive C:.

   To create a folder, open "My Computer", go to drive C:, right click somewhere in the window and select "New" followed by "Folder" in the menu that appears. Then change the default name from "New Folder" to "XPSETUP". If you did this correctly, you will have a new folder, C:\XPSETUP.

4. Copy the XP Setup Disk intto C:\XPSETUP

   Put your existing XP setup CD into your drive. If the setup wizard appears, dismiss it. Drag all the files and folders on the CD into C:\XPSETUP.

5. Open a Command Prompt

   Open a command prompt window. You can do this by running the program "Command Prompt", found in the Accessories folder of your Start menu.

6. Slipstream the Service Pack

   From the command prompt window, which will be a black window with a blinking cursor, type the following, followed by the ENTER key.

   C:\XPSP3 /integrate:C:\XPSETUP
   

   Note that there is only one space character -- between the "C:\XPSP3" and the rest of the line. If you did not name the service pack "XPSP3.exe" and place it at the top level of C: as I described earlier, you'll have to modify the command line accordingly.

   The process will take some time to complete, so take a coffee break if you wish.

This completes the slipstreaming part of the tutorial. You will now need to burn it to make a bootable CD or DVD.

Create and Burn Your New XP with Service Pack 3 CD

1. Download ImgBurn

   If you have not downloaded ImgBurn, get it now and install it. You will find it listed on thefreecountry.com's Free CD and DVD Burners and Copying Software page.

   The version of ImgBurn I used to create this guide was 2.4.1.0.

2. Create the ImgBurn Project Configuration File

   Open up Notepad, and copy the red text below (make sure you select everything in red) and paste it into a blank Notepad window. Click "File" and choose "Save as...". Then save the file as "xpsp3.ibb" (including the quotes, which you need to prevent Notepad from adding a ".txt" extension to your filename) somewhere on your desktop (or anywhere you like). Do not add or delete anything from the file.

   IBB
   
   [START_BACKUP_OPTIONS]
   BuildMode=1
   Destination=0
   TestMode=0
   Verify=1
   WriteSpeed=0
   Copies=0
   FileSystem=1
   UDFRevision=0
   PreserveFullPathnames=0
   RecurseSubdirectories=1
   IncludeHiddenFiles=1
   IncludeSystemFiles=1
   IncludeArchiveFilesOnly=0
   AddToWriteQueueWhenDone=0
   ClearArchiveAttribute=0
   VolumeLabel_ISO9660=HTHSP3
   VolumeLabel_Joliet=HTHSP3
   VolumeLabel_UDF=
   Identifier_System=
   Identifier_VolumeSet=
   Identifier_Publisher=
   Identifier_Preparer=
   Identifier_Application=
   Dates_FolderFileType=0
   Restrictions_ISO9660_InterchangeLevel=2
   Restrictions_ISO9660_CharacterSet=1
   Restrictions_ISO9660_AllowMoreThan8DirectoryLevels=1
   Restrictions_ISO9660_AllowMoreThan255CharactersInPath=1
   Restrictions_ISO9660_AllowFilesWithoutExtensions=1
   Restrictions_ISO9660_DontAddVersionNumberToFiles=1
   Restrictions_Joliet_InterchangeLevel=1
   Restrictions_Joliet_AllowFilesWithoutExtensions=1
   Restrictions_Joliet_AddVersionNumberToFiles=0
   Restrictions_UDF_DisableUnicodeSupport=0
   Restrictions_UDF_DVDVideoAllowUnicodeVolumeLabel=0
   BootableDisc_MakeImageBootable=1
   BootableDisc_MediaEmulationType=0
   BootableDisc_BootImageFile=C:\w2ksect.bin
   BootableDisc_DeveloperIdentifier=
   BootableDisc_LoadSegment=07C0
   BootableDisc_LoadSectorCount=4
   [END_BACKUP_OPTIONS]
   
   [START_BACKUP_LIST]
   C:\XPSETUP
   [END_BACKUP_LIST]
   
   

3. Burn the CD

   Put a blank CD or DVD into your drive.

   Start ImgBurn. Select "Mode | Build" from the menu. That is, click the "Mode" menu, and select the "Build" item on the menu that appears.

   Then, select "File | Load Project". Look for the xpsp3.ibb file you saved in the previous step, select it and click the "Open" button.

   Finally, click the "Build" icon at the bottom of the window. To find out which picture the "Build" button is (there are no visual cues, even as to which picture actually represents a button), hover your mouse over the the pictures near the bottom of the window and wait for the tooltip to appear. When you hover your mouse over the correct picture, a tooltip will appear with the text "Build".

   If ImgBurn presents you with a dialog box giving you the statistics of your new CD, such as the number of files it will contain and so forth, just click OK to accept it.

Congratulations. You have successfully created a new XP setup CD. This setup disk will allow you to install Windows XP with Service Pack 3 already integrated in it.

Also a nice video using nLite found in this episode of DL.TV:

http://dl.tv/2007/09/episode_196_idf_more_diy_pc_te.php

Remove IE from desktop

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Registry Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Modify/Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.
Data Type: DWORD // Value Name: NoInternetIcon
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry and Reboot

Use online radio as an alarm clock

Excellent instructions by Kim Komando. Click Here.

Create Explorer Shortcuts

Change the look of Windows Explorer using a set of command line switches. To start Explorer with the focus on a particular folder or open a window view with a specific file or program selected, checkout http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307856/en-us

Examples:
The following examples describe the use of Windows Explorer switches.

•	Explorer /n This command opens an Explorer window using the default setting. This is usually the root of the drive on which Windows is installed.
•	Explorer /e This command starts Windows Explorer using the default view.
•	Explorer /e,C:\Windows This command starts Windows Explorer using the default view, with the focus on C:\Windows.
•	Explorer /root, C:\Windows\Cursors This command starts Windows Explorer at the C:\Windows\Cursors folder. This example uses C:\Windows\Cursors as the "root" directory for Windows Explorer. NOTE: Note the comma after the "/root" switch in the command.
•	Explorer /select, C:\Windows\Cursors\banana.ani This command starts Windows Explorer with the "C:\Windows\Cursors\banana.ani" file selected. NOTE: Note the comma after the "/select" switch in the command.

The Windows Explorer switches can be combined in a single command. The following example shows the combination of the Windows Explorer command-line switches.

•	Explorer /root, \\server\share, select, Program.exe This command starts Windows Explorer using the remote share as its "root" folder, along with the Program.exe file selected.

Ping Test Easy is a powerful, visual ping and IP address scan utility for a system administrators to check network connections. The intuitive and graphical interface, lets you easily monitor the state of the network, and test the connection speeds of various locations. It can save IP addresses and host names as well. It shows the route, hosts, packet loss percentage, and minimum /maximum average response times.

Get it at here:
http://www.download.com/Ping-Test-Easy/3000-2085_4-10523393.html?tag=lst-0-9

Hello Newman

Disable The Notification Balloons

I hate them pesky balloons!

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit.
2. Navigate to the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\PortNumber
3. Right-click the right pane, create a new DWORD value,
and then name it EnableBalloonTips.
4. Double-click this new entry, and then give it a
hexadecimal value of 0.
5. Quit Registry Editor. Log off Windows, and then log back on.

These steps disable all Notification Area balloon tips for this user.
There is no way to disable balloon tips for specific programs only.

Windows XP Reinstall With No Activation

Need to format your hard drive and reinstall XP, and don't want to have to go through the product activation process again? You can save the activation status info and then restore it after you reinstall the operating system, as long as you haven't made any changes to the hardware. Here's how:
Before reformatting, in My Computer, double click the drive letter on which you installed XP, and navigate to WINDOWS\System32.
Click "Show the contents of this folder" if necessary.
Copy the following files to a floppy, USB drive, CD/DVD or network location: wpa.dbl and wpa.bak.
After reformatting and reinstalling XP, select NO when asked if you want to activate Windows now.
Restart in Safe Mode.
In My Computer, open the WINDOWS\System32 folder and rename the existing wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files (if you have them).
Now copy your old wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files to the System32 folder.
Restart and you should not be requested to activate again.
This only works when you reinstall Windows on the same computer and the hardware remains the same.

Surf anonymously

If your concerned about protecting our private information while browsing, checkout Anonymouse.org.

Each site you visit can access information about your computer, such as your computer's IP address. This number uniquely identifies you on the Internet.

Fortunately, there are sites that will help you protect your privacy. Anonymouse is one such site. It lets you surf the Internet without revealing any of your information.

With Anonymouse, there's nothing for you to install on your computer. Just visit the site and start surfing!

The 'Box' is a lie. The 'Box' is a lie. The 'Box' is a lie. - Arts & Leisure

The 'Box' is a lie. The 'Box' is a lie. The 'Box' is a lie. - Arts & Leisure

Windows 7

PCWorld reported last week that Microsoft has started hinting around about releasing the next version of Windows sometime next year. The new OS will be called Windows 7. Umm... we may never install Vista. Click Here to read.

Bringo

You tired of calling a company only to wade thru a phone menu? Try using Bringo
Bringo lists more than 100 companies in a variety of categories. All you need to do is find the one you want. Then, enter your phone number. In a few seconds, you’ll get a call back. You’ll talk to someone without wading through the phone tree. Technology at its finest!

http://www.nophonetrees.com

How to make your own icons

You can make your own custom icons for your XP folders and shortcuts. Open MSPaint (Click Start / Run & type MSPaint. ). Click Image and choose Attributes to open the image attributes dialog box. Type "32" in both the Width and Height fields and be sure "Pixels" is selected. Click OK. This creates a new blank image the size of an icon. You can add color or text or use any graphics program to shrink a photo or drawing to 32x32 pixels and paste it into your document. When you have it the way you want it, click File | Save As and give it a name with the extension .ico. To assign the icon to a folder or shortcut, right click the folder or shortcut and select Properties, then Customize. Click the Change Icon button. Click Browse to navigate to the location where you saved your custom icon. Choose it and click OK. You may need to close and reopen the folder for the new icon to appear. * By default, Windows Icons are stored at "C:\WINDOWS\system32\shell32.dll"

Jott

Have you ever wanted to send a memo, or a short message to another phone, but your too busy? (like while driving)
Jott converts your voice messages into emails, and text messages. All you need is your cell phone, and your account at Jott. You simply register the number with Jott, and from then on all you have to do is call and leave yourself a message. It’s transcribed, partially by computer and partially by humans, and sent to wherever you designate: an email address, a SMS, someone else’s email or phone.

http://jott.com

Cable Modem Problems

Users on a cable Internet connection, who have problems will find this helpful. This guide will help you diagnose, and fix the problems:
Click Here

Hott Notes

Lets you create various post-it style notes on your desktop, in various colours, fonts, transparencies, etc. It also has various options for alarms, reminders, and other features.
http://www.hottnotes.com

Audio Editor

Wavosaur is a free digital audio editing software which allows you to perform various operations with audio data such as visual editing, creating, recording, and playing audio files, applying VST audio effects,adding loop points, mastering your tracks.
Check it out at:
http://www.wavosaur.com

AIM Tip

Did you know,
you can text any mobile phone from your IM window?
Instead of a screen name, just type in "+1" (without quotes) and the 10 digit number.

Another Way To Take Notes Online

While browsing the internet, I sometimes take notes by capturing selections of a site using Paint Shop Pro. If it's just text, I'll copy and paste in either an email or here in my blog. I sometimes paste first in Notepad to remove the formatting, and then paste.

Here's another nifty way to capture notes. It's called Snippy.

Check it out: http://www.bhelpuri.net/Snippy/

MS Powertoys

Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows XP include many great tools. These include a better calculator, image resizer, slide show generator, tuner to make fonts clearer on your monitor and more.
CLICK HERE

Text 2 Speech In XP

Ever tried the Windows XP text-to-speech software? You can use it to read text from files. Type in any word-processing program, and your computer will read what he's typed.

To enable it, click Start>Control Panel. Double click Speech and open the Text To Speech tab. You can select from the voices in the Voice selection dropdown box. There should be 3 by default.

To test each, click Preview Voice. You can use the Voice speed slider to control the speed. When you're finished, click Apply and then OK.

The text-to-speech controls don't automatically appear, but you can easily display them. Just right-click on the taskbar, and choose Select Toolbars>Language Bar.

A small blue box containing "EN" will appear in the notification area. Click it and select "Show the Language bar." In Word, for example, it docks at the top of the window, beside the other toolbars. To have text read, simply click Speak.

FavIcon's For Firefox

Create FavIcon from Pics:

the first web tool for creating still / animated favicons from regular images

Saves time. Just decide which picture you want to use, and go here:

http://www.chami.com/html-kit/services/favicon/

Favicon Picker » Overview

Favicon Picker 0.2.6, by Torisugari, released on Jun 2, 2005

This extension adds UI for replacing bookmark icons.

Works with:

1

Firefox

1.0+ - 1.0+

ALL

Install Now (7 KB)

Great Site For CPU Information

This is a good site to compare CPU's and find all kinds of information about them.
http://www.techarp.com

Tiny Spell

Neat little program
Allows you to easily and quickly check the spelling of words in any Windows application.
tinySpell can watch your typing on the fly and alert you whenever it detects a misspelled word. It can also check the spelling of text that you copy to the clipboard.
tinySpell installs itself in the system tray for easy access. It comes with an American-English dictionary containing more than 110,000 words.
The tinySpell forum is open for discussions, questions, suggestions, and bug reports.


Checking your spelling is simple:

Option 1:
While you are typing, tinySpell watches the text you enter and whenever it detects a misspelled word it beeps and the tinySpell icon in the system tray turns from white to yellow .

Option 2:
When you copy text to the clipboard tinySpell checks its spelling immediately. If it finds at least one misspelled word in the text it beeps and turns its icon to yellow. If the icon is white it means that no misspelled words were found in the clipboard text.

Correcting a misspelled word is also simple:

When a misspelled word is detected, click the tinySpell icon or press the hot-key to pop up a list of suggested replacement words. If the misspelled word is detected during on-the-fly checking or after a word is copied to the clipboard you can select a correction from the list. The selected word is inserted into your document, or is copied to the clipboard (so you can paste it in your document), or both (depending on your settings).

Get it here: http://tinyspell.m6.net/#download

Print or Create List of File Names

Want to create a list of files in a folder, or print them out?
Create a "bat" file:

Now, here's how to create the "bat" file.
Open Notepad.
Type in the following lines exactly like I have them. (or copy/paste)

To create a list .txt file, copy this line:

dir %1 > C:\list.txt: cls

and save as: textdir.bat

*Note*
You can edit the line above to save to any other folder you wish. I created a "C:\Temp" folder for all my temporary files, so my "bat" file is:
dir %1 > C:\Temp\list.txt: cls

To create a print list, copy this line:

dir %1 > lpt1: cls

and save as: printdir.bat

Put these two files in "C:\Documents and Settings\\SendTo" folder, that way you can just right click on the folder, and choose "SendTo", and then choose either the printdir.bat or textdir.txt.

* Note*
The "SendTo" folder is hidden by default. To view it, simply open "Windows Explorer", and click on "Tools" and choose "Folder Options".
Click on "View" tab, and scroll down under the "Hidden files and folders" line.
Click on "Show hidden files and folders", and then click "OK" at the bottom.

Jumble

Got a problem trying to unscramble some letters? This is the site to solve them.

To use the scrambled word solver, simply type the scrambled word in the box, and click "Solve It"!

To use the crossword puzzle solver, type the word in the box substituting question marks '?' for any letter you don't know, and then click "Solve It".

For example: ?a?m would find all 4 letter words whose second letter is 'a' and whose fourth letter is 'm'. The resulting word list is linked to the Webster Dictionary, so just click on the word to look it up!

Check it out:
http://www.jumble.org/tjumble.shtml

Bypass Company Phone Menu

Automated phone menu's are a pain in the ass. Mashing number after number on your keypad, you get bounced from menu to menu. Your question and/or problem may never be addressed. And you might end up at someone’s voice mail.

Here's a solution: Gethuman

This site lists numbers for a wide range of companies. It tells you how to bypass voice mail and get a human!

http://gethuman.com

Xara3D To Create 3D Text

Go to:
http://www.xara.com/products/xara3d/

And check it out!

flipPad E-mail To Mobile Phone

FlipPad allows you to get your email on your cell phone for free.* No new software, no downloads, no new phone necessary. It's that simple. Because we're in beta, we invite you to share your ideas, suggestions, and feedback about how we can make this new service even better.

https://www.teleflip.com

Key Tweak

http://webpages.charter.net/krumsick

KeyTweak is a simple utility that allows users to redefine their keyboard input
signals. The functionality is made possible by a new registry value introduced by
Microsoft in Windows 2000 and included in Windows XP. This section lists some of
KeyTweak's features and reasons you may want to use KeyTweak.
Features
! Simple interface
! Ability to Teach remapping by pressing the keys to be remapped
! Easy-to-read lists of all current and pending re-mappings
! Implementation of Specialty Keys support for certain keyboards
! Remove all re-mappings with a single button
! Enable/disable annoying keys
! Displays what exactly is written to the "Scancode Map" registry value and how to
interpret its binary data
! User warnings help ensure Ctrl-Alt-Delete sequence is maintained
Why Would I Want to Remap My Keys?
Unless you are one of the few people that make use of every key on your
keyboard and are completely happy with your keyboard layout, there is probably
something you would like to change on your keyboard.

There are lots of reasons for why you might remap your keyboard.
I have a Z-Board keyboard, and use it to play games. I've had this problem of hitting the windows key so I wanted to remap it.
Sure you could remap your keys the hard way by wading through scan codes and
reversing the hex notation. But why do that when there's a simple app that can do it for
you?

Quickly lock your XP or Vista computer

It's a good idea to lock your desktop if you're going to be away from the computer for a while and there are others around and you don't want them to use your account. You can do so by pressing the key combo Windows Key + L (with Fast User Switching disabled), but what if you're using a keyboard that doesn't have the Windows key? Then you can create a shortcut to put on your desktop or Quick Launch bar and simply click it to lock the desktop. This works in both XP and Vista:

1. Right click an empty area of the desktop and select New | Shortcut.
2. Enter the following location for the shortcut: %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation
3. Name the shortcut "Lock" or something similar.

Now when you click the shortcut, the desktop is locked and you must press CTRL+ALT+DEL and enter your username and password to unlock it.

Stop Windows Messenger in XP or Vista

1. Log on as an administrator.
2. Click Start | Run.
3. In the Run box, type gpedit.msc to open the Group Policy editor. In Vista, you will be prompted to continue. Click the Continue button.
4. In the left pane, under Local Computer Policy | Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates and then Windows Components.
5. Double click Windows Messenger.
6. In the right pane, double click the policy "Do not allow Windows Messenger to be run."
7. Click the Enabled option.

Note that Remote Assistance will not be able to use Windows Messenger when you disable it this way.

Copy and paste this into run box

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%INFmsmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/tune-05.html

Edit the Boot.ini file in XP

You can manually edit the boot.ini file which contains information controlling the XP boot menu. This is especially helpful if you have a dual or multi-boot configuration or if you have old operating system versions that you no longer use and want to remove from the boot menu. For instructions on how to do it, see KB article 289022 at
http://www.wxpnews.com/NW6G7Q/070710-Edit-BOOT-INI

How to stop XP from connecting to wireless networks

Windows XP by default is to connect to "any available network" and automatically connect to non-preferred networks, which helps to assure that you'll get a connection if there is a non-secured network available anywhere in range, but it's not so good for security (yours or the network owner's). You should configure the wireless feature so that you'll only connect to the network that you explicitly specify. Here's how:

1. Click Start | Control Panel.
2. Double click Network Connections.
3. Right click Wireless Network Connection and select Properties.
4. Click the Wireless Networks tab.
5. Under Preferred Networks, click the name of the network to which you want to connect.
6. Click the Advanced button.
7. Click "Access point (infrastructure) networks only." This will prevent connecting to ad hoc wireless networks, which could be run by anyone in range with a wireless-enabled computer.
8. Click to uncheck the box labeled "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks."
9. Click Close, then OK, and close the Network Connections window.

Now your wireless laptop should be a little pickier about connecting to every network that comes along.

What programs on your computer are connecting to the Internet

How to find out what programs on your computer are connecting to the Internet

Wondering if there's a spyware program on your computer that's surreptitiously sending information over the Internet? Want to know which of your legit programs are 'calling home?' There's a command line utility that will help you find out, and it works in both XP and Vista.

* Click Start.
* In XP, click Run and type cmd in the Run box. In Vista, you need to open the command prompt with elevated privileges, so click All Programs, Accessories, then right click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
* At the command prompt, type netstat -nab

This displays a list of running programs, the protocol being used by each to connect to the Internet, and the IP address and port being used. You might be surprised to see, for instance, that PowerPoint is connected to the Internet - but it will be if you use the online Help function, search for clip art, etc.

PortableApps Suite

PortableApps.com Suite™ is a collection of portable apps including a web browser, email client, office suite, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client, antivirus, sudoku game, backup utility and integrated menu, all preconfigured to work portably. Just drop it on your portable device, such as a memory stick, and you're ready to go.
Carry it around and have all your Apps and bookmarks with you to work on any computer.

http://portableapps.com/suite

How to use the Cipher command to wipe data

When you delete files off your Windows XP or Windows Vista computer, those files aren't actually gone. The only thing that happens is that the "pointer" to the deleted files is removed and the space on the hard disk is marked as available to put new data. But until new data is put in the same location as the deleted data, the deleted data remains on the hard disk and can be recovered by hackers and other malicious users.

What you need to do is "wipe" the data off the hard disk. You can do this by using the cipher command that comes free with Windows XP and Windows Vista. Here are the instructions, compliments of Tom Shinder:

1. Close all programs.
2. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER.
3. Type cipher /w:driveletter:\foldername, and then press ENTER. Specify the drive and the folder that identifies the volume that contains the deleted data that you want to overwrite. Data that is not allocated to files or folders will be overwritten. This permanently removes the data. This can take a long time if you are overwriting a large space. For example, if you have a deleted files in folder c:\SECRET, you would enter cipher /W:C:\SECRET

The wiping process can take a long time, so be patient. Once the files are wiped by the cipher utility, no one will be able to recover your deleted information from your hard disk.

Email Etiquette

Rules to follow before sending email:

• * When sending to multiple contacts, use BCC instead of CC to keep other email addresses private.
• * NEVER TYPE IN ALL CAPS. THAT’S LIKE SCREAMING. REALLY! I kNeW sOmEoNe WhO wOuLd tYpE eVeRyThInG lIkE tHiS. IT'S ANNOYING!
• * Be wary of any kind of attachment - even if it comes from someone you know.
• * If a file you wish to send is larger than 2MB (200 kb for dialup's), think twice before sending it.
• * HTML stationery is annoying; if you don’t need to use it, don’t.
• * Don’t delete relevant information when you reply to someone.
• * If you can’t spell well, rememmber to run a sepll chcek before sinding.
• * Try to keep your messages as short and brief as possible - you’re not writing a novel.
• * Check Snopes.com before forwarding info that sounds too good to be true.
• * Never send emails when you’re mad - wait until you calm down first. Trust me.
• * Triple-check that you’re not sending a message to someone who shouldn’t see it.
• * Remember that when you send something electronically, it has the potential of “living” forever.
• * Before you forward an email joke, please make sure it’s funny first.

Free Audio Dub

Get Free Audio Dub. This audio editing software allows you delete unwanted audio parts without re-encoding. The program is very fast, and supports many audio formats: MP3, WAV, AAC, AC3, M4A, MP2, OGG, and WMA. Win2k/XP/Vista

JotForm

If you ever need to have users contact you, and you don't want to publish your e-mail address, checkout JotForm

The site has a nice wizard to help even the novice user create a form. Once you have your form to your liking, all you have to do is copy the code to your site.

Check it out at:

http://jotform.com

MeeVee

MeeVee is the web’s only online video guide and TV guide. If you have a Tivo, you can also record from the site. Click Here

Get your own widget.

InstaSaver

InstaSaver is a program to create screensavers that contain your favorite photos.

There are three easy steps to the process, and the first one requires you to name your screensaver. Secondly, upload pictures from your computer or grab them from your Flickr account. There are some restrictions in terms of size, number, and format, but it's not too restrictive. Lastly, you specify the available settings and then create your standalone screensaver. Your screensaver can be installed, uninstalled, and sent to others.