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Understanding the Windows Registry
2007-07-25 15:00:00
The Windows registry is one part of the Windows operating system that the average user will probably never access. It can be intimidating, confusing to a user, and making the wrong change within it can prevent Windows from loading. Many Windows and application settings are stored within the registry, which makes it very powerful for customizing an application or Windows itself.I won't go into detail about the various Windows settings that can be changed within this post, but I will introduce the organization and structure of the registry.Accessing the Registry Accessing the Windows registry is just a matter of running an application included with Windows. The application is not included on the start menu, so you will need to execute it manually.Use the following steps to access the registry:Click Start->Run. The Run dialog will be displayed.Type regedit in the dialog.Click the OK button.The registry editor application will now be displayed on the screen. The next few ections will ...
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How To Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly
2007-07-23 15:00:00
In my post titled Protecting Your Computer From Viruses and Spyware I outline several points that you should follow to ensure your computer is problem free. I decided to list the tools that I have used, as well as provide a simple schedule you can follow to ensure your computer runs smoothly.Note: I do realize that there are many more applications than the ones listed, however, I have listed the ones that I have used in the past.Anti-VirusThese tools are used to detect and remove viruses that have infected a computer. They can be scheduled to run a scan of your computer at a specific time, or a scan can be manually run at any time. All anti-virus software should be updated on a regular basis to ensure any new viruses can be detected. Most, if not all, of the software tools listed here can be set to automatically check and download updates. Also, ensure that only one anti-virus tool is installed, as more than one can cause problems.McAfeeNortonAVG (free)Trend Micro (online)Anti-Spyw...
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Using the Windows Recovery Console
2007-07-20 15:00:00
Last year I had an issue where Windows XP failed to load. It would always get to a certain point during boot up, and then stop and reboot. This occurred when it was loading one of the Windows drivers (I can't remember which one).After searching the Internet for a solution to my problem, I came across the Windows Recovery Cons ole . I loaded up the console and ran chkdsk against all the hard drives in my system. Chkdsk found a few errors on the C drive and repaired them. I reloaded Windows and everything was back to normal.Below are the steps I used to repair my boot problem.Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive and restart the computer.Note: Make sure that your computer boots off the CD and not the hard drive. This can be changed in the BIOS.Once the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press F10 or R to repair.The Windows Recovery Console should now load and ask you which Windows you would like to log on to. Select the number pertaining to the Windows installation you wou...
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Protecting Your Computer From Viruses and Spyware
2007-07-18 15:00:00
Security has become a huge concern for many users, especially if you are online on a frequent basis. It is important to ensure that your computer is as secure as possible to prevent unauthorized users from poking around in your computer. There are many steps that you can take to ensure that your information is safe:Use a hardware firewall with a strong password associated with the administrative account. Many routers have a built-in firewall.Install a good software firewall, such as ZoneAlarm.Install a good anti-virus. Retail products include McAfee, and Norton from Symantec. A good free alternative is AVG.Note: Only install one anti-virus software on your computer. You could run into problems if more than one is installed.Install anti-spyware software such as Ad-Aware and Spybot - Search & Destroy. Both of these can be installed on the same computer.Install all security updates for your operating system. The updates can be set to automatically download and install.Update your ant...
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Connecting Multiple Computers to Broadband
2007-07-16 15:00:00
Broadband, or high-speed, Internet connection is what many users currently use in their home. Along with high-speed Internet, many users may also use a router to allow multiple computers to connect to the Internet. This post will describe how a router is used to connect multiple computers. To make it easier to understand, I will use where you live as a comparison to how your computer is connected to the Internet.What is an IP Address?IP addresses are a series of numbers in the form: nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn, where nnn is a one to three digit number. An IP address is unique to an individual computer on a network, similar to how your home has a unique address. For an Internet connection, an IP address is supplied by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). In some cases, your ISP may provide you with more than one IP address, which allows you to connect multiple computers. As you will see later, however, you can still connect multiple computers with a single IP address.Connecting a Single Comp...
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Myth: 72dpi for Web Images
2007-07-14 03:00:00
Every time I read articles or tutorials about saving images for Web pages or sending through e-mail they always mention saving the images with a resolution of 72dpi or Dots Per Inch. The interesting fact about this suggestion is that a computer monitor doesn’t deal with dots or inches, but rather with pixels.The resolution of a monitor is indicated as two numbers: [number of pixels for width]x[number of pixels for height]. For example, resolutions are indicated as 800x600 or 1024x768. You notice no mention of dots or inches because a monitor only cares about the number of pixels. This means that when creating images for viewing on a monitor it is important to pay close attention to the size of the file in pixels.Let’s see an example of how this works. Below you will see two images from the same image. The top image has a print resolution of 300dpi, while the bottom one has a resolution of 10dpi. You will notice that when displayed on the monitor, they are identical. With regards...
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Broadband Internet Connection - Troubleshooting
2007-07-11 15:00:00
Many times as I connect to the Internet I realize that I don't establish a connection. My modem and router (Linksys BEFSX41) are on and connected, but still I can't reach the Internet. The purpose of this post is to discuss the steps I take to bringing my modem, router and computer back online.Note: This post assumes that you know how to log into your router and know where specific settings, such as the IP addresses are displayed.Reset the EquipmentBefore changing the settings, you should first reset all equipment as the first step. The following steps describe the order to reset the equipment:Turn off the computer.Turn off or unplug the router.Turn off or unplug the modem.Wait 5 seconds.Plug in the modem and wait for it to come back online.Plug in the router and wait for it to come back online.Turn on the computer and login.Click Start->Run.Type cmd in the Run dialog box and press OK.At the DOS command prompt type ipconfig /renew.Check to see if you once again have a connection ...
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Windows Explorer Won't Load – Advanced Solution
2007-07-09 15:00:00
In a previous post, I described how I was able to solve my Windows Explorer problem. I didn't go into great detail on how I managed to find the solution, so I thought I would expand on that and describe steps you can take.First, let me say that not having Windows Explorer running is not the end of the world. Your computer can still function, as Windows Explorer is just the Graphic User Interface (GUI). Of course, you would like to get it back (preferably without reinstalling Windows), so I'm hoping this post can help. Keep in mind that some of the steps described below can be very advanced, but may be needed to troubleshoot the problem.List of Needed SoftwareBefore we begin, we will need the following tools installed:Anti-virus software. Try one of these if you don't have any installed:AVG – free anti-virusTrendMicro – free online anti-virusAnti-spyware software. Download and install the following two applications:Ad-AwareSpybot - Search & DestroyFilemon. We will use this ...
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Using a Gray Card
2007-07-07 16:36:00
I have been using a digital camera since 2002, and have since owned two different cameras. My first camera was a Canon G2, while my current camera is a Canon S3 IS. I enjoyed using the G2, and am currently enjoying the S3. One of the biggest differences between the two cameras was the picture file format. With the G2, I used to store the pictures in a RAW format, while with the S3 I can only store the pictures as JPEG.For most people, the JPEG format is the one they will use. I enjoyed use the RAW format since I'm not a great photographer so I like the ability to change my settings after the fact. For more information on the two formats, please read my JPEG or RAW Format post. With the JPEG, I now need to get my settings correct within the camera, and this includes the colour settings.To ensure that I get the colours in my pictures as close to accurate as I can, I use a gray card. Using a gray card is really simple to use, and can be used with any digital camera that allows for ...
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Securing a Wireless Network
2007-07-05 14:07:00
I use both a wired and wireless network at home. I am fortunate enough to have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that provides up to three IP addresses. I connected a switch to my modem, and two routers (one wired, and the other wireless) to the switch. Each router has a separate IP address from my ISP. My desktop is connected to the wired router, while two laptops connect to the wireless one. I can connect either laptop to the wired router with a network cable if I choose to as well.The biggest issue I wanted to address when setting up the wireless network is that of security. I have always been skeptical of wireless security, but since I have purchased a laptop, I decided to give wireless networking a try.There are a lot of discussion on how to secure a wireless connection, some good, some bad, and some useless. This post will not go into detail about how to change the router settings to make it secure, but it will discuss what needs to be changed.Administrative Credentials - I...
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Creating Secure Passwords
2007-07-03 14:26:00
In a recent post I described how to connect a network at home to your broadband Internet connection. In that post I mentioned how you should create a password that is "easy to remember, but not easy to guess." I will elaborate more on how to create passwords that are hard to guess, easy to remember, and very secure.To create secure passwords keep the following rules in mind:Never use default passwords such as "password", "Password1", or blank.Don't use your name, names of family members or pets.For numbers, stay away from your birthday, year, month or day. In fact, don't use any number that can easily be associated with you.Use more than just letters, such as punctuation and numbers.Some passwords are case-sensitive, so use both upper and lower case letters.Make sure that your password is a minimum of 6 characters in length.With those rules in mind, let's get to creating a secure password.Using PhrasesWhen creating passwords try to come up with a p...
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Windows Explorer Won't Load - Fixed
2007-07-02 04:22:00
The following post describes how I solved my windows explorer problem. If the following fix does not work for you, please feel free to e-mail me at psalmon12@gmail.com and I'll try to help you out.For the past few months Windows explorer has been giving me grief. When I logged into Windows XP, the Windows explorer would attempt to load, but encounter a problem and close. This left me with a blank desktop--no icons, start menu or taskbar.To get around this problem, I installed a free Windows XP shell temporarily until I was able to solve the disappearing explorer problem. I had been trying once and a while to determine what the problem was, but nothing really seriously. Until today.I decided that it was about time to find a solution. I didn't want to format, and reinstall Windows, so I needed to troubleshoot what the problem was, and fix it. Here is what I did:I ran both FileMon and RegMon at the same time, capturing only the explorer.exe process. I then attempted to run expl...
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Making Money Online
2007-06-30 19:04:00
Making money on the Internet is a hot topic, and something many of us would like to do. It's a nice thought to stay at home and make money 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without actually working those hours. One of the most common means of making money is through advertising on your Web site, where a visitor will click on an advertising banner, and you get a percentage of the cost of that click.Last year I was looking into ways to make money off the Internet. I didn't have a Web site at the time, so the advertising idea was not applicable. Another solution would be the more time consuming method: open an ecommerce site. I have done Web programming before, but have never created an ecommerce site. After looking into what is required, such as a Web host, merchant account, inventory management, shipping, to name few, I decided to look for an easier way.This easier way presented itself in the form of Shopster. I decided to take the chance and signed up with them to see what they h...
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Setting Up a Home Network
2007-06-28 22:10:00
With the increase in high-speed or broadband usage, it is more common to see more homes connecting multiple computers to the Internet. Setting up a home network to allow multiple computers to connect to the Internet is easy to do. Use the following steps to get your network running.Necessary EquipmentBefore creating a network, ensure that you have the necessary equipment. You will need the following:A broadband internet connection. This includes cable and DSL, but not dial-up.A router, preferably one that includes a firewall.A desktop or laptop with a network card. If you currently use broadband, then the card the modem is plugged into is your network card.Once all the equipment is unpacked and ready to go, it is time to connect it all up.Connecting the RouterAt this point you may want to print the instructions first before continuing. The next few steps will require your Internet connection to be disconnected temporarily while all the equipment is connected together.To connect ...
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JPEG Or RAW Format
2007-06-27 19:57:00
As anyone with a digital camera knows, pictures are saved as files on a memory card. They can then be downloaded and printed. Some of the higher end digital cameras, however, have an option of saving the pictures in two different file formats: JPEG or RAW.Both formats are completely different. One can easily be used by many different systems and applications, while the other is proprietary and needs to be converted first. One is compressed, while the other isn't (although some say it can be). One is result of processing performed by the camera, while no processing is performed to get the other. As you can see the two formats are completely different, and yet there is a great debate on which format to use.This purpose of this article is to discuss the differences to help you make a decision on which one fits better with our needs.JPEGThe famous JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) file format is beyond a doubt the most common digital camera file format. This format is used by all...
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About Digital Cameras
2007-06-27 02:17:00
I have been using digital cameras for about five years now. Over the course of those five years, I have learned a lot about what to look for with regards to buying a new camera. This article will outline what to look for when buying a digital camera.MegapixelsWhenever I ask anyone about their new digital camera, they are always quick to point out the number of megapixels. When shopping for a new digital camera, I don't usually put too much thought in how many megapixels a camera has. Why? Because digital cameras today have more than enough megapixels than I would need.The digital cameras of today have more than 5 megapixels. This is more than enough to printout a good quality 8x10. Most people usually only print a 4x6, meaning a 3-megapixel camera would do the job fine.Most high-quality pictures are printed at 300ppi (pixels per inch). For a 4x6 the number of pixels in both dimensions is 1200 (4x300) and 1800 (6x300). Multiply the number of pixels together to get the total n...
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About Scanning Photographs
2007-06-25 14:31:00
I have read many articles and posts on the Web on how to scan photographs. There are many opinions as to the best way to perform the scan, and I have my own. This post will explain the most common settings that I use when scanning photographs.Pixels Per Inch (PPI)There is some debate about how many pixels per inch to use when scanning a photograph. Some say 240ppi, others 300 ppi, and a few say more than 300ppi. My take on the situation is this: I try to aim for 300ppi. What do I mean by this? I'll show you.Lets say you have a 4x6 photograph that you would like scanned in, and printed at 4x6. This is rather simple to do, simply specify 300 in your scanner software where it says PPI and scan the photo. When completed, you will get a photo that is 1200x1800 (4x300, 6x300) pixels in size.What if you want to increase the size of the photo to 8x10, and still print at 300ppi? You would increase the PPI in the scanner software to allow for a bigger print. In this case 600ppi would ...
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Welcome
2007-06-24 02:51:00
I have been using technology in various aspects for a good twenty years now. Within that time people have been asking me for assistance and troubleshooting, answers, or knowledge (also known as "picking my brain").I usually provide assistance and troubleshooting free of charge, mostly because if I can solve the issue then I hope to learn something from the experience.Answering questions people may have about technology can be more difficult at times. Usually the questions involve technology that has been around for a number of years, and that makes answering them easier. The difficulty is answering questions about brand new technology, or technology that I have yet to use. When this happens I'll usually begin to learn it myself. Once I have learned it, it will then get added to my knowledge base for future questions.This brings me to the final point of this post, and my blog: knowledge. I have learned in life that the more you know the easier life becomes. I will take that one step...