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CompuSaff Today! |
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Quick takes on software, tips, and 'net oddities
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Thursday, February 11, 2010
- 2010.02.11 - Blue Screened?
Hints and Tips
Did you end up with the infamous Blue Screen of Death on your Windows XP machine after this week's round of security update patches from Microsoft? If so, you might want to start here for a resolution: InfoWorld has chronicled the issue with links to a potential solution at Windows patch cripples XP with blue screen. 14885
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#1141 Posted at: 07:45:14 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Saturday, March 21, 2009
- 2009.03.21 - Opt Out of Ad Tracking
Hints and Tips
Most of you are well aware of the browser cookies that websites can save on your machine. Many are beneficial, such as the ones that can save your preferences for the next time you visit. Other cookies, such as ones placed by the advertiser networks, track where you visit on the web to build a profile of your browsing habits. Then they serve up ads aimed specifically at you anytime you visit any site covered by their advertizers.
So what it you don't want to be tracked as you surf? One way, albeit rather time consuming, is to manually delete all the tracking cookies from your system. Just once won't do; you'll have to repeat the process on a regular basis. Or you could run Safer Networking's Spybot Search & Destroy. Just run it regular-like so you can keep up with the baddies!
Or, here's another option. This won't cover all the bases, but what if you could opt out of tracking from individual ad nets so they would ignore you. Yeah, you might see browser ads not 'tailored specifically for you', but these outfits wouldn't be tracking you either. Privacychoice.org is one place to go where you can opt out of 48 of the major ad nets at once.
Advertising and marketing networks track your online activities across websites using 'cookies,' which are small files written on your computer. Now privacychoice.org provides a service to opt out of being tracked by over 50 of these networks. The service is free and it takes just a few seconds!You must, however, make sure your ad-blocker is turned off before you click on their Opt-Out button, or you'll block all of the "leave me alone" cookies! 14462
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#1117 Posted at: 00:50:26 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Friday, January 09, 2009
- 2009.01.09 - Passing the Bar
Hints and Tips
Wanna put the menu bar back up where it belongs in your IE7 or IE8 browser? Yes, you can! Here's how: Internet Explorer Toolbar Customization. 14338
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#1098 Posted at: 23:36:53 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Friday, November 14, 2008
- 2008.11.14 - Ready for Some New Shoes?
Hints and Tips
Winter's on the way and you might be thinking about putting new tires on your vehicle before too much snow flies. So you run down to your favorite rubber tread retailer and are all set to rack up several hundred bucks to get those old slicks off the jalopy.
Think you're getting new tires? Of course you are. Or are you?? Sure, they're all new and clean and still have those little nibs from the molds still on them. They've never been mounted before.
But when were they manufactured? How long have they been sitting on the shelf in some warehouse or semi-trailer? Maybe you should find out. Tire Tech Information - Determining the Age of a Tire will show you how to read the federally required date code so that you don't put 5 year old tires on your car that can come apart at highway speed. Go there! 14267
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#1090 Posted at: 23:36:27 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
- 2008.10.28 - TellMe Marketing
Hints and Tips
Tired of the privacy crashing, pesky, scripted calls of telemarketers? How about a script of your own to turn the tables?
To whom am I speaking? Could you spell your name for me? Could you tell me how you found this phone number?Just a sampling! Start here: EGBG Anti-telemarketing Counterscript! 14233
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#1087 Posted at: 22:29:13 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Monday, March 24, 2008
- 2008.03.24 - Versus
Hints and Tips
Faceoff between the Toyota Prius hybrid against the BMW 520d... Yeah, that's right! A hybrid gas/electric versus a diesel. Care to pick the winner of this fuel sipping contest? Not so fast, brainiacs. Check the score: Toyota Prius in a fuel mileage race with the BMW 520d. 13837
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#1067 Posted at: 21:59:50 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Sunday, August 19, 2007
- 2007.08.19 - How About a Boost?
Hints and Tips
Need a little extra boost for your in-home wi-fi setup? Get 9 to 12 db extra gain with this Ez-12 Template, a bit of aluminum foil, and a piece of cardstock paper. Installed it on my AP today! 12886
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#1031 Posted at: 00:10:55 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Thursday, June 07, 2007
- 2007.06.7 - Anxious to Upgrade?
- Delete termporary internet files and reduce your browser cache to 20 or 40mb.
- Defrag your hard drives weekly, or at least once a month.
- Check what's loading automatically at boot-up time to see if there are unnecessary parasites starting up that you don't need. Most people don't need things like AOL Instant Messenger, Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, the Java Update Scheduler, Match Play, QuickTime, etc loaded up and consuming resources all the time. Use MSCONFIG and go to the Startup tab to uncheck stuff you don't need. Uncheck too much? It's easy enough to re-enable when you re-run MSCONFIG.
- Remove drivers and software for long gone peripherals. No longer have that old printer? Uninstall it! Scanner left years ago? Uninstall it, too! Go to Device Manager or Control Panel / Printers, etc. to remove the AWOL appliances.
- Check Control Panel / Add - Remove Programs list for any old detritus that's no longer needed and uninstall it.
Hints and Tips
Got the ole upgrade fever and no budget to match?
Start here:
One option is to bump up your machine's memory from 512mb to at least 1gb. XP will run on 512mb, but it has to swap out RAM contents to the hard drive in order to multi-task, or load additional programs. My machine consumes over 512mb just to boot up (your mileage may vary). With 10 major apps open right now on my box, it's using 1166 mb of ram out of 2gb. So jumping to 1gb wouldn't be that expensive (from $35 - $100) - and you would actually feel the difference.
Some no-cost items that can help reclaim some performance would be:
As always, if you go delete stuff without knowing what you're doing, you're on your own. Get a geek to help you, and MAKE A BACKUP before you go playing with your system! 12626
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#1016 Posted at: 22:48:42 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Saturday, June 02, 2007
- 2007.06.02 - Lost In The Translation?
Hints and Tips
"My friend says the document I just sent over is all messed up. Text is now on the wrong page, and it doesn't look the same. We're both on the same version of the application. What's wrong?"
It's not uncommon for this problem to pop up, and you can lose a lot of time trying to figure out what's wrong. People start comparing Windows version, application versions, doing updates and patches - all to no avail. Here's a simple explanation that frequently resolves the issue.
Many of you propeller heads are font junkies and end up with hundreds of different fonts - fonts that most everyone else doesn't have. And desktop publishing or greeting cards apps often add their own mix of unique fonts to your system. You use them and they look great. But again, they usually aren't available on other people's machines.
Windows comes with a limited set of fonts. And it's a surprisely short list. Before you send out your special document, spreadsheet, or web page. Make sure you use one of the Standard Windows Fonts. Alternate option? Send a PDF document. 12612
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#1014 Posted at: 23:00:03 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Thursday, June 17, 2004
- Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
Hints and Tips
Microsoft is working up to its late summer / early fall release of Service Pack 2 for WinXP. And they are already publishing documentation for the changes. In a nutshell, security will be improved and some functionality will get limitations or be curtailed. Read Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2:Part 1: Introduction to get the scoop of what's in store. 6304 Read More...
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#590 Posted at: 22:55:38 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Thursday, May 13, 2004
- Time Warner Road Runner Cablemodem speeds
Hints and Tips
With a little tweaking to your machine, you should be able to hit up around 2 to 3 mbit per second speeds. I just hit 2.691 on the speed test at DSLReports Speed tests. If you want to tweak up your Windows machine for max internet speed, use the Dr. TCP tool at DrTCP by Broadbandreports.com These tests will work on you dial up connection; you just won't be as pleased with the results! 6146
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#576 Posted at: 23:42:25 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Thursday, February 26, 2004
- Has Google's success made it irrelevent?
Hints and Tips
Google has so become the de facto, preferred search engine for most internet users because of its wide coverage and usually highly relevant search results. So much so that advertisers have tailored their web pages to take advantage of Google for product selling. That may be okay if you are on a shopping spree. But if you want information instead of purchases, you might want to try Teoma - Search with Authority, or AlltheWeb.com, or even Ask Jeeves - Ask.com. At first I wasn't willing to even consider that Google wasn't keeping up the pace. Then I tried a few queries on some of these other search engines. Guess What?!! Relevant results on the first page!! Just like Google used to be! What think ye? 5817
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#517 Posted at: 23:23:13 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Saturday, February 07, 2004
- Want to add RSS feeds to your My Yahoo! page?
Hints and Tips
Yahoo! has a beta module for showing RSS feeds on your My Yahoo! pages. To put your selection of RSS feeds, just click to add RSS Headlines. To add CompuSaff Today headlines, copy this shortcut into the Yahoo! setup: http://www.compusaff.com/nucleus/xml-rss.php or click on
5610Note: If you are having problems with your My Yahoo account, contact Yahoo! at My Yahoo Help.
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#499 Posted at: 17:39:05 - KSaff - -PermaLink- |
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
- Hate having to switch from mouse to keyboard
Hints and Tips
and back all the time? Breaks your productivity? interrupts your thought process? slows you down? How about if you could launch any application just by typing a shortcut from anywhere? For example, typing word would launch winword.exe without going through the programs menu or mousing to the quick launch bar. You pick the word, you pick the action. Intriguing idea, isn't it?!! I'm trying it out. See what you think. Find out about it at About ActiveWords. Not convinced? Watch these ActiveWords Demonstrations onscreen. 4536
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#25 Posted at: 23:23:14 - KSaff - -PermaLink- |
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
- Are you using the new Avant Browser beta and the Weather boxes are missing?
Hints and Tips
Regular guests to CompuSaff! are familiar with the Weather buttons usually visible on the left side of this page. But if you are using the Ad Blocking features of the new Avant Browser Beta (available at FileForum | Program Detail - Avant Browser), you might not see them.
Whazzup? you ask! Here's how to fix it: From the menu bar, click on Tools, then on Avant Browser Options. On the left side of the Options window, click on Ad Blocker. Then in the right window, click on the Exception List tab. Then click the Add button. In the box, type http://banners.wunderground.com/*. Now the weather boxes in CompuSaff! will be visible again! Use this same technique to see any other content that may be getting blocked from the new ad blocking feature. (This is the only exception I've had to put in to mine!) 4283
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#45 Posted at: 20:37:13 - KSaff - -PermaLink- |
Friday, November 07, 2003
- Messed up your TCP/IP protocol in WinXP?
Hints and Tips
And now you're afraid you'll have to re-install Windows from scratch? Try this tool from TNTMax.com. From the website:
"On an XP machine, after uninstalling a personal firewall product (such as McAfee Personal Firewall) and having your network settings destroyed there is a nifty little application to fix the winsock settings. It even backs up your registry before it performs the fix."
Get it at TNTmax.com - WinSock XP Fix [BROKEN LINK]. 4140
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#55 Posted at: 20:36:36 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
Monday, October 13, 2003
- Add/Remove hidden programs in Windows XP and 2000
Hints and Tips
[GEEK Tip] - Here's how: TechTV | Sarah's Windows Tweak: Uninstall Hidden WinXP Programs. 3902
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#82 Posted at: 23:17:16 - KSaff - No comments, (Click to Read/Add) -PermaLink- |
