Karen's Directory Printer

Here is a review of this interesting application by Mr. Preston Gralla of PC World:

"Ever since the dawn of Windows, there's been no way to print out a list of every file in a folder, nor one to print out a folder name. Over the years, people have come up with a variety of hacks to get around the problem, and many of them require you to do things like editing the Registry. There's a much simpler solution: Get the free Karen's Directory Printer.

Karen's Directory Printer gives you an enormous amount of control over printing out lists of files and folders. You can either include or exclude a wide variety of information about files, such as file size, name, date it was created, date it was last accessed, and so on. You also have similar choices about printing folder information. You can also sort the files and folders for printing in any way you want. And it's exceptionally easy to do all of it. Anyone who has ever wanted to print out a file list or folder list will want this one. It's donationware, which means that it's free but the author also accepts donations."

I have not tried it yet, but will do this week-end. I think it is worth exploring. To download and install go to:

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,71403/description.html?tk=nl_ddx_h_dlfeat


I hope you will take advantage of it.

George Freire

Photo Vacuum Packer

Here is a great free program which not only can eliminate all duplicate pictures you have in your computer, (and who doesn't?), but can also improve the quality of the original pictures that remain after the "cleaning". I for instance found more than 300 duplicates in my hard drive. How did they get there? I don't really know but I suspect that many times, when you transfer pictures from your digital camera via USB cable or simply use a memory reader for the transferring, somehow duplicates are "created" without us knowing.

Mr Preston Gralla of PC World explains how this program works:

"Is your PC's hard disk clogged with massive photos? Then you'll want to give the free Photo Vacuum Packer a try. It reduces the size of photos without significantly affecting their quality, freeing up hard disk space. In addition, it hunts down duplicate photos, and deletes them, to save even more space.

Photo Vacuum Packer is exceptionally easy to use. Tell the program to look in a folder that contains your photos. It then looks for duplicates, examining the actual contents of photos, not just file names, to find copies. It lists all duplicates, and will delete them if you want.

After that, Photo Vacuum Packer shrinks all the photos, giving you the option to choose whether you want to keep image fidelity as high as possible (which leads to larger files), or to be more aggressive, and shrink files even more. In my tests, on the more aggressive setting, it reduced seven photos by a total of 13 MB--from 18 MB down to 5 MB.

Although Photo Vacuum Packer does an excellent job, you may want to give FILEminimizer Pictures a try as well. I found that FILEminimizer shrank files more than Photo Vacuum Packer did. However, FILEminimizer is shareware and costs $35 to register, while Photo Vacuum Packer is free. So if you're looking for a free way to shrink photos, Photo Vacuum Packer is the way to go. "

--Preston Gralla


If you want to download this useful program and install it in your computer just click the following address or just copy and paste to your browser:


http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,83225/description.html?tk=nl_ddx_h_dlfeat


The program has a very compreensive help file that explains how the program operates.

Let me know how you enjoy this app.

George Freire

Top free troubleshooting tools for Windows | Windows - InfoWorld

No computer runs perfectly forever. Somewhere along the line, something will go wrong. While each successive version of Windows has been that much more reliable and self-healing, that's never been an argument to forgo a good collection of software tools.

Over the years a serious amount of troubleshooting apps created by smart computer minds have proven their value again and again. Such apps should be installed in your computers for your protection and to help you keep your computer in good health. If something goes wrong you can use such app tools to set things right again. All of them are free for personal use, therefore why not installing them in your machine?

Mr. Serdar Yelgulalp of INFOWORLD, writes a very good essay concerning such apps, which I srongly suggest you readers visit and take advantage, by downloading those apps that might be the most helpful for your particular situation.

Just click or copy/paste to your browser the following address and you'll be in business.

George Freire

Top free troubleshooting tools for Windows Windows - InfoWorld

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Newsreel of Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in September, 1945

A good friend from my church men's club, sent me an e-mail with a link to a very rare documentary concerning the Japanese Surrender Ceremony in Tokyo Bay, in September 1945.

I was 12 years old and remember the end of the war in the Pacific, through photos, news reels etc. but nothing like this.

Gary my friend, I take the liberty of showing here THIS HISTORIC EVENT which you sent me. I am sure that even the readers who were too young to remember or were not even born at the time will appreciate it.

This is an actual film made of the surrender ceremony of the Japanese to MacArthur in Tokyo Bay in September, 1945. Actual voice of the General. Never been shown to the general public before. We always saw the "stills" but never the film itself. The quality of the film is outstanding.

If you are a history buff, you WILL enjoy it!!!

Just click the address below, or copy & paste, and you'll be there:

http://enka2.netorage.com:9711/harddisk/user/lyk36/mumess/376-macarthurjap.htm

Thanks again Gary, this is outstanding!

George Freire

Desktop PC Buying Guide: The Specs Explained

Dear readers,

I know that some of you are right now thinking in buying a new PC or Laptop, because the computer you now own is about ready to die on you.

Buying a new computer in this day and age is somewhat confusing especially for those of you not too familiar with what is inside the machine and really what is possibly the best configuration for your needs.

No reason to spend a bunch of money for something you don't need, nor to be too frugal and not get what is best for you.

The following write-up by Mr. Nate Ralph of PC World is quite revealing and I am sure it will help you make a decision on what to buy. Just click on the following address or just copy and paste to your browser. It is very good advice.

Your comments will be appreciated.

Thanks,

George Freire

Desktop PC Buying Guide: The Specs Explained

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I would very much like to get stories of problems you have had with your computers or... just what you have done to fix them, or... just ask me!

Hey guys and girls who read my blog, please, please, post your experiences, problems, solutions you have had, (even funny stuff with nothing to do with computing), etc.etc.

This blog will be a lot more interesting if you post your comments, questions, even funny stuff you have experienced in your daily "relationship" with your computer.

All you have to do is click "comments" below and just tell us all your experiences.

I put a lot of time trying to get this blog helpful and interesting for all. Your contributions will be a great addition.

Para os nossos visitantes de Portugal, façam os vossos comentarios em Portugues se assim quizerem.

Thanks e obrigado

George

Can Internet Explorer 9 Get Microsoft's Mojo Back?

I thought that the following story concerning the future new Microsoft Web Browser IE 9 might be of interest to those who still use IE 6, IE 7 or IE 8.

Just click the following address and you will be brought to the latest news concerning this matter.

Can Internet Explorer 9 Get Microsoft's Mojo Back?

George Freire

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A Brief History of Pi (π)

We all know and learned in school, (even those with very little math training), about Pi (π).

Its history is fascinating and many books have been written about it. The following is a short synopsis of its history, which I am sure even those not mathematically oriented will enjoy:

Just click the following address and you'll have it:

A Brief History of Pi

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George Freire

ADVICE FROM PC WORLD'S MR. RICK BROIDA, ON HOW NOT TO SHUT DOWN YOUR PC OR LAP TOP COMPUTER

Dear readers of this blog,

Here is sound advice from one of my favorite computer tech writers, PC World's Mr. Rick Broida:

How Not to Shut Down Your PC .

Here's how to avoid mucking up Windows, why you should use Hibernate and not Sleep:

"Imagine my horror the other day when I saw an otherwise sharp friend of mine shut down his laptop by holding down the power button until the system turned off. Why is that a really bad idea? I'll explain:

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" I cried. "Why'd you do that?"

"What? I was just turning off my PC," he replied innocently.

Sometimes I forget that some of the stuff I take for granted isn't common knowledge. So in case you've been committing this same heinous shutdown crime, allow me to enlighten you.

That is not, repeat, not the proper way to shut down a PC. The proper way is to click Start, Shut down. (I know, it's ridiculous that after all these years Microsoft still forces you to use the Start button to end your computing session.) Alternately, you can press--and immediately release!--the power button, which will either shut down your PC or put it in sleep/hibernate mode, depending on how Windows is configured.

The only time you should press and hold the power button is if your computer is locked up and otherwise unresponsive. A five-second press will usually force a "hard" power-off, after which you should wait another five seconds before turning the machine back on. But if you do this all the time, Windows won't be able to perform its necessary shut-down housekeeping stuff, and ultimately you'll muck up the OS.

Learn Your Laptop Power Settings:

My aunt recently told me about a problem with her new laptop: Whenever she'd step away from it for more than a few minutes, she'd close the lid. Upon returning, she'd open the lid, only to be faced with a blank screen and no response from the mouse or keyboard.

Want to know why? The default lid-closing action for most laptops is to put the system in Sleep mode, and Windows is notoriously bad at waking up properly. That's why I advise most laptop users to use Hibernate mode instead, as it's much more reliable when it comes to waking up.

You see, Sleep (aka Standby) puts your system into a low-power, off-like state, allowing you to pick up where you left off after just a few seconds--in theory, anyway. A PC in Standby mode continues to consume battery power, so it's not uncommon to return to a "sleeping" PC to find that it's just plain dead.

Hibernate, however, saves your machine's current state to a temporary hard-drive file, then shuts down completely. When you start it up again, it loads that file and returns you to where you left off--no booting required.

Both ends of the Hibernate process take a little longer than sleep mode (usually 10-20 seconds, in my experience), but you avoid any of the issues that can arise when Windows suddenly loses power. And as noted, Sleep mode is notoriously flaky. If your system refuses to wake up properly, you'll end up losing whatever documents and/or Web pages you had open. Consequently, I recommend using hibernate most of the time. "

Rick Broida


There you are friends, the above is darn good advice. I bet a lot of you did not know this, did you?

George Freire

INSTANT WEATHER MAP AT YOUR LOCATION

Technology has no limits in just about every field you can think of!

WEATHER UNDERGROUND is a set-up that will display your area, (anywhere in the world ! mind you), in a weather map fashion with present conditions and weekly forecast just like you see it on TV.

All you have to do is to fill in the name of your town and state, (if you are in the USA), or your town and country everywhere else in the world!

I set-up this program on my computer a few days ago and have been trying it out, selecting places all over the world and it is amazing how it works.

If you want to set it up this program in your computer, (it takes only seconds !), go to:


http://www.wunderground.com/auto/wxmap/


Just click the above or copy and paste to your browser. Once you do it the weather map immediately shows up on your screen. Book mark of set it on your favorites, that is all, you don't even have to download anything!

Have fun and please let me know how it works in your area.

(To our Portuguese viewers, let me tell you I have checked towns such as Braga, Porto, Coimbra, Faro, etc. etc. it all works!)

George Freire

A LITTLE HUMOR TO LIGHTEN YOUR DAY

As you know, kids today are practically born with computers in their hands, therefore it is no wander that so many of them kown more about computers then most of us adults.

A good friend of mine sent me an e-mail that I found so funny, I had to pass it on to you all:

Good morning George,
Thought you would like this joke.

Computer Problem:

I was having trouble with my computer. So I called Eric, the 11 year old next door, whose bedroom looks like Mission Control and asked him to come over. Eric clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem.

As he was walking away, I called after him, 'So, what was wrong? He replied, 'It was an ID ten T error.'

I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless inquired, 'An, ID ten T error? What's that? In case I need to fix it again.'

Eric grinned.... 'Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?

'No,' I replied. 'Write it down,' he said, 'and I think you'll figure it out..'

So I wrote down:

ID10T

I used to like Eric...

The 10 All-Time Greatest Free Downloads and Services

I thought that the following free programs qualified by PC World as the 10 All Time Greatest would be of interest to you.

George Freire

All you have to do is click the following address and then choose whatever serves your needs:

The 10 All-Time Greatest Free Downloads and Services

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DITTO, CLIP BOARD MANAGER, HOW TO IMPROVE THE "COPY & PASTE" FUNCTIONS

When you "copy & paste" any files, text or any other items on your monitor screen, you copy these first to your clipboard and from the clipboard paste them to wherever you need to.

The problem with this function is that the clipboard only holds one item at a time, regardless of size. You cannot copy file x, file z etc. and then paste these in different areas. You'll have to do each "copy & paste" function ONE AT A TIME...

There is a little free utility program that makes this a lot easier to do, i.e. copy and paste different items to different areas.The name of the program is DITTO Clipboard Manager

Ditto is an extension to the standard windows clipboard. It saves each item placed on the clipboard allowing you access to any of those items at a later time. Ditto allows you to save any type of information that can be put on the clipboard, text, images, html, custom formats, .....

Features:

Easy to use interface
Search and paste previous copy entries
Keep multiple computer's clipboards in sync
Data is encrypted when sent over the network
Accessed from tray icon or global hot key
Select entry by double click, enter key or drag drop
Paste into any window that excepts standard copy/paste entries
Display thumbnail of copied images in list
Full Unicode support(display foreign characters)

In order to download this useful program, just go to:

http://ditto-cp.sourceforge.net/


Clip the above address or copy it to your browser, that's all you have to do to start using it in no time.

I read about it on "The Kim Komando Show", which by the way I recommend you all to check or subscribe to it free:

www.komando.com


Best to you all,

George Freire