IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ALL OUR READERS

Today I was talking to a good friend who follows my blog on a regular basis and asked him if he had any suggestions for the improvement of the blog and how to make it more interesting to everybody.

Among other things, he said the following: "George, why don't you print our a complete collection of all the posts published from the very beginning of your blog and make it available to everybody?, there is a lot of useful information to all of us who use computers and I'll bet a lot of your followers would love to have it".

I thought about it and checked how many posts have been published since December 2008: the total is 255.

Well, I said to myself, this might be a good idea, however it will take a lot of doing to put together such a package, perhaps in a form of a booklet or something else.

In order to do it I will have to know how many of you would like the idea and therefore how many booklets I would have to print.

I have no idea of how much such a project would cost in print form, and I don't know how much per copy, plus the trouble and cost of of shipping to readers in many different countries who follow us.

Another idea struck me, why not make it available in a download book format that you guys could then print or keep in your computer ? Then the cost would be not much, perhaps $5.00 to $10.00 per download or even  less depending on how many would like to do it.

If you readers, from all the countries who follow my blog, think this is a good idea, please let me know. I need to find out how many would be interested and whether it would be worth the effort.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks for your input,

George Freire

WINDOWS 8 HOT KEYS

 

 

Folks,

Courtesy of PCWorld's Loyd Case, Jon Phillips and Alex Cocilova, here are quite a number of useful key shortcuts for those who already are using Windows 8:


In these key combinations, hold down the Windows key (normally located between Alt and Ctrl) and another key, as described on this list.

• Press the Windows key to enter the tiled Start screen.
• The Windows key + M minimizes everything that's showing on the desktop.
• The Windows key + E opens Explorer for quick access to folders.
• On the Start screen, press the Windows key + D to instantly get to the desktop.
• The Windows key + Tab opens a list of currently running programs.
• The Windows key + Print Screen takes a screenshot and saves it in a Screenshots folder nested in your Pictures folder.
• To take a screenshot on a Windows 8 tablet, simultaneously press the Windows button and the volume-down button on the tablet chassis.
• The Windows key + Q opens a global search menu. Type what you're looking for and where you would like to look.
• The Windows key + W opens a search in your system settings to quickly locate and change system properties.
• The Windows key + F opens a file and folder search.
• The Windows key + Pause opens the system properties page to show you a quick rundown of your specs.
• The Windows key + "," (that's the comma sign!) makes all current windows transparent, giving you a peek at the desktop as long as you hold down the Windows key.
• The Windows key + "." (the period) snaps a window to the right or left side (toggling each time you press ".").
• The Windows key + R prompts the Run command—useful for quickly launching apps and other routines with a command prompt.
• The Windows key + X opens the Quick Access Menu, exposing system functionality such as the Command Prompt, Disk Management, File Explorer, Run, and more. Alternatively, you can right-click on the bottom right corner of the screen to spawn the Quick Access Menu.
• The Windows key + I opens the settings menu, giving you quick access to the Control Panel, Personalization, and your Power button, among other features.
• The Windows key + O locks orientation on devices with an accelerometer.

For the whole useful article go to:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2012885/20-must-know-windows-8-tips-and-tricks.html#tk.nl_win


If clicking the above does not work, just copy and paste to your blogger.

George Freire

A must see news report regarding credit cards..

A good friend sent me an email concerning the new technology used in many recently issued credit cards, which employs a "WI-FI' chip that facilitates the use of the card.

Here is what he said:

"I read this about a couple weeks ago, and then checked my cards for the little "Wi-Fi Signal Icon" on each one. I found none w/that signal on them, but I was determined to watch for it when my cards came in on renewals. Well, yesterday I got my CHASE SLATE card AND THERE IT WAS ! My first time to see it. I'll not activate that card after seeing this. I guess I'll go to the bank and see if I can replace it w/a non Wi-Fi (Radio Frequency Card)....? 

Thought all my contacts ought to see this if you've not already seen this demo....wow!

 

Check your newer credit cards for the Wi-Fi Symbol on it. You need to watch the video below to really know why I sent this to you. 

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/lLAFhTjsQHw%26sns=em


I watched and decided that this is well worth publishing in this blog.

(If the link above does not work when clicked, copy and paste to your browser).

Your comments will be appreciated.

George Freire

HOW TO MOVE YOUR WINDOWS OS AND OTHER APPS TO AN SSD DRIVE

On Sunday September 16  we  published a post titled:

"How to remove Windows.old folder from your (C:) drive and why ? "

The last 5 paragraphs of this post were the following:

"I recently installed an SSD drive in my main computer. Because these drives are still rather expensive, I selected and bought a 120 GB unit. In order to install Windows 7 and other programs that I use regularly, I did this by creating a "C: drive Disk Image" . Prior to this of course I deleted the "Windows.old" folder and transferred high volume folders such as Documents, My Pictures, My Music, User Files etc.etc. to my regular hard drive, now changed to as Drive (F:).

The end result is that the OS plus other programs I regularly use run now on an SSD drive and my computer operation is so much faster it is hard to believe.

Drive F: can now be accessed just like any other drive and its programs and files will just run normally, but not as fast as those installed in the SSD drive (C:)

Note: SSD drives are becoming a LOT less expensive then they were a few months ago. 120 GB to 250 GB run between $120.00 to $300.00. I paid a little less than $120.00 for my 120 GB SSD drive.

I hope this post will be of help to most of you. If you have any questions or if you decide to install an SSD drive in your computer and are not brave enough to do at it by yourselves, just post a question or e-mail me. I will then post a more complete description on how to transfer you OS and other program files to you new and very, very fast new SSD drive.

George Freire"

This whole thing   may be a little confusing to say the least, but let me explain:

The "C: drive disk image" was created in an external hard drive, (drive F:) where I also keep a complete back up of the C drive folders and files. Then after installing the SSD, I made it drive C: and restored the disk image to it from the external drive F:. I HOPE THIS CLEARS THE POSSIBLE CONFUSION I MAY HAVE CREATED WITH MY ABOVE DESCRIPTION OF ACTIONS TAKEN.

What is a disk system image ? a disk system image is an exact copy of a drive. By default, a system image includes the drives required for Windows to run. It also includes Windows and your system settings, programs, and files. You can use a system image to restore the contents of your computer if your hard drive or computer ever stops working. When you restore your computer from a system image, it's a complete restoration; you can't choose individual items to restore, and all of your current programs, system settings, and files are replaced with the contents of the system image.

Once you have this "disk image" you will be able to transfer it to a completely new and empty hard drive and run the computer again as if nothing had happened. That is what I did with the SSD as described above.

Windows 7 has the capability to create a system image:

-Click "start"/"control panel"/"system and security"/backup and restore".

-On the left column of the "backup and restore" dialog box, you'll see three (3) choices: "

"Turn off Schedule"
"Create a system image"
"Create a system repair disk"

"Create a system image" and "Create a system repair disk" are the choices you need to select. First create the "system repair disk", (it will take just a few minutes), then create the "system image" to the external hard drive that you should have connected via USB to your computer. This will take possibly some time, (normally more than an hour or so, depending on how much stuff you have in your C: drive).

When you select the above operations, Windows will clearly explain what to do, so it will be very easy to do.

My next post will cover my installation of the new Windows 8 version in my other computer. I am now playing with it and exploring all the new features of the system. All I can tell you now is that I like it a lot, but it takes a little time to get used to it and to learn all the new stuff that comes with it.

George Freire