Digital Media On Your TV

The previous post about the iPod got me wondering about the thousands of digital photos on my notebook hard disk and how I can display them onto my TV at a higher resolution than is possible with the iPod. So, on closer investigation of notebook I discovered that what I thought was a PS2 mouse port is actually and S-Video out port.


Wow, now that has possibilities.

As long as your TV has an S-Video In port then all you need is an S-Video cable to connect to your PC. If you have a cam-corder then you probably already have on.

The other thing you should do is connect your earphones port on your PC to the Audio In ports of the complimenting S-Video In port and pass the sound through to the TV system rather than in my case 2 pathetic little speakers on my notebook.

Firstly turn on your TV, select the input port that has the S-Video input, connect it to your PC's S-Video port and then turn on your PC.

Once booted up then right click on your desktop and select "Properties", then "Setting", then "Advanced" and you should have access to your Video Driver software. My Toshiba Tecra is an nVidia GeForce 6600. I have the option to select "Dual Screen" with the second screen being the TV. You need to select the video format the the TV accepts, which in my case is NTSC, PAL-N or PAL-M. You may have to play with settings to get it right for your particular TV-PC configuration.


So now to get some content. I have found the best and cheapest option is Google's Picasa, no.1 becasue it's free and no.2 because it does a really nice slide show but there is one trick. Go to Picasa's "Options", then "Slideshow" and un-check the "Do full-resolution slideshow" checkbox. TV's have a surprisingly low resolution of generally only 720 x 480 pixels. Therefore if your image is lets say 1600 x 1200 then it will not display on the TV.

I don't have a DVD player in the house apart from my notebook so we watch DVD's on the TV through the notebook.

I recently bought a subscription to Cricket Australia's Cricket Australia TV which gives me access to all games live for the Australian summer. Now I watch it on the TV laid up on the sofa with a beer in the hand rather than sitting at my desk watch my computer screen. Cricket is just not the same without beer!!

Basically whatever you can display on your computer you can display on your TV and it's impressive, especially digital photos on your TV in the comfort of your lounge room.

Norton Anti-Virus

I've been a Norton AV subscriber for about 10 years now and today is the 3rd day without it (only a few days ago I realized that there are so many short falls with NAV) and (why am I so dumb to wake up so many years later?).

It's also the 3rd day with VET. It's a winner!! :-)

And it's so god dammed simple; a breath of fresh air. I say it's "Anti-Virus For Dummies". The only thing you need to do is to set up a scheduled scan once per week and an automatic update daily at some time that does not obstract your work . That's it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Set it and forget it.

Okay, it's expensive but what cost is your PC and the data it holds?

I use Thunderbird as my e-mail client, not Outlook Express as per the majority of the world, and I've done all the tests and worked out that the real time and e-mail scanner are absolutely fully functional regardless of you client.

Congratulations VET.

Edit:
No more PC fan driving me crazy......
No more fight for resouces.................

Thanks Bake.

My Top 10 PC Programs (Free)

Actually, it started out as a Top10 idea but I realized there was more. It's now the Top 13 (is that unlucky?).

The more and more I use my PC, the more and more I use free software. In the not so distant past I had all sorts of bits and pieces of applications and add-ons that, although were good, added up to quite a lot of money for something that existed fee of charge. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a cheap skate, I pay and donate where and when is I think it is warranted.

These days I am almost cost free (apart from my DSL connection) and using programs equal to the task or better than in the past.

Unfortunately, due to my work commitments I still need Microsoft Office and Project. I also have a Norton Anti-Virus subscription that is current for 3 more months, but that I will not renew. At this stage I'm looking at Avast Personal Edition.

So, that said, this is " The List" (in no particular order) of what I use every day. This is no advertising, no bullshit, just facts from an every day PC user that loves to delve a bit deeper than what comes default on your new PC.

1. Process Explorer by Sysinternals
Probably my most used utility. To quote the boys themselves:
"Find out what files, registry keys and other objects processes have open, which DLLs they have loaded, and more. This uniquely powerful utility will even show you who owns each process."
It is a hugely more powerful big brother to the Windows Task Manager. See what's running in the background then right click and "Google" it to see if it's legitimate or a nasty piece of rubbish that you picked up somewhere. It's a " must" for anyone that wants to know what the "F" is going on.

2. Total Commander by Christian Ghisler.
I remember the old days when there was Norton Commander. Do you?. Well this tool has been around for a while also but not quite that long. It is a powerful replacement for Windows Explorer and more. If you want (need) to move files around, create new folders, zip up a bunch of stuff, jump into someone else's PC on the network (as long as it's shared) then do yourself a favour get this utility. It also incorporates a very user friendly FTP interface. It is free but you get a nuisance pop-up that requires a click selection of 1, 2 or 3 to enter the program. I actually bought a license not to get rid of the pop-up but to give this good man a source of income to continue his development.

3. Skype
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is the "In Thing" these days and if you're wondering what that is then it is the new generation world wide telephone system or protocol. Instead of using the old PSTN system it uses your Internet connection to tele-communicate. There are many other VoIP providers out there, many of them localized, but this one is a truly international service. If your "other party" anywhere in the world has it installed on their PC then you can communicate for free. If they don't have a PC and Internet connection and only have a land line or mobile then use SkypeOut. I live in Brazil and talk to my friends and family in Australia and other countries who don't have this service for a fraction of the "Telecom" price. To most countries you talk for 0.017 euro cents per minute or, on today's currency, conversion AU$1.70 per hour. Not bad hey!!!

4. Firefox by the Mozilla Foundation
What can I say? I remember the days of Mosaic, my first browser in the mid 90's; basically it was the first commercial browser out there. There's a lot of water under the bridge since then. Later for me it was Netscape and then, once Microsoft killed the opposition, it was Internet Explorer. Since September 2004 I've been on Firefox. I've tried Maxthon, Opera and many other bits and mutations but there is no substitute for this incredible piece of software. If you want flexibility, configurability and security then don't F with the rest. No more to be said. By the way, it does not kill anything already installed, (i.e. Internet Explorer) it becomes an alternative. This is proudly Open Source Software.

5. Thunderbird by the Mozilla Foundation
An e-mail client. Again, as above with Firefox, I've tried them all. I lived with Outlook Express for years, dabbling with others and finally, 2004 also, I saw the light and it's still shining bright. This is proudly Open Source Software.

6. Autoruns by Sysinternals
If you have a need to get into the guts of what's starting up on your PC and want to take control then this is an absolute must. These guys also have a great range of other freebies.

7. GreatNews by Curiostudio
The way to get the latest gossip and keep in touch with what's going on in the world delivered to your PC is through RSS feeds. Again I've tried them all and, obviously in my opinion only, the best is GreatNews. The only thing that I don't like is that Internet Explorer is the power plant of this lovely, slim application. It is still in Beta and may turn to a pay application but for now it's still free.

8. Kerio by Sunbelt Software
A firewall program which is a "must have" for anyone that is connected to the Internet. Don't kid yourself and think that sitting behind a server or router is protection enough because it's not. I had been a Zone Alarm advocate for some years but it got to the point of bloat where I said "no more". I got sick of "svhost.exe" chewing up CPU ability and memory. Kerio has a very functional "simple" user mode and a very nice "advanced" mode of operation. If you think that you protected and are not behind a router or server then check out Steve Gibson's site at grc.com and run the Shields Up test.

9. Altiris Software Virtualization Solution Admin by Altiris
Commonly known as SVS Client and you can get it here without the bureaucratic crap. To put it as simple as I can I am a terrible experimenter of bits and pieces of software. As a result my PC ends up with untold amounts of DLL's and registry entries that are not removed by the "uninstall" function that comes with most software and also within Windows itself. If you have an application that you are not sure about and just want to try then use this application to do the install. It creates a "layer" that captures all the install data and packages it in that "layer". So, when you find that the software you installed was actually crap then simply delete the "layer" and it removes every trace of that application, gone!!!!! Wow!!

10. Open Office By Open Office Organization
Want to have Microsoft Office but can't afford it? Then this is for you. A fully featured Microsoft Office alternative application and more that is developed by a group of enthusiasts and Sun Microsystems (the guys that brought us Java). Probably the most impressive free software that is out there. This is proudly Open Source Software.

11. Spybot
One of the big two anti-spy detection and deletion programs. If you don't run this software once a month minimum then you're waiting (asking) for trouble.

12. Ad-Aware by Lavasoft
The other one of the big two anti-spy detection and deletion programs. Again, if you don't run this software once a month minimum then you're waiting (asking) for trouble

13. Windows Defender by Microsoft
Wow!! Microsoft gets an entry. Both Spybot and Ad-Aware are good removal tools but the idea is for these nasties to not get into your PC in the first place. This application does a pretty nice job. It also detects any change to applications and your PC start-up protocol. But, as with any of the Microsoft applications, you must have a genuine copy of Windows (but we all do, don't we!!)

That's it, my Top 10 (13). Enjoy a safer, faster Internet and PC.

Toshiba Wireless Connections

I've had problems for more than a year and only yesterday I managed to get it right. The Australian delivery of S2 notebooks seems to have been shipped with a bad (old) driver version for some time.

I finally discovered a driver update for the Intel ® PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection so get it here.

or if you what to see where the link above is coming from then it's here

http://support.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/cs-005905.htm

Not good!!!!!!

PC Tweaks, Twiddles, Security, Software Part 4.

I was going to continue with some more tweaks and stuff that I have tried out but now I won't. If anyone has got a query then leave a comment or send me a mail.

albyxx@gmail.com

I think I'll just summarize instead.

Take security and maintenance of your computer seriously. If you don't then you will pay the price. Simple as that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Albyxx.

PC Tweaks, Twiddles, Security, Software Part 3.

Part 3. Well I think I'll just stick with Firefox this time around. If you've stuck with me this far then you are more than likely using FF and "good on ya!!"

I love to be in control of my situation and with Firefox and its about:config, extensions, user.js, etc, etc it gives me the warm, fuzzy feeling that I.E. (Internet Explorer) does not have.

Here are some of my favorite bits but bear in mind that this is a pin prick in the ocean; the options and tweaks are mind boggling:

Firstly there are some **Must Have** exensions. Extensions are small, add-on "programs" that enhance how Firefox presents the web sites you surf and what you see within your browser.

To install an extension then check this out

Here's my list:

* Tweak Network 1.1
* FlashGot 0.5.9.6
* Adblock 0.5.2.039
* Tabbrowser Preferences 1.2.7.1
* Forecastfox 0.7.9.2
* PDF Download 0.4.1.3
* IE View 1.2.4
* Download Manager Tweak 0.6.6
* Tab Clicking Options 0.5.2
* Super DragAndGo 0.2.4d1
* ScrapBook 0.15.5
* Flashblock 1.2.9
* TargetAlert 0.8.7.1
* Greasemonkey 0.3.3
* Platypus 0.4
* InfoLister 0.7.5
* MR Tech About:About 1.1.0
* MR Tech Local Install 2.5.0
* CustomizeGoogle 0.19.5
* NoScript 1.0.9
* Edit Config Files 1.3
* BlogThis 0.3
* miniT (drag+indicator) 0.5

Time to post.

Part 4. to come!

Albyxx

PC Tweaks, Twiddles, Security, Software Part 2.

I managed to blog some info about "Software Must Have's and Must Do's:" in Part 1 so check it out before this one.

Here are some more:

8. A light Micro$oft Outlook alternative. Another great product from Mozilla Organization is Calendar. I recommend that you install it as an extension of Thunderbird rather than a stand alone application.

9. Did you know there is a free alternative to Miro$oft Office. Open Office has pretty well all the same features and in some areas more. Another Open Source Software project so *way to go*.

Keep your eye out for Open Source Software!!! It is the future!!!

Time for some configuration settings (remember that I'm writing about XP only):

1. The Task Bar. There are 2 things I don't like. The first is that, by default, the bar is only one icon high. The second, also by default, is the auto hide function of inactive icons or, more simply, to not show you what is running.

To change the task bar to 2 lines of height then right click on the task bar and uncheck the "lock taskbar". Now simply drag the top of the task bar higher to as many lines you like, let it go and *wola*. Now lock the task bar by checking it again.

To remove the auto hide of inactive icons then right click on the task bar and select properties, then uncheck "hide inactive icons". Remember I'm translating this from a Portuguese operating system so forgive me if the text is not right.

2. Automatic updates. While automatic updates downloaded "automatically" are fine I believe that it is much better to be notified when something is available and YOU make the choice when to download. If you have everything set to "auto" then when it doesn't work you may not know. So, make sure you have your antivirus, antispyware, windows and firewall programs set to notify YOU before they download. Then, when they don't notify you every week, month or so you know that something is wrong!!!

3. Be aware of your running tasks or programs once you have booted up. If you press Ctrl, Alt, Del then task manager will appear and you can check out the "processes" tab to see what is going on. If there is something that you don't know or recognize that is running then search for it using Google. 9 times out of 10 you will get info on the item. If you are not sure then NEVER delete or remove anything but find an expert in an online forum somewhere or ask your local nerd.

4. My Documents. Have a goooood think about how and where you want to save your data whether it be your e-mail, music, text documents, videos, photos, whatever. Most applications do a default to My Documents but not all. Micro$ofts Outlook Express stores your mail in an absurd path something like this (sorry for the PT language): C:\Documents and Settings\Pessoal\Configurações locais\Dados de aplicativos\Identities\{8F9E0089-E442-4816-8B09-B3373C0F106A}\Microsoft\Outlook Express. You can store it where you want but you need to specify it. Why the hell is it not default in My Documents? So; how do you do a backup of your email? It is actually very easy to change the path to My Documents but you need to know how. That goes for many, many applications. Think about it and find the OE parameters, search the web or send me a mail for an answer. By the way, the Mozilla products that I love don't store their profiles in My Documents, you need to specify something different if you want it to be.

Enough for Part 2.

Albyxx.

PC Tweaks, Twiddles, Security, Software Part 1.

There are almost an infinite amount of configurations you can assign to your PC so there are almost an infinite amout of problems that can occur. There are also an increasing number of security problems that leaves our PC's open to atttack every day. Mix that with those of us that struggle to keep up with the technology or are yet to have developed PC skills then there is a recipe for disaster.

I have now been bumbling along since 1993 and am on my 6th notebook. Through the years I have had my share of heartaches, don't you worry about that. So I've got a bit from the school of experience.

What follows here are some things that you may find useful.

Software Must Have's and Must Do's:

1. If you are running Windows then keep it up-to-date. Micro$oft has what it calls Patch Tuesday that occurs every 2nd Tuesday (obviously) of the month. Run an update every month.

2. An alternate browser to Internet Explorer and and alternate E-mail client to Outlook Express. I run Firefox and Thunderbird from Mozilla Organization because I believe they are the safest and the best. I also believe in Open Source Software. Mozilla are serious about security, so should you.

3. A Firewall. I use Zone Alarm Pro from Zonelabs and it has been good to me over the last 5 years. They have a good free version. There are also many others out there but do the research before you chose. When you do then make sure that you do not create a conflict by running more than one Firewall at once. Windows XP also has one. I reckon you are better off using a 3rd party and disabling the XP one.

4. Antispyware. It is absolutely not enough to run one single antispyware program. I use Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, Micro$soft Antispyware, CWShredder, Spyware Blaster and Trojan Defence Suite. Then I have HijackThis installed so I can see what the hell is going on. Before you use these programs do an update before scanning your PC.

5. Sick of how awkward Windows Explorer is? Do yourself a favour and get Total Commander. It is simply a great utility for managing your drives, folders and files. Launch an application by just double clicking directly on the particular file. This program has been around for years.

6. Want more than Task Manager (loads by Ctrl, Alt, Del)? Then Process Explorer is for you. Detailed memory statistics, etc, on your running applications.

7. An Antivirus program. This probably should have been the first item to mention but, anyway, here it is. I don't thing I need to say more; you MUST have one. I run Norton Antivirus but you can get a pretty good freebie called AVG Anti-Virus from Grisoft

Look, that's about it for now but note that everything that I have mentioned above has a free version of software that is generally adequate.

The wife is giving me a hard time so it's tchau for now. Part 2 will come soon.

Albyxx

PC Regular Maintenance

It never ceases to amaze me how many people have PC problems and don't know what to do about it. I reckon 70% of personal PC's out there in the average home are in some way or another a mess.

You should really aim at doing a monthly routine to keep your computer free of nasties and also up-to-date on those ever so frequent Windows patches. As these patches occur on the 2nd Tuesday of every month I think it is a good idea to do this maintenance a week or so later. So, aim for the 3rd Tuesday of each month or there abouts. That way if there has been any patches that went wrong then Micro$oft has had a week to fix them.

I think the following steps should go a long way towards maintaining a leaner, cleaner, meaner computer without over doing it.

I use Firefox and Thunderbird from Mozilla Organization as my browser and e-mail clients respectively. I use them because they are high on features and security. So, I am assuming that you use the same. If you don’t then you should. If you don't believe me then do some research out there on the "net" for yourself. I am also considering that you are using Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2).

One thing to ALWAYS rememeber when you are working with a PC; be logical and use common sense and quite often you will not create a problem in the first place.

The following is an idea for a once per month maintenance program that you can do yourself. I recommend that you also stay with the order as listed below:

1. Delete all cookies. But remember that cookies often store password and user information so make sure that you keep a separate record of such data. To do this open Firefox and go to Tools → Options → Privacy and then click on the Clear button beside the Cookies title.

2. Delete internet cache. To do this open Firefox and go to Tools → Options → Privacy and then click on the Clear button beside the Cache title.

3. Delete all Temporary Internet Files (Internet Explorer files if you’ve used it) and Recycle Bin. You can do that by clicking on Start → All Programs → Accessories → System Tools → Disck Cleanup . It will then take some time to calculate the capacity of the cleanup. Once it is complete make sure that only Temporary Internet Files and Recycle Bin are checked. Then click OK, confirm the action and the cleaning process will begin.

4. Delete all Prefetch files. Go to My Computer and double click on Local Disk (C:), then double click on the Windows folder and then double click on the Prefetch folder. Left click on the first file and then hold down the "Shift" key and then hit the "End" key. All files in that folder should now be highlighted. Now hit the "Del" key and confirm the deletion.

5. Now it is time to reboot before we go on.

6. Run all spywares and clean out the crap but remember to do an update on each beforehand. I use Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, Micro$oft Antispyware, CWShredder, Spyware Blaster and Trojan Defence Suite installed AND up-to-date.

7. Reboot.

8. Run HijackThis, review its log file and action where necessary. This is optional but it will capture critical data about your PC and what it is doing. If you are not sure then you can go to a forum site such as CastleCops and look for similar configurations.

9. Check out your Firewall program and remove any entries that look odd. If you are not sure what it is then generally you can remove it because the next time the program tries to access the Internet then your Firewall will ask you what you want to do with it.

10. Reboot.

11. Windows Update.

12. Reboot if there was something new.

13. Antivirus update and a complete virus scan of your hard drive

14. Reboot and enjoy.

Every 1-3 months, depending on your usage, I recommend that you do a defragementation of your hard drive. You can do that by clicking on Start → All Programs → Accessories → System Tools → and then Disk Defragmentation.

I hope that helps.

Albyxx

P.S. My Notebook PC and the majority of my software is in Brazilian Portuguese so I appologise for any discrepency in the translation of texts used above.

PC's And You

We are back in Australia at the moment and since arriving here I've had a cry for help from a couple of mates.

Some of us take for granted how to troubleshoot a PC problem whilst the majority of us sit and sweat for days, weeks and months and grow ever so more frustrated and, quite often, end up deeper in it.

So, in light of the majority, I'm going to do a few posts that may help folk out there configure their computers for a faster and more user friendly operation with less problems. Hopefully they will learn some stuff along the way.

Please wait and see the upcoming posts.