Customize Windows Vista Send To feature

1. Copy and paste this path in the ‘start search’ box  %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo or in the start box type sendto.
2. The command will open the ‘SendTo’ folder.  Add your folder shortcuts and you can now send files to these folders by right click then send to and choose the folder you want.

Fixing outlook performance problems

I had a problem with outlook for the pass couple days where it would just hang for a couple of seconds periodically.  After some research on the Internet the article that resolved the problem was from Microsoft.  There is a utility called SCANPST.EXE which comes as part of the outlook installation package.  The location of this file varies based on the OS you are using so do a search to find the location as it might not be in the location given in the article.  For the fill steps on fixing the problem click here.

Cannot Open your Default e-mail Folders

For those persons using Microsoft Outlook, you might encounter and error when trying to open outlook.  During the load sequence you receive the error message “Cannot Open your Default e-mail Folders, You must connect to Microsoft exchange with the current user profile before you can synchronize your folders with your offline folder file”.

To solve this problem do the following…

1. Go to this path c:\users\%username%\appdata\local\outlook\ if you are using Windows Vista and   c:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ if you are using Windows XP.
2. Now Look for any .ost files and rename the extension to for example .old.  Some guides will tell you to delete the .ost files but I prefer to rename them then back them up somewhere save.
3. Once you have renamed the .ost files, restart outlook and it will rebuild the folders etc.

CD Eject problem on Dell XPS M1330 notebook

Today a friend called to ask me about ejecting a CD from the Dell XPS M1330.  Apparently the eject button does not work and the only way to remove the disc is to reboot the computer.

After doing a search on Google I found a blog post here that gave the solution to the problem.  It is a BIOS update which Dell rates as important.  The link to the BIOS update is here.  A word of caution however, please ensure that you read the download and installation information fully before attempting a BIOS upgrade.  If done incorrectly, your system can be rendered unusable.

Use the registry to disable your screen saver

This is a quick tip that will allow you to disable and enable your screen saver quickly with the click/double click of your mouse.  This process will save you time and allow you to control your screen saver if you need to temporarily disable it for whatever reason you might have.

The steps are for both Windows XP and Vista and will only work for screen savers that were set manually by the user.  Screen savers set through policies by a company on a user laptop/desktop will not be affected by these steps.

1. Open notepad and copy the information into notepad.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
“ScreenSaveActive”=”0″

2. Save the file as ‘Disable screen saver.reg’.

3. Now change the “0″ in ‘ScreenSaveActive’ to “1″.

4. Save the file as ‘Enable screen saver.reg’.

Whenever you want to disable the screen saver, go to the location where the files you created are and click/double click the ‘Disable screen saver’ file.  To enable the screen saver click/double click ‘Enable screen saver’ file.

Do you need Cloud Computing?

I have never been the type of tech person to use sites like twitter, facebook etc. I see them as a waste of time. These sites basically offer the same features you can use with IM, email, SMS etc.

It seems that more and more Internet users are putting their most private data on the Internet using these sites. With the buzz around Cloud Computing, this seems to be the way companies are going.

For me I really never liked the idea of storing my data online with security of information being my biggest concern, both internally and externally. Companies offering these services online are trying to get Corporations and other businesses to move their data, software and other services from local network environments to a hosted environment.

There is to much things that can go wrong with such services provided on the Internet. What if your data is being mined and being passed to third parties? What if a cyber attack compromise the site where your data is stored? What if the company goes out of business? What if the service becomes unavailable for extended periods? What about the performance of applications online? What is the level of service and support you can expect to receive? What are the legal issues that can affect your business?

These are just some of the questions to ponder. For me Cloud Computing will never take off to become the de facto way of doing business. There is to much that can go wrong with your valuable data and user satisfaction.

AVG .bin file missing problem

I have AVG 8.0 installed on my home computers.  Last night I saw and exclamation mark on the AVG icon in the system tray.  I opened to the console and saw a message under update manager “.bin file missing”.

Attempts to update the system failed giving the same error.  Below are the steps I took to resolve the problem…

1. Go the AVG update site here.
2. Download all the files there except the one IAVI: / 1616 to a folder.  This is the source of the problem as something is wrong with this .bin file.  When you use automatic update in AVG, this file tries to download and install but fails giving the “.bin file missing” error.
3. Once you have completed downloading the files to a folder, from the AVG console go to tools\update from Directory.  Select the folder you downloaded the files to then click ok.
4. The updates should go through and you should not receive the error.

AVG will need to remove this .bin file from the updates list.

Install Unbuntu on a flash drive

I decided to try the installation of Linux on a 1GB flash drive to see how easy the process was.  I did some research on the Internet and found some good information.  Below are the steps I took to successfully install Ubuntu 8.04.1.

Things you will need

1. A 1GB or equivalent flash drive – more space is better.
2. And ISO copy of Ubuntu 8.04.1Desktop Edition – download link
3. A zip file extractor application – I use 7zip.
4. A copy of the latest version of syslinux in zip format. Double check the last modified dated to ensure you have the latest version.

Start the process

1. Insert the flash drive and format it – how to is here
2. Install 7zip if not done before.
3. Go to the location where your Syslinux zip file is.  Right click on the zip file, look for 7zip, then select extract files, the text box will show you the folder the files will be extract into, rename that folder to Syslinux. Click ok to extract the files to the same folder / location where the zip file is located.
4. Now go the command prompt and CD to the Syslinux folder that was extracted. Ensure the flash drive is connected, then run the following command syslinux -ma f: (substitute f: for the drive letter of your flash drive), this will copy some system files over to the drive.
5. Now you need to extract the files from the Ubuntu ISO to a folder using 7zip. Right click on the zip file, look for 7zip, then select extract files.  Click ok to extract the files to the same folder / location where the zip file is located.

Final Setup

1. Copy all the contents of the extracted ISO files to the flash drive.
2. On the flash drive you will see a folder called isolinux.  Open this folder and move all the files in this folder to the root of the flash drive which in this example is f:, this might be a different drive letter for you.
3. Look for a file called isolinux.cfg, rename this file to syslinux.cfg. Eject the drive and you are done!

Running the finish product

1. Restart the computer and enter the BIOS.
2. Change the boot order so that USB drive or USB is the first boot option.
3. Before saving the settings, connect the flash drive.
4. Save the BIOS settings and the computer will reboot and will start Ubuntu from the flash drive.