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Tuesday, 28 July 2009

Automatically login into Windows 7 when computer starts

Posted on 19:57 by Unknown

If you are the only user that is using your computer at the moment, chances are that the Windows 7 login screen is just plain annoying. If you want to log on to windows without typing in a password every time, or without clicking on your user name at the log in screen, here’s what you can do.

But keep in mind though that every time your computer starts up, Windows 7 will automatically logon into your account without paying attention who who is actually using the computer. So you will have to be careful about all the passwords you store in your browsers and the types of files you have in your computer in case you leave it somewhere and something happens to it.

However, if you only use your computer in the comfort and safety of your house then there is generally nothing you need to worry about. So this tip is perfect for desktops.

How to Enable auto log-on in Windows 7 to load your user account automatically when you log in

To be honest the process is similar to that of enabling automatic logon in Windows XP/Vista, except you can’t access the ‘Run’ box from the start menu anymore.

  1. Press the Windows Key + R key and type in control userpasswords2 in the box that appears like so:
  2. image
  3. Then in the window that appears, uncheck ‘Users must enter a username and password to use this computer’
  4. image
  5. Click OK
  6. Finally type in your username and password for the user that you’d like to have automatically logged in when Windows 7 starts.image
  7. Click OK

That's it! On your next restart you should automatically log into the user account of your choice.

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Posted in tip, Windows 7, Windows Vista | No comments

Monday, 13 July 2009

Download Free Parallels and VMware Fusion alternative for Mac

Posted on 08:14 by Unknown
Have you checked the price of Parallels lately? It's going to cost you about $80 dollars (USD) plus taxes. The price of VMware Fusion is also the same. If you're like me, and paying for virtualization software just isn't an option (I mean, you already paid for the operating system you'll be running on it... except if that operating system is Linux), you'll want to look into something else to help you run Windows, Linux, Solaris, etc. and Mac OS X at the same time on your computer, without having to use BootCamp and going through its cumbersome install process.

Turns out that you don't have to pirate virtual machine software to be able to run a virtual machine. I just came across a great FREE virtual machine program for the Mac Desktop developed by Sun Microsystems called Virtual Box that does the exact same thing. It even has support for expandable virtual machine drives, and provides virtual machine tools (so all you have to do to use the mouse in the virtual machine is hover your mouse over the VM window, and to go back to your Mac just move you mouse away from the mouse window).

All you need to do start using VirtualBox to take the place of VMware Fusion or Parallels desktop is your Windows/Linux/Solaris/etc. DVD/CD or even just an iso image (so you can technically test out Windows 7 on your mac too although Aero won't work!). When VirtualBox opens up it'll give you the opportunity to create a new hard drive for your VM and allow you mount your .iso image or use the CD drive to install windows onto the virtual hard disk.

On top of that VirtualBox supports other features too that parallels does. For example, you can use Fullscreen mode and increase the size of the window to increase the resolution of the screen. You can also share folders between your Mac and the Windows or Linux virtual machine. Beware of viruses though, because they can still infect your mac partitions through the shared folders (provided they were written to take advantage of this). So you'll still have to keep your virtual machine updated and tuned up.

The only feature that VirtualBox does not support is 'Unity' mode or 'Coherence' features that allow you to run Windows applications just like a mac application without having the ugly windows desktop behind it. So you can minimize Windows applications to the dock and move them around just like a mac application. However, for the price you are paying (nothing!) I think its a great trade off. Besides, I was never a fan of that feature anyway.

If you want to run Outlook, Photoshop for Windows or any other windows specific application, or just want to test out things on the windows side, Virtual Box should be able to handle anything you can throw at it. In fact the configuration screen looks just like the VMware Fusion or Parallels configuration screen. The only downside is that if you ever upgrade to VMware or Parallels, the applications will not recognize the virtual machine hard drive created by VirtualBox, and you'll have to start from scratch.
So if you are looking for a great free (and karma free too) way to get Parallels Desktop/Parallels Workstation/Parallels Workstation Extreme on your desktop, look no further than VirtualBox - the ultimate free VM solution!
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Posted in downloads, free, internet, Mac | No comments

Monday, 6 July 2009

Tech Resume Tips: How different people read your resume

Posted on 11:40 by Unknown
(Click to enlarge above picture!)

Although the above picture is humorous, there is some truth involved in the fictional "statistics". I recommend that all job hunters keep this in mind when they are searching for a job, because frankly, I think the descriptions of the problems and the things you can do are quite true!

Oh and as the list states, I think I'm going to cover programming topics from now on. It's +8 points! And I'll probably learn Latex too, and compile my own OS called BSOS (you know what the BS stands for!)
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Posted in lol, tip | No comments

Thursday, 2 July 2009

Download Free Windows 7 Copy!

Posted on 09:25 by Unknown

Just like the free Windows Vista copies Microsoft was giving out 3 years ago, Microsoft is now giving out free copies of Windows 7 to anyone who is willing to give it a go. The offer that started a while ago is going to continue on till August 15th apparently, and anyone who has a broadband connection can take advantage of it.

To get your free copy of the Windows 7 release candidate, head on over to Microsoft’s Free Windows 7 download website, scroll down, choose your language under the proper heading and click Go. You’ll need a Windows Live ID (sign up for one here) because it’ll ask you to log in first so that you can get the download link and the product key. Oh and as Microsoft says, do not try it on your main computer, because chances are it isn’t going to work right (so technically Microsoft just wants a bunch of free beta testers, a.k.a. guinea pigs). The Windows copy will stay valid till June next year, so you’ll have a while to see how much you like it.

Windows 7 ISO Free Download 

Also, you’ll need to either burn the .iso image that you download from Microsoft, or you can probably write the image to a USB drive and then boot off the USB drive if you’re cheap like me. To burn it either use software like Nero or download (as Microsoft says) ISObuster or some other freeware like CDBurnerXP to burn it to a DVD. You’ll also need to have a DVD burner to do that though, but chances are that you already have one, since you want to run Windows 7 on that machine.

Furthermore, according to Microsoft, you wont be able to upgrade from the Windows 7 RC to the final version. You’ll have to start all over again with a clean install. So keep that in mind as well. But for the purposes of just testing out the operating system and all its little feature, it should work quite well. You could also of course, just use a Virtual Machine like Microsoft Virtual PC to run it on your current Vista or XP installation, provided you have quite a bit of RAM on your computer.

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Posted in downloads, free, Windows, Windows 7 | No comments

Sunday, 28 June 2009

Search for a word that is at the tip of your tongue

Posted on 10:57 by Unknown

How often have you realized that there is a word that is at the tip of your tongue, but just isn't coming out? While similar to writers block, this can be just as deleterious. But fear not, there is an online web app that can now help you find the word that you are searching for.

Instead of having searching the word database like you would in a conventional dictionary, you can now search on on other factors like "Sounds like", "word meaning" and the letters the word contains. The app is called Tip of My Tongue, and I guarantee you that if you are a blogger or a writer, you'll be using this online web program more than once.

Of course, it's not perfect yet, but it's just a matter of time before it becomes more robust, or a web engine like Google picks up the idea. Typing in say 'eek' and using the sounds like box to refine the search actually yields several results, even those that are distant from the pronunciation of the word 'gawk', and to narrow it down, you'll have to give the app more input.

The app uses several online dictionaries, mostly wordnet apparently, and a host of other websites. However, in my brief inspection of the site, I've noticed that some words, especially those associated with idioms and containing other meanings are not present when you use the 'Word Meaning' feature, and the results from the letters features can be quite overwhelming. Nevertheless, while the app is no substitute for a proper dictionary or a thesaurus, it will sure help you find the word that you already know and is on the tip of your tongue.


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Posted in internet, tip, web | No comments

Saturday, 27 June 2009

Use Problem Recorder to Write Tutorials For Windows 7

Posted on 07:59 by Unknown

Windows 7 has a great new feature called ‘Problem Steps Recorder’. It’s main purpose was, of course, to record the steps taken by the user to reproduce the problem so that someone else could see what the user is doing and help them out, especially through the get help from a friend feature.

image

However, another use for the feature is that one can use the ‘Record Steps to Reproduce a problem’ feature to record steps to make a tutorial! This is because what windows essentially does is makes note of everything the user clicks on as well as takes a screenshot of the desktop and places it in the HTML file as shown below. So it is somewhat better than a plain text tutorial and almost as good as a screencast.

image

So, all you need to do is replace the words ‘Problem’ in the file with a blank (a simple Find and Replace in the HTML should take care of that) and get rid of the timestamp and additional information that the problem recorder tool adds. Plus, if you have multiple desktops, you’re probably going to want to turn off the extended desktop, or else Windows will take a screenshot of that too like it did on my desktop.

To start using problem recorder simply search in the start menu for ‘Record steps to’ and you should see an entry to open problem recorder. Alternatively, you can also search for Problem Recorder/Problem Steps Recorder and click on the ‘Record steps to reproduce a problem’ when it opens.

image

Finally, just click Start Recording to start recording all the steps and the screenshots.

I can’t wait to use this new feature to record the steps to extremely cool (or at least I”m hoping I can do something extremely cool in Windows 7) things in Windows 7!

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Posted in tip, tutorials, Windows 7 | No comments

Friday, 26 June 2009

Windows 7: Get Help From a Friend Feature

Posted on 07:51 by Unknown

If there is one feature in Windows 7 that makes me scared, the ‘Get Help From a Friend’ feature would probably be it. In fact, this feature, so prominently displayed in the Control Panel should scare every techie and semi-techie (if there is such a thing). Imagine the frantic calls you’ll get from someone who doesn’t have a clue about what they are doing… who expect you to use this feature to save their computer. I can only say that the future does not look so bright if Windows 7 starts throwing a tantrum.

GetHelpFromAFRiend

Worst case scenarios aside, I actually see a tool that might just help all those who don’t understand what is happening to their computers. I can already see several demographics, especially the baby boomers using this tool to call their grandchildren (and dare I say great grand children) for help.

How to use Get Help from a Friend Feature

To access this tool, however, you’ll first have to go to Start (a.k.a. Orb) > Control Panel > Troubleshooting > Additional Information. At least, this takes out the possibility of those who don’t know how to use the control panel to contact you for help. However, if they do, or just call you for help, you can be sure to direct them to this feature. Just tell them to Open Control Panel and search for Get Help from a Friend. Then click on ‘Invite someone to help you’ and choose from one of the three options that most techies prefer – e-mail, e-mail or ‘Easy Connect’.

Then, through the wonders of Remote Desktop and the Interwebs, you can easily fix their computer, provided you know what you are doing.

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Posted in tip, Windows 7 | No comments
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