Showing posts with label windows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label windows. Show all posts

Help Me Please!

I would consider myself a temporary expert...meaning that at the moment(s) in which I am trying to solve a problem I learn as much as possible about the issue in order to solve it only to forget days later how I fixed it originally. Therefore I have decided to create a link list to the places where I have found solutions or programs to fix many of the issues that have plagued my computer life. Obviously I can't remember them all (which is why I created this list) so I will simply start with today's issue and add news ones as I find them and old ones as I remember them. Honestly, this is more for me so I can track down my previous fixes should issues arise again, but I thought I would share the wealth. Also, I typically try to find free solutions/programs (cause I'm cheap like that), but sometimes you have to put up the cash so any items that you have to pay for a followed by "$$$". Good luck!

Firefox - Mozilla's Internet Browser - These are some of my favorite and most used Add-ons
Thunderbird - Mozilla's Email Client

Blogger

Multiple OS Programs/Solutions
  • Control multiple computers with a single keyboard and mouse using Synergy - LifeHacker
  • Download YouTube and other video clips to your computer - DLYTV
  • Create screencasts for Twitter - Screenr
  • Free photo editing program for those who don't want to buy Adobe Photoshop - GIMP
  • Windows Office-like products without those pesky dollar signs attached - OpenOffice.org
  • Monitor your Facebook and Twitter friends and make updates without constantly logging in - Seesmic
  • Forget to turn off your Caps Lock key? Don't retype, just convert it - Convert Case
  • Find video and audio editing/converting software for any OS - VideoHelp.com
  • Free Website Monitoring - Montastic
  • Free Website Monitoring - Basic State
  • VirtualBox - a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware

Mac OS X Leopard

Windows Vista Home Premium
  • Productivity
    • Create a PDF file without Adobe Acrobat - CNET - Download.com
    • Convert image, music, and video file types - Format Factory
    • Free photo editing program for those who don't want to buy Adobe Photoshop (Windows only) - Paint.NET

Windows 7
  • Connecting to your NAS - Windows 7 Forums
  • Place fully functional Recycle Bin on your task bar - TechSpot
  • Prefer the original Windows task bar rather than the "Superbar," switch back! - TechSpot
  • Multiple Desktops (similar to Mac & Linux) - Dexpot

Linux - General

Ubuntu Desktop

Mythbuntu Media Center

CentOS Server
  • Configuring CentOS server - Slicehost.com
  • The Nano Text Editor Introduction - Mintaka.SDSU.edu
  • Secure FTP - Slicehost.com
  • Check CPU utilization - nixCraft (For CentOS you need to use the yum command to install sysstat rather than apt-get)
  • 20 Linux System Monitoring Tools - nixCraft
  • Install & configure Cacti network monitoring tool - nixCraft

Apache

PHP/MySQL

Network Attached Storage (NAS) - DNS-321

Website Design
Posted by MidnightSpark | 12/01/2009 12:56:00 AM
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My Love Affair with Windows Media Center

Thanks to the purchase of the new iMac (as previously discussed in My new life with an iMac) I have freed our old Dell Dimension 3000 to live a more simple life by reprovisioning it as a Windows Media Center for our front room. With a "simple" rekick of Windows Vista, installation of a new video card, and the purchase of a dedicated Windows Media Center remote we are up and running...and I have to be honest...I wish I would have done it sooner!

Yes, I can hear your grumbling about Vista, but honestly, I think Microsoft has nailed the Windows Media Center piece, particularly with their integration with Netflix. Eventually I hope Netflix will be able to stream all of their movies, but for now, I guess I can settle with the 12,000 titles they have available online and stick to the "old-fashioned" way of getting DVDs via USPS.

As for additional media, in particular DVDs, I did find it a bit odd that I had to modify registry settings in order to view ripped DVDs through the WMC, but other than that, I can't complain.

Also, due to our recent switch to AT&T's uVerse (which is based on the same WMC platform) I can't imagine that I will be changing out my media gear anytime soon...in the meantime...do you have any DVDs I can borrow?
Posted by MidnightSpark | 7/17/2009 11:56:00 PM
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My new life with an iMac

Okay, it's true, the witty Mac commercials may have started to make me question my devotion to Windows, but the dagger in the heart was the new iPhone I bought for the misses several weeks ago. I am a Blackberry user thanks to my company's need to be in touch with me every second of the day, but after toying with the iPhone for about 3 seconds, I was hooked. I started thinking that if the iPhone was that intuitive, then Macs themselves must be just as good...they are...but with a caveat...(read on)

Our new 20" iMac (read: refurb'd 20" iMac - refurb is seriously the only way to go these days) arrived on Friday night and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Within mere seconds of powering it on I was ready to go...that's right...30 seconds at the most (we had to watch the cool intro video) I was browsing the web. As a lifetime Windows user I was obviously confused as at the 30 second mark I would just start hearing the nifty Microsoft theme song...then we have to wait for it to load every program on the computer, double check that it didn't miss a program, ask me if I wanted to load all of the programs, triple check for anything else and about 3 minutes later (on a decent machine mind you) we're ready to go...:(

Could it be that my beloved Windows computer was not even in the same ball park as a machine that is literally only a screen, keyboard and mouse?! Yes...it's true...but...

If you are a fan of certain programs such as Microsoft Publisher, an IM client known as Digsby, or the owner of an HP Printer/Scanner...you've got some work to do. As I always try to do I did some research prior to purchasing our 'new' iMac a realized that although the Mac these days are pretty bad ass, they can't do everything...at least not easily.

Since the misses is an avid Publisher user and we both love Digsby...and printing...I knew I needed to find a work around...enter Parallels. Parallels is a program that allows you to you...gasp...run Windows on a Mac...

That's right, old habits die hard and programs that won't run on a Mac suck!

Unfortunately ditching the programs and the printer was not an option so I opted for the VM (Virtual Machine) route.

My first VM attempt was to try Windows Vista...I should have known better... Now don't get me wrong, I still love Vista and think it is a great OS, if you have the CPU and RAM to support it, but when you are splitting resources (as you do in a VM) it can be a little more difficult.

Every time I launched Vista, it was fine until I attempted to open Publisher and then I waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...closed the VM...relaunched the VM...viola, Publisher...not gonna fly...

So, as I write this, I have removed Vista and am in the process of installing XP and to be honest, that shit's looking pretty good right now...next step...Office 2007...
Posted by MidnightSpark | 7/11/2009 10:56:00 PM
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