Experience the Freedom of Anytime, Anywhere Remote Access

This has become one of my most useful tools at work and at home. LogMeIn.com will allow you to take over anyone's computer (PC or Mac). I also use this on my iPhone. This tool has saved me so much time and money.

•Remote control your desktop
•Transfer files between computers
•Print remote files to your local printer
•Share a large file without using email attachments, FTP, or a third-party site
•Share your desktop with another person
•Hear your remote computer sounds locally
•Wake up a sleeping computer over the web

See It In Action

Give it a try at LogMeIn.com

Run Windows XP on your Windows 7 Computer

If you need to run application that will not work on your Windows 7 computer, this may be an option for you. Windows XP Mode is a virtual PC that runs Windows XP on your Windows 7 computer. It runs in a separate window but gives you all the Windows XP capabilities. It runs very well.

I had a situation where I needed to use Access 97….yes Access 97. I have Office 2007 installed with Access 2007 which would not do the trick. Access 2007 will only save back to Access 2000. I was not able to install Access 97 onto Windows 7….the installer didn't like my operating system version so I did some searching and found Virtual PC 2007 and Windows XP Mode.

After installing these items I found that I now have two computers in one. It did the trick.

If you have a similar situation, I highly recommend installing Virtual PC. Check it out at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/

LogMeIn

Control Your Remote Desktop for Free
LogMeIn Free provides you with free remote control of your PC or Mac from the convenience of a web browser. Fast, easy and secure access to remote computers that can be set up in minutes. And it's 100% free to use.

Support Friends' and Family's Computers
Provide remote support to friends and family members who rely on your technical savvy and expertise. Help with computer setup, how-to questions or troubleshooting issues by directly accessing and controlling remote computer desktops over the web from wherever you are.

Eliminate the need to travel to fix problems. Avoid the confusion and potential frustration of resolving issues over the phone.

Visit LogMeIn

Capture Your Screen

Jing is a free way to share pictures or video of your desktop with anyone. I use this with my clients all the time. The best way to train someone on how to use a program is by showing the. Jing allows you to video your desktop and while you work.

• Take a picture or make a short video of what you see on your computer monitor.


• Share it instantly via web, email, IM, Twitter or your blog.


• Simple and free, Jing is the perfect way to enhance your fast-paced online conversations.

Visit Jing at http://www.techsmith.com/jing/

Best of all, it's FREE!

7 pages every business Web site must have

Don’t look now, but your Web site might be missing a few pages—a few very important pages.

You’re not alone. Most small-business sites are a work in progress—constantly being revised, improved, and updated. So invariably, something is always missing. But some pages are so important that not having them could hurt your bottom line.

A 2007 Forrester Research study of business-to-business Web sites found that many of the pages it examined were difficult to navigate and use. About one-quarter of them lacked critical pages containing privacy and security policies, for example. Those are essential pages for any business site, big or small.

"Many companies get sidetracked from what is really important," Kelly Cutler, chief executive of the Chicago-based strategic interactive advisory firm Marcel Media, told me. That is, sites that are "clean, professional, and easy to navigate," she says, generally have most or all of the pages customers are looking for.

So, you can let your customers tell you about those missing pages. Or you can read this story and then add these commonly overlooked components.

Let me tell you about having customers tell you what is missing, because that’s a road I’ve taken. When I began designing and publishing Web pages in 1996, there were, for all intents and purposes, no standards. Back then I wouldn’t make a change to my site until people e-mailed me en masse to complain ("You don’t have a Contact Us page? Get one!").

That was the hard way.
This is the easy way. Here are seven pages every business Web site must have, and where they need to be:

1. Contact Us. "Every small-business site should have a Contact Us page," says Melissa Campanelli, author of Open an Online Business in 10 Days (Entrepreneur Press, 2007). "It should offer visitors a complete list of ways they can contact you – from e-mail addresses to toll-free numbers to a physical address." It’s easy to overlook a Contact Us page because, after all, this is your company’s online presence, and why post something like your physical address. But customers don’t think that way. When it comes to contacting you, they want options—or they just might take their business elsewhere.
   
   Where it goes: There should be a link to it on the nav bar and on every page. Give your customers as many choices as you can, including a form, e-mail address, instant-messaging account, regular mail, toll-free number, and toll number for overseas callers. Leave no virtual stone unturned.
   
   
2. Testimonials. Many companies skip the Testimonials page because they consider it too self-serving, says Lori Quaranta, president of Consetta Web Solutions in Shelton, Conn. "Some people would argue that this is not necessary, that business owners plug their business with bogus testimonials. But again, it’s a natural human instinct for people to know, ‘What’s so good about you? I wonder what others had to say.'" In other words, while having a page like that may seem self-promotional, people will look for it. And when they don’t find it, they might begin to make assumptions. Why don’t they have a testimonials page? Can’t they find enough people to say nice things about them?
   
   Where it goes: Ask long-time clients to supply a short testimonial and make sure a link to it is on your nav bar where anyone can find it. Remember, people will be looking for this one.
   
   
3. Privacy policy. Web users are more conscious about safety and privacy than ever, so a good privacy policy is an absolute must, according to Corey Donovan, vice president at Vibrant Technologies, an IT reseller in Minnetonka, Minn. “If you collect user data via a Web form such as a contact form, then you really should have a privacy policy page,” he says. “Linking to this page on any page where you request personal information is a trust-builder and will decrease form abandonment.” Not only that, but many companies require that you have a privacy policy before they do business with you. So get one. (The Better Business Bureau has a good sample privacy notice on its site.)
   
   Where it goes: A privacy policy doesn’t have to be prominent in your design. Most people look for a link to it from the bottom of every page.
   
   
4. FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are frequently forgotten, too. At least that’s the assessment of Joel Fisher, vice president and creative director at TruePresence, an Internet marketing firm in Baltimore. Why is an FAQ page so important? Mostly, they’ll ensure you won’t have to answer the same questions over and over. "This will save time and money by letting your clients service themselves," Fisher says. "And if you don’t think your customers have questions, you’re wrong." Not sure what they want to know more about? You can always solicit questions on a feedback form, and if you see repeats, turn them into an FAQ for the page.
   
   Where it goes: You already know the most common questions. Post them—and the answers—somewhere that’s easy to find. A lot of FAQ sections are linked to from the bottom of each page, along with the site’s privacy policy.
   
   
5. A "gimme" page. Want readers to sign up for your newsletter or regular special offers? You need what Drew Barton, president of Southern Web Group in Atlanta, calls the "gimme" page—a section where users can be persuaded to give up some of their personal information (such as their names and e-mail addresses) in exchange for … well, something else. "Information has a price," he says. "Web site visitors withhold information about themselves and can only be persuaded to give that information up in exchange for something of value. In many cases, this is an informative report, a keychain, a chance to win tickets to a ballgame, or a cash prize. I’ve even seen Web site owners raffle off a kayak in order to entice site visitors to sign up and divulge invaluable information."
   
   Where it goes: "Gimme" pages should be linked to or even integrated into the page on which you ask readers to sign up for your free newsletter or your weekly specials. Yes, they need a reason.
   
   
6. About Us. Another often overlooked component: the About Us page. "The Internet offers businesses the opportunity to expand their market reach like never before," notes Thomas Harpointner, chief executive of AIS Media, a Web site design and hosting company based in Atlanta. "But just because you can do business with people you might never meet doesn’t mean they don’t want to know about who they’re doing business with." The most effective About Us pages are succinct and use no jargon. I’ve seen "about" pages that scroll on for several pages and read like a doctoral thesis. Most of the experts I talked with say that’s a big turn-off for potential customers.
   
   Where it goes: Web users look for an About Us page link at the bottom of the home page or in the nav bar. Caution: Don’t get fancy and call it something else. Stick to "about" or "About Us"—that’s what they’re looking for.
   
   
7. Confirmation. A decent confirmation page that acknowledges an order and thanks the visitor for his or her business is essential—and often lacking, says Brian Drum, chief executive of Drum Associates, an executive search firm in New York. "If a customer is taking any action, a page that says 'Thank you for purchasing this product' or 'One of our representatives will contact you shortly' can really cut down on time answering customer phone calls," he says. That means less time spent answering queries such as "Did my subscription to your e-mail newsletter go through?" or "Did my order get processed?" The reason these pages are easy to overlook is that they aren’t static. They’re usually generated after a transaction takes place, and people don’t spend much time worrying about what happens after a transaction.
   
   Where it goes: If there’s any kind of form on your site—e-mail us, subscribe to our newsletter, buy a product—you need a confirmation page to follow. It should reassure the customer that their information was received, thank them for it, and offer additional resources and contacts in case they have any other questions.
   

Already have these pages? Well done. But don’t get too comfortable. Just like the Web, these must-have pages can—and almost certainly will—change with time. The only way to make sure your site doesn’t become obsolete is to listen to your customers.

Ref.: By Christopher Elliott, http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/FX102279611033.aspx

Tips for an effective 'Contact Us' page

One of the hardest-working but most underrated pages of any Web site is the "Contact Us" page. It hangs in the background, behind more glamorous pages, ready to impart the most basic but essential of information about a business.

"Done right, it’s a pretty modest page, without a lot of marketing or content," notes Leslie O’Flahavan, a partner at E-Write, a Silver Spring, Md.-based company that trains and consults about writing for the Web. "But it’s a stalwart page. You put it up, leave it in its place, and let it do its job."

Some believe that "Contact Us" information can be merged onto other pages of a site. Not O’Flahavan. She argues that even though the Contact Us page should be among the briefest of pages on your site, it deserves its own space and a left-nav or top-of-page link. (Fellow Office Live Small Business writer Christopher Elliott lists it No. 1 in his article, "7 pages every business Web site must have.")

So what makes an effective Contact Us page?

It should, O’Flahavan says, answer two key questions: How people can contact your business and why they should want to contact your business. Here are hers and others’ tips on how to address those questions.

How to contact you

Many small-business owners struggle with how much contact information to share. For example, is a land-line phone number enough or should you include a cell-phone number? What about publishing the street address of your home business? These are decisions each business must make individually, but O’Flahavan says it's better to be more open than closed: "You can’t really build your business by guarding your location." Here are specifics.

1. Always list a physical address or (snail) mailing address. It's popular today for businesses to suggest they’re reachable only online—that is, they have an e-mail address and that's all you need to know. Bad idea, say O’Flahavan and others. Even if you don’t have a store or office where customers visit you directly, there are likely service providers, vendors, and others who should know your physical location. By listing a phone and physical address, you also appear more "legitimate" as a real business.
   
   Beyond that, many people prefer to do business locally and look online for companies in their region, O’Flahavan notes. That can also work against you if you aren’t local. A company based in Vermont, for example, may not get many customers from Texas. Still, the opportunity to secure local customers makes it worthwhile, she says.
   
   If you don’t want to list a physical address for security reasons, provide a P.O. box number and hometown where people, if necessary, can snail-mail items.
   
   
2. List all appropriate phone numbers. At the very least, list your business phone and a fax number. Consider including any alternate business numbers (such as for departments), and a cell-phone number if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, mention where and how someone can leave a voice-mail message for you after hours. Not listing a phone number at all suggests you’re understaffed or not customer-friendly.
   
   
3. List at least one e-mail address that is checked regularly. You may get spam. But e-mail communication is a business requirement today, and is a convenient way for customers to reach your business after hours. O’Flahavan recommends having your e-mail address be “hot,” so that users can instantly open the link in their own e-mail programs to send you a message. Creating an e-mail link is similar to creating a URL link; simply replace "http://www.yourbusiness.com" with mailto:johndoe@yourbusiness.com.
   
   
4. Use an embedded e-mail submission form if necessary. Web site e-mail forms can be ponderous, particularly if one simply needs to ask a question. "They put up a suspicion that my e-mail is going to be stored," O’Flahavan adds. But she concedes a form may be necessary if your company needs information for taking product orders, or collects subscriber information for newsletters or white papers.
   
   In a MarketingSherpa article, Linnea Johnson, director of consumer services for Unilever, a multinational consumer-products manufacturer, argues that an e-mail submission form is better than merely providing your contact e-mail address. "The latter can result in multiple messages and wasted time," she writes. For businesses receiving high volumes of e-mail, she may be right.
   
   If you plan to retain the customer information, Johnson advises that your form require users to provide their full name, mailing address, e-mail address, and age—the latter so you know if you are dealing with kids, in which case you cannot legally retain their information. If you retain customer info, you also need a privacy policy that you can display to customers. (See the article, "7 steps to developing a privacy policy with teeth," for details.)
   
   
5. Include a photo of your business and/or directions. These are much less important if you don’t have a store or a reason for customers to visit. Even so, directions are worthwhile if service providers and vendors are likely to need them, O’Flahavan says. If your business depends on getting people to visit, you may want to consider a separate "Directions" page. A picture of your signage or storefront may help some people find you more easily.
   
   
6. If relevant, link to your blog or social-networking site page. “Contact Us” means being reachable through Web 2.0 channels too, O’Flahavan says. If you write a blog related to your business, or have a LinkedIn or Facebook page that you’d like to expose to customers and prospects, include links to them. But make sure the fit is right, or your customers may become confused. For example, if your business sells handmade chocolates but your blog is about hiking, you probably should omit the link.
   
   
7. List events you attend or promote. If you are active in organizations or causes related to your business, and would like to meet customers through them, list information and links about the upcoming events along with your role. This is a smart way to market yourself and your business, O’Flahavan says. The downside: Your Contact Us page will require more frequent upkeep. Many business owners prefer a static Contact Us page.
   
   

Why people should contact you

In subtle ways, guide people on why they should contact you, without a lot of verbiage.

1. Offer simple instructions on using your contact information. Example: "Please call us or e-mail us to order handmade chocolates, or visit our store to taste free samples." Another: "Call us for a free quote or visit our office for a free consultation."
   
   
2. Provide related page links for more information. Where appropriate, include links to your products or services pages, customer service or technical support, your newsletter sign-up page, and/or your FAQ page. Example: "To learn more about industry news and trends, sign up for our monthly newsletter."
   
   "You can do a little bit of marketing on Contact Us, but not too much," O’Flahavan says. "Doing a lot of marketing on this page comes across as cheesy. So don’t drift too far."

Additional tips

1. Use images only if they add editorial value. A photo of your staff or your storefront may add warmth and personality, as well as help customers locate your business. But clip art of a telephone or a mailbox adds no value. "The art should support the message of the page," O’Flahavan says, adding, "and the message of the page should be, 'We’re easy to contact and worth contacting.'"
   
2. Make it easy to find and skim. List your Contact Us page prominently in your site navigation, and design it with minimal text and excellent organization. Text should be in a sans serif font, with phone numbers and addresses set off and easily distinguishable from other text. The contrast on the page should be high, preferably black text on a white background.

Ref.: By Monte Enbysk, http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/FX102531571033.aspx

Stop an unresponsive application

Many of you know this trick, but this is a useful one that everyone should know. If a program "freezes" or stops responding to you, do this:

1. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete on your keyboard.
2. Click Task Manager.
3. In the Windows Task Manager window, select the program that's not responding, and then click End Task.
4. A confirmation window appears. Click End Now.
5. If this doesn't work, you can shut down by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete and then clicking the Shut Down button.

Featured tip is courtesy of the book Windows XP Killer Tips by Kleber Stephenson.

Google Can Now Index . . . Flash!

An Interview with Michael Marshall
by Robin Nobles

As you know, a Flash movie as the index page of a site has always been a major problem with search engine optimization. There's simply no content for the search engines to index.

So when I learned that Google can index the contents of Macromedia Flash movies, I was astonished. It seemed this remarkable discovery had gone virtually unnoticed in the SEO community.

But as you probably know, Google has always been the first to index different types of content: PDF files, .doc files, etc. Google has also made amazing inroads in being able to index dynamic content.

And now they're the first major search engine to index Flash - another significant step forward in the SEO industry.

So why has Flash presented such problems in the past?

Background of Macromedia Flash Movies and SEO

With a Flash movie as the main page of a site, the Web site owner is giving up the crucial text necessary to prove to the search engines that the main page is about a particular topic. Without that text, the search engines have nothing to index. Therefore, the main page rarely does well in the rankings, unless off-page factors such as link popularity or link reputation are sufficient to carry the page on their own.

In the past, legitimate work arounds have been few and far between. This made things extremely difficult for businesses who wanted to create a rich user experience with a Flash home page, such as Web design firms, photography studios, graphic design firms, and so forth.

So, these businesses often sacrificed rankings for the user experience, since they could rarely have both while still following all of the guidelines set forth by the search engines.
Introducing . . . Michael Marshall

When I learned that Google is indexing Flash from Michael Marshall, creator of ThemeMaster and chat/forum moderator for our online search engine marketing courses, and when I learned of the fascinating discoveries he'd made, I immediately wanted to interview him for an article.

So let's take a look at what Michael has discovered about Google and Flash.

Question:
Michael, how do we know that Google is now indexing the contents of Flash files? Is there a way that we can search the index just for Flash?

Michael Marshall:
Yes. You can enter your search term in Google, and along with that search term, use the filetype operator and restrict your search to the file extension “.swf”. This will search for your search term only in Macromedia Flash files. You should see [FLASH] just before each listing in the results page that is a Flash document.

For example, put the following in the search box at Google:

Best Free Banner Exchange Market" filetype:swf

Question:
How can we extract the text found in a Flash file to see what Google sees?

Michael Marshall:
Macromedia has a Flash Search Engine SDK (http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/download/search_engine/) that will give us just what we need. The SDK (Software Development Kit) includes an application named `swf2html'. Swf2html extracts text and links from a Macromedia Flash .SWF file, and returns the data to stdout or as an HTML document. Swf2html is provided as a compiled application and as a static library for linked library implementation. For complete functionality, see the file Readme.htm included in the SDK.

Question:
Do you have an example of a Flash file that we can see, as well as an example of the text that the Macromedia tool extracted from the Flash file?

Michael Marshall:
Yes. I have an example of each. If you look at the extracted output in Web page form, you will see that it is not very pretty. Nevertheless, you've got lots of SEO-worthy content there, and that's what we are most concerned with. You should visit the Flash presentation itself, mouse over the text, and click the links in the presentation so you can be familiar with the Flash presentation. You can compare where certain text appears in the Flash presentation and where it is found in the extracted text.

Example of Flash file:
http://www.internet-marketing-analysts.com/flash_sample.html

Example of extracted text:
http://www.internet-marketing-analysts.com/extracted_text.html

(Note: This Flash example is based on one of Michael's own products. However, I chose to use it for two reasons: 1) because of the many different types of Flash involved; and, 2) because it is a text-heavy Flash example, as opposed to many other examples of Flash that I could have chosen to use.

Added Note: Be sure to highlight the entire page of extracted text by clicking on Ctrl A.)

In the output file, you'll notice that some text seems to be repeated on multiple lines and one portion of it even appears invisible since the font color comes out white. This is just a side effect of the conversion/extraction tool and is not really invisible text or spamming.

In other words, you're doing nothing wrong when this happens - it's simply due to the tool itself and not spamming or true invisible text.

Question:
But how we do we know that's how Google sees it?

Michael Marshall:
A simple test will show us how much of the text in a Flash presentation can be seen (or extracted) by Google. Perform anexact search (and use the filetype operator) on some text which appears at the top of the html output from Macromedia's tool, and then perform a similar search for text that appears at the bottom. Try similar searches on text that appears in the middle as well if you really want to be sure. This is a good spot check to see what Google is grabbing from the Flash file. Since we can't know exactly what Google uses to read the Flash file, the Macromedia tool is only an approximation, and this spot check is always the best measure.

Question:
How much of your Flash movie does Google see? In other words, how deep into the Flash file does the spider go?

Michael Marshall:
In my experience testing the Macromedia tool, I have found that Google sees all the text that the tool can extract including all links . . . everything from top to bottom.

Question:
You mentioned that when certain types of motion in a Flash movie are associated with text, the resulting extracted output will contain duplicated occurrences of that text.

Those techies among us will know what that means, but for those non-techies (like me), does this mean that we need to be careful about using certain types of animation, because it could result in duplicate content, therefore creating the possibility of spam or problems with our SEO efforts?

Michael Marshall:
Yes. The type of animation you apply to text in your Flash presentation has an impact on how that text gets extracted. You wouldn't want your keyword density or theme focus to get thrown off by mistake due to applying the wrong type of animation to certain text.

Question:
When viewing the source code of the HTML output extracted from your Flash file (see the source code found at the bottom of this page: http://www.internet-marketing-analysts.com/Google-Flash_tutorial/), there's no title tag. What text does Google pull as the title tag in the search results?

Michael Marshall:
In my experience, I have found that the first line of text in the extracted output gets used by Google as the title tag in the search results. You may want to use swf2html and spot check and modify your Flash presentation until you get the desired result. In addition, the description in the search results is created dynamically (according to the user's query) from snippets of text inside the Flash presentation as extracted by Google.

Question:
Do you have any other tips for optimizing Flash files?

Michael Marshall:
Yes. I would recommend that people read my more technical tutorial for more details on optimizing Flash files. (See below)

One thing I would add is the problem that might be encountered by Flash presentations which use dynamic content pulled from a database, xml file, etc. based on user input. Such content is not part of the xml file itself and, therefore, will not be indexable by Google.

Question:
What about Flash banners? Will Google also index the contents of Flash banners?

Michael Marshall:
Yes. Any Flash presentation, whether full-page or banner size, can be indexed by Google. I have found many instances of both.

For the More Technical SEOs . . .
Michael created a page with a more technical explanation of many of these concepts at the following URL.

The page also lists the source code of the HTML output extracted from his Flash presentation.
http://www.internet-marketing-analysts.com/Google-Flash_tutorial/

A Word of Caution . . .
Whatever you do, don't try to hide text in any manner through a Flash presentation. Since it take so much more effort to hide text in a Flash file, doing so would be construed as a more deliberate attempt to deceive a search engine, so it would be a much more serious offense.

Remember, hiding anything, whether text, links, etc., is considered spam by Google.

Like I tell all of my students, when you go to sleep at night, it's a wonderful feeling to be able to wake up in the morning knowing your pages are right where you left them because you know you've done nothing wrong.

Like a very good friend of mine, Ginette Degner, once said, it's much better to be in the rankings for the long haul. Spamming isn't worth it.

`Nuff said.

In Conclusion
Once again, Google comes out ahead with being able to index the contents of a Flash file. This amazing bit of news should make SEOs everywhere extremely happy, since they'll be able to use and optimize Flash files as the main page on a site.
Just remember: as with any other SEO strategy, be above board and follow Google's Webmaster Guidelines (http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html).

reference: http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/flash.html

Open several programs at once

You need to launch several programs at the same time. You could go to the All Programs menu three different times to launch the three programs, but try this instead:

1. Click the Start menu and point to All Programs.
2. When the menu opens, press and hold the Shift key and browse the menu, clicking the icons of the programs that you want to open. Each program launches without closing the All Programs menu.

Featured tip is courtesy of the book Windows XP Killer Tips by Kleber Stephenson.

Use System Restore to Undo Changes if Problems Occur

Every time you download or install a new game, application, or software update, you make changes to your computer. Sometimes that change may make your system unstable. Have you ever wanted to go back to the way it was? With System Restore, you can.

System Restore works a lot like the Undo command in Microsoft Word. You can use System Restore to remove any system changes that were made since the last time you remember your computer working correctly. System Restore does not affect your personal data files (such as Microsoft Word documents, browsing history, drawings, favorites, or e-mail) so you won't lose changes made to these files.

How does System restore work?

Windows XP periodically records a snapshot of your computer. These snapshots are called restore points. Windows XP also creates restore points at the time of significant system events (such as when an application or driver is installed) or you can create and name your own restore points at any time. If you have installed a program that has made your computer unstable, you can open system restore, choose a restore point, and return your computer to its previous stable state.

When you run System Restore, a calendar is displayed to help you find restore points. If you don't use your computer every day, some days might not have any restore points. If you use your computer frequently, you might have restore points almost every day, and some days might have several restore points.

Use System Restore to undo changes you have made to your computer

Before you open the System Restore console, you may want to save your work and close all programs since System Restore requires you to restart your computer.

There are two ways to access System Restore through Help and Support or through your All Programs folder.

Through Help and Support:

1. Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
2. Under Pick a Task, click Undo changes to your computer with System Restore.
3. Follow the instructions on the wizard.

Through the All Programs menu:

1. Click Start.
2. Point to All Programs.
3. Point to Accessories.
4. Point to System Tools.
5. Click System Restore.
6. Follow the instructions on the wizard.

Creating a restore point can be useful any time you anticipate making changes to your computer that are risky or might make your computer unstable. If something goes wrong, you select the restore point you just created and Windows XP undoes any system changes made since that time.

Create a Restore Point

1. Open System Restore. (See step-by-step instructions above.)
2. Click Create a restore point, and then click Next.
3. In the Restore point description box, type a name to identify this restore point. System Restore automatically adds the date and time that this Restore Point is created.

• To finish creating this restore point, click Create.
• To cancel restore point creation and return to the Welcome to System Restore screen, click Back.
• To cancel restore point creation and exit the System Restore Wizard, click Cancel.

To view or to return to this restore point, from the Welcome to System Restore screen of the System Restore Wizard select Restore my computer to an earlier time. Then select the date you created the restore point from the calendar in the Select a Restore Point screen. All of the restore points you created and you computer created on the selected date are listed by name in the list box to the right of the calendar.

Note System Restore does not replace the process of uninstalling a program. To completely remove the files installed by a program, you must remove the program using Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel or the program's own uninstall program. To open Add or Remove Programs, click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.

Reference: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/systemrestore.mspx

Send a Web page by e-mail

If you come across a Web page that you've just got to tell your friends about, why not do it right away?

Here's how:

1. In Internet Explorer, click the Mail button on your toolbar (the one shaped like an open envelope) or click on File / Send / Page by E-Mail...
2. Click Send Page on the drop-down menu. This automatically opens your default e-mail program with the page attached.
3. Type your friend's e-mail address in the To box and click Send.

Retire that computer more safely

If you're ready to replace, sell, or retire your old computer, it's very important to eradicate personal data stored on its hard drive before unplugging it for the last time.

You should always remember that even though you manually delete computer files, an identity thief might still be able to recover them, possibly putting you or your family at risk.

Files you should remove before you donate or sell your computer:
• E-mail contacts
• E-mail messages
• All documents
• All files in the operating system recycle bin or trash folder
• Internet files
• All non-transferable software (most software is transferable if you have the original disks and product key)

Options for removing files from your computer:
1. Remove the files yourself at home using disk-cleaning software. It's not difficult to do, and many cleaning utilities are free. Some currently available are listed below.
2. Call the computer manufacturer's technical services department and ask how to delete personal files (your computer might need to be under warranty for this service).
3. Take your hard drive to a local reputable computer supplier to have them safely overwrite your files.

Shared Windows disk-cleaning utilities (free of charge):
• Active Kill Disk: Hard Drive Eraser
• Disk Cleaner
• Sure Delete
• Others available on Shareware.com

In addition, several commercial disk-cleaning utilities compatible with Windows are listed on the File Deletion page in Windows Marketplace.

Once you've cleaned the personal data from your old computer (and you don't plan to or are unable to sell it), what should you do with it? Consider donating or recycling.

Donate
If your unwanted computer still works, donating it is probably the best way to go, and doing so will help keep toxins such as lead, mercury, and other electronic byproducts out of the environment.

Each computer dumped in a landfill is a missed opportunity to provide a computer for others to use through one of the more than 400 nonprofit or school-based refurbishers around the country.

In addition, depending on the current market value of your donated computer, you might be able to deduct its value from your taxes (refer to current federal and local tax laws for more information).

Recycle
If your computer is an older model (five years is typically the maximum for donating), doesn't work, or donating isn't otherwise an option, you can dispose of it responsibly with the help of a qualified recycler near you, such as those found on the Electronics Equipment Recyclers Contact List or the Electronics Recycling Initiative Web site.

Reference: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/donatecomputer.mspx

Foolproof steps to installing a new printer

Set up your printer quickly and easily and then learn some helpful printing tips

Fortunately, the days of lengthy installations are long gone. The Windows XP Add Printer Wizard makes adding a local printer (one that's directly connected to your computer) or a network printer (one that's remotely connected to your network with an Ethernet connection) a breeze.

The first step to installing a printer requires going to the Start menu, selecting Control Panel, and then opening Printers and Faxes.

If you have a USB-connected printer, Windows XP will automatically install it. This is because the Add a Printer program automatically detects USB-connected printers.

Older printers and network printers have to be installed manually using the Add Printer Wizard.

If your printer was automatically installed, click here for printing tips.

How to install a local printer
Step 1: In the Printers and Faxes folder, click Add Printer. Make certain that your printer is connected to your computer and is turned on. Click Next to launch the Add Printer Wizard.
Step 2: Select Local printer.
Step 3: Select the manufacturer and model of your printer.
Step 4: Once you have located the printer you wish to install, click Next.
Step 5: If you have a disk with the software for the printer, put it into your CD-ROM drive and then click the Have Disk button. Select the drive that contains this disk and then click OK.
Step 6: Supply a name for the printer and determine whether you'd like this printer to serve as your default printer. It's always best to select the printer directly connected to your computer as your default printer.
Step 7: Indicate whether you'd like this printer to be shared. This function is especially useful if your home is networked and the printer will be shared with other users. If so, click Share Name and assign a name to the printer that will be easily recognized by family members.
Step 8: Click Yes to print a test page from your newly installed printer.
Step 9: Click Next to review the settings for your new printer before completing the installation process.

How to install a network printer
Installing a network printer that's down the hall from your main home computer is just as easy. When the Add Printer Wizard asks you to select a printer, simply click Connect to This Printer.

If you don't know the name of the network printer, you may select Browse for a Printer to search through a list of shared printers. Alternatively, if your network printer is on a network that uses an Internet address, click Connect to a Printer on the Internet and enter the address in the URL text box. The Add Printer Wizard can guide you through the installation process, but playing with preferences is up to you.

Learn some printing tips and tricks
Now that you're ready to print documents, here are some tricks to getting the most out of your printer.

Joli Ballew, author of a dozen or so books on technology, including Degunking Windows (Paraglyph Publishing, 2004), recommends that you alter the settings to print the last page first by checking the Collate box in the Print dialog box when printing a large job. By ensuring that documents are printed in sequential order, Ballew says you'll save yourself from having to "mess around for 15 minutes putting all your documents together."

Given the high cost of ink cartridges, Ballew also suggests using discretion when determining printer quality. While it's wise to take advantage of high-quality settings for color photos and Web pages, Ballew says the Plain Paper and Grayscale Printing (which may be called First Draft or something else, depending on the printer program) preferences are ideal for text documents and can reduce costs. "There's no reason to go overboard," she warns. "You don't need to print a document on highest quality—that's just going to waste a lot of ink."

Here are some other helpful printing tips from Ballew:
1. Use a digital imaging program's auto contrast, auto correct, and auto color features to enhance photo quality.
2. Never print photos at a resolution less than 200 dpi.
3. If you really want a high-quality print, use high-quality paper.
4. Never refill ink cartridges on your own. Only a manufacturer knows and produces what the printer needs for best results.

Article written by Cindy Waxer and adapted from an original piece from Microsoft Home Magazine.

5 useful Windows XP tricks

You know that feeling you get when your friends or family see you do something on your computer that they've never seen before?

If you haven't had this opportunity, here's where you start.

If you have, then you know that you're feeling like the world's coolest power-user when this happens. Knowledge is power! Here are five Microsoft Windows XP tips that will get you/keep you schoolin' your friends and family.

Don't just maximize your windows—go full screen
When you need a really big window, don't just maximize it: go full screen! To view a window full screen, hold down the Ctrl key and double-click the window's title bar—or when the window is active, press the F11 key at the top of your keyboard—to get the biggest window possible.




Add the Links toolbar to My Computer
You know what would make a great toolbar? One where you could put your favorite applications and documents so that you could open them from any window at any time. Guess what? You can and here's how: click Start, then My Computer. Now right-click the toolbar and then click Links. You now have the Links toolbar on your windows, just like in Internet Explorer. Note: Make sure that Lock the Toolbars is not checked. Click on it to deselect it if it is.

The really cool thing about the Links toolbar is that it's completely customizable. Try this: Navigate to your favorite application and drag and drop its icon to the Links toolbar. You just created a shortcut. Do this again and again for as many applications as you want to appear on the toolbar.




Arranging windows on your desktop
You can display any two windows side by side on the desktop by first clicking a window's button on the Taskbar. Next, press and hold the Ctrl key and right-click the second window that you want to open, then click Tile Vertically. This works great when you want to view two Word or Internet Explorer windows at the same time.


Organize your files into groups
Organize your files by grouping them. Try this: Open a folder containing several different subfolders and file types. Right-click any empty space on the window's contents pane, click Arrange Icons By, and then click Show in Groups. To arrange the window's contents, right-click again in any empty space on the window's contents pane, point to Arrange Icons By, and click Name, Size, Type, or Modified.




Make your own icons
It's shockingly easy to create your own icons in Windows XP. Let's do it: Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Paint. On the Image menu, click Attributes. Type 32 for both the Width and Height of the document, and make sure that Pixels is selected under Units. Click OK to create a new 32x32-pixel document: the size of an icon.

Now add type, color, or do whatever you'd like to your image. I like to shrink photos (headshots work best) to 32x32 and simply paste them into my Paint document. When you're finished, open the File menu and click Save As. Use the dialog box to choose where you want to save your file, then give it a name followed by ".ico" (without the quotes), and click Save. (The extension ".ico" tells Windows that it's an icon file.) You just created an icon! Now you can change any shortcut or folder to your own icon—just browse to it on your hard drive.




These tips are from the book, Windows XP Killer Tips by Kleber Stephenson, ISBN 073571357X. http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/5xptricks.mspx

The Domain Name

Whether for business or personal use, before there can be a website, there must be a domain name, and one of the most important steps of a search engine optimization plan is to pick the right one.

So what IS a domain name? A domain name is that thing that people give you when you ask for their website. anything.com, for example, is a domain name.
Some things to consider in choosing a domain name are:

1. Keep it short and simple.
If your website is for your business, a short domain name has its advantages. Whether you want to print it on business cards or display it on a billboard, making the domain too long or too complicated may make it too hard for potential customers to catch in one reading or recall later, if they did not have a chance to write it down. An exception to this is if you can get a phrase which will be remembered into the domain name (Example: buytwogetonefree.com) ...which leads us to point number two.

2. Make it easy to remember.
Your customer won't always have a pen with them, or maybe they won't even think about your domain name or website until later. Short, simple, and easy to remember can be important, but you normally shouldn't just opt for something like qdipe.com, and we are about to tell you why.

3. Relate it to your business or organization.
If you sell bicycle parts, try to put "bicycle parts" in the domain name. This is not only for the eyes of internet surfers, but for the search engines as well. They use various factors to rank the pages they visit, and sometimes the words used in the domain can increase the rank of the page. This brings up another point.

4. Think about keywords.
Although we are not going to get into Meta tags in this article, keywords are important. Even if hardly any search engines look at the "keyword" Meta tag any more, they are still searching the content of your site for keywords found within the text of the body, "alt" tags on the images, and "title" tags on anchor text and other links. Taking number 3 and number 4 together, the best of both worlds is to have a business name that is a keyword or phrase relevant to the business and use that as the domain name.

5. Cute's nice, but...!
Some people try to make their domain name memorable by using puns, jokes, wordplay, or number combinations. Just be careful. A few years ago I needed a domain name for a weíght loss product. I went through all the "short" and "easy to remember" names I could think of, but they all were taken! I then came up with the domain name NoDiet4Me. It made perfect sense to me! I went to have a magnetic sign made for my car, and the lady read it this way..."No 'die' t 4 me" with a lot of stress on the word "die" and shook her head with a worried and confused look on her face! The site worked fine and got a lot of traffíc and made me a lot of monëy, but now I wonder if I lost any traffíc because of my domain name.

6. To dash or not to dash.
There have been a lot of discussions about whether to put a hyphen in the domain name. I can't honestly answer based on my own experiences, as I use both, but the consensus seems to be from my research that it is easier for a search engine to categorize and rank a site that has a hyphen than one where the words are run together. Example: chickensoup vs. chicken-soup.

There is one danger to be recognized if you choose to use the hyphen. You must make sure it is clearly shown in any printed advertising or representations, and if giving the domain name verbally, go to great lengths to make sure that your listener understands the hyphens MUST be inserted. Many people are not that internet savvy and will hear "bobs dash bicycles" and still type in "bobsbicycles".

7. Alphabet soup.
Ever wonder what's best? Should you get a .com or .net? Will it be okay to get a .bíz or .us? What the heck do those things mean anyways and does it matter? Well, in today's world, most people entering the internet world are familiar with .com and .net. After that, they tend to get confused. I will not get into country specific top level domains at the moment, as this article is primarily directed at those either doing business in the U.S. or those doing business worldwide with a generic type product where a country-specific domain name would not matter. So, in most cases, .tv, .ws, or .org will not matter one way or another. By the way, .tv is the top level domain for the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu and .ws is the top level domain for Samoa.

Just to continue this discussion on extensions for a moment. When passing someone your domain name whether verbally or in writing, make sure they see or hear the extension. To use my earlier example, simply saying, "My website is bobsbicycles", will probably cause people just to type in the .com on the end as that is what they are most used to hearing.

8. Branding.
In some cases, a domain name may be associated with an easily recognized, or branded, product. Wal-Mart and Ford do not have to worry THAT much about such niceties as keyword density or "easy to remember" names. However, if you are working with a product or company which has or is in the process of branding itself, some of the information given above about selecting domain names might not be relevant.

I am going to assume that most people who read this little article are probably trying to do some SEO (search engine optimization) themselves, and one of the best places to start is with the domain name itself.

Reference: http://www.sitepronews.com/

Specify how folders open

Microsoft Windows XP automatically chooses how to display folders based on the types of files they contain. For example, Windows XP displays your My Pictures folder in either Filmstrip or Thumbnails view so that you can see the pictures without opening the files. However, Windows XP displays your My Music folder in Tiles view so that you can see the names of the songs. In this article, you’ll learn the difference between each type of view and how to change your folder settings for individual folders or for all the folders on your computer.

Change the view for a single folder
If you are not satisfied with the way Windows XP displays a folder, you can change it by clicking the Views button on the toolbar and then selecting one of the following options:

• Filmstrip. Displays a row of thumbnails (reduced images of pictures) and a large preview of the currently selected picture. Filmstrip view is perfect for folders that contain a few pictures.

• Thumbnails. Displays thumbnails of pictures and videos. Thumbnails view is the best choice for folders containing a large number of pictures.

• Tiles. Displays large icons, file names, and file information for each file.

• Icons. Displays medium-sized icons and file names for each file.

• List. Displays small icons and file names for each file.

• Details. Displays small icons, file names, and other information about each file.

Details view allows you to quickly sort files by clicking the column headings.

Change the view for all folders
Clicking the Views button allows you to change the view for only the folder you currently have open. You can also reset the view for all folders.

To reset the view for all folders

1. Click Start, and then click My Documents.

2. Click the Views button, and then click the view that you want to apply to all folders.

3. Click Tools, and then click Folder Options.

4. Click the View tab, and then click Apply to All Folders.

5. Click Yes.

6. Click OK.

The next time you open a folder, it will be displayed using the view you chose. To restore your original folder settings, repeat steps 1-3. Then, for step 4, click Reset All Folders.

Reference: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/maintain/folders.mspx

How Much Ram Do I Have

Have you ever wondered how much RAM your computer has? When purchasing software the manufacturer always has a minimum requirement for your computer, one in which is “How much RAM”? This is a simple way of determining this without cracking the case.

Find your “My Computer” icon. Right-click it, and then left click on Properties. In the screen that comes up, in a section called Computer it should say how much memory you have. In this example, this computer has 2.00 GB of RAM.

How Much RAM Is Enough?
The answer to this question is a straightforward...it depends. It depends upon what you are using your computer for and what operating system you are using, to take the two most obvious factors. If you are using Adobe Photoshop or doing video editing all the time, and want to be able to run office applications, and surf, and do email, all at once - well, then you may need a fair amount of memory. If you are a typical home user and mostly use your computer for email, surfing, a word processor or spreadsheet, and the occasional game, then you won't need quite as much. In terms of how it affects you, the end user, having the right amount of memory = faster computer.

Here's some general guidelines for the typical home user (note MB = Megabyte, the main unit in terms of which memory is sold; the higher the number, the more memory you have):

Windows 95 - Seems to be happy with 64 MB. Anything over doesn't get you much performance increase, but if you have anything less, I'd seriously consider getting more memory. The benefit can be quite substantial.

Windows 98/Me - Seems to be happy with 128 MB. Works ok with 64 MB, but you will probably see a significant performance increase by going to 128. Anything over 128 generally doesn't get you much.

Windows NT (Workstation) - Seems to be happy with 128 MB for most things.

Windows NT (Server) - Can run with 128 MB, but more is better. Definitely consider getting 256 MB or more if this server is going to have a heavy demand on it.

Windows 2000 - At least 128 MB, and basically as much as you can throw at it. Seriously consider 256 MB or more if it's got a heavy demand on it.

Windows XP - Hard to say, but 256 MB minimum, and almost certainly would work better with more.

Reference: http://www.computermemoryupgrade.net/how-much-ram-i-have.html

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

If you have never used the Windows Key on your keyboard I encourage to start. The Windows key has the Microsoft flag logo on it and is located between the CTRL andALT keys on the keyboard. This key allows a user to perform commonly performed tasks using the Windows key in combination with another key.

Below is a listing of Windows keys that can be used on computers running a Microsoft Windows operating system and using a keyboard with a Windows Key. In the below list of shortcuts, the Windows key is represented by "WINKEY".

WINKEY + D
Brings the desktop to the top of all other windows.

WINKEY + M
Minimizes all windows.

WINKEY + SHIFT + M
Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D.

WINKEY + E
Open Microsoft Explorer.

WINKEY + Tab
Cycle through open programs through the taskbar.

WINKEY + F
Display the Windows Search / Find feature.

WINKEY + CTRL + F
Display the search for computers window.

WINKEY + F1
Display the Microsoft Windows help.

WINKEY + R
Open the run window.

WINKEY + Pause / Break key
Open the system properties window.

WINKEY + U
Open Utility Manager.

WINKEY + L
Lock the computer (Windows XP and above only).

Good Reference: http://www.computerhope.com/shortcut.htm

Clear you’re Cash

This always comes up when I create new Flash websites. I make changes to the site and my clients can’t see the changes. This happens because whenever you access the internet; records of visited sites are stored on your computers hard drive. The browser stores this information so that when you re-visit a site again, the pages will load faster. For instance, if a page contains Flash that causes you to wait until the page fully loads. While the page is loading, your internet browser is copying information concerning the Flash object to temporary folder on your hard drive. Now if you were to visit this same site the next day, you will notice that the page will load much faster. This is definitely a useful feature, but these temporary files can cause problems if they accumulate over a long period of time. Therefore, these details will show you how to perform a basic clean up of these temporary files on your hard drive.

Internet Explorer 6.0 now includes the new Delete Cookies button within its Internet Options window and its Delete Files button does a better job of really wiping out the Temporary Internet Files. If you’re not on Internet Explorer 6.0 or the new 7.0 I highly recommend that you upgrade. You can upgrade at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie

1. Open up the Internet Explorer browser in the manner that you usually do.
2. You can double click on the Internet Explorer icon that Microsoft adds to your Desktop or right click on the icon and select Properties. If you do this skip items 3 and 4.
3. Then you click on the word Tools, which is contained in your top tool bar area.
4. This will pull down a menu for you to now click on Internet Options.
5. In the center of the screen, click on the button entitled Delete Files.
6. Windows will ask if you want Delete all files in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
7. You can place a check mark next to Delete all offline content to remove locally stored content.
8. When you are satisfied with your selection, click on the OK button to delete these Temp files.
9. This action will free up a decent amount of the Temporary Internet files on your system.
10. Now click on the newly added button entitled Delete Cookies.
11. Windows will ask if you want Delete all cookies in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
12. Click on the OK button to have Windows delete all of these Cookie files for you.
13. Now click on the Clear History button to clear out your recently visited page links.
14. When Windows asks if you want to Delete your history of visited Web sites, click on Yes.
15. Notice that there is an adjustment next to Days to keep pages in history:.
16. Adjust this setting to your personal preference. 5 - 7 days is usually sufficient for History links.
17. Then click on the OK button to save your changes and exit the Internet Options Window.

I hope this tip helps all of you that have problems with cashed web pages.

Reference: http://www.real-knowledge.com/browseup.htm

Catch Spam as it Arrives

I have been using Microsoft Outlook now for I don’t know how many years and as of the last couple of years Spam has become a huge issue. I get bombbarted with spam every day. A couple of years ago I came across a great tool from a friend; it was a Spam blocker program that works on top of Outlook. The program is called SpamBayes and can be found at http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/.

That's great, but what's SpamBayes?
(the non-technical hand-waving answer)
SpamBayes will attempt to classify incoming email messages as 'spam', 'ham' (good, non-spam email) or 'unsure'. This means you can have spam or unsure messages automatically filed away in a different mail folder, where it won't interrupt your email reading. First SpamBayes must be trained by each user to identify spam and ham. Essentially, you show SpamBayes a pile of email that you like (ham) and a pile you don't like (spam). SpamBayes will then analyze the piles for clues as to what makes the spam and ham different. For example; different words, differences in the mailer headers and content style. The system then uses these clues to examine new messages.

For instance, the word "Nigeria" appears often in spam, so you could use a spam filter which identifies anything with that word in it as spam. But what if your business involves writing a guidebook on Nigerian Wildlife Conservation? Clearly a more flexible approach is necessary. Additionally spammers will adapt their content over time and will no longer use the word "Nigeria" (or the words "Lose Weight Fast", or any number of other common lines). Ideally the software will be able to adapt as the spam changes.

So, that is what SpamBayes does. It compares the spam and the ham and calculates probabilities. For instance, for me, the word "weight" almost never occurs in legitimate email, but it occurs all the time in 'lose weight fast' spam. SpamBayes can then look at incoming email, extract the most significant clues and combine the probabilities to produce an overall rating of "spamminess". It flags the messages so that your mailer can handle the different message types. You might set it up so that ham goes straight through untouched, spam goes to a folder that you ignore (or delete without checking) and the unsure messages go to another folder which you can review for errors.

Copy and Paste in Windows

For our first tip we will make it a very simple one.

Copy and Paste using mouse right click
With your cursor at the beginning of your text or object, click and hold the left mouse button, while pulling your mouse over the text or object. This will highlight the area you want to copy. Now release the mouse button. With the cursor over the highlighted text, right click the mouse and you will see a popup box, and select 'copy'. Now place your mouse cursor over the new area you wish the text or object to be placed, right click your mouse again, and select 'paste'.

-OR-

Copy and Paste using your keyboard (this is what I prefer)
With your cursor at the beginning of your text or object, click and hold the left mouse button, while pulling your mouse over the text or object. This will highlight the area you want to copy. Now release the mouse button. Now press Ctrl+C on your keyboard. Now place your mouse cursor over the new area you wish the text or object to be placed, now press Ctrl+V on your keyboard.

If you want to Cut and Paste use Ctrl-X instead of Ctrl-C and it will remove the original item and paste it instead of leaving the original item.

This tip will work in any Windows application.

Tips, Trick and Ideas

This blog is dedicated to publishing tips, tricks and ideas for Microsoft Windows users and anyone who may want to know more about software and websites. I will do my best to bring you new ideas on how to make your life easy when it comes to the IT world.