The Definitive Windows 7 Commands Guide

This definitive, mammoth guide contains a complete list of  Windows 7 commands you need to gain access to all Windows 7 features. These commands are divided into two different categories :Shell commands and Run commands. Thanks to them you will be only one click away from all Windows 7 tools, utility, folders and features. Dont you remember the path to gain access to that neat Windows 7? Do you wish to clean Internet Explorer cache without rummaging among tricky options? Here is the guide you have always been looking for!

Shell Commands

These commands are especially useful to users, power users and administrators who need to gain access or create shortcuts to difficult-to-reach Windows 7 utilities or locations (such as folder for example).  There are two ways you can use these Shell Commands: To create a shortcuts or through Run…

How to Create a Shortcut using a Shell Command.

1. Right-click any empty space on your desktop.
2. Click New.
3. Click Shortcut.
4. Now, if you want to create a shortcut, you will need to add “explorer.exe” , whiteout quotes,  right in front of each Shell command. Here is an example: explorer.exe shell:PicturesLibrary.
5. So, right after clicking the shortcut link a new window will appear. In the blank field, write: shell:(your Command).
6. Click Next.
7. Click OK.

At this point you should see a shortcut icon on your desktop pointing to the the Picture Library.
How to access folders using a Shell Command.

1. Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard.
2. In the blank field, type Shell:(your command). This will let you access every folder in your Windows 7, including hidden folders.
3. Click OK.

List

1. shell:AddNewProgramsFolder
2. shell:Administrative Tools (hidden folder)
3. shell:AppData (hidden to users)
4. shell:AppUpdatesFolder (installed updates)
5. shell:Cache (hidden folder) (Temporary Internet Files)
6. shell:CD Burning (hidden folder)
7. shell:ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder
8. shell:Common Administrative Tools (hidden folder)
9. shell:Common AppData (hidden folder)
10. shell:Common Desktop
11. shell:Common Documents
12. shell:Common Programs (hidden folder)
13. shell:Common Start Menu (hidden folder)
14. shell:Common Startup (hidden folder)
15. shell:Common Templates (hidden folder)
16. shell:CommonDownloads
17. shell:CommonMusic
18. shell:CommonPictures
19. shell:CommonRingtones (hidden folder)
20. shell:CommonVideo
21. shell:ConflictFolder
22. shell:ConnectionsFolder
23. shell:Contacts
24. shell:ControlPanelFolder
25. shell:Cookies
26. shell:Cookies\Low (hidden folder)
27. shell:CredentialManager (hidden folder)
28. shell:CryptoKeys (hidden folder)
29. shell:CSCFolder
30. shell:Default Gadgets
31. shell:Desktop
32. shell:Device Metadata Store (hidden folder)
33. shell:DocumentsLibrary
34. shell:Downloads
35. shell:DpapiKeys (hidden folder)
36. shell:Favorites
37. shell:Fonts
38. shell:Gadgets (hidden folder)
39. shell:Games
40. shell:GameTasks (hidden folder)
41. shell:History (hidden folder)
42. shell:ImplicitAppShortcuts
43. shell:InternetFolder (Internet Explorer)
44. shell:Libraries
45. shell:Links
46. shell:Local AppData (hidden folder)
47. shell:LocalAppDataLow (hidden folder)
48. shell:LocalizedResourcesDir
49. shell:MAPIFolder
50. shell:MusicLibrary
51. shell:My Music
52. shell:My Pictures
53. shell:My Video
54. shell:MyComputerFolder
55. shell:NetHood (hidden folder)
56. shell:NetworkPlacesFolder
57. shell:OEM Links
58. shell:Original Images
59. shell:OtherUsersFolder
60. shell:Personal
61. shell:PhotoAlbums
62. shell:PicturesLibrary
63. shell:Playlists
64. shell:PrintersFolder
65. shell:PrintHood (hidden folder)
66. shell:Profile
67. shell:ProgramFiles
68. shell:ProgramFilesCommon
69. shell:ProgramFilesCommonX86
70. shell:ProgramFilesX86
71. shell:Programs
72. shell:Public
73. shell:PublicGameTasks (hidden folder)
74. shell:PublicSuggestedLocations
75. shell:Quick Launch (hidden folder)
76. shell:Recent (hidden folder)
77. shell:RecycleBinFolder
78. shell:ResourceDir
79. shell:Ringtones (hidden folder)
80. shell:SampleMusic
81. shell:SamplePictures
82. shell:SamplePlaylists
83. shell:SampleVideos
84. shell:SavedGames
85. shell:Searches
86. shell:SearchHomeFolder
87. shell:SendTo (hidden folder)
88. shell:Start Menu (hidden folder)
89. shell:Startup
90. shell:SyncCenterFolder
91. shell:SyncResultsFolder
92. shell:SyncSetupFolder
93. shell:System
94. shell:SystemCertificates (hidden folder)
95. shell:SystemX86
96. shell:Templates
97. shell:TreePropertiesFolder
98. shell:User Pinned
99. shell:UserProfiles
100. shell:UsersFilesFolder
101. shell:UsersLibrariesFolder
102. shell:VideosLibrary
103. shell:Windows

Run Commands

Run Commands are quite useful if you want to reach, use, open anything in your Windows 7. What follows are the easy steps to use these commands.

How to use Run Commands

1. Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard.
2. Type the command in the blank field.
3. Click OK.

List

1. Add/Remove Programs = appwiz.cpl
2. Administrative Tools = control admintools
3. Authorization Manager= azman.msc
4. Calculator = calc
5. Certificate Manager = certmgr.msc
6. Character Map = charmap
7. Check Disk Utility = chkdsk
8. Command Prompt = cmd.exe
9. Component Services = dcomcnfg
10. Computer Management = compmgmt.msc
11. Control Panel = control
12. Date and Time Properties = timedate.cpl
13. Defragment User Interface = dfrgui
14. Device Manager = devmgmt.msc
15. Direct X Troubleshooter = dxdiag
16. Disk Cleanup Utility = cleanmgr
17. Disk Management = diskmgmt.msc
18. Disk Parmelonion Manager = diskpart
19. Display Properties = control desktop or, alternatively desk.cpl
20. Ditilizer Calibration Tool = tabcal
21. Downloads = Downloads
22. DPI Scaling = dpiscaling
23. Driver Package Installer = dpinst
24. Driver Verifier Utility = verifier or, alternatively reset
25. DVD Player = dvdplay
26. Encryption File System = rekeywiz
27. Event Viewer = eventvwr.msc
28. Fax Cover Sheet Editor = fxscover
29. File Signature Verification Tool = sigverif
30. Folders Properties = control folders
31. Fonts = control fonts
32. Free Cell Card Game = freecell
33. Group Policy Editor = gpedit.msc
34. Iexpress Wizard = iexpress
35. Internet Explorer = iexplore
36. Internet Properties = inetcpl.cpl
37. IP Configuration = ipconfig.exe
38. iSCSI Initiator = iscsicpl
39. Keyboard Properties = control keyboard
40. Libraries = explorer or, alternatively Windows key + E
41. Local Security Settings = secpol.msc
42. Local Users and Groups = lusrmgr.msc
43. Logs You Out Of Windows = logoff
44. Microsoft Paint = mspaint.exe
45. Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool = msdt
46. Mobility Center (mobile) = mblctr or, alternatively Windows key + X
47. Mouse Properties = control mouse
48. Mouse Properties = main.cpl
49. Network Connections = control netconnections
50. Network Connections = ncpa.cpl
51. Notepad = notepad
52. ODBC Data Source Administrator = odbcad32
53. On Screen Keyboard = osk or, alternatively Windows key + U
54. Optional Features Manager = optionalfeatures
55. Performance Monitor = perfmon.msc
56. Phone and Modem Options = telephon.cpl
57. Power Configuration = powercfg.cpl
58. Printer Migration = PrintBrmUi
59. Printers and Faxes = control printers
60. Private Character Editor = eudcedit
61. Regional Settings = intl.cpl
62. Registry Editor = regedit.exe
63. Remote Assistance = msra
64. Remote Desktop = mstsc
65. Resultant Set of Policy = rsop.msc
66. Scheduled Tasks = control schedtasks
67. Security Center = wscui.cpl
68. Services = services.msc
69. Shared Folders/MMC = fsmgmt.msc
70. Shuts Down Windows = shutdown
71. Snipping Tool = snippingtool
72. Sound Recorder = soundrecorder
73. Sound Volume = sndvol
74. Sounds and Audio = mmsys.cpl
75. Spider Solitare Card Game = spider
76. SQL Client Configuration = cliconfg
77. Sticky Note = StikyNot
78. Stored User Names and Passwords = credwiz
79. System Configuration Editor = sysedit
80. System Configuration Utility = msconfig
81. System File Checker Utility = sfc
82. System Information = msinfo32
83. System Properties = sysdm.cpl or, alternatively Windows key + Pause
84. Task Manager = taskmgr
85. Trusted Platform Module = TpmInit
86. User Accounts = netplwiz or, alternatively control userpasswords2
87. Utility Manager = utilman
88. Windows Activation = slui
89. Windows Backup Utility = sdclt
90. Windows Fax and Scan = wfs
91. Windows Firewall = firewall.cpl
92. Windows Firewall with Advanced Security = wf.msc
93. Windows Image Acquisition = wiaacmgr
94. Windows Magnifier = magnify
95. Windows Management Infrastructure = wmimgmt.msc
96. Windows Media Player = wmplayer
97. Windows Share Creation Wizard = shrpubw
98. Windows Standalong Update Manager = wusa
99. Windows System Security Tool = syskey
100. Windows Update App Manager = wuapp
101. Wordpad = write

Different shortcuts

These shortcuts let you access specific features and tools in Windows 7. Simply, copy and paste them to the blank field Run.. window and that’s it!

1. Action Center = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL wscui.cpl
2. Add Network Location = rundll32.exe shwebsvc.dll,AddNetPlaceRunDll
3. Add/Remove Programs = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL appwiz.cpl
4. Add/Remove Programs = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL appwiz.cpl,,0
5. Add/Remove Windows Components = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL appwiz.cpl,,2
6. Advanced Restore = sdclt.exe /restorewizardadmin
7. Aero (Transparency feature) Off = Rundll32.exe DwmApi #104
8. Aero (Transparency feature) On = Rundll32.exe DwmApi #102
9. Backup Location and Settings = sdclt.exe /configure
10. Content Advisor = RunDll32.exe msrating.dll,RatingSetupUI
11. Control Panel = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL
12. Date and Time = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl
13. Date and Time (Additional Clocks) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl,,1
14. Date and Time (Properties) = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl
15. Device Manager = RunDll32.exe devmgr.dll DeviceManager_Execute
16. Device Manager = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hdwwiz.cpl
17. Display Settings = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL access.cpl,,3
18. Folder Options = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 0
19. Folder Options (File Types) = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_Options 2
20. Folder Options (Search) = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 2
21. Folder Options (View) = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 7
22. Forgotten Password Wizard = RunDll32.exe keymgr.dll,PRShowSaveWizardExW
23. Hibernate = RunDll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState
24. Indexing Options = control.exe srchadmin.dll
25. Keyboard Properties = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL main.cpl @1
26. Lock Screen = RunDll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
27. Manage Wireless Networks = explorer.exe shell:::{1fa9085f-25a2-489b-85d4-86326eedcd87}
28. Map Network Drive = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,SHHelpShortcuts_RunDLL Connect
29. Mouse Properties = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL main.cpl @0
30. Network Connections = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL ncpa.cpl
31. Notification Cache = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 5
32. Open Control Panel (All Items) = explorer.exe shell:::{21ec2020-3aea-1069-a2dd-08002b30309d}
33. Pen and Touch Tablet PC (Settings) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL tabletpc.cpl
34. Pen and Touch Tablet PC (Settings Flicks Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL tabletpc.cpl,,1
35. Pen and Touch Tablet PC (Settings Handwriting Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL tabletpc.cpl,,2
36. People Near Me = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL collab.cpl
37. People Near Me (Sign Up Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL collab.cpl,,1
38. Personalization = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,2
39. Phone and Modem (Options) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL telephon.cpl
40. Phone and Modem (Options Modems Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL telephon.cpl,,1
41. Phone and Modems (Options Advanced Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL telephon.cpl,,2
42. Power Options = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL powercfg.cpl
43. Power Options Modify Plan Settings = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL powercfg.cpl,,1
44. Regional Settings = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL intl.cpl,,3
45. Restore Files = sdclt.exe /restorewizard
46. Screen Resolution = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl
47. ScreenSaver = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,1
48. Set Program Access and Computer Defaults = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL appwiz.cpl,,3
49. Sound Control Playback Tab = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLLmmsys.cpl
50. Sound Control Recording Tab = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLLmmsys.cpl,,1
51. Sound Control Sounds Tab = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLLmmsys.cpl,,2
52. Stored Usernames /Passwords = RunDll32.exe keymgr.dll,KRShowKeyMgr
53. System Properties = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl
54. System Properties (Advanced Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl,,3
55. System Properties (Hardware Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl,,2
56. System Properties (Remote Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl,,5
57. System Properties (System Protection Tab) = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl,,4
58. System Properties (Advanced) RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl,,4
59. System Properties (Automatic Updates) = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl,,5
60. Taskbar Properties = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 1
61. Unplug Eject Hardware = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll
62. User Accounts = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL nusrmgr.cpl
63. Welcome Center = rundll32.exe oobefldr.dll,ShowWelcomeCenter
64. Windows (About) = RunDll32.exe SHELL32.DLL,ShellAboutW
65. Windows Firewall = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL firewall.cpl
66. Windows Firewall = rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL firewall.cpl
67. Windows Security Center = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL wscui.cpl
68. Wireless Network Setup = RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL NetSetup.cpl,@0,WNSW
69. Wireless Networks pop-up = rundll32.exe van.dll,RunVAN

Internet Explorer Advanced Settings

1. Delete All (Deeper Cleaning Including Add-on Data Deletion) = RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 4351
2. Delete All = RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 255
3. Delete Cookies = RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 2
4. Delete Form Data = RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 16
5. Delete History = RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 1
6. Delete Passwords = RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 32
7. Delete Temporary Internet Files = RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 8

Exploring Firefox Cache: A Bunch Of Really Cool Tips

The browser cache temporarily stores images, scripts, and other parts of websites while you are browsing. This is normally a good thing because this enhances performance and load time.
The browser cache usually works behind the scene: you are unlikely to notice it even exists unless you feel like digging deeper.
But do you know that you can actually have quite a bit of fun viewing your browser cache? Do you know why and how you can clean it? Today’s tutorial is just about that: what you can do with your Firefox cache.

Viewing Your Firefox Cache

The cache statistics and directory location can be viewed in about:cache. Then:

• about:cache?device=memory – Lists memory cache entries.
• about:cache?device=disk – Lists disk cache entries.

It is really not easy to make sense of that interface but luckily we have an addon to make it easier.
CacheView is a GUI Front-end of “about:cache”. It allows searching and sorting memory and disk cache files. CacheView gives you a preview pane for any images, and makes it really easy to save MP3s and flash files from the sites you’ve visited.
After you have it installed, just go to Tools ->CacheView (or just use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C) and you will be presented with a nice table containing your cache files and a preview pane.
The table is sortable by column (key, size, MIME Type, storing device, Last Fetched date) and what’s more it has a search function which adds a lot of sense to your cache database:

You can also right-click on an entry and delete it. It won’t delete things if the page is still opened in one of your tabs.

CacheSearch is another useful cache addon for FireFox which can search through the full-text of cache records:

Clearing The Firefox Cache

There are a few reasons why you may want to clear the Firefox cache, including privacy concerns and technical problems. I usually do it when I have any issues with a website: problems on sign-up, incorrect interface loading, etc.

Clearing the Cache Manually

Official Guide:

• Navigate: Tools -> Options -> Advanced panel -> Network tab
• In the Offline Storage section, click Clear Now.

FireFox Addons:

If you find yourself clearing the cache too often, you can find this little addon helpful. It adds a button to your browser toolbar – with it you can clear the cache with one click of a mouse.

Note: After installation, you will need to manually install the button to where you want it to be. For that, right-click on the sidebar and select “Customize“.
Here’s an alternative addon that can be used for that: Cache Status which will both monitor your cache statistics for both memory and disk devices and allow to clear it any time:

Clear The Cache Automatically:

• Navigate: Tools -> Options -> Privacy panel
• In the drop-down select “Use custom settings for history. “
• Select the check box for Clear history when Firefox closes and in the Settings next to this check box select Cache:

Courtesy: Make Use

Author: Ann Smarty

Avoid Getting an Unwanted Surprise on Twitter

You have come across an application on Twitter that will find your level of smartness with a click. You connect it to your Twitter account (using OAuth) and then you suddenly realize that that app has published your score to Twitter as well using your own account.

Such Twitter apps may be rare but they do exist and may sometimes embarrass you.

For instance, a popular directory would automatically change your Twitter profile as soon as you added yourself to that directory. More recently, we saw another Twitter app that would automatically tweet on your behalf and it nearly went viral.

How to Avoid Surprises on Twitter

If you would like to prevent apps from fiddling with your Twitter stream without asking, the easiest solution would be to not use them at all. That’s however an extreme approach as you’ll then miss a whole lot of other apps that are both nice and useful.

The solution is however simple. When you add an app to your Twitter account, you’ll see an authorization page where you can either allow or deny the app access to your Twitter data.

Read the language carefully. If it read something like “the app would like to access and update your data on Twitter,” you are granting the app permission to post to your Twitter stream. Majority of the Twitter apps won’t misuse that privilege but some may.

Therefore, if you are trying out a new app on Twitter that you have never heard of before, it may be a good idea to authorize only the ones that require read-only access to your Twitter data as seen in the screenshot below

Source: Digital Inspiration
Author: Amit Agarwal

Funny 404 Error Pages

File Not Found

WANTED

Dear Happy Internet Traveler

The page cannot be found

Page Fault Error

You have encountered an error

Couldn’t find the page you’re looking for

Press any key to continue

Courtesy: Smashing App
Author: AN Jay

How To Completely Restore Your Windows Computer To Factory Settings

Most computers from PC vendors come with certain pre-configured factory settings which are important to the computer’s operation. This is particularly true of laptops, which usually have special function buttons, and touch screen computers, which require special drivers in order to function. Of course, a computer from a factory also has default Windows settings and does not feature any of your own customizations.
There may come a time in your computer ownership that you decide to basically hit the reset button.

This may be because your computer was struck by a virus, or it may be because you are selling your computer and you want to make sure your personal information can’t be retrieved by the person you are selling to.
Whatever your situation, this guide will help you completely restore your computer to absolutely pristine factory settings.

Step 1: Save Files & Folders

Depending on your version of Windows and the recovery system your computer’s vendor uses, some of your settings and files may be saved when you restore your computer to factory settings. However, it is best not to rely on this.

Treat your restoration to factory settings the same as you would a complete re-format of your hard drive. Assume all data will be lost and back up all crucial information to an external hard drive. Don’t bother backing up programs you can reinstall, but make sure to back up everything you don’t already have a copy of.
Also, make sure that you back up your browser information. The help website of the web browser you use should provide instructions on how to back up your browser. If you don’t do this you will lose all of your bookmarks and saved passwords.

Step 2: Start The Recovery Program

There are two common methods for returning your operating system to factory settings. One of these is to simply reinstall the operating system through the operating system’s own repair or reinstall process. With Windows this usually requires access to a Windows installation CD  or the creation of a boot CD. If you have this available, you can refer to our guide on how to re-install Windows.
However, most computer vendors no longer ship out a copy of the Windows installation CD with their computers. Instead, the computer ships with a recovery partition or recovery disk. Each vendor uses their own particular type of solution, but the basics of them are the same. The most common names used by each company for their recovery solution can be found below. Note that manufacturers do change names from time to time – usually it will simply be something with the vendor’s brand name and the word “recovery” included after it.

• Acer – Acer eRecovery
• ASUS – ASUS Recovery Partition
• Dell – Dell Factory Image Restore
• Gateway – Gateway Recovery Management
• HP – HP PC System Recovery
• Sony – Sony Vaio Recovery Wizard

You can start the recovery program from within Windows. Alternatively – if perhaps your computer is having problems booting into Windows – you can usually access the recovery partition during your computer’s boot cycle. Pay attention to the display when your computer boots. There should be text indicating what button you need to press to start the recovery process. Typically, it will be a function key.

Step 3: Restoring To Factory Settings

Each vendor has their own recovery solution, so there is no way to provide a definitive guide to each and every vendor within the scope of this article. However, the general process of restoration almost always works like this.

• First, you will start the restoration program in Windows.  The program will ask if you’d really like to begin the restoration process and warn you that your data could be (or will be) destroyed during the process.
• Once you confirm that you would like to start the recovery process you’ll reach some sort of progress screen.  The computer may reboot to access this, or it may simply exit Windows and boot directly into the restoration program. At this point you’re set in your course – do not cancel the process. This can take half an hour to several hours depending on the speed of your computer.

• Once the restoration to factory settings is complete the computer will reboot and begin the Windows setup process. You will have to set up your user account and your settings just as you did when you first purchased the computer.

Step 4: Finishing Restoration

Ideally, the factory restoration wizard will completely restore everything needed to make your computer fully functional. However, in some situations you may find that a few drivers were not installed. For example, you might find that the screen brightness buttons no longer work on your laptop.
If you run into this problem you’ll need to download the drivers for your computer, which can be found on the vendor’s support website. You can either enter the serial number of your computer to obtain the proper drivers or you can find your model of computer yourself.

Once you have downloaded the appropriate drivers and installed them your system will be returned to its original factory settings. It will work just as it did the day that you bought it.

Author: Matt Smith

Courtesy: MakeUse

Backup your Gmail Inbox Online

If you want to backup your emails from Gmail to the local computer, enable POP3 access in your Gmail settings and then use a desktop mail client to download a copy of all your messages from the Google cloud to the local disk. That’s easy!
Windows Live Mail, Outlook and Thunderbird are some nice email clients that can automatically and easily bring your entire archive of Gmail messages offline.
Why you should backup Gmail to the cloud?
If you are not a huge fan of desktop applications or if you think that setting up a Gmail backup plan involves way too much effort, you can consider creating a backup of your Gmail account in the cloud itself. Before we get into the details, here are three situations where an online backup of Gmail messages will come handy:
Reason #1 – If your main Gmail account gets hacked, you will still have access to all your previous emails.
Reason #2 – If you delete an important email from your Gmail Inbox by mistake, you can easily retrieve it from the online backup. Google Apps Premier has Postini to restore deleted emails, here you’re getting that facility for free.
Reason #3 – If the Gmail service goes down (yes, it happens), you will still be able to read your older emails. Gmail outage won’t affect work.

Backup your Gmail Messages Online

There are three services that can help you automatically backup your Gmail (and Google Apps) email accounts online and luckily, they won’t cost you anything.

The first and most obvious choice is Gmail. Create a new Gmail account and under Settings –> Accounts and Import –> Check mail using POP3 –> Add POP3 email account, enter the email address of your main Gmail account that you want to backup.
Within an hour or so, the online mail fetcher program will pull messages from your main Gmail account and will copy them to your new “backup” account. In my limited testing, I found that Gmail’s mail fetcher left all the messages that were either “read” or have been previously downloaded by another POP3 client so it’s not “true backup.”
That brings us to another alternative – copy your Gmail mailbox to Windows Live Hotmail. While you can add a Gmail account to Hotmail using POP3 (just like Gmail’s mail fetcher), there’s a much better and reliable option out there for copying emails from Gmail into Hotmail and it’s called TrueSwitch.

Setup a new Hotmail account and TrueSwitch, an awesome web-based email account migration service, will copy all your emails and attachments from Gmail to your new Hotmail address. If you have a relatively large Gmail Inbox, the backup process might take up to 24 hours but you’ll get an email as soon as the transfer is complete.
Like Gmail, Hotmail too offers “expanding” storage so it can possibly fit your large Google inbox as well. You can then add your Gmail address to Hotmail (click “Add an email account” in the sidebar) and this will ensure that new messages that land in your Gmail inbox in the future are also saved in Hotmail.
That said, both the services discussed above have one common drawback – they’ll always backup your entire Gmail mailbox and you cannot limit the backup process to a specific set of folders (or labels in Gmail). So if you have a fairly large mailbox and don’t want to backup each and every Gmail folder (or label), try Backupify.

Courtesy: Digital Inspiration 

Author: Amit Agarwal

Download Youtube Videos as MP3

 

Video2mp3

Services like Video2mp3 make downloading YouTube videos as MP3 files a simple 3 step process.  It simply allows you to enter the URL, click “convert”, and finally download the MP3 from the provided link.

Grab the YouTube URL:

Head over to video2mp3, enter the YouTube URL there and click “convert“:

Wait a bit for the conversion and then just download the mp3 from the link.  Could this service get any simpler?  Yes, with a Firefox add-on that adds a link to YouTube video pages to directly convert the video.

 

Dirpy

Dirpy is not just yet another YouTube MP3 converter.  This site has quite a few features that set it apart.
First of all, they have integrated a bookmarklet into the mix making getting a video into the studio as easy as clicking a bookmarklet while on the YouTube video page.

Other features include the ability to set the file name and the start and end time of the MP3.
Basically, take what VideotoMp3 does (an easy 3 step process) and add a few very cool features, and a fun-to-say name, and you have Dirpy.

 

Vid2MP3

This happens to be the site I stumbled upon when I was doing my presentation and it did the job in a good amount of time.  The site looks a bit weird but, like I said, it worked out great.
As it turns out, this site offers the choice between standard and high quality.  Using it is as easy as using Video2mp3 and only requires entering the URL:

And downloading the MP3:

And then you’ll actually have to click another link to download it (why?):

Two cool features that VidToMP3 offers are the ability to preview the MP3 in an online player before downloading and the ability to email a friend a link to download the MP3.  You will have to excuse quite a few ads on this site but the results are good and timely.

Courtesy: Make Use

Author: Tim Lenahan

Delete Facebook Apps that Now Have Greater Access to Your Data

At Facebook's f8 conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told developers that Facebook applications would no longer have to dump any data they've collected on you after 24 hours. If you've got apps installed that might have prying eyes, here's how to uninstall them.
Facebook seems to change up its interface, and its settings, every few months, so if you thought you knew the easy way to remove an application entirely before, you might want to take a quick refresher. Not all Facebook applications are out to mine your personal stats for nefarious gain, but if you've kept an app or two hanging around because you thought there wasn't much exposure, here's how ReadWriteWeb recommends you go about showing them the door:

1. Click on "Account" at the top-right of the screen.
2. Click "Application Settings"
3. Change the "Show" drop-down box to "Authorized." This will show all the applications you've ever given permission to.
4. In the resulting list, click the "X" button on the far right next to each app you want to remove to delete it.
5. On the pop-up box that appears, click "Remove" then click "Okay" on the next box confirming the app was deleted.

Courtesy: LifeHacker

Author: Kevin

Some Google Docs Features

Google has managed to change the word processing game by giving us Google Docs.  With Google Docs we can collaborate on such things as documents, spreadsheets and presentations.  I’ve personally enjoyed the ability to share a spreadsheet with the secretary of the bus ministry in my church so we can both update the list of riders we visit and pick up.  Google Docs makes stuff like that second nature.

Now Google is releasing new Google Docs features into the offering.  There are some that are really worth checking out because they can make life easier and even expand the ways in which we use Google Docs.  Follow me as I go through some of the new Google Docs features worth checking out.  It just may be worth your while.

Upload Any File

We can now make use of Google Docs when we want to save, access and even share larger files that don’t even have anything to do with documents, spreadsheets or presentations.

Do you have a file you want access to someplace else but you don’t want to carry around a computer or disk?  Upload it to your trusty Google Docs account and access it from anywhere!

In my testing I uploaded a few picture files (all under 1MB), an mp3 file (about 8MB) and a wav file (over 16MB) and I’ve had no problem uploading or accessing them.

Realize though that the 1GB of space you are given to keep Google Docs files in is the same space you are using for these other files.  But hey, that’s enough for space you’re not paying for, right?

Bulk Upload

Google has awarded us with the ability to upload more than one file at a time. It works very similarly to normal file selection.  You have several options.  You can hold the Ctrl button and click on the individual files you want selected.  You can hold the Shift button, click the first file and then click the last file to select all files in between.  Then there is the option to click and drag, drawing a box selecting all files in the pathway of your mouse.

Google lets you upload all of the selected files in one batch.  Very easy.

Shared Folders

Being able to share and collaborate on files is pretty cool, right?  Well, once you begin sharing several files with the same people it may get a bit complicated.  Now Google has rolled out the ability to share folders and collaborate on files in that folder.  Cool idea Google.  Who would have come up with an idea like that?

To implement the sharing of a folder, just right-click on a folder in your Google Docs account and you’ll see the share option.  You have two methods of sharing the folder.  You can invite people to collaborate by adding their email and sending them a message.

You can also set it so that anyone with a provided link can either view or edit it which you would then share with only the people you want to have access.

Email As An Attachment

While Google was rolling out sharing options, they chose also to allow for emailing files as attachments.  Since you can now upload any type of file you want, it only makes sense that they allow you to send those files as email attachments if you need to.  In fact, the feature gets even neater when you start sending Google Document files as email attachments and they are converted into usable offline file formats.

Sharing files via an email attachment is as easy as right clicking on the file to be shared, hovering over the “Share” option, and clicking “Email as attachment…“  If it is a Google Document, you are offered more choices as far as the file format goes.

Any way you look at it though, sharing files via email attachment can come in handy.

DOCX Import

In the past it was difficult to open and use a Word 2007 file if you didn’t have the right version of Microsoft Office.  Since then many of the free word processing programs have become compatible.  Now apparently Google Docs is compatible too.  You can upload the files and convert them for editing from within Google Docs.

This can come in handy if someone ever felt the need to send me a document since I don’t use Microsoft’s suite nor do I intend to in the near future (call me a penny pincher).

Courtesy: Make Use

Author: Tim Lenahan

Tips - CSS Targetting IE8, IE7 and IE6

IE8 and Below

The key to targeting Internet Explorer 8 and below, with a hack, is to append “\9″ to the end of your style. For example:

body {
 color: red; /* all browsers, of course */
 color : green\9; /* IE8 and below */
}

It’s important to note that it must be “\9″. Unfortunately you can’t replace this with something along the lines of “\IE”, like I attempted to do so. Even “\8″ won’t work; it must be “\9″.

---

IE7 and Below

We can use the * symbol to target IE7 and below, like so:

body {
 color: red; /* all browsers, of course */
 color : green\9; /* IE8 and below */
 *color : yellow; /* IE7 and below */
}

---

IE6

Lastly, we have the underscore hack, which most designers are familiar with by now. Rather than the * symbol, we use the underscore. This will target only Internet Explorer 6.

body {
 color: red; /* all browsers, of course */
 color : green\9; /* IE8 and below */
 *color : yellow; /* IE7 and below */
 _color : orange; /* IE6 */
}

Gmail Detects and Warns You If Someone Else Is Using Your Account

Gmail users are getting one more weapon in the fight against phishers and malware. In a blog post, Google has announced that it is adding a new feature that alerts users when the service detects “suspicious account activity”. Namely, Gmail will now give users a warning if it detects that they’re accessing their accounts from two different geographic regions within a short amount of time (credit cards often do the same thing).
The feature takes advantage of the IP tracking that Google launched back in July 2008, which lets users see the last few IP addresses to access their account. This doesn’t provide amazing accuracy (in the US it only displays what state you’re in), but it should at least help users detect attacks from across the country or abroad.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons why multiple people might be accessing the same Gmail account, so Gmail doesn’t lock you out — it just shows you a warning and prompts you to change your password.  Google’s post also notes that the service will be coming to Google Apps after it gets feedback from its education and business customers.
One other security protection Gmail recently rolled out is default SSL access.

Courtesy: Gmail Blog
via: Tech Crunch

How To Install Cool Windows 7 Theme Downloads For Windows XP

Don’t be jealous of your friends with Windows 7. Don’t run out and buy a new operating system or computer just so you can have the look and feel of Windows 7.
Maybe you like the orb, the toolbar, tray icons or the quick launch buttons? Well guess what, you can have them on your XP computer FOR FREE!
There are a few different themes and visual styles that you can grab. We found the best one and we will show you what you get and how to install it. It is not as easy as you would think.
The theme itself is a user on DeviantArt. This user has many great themes but today we will be looking at his Windows 7 transformation pack for Windows XP.

You can grab the download the Windows 7 themes for Windows XP here. We will also grab the Super Bar files from this link.
I found the theme and instructions from TechBliss Online.

Inside the archive you will find four folders. We will really only be using the Visual Styles folder but there are some  great wallpapers (I say some because only one tickled my fancy and my wife liked one) in the wallpapers folder. Don’t worry you can use any wallpaper you want.  Next up we will have to download an application that allows us to use a third party theme. That application is called UXTheme Multipatcher and you can grab it from Softpedia.
To start we will need to run the EXE and hit the button marked Patch. Don’t be scared – you can always undo it by re-running this setup program again. Without UXTheme-Multipatcher you will not be able to use third party themes as we will be in the next few steps.

You need to confirm your operating system version and then you will need to restart. Once you have the UXTheme installed and you have the above archives downloaded and extracted, we can get started.
Go into the DeviantArt RAR file we downloaded first and find the directory called Visual Styles. Inside there you will find a directory called Windows Se7en. Copy that entire directory to c:\windows\resources\themes.
Once it is there go into the folder and double click on the theme’s file called Windows Se7en.msstyles. If you have extensions turned off it will say Windows Se7en but the icon will be the same as the one in the shot below:

That will bring up the Windows theme chooser (located in display properties). There you will click apply to apply the theme. Next you will run the ViGlance OneStep.exe file within the ViGlance zip file. This file adds some awesomeness to your task bar.

When you are complete you will have a Windows 7 like system! This ViGlance also installs a system tray icon that gives you options on what you want enabled or not. You can see the options below and they are all self explanatory.

You can use and apply any of the wallpapers that you extracted or choose your own. Here is what my desktop looked like when I was finished:

Courtesy: Make Use

Author: Karl L. Gechli

Difference Between Browsers - Just Humour

via loldwell.com

How To Download All Facebook Photos With Your or Frens Tag

One of the best features of Facebook are the photos albums, which allows you and all of your friends to upload an unlimited number of pictures to share with your personal networks.
You can also create Facebook “tag” photos, which means a person’s profile is linked to the specific picture they appear in.  This gives you the very useful ability to quickly view pictures of specific people – all without ever having to dig through a photo album.

While it’s great having all of these pictures online, you aren’t guaranteed that they will always be available.  You can easily lose access to these photos if Facebook removes an album, if the internet is unavailable, or if the friend who uploaded the photos decides to remove them.  It is possible to save Facebook pictures individually, but that can be incredibly tedious if you have a large amount of photos you’d like to download.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to download all of the Facebook tag photos that you and your friends are in with a great application called PhotoGrabber.

Getting Started

To begin, simply head over to the PhotoGrabber homepage and download the application for your operating system.  PhotoGrabber is available for both Mac (PhotoGrabber-OSX) and Windows (PhotoGrabber-Win), so make sure to download the right .zip file.

After you’ve downloaded the file, Windows users should extract its contents to a new folder on your computer and Mac users should unzip and drag PhotoGrabber.app into your Applications folder.

One very nice feature of PhotoGrabber is that it is a standalone executable file and requires no installation.  Once you’ve extracted the files, all you need to do is run pg.exe (just make sure to keep it in the same folder as the rest of the extracted files).

Downloading Facebook Photos

Now that you’ve downloaded and extracted PhotoGrabber, double click the PhotoGrabber executable to get started.  When you first open the program, you will be presented with a login screen.  Click the large Login button to be taken to a Facebook authentication page.

Click Allow on the Facebook authentication page which will allow PhotoGrabber to have access to your content.

Now that you’ve authorized PhotoGrabber to work with your account, head back to the application.  Click I want to download…

PhotoGrabber will now display a list of all of your friends, including yourself.  To download all pictures tagged with your name, simply select Myself then click the large Begin Download button.

Before the download begins, you will need to select a directory where you would like to save the tagged photos.  Click OK and the download process will start.

Facebook photos are fairly small and download quickly, but the duration of the download will vary based on how many pictures have been tagged.  It took approximately 20 minutes for me to download 1,000+ photos, but your experience may vary based on the network connection.

When the photos are finished downloading you can browse to the folder where they were saved to view them!

You can repeat this exact same process to download any tagged pictures of your friends, just select their name instead of Myself at the download selection screen.
Using the PhotoGrabber application for Facebook is great for keeping a personal copy of photos from Facebook and is an excellent way to protect them for the future.

Courtesy: Make Use Of

Author: Evan Wondrasek