How to insert ads into Blogger XML code

First you need to parse your code into an XML format Blogger can  understand. You can simply use the HTML code you got from your affiliate program.

Parse the code here:

http://www.blogcrowds.com/resources/parse_html.php

Copy the parsed code.

That’s basically it. You can look for patterns in the HTML code where you want to put your ad. Make sure to check for <div> endings and test. Always backup.

To post the add in the body of your post read on.

On your blogger account, go and edit the HTML code (I don’t have to tell you to make a backup of it first before you edit the code).

Go to Layout – Edit HTML. Make sure to check “Expand Widget Templates” option.

Look for this code which represents a single post:

<p><data:post.body/></p>

Then just paste the parsed ad code before or after that code. Save and see how it looks like. You can place your code between some <div> tags if you want to design it further (eg: center, left flush, etc).

Hot Spot Studio - Add Lighting Effects To Images

Hot Spot Studio is a freeware  utility which allows to add Lighting effects to an image. This is a user-friendly tool to play around. Your images can be made attractive by adding lighting effects to them. This freeware includes a color panel from where you can choose color for spotlight effect. Moreover, this tool allows you to adjust the size and intensity of the lighting effects. This freeware is basically small in size which takes minimum space of your hard drive.

If you don’t want to choose any background image then just select the background color and play around by adding several lighting effects to it in a blink. This fun freeware includes a user-friendly interface with straight-forward controls.

Some Key Features of Hot Spot Studio for Adding Lighting Effects

• User-friendly interface.


• Several colors are available for lighting effects.


• Easy to use.


• Small in size.


• Adjust the size and intensity of lighting effects.


• Add lighting effects with a right click on the picture.


• Available in the portable version.

Download And Installation of Hot Spot Studio for Adding Lighting Effects

• Go to the homepage of Hot Spot Studio, and click “Download” button.


• This will direct you to the downloads page.


• Now click on “Download” button opposite to Hot spot Studio.


• A zip format file will be downloaded to your system.


• Unzip the folder to extract executable file.


• Run the application file.


• Follow step by step procedure of installation.

Hot Spot Studio is one of the best freeware that gives light effects to your photos in a blink, and makes them more attractive. Download Hot Spot Studio for free.

RedShift - Free Software Installer Maker

RedShift is a simple software installer maker that you can use to quickly make an installer. You just need to provide splash image, license text, path of files, and path of exe file, and RedShift will create a single executable file that you can distribute.

RedShift is pretty basic in nature, and useful when you want to create a simple installer for your exe file. So, instead of distributing the files separately, you can package them in this neat installer.

Interface of RedShift installation system is quite intuitive. You can provide name of your application, name of company, welcome text, splash image, icon, and paths of various files. Then click on “Run Installer”, and it will create a self-contained executable file that can be distributed as an installer for your software.

Redshift Installer maker is completely free. Download free here.

How to format hard disk on windows

If you want to format hard disk windows xp follow these steps.

Open My Computer, select the hard disk that you want to format, right click and select format (see picture)

Format Hard Disk Windows XP

Now to continue with format hard disk windows xp, you can leave all the settings to default, and click format ( see picture )

Confirm Format Hard Disk Windows XP

You should be aware that when you format your hard disk in windows xp all of the data stored in the disk will be deleted!

Congratz, your hard disk is formatted.

How to format Windows 7

Windows 7 is far better than previous windows versions (XP and Vista). The install process is plain simple and easy to follow. Big Bravo! for Microsoft for this. Now, just follow these steps and you will install windows 7 in no time

You can Install Windows 7 via DVD Disk you’ve purchased or with bootable USB.

This post explains installing windows 7 with dvd disk.

- 31 steps total, every step is screen-captured

First, insert your Windows 7 Boot Disk into your dvd drive and reboot your PC

• While the PC is rebooting, you will be prompted ” Press any key to boot from CD…” Just press any key here
  
  
  


• After you press a key, windows will load installation files.


• Windows 7 setup will start


• Select your language, time and currency format and keyboard input (US)


• Click Install Now to proceed


• Setup will load for a min or two


• If you do, select I accept the license terms and click Next


• If you are upgrading from Windows Vista select Upgrade, if you had Windows XP you have to select Custom (Advanced). Upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 is not available. Click Custom (Advanced)


• Select the Partition where you want to install Windows 7 and click Next. You will need at least 5716mb free space.


• If you don’t have enough free space to Install Windows 7, you will receive the following warning


• If that’s the case, you will need to format the partition where you previously had Operating System installed. WARNING: Formatting a partition will erase all existing data on the partition, proceed only if you have backed up all your files!


• If you want to format the partition, go to Drive optionsand format the partition where you want to install windows 7. Again, do this only if you have backed up your documents/files!
  
  click format and then yes


• After you press Next, Windows 7 Installation will begin. Approximately takes about 30 min to 1 hour to finish, depending on your computer speed.


• After half an hour, setup is complete and windows 7 installation is almost finished. Few more minutes


• Now your computer will reboot, since the Windows 7 DVD boot disk is still in the drive, the message press any key to boot from DVD will appear. We already did that, so this time DO NOT press anything. Just wait 5 sec and your PC will continue booting and finish installing your operating system.


• Windows will continue booting and installing, almost there!

• Finally!Insert your name (this will be your windows username)


• If you want to, insert password for your computer. ( Hey….you won’t forget it, right? :) )


• Insert your Windows 7 product key and press Next


• Do you want Microsoft Updates for your new operating system? It is highly recommend you know…! Select use recommended settings


• It’s time for Time zone, select yours from the drop down menu


• Depending on your location, select the appropriate network location.


• If you have more than 1 computer, type homegroup password for sharing files. Make sure to remember it


• Windows is finalizing your settings


• Can you see the finish line ? Yup, we’re there


• That’s it. Now insert your computer manufacturer drivers CD and install drivers. Also FYI, Windows 7 has great driver support, go to Start –> Control Panel –> Select View By = Small Icons –> Click Windows Update


• Check for updates and click on optional updates, to see which drivers windows 7 found for your computer automatically.

Install Windows 7 - Welcome screen

How to format Windows XP

This explains step-by-step how to format hard drive partition using the Windows XP installation CD.

Before you continue, make sure you have backup of all documents you may need that are saved in C:, My Documents folder or your desktop.

Tip: Click the images to enlarge.

• Step 1- Installation CD Insert your Windows XP installation disc into your CD or DVD drive.

 

• Step 2 – Restart your computer and start Windows setup using Microsoft Windows bootable XP disk


• Restart your computer. As you computer boots, a screen with message “Press any key to boot from CD..” will show up counting from 9 to 0, here you need to press any key to start the setup. Note: If your computer doesn’t display the “Press any key to boot from CD..” message (by default it should), check your motherboard manual for info where to enable the “Boot from CD” setting, after you enable “Boot from CD” option from your BIOS, the message will show.


• Step 3 – System LoadingAfter you enter the setup, the CD will load up a blue screen and will start loading operating system files (this make take few minutes). When it finishes, it will list a few options, “Press ENTER to set up Windows XP now” is the one we need. Click it.


• Step 4 – Accept Windows usage agreementSecond screen is “The windows usage agreement”. It should be displayed now, showing that you need to press F8 to accept the agreement. Press F8 to accept. How to format a computer


• Step 5 – Setup startIf an existing Windows XP installation is detected by the system, you are prompted to repair it. We will bypass this step


• Step 6 – Delete old partition and formatAt this point you need to select the partition where you prefer to install Windows Xp. This is where you will delete your partition and format drive C. The box in the lower half of the screen shows all your drives and the partitions that currently exist on your hard disk. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to highlight/select your “C:” partition and press the “D” key (pic 6.1). On the next screen press the ‘L’ key (pic 6.2) to confirm that you want to delete partition “C:”, and finalize the deleting of the partition. (if you have only “Unpartitioned space” and you have no C: or D: partitions, skip this step) How to format a computer


• Step 7 – Create installation partitionNow you should be back on the screen prompted to choose where to install Windows. The box on the lower half of the screen should no longer show a partition, instead of “C:” you should see “Unpartitioned space xxxxxMB”. Select/highlight this with the arrow keys and press the “C” key to create a partition on the drive (this is where you will install windows). Now setup tells you the minimum and maximum sizes the partition can use and lets you pick the size. The default size is the maximum available, leave the default value and press Enter.


• Step 8 – Format the computer (the hard disk)This screen lets you choose the file system you prefer the drive to be formatted with. Choose NTFS “Quick” (recommended because NTFS is faster and more secure). Use the arrow keys to select and hit Enter. How to format a computer


• Step 9 – Start Windows XP Setup Setup will start to and will auto-format the “C:” partition, and start with Windows XP installation. From here you are all set and the installation of Windows will proceed. This will take a while. The computer will reboot several times, and will continue with installation. Don’t remove the Windows XP setup CD, and don’t press a key when prompted (we already did that).

How to format Windows Vista

In this tutorial we will be installing clean version of Windows Vista.

Usually people format windows vista in try to fix their system, repair some functionality or upgrade from windows XP.

Recommended: If you are not sure about your computer hardware compatibility with Windows Vista, get this Upgrade Advisor and check your system compatibility. Next make sure that you have the Drivers CD (that came when you’ve purchased your PC), or if you don’t have them, download the latest Vista drivers for your hardware (you can find them at the support section of your hardware manufacturer, remember to save them to different partition than “C:” (don’t save them in MyDocuments folder, it will get deleted with the formatting), safest way is to store them in other partition than C: (ex. D: , E: , removable drive like USB or burn them on a CD/DVD)

Now after you are sure that your PC is compatible with Vista, and you have all the drivers saved, you can proceed with Formatting Windows Vista.

• Step 1. Insert your Windows Vista DVD. The DVD is bootable so after you restart your PC (with the DVD inside) the Windows Vista Setup will begin loading ( if the setup doesn’t start automatically, make another restart and press F2, or F8 after the boot screen and select boot from DVD ).


• Step 2. The first screen of the Format Windows Vista sequence will show up. At this point you need to select your Language and Time and currency format (click the image to enlarge). Press Next.


• Step 3. Press Install Now

• Step 4. After a min you will be asked for your Product Key.Scenario 1: If you don’t have your product key, you can skip this step and at the next step you will be asked to pick Vista Package that you want to install : Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate. If you install windows vista without providing product key, after 14 days you will have to enter a valid product key, or if you don’t, you’ll be forced to format windows vista again. This is good if you want to test which windows vista version is best for you, before your purchase.
  
  Scenario 2: You enter your product key (keep it handy!), and at the next screen your purchased version will be auto-recognized.


• Step 5. Accept the Microsoft Windows User License Terms and press Next


• Step 6. Dialog – “Which type of installation do you want ?”Scenario 1: If you already have another operating system installed (ex. Windows XP) you will have the Upgrade option enabled. It’s up to you to decide if you prefer “clean” install or upgrading from previous Windows Installation. Clean install is recommended for improving system performance, and Upgrade Setup is recommended if you have some files in your C: , My Documents, or Desktop folders that you don’t want deleted.
  
  Scenario 2: You already have operating system installed but you want to format your drive, deleting the old system and installing fresh Windows Vista copy. In that case select the C: drive and press Format ( don’t format all drives! only the primary where we are installing Windows Vista – ” C: “. The setup will do the rest.


• Step 7. Select Disk 0 and click Next


• Step 8. The copy process will begin. This process can take some time, so relax a bit, make a coffee or something :D . Your input won’t be required here for some time.


• Step 9. After Windows Vista Setup finishes, the computer will reboot.


• Step 10. Windows Vista files are copied , and now setup will configure Windows Vista for your PC. This step will take some really good time.


• Step 11. Installing Windows Vista finishes, insert your User Name and Password here.


• Step 12. Give your PC a name! and select one of the colorful backgrounds


• Step 13. Select your preferred security settings. If this computer is not behind a firewall, the best option is the ” Use Recommended settings”. If you are using firewall then you can select “Install important updates only” (Windows Update). If you want to be protected and your Windows Vista to have the latest updates from Microsoft , select the first option.


• Step 14. Select your time zone and location.


• Step 15. Network Configuration – Select your computer location. This settings sets your network permissions.


• Step 15. This is self explanatory :) Welcome to your new Windows Vista Operating System


• Step 16. After you press Start, some Windows Vista settings will be upgraded automatically.


• Step 17. You now need to install some drivers that the system will not install automatically.

You’ve finished installing Windows Vista.

How To Install An OS Off Of A Flash Drive

After a lot of experimentation, disastrous mistakes, slow download speeds and finally, success, I have written this guide to educate the common user, DIY, and IT in installing Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and many major Linux distributions from a USB flash drive. Please note that all techniques described in this guide do have risks, most of the time due to human mistake. We do not claim any liability for these mistakes unless they can be proved to be directly due to this guide, and a kind PM sent to the author will help improve this guide if the user does come across any mistakes on my part.

Installing Windows:
This section will describe how to make a bootable flash drive for use of installing Windows. Support in this guide includes Windows Vista and Windows 7, basically all Windows NT 6.x systems are supported. Regrettably, Windows NT 5.x systems (Windows XP, etc) are yet to be added, due to some software complications that have yet to be sorted out.
What you need is:

An empty 2 GB USB 2.0 or 3.0 compliant flash drive.
A USB 2.0 or 3.0 compliant USB port, this will include most computers manufactured in the last 5-6 years.
A Windows Vista, Windows 7, or other Windows NT 6.x family OS install disc. It can be either x86 or x64.
A computer with Windows Vista or above installed.

Ok, now that you’ve ascertained that you have all the requirements, let’s get started.
First, open an elevated command prompt by typing cmd into the search box and pressing enter, and then hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
Type the following commands, pressing enter after each one:
Code:

DISKPART
LIST DISK

In the list, you will see a list of disks, each with a number. The disk whose size corresponds to the size of your flash drive should be your flash drive. It is very important that you select the right one, as data could be lost. Remember the number next to your flash drive.
Now, type the following commands (pressing enter after each one):
Code:

SELECT DISK x (replace x with the flash drive number you memorized earlier)
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK
ASSIGN
EXIT

Don’t close the prompt window.
Place your Windows DVD into your DVD drive, and remember the drive letter of the DVD drive and your flash drive. Then go back to the prompt and type the following commands, pressing enter after each one:
Code:

X: CD BOOT (where x is your DVD drive)
CD BOOT
BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 Y: (where y is your flash drive letter)

Then copy the entire contents of your Windows DVD to your flash drive, and restart. It should boot.
For those familiar with the bootsect command, the nt52 switch has not proven successful for me while trying to get XP on the flash drive, before you ask. If you have a way to put the Windows XP installation files on a flash drive and make it bootable, please let me know.

Installing Mac OS X:
This section will describe how to make a bootable flash drive for use of installing Mac OS X. Support in this guide includes all versions of Mac OS X.
What you need is:

An empty 5-8 GB USB 2.0 or 3.0 compliant flash drive
A USB 2.0 or 3.0 compliant USB port, this will include most Macs manufactured in the last 5-6 years.
A Mac OS X 10.x.x install disc.
A Mac running OS X.

Ok, now that you've ascertained that you have all the requirements, let's get started.
First, open the Utilities folder by pressing Shift + Command + U, and open Disk Utility.



Insert your Mac OS X Install disc. Select it in the list in the Disk Utility, and click Restore.
Drag the Mac OS X Install disc from the list to the Source box.
Then plug in your USB drive, and drag it from the list to the Destination box.


Check the Erase Destination box and click Restore. After a few minutes, you will have a bootable USB drive with Mac OS X on it.
To test your drive, open System Preferences>Startup Disk, enter your administrator’s password if necessary, and then select the disk you restored to with Disk Utility, and then click Restart. You can also hold down the Option key after the startup chime, and select the disk.

Installing Linux:
This section will describe how to make a bootable flash drive for use of installing some Linux distributions. Support in this guide includes the Ubuntu family, version 10.10 and lower, with experiments performed on 10.04 and 9.10, and a few other distributions I have not experimented with but should work.
What you need is:

An empty 1-8 GB USB 2.0 or 3.0 compliant flash drive.
A USB 2.0 or 3.0 compliant USB port, this will include most computers manufactured in the last 5-6 years.
A distribution’s ISO image or disc.
A computer with preferably Ubuntu 10.10 or Windows XP, Vista, or 7 (yes Windows )

The following files/utilities:

Unetbootin for either Windows or Linux (http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/)
Or, if you prefer a wizard interface, Pendrive Linux (www.pendrivelinux.com)

The Unetbootin and Pendrive Linux interface is pretty intuitive, I doubt it's necessary to write instructions on how to use them.
Also, you can put Ubuntu on a flash drive through Ubuntu by navigating System>Preferences>Startup Disk Creator and going from there.

Conclusion:
If you followed this short guide correctly, you should now have a USB drive containing the Windows, MacOS X, or Linux setup files. Congratulations!
Notes on Future Improvement:
If you (the reader) think it necessary to include more documentation on the Linux utilities, Unetbootin and Pendrive Linux, please comment.
If any more screenshots are needed, I'll be happy to provide them.
As for advanced configuration of the setup files before copying them to the USB drive, I'm still having a little trouble with that and may just go and write a whole new guide on how to patch the setup files when I'm done with my research.

(By lucasbytegenius)

I feel this post is very good and helpful. So, I try to do and get totally successful. Enjoy it if you want to get convenient! Let's action...

How to increase RAM size with an USB flash

It's easy to increase RAM size without buying a new expansive one. You need only a cheap usb flash to do that. Let's learn by this video!

How to restore your windows with Norton Ghost

When many problems occur to your PC such as virus, errors of softwares, OS or your PC is very slow... The best way to resolve is restore your computer with the backup file .GHO. And this video will guild you to do it. Let's watch!

Windows 7 Tip - Change the login screen background

Sweet Home 3D

This is a free interior design application that helps you place your furniture on a house 2D plan, with a 3D preview! 



Sweet Home 3D aimed at people who want to design their interior quickly, whether they are moving or they just want to redesign their existing home. Numerous visual guides help you draw the plan of your home and layout furniture. You may draw the walls of your rooms upon the image of an existing plan, and then, drag and drop furniture onto the plan from a catalog organized by categories. Each change in the 2D plan is simultaneously updated in the 3D view, to show you a realistic rendering of your layout.

 

A Simple, Fast and Easy, Online Weather Source

I am a real fan of weather applications and it is amazing how the development of these applications have evolved over the years to where there are numerous sources to go to for the weather.

Recently, I came across a lesser known online source called HAMWeather that has really become my daily go to source for the weather.

What I like about HAMWeather is that the page is a fast loader; and is laid out very nicely to give you your current conditions, the outlook, the extended forcast and some adjoining radar maps (with no ads).  The site also loads nicely on the tablet PC’s and smartphones, as well.

HAMWeather does not stop there…  If you dig further and follow the top menu bar links you will see numerous other options you can load to get further specifics.

From what I could tell, HAMWeather can provide weather conditions for any location in the world; however, the weather details are lessened depending on the location you are looking for.

A Free application to Transfer Music and Video Files From An iPod/iPod Touch/iPhone to a PC

I came across this application, that is FREE, called Sharepod, that may be of some usefulness to those who are iPod, iPod Touch or iPhone users.  Sharepod helps solve one of the most common dilemmas that is out there; and that is an EASY method to transfer or backup your iTunes music library to your Windows based PC.

 

If you are an owner of any of these devices, I would make this software a must-have on your computer. As a computer guru, I am often asked, “Is there a way to transfer or backup my music on my iPod?”.

SharePodis easy to use and works! Heres some of the main features:

• Add & remove music and videos from your iPod


• Add, remove and edit playlists


• Add & remove album art


• View and backup photos


• Copy music, videos and playlists from your iPod to PC


• Import music/videos into your iTunes library, including playlists and ratings


• Tag editing


• Drag n’ drop to and from Explorer


• Simple, clean interface


• Quick to load and use with no unnessary complicated features


• Support for iPhone and iTouch

Get Yourself a nice Free Desktop Alarm Clock !

Hello, today I want to introduce to you a collection of very beautiful clock for your desktop. Windows already has its own system clock, right there on the bottom right corner of your interface.

So, why would you want another clock ?

The answer is that Vector Clock is not just any clock. It's a fully scalable desktop alarm clock
that can be placed anywhere on your screen, rotated with total freedom, resized to any scale and
set in 3D perspective view without losing any quality. Plus, it doesn't require installation and it's FREE.



Vector Clock is customizable. There are detailed Clock Options in the
settings. It also nicely integrates with Your desktop - You can choose to pin the clock
to desktop, use it as a normal window, keep it on top or even force it to foreground
(when in click-through mode). Plus some other options, such as "hide on mouse over",
"start with Windows" and "clock transparency" configuration.

Alarm function let You set up message and sound to play on due time (wav, mp3, midi).
You can use it also as a simple countdown timer - after checking on the "Now plus" option, clock
will compute a future alarm time based on delay you define (eg. after 5 minutes).

Time Zones allows You to set each clock into the different Time Zone (eg. New York, Paris, Tokyo).
This way, You can have a handy World Clock on Your desktop.
Date on each clock indicates, if there is yesterday, today or tomorrow. Clock in time zone automatically
computes shift of Daylight Time Saving (DST). Time zone labels can be customized.

It is portable - each clock is just 1MB single EXE and you can put it on the
USB stick to carry it around. No installation is required - just put it wherever You want
(eg. on desktop) - and run it. For bundle of more than one clocks, a convenient installer and uninstaller
is included, which lets you choose whether to install clocks as a native Windows App or as a
Portable App (on external drive for example).

3 Fun Christmas Websites For Kids

Here are 3 fun Christmas websites for Kids which are full of Christmas stuffs, and would give a complete feel of Christmas to you and your kids. These Christmas websites for kids are always coming up with new stuff related to Christmas and for sure your small kids would definitely enjoy their time on these websites. These Christmas websites for kids websites are absolutely free and they don’t require any kind of personal information.

Claus.com:

Claus.com is one of the most interactive Christmas website among other fun Christmas websites for kids, which is totally related to Santa Claus and his other stuff. This website has got a complete Santa Claus village that includes a Reindeer barn, ELF school, toy workshop, village shops, Holiday sing along. You may visit each of them by clicking on them and see what all is happening there. And trust me they all can excite your kids and make them happy on this Christmas. This site allows you to check your nice or naughty ratings with it’s Nice O Meter. Moreover you may visit the toy workshop and select Your ELF buddy. You may also see Santa enjoying snowball fights and playing the game of basketball and more which you can enjoy when you visit this website.

Northpole.com:

Northpole.com is another website which also includes a village that is owned by Santa Claus. This village includes a toy shop, mail room, club house, kitchen , Santa’s den, workshop, weather station, Elf Pal academy and a reindeer barn that gives you complete touch and feel of Christmas celebration. To view what all is happening in the village you may visit each and every small building by clicking on them. This website allows you to even check whether you are naughty or nice. Moreover you may view Santa’s favorite movies, music and books. This website even lets you to create your own personalized stories in which you are a star of the story. You may write and send a letter to Santa and for sure he will write back a letter. This website also shows days left for this Christmas.

Santa.net:

Santa.net is a fun Christmas website that includes a Village of Santa Claus. And this village includes Santa’s house, Toy factory, reindeer which can be easily visited with a single click to view what all is happening inside each of them. And there are  other option like Blog with Santa, Santa Chat, Visit with Santa on vacation and more. You may view lyrics for various Christmas songs. History of Santa Claus can be also viewed with a single click. Moreover you can make a wish list. This website also includes other options to enhance your Christmas experience.
So these are 3 fun Christmas websites for kids which can give a Christmas feel to your kids.

The Simplest Way to Print A List of Filenames In A Folder

Have a large listing of music files, movie files, picture files, etc…?  I bet there has been the occasion that you wished there was a simple way to get a printout of those listings. There is and it is with Directory List and Print.

Directory List and Print requires no installation (is a portable app) and is a must-have on your flash drive. There is a FREE version, as well as a Pro Version.  I have found the FREE version to be sufficient in most cases.

Features:

• Selection of directories to be listed by a tree structure.
• Selection of directories by entering the path as a text string.
• Drag & Drop of directories (or a file) from Windows Explorer.
• Integration of “Open in Directory List & Print” in the directory context menu of Windows Explorer.
• Direct selection of important system directories as “My Documents” etc.
• Listing of sub-directories and/or files and looping through sub-directories (recursion).
• Update file list automatically or manually.
• Display of last modification date.
• Display of last modificatione time.
• Display of file size.
• Display of file name with or without directory path.
• Display of file names with or without file extensions.
• Indication of number of entries of files and directories in the list.
• Print directory listing, direct printing of corresponding list.
• Export list into other programs by copying to the clipboard. The corresponding data will be organized in columns and separated by tabs so that the list can be pasted directly into Excel ™ as a table.
• Open the list directly in Microsoft Word™ and Excel™.
• Support for connecting and disconnecting network drives.
• Automatic saving of display options when exiting the program.
• Start program with a directory path as a parameter.
• Portable Application, no installation necessary.

A Very Small Program You Can Use to Take Advantage of Your Scanner

Scanners are excellent devices to electronically archive documents, receipts, news clippings, articles, etc… ; however, the software that ships with these devices are often difficult for the end-user to understand.

To help you get over the hump in scanner usage I found a very small software utility called WinScan2PDF (40K) that gives you the ability to scan documents and save them on your computer as a PDF file (Adobe Portable Document Format).

Due to the small file size of WinScan2PDF,  I carry it around with me on my flash drive and have found it very useful when I need to quickly scan or copy a document.  Talk about easy to use…  Simply select the source (which will be your printer/scanner), click on “Scan to PDF” and the scanning process will initiate; and, following the scanning process you will be given opportunity to save the file as a PDF file.  Very handy utility…

Liberate Your Flash Drive with LiberKey

Managing apps on a flash drive can be a real challenge even for the polished IT professional. Flash Drives have given us the liberty to transport files from PC to PC and the ability to run apps (software applications) directly from these little buggers. Again the problem that occurs is the ability to manage and organize what we place on these drives.  I can remember when flash drives first came out and developers started creating portable apps. These apps were far and few between; however, today the portable apps available number into the hundreds.  You literally can create a computer on a stick…

To help manage what you place on your flash drive and to help you decide what apps to install, I use a portable menu management utility called LiberKey.

The abilities of LiberKey are phenomenal and will, in a sense, take complete charge of your drive. The most important feature I like about LiberKey is after I select the apps I want I can go back at anytime and have LiberKey update the apps to the current version. As a matter of fact, being big on flash drive usage, this feature alone is worth its’ weight in gold. I do not know how many times I have installed a portable app on my flash drive and never take the time to perform updates.

LiberKey is FREE; is host to over 292 applications that you can select from; plus, if you are not in the mood to specifically select what apps you want to install, you can actually take the lazy man’s way out and download a complete suite of apps in a batch.

A FREE Full-Fledged Disc Burning Tool

I do not know about you, but I like simple; especially when it comes to disc burning software. In my book, the disc burning software package that meets the criteria for being simple, is Burnaware Home.

I have often found that the majority of software that is designed to burn discs is overladen with bells and whistles that is often very confusing to the end-user; especially, us folks at home who only want to burn the occasional disc.

I have found Burnaware to be one of the easiest burning software packages to work with that uses minimal system resources to get the job done.  The initial interface that you work from is a series of icons where you simply point and shoot.  It does not get any easier than this.

BurnAware Home easily handles such tasks as data backup to various optical media, creation of fully configurable bootable discs, creation and writing to multisession discs, conversion of popular audio formats and creation of Audio CDs, creation of DVD discs that can be played on home DVD players and popular consoles, as well as disc image burning and grabbing. Extras include the ability to create disc copies directly to another drive, extract files from sessions and music tracks from Audio CDs.

The only negative I can say about BurnAware is that during the installation routine it will prompt you to install the ASK browser toolbar.  You can opt out of this by unchecking the boxes during the install.

The software supports the most popular Windows versions, including NT/2000/XP/Vista/7 (32 and 64-bit) and does not require the .NET framework to operate.

Make Windows Virtual Desktops with Dexpot

Today, let's make more workspaces with only one physical monitor with Dexpot. It's very convenient!
Dexpot turns your monitor into up to 20 monitor workspaces. Dexpot creates additional workspaces you can quickly switch between. Take, for example, Desktop 1 to listen to your favourite music, surf the web on Desktop 2, use Desktop 3 to handle your daily word processing or switch to Desktop 4 for a game of Solitaire.Different icons, wallpapers, start-ups, and much more can be configured for each desktop.

First, download Portable Dexpot here.
After extract, you run file dexpot.exe to start the program. Please view the video for instruction to use

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xizzPj5v704]

How to format Windows XP and reinstall

This explains step-by-step how to format hard drive partition using the Windows XP installation CD.

Before you continue, make sure you have backup of all documents you may need that are saved in C:, My Documents folder or your desktop.
Tip: Click the images to enlarge.

• Step 1- Installation CD Insert your Windows XP installation disc into your CD or DVD drive.

 

• Step 2 – Restart your computer and start Windows setup using Microsoft Windows bootable XP disk


• Restart your computer. As you computer boots, a screen with message “Press any key to boot from CD..” will show up counting from 9 to 0, here you need to press any key to start the setup. Note: If your computer doesn’t display the “Press any key to boot from CD..” message (by default it should), check your motherboard manual for info where to enable the “Boot from CD” setting, after you enable “Boot from CD” option from your BIOS, the message will show.


• Step 3 – System LoadingAfter you enter the setup, the CD will load up a blue screen and will start loading operating system files (this make take few minutes). When it finishes, it will list a few options, “Press ENTER to set up Windows XP now” is the one we need. Click it.


• Step 4 – Accept Windows usage agreementSecond screen is “The windows usage agreement”. It should be displayed now, showing that you need to press F8 to accept the agreement. Press F8 to accept. How to format a computer


• Step 5 – Setup startIf an existing Windows XP installation is detected by the system, you are prompted to repair it. We will bypass this step


• Step 6 – Delete old partition and formatAt this point you need to select the partition where you prefer to install Windows Xp. This is where you will delete your partition and format drive C. The box in the lower half of the screen shows all your drives and the partitions that currently exist on your hard disk. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to highlight/select your “C:” partition and press the “D” key (pic 6.1). On the next screen press the ‘L’ key (pic 6.2) to confirm that you want to delete partition “C:”, and finalize the deleting of the partition. (if you have only “Unpartitioned space” and you have no C: or D: partitions, skip this step) How to format a computer


• Step 7 – Create installation partitionNow you should be back on the screen prompted to choose where to install Windows. The box on the lower half of the screen should no longer show a partition, instead of “C:” you should see “Unpartitioned space xxxxxMB”. Select/highlight this with the arrow keys and press the “C” key to create a partition on the drive (this is where you will install windows). Now setup tells you the minimum and maximum sizes the partition can use and lets you pick the size. The default size is the maximum available, leave the default value and press Enter.


• Step 8 – Format the computer (the hard disk)This screen lets you choose the file system you prefer the drive to be formatted with. Choose NTFS “Quick” (recommended because NTFS is faster and more secure). Use the arrow keys to select and hit Enter. How to format a computer


• Step 9 – Start Windows XP Setup Setup will start to and will auto-format the “C:” partition, and start with Windows XP installation. From here you are all set and the installation of Windows will proceed. This will take a while. The computer will reboot several times, and will continue with installation. Don’t remove the Windows XP setup CD, and don’t press a key when prompted (we already did that).

Here is the step by step instruction videos