Nothing is more frustrating when something just won't work after spending hours trying to make it work. That's what PC's and wireless networks do best…frustrate you to no end.

One of the biggest problems I come across, is when someone can't get their PC connected to their wireless home network. Yet, it seems to connect everywhere else but in their house.

Before I get the chance to look at it, I hear a long laundry list of things that were attempted to get the wireless connection working. Like re-typing the encryption password a thousand times, "rebooting the router first then my PC" (and a dozen other different ways), even moving the PC closer to the router.

Nothing works

But there are always two things missing in that list, if checked, may have saved hours of frustration and allowed more hours of surfing the web.

The "Usual" Culprit

The biggest item that can easily trip you up when troubleshooting wireless connection problems is NOT checking the wireless speed configuration on the router and PC.

Wireless speeds are 802.11 b/g/n, where:

• 802.11b operates at a maximum throughput speed of 11Mbit/second (and is being phased out with newer PC's and routers)

• 802.11g operates at a maximum throughput speed of 54 Mbits/second

• 802.11n operates at a maximum throughput speed of 300 Mbit/second

Say you have a router that supports b, g and n speeds. Your PC, which you owned for a while, may have a wireless card that is only capable of running b and g speeds, but still won't connect to the router.

Chances are, if you check your wireless router configuration, it may be set to enforce g only. Because of this, it's not allowing your PC to connect with one of the lower speeds (in this case b or g).

The solution, change the speed configuration on the router to auto or mix (allowing for all speeds that is supported by the router). You PC will now be able to connect to your router…finally.

This solution will also work for your other devices that may be having trouble connecting to your wireless router, such as Xbox, PS3, Wii, Android phone or IPhone. Basically anything that can connect via a wireless connection.

NOTE: When you select "Auto" on your router, the maximum speed on your network will be determined by the slowest device connected to your router. For example, if you have two devices that can connect using 802.11n, and one device that connects using 802.11g, the max speed on your network will be 802.11g (54 Mbits/second). There is nothing wrong with this, but you should be aware of this when troubleshooting wireless speed problems.

If you don't want to change your router configuration to auto, check your PC wireless network card setting. It's possible, the speed it uses may only be set to use g, while your router is set to use n only (instead of auto). Typically PC wireless network cards are usually set to auto, but it never hurts to verify.

To check the settings on your Windows PC :

• click on Start, then enter ncpa.cpl in the Run box (on Windows 7 you can also click on Start -> Control Panel -> Network and Sharing Center -> Change adapter settings).
• next right click on your wireless adapter and select properties.

• then click the Configure button

• make sure the advanced tab is selected, and look for the speed setting (some network cards are set auto by default and do not provide an option to change it.

Another scenario, is when your router only supports connection speeds of g and n, while your PC wireless card is old and can only run b connections.

If this is the case, check to see if a new driver is available for the wireless card. Otherwise, you may need to purchase a new wireless card to solve the problem.

As you can see, there are many scenarios that could be tripping you up when trying to troubleshoot wireless speed problems. Bottom line, check all devices and make sure they are configured to use the same speed or are set to auto.

Keep in mind, if you don't use auto configuration on your router and set it to use only one speed, you may run into problems down the road when attempting to setup other devices in your home. Just something you will need to be aware of (and avoid being frustrated).

The "Other" Culprit

Wireless is great and eliminates the hassle of needing to connect devices using cables or wires. One drawback to a wireless signal is that it can be prone to interference.

Such is the case when PC or devices are unable to communicate with your router (or very poorly). Most Wireless routers operate at 2.4Ghz band (other WI-Fi routers may use 5Ghz band). In this band, you can select a Channel (1,4,6, 9, 11, etc) to broadcast on.

This is where  issues with connectivity can occur, such as wireless connections constantly dropping (after being connected), poor performance, etc.

If you have phones or even a microwave that operates on or close to the band (such as 2.4Ghz) that your router is operating on, the possibility exist for causing havoc on your wireless network.

The solution? Try changing the channel your router is broadcasting on. By doing so, you may be able to move far enough away on the channel (frequency) spectrum that the offending devices are on, and eliminate the problem.

To make the change, access your wireless router administration page and select a channel.

For example, if you have a Linksys router, open up your browser and enter http://192.168.1.1 or https://192.168.1.1.

Once you have connected and logged on to to your Wireless router, go to the page for the Wireless channel setting, and change it to another channel. You may need to experiment to see which channels performs best for you.

NOTE: If you still can't connect to your router, open a command prompt on your PC (click Start -> then enter cmd in the run box). At the prompt, enter ipconfig.  Look for your wireless adapter and use the IP address next to Default Gateway.

If You Still Can't Connect

Another possible reason you can't get your PC or devices connected, could be caused by the encryption type.

If WPA2 is being used on your wireless router, make sure you are using WPA2 on the device that you are trying to connect. If you are using WEP (hopefully not), the same is needed on the connecting device.

NOTE: WEP encryption is very weak and can be easily comprised. If at all possible use WPA2 with a loooooong strong password.

With one of these solutions, hopefully you can get connected and watching the net!

When it comes to cell phones, it's easy to get distracted when a new text message arrives, someone tweets you, or the unthinkable happens…the phone rings.

One example is when the application notification pops up alerting you that updates are available.

If you acknowledge the notification,without updating  applications (due to being distracted), the notification goes away and you're left wondering how to update those applications.

You can always wait for the next application update notification to appear, but who knows when that will occur.

Instead, you can simply update the apps manually. Here's how.

NOTE: All screen shots are from HTC Thunderbolt.

• Just find the Market widget and tap to open it.

NOTE: If you don't see the Market widget, just tap on the All Apps icon at the bottom of the screen and scroll down until you find the Market widget.

• Once Market has opened, tap Menu button, then tap on My Apps.

You will see the My Apps screen that you normally see when you are notified and can proceed to update any apps that need to be updated.

Also, don't forget, if you have more than one Google account setup on your phone, you can check for any apps that need to be updated under that account.

To do so, just tap on the pull down arrow (while still in Market) and choose the account.

One you have completed updating your applications, you are finished and will never need to worry about being distracted again with updating your apps.

Sometimes it's nice when big brother is watching over you.

Such is the case when you accidentally delete an email message from your mailbox. If the Trash can was not emptied, after the message was deleted, you're in luck to easily recover the email.

But what if you delete a contact from your address book? There's no Trash can to catch deleted contacts. Once the contact is deleted, it's gone and you are out of luck.

…not really.

This is where big brother has your back, because by default Comcast automatically backs up your address book for you (even if you don't manually back up online yourself).

With the automatic address book backup feature, Comcast also provides the capability to restore your address book very easily from a previous point in time.  The great thing about this, it's enable by default.

You can select up to six restore points from the last ninety days (at the time this article was written, it is unknown of the frequency which the backups occur).

To get started with restoring your address book, just log in to your xfinity (Comcast) account, then access your mailbox.

• Click on the Address Book link in the menu bar.

• Then in the address book window, click on the Backup and Restore link in the menu bar.

Here you will see all the available backup points (by date) that you can restore. Notice after each backup point, the number of contacts is listed so you can see how many contacts were backed up at that time as well as the date.

NOTE: Your Outlook, Mac and Windows Mobile address books will be rolled back during a restore, if you installed the Plaxo toolbars and or plug-ins.

To Run A Restore

• Click the Start Recovery Wizard at the bottom right of the window.

• Then click the Restore from: drop down arrow and select the date you want to restore from.

The information displayed will show the number of total contacts and the folder it will be restored to (which is Contacts by default) .

When ready, click the Restore button at the bottom of the window, followed by clicking OK to acknowledge your selections are correct.

When the restore is completed, you should see the following window that the restore was successful. Click Done to close the window.

You will be returned to your address book. If the number of contacts did not update (from the number of contacts that were restored), press F5 to refresh the page.

You should now see the correct number of contacts that were restored next to All Contacts.

So the next time disaster strikes with your contacts, it's good to know with just a couple of clicks, your address book can be restored quickly.

NOTE: If you have a need to just export your entire address, you can do so by following the steps in the article – export your Comcast address book. Once you export, you can then import it into other systems or email clients, but not back into your Comcast address book (which is why they created the restore function shown above).

 

Why is it when you hold on to an email message forever, thinking someday you will need it, that day always arrives just after you delete it from your mailbox?

And so the process begins, where you beat yourself up for not leaving things alone because you just know Murphy's email law (is there such a thing?) would come back and bite you.

You then scramble around praying the message is still sitting in your Hotmail Deleted folder. Only to find it's gone.

Now what?

Well if you are lucky enough, you can use Hotmail's "Recover Deleted Message" feature to get that Email message back…and delete Murphy's law instead.

The Fine Print

Before I show you the steps of the recovery process, here are a few details you need to know.

• When messages are emptied from the Deleted folder, Hotmail will keep these deleted messages for a few days before they are permanently deleted. It is unknown how long. It could be five days, less than five or more.

• Once you recover messages (that can be recover), make sure you move it back to your inbox or personal folders since the Deleted folder gets cleaned out periodically (or else you will lose the message…again).

• You can opt-out of the recovery feature if you like. When you’ve opted-out, you won’t see the recovery message and link in the Deleted folder. More on this and how to opt out, later in the article.

• This feature doesn’t work for child accounts. This is by design. Microsoft reason is so parents can be confident that when messages are deleted from their children’s accounts, they stay deleted.

Recover Your Deleted Messages

Ok, let's get those messages back.

Simply access you Hotmail mailbox and click on the Deleted folder in the left navigation pane.

In the main window, you should see the recover deleted messages link. Click on it to begin the recovery process.

NOTE: If you don't see the link, it may be because you are opted out. To enable the link, follow the Opt Out steps below, and select Let me recover deleted messages (instead of the opt out selection).

The recover deleted emails, will appear in the Deleted folder. Hotmail will try to recover as much as possible.

If you don't see the deleted messages that you wanted restored, it means that they are permanently lost.

How To Opt Out Of the Recovery Feature

There may be reasons you don't want the recovery feature enabled for your Hotmail mailbox, such as privacy concerns, don't want a trail of messages left behind, etc.

What ever the reason, follow these steps to Opt-out:

1. In your Hotmail mailbox click on Options (upper top right), then More Options.

2. Under Customizing Hotmail, click on Advanced privacy settings.

3. Under Deleted messages section, choose Don’t let me recover deleted messages – once they leave the Deleted folder, don’t give me a link to get them back. Then click Save.

That's all there is to it.

A Word on Opting Out If You Been Hacked

If you ever had your mailbox hacked, you know what a nightmare it is to not only get back access, but discover all your messages have been deleted.

Fortunately all is not loss.

In the latest release of Hotmail, Hotmail has changed how recovery works for accounts that have been hacked.

If it looks like an account has been hacked, Hotmail will keep deleted messages longer than normal. By doing so, you will have a better chance of getting your messages back once you gain access to your mailbox.

In the case that you have previously opted out of deleted message recovery, Hotmail will enable the feature for hacked accounts.

If an account looks hacked, Hotmail will disable turning off deleted message recovery, so the hacker can't hide their tracks and permanently delete your messages. According to Hotmail, hackers often delete messages in an email account. Because of this, you will have a decent chance of getting your messages back.

While the recovery deleted messages feature in Hotmail may not be perfect, it still is a feature that other web based email providers don't provide.

Having this much control after accidentally deleting an email, is much better than trying to get those other email providers to recover messages for you.

Good luck with that!

With today's modern computers, running 64-bit version of Windows is the smart choice if you want faster performance and the capability to run games and multi-media memory thirsty applications.

And now that operating systems, such as Windows 7, 8, and newer versions are fully 64-bit capable, more and more applications are also becoming 64-bit compatible, making the choice to run 64-bit Windows a no brainier.

But, you may have noticed over the past few years, advancements with CPU capabilities have become light years ahead of it's time. Which means, we are are able to stretch the use of our computer hardware well beyond the typical life span.

And because of this, you are left wondering if your Computer hardware is 64-bit compatible.

So instead of plunking down hard earn cash for a new Computer, here's how you can easily check, which may save you money in the long run.

Since there are several ways to check, I'll show you two of the simplest ways to not only identify if your computer processor is 64bit capable, but if you are currently running 64-bit or 32-bit Windows.

The Simple Way

The utility I am going to show you will run on just about any version of Windows including XP, Vista, 7 and 8.

It's called 64-bit Checker (appropriately) written by IgorWare.

The best feature of 64bit Checker….no installation is required. It's truly a portable utility, which means for you geeks out there it can run straight from your USB drive.

Once you have downloaded 64bit Checker, and saved it to your desktop, just double click on 64bit-checker.exe to run it.

You should see something similar to the following images.

In the above screen shot, this computer processor is not 64-bit compatible and the current version of XP is 32-bit

 

While this computer shows the processor is 64-bit compatible, and the version of Windows 7 is 32-bit and would be able to run a 64-bit version of Windows.

The Other Way

If you prefer not to download the above utility, and rather use Windows built in utilities, just follow these steps.

Windows Vista, 7 or Higher

• Click the Start button and in the search box, type performance. In the list of search results under Control Panel, click Performance Information and Tools.

• In Windows 7, click View and print detailed performance and system information.

NOTE: For Vista, click View and print details

In the System section, you can see what type of operating system you're currently running next to System type, and whether or not you can run a 64-bit version of Windows next to 64-bit capable. (If your computer is already running a 64-bit version of Windows, you won't see the 64-bit capable listing.)

Windows XP

First check to see if the operating system is running 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

• Click Start then click Run and type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.

• Click the General tab. The operating system is displayed as follows:

For a 64-bit version operating system: Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Version < Year> appears under System.

For a 32-bit version operating system: Windows XP Professional Version <Year> appears under System.

If your system is 64-bit, obliviously your CPU supports 64-bit OS. If it's 32-bit, the following steps will show how to determine if your CPU is 64-bit capable.

• Click Start then click Run and type regedit, and then click OK
• Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor then click 0.

Make note (write down) the Data column for ProcessorNameString and close Regedit.

Shown In the screen shot below, mine is Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU     E8400  @ 3.00GHz. (the information you will see is the processor type in your computer.

Now open your browser, go to Google and enter the information you wrote down.

In the search results, depending on your processor manufacture,  you should see a listing for either Intel or AMD, that you can visit which will list the specifications for your processor

Look for Instruction Set. It will say either 32-bit or 64-bit.

Final Note

If you discover that your CPU is 64bit capable, you probably just saved your self some money and can continue to use it and can go with a version of Windows 64-bit.

To really make sure, it's a  good idea to download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor before you begin the upgrade process.

It scans your PC for potential issues with your hardware, devices, and installed programs, and recommends what to do before you upgrade.

You can download the Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft site.

 

One would think with the massive hard drive sizes available, you would never run out of disk space.

But we all love our music, photos and videos of friends and families making fools out of themselves…unfortunately at the expensive of taking up so much disk space on your hard drive.

While the best way for cleaning up disk space is to move your music, photos and videos to an external hard drive or USB drive, the drawback is not having them available on your Computer if you don't keep the drive always connected.

So how can you make more disk space available, without sacrificing not having good old Uncle Bud making a fool out of himself on demand?

Simply by searching for large files that have not been accessed in a long time.

With newer versions of Windows, such as Vista, 7, 8, etc…, the built in search utility has improved greatly. With a couple of mouse clicks, you can easily find large files and sort them by the last time they were accessed.

Using Windows Search

For example, say I wanted to clean up my ten gabillion sized music folder that I know I can't live with out, for files that are over 150mb, and sort by  last time they were accessed.

All I need to do is open Windows Explorer (mine is pinned to the taskbar) , and open the folder I want to start the search. In this example the folder is My Music.

Once the folder has opened, click in the Search box located at the top upper right of Windows Explorer (with the magnifying glass).

When I do that, notice the options that are available. One of them is Size under Add a Search Filter.

Here, I can use a pre-defined search query for different sizes. Since I'm looking for big files, selecting Huge (16 128mb) will do just fine.

NOTE: If the size you chose did not find any files in that range, you can select a smaller or larger size, by clearing the search box and selecting Size again to choose another option to search again.

Once the search has completed, you should see a list similar to mine shown below with files that are only between 16mb and 128mb in size. Your view may be different depending on the type of files being searched (documents, videos, etc).

Sorting for Last Accessed Time

Now that you have a listing of files that match the size range selected, you will want to sort them by last time you actually used the file (or accessed it).

To do this, I need to change the current view – Content, which does not list specific information, such as last time they were accessed.

To show that information, just select the Change your view icon on the toolbar by clicking the drop down arrow…

and select Details.

Next, right click after the last column and click on Date Accessed to add the column.

NOTE: If you don't see Date Accessed, just click on More to list all available column items and scroll down until you find Date Accessed. You can also select Size if you want to display the actual size of the file.

Now that you found all large files, you can begin the cleanup either by moving files off your computer or (gasp) deleting them…only if you really don't need them anymore.

Customizing File Size Searches

As you saw with the pre-defined search queries, selecting a specific size range makes searching for items simple and quick.

But what if you want to selected something completely different than what is available?

The solution is easy. You can customize the search by entering your own range.

For example, say you wanted to search for files between8 and 10mb. Just enter in the search box:

size:8mb – 10mb

Or find files less than 6mb:

size:<6mb

Or greater than 10mb:

size:>10mb

You can also change the date range and search for dates between different dates:

datemodified:‎11/‎1/‎2011 .. ‎11/‎12/‎2011

Or just click on the Date modified query and use the calendar.

For all the available options to use with search, check out the Microsoft official documentation for Advanced Query Syntax on MSDN.

Now that I have more disk space available, it's time to download more music and not worry about disk space.

At least for a little while

We are currently living in a connected world. Everywhere you go, you will most likely have access to a computer with an Internet connection.

The computer is used for various things from completing a school assignment to banking. It is therefore, extremely crucial to keep all your files secure in order not be have your personal information compromised.

Here are 5 tips on how you can keep your personal information and files secure.

Tip #1:

When using the Internet, always use a difficult to guess password on all websites. Avoid using a single combination of username/password for all websites.

If your password is too easy to remember, then it is probably not good enough.

Use Password Manager programs like KeePass to keep track of your passwords so that you do not have to crack your brain in order to memorize all your username/password combinations.

Tip #2:

Always make sure your computer itself is password protected. There are ways to configure your computer to auto login or remove the login functionality but you must never do this!

Your computer is the gateway to your personal information and access to the Internet.

Tip #3:

Use encryption software to protect sensitive data. Keep all your sensitive data in one main folder and use a software like TrueCrypt to create an encrypted volume.

We must protect our information from all eventualities. With encrypted volume to store all your sensitive data, even if you lose your laptop, your data will be safe.

Tip #4:

Always keep your firewall and anti-virus software up-to-date. Choose to auto-update so that you do not have to worry about scheduling a time to manually update it.

The computer firewall protects you from hacking attempts. You should also not visit suspicious websites or click on suspicious emails unless you are sure of the source.

Tip #5:

There are many public places offering Internet access. While this may be convenient, do not use such facility to access your private or sensitive information. Do not even open up your personal file using a public computer because you will not know if the computer has been compromised.

Use these 5 tips to keep your files secure. There will be moments where you are tempted to ignore these tips out of convenience. But always remember the value of your personal and sensitive information. Once they are compromised, the repercussions may be really damaging.

 

Author – Irman Surani has over 15 years experience in the IT industry – primarily in networking and project management. Born in Singapore, when he is not at work, he likes to be involved with Internet Marketing, web design, Facebook fan page design, Photoshopping and music. He also conducts training on Photoshop, Social Media and Web Design to his local community in his spare time.

Read his blog for tips on various other topics

Does your mobile bill depress you? Do you wonder how it is possible to use your mobile next to nothing and still receive bills that make your head spin?

Aside from mistakes in the billing system that happen every now and then, there are more fundamental reasons why your mobile bill is so expensive. Here they are, together with what you can do to lower your mobile bill, save some money and spent it on cool gadgets instead.

Wrong Type of Plan

The wrong type of plan is a very common reason for huge bills. Basically, there are three types of plans – pay monthly, PAYG (Pay As You Go), and SIM Only.

Pay monthly is usually the most expensive option because it is a long term contract where you get a subsidized handset in exchange for fewer minutes/texts than SIM only. In some countries this is the only option, so you are out of luck.

If you are on a monthly contract and you don't plan to change your mobile phone soon, check when your contract expires and consider switching to either PAYG, or even better – to SIM only. With PAYG the per minute cost is higher but you pay only for the minutes you have actually used.

SIM only means that you get a SIM card only rather than a mobile phone and a SIM card, as is the case with monthly contracts. SIM only contracts are especially popular in the United Kingdom and Europe as a whole, and if you live in the UK, or plan to move there soon, you might want to check what SIM only deals are available. Unfortunately, if you aren't in the UK, you won't be able to take advantage of these.

The main benefit of SIM only is that you don't pay the hidden cost for getting a handset. You pay only for the minutes/texts you use. Because of this, for the same amount of minutes/texts, SIM only is much cheaper than a monthly contract and PAYG. Therefore, if you switch to SIM only, chances are you will see the most tangible decrease of your mobile bill without having to drastically cut the amount of minutes you use a month.

Wrong Tariff Plan

In addition to the wrong type of plan, the wrong tariff (even if the type of plan is OK) is another common reason why you are paying so much for your mobile calls. If your plan includes much more minutes/texts than you need, you are actually paying for something you are not using. In this case the best you can do is search for a plan that offers an amount closer to your needs. You can have a look at what SIM only plans are available and pick the one that suits you most.

Your Provider Is an Expensive One

Your mobile bill may be expensive because of a very prosaic reason – you have chosen an expensive provider. Competition is driving prices down but still there are providers, whose plans are cheaper and providers, whose plans are more expensive. Unless you have special reasons, such as coverage or contractual obligations, to stick with your expensive provider, you'd better browse what the other providers offer and go for a cheaper one. This move alone can save you a lot.

Monthly Limit Exceeded

When you choose a plan with more minutes/texts you usually use, you end up paying for something you don't use. However, it isn't necessarily better to choose a small plan and regularly exceed it. Depending on your contract, when you exceed your monthly limit, either your service is cut off, or it isn't but you are charged for the extra minutes and this is where the huge bill might come from. In this situation, the best you can do is avoid talking that much, or if you permanently need more minutes/texts consider switching to a more generous plan.

Roaming and International Calls

Nothing makes a bill huge more than international calls and roaming. We do live in a global world and if you have friends, relatives, or simply business partners all over the world, and/or you travel frequently abroad, it is no wonder you are paying really a lot.

To cut your bill, you could consider alternatives, such as Skype. As for roaming, if you spend many days in the same foreign country, it is almost always much cheaper to get a local prepaid card and to use it even for calls to your home country than to use your service in roaming. However, don't take this for granted but check how much you pay for roaming and how much you would pay with a local prepaid card in the foreign country and do the math.

If you follow these simple tips, it is possible to cut your mobile bill in half or even more. By reducing your mobile bill in half you will hardly save millions but why pay lots of money when you have cheaper alternatives and better ways to spend your money?

For more advice and information on SIM only deals, visit http://www.simonlycontracts.co.uk

Windows computers are great, but sometimes we just don’t want to be bothered with all those annoying background beeps, notifications, and alert sounds.

Especially when you are jamming to the latest music that was just downloaded from your favorite music site.

Fortunately, Windows 7 allows you to separately control the volume on those pesky background sounds while allowing you to keep your speakers set to any volume level your ears can take with out busting an ear drum (or speaker cone…which ever comes first).

Here’s how…

To adjustthe volume level for  system background sounds on your Windows 7 computer, simply right click on the Speaker icon in the System tray (next to the clock), and select Open Volume Mixer.

Once the Volume Mixer window opens, look for System Sounds and move the slider (circled in screen shot below) down to lower the sound volume for background noises (alternatively you can mute the sounds all together).

 

With the volume level set to the desired level, any system sounds, beeps and dings will no longer add extra sound effects to your music.

Windows will remember the volume setting until you make another change to the System Sounds.

How many times have you called tech support for a problem you were having with your Windows computer, only to have the technician ask for specific information?

Such as "what is your computer serial number"?

So you quickly scramble to try to look at the back of the computer, only to realize you need a moving crew to reach the computer. Instead, you open Windows System Information Tool, scroll up and down only to find….it's not there!

Uggh, why do computers have to be so difficult when were in a hurry?

Instead of getting frustrated next time, here are two tips for finding your computer serial number quickly.

Windows Tool For Finding Computer Serial Number

One thing that I like about running a Windows operating system, is the assortment of third party tools that are available.

Such as SIW  (System Information Tool), also known as the Swiss army knife of Windows utilities.

SIW provides a wealth of information about your Windows system, including the computer serial number.

Just download the portable SIW tool (no installation required) to your desktop, then extract the zip file -  siw_portable.zip to your Desktop.

Once the contents of the zip file are extracted, open the folder, named SIWPortable…

 

…and double click on the executable file, which will create a second folder, also named SIWPortable.

Inside that second folder, double click on the file SIWPortable.exe to run the portable tool (yes I know, a little convoluted, but it's better than installing more stuff on your computer).

When the tool opens, in the left navigation pane, scroll down to the Hardware section and click on System Summary to display your computer serial number.

As you can see, not only is the serial number displayed, but almost every piece of information about your computer (which will come in real handy during support calls).

Using The CMD Prompt

If you are more of a tech geek, and like to use the cmd prompt to find information about your computer (as well as execute commands), you are in luck.

Just open up a command window , and enter the following command at the prompt:

wmic bios get serialnumber

As you can the wmic command, (with the correct parameters) quickly shows the computer serial number. As a matter of fact the wmic is very powerful and can display more information about your computer using the following command:

wmic csproduct list

For more system information on what the wmic csproduct can display, simple use the help function with the command:

wmic csproduct /?

So the next time you need to cough up your computer serial number in a hurry, just use one of the two methods shown above with out getting frustrated at the tech support person!

Recently my PC became a victim of the old familiar problem that eventually becomes associated with many Windows computers.

The dreaded slow boot problem.

You know, the kind that makes you want to start your Windows computer and log on the night before, so it’s ready for you in the morning.

As always in these cases, I usually turn to the trusty Sysinternals tools, Autoruns, that’s known to fix slow Windows boot up and logon problems.

But this time, the changes made with Autoruns did not seem to make much of an improvement. Something else, somewhere was….being a real pain in the butt.

So, to fix the problem, I needed to do something else…

My problem started after I became complacent and “just” started to install updates and software at once.

I had recently purchased an HP Printer (Photosmart C410a) and installed the available software that came with the printer, as well as run Windows update to get the latest security patches (and Windows 7 SP1) installed.

Because Windows 7 has been running smoothly, reliability issues have become a thing of the past. So I let it rip.

And when everything was completed, I was left with a boot up and logon time, that took forever to complete and connect to my wireless network.

To start the troubleshooting, I used Autoruns and disabled any programs (set to auto run) that could be causing the problem, while keeping track of every change. Soon, it became apparent, that the problem was not with programs that wanted to run during system bootup or login.

So the next logical area that can cause slow boot and login issues, is with Services that are set to auto start.

To see which services are set to start automatically, just click on Start and type services.msc in the run box (on Windows Vista and Windows 7, you can just type services in the search box).

Once the Services console opens, click on the Startup Type column to sort first in the list all services that are set to Automatic. When a service is set to Automatic, the process will run automatically when the computer is started.

Identifying the Culprit

So how do you know which Service or services are causing the problem?

In my case, since I had just installed software (and typically patches do not create new services), I looked for anything that was HP printer related.

In doing so, I found four HP services that were set to Automatic.

To test and see if these services were the culprit, I set them to Disabled clicked Ok to save the changes and reboot the computer.

What A Difference

During boot up, the logon screen appeared quickly. So far so good, but the real test remained. What happens when I log on to the computer?

After logging in, I saw a big difference. The network connected to the wireless router in under 10 seconds (previously it took approx 90 seconds), and the response time of being able to open applications improved greatly.

To permanently solve the original slow boot and logon problem, I opened the Services console again and set the four HP services to delayed start up (Automatic Delayed Start), clicked OK and rebooted.

Problem solved. The computer started up quickly as if it was just rebuilt. No more waiting for eternity just to use my computer.

As it turns out, because the network was being delayed in starting up and connecting to the wireless router, the four services caused the computer to bog down, until they eventually timed out, finally allowing the network to connect.

By setting the four HP services to delay being started, this will give the system time to start up necessary process (such as the network) before the HP services begin to start and prevent them from bogging down the system unnecessarily.

So the next time you have a problem, keep your cool, and think back on what was installed. Then start troubleshooting until you find the problem.

Facebook's terms of service expressly state that by uploading any kind of content, whether in the form of photos or material, you are automatically assigning copyright control to Facebook. All photos you upload to Facebook therefore become the property of Facebook.

This means that Facebook can sell copies of photos posted by you without paying you any form of profit. Whenever you share photos with your Facebook friends you are giving up ownership of any intellectual property rights you may own in the photos you upload.

This applies whether or not you post the photos to a publicy accessible area of Facebook or not.

By posting photos to any area of the Facebook site you are granting an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive global licence, including the right to sub-licence, use, copy, publicly perform, reformat, translate, distribute and the right to make derivative works of the photos to Facebook. When you decide to remove the content that licence may not necessarily terminate and Facebook have the right to retain archived copies of material posted.

This is the reason some subscribers choose to upload smaller photos to Facebook, namely to deter people re-using them, as smaller photos will be of lower quality and grainy in appearance. However you need to remember that whenever you upload a full-sized photo you are granting Facebook the right to save a copy of the photo on their servers, which they are then free to modify and adapt.

If you still choose to upload your photos to Facebook, ensure that the images you upload are resized low resolution photos which to reduce the prospect of them being re-printed or re-used in ads. If you upload the original size photos, Facebook have the right to use your photos for any commercial purposes without giving you any credit or compensating you.

The only foolproof solution for those who do not want to lose control over their photos is not to upload them in the first place. People often post their photos to their blogs or to a photo sharing website such as Flickr to retain ownership of their photos. However, in reality once photos are posted on the internet and available for viewing by anyone, they are in the public domain.

Anything posted on publicly accessible areas of the internet becomes a public record. Determining what areas of the internet are public and what areas are private isn't straightforward. Having control over the ownership of the property in your photos won't necessarily guarantee that your photos will remain private once posted on the internet.

Whilst you can set your privacy settings on Facebook so only your friends can see photos you upload, there are numerous ways people can circumvent these protections. There is no guarantee that you can ensure the privacy of your photos on Facebook via the use of privacy settings.

It is safer to assume that whenever you post photos anywhere on the web people can acquire and use them for purposes which you would not consent to and which could be embarrassing and illegal. Photos are often be stolen on the internet and used for the purposes of identity theft or pornography without the subject and/or owner ever being aware.

If you wish to share photos on the internet it is preferable to use a secure private network in which content is encrypted and served using peer to peer technology. Whenever data is stored on a central server it is susceptible to being hacked.

Often photos are uploaded onto Facebook without the person uploading them even having lawful ownership of the copyright in the photos. It is naive to think that Facebook or other social networking sites have the time to check the copyright status of every image that is posted on their site or is copied and pasted from their site to another site on the internet.

Wherever photos you post on Facebook contain images of other persons, it is advisable to obtain a release from the subjects in the photographs. There are many situations where photos are posted on Facebook which are not the subject of copyright ownership by the person who posted them.

In order to have such photos removed a person must apply to Facebook or obtain a Court order. This may involve proving that the offending image infringes Facebook's terms of service or the common law.

Author Adele A Pace – For more information and resources on cyberlaw and ecommerce visit http://www.pacelegal.com.au.

When I was browsing around on my Windows computer the other day, I noticed some files are displayed blue and others are black when I view them in My Computer. I'm sure there is a reason why they are different but am not sure why. Should I be concerned?

I can understand why you might be concerned.

There is nothing worse than that sinking feeling when you see something out of the ordinary on your Computer hard drive that you never saw before. Immediately you start to think of a virus or spyware.

The good news is, this is normal and your PC is fine.

What really is going on here is that you are viewing files that have been compressed by Windows. And, more than likely, one of your folder view options settings is set to display compressed NTFS files in color.

Let's take a look at what I mean.

Open up Windows Explorer (or just double click on My Computer).

The most common folder to see compressed files or folders is located in C:\Windows directory (except for Windows 7 & Vista).

As you can see normal files and folders are black and the compressed files and folders are blue.

The reason compression is being used, is to save disk space on your hard drive. Back in the early days of computers, having plenty of hard drive space was minimal compared to today's mammoth hard drives (see some of these drives here).

Those days, we did anything to free up disk space in Windows, including using compression to squeeze down the size of files and folders. Not all files can be compressed, such as mp3 or jpg and video files for example.

Fortunately with today computers and hard drives, compression is rarely needed if not at all.

But, sometimes the operating system will still compress files and folders, such as the ones inside C:\Windows folder. These files are good candidates for compression, since they are rarely accessed (compressing and decompressing files that are being accessed causes extra CPU usage…which is no longer a problem with multi core CPU's).

Control How Windows Explorer Displays Folder/File Name Colors

By default Windows Explorer is set to display compressed files in blue (and encrypted files in green).

This setting can be disabled in Windows Explorer (or My Computer) by clicking on Tools \ Folder Options and selecting the View tab.

Note: Folder Options can also be found in the Control Panel.

Under the Advanced settings: section, scroll down to you see the Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color settings, then click the box to check it for displaying colors or uncheck it to disable displaying of colors.

When finished, click the Apply to All Folders button and click Ok.

If you have enabled the option, any files or folders that are encrypted will be blue with non-encrypted files/folder displayed as black.

It's probably a good idea to keep the setting enabled, since it will help you recognize files and what state they are in, as oppose to not knowing and possibly realizing something funny is going on with your computer.

Gone are the days of unlimited Internet usage. Especially if you are a Comcast (Xfinity) customer of the giant ISP.

Many people who use Comcast for Internet access do not realize there is a 250GB (Giga Byte) monthly limit cap.

That means, if you go over the limit once, Comcast will send you a warning. If you go over it again (within a six month period from the initial warning notice), your account will be terminated by Comcast and you will not be eligible for Internet service again for twelve months.

As Comcast states, typical Internet users usually don't exceed 4 to 6GB per month (your amount will vary).

But with streaming video and audio becoming more popular, and the use of additional wireless devices (tablets and cell phones) in homes become more prevalent, your bandwidth usage will increase way past Comcast conservative estimate.

So, to keep an eye on that bandwidth usage, Comcast provides a meter, that many customers do not know exists.

Finding The Meter

To check out your current and past usage stats, sign on to your Comcast account.

Next, click on the Users & Settings tab on the menu at the top of the page.

NOTE: the meter can only be viewed using your Primary or Self-Managed Secondary account with billing access.

Here you will see the bandwidth meter under the caption High-Speed Internet Data Usage from your cable modem. If you have a router connected to your modem, the data usage meter will collect data usage from all your devices connected to that router.

Viewing Past Data Usage Amounts

The meter shows your Internet data usage to the current day. If you want to view past usage history (from the last three months), click on the View details link just below the meter.

Here you see will a bar graph showing the amount of data usage for the past three months.

Your data amounts will look different and depending on the time of the year, you may see higher data usage during some months than during others.

NOTE: if you have more than one cable modem in your household, you will have access to a drop-down box to select individual devices and view data usage for each of these devices.

Where To Find More Information

Obviously everyone will have different opinions about data usage and what is excessive. To make it clear, Comcast provides a FAQ (Frequently Ask Questions) section on their excessive use policy found at this link.

Like it not (I don't but hey who am I anyway), that's the policy. Fortunately for me their is competition in my area. So if things get out of hand, it will be time to jump ship (for better or worse).

In a previous how-to article, we showed you how you can hide a Facebook status updates from a friend or family member (also pages) in your News Feed.

Hiding the updates is great if you just want to tune someone out with out looking like a bad person and un-friending them (they have no idea you did this).

And while you are glad you did it in a stealthy manner, you now have decided you want their status updates to be unhidden in your news feed once again.

To do this, just go to your Facebook newsfeed and click on the Most Recent link at the top right of the news feed section.

A upside down arrow will appear and by clicking on it, a drop down menu will display allowing you to select the Edit Options… at the bottom of the list.

Here you will see a list of any friends or family members that you have hidden for their posts (status updates).

To unhide their updates, just click on the "X" next their name and click Save.

Their updates will now be unhidden.

Take note that any updates that were previously posted by your friend may not appear, but future updates will begin to appear in your news feed as they become available.