Windows Linux Mac

How to Invert Colors On Your Screen (Mac Monday)

Michael — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:00:58 +0000

Why on earth would you want to invert your colors on your Mac? Well, what if you’re on an airplane, it’s a night flight and you’re looking at something that has a lot of white space. You might be able to decrease the brightness on your screen, but sometimes that may not even work. If that’s the case, you can essentially make a negative of your screen. Here’s how to do it:

Just press Ctrl-Option-Cmd-8 on your keyboard. This will change it back as well.

Here’s what my home page usually looks like:

This is it’s negative:

How To Install New Icons in Ubuntu (Linux Friday)

Michael — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:00:59 +0000

Changing your icons allows you to change the look and feel of your system. It mainly changes the standard icons to something new.

The first place to look for icons would be gnome-look.org. Click icon on the left. Or just click here. Search around for something that you like.

I like to keep my system looking dark since it doesn’t hurt my eyes too much. With my background being a night picture of London, it was only fitting for me to choose an icon theme that was mainly black. My favorite set is called black-white 2 gloss.

Once you’ve found your icon set, you will need to download it. I usually download everything to my desktop just so that I can find it easily, but that is up to you.

Your file should be a .tar file so you will need to extract it first. This can be done by right clicking the folder and selecting Extract Here. A new folder will have been created, this folder will be used in the next step.

To install the theme you will need to go to System -> Preferences -> Appearance

You should see something like this:

To install your new theme, highlight custom by clicking the custom box (top left) then click install (bottom right). This will open up a directory so just navigate to where ever you downloaded your file.

You will need to choose the file that was created when you extracted the original downloaded file. Once you’ve selected it, it will install and you should have new icons.

Don’t like it? Download some new ones and try each one out. If you can’t find anything you like and want to change it back to the original Ubuntu look, go to the appearance box (in the screenshot above) and scroll down and click ‘human’, then click close.

Did you change your icons? What icon set did you choose?

Microsoft to Stop Selling XP (Windows Wednesday)

Eric — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:34:38 +0000

When Microsoft first released Windows Vista, there was talk of fading out XP. As word got out about the problems with Vista, some people decided to stay with XP for a little while longer. Microsoft heard such and uproar about fading out XP that they decided to push back the end-of-sales date. Well, that day has finally come.

On June 30th, 2008, Microsoft will stop selling Windows XP. This means that you will no longer be able to buy XP as a stand-alone product at a store or from major PC manufacturers like Dell and HP.

Of course it will take months for places like Dell and HP to sell all the copies of XP in their inventory.

If you refuse to upgrade to Windows Vista and want to get your hands on a copy of XP, you might be in luck. Local PC makers known as “system builders” will continue to sell computers with XP pre-installed until January 2009. Also, ultra-low cost PCs (ULCPC) will still be allowed to carry Windows XP Home Edition until June 2010.

If you are worried about Windows XP support, you still have some time before it runs out. Microsoft will stop supporting XP in April 2009. If you have pay for Microsoft “Extended” support, you will be covered through 2014.

For more information:
The Future of Windows XP
Microsoft Support Cycle

Do you wish Microsoft would have delayed the end-of-sales for XP just one more time??? Let us know in the comments.

Install Microsoft Fonts in Ubuntu (Linux Friday)

Eric — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:30:10 +0000

If you are used to using Windows, you probably have a favorite font. Even if you use Open Office, you still need to have Microsoft fonts installed so that when you open documents created in Word they will look right.

Also, most web pages are created with Microsoft fonts in mind. So, if you have Microsoft fonts installed, web pages will look the way they were intended to.

To install the fonts make sure you have the multiverse repositories enabled. To do this, click System -> Administration -> Software Sources. When the window appears, make sure there is a check mark beside all of the repositories except “Source code”

Once you have done this, type the following code in the terminal to update the available software:

sudo apt-get update

When the update is finished, run the following code to install the Microsoft fonts:

sudo apt-get install cabextract gsfonts-other msttcorefonts t1-xfree86-nonfree ttf-f500 ttf-isabella ttf-larabie-deco ttf-larabie-straight ttf-larabie-uncommon ttf-staypuft ttf-summersby ttf-ubuntu-title ttf-xfree86-nonfree xfonts-artwiz xfonts-intl-european

You may need to restart your computer for all of the fonts to be active.

What is your favorite Microsoft font? Let us know in the comments.

WLM Tips Blogroll Update & User Input Poll

Eric — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:41:28 +0000

Recently Michael and I have added some websites to our blogroll we want you to be aware of. Here is a quick preview of what you will get when you visit these sites:

MakeUseOf focuses on web applications and useful website. Also, from time to time they will discuss useful software (multiple OS’s). MakeUseOf only writes about services and software that are free, or those that have a free version. Michael and I occasionally write for MakeUseOf; take a look at our articles.

The Tech Inside is all about reviews, free software, deals, and just about anything internet and technology related. The Tech Inside also reviews websites, gadgets, software, free stuff, ways to save and ways to make money on the internet. The Tech Inside covers a very broad range of topics and does a very good job of explaining such technologies. One of my favorites pages on this website is the Best of Free since it helps users find free alternatives to their expensive system utilities.

The Tech Juice writes articles to try and help users decide on which operating system is right for them and how to get the most out of their chosen operating system. The Tech Juice also tries to help new and old users use their current computer and to discover new technologies available. The Tech Juice has a series called How to Choose the Best Computer for you which is by far one of the best computer building guides I have ever read. I suggest that everyone from newbies to experts read this as you will learn something you did not already know. I know I did!

Ubuntu SOS covers how-to’s, tips and tutorials and news for Ubuntu. Ubuntu SOS covers everything from how to check your gmail email in Ubuntu, to different docks you can use in Ubuntu (for those Mac fans out there). One of the best features of this blog is that it is updated several times a week. So, if you are new to Ubuntu and want some help as you discover all of its possibilities, check back with Ubuntu SOS during the week for updates.

Now, if we could get back to WLM Tips for a moment I would like to get some input from you, the reader. This blog was designed to help those who use Windows, Linux, or Mac. That being said, Michael and I would like some feedback on how we are doing so far.

Below is a poll we wish you would fill out to help us know what we need to cover in the future.

You can choose several of the answers so that you can better describe what you want to read here on WLM Tips. If there is something we did not put in the poll, please choose Other and then post in the comments.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Lastly, you have probably noticed that we added a plug for our RSS feed at the bottom of each post. If you are a regular reader and haven’t suscribed to our RSS feed, we would greatly appreciate it if you would suscribe.

Also, those of you who are Stumble Upon users, if you this website and any of our articles helpful, please give us a thumbs up.

Thanks again for choosing WLM Tips and we hope everyone enjoys reading our blog. If you have any comments, complaints, suggestions, tips, requests, etc be sure to send them to admin@wlmtips.com

Thanks for your support!

Speedup Your Startup (Windows Wednesday)

Eric — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:57:44 +0000

If you have used Windows for more than a few days you have probably noticed that as you install more software your computer begins to get slower, especially when you first log into Windows.

On most computers this is because you have lots of programs trying to start up every time you login. Here’s how to eliminate unnecessary programs from your startup.

Step 1:
Identify which programs are running on startup. There are couple ways to do this. Before you begin, you should restart your computer to make sure you haven’t already closed some programs that would normally run on startup.

Many of the programs will have icons located in the taskbar (beside the clock) that shows they are running. Simply hover your mouse over the icon to see what it is.

You could also open the task manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del. This will show you a list of all the current processes that are running. If you look at the very bottom of the task manager window it should show the number of current processes. If you have over 40 processes after you login, you probably have too many programs running on startup.

You may not be able to identify what all of the processes are but some of them will be very obvious (Ex: iTunes.exe, AIM.exe, etc)

Step 2:
Once you have identified which programs are running on startup, decide which ones you don’t need to start every time you login to Windows. If you decide a program is not needed on startup that does not mean that it will be uninstalled or unusable.

It will help to make a list of the programs that are currently running and the programs that you wish to have running on startup.

Step 3:
There are a couple ways to keep programs from running on startup.

The first is by opening each program that currently runs on startup, and changing its preferences so that it no longer runs when you login to Windows. This is typically the best solution but will require different instructions for each software.

The second way is to use MSCONFIG. This system utility will allow you to disable certain programs from your startup.

To open MSCONFIG, first click on the start menu and then Run. Type in ‘msconfig’ and press enter. Once the MSCONFIG window appears, click the Startup tab on the top.

Here you will probably notice there are tons and tons of programs listed with check boxes by each of them. To disable a program from running on startup, simply un-check the check box. If you don’t recognize what the program is by the name, try looking at the file path.

Computers from manufacturers such as Dell and HP are likely to have several programs installed by these companies. Usually most of them can be disabled.

TIP: Be careful to not disable programs that control your wireless connection, unless you use the Windows utility or a 3rd party program for this.

If you still aren’t sure what a certain program is and whether or not it is needed, check out this comprehensive list of startup applications. On this site, programs with an “N” or an “X” can safely be disabled. Programs with a “Y” should be left alone and those with a “U” are left up to the user to decide.

TIP: Disable only a few programs at a time and then restart. This way if you realize you disabled a program that you need, it will be easy to identity. Also, if you need to enable a program you can do this by simply checking the box next to the program name.

Some startup programs might actually be due to viruses or spy-ware. If you are having trouble disabling a certain application, try scanning for viruses and spy-ware. It could take you several restarts to finally disable all of the unnecessary programs.

Step 4:
Once you have disabled all the unnecessary programs from running on startup, check the task manager again to see how many processes are running when you login. This number should be lower than when you started. Again, anything less than 40 is ideal. The less processes the better.You can see the number at the bottom left corner of the task manager.

Download Firefox 3 Today - “Download Day 2008″

Eric — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:00:18 +0000

Starting later today (June 17, 2008) Firefox 3 will be available for download. To celebrate the release of their new browser, Mozilla (the makers of Firefox) is throwing a party.

Join millions of other Firefox fans for Download Day 2008. On this day Mozilla is hoping to set a Guinness World Record for the most amount of software downloads in 24 hours. This is a very smart advertising ploy by Mozilla to help spread the word about Firefox.

If you don’t use Firefox, or at least a browser based on Firefox, then you should look at some alternative browsers.

However, if you are Firefox user and haven’t tried FF3 yet, you are in for a pleasant surprise. I have been using the release candidate for a while and love it. It seems as if they have fixed everything that was wrong with FF2 as well as included some new features.

Some of these new features include: better performance, smart bookmarks, improved download manager and add-on manager. Some other notables are better security features such as malware and phishing alerts.

When the Firefox 3 release candidates became available not all Firefox 2 extensions worked with the new version. In fact, there are a few that still don’t work with Firefox 3. However, the majority of your favorite extensions have been updated to work with Firefox 3.

With all that being said, Firefox 3 is much better than its predecessor and is a joy to use. I strongly recommend you check it out (and tell your friends about it too). Happy downloading!

What do you love/hate about FF3? Are you just excited about Download Day 2008? Let us hear about it in the comments!

How to See Boot Up Text (Mac Monday)

Michael — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:30:32 +0000

If you have ever used a Linux system you probably have seen the boot up text (aka verbose mode). The boot up text can be quite informative if you’re having hardware or system problems when you boot up. Or the boot up text can look kinda cool and make you feel like you’re in one of those old school green screen computer movies.

Whichever reason you choose, you can see the boot up text on your nice shiny Mac. The text has been running behind that splash screen of yours all along.

Why even bother with a splash screen? So that all those people who have no idea how to use a computer will not run away before they ever get to a login screen (and because it looks nicer). So here’s how to see the boot up text:

While your Mac is booting up, press: Command + V.

That’s it! It will only show you the boot text on that boot up; so if you like that splash screen of yours, don’t worry, it will come back the next time you start your computer.

TIP: If you want to keep the boot up text, run the following command in the terminal:

sudo nvram boot-args=”-v”

Images taken from the following sites respectively:
http://blog.igorminar.com/
http://www.guidebookgallery.org/

Playing poker on a mac is simple, easy and quick. Visit the Mac Poker guide to learn how to get the most of your online poker experience on a mac.

Enable CPU Scaling in Ubuntu (Linux Friday)

Eric — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:30:32 +0000

Almost all new processors have the ability to scale down their frequencies. With laptops this allows you to save a ton of battery life. Read my previous post on how to save battery life in Linux.

With desktops (and laptops), scaling the CPU frequency will not only save you money on your power bill but will also let your computer run cooler. Why would you want your computer running at full speed all of the time when you don’t need it? Instead, here is how to scale your CPU frequency for on demand performance.

Step 1:
Right click on one of the panels (top or bottom of screen) and then choose ‘Add to panel.’

Step 2:
When the Add to Panel window appears, scroll down and select ‘CPU Frequency Scaling Monitor.’ Then, click ‘Add’ to add it to the panel.

Step 3:
At this point you should see an icon appear on the panel similar to this one:

Now, open the terminal and enter the following command:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure gnome-applets

Step 4:
Now, you will see the following screen:

Press enter to continue configuring the CPU frequency monitor.

Step 5:
After pressing enter you should see this screen:

Press enter to select ‘YES’

Step 6:
This completes the configuration of the CPU frequency monitor.

Now you should be able to left-click on the CPU scaling monitor and see the following options:

At the top of the options you can choose a specific CPU frequency. The processor will stay at this frequency as long as the setting stays the same.

The following CPU frequency governors control how your CPU frequency is scaled:
Conservative: Sets the CPU depending on the current usage by gracefully increasing and decreasing the CPU speed rather than jumping to max speed the moment there is any load on the CPU.
Ondemand: Sets the CPU based on the current usage. It automatically scales the CPU frequency up and down as the current usage changes. This is recommend for both desktops and laptops
Performance: Sets the CPU to the highest speed.
Powersave: Sets the CPU to the lowest speed. This is recommended for maximum battery life on laptops.

If for some reason this still does not allow you to scale your CPU and you know it has the capability to scale its frequency, read the Ubuntu Guide for an advanced method.

Keep a Log of When and Why Your Computer Shutsdown (Windows Wednesday)

Michael — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Ever left your computer alone for 5 minutes to come back and realize it crashed and restarted itself?

Here’s a quick guide on how to keep a log of your shutdowns. Logging will give you a time and reason for your crash/unplanned shutdown so hopefully you can fix the problem.

Step 1: Go to the start menu, click Run and then type in ‘regedit’. You should see a screen that looks like this:

Step 2: Find your way to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Reliability. The complete path is located in the bottom left corner of the window.

Step 3: Right click on ‘ShutdownReasonUI’ (if you don’t have that file go to step 3.1) then click Modify. You should see something like this:

Step 3.1: (This is ONLY if don’t have the ShutdownReasonUI file). We are going to create the file: Just right-click in the white space on the right. Hover over ‘new’ and then click ‘DWORD Value’. Change the name to ShutdownReasonUI and then go back to Step 3.

Step 4: Change the Value Data entry box to 1. Then click OK and restart your computer.

To find the logs that have been created go to: Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer. Click on the System subtab on the left and it will list your logs. Errors are marked with a red X or a yellow exclamation mark. Just click on the error and it will give you even more information.

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How to Invert Colors On Your Screen (Mac Monday)

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