Software Tutorials

Quickly Record System Audio With FairStars Recorder

2011-10-26T19:59:00.003-05:00

It may come up that you'll need to record your system audio. Maybe you're in a rush, listening to a podcast, or watching the news online and figure you may as well record the audio of whatever is happening.

FairStars Recorder makes this very fast and extremely simple.

Follow the steps below to quickly start recording the audio playing through your speakers.

Record

Start recording in two easy steps.

1)
Click the record button (Ctrl+Alt+R).

2)
Choose a location when prompted.

To record in a hurry, the two above steps would be enough.

Here are some extra settings FairStars Recorder offers.

Extra Options

Advanced options

Record on a schedule

Scheduled recording settings

Find & Download Movie Subtitles With Sublight

2011-10-22T19:07:00.001-05:00

Sublight is a free windows application for searching and downloading movie subtitles.

After the default settings are set via the installation setup file, simply follow these steps to quickly find and download a suitable subtitle file.

Find a subtitle file

1)
Choose a video file by clicking Choose...

Choose a video file

Open the file

2)
Ensure the file was detected correctly and click the green check mark

The name will now appear under the Criteria for manual search section

3)
Select Search subtitle

It's often best to find one with lots of downloads - it usually means it's a good file.

Play/download the subtitle

1)
Right-click the preferred subtitle file for more options

You have the option to play the video with the selected subtitle to test if it works before you download.

The subtitle will download to the same directory as the movie.

2)
Use VLC Media Player to play the video with the downloaded subtitle file.

Impove Speed, Performance, & Privacy With JetClean

2011-10-21T23:28:00.004-05:00

JetClean gives you that fresh, new PC feeling again! Light-weight and easy to use, it removes system junk files and it protects your privacy.

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We will outline most of the options and show how to scan and repair a system using JetClean.

1-Click Menu

The first menu item is called 1-Click. In it are very useful functions that are essential to a clean and secure system.

1)
Choose what to clean and select Scan Now.

These are the options I used for the first three sections:

Keeping the defaults would be fine.

2)
Examine the problems and select Repair.

Some shortcut problems need repaired

Tools Menu

System Information operates just as you'd think - showing your system information. There's even an Export... button to allow HTML and TXT output formats of all the available system information.

I've found Uninstaller to be a great tool for finding and removing useless toolbars that are installed, albeit by accident. It of course also removes any installed program - sorting them by how much space they take up.

Use Startup Optimization to disable unwanted programs that start with Windows.

Analyze and Defrag the registry using Registry Defrag. If a defrag is needed this feature has the potential to greatly increase the speed of your system.

Internet Booster scans and optimizes your Internet settings for a quicker browsing experience.

Here's a quick shot of the General Settings in JetClean:

Using all these built-in utilities, you'll surely walk away with a more quicker, more secure, and less-cluttered system.

How To Create Patterns In Photoshop

2011-10-21T12:39:00.004-05:00

Patterns are used in Photoshop to apply a particular image across a broad area very quickly. They are extremely easy to create.

Simply find an image for use and then select and define the image as a pattern. We'll also briefly look at how to apply the pattern.

Create the pattern

Open the image to be used and select the Rectangular Marquee Tool

Select the portion of the image to be used as a pattern

Navigate to Edit > Define Pattern...

Name the pattern

Apply the pattern

Right-click the layer that's requiring the pattern and choose Blending Options...

Choose Pattern Overlay and select the pattern you've created

Choose OK to apply.

Edit Windows Hosts File To Block Websites

2011-10-20T13:03:00.000-05:00

One method to block websites in Windows is via the hosts file. There are other things it's used for but in this particular post we'll focus on that. We can redirect access from example.com to the local computer (or Google.com), thus returning something other than example.com when it's access is attempted.

Follow the screenshots below to access and edit the hosts file.

Access the hosts file

1)
Begin by navigating to your Windows directory.

Do one of the following to perform this step:
A) Start > Run > Type %windir% (Windows Directory)

OR

B) Start > Computer > Open your root drive > Windows

2)
Then open System32 > drivers > etc

Right-click the hosts file and edit it with a text editor

Edit the hosts file

The hosts file can point any website to any IP address.

If you want to block example.com, choose an IP address to redirect access to when example.com is requested via the browser.

127.0.0.1 is the local hosts IP address. Choose this to block access and return no website when example.com is requested.

This can be performed on any number of websites.

To have example.com access google.com, we need an IP for Google.

To do this, access the command prompt and ping Google.com

A) Start > Run > type cmd

B) Type ping google.com

Use 74.125.73.105 as the IP in the hosts file and example.com to redirect example.com to Google.com. This can be altered for any website and any IP.

We've successfully redirected example.com to Google.com!

Change The Windows 7 Logon Background

2011-10-17T15:13:00.003-05:00

Normally, we would be stuck with the default background before we logon to Windows - the boring, plain, over-used image.

A nice and simple background changer called Windows 7 Logon Background Changer does just as the name assumes, and can change that default image to whatever you please, and with a very easy-to-use user interface.

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1)
Run the 'setup' file in the 'Setup' folder.

2)
Navigate to Control Panel (click for image) > Change the View by option to Category.

3)
Navigate to Appearance and Personalization > Windows 7 Logon Background Changer...

4)
Choose a folder to select an image from.

5)
Apply the selection.

Once you log out of your current Windows session (or Switch user) the image will be applied.

Follow the same steps above to change the image at any time.

Search Windows Instantly With 'Everything' Search

2011-10-17T13:54:00.002-05:00

Everything search engine by voidtools allows instant search for files and folders in Windows (from 2000 - 7).

Once it indexes all your drives and prioritizes the files and folders, it becomes significantly faster than the default, built-in Windows search.

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Searching for a particular file type couldn't be easier.

What differentiates Everything search to any other program, including Windows, is it's speed - results are shown immediately as you type.

Another reason I prefer this program is it's ability to act as a server. An HTTP server can be set up to allow searching from a remote location.

To do this, open the Options menu via Tools > Options and configure the server settings via the tab titled HTTP.

Once finished, the server will need to be started via Tools > Start HTTP Server.

Access it like you would any HTTP server by entering the IP address of the machine with Everything installed in a browser's address bar.

This is what it will look like:

All these features and quick performance abilities makes it my favorite program for searching files and folders in Windows.

Convert Video Files To Various Formats Using Freemake's Free Video Converter

2011-10-15T19:23:00.000-05:00

Freemake offers a free, easy-to-use, piece of software called Free Video Converter that's capable of converting video files to many, many, different formats. Some popular ones include AVI, MP4, MKV, WMV, MPG, 3GP, 3G2, SWF, FLV, TOD, AVCHD, MOV, DV, RM, QT, TS, and MTS.

Watch a video tutorial here.

After you download and open Free Video Converter, follow these steps:

1)

Click Video to import a video file.

2)
Choose one of many formats to convert to.

3)
Keep the defaults, or change a few settings, and click Convert.

Converting video files has now been made extremely easy. Freemake also offers a Free Audio Converter and Video Downloaded.

Request A New IP Address In A Local Network

2011-10-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

Getting a new local IP address, for whatever reason, is extremely easy using the command prompt. Whether it be that you plugged in a new router and need a new IP address from it, or you are having connection troubles and figure maybe a new IP would work, try these simple steps.

Download the following steps as a PDF or Word Document for offline use.

Steps

1)
Start > Run...

2)
Type cmd and press OK

Note: In the following steps where the command prompt is used, your current location (mine is C:\>) may be different than mine but this will still work.

3)
Type ipconfig /release

Wait for it to finish and show your location again (i.e.: C:\>)

4)
Type ipconfig /renew

Explanation

ipconfig has several function in command prompt

We just used /release and /renew to refresh our Internet connection.

Make Your Facebook Page Easy To Access via A Personal Link

2011-10-14T13:02:00.004-05:00

Your Facebook profile can be accessed by a personal link like Facebook.com/JohnDoe. This makes it super easy to share your profile with people.

Here's how:

Access your Account Settings by clicking the upper-right-hand-side arrow and choosing 'Account Settings'.

Choose 'Edit' next to 'Username'.

Choose a username, confirm your password, and 'Save Changes'.

Access is now granted to your profile on the web via http://www.facebook.com/{username}

Map A Network Drive In Windows 7

2011-10-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

Mapping a network drive couldn't be easier in Windows 7.
1)

Navigate to 'Map Network Drive' by either of these paths:

Start > Right-Click 'Computer' > Select 'Map network drive...'

Start > Computer > 'Map network drive'

2)
This window will appear, asking a few questions.

Choose a 'Drive' letter and 'Folder' location

Choose to 'Reconnect at logon' if you'd prefer the location to be present again even after the user logs off.

To connect to a location requiring a password, choose to 'Connect using different credentials'.

Monitor Your Kids' Internet Usage With Qustodio

2011-10-12T12:45:00.000-05:00

Qustodio is a free parental control and Internet monitoring program. It helps you protect your kids online. See how they use the Internet, set healthy access limits, and protect against dangerous or inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and online predators. (via Qustodio)

Download here.

Qustodio helps you:

See how your kids use the Internet
Know who they talk to online
Block dangerous websites
Protect kids from bullying and predators
Manage your kids’ Internet time

To install:
Follow these screenshots to set up Qustodio for the first time.

After a reboot is performed, continue following these screenshots.

The program will look like this when you click the notification icon

Selecting 'Configure' will take you to your online account using the information you provided. Be sure to activate your account via the email you received.

After logging in you'll be here:

Select 'Rules & Settings' to configure the blocked/allowed categories for John Doe:

To specify a particular website to Allow/Alert/Block:

To schedule times for Internet usage:

It's obvious this application has many functions and can become beneficial very fast for safely monitoring your child's Internet usage.

Compare Two Text Files With Notepad ++

2011-10-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

Notepad ++ is an advanced, free, text editor. There is a built in compare plugin that's great for comparing two text files very quickly.

Download here.

Open two text files in Notepad++ to create two tabs.

Navigate to Plugins > Compare > Compare (Or just click Alt+D).

Notice the indication of a difference in the two files.

This is an extremely simple and effective solution.

Bypass Torrific.com's 24 Hour Download Limit

2011-10-12T09:54:00.000-05:00

As I stated in a previous article, Torrific.com has a cap on the cumulative size of your download(s) within a 24 hour period. Apparently, they achieve this restriction by monitoring your external IP address. Simply get a new one to bypass the limitation.

Note: This article is based on a Linksys router's configuration settings.

Open your router's settings via a browser (usually) and enter your Username and Password.

If you haven't changed your settings since you purchased your router, the defaults will remain. Go here (PDF) to check those out for your particular brand.

I have a Linksys, so mine is 192.168.1.1.

I've changed my password, so mine is not 'admin'.

Enter the area of your settings where you can view the IP address information. Mine is 'Status'.

You'll want to refresh your IP somehow. Mine says to release and renew to get a new one.

So for this particular router, I'll click 'IP Address Release', wait for it to finish to leave me with no IP, and then click 'IP Address Renew' for a new one.

The result of the refresh (from Torrific.com):

Enjoy downloading all the data you can get your hands on!

Download Torrents Without A Program With Torrific

2011-10-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

Torrents are a great way for quick and easy downloading of various types of files. Although it's convenient in that way it's inconvenient in that a piece of software is usually of need. Using Torrific.com, you can download torrents straight from your browser with no program.

Note: Torrific is free to use but there are limitations. Only a stated 10 GB can be downloaded within a 24 hour period. (see how to bypass this limit here)

You can pay for better features.

Sign up for an account to use Torrific for free here.

Find and copy a .torrent file link at your favorite torrent downloading site (like kat.ph).

The link should look similar in structure as this:

http://torcache.net/torrent/E8B7331A45924868F8A1720FB5DA9C4EA9D4FBA8.torrent

Notice the '.torrent' at the end.

To get this link, do something like this:

It may copy as such:

http://torcache.net/torrent/E8B7331A45924868F8A1720FB5DA9C4EA9D4FBA8.torrent?title=[kat.ph]ubuntu.11.04.natty.narwhal.desktop.cd.64bit with a '?title='.

Don't worry about that. Keep it or delete it.

Paste the copied link into Torrific.com and click 'get'.

Click 'initiate bittorrent transmission' next.

One of two things will occur immediately. You'll either have to wait for the download link to be created (queuing) or you'll have it right then (available). If you go back home you'll see one of these next to your torrent file:

click home to go home

not ready

ready

If it's queuing you'll need to wait for it to be ready, though if it's available just click the blue link at the homepage and you'll be taken to the download files.

click the link for the files

click this blue link to start the download

This method makes downloading torrents very easy. No software and no uploading on your end. Sometimes you'll have to wait for the download link to become available but it's oftentimes worth it in my opinion.

Install Windows 8 In VirtualBox

2011-10-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

(Download this full tutorial here for offline use.)

The next Microsoft operating system installment, Windows 8, was released to developers recently to allow software and bug testing. I don't recommend installing this over your current OS, or even for dual-booting with your current one - it's just too much of a hassle.

Windows 8 can be found from Microsoft here and VirtualBox, here. They're both free.

Before you read this tutorial, keep in mind that although it looks really long and there are a lot of text/images, it's mainly simple pictures that you will breeze right past.

Once you've chosen the correct download link (64 or 32-bit) and successfully finished the download, open VirtualBox and choose 'New'.

Choose 'Next' at the first window and then type a 'Name' for this Virtual Machine, including an 'Operating System' (like Windows) and a 'Version' (any one will suffice).

Click 'Next' when done

Select the amount of memory you'd prefer the machine is able to use. If you have 4 GB of memory on your physical machine I recommend using 1 or 1.5 GB, as it won't slow you down too much. Or, just use the recommended 512 MB.

Click 'Next' when done

A virtual hard disk is required to run your virtual machine, like a real hard drive is needed for a real machine. So choose to create a new hard disk.

Click 'Next' when done

Click 'Next' to the new window that says 'Welcome to the Create New Virtual Disk Wizard!'.

On the next window leave the default 'Dynamically expanding storage' selected.

In the next and final window leave the default 'Location' as is and adjust the 'Size' appropriately depending on the free size of your physical hard drive you're currently installing Windows 8 on.

Click 'Next' when done

Finish the installation by clicking either Finish or OK (whichever option is present).

You'll now be returned to the main menu of VirtualBox but now with your Windows 8 machine present. Double-click on it.

Click 'Next' to the 'Welcome to the First Run Wizard!' and then choose the browse folder for the 'Media Source' in the next window.

10)

Locate and select the ISO file you downloaded from Microsoft earlier.

Click 'Open'

11)

Choose 'Next' and then 'Finish' for the following two windows.

Windows 8 will now begin it's installation. Follow along as you would any other Windows installment.

Here are step-by-step images to guide your installation along. Simply follow along with these.

Let the installation do what it has to - which includes rebooting (maybe more than once). Just let it go and you'll end up with a screen like this at some point along the way:

(Download this full tutorial here for offline use.)

'Fix' Firefox's "Firefox is already running but is not responding"

2011-10-10T17:05:00.000-05:00

I have received this error way too many times. It seems that every time I close Firefox and choose to re-open I get this annoying notification.

Instead of rebooting, logging off, or entering into Task Manager to kill Firefox from running, I recommend downloading this file.

Simply download and run the file to close the unresponsive Firefox and open a new one.

Note: Be sure to let this file run it's course before closing the black window that will appear after opening it.

This is what the downloaded batch file will do:

@echo off

REM taskkill will end firefox from running

taskkill /IM firefox.exe

taskkill /IM firefox.exe /f /t

echo.

REM all these pings below will allow a few seconds for Firefox to close

echo Trying to close Firefox...

ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul

echo wait one second

ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul

echo ...

ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul

echo ...

ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul

echo Trying once more...

ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul

taskkill /IM firefox.exe

taskkill /IM firefox.exe /f /t

echo ...

ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul

echo Trying to open Firefox...

ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul

REM Firefox will now attempt to re-open

start firefox.exe

You can even use this file as your default method of opening Firefox. Although you'll need to wait a few extra seconds for it to open, you can ensure it will always be closed before opening a new one, thus avoiding this error message completely.

Remove Red Eyes - Photoshop Tutorials

2011-09-10T17:42:00.000-05:00

Some photos taken contain red eyes due to the lighting at that particular time. Fortunately, Photoshop allows us to remove them, thereby, not ruining the picture forever.

Open your photo in Photoshop:

Click 'Z' (Zoom Tool) on your keyboard and zoom up to a reasonable working distance.
Click 'J' (Spot Healing Brush Tool, by default) and then right-click the tool that becomes selected in the Tools menu. Choose 'Red Eye Tool'.

Select the portion of the eye that needs the red moved. You may need to select it many times to remove it all.

Until Midnight Tonight... $1 HDMI Cable

2011-08-27T08:37:00.001-05:00

1SaleADay is a great site to buy real cheap items. Although the sales usually last 24 hours, they are still very good deals nonetheless.

Today they have an HDMI cable for sale for $1 with FREE shipping. I actually purchased one around two weeks ago because they happened to have the same sale then. I got it in the mail a few days ago (it took a while to ship from their warehouse) and they charged me $1 exactly, and it works flawlessly.

THIS WILL EXPIRE AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT

http://1saleaday.com/wireless/

(If you choose this above link tomorrow and any day after, you will be taken to the same link but they will be offering a different product)

aeroFS - File Sync Without Servers

2011-08-16T09:18:00.000-05:00

I ran across quit an intriguing website recently called aeroFS. It's simply a 'peer-to-peer filesystem' so that 'any two or more devices can talk to each other directly, without a middleman server, and regardless of whether you're on a corporate LAN, on the Internet, or in any other network'.

It's listed features and security information can be found here, but here's a little info about them:

Private Libraries
It will automatically sync between your personal computers, and anyone you invite to share stuff with.

Unlimited Storage
You can sync ANY amount of data with your chosen invitees.

Cloud or No Cloud? It's Your Call
You can optionally add online backup storage as part of your personal cloud.

Backup Libraries
This allows your data to be synced with those yo invite as well as backed up to their secure servers.

Sharing is caring
Sharing can be done with anyone who has an email address. You can also view and modify those files together in real time.

2048-bit RSA key encryption with mutual authentication, run through a secure 'communication channel', and features end-to-end encryption to prevent attacks.

At the moment, you need an invite from aeroFS to get the download and account information going. Hit up this link and enter your email for a possible invite.

I thought this was quite handy of them to offer: Feature Requests

Surf Anonymously For Free (Sort of)

2011-08-02T22:02:00.000-05:00

When we read articles as such: http://techland.time.com/2011/08/01/house-approves-data-mongering-isp-snooping-bill-and-what-that-means-for-you/ we feel the need to secure our information we decide to let loose out in the Internet. Anything from e-mails to simple browsing habits, the United States government wants to see it. So... how do we prevent that?

Well there isn't really anything we can do about the information our ISPs already have on us, but if we want to ensure our future data isn't available to them, we should implement VPNs and proxies into our network connections.

Here's what I do...

Keep in mind before you read further that I only use this VPN and these proxies when I am dealing with information I do not want to be traced back to me very easily and not merely for everyday browsing.

I use ProXPN (a free VPN client, albeit with limited connection speed)

-Now you need to realize that when you use this service, as with any other, they are required to retain data in the event the government 'needs' to check it out. So by law, any service that resides in the US will have to abide by the law therein.

So what does that mean? It means they will retain information just as your ISP does. I'll explain more about this below.

To use, simply go to the above link and download the client (or click here). You'll also need to sign up here.

I also use proxies from Hidemyass.com (these will be manually entered in your browser)

Example:

IP=

213.192.80.226

Port= 3128

Country= Poland

Encrypted(yes)= HTTPS

Anonymity= High

To use, simply enter the IP and port in your browser.

For Firefox it looks like this:

Tools > Options > Advanced > Network (tab) > Connection: Settings > Manual Proxy Configuration

So here is a breakdown of what will happen when you use these two services and then access Google, for example:

Your request will go from your browser, through your ISP to the proxy (yes, in Poland), then from the proxy in Poland, the request will be sent to the server at ProXPN and they will then access Google for you. The information will come from Google, then go backwards back to ProXPN's server, then to Poland, and then back through your ISP to your computer.

So from your ISPs perspective, you are getting information from Poland. From Poland's perspective you are getting information from ProXPN, from (pay close attention now) Google's point-of-view you are actually sitting on ProXPN's server requesting data.

So let us say Google is demanded by the US government to release info about who searched for the term 'house' on a certain date. Google will search it's logs and find that someone from ProXPN requested it. So then they will force ProXPN to release it's data and find that someone from a Poland proxy requested it. Now if they can find the info for the proxy in Poland, the government is just a warrant away from getting your contact info (through your ISP of course).

If only you could find services that didn't hold your information you wouldn't have to worry about getting in trouble. Or maybe you should just think twice before doing bad things ;)

PS: Here's a link you can use to show your viewers their IP info: http://pastehtml.com/view/b2n05ezg0.html

Get Menu Bar Back In Firefox 4

2011-04-18T19:05:00.000-05:00

The default setting for the new Firefox 4 has a big button on the top left, leaving out the old menu bar that we all know and love. Tabs are located on the top now instead of under the menu, since there isn't a menu bar.

Take a look at these screenshots to learn to re-enable the menu bar in Firefox 4.

Option 1 (click image to enlarge)

Option 2 (click image to enlarge)