4-30-10 Tips of the day

Ten fun things you can do with Firefox
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 - Firefox browser installed
Sometimes it's fun to play around with programs that you use everyday. There may be more to a program than you know. The best way to learn is to learn while having fun so here are some fun (and sometimes useful) things you can do with Firefox.

Open Firefox and copy and paste (or type them if you are a masochist) any of the following lines of code into the Firefox address bar. And don't be confused by the word "chrome" - it's not the Chrome browser from Google we're talking about, it's Firefox.

1. chrome://browser/content/browser.xul - Opens another Firefox inside a tab in the existing Firefox window.

2. chrome://browser/content/preferences/preferences.xul - Opens the Options dialog box inside the Firefox tab.

3. chrome://browser/content/bookmarks/bookmarksPanel.xul - Opens the “Bookmarks Manager” inside a tab in the Firefox window.

4. chrome://browser/content/history/history-panel.xul - Opens the History Panel in the Firefox tab.

5. chrome://mozapps/content/extensions/extensions.xul?type=extensions - Opens the Extensions window in the current tab.

6. chrome://browser/content/preferences/cookies.xul - Opens the “cookies window” inside a tab in the Firefox window.

7. chrome://browser/content/preferences/sanitize.xul - Opens the “Clear Private Data” window inside the current tab.

8. chrome://browser/content/aboutDialog.xul - Opens the “About Firefox” Dialog box inside the tab.

9. chrome://browser/content/credits.xhtml - Opens a scrolling list of firefox contributors. The one’s who we must thank for creating Firefox

10. chrome://global/content/alerts/alert.xul - Dancing Firefox.

If you don't have Firefox installed you can get it free at http://firefox.com
. Even if you're a diehard lover of Internet Explorer, you can install Firefox and use it just like you would any other program. You can install Firefox and still keep Internet Explorer as your default browser and open Firefox as often or as infrequently as you like. You may find that you'll like Firefox and it is always beneficial to explore different things and new programs - by doing so you might find you learn something new. And learning new things keeps us young and makes us smarter.
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Five nice things you can do for your computer
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7

1. Run an online security scanner - once each week. We're assuming all of you have good anti-spyware and good anti-virus protection install and that you're keeping it updated frequently. Right? Good! Once a week, you should double-check your system by running one of the many legitimate online security scanners that are available to you. One example of these types of free online security scanners is Housecall by TrendMicro

. There are many other good ones available as well. Use one - once a week to scan your system just to be sure nothing has gotten past your defenses. It only takes a little time and you can start the scan and leave it run while you do something else.
2. Clean up old junk files and other debris. You don't have to install anything else. You can run the Disk Cleanup utility once or twice a week to clean up the debris left over from your daily computer activities. This utility can be found by clicking the Start menu, then All Programs Accessories, System Tools, then choose Disk Cleanup
3. Use Revo Uninstaller to remove programs you don't need or want. If you're honest, and we know you are, you'll admit you have programs on your computer you haven't used since Hugh Hefner was a boy (Boy! that's a long time too!). Now, all those programs you don't use won't hurt anything, most likely, but they're just taking up space, doing nothing, and sitting here hoping you click on them and make them feel good. But, you know you never will - you've long since forgotten why you installed them or even what you wanted them for. Get rid of them. Take an afternoon and clean out the closets and get rid of all that stuff you've never used and never will use. It's called good housekeeping - don't be a pack rat. Use Revo Uninstaller

(freeware) to remove all those programs. If you don't, you're going to have little crumbs and leftover bits and pieces of those programs hanging around until the Mayan Calendar expires - which may be in 2012 or maybe not for 40,000 years. I'm fairly sure that 40,000 years from now, not one of us will care what the heck crumbs are left scattered around - but 2012 is still a few years away - and if the Mayans are right and the end of the world comes, at least you'll leave the world with a clean computer. When the next civilization comes and sees your computer - they'll think highly of you - maybe even erect a statue to you. So, think about it! Be clean. Be neat. Be tidy.
4. Defragment your hard drive(s) at least once a month. Defragging organizes the data on your hard drive and makes it easier and, therefore faster, for Windows to find information on your hard drive. Unless you're a heavy computer user, defragging once a month should be enough to keep your hard drive(s) neatly arranged so data retrieval is optimal. You can use Windows XP or Windows Vista's built-in defragmentation utility (under Start/Accessories/System Tools/) or you may prefer, as we do, an easier-to-use, more feature-full disk defragmenter (freeware) called Smart Defrag

. Careful! It wants to install Yahoo Toolbar, don't let it. Make sure you uncheck "Install Yahoo Toolbar" and "Make Yahoo my default search engine" or else - well you can guess.
5. Keep your Windows version up-to-date. Seems like a no-brainer but there are many tech sites and Windows newsletters out there that still insist that either updates are some sort of Microsoft plot to destroy your anonymity - or that Microsoft has some sort of fetish about spying on its users. If you want to believe that conspiracy theory stuff fine - just make sure you keep your Windows Updated. If someday some men come to your front door, looking like FBI agents, wearing dark suites and California-cool running shoes and ask you where you got that the purloined copy of "Ms Piglet's Raindance Studio" - you can sue us. Until then, just keep your Windows version updated, please? You'll be safer, your computer will run better (don't argue with us about the one guy in Bucyrus who installed Windows Updates and now his iPad won't work) and you'll be safer.

How to can spam
Windows all versions
Spam gets worser and worser as Charles Dickens once said. OK! All you literature nuts are going nutty now. We know he said "curiouser and curiouser" we was trying to make a funny. And yes it should have been "we're" but "we's" trying to funny here. A little levity never hurts, 'specially when you're talking about spam. Spam is annoying and it's not going away anytime soon. But, dear friends, there are several things you can do to make it better. Like a Band-Aid, maybe, but even a Band-Aid does help you from bleeding all over the cabbage when you making dinner right? OK Enough!
Here are seven tips you can use to help reduce the amount of spam you get.

1. Never respond to unsolicited email. One response or "hit" from thousands of emails is enough for spammers to justify the practice. In addition, a response lets the spammer know that your email address is active, which makes it more valuable and opens the door to more spam.

2. Never send your personal information (credit card numbers, passwords, etc.) in an email. Spammers can fake the format of ANY trusted sites. Banks and other trusted sites will never ask you to send your password or credit card information by email. Not really an anti-spam tip, but a reminder... OK?

3. Never follow a spam email’s instructions to reply with the word "remove" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line or body of the message unless you are sure of and trust the source of the email. Normally, this is a ploy to get you to react to the email, which tells the spammer that your email address is valid.

4. Never click on a URL or web address listed within a spam email, even if the message tells you that’s how you unsubscribe. This is another trick to that tells the spammer your email address is valid. Once they know your address is valid it can be added to databases which are sold to professional spammers on DVD or CD for a few hundred dollars. And this will result in you getting more spam for sure!

5. Don't fall for sites set up to help you remove your name from spam lists. Although some of these sites MIGHT be legitimate, most are really collecting valid email addresses to sell to spammers. If a collector gets your address and they know it's a valid, working email address, it is worth a lot of money to them. They'll put your email address in one of their databases and sell these databases to professional spammers. Not only won't your email address be removed from spam lists, it will added to many spam lists. And you'll get more spam.

6. Set up Outlook Express or Windows mail so you don't use the Preview Pane. Using the preview pane shows images in HTML mail. Using the preview pane to view mail actually "opens it". So if a spammer sends you an email with graphics, the graphics can be used as Web beacons to tell the spammer that you've opened the mail. They'll know your email address is valid and that you've read (or at least looked at) the spam email. Not using the Preview Pane is more convenient to me, at least, than blocking images in every email. Sometimes images serve a purpose. This newsletter is an example. With the preview pane turned off, you simply double-click the email to open it, images and all. If you suspect an email is spam, don't open it. It's simple. To learn how to turn off your preview pane in Outlook Express and Windows Mail (Vista) see this tutorial.

7. Never allow your ISP to convince you that spam filtering is a service. If you have a choice, choose an ISP who does not use spam filtering. While spam filtering might seem to be a service, anytime you allow another person to make choices for you, you're going to end up with something you don't like. What you won't like about ISPs who filter your mail is that you're not going to get all of your good email either - and you might not even be aware it existed. Do not use ISPs who tout spam-filtering or anti-spam features as a plus. If you don't have a choice of ISPs in your area and your only choice is an ISP who insists censorship is good for you, get a Gmail account and set it up in Windows Mail, Outlook Express or your favorite email program. Gmail provides instructions on how to do this. And, remember, my fine friends, that Gmail also has spam-filtering too, but luckily for you, you have the final say. If something, like this newsletter, ends up in your spam folder, all you gotta do is mark it "This is not spam" and it will never be dumped in your spam folder again - it will always appear in your inbox where you want it (we hope!).
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Three Quick Tips for Outlook Express and Windows Mail
Windows XP - Outlook Express, Windows Vista - Windows Mail
#1. Another way to add attachments to your email messages
Did you know that Outlook Express and Windows Mail let you easily attach a file from your desktop (or any other folder) simply by dragging the file into the message area of your e-mail? It's the quickest way to add an attachment to your email message. When you drag the file into your email message, it will be automatically added as a file attachment. And, conversely, you can drag file attachments from received mail to your desktop or any other folder. We suggest that you scan any attachment you receive with a reliable, updated, anti-virus program BEFORE you open it.
#2 How to add new email accounts to Outlook Express or Windows Mail.
From the Outlook Express/Windows Mail Tools menu, select "Accounts". In the Accounts dialog box, click the "Add" button to display a drop-down list from which you can choose new mail, news, or directory service account. Select "Mail". You will need to enter the following things: the type of connection you have, your POP3 or IMAP outgoing and incoming mail server names, your name as you want your recipients to see it and your e-mail account password. Repeat these steps for each account you want to set up. Windows Mail and Outlook Express allow you to set up an unlimited number of different accounts.

After filling in the necessary details, you can further customize each account with the properties that you desire. For example, you might need to customize an e-mail address that you share with a family member that requires you to leave mail on the server. Highlight the specific account and click the Properties button in the Accounts dialog box. Then, configure additional settings in that account’s Properties dialog box.
#3. Adding people to your address book (in Windows Mail, the address book is called "Contacts")
You can easily add an address to your address book from anyone who sends you an email by doing the following:
*Highlight the message from the person you want to add to your address book. Right-click then select one of the following from the menu that appears:
--Outlook Express users choose "Add sender to address book".
--Windows Mail users choose "Add to contacts".

FileLocator Lite 2010

Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
What is it? It's a free, Windows search engine
File size - approx 3MB (depending on the version)

Widows XP and Windows Vista's search feature isn't so hot. In fact, it's downright aggravating to use. It consumes huge amounts of your computer's resources, sometimes to the point of causing problems with running programs - and making your computer run like a bogged-down marsh turtle. Windows 7's search feature is faster, and better, but it still consumes an inordinate amount of your computer's precious resources.

FileLocator Lite 2010 is very easy on resources - in fact you can carry on with your normal activities and you'll not even notice it is running in the background.

FileLocator Lite 2010 is exactly the same program as Agent Ransack with a different name. We chose this version because the name is more descriptive and we felt better about something named FileLocater than Agent Ransack - but they're exactly the same program. Really they are.

It's time to bring in the developer and let him tell you about his program.

"...FileLocator Lite 2010
Free File Searching Utility
Finding files that other search engines miss.

FileLocator Lite is a free reduced functionality version of FileLocator Pro. It is free for both personal and commercial use.

FileLocator Lite is a rebranding of Agent Ransack for corporate environments. It has exactly the same functionality but with a different name and logo. It includes these powerful features:

Immediate results
Found text is shown with highlighted keywords so you don't need to waste time opening each file looking for the right information.

If you want a better file search engine for your computer, one that uses a tiny amount of resources, is much faster than Windows Search and helps you find what you're looking for easier, faster and better than Windows Search - give FileLocater Lite 2010 a try

. It's free for both personal and corporate use.
Get more information and/or download File Locator Lite 2010 from here.

If you're looking for speed and don't need a program that can search within PDF and Office files, Everything Search is faster than anything we've every tried, light on resources and is also free too. You can get Everything Search at http://www.voidtools.com/