**Issue 37 - June 15th, 2008 **
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Contents
In This Issue...
Newbies Nook - Information for those who are new to computers and computing.
Problems in Paradise - Answers to reader problems and questions.
Security Corner - Computer Security by Kenny Harthun.
Learning Linux - Joseph Bales provides instruction and insight into Linux.
Carol's Corner Office - Carol tells us how to get started with Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice Calc.
My Recommended Software - Need software? Check this list first!
Windows Home Server Update - A progress report on WHS
Useful Freeware - Free programs that you may find useful. Did I mention they're free!
Useful web sites - Websites I've visited lately that you may find useful.
The Lighter Side - Some humor to lighten your load!
Show your support for Daves Computer Tips
Daves Computer Tips is completely free for you to use, but operating the site isn't. I have monthly fees for hosting, bandwidth, and email service. I'm definitely not making a living from this site. If you would like to help cover these expenses you may do so by donating to Daves Computer Tips. Donation is easy and any amount is appreciated. Click the button on the right and donate using your credit card with PayPal.
Spread the word!
Please tell a friend, relative, coworker, or complete stranger about my site and newsletter. Remember "word of mouth" is the best advertising!
As always I appreciate your comments and suggestions about the site and newsletter. If you would like to share please contact me at .
Carol is our resident "Office Goddess". If you have Microsoft Office, OpenOffice questions, or suggestions for future Office articles shoot her an email at .
Thank you for taking a few moments to read my newsletter,
Newbies Nook
By David Hartsock
What would you like to see covered in Newbies Nook? Email me at
Motherboards
If you have spent any time at all reading or talking about computers this term might have been mentioned, but do you know what it is? Do you know what it does? You will in a few minutes!
A little background information
In the last issue we learned about hard drives. A hard drive is similar to your long term storage, the ability to remember your childhood memories. If we continue in the same train of thought, a motherboard is similar to your central nervous system. Just like your central nervous system allows all the parts of your body to communicate with your brain, a motherboard allows all parts of a computer to communicate with the CPU.
A computer motherboard contains all the necessary sockets, plugs, pins, and connectors to attach every needed item to your computer. All of these are connected by little strips of copper called traces. Traces are basically tiny delicate wires that are attached to the motherboard itself. Without a motherboard you do not have a computer, only parts.
Motherboards are similar in their appearance and share many of the same connectors and functions. Although they are similar each is slightly different, even those from the same manufacturer. Engineers determine where each of the components will be placed on the motherboard and how traces will connect them. Because of this the location of the CPU and other parts may be in slightly different locations on the board. To complicate matters there are also different sized motherboards called form factors. The most common sizes today are:
- ATX - These are full sized motherboards, typically 10" x 12", and are the most common.
- Micro ATX - These are small form factor boards, typically 10" x 10", and are common in small desktops and home theater computers.
AMD and Intel processors are designed with different sizes, architecture, and pin layouts. We will talk about CPU's in a future article, but CPU choice plays heavily on motherboard choice. Here are a few points to keep in mind:
- CPU's fit onto a motherboard using a connection called a "Socket".
- This connection, or socket, changes from time to time as CPU architecture changes and processing speeds increase.
- AMD and Intel use different connections.
- The current popular socket connections for each manufacturer are - AMD:Socket AM2 and Intel:Socket 775.
- Motherboards are designed (more on this later) for specific CPU's and Sockets.
So if you are building a new computer you need to decide which CPU brand, architecture, and socket you want before you pick a motherboard. Of course, if you are replacing a motherboard with a new one it is important to know what CPU and socket is on the current one so you can choose an appropriate replacement.
If you really want to impress your friends take them to a computer store and say, "I'm looking for a Socket 775 motherboard!". Works every time!
Let's get to the good stuff!
I've chosen motherboards from two popular manufacturers. The first is a motherboard manufactured by Abit (model N68SV) and the second is manufactured by Gigabyte (model GA965GM). The Abit is based on AMD's socket AM2 and the Gigabyte is based on Intel's socket 775. Both are Micro ATX size. I've placed numbers on the important parts and we will go over each of these below.
(Click on the image for a larger view) Abit N68SV
(Click on the image for a larger view) Gigabyte GA965GM
Take a few minutes to study the images and marvel at the technical wonder that is a motherboard! So what are all of those bits and pieces?
| 1- | This is the CPU socket. The Abit (first image) is designed for the AMD socket AM2 CPU's, while the Gigabyte (second image) is designed for Intel's socket 775. |
| 2- | This chip is called the Northbridge. The primary purpose of the Northbridge is to control memory. The Northbridge controls communications between system RAM, the CPU, the PCI buss, the southbridge(3), and video cards that require shared access to system RAM. You will notice on the Gigabyte image that the CPU is at the top, then the Northbridge, and finally the Southbridge at the bottom. The Northbridge is North of the Southbridge, hence the name. The Northbridge is also know as the Fast Bridge, but Northbridge is more common. |
| 3- | This chip is called the Southbridge. The Southbridge controls input and output between the CPU, system RAM, storage devices, and communications. If the motherboard provides integrated ethernet, audio, and in some cases video, these would be located on the Southbridge. If you open a file, save a file, or use a network connection it is processed by the Southbridge. The Southbridge and Northbridge (when present) make up a chipset. Notice that the Southbridge is South of the Northbridge, hence the name. The Southbridge is also known as the Slow Bridge, but Southbridge is more common. |
| 4- | System memory slots. This is where you place RAM. These slots are for DDR2 memory. Notice the up-raised section right in the middle? This prevents the wrong type of memory stick from being placed in the slot. Different manufacturers use different colored plastic for the connectors. Color only matters if there is a difference on that particular motherboard. In the case of the Gigabyte motherboard there are two yellow and two red memory slots. This is usually an indication of matched slots. Installing RAM of the same size and speed in the color matched slots enables increase bandwidth between the memory and Northbridge by enabling dual channel mode. |
| 5- | Floppy drive controller connection. This is where you connect the ribbon cable for a floppy drive. Does anyone still use these? |
| 6- | IDE controller connector. This is where older CDROM, DVD, and hard drives connect. Each connector is referred to as a channel and supports two devices, one master and one slave. Some motherboards contain two connectors, or channels, and support up to four devices. These will become more uncommon in the future as the SATA interface continues to grow. |
| 7- | 20 pin power connection. This mates with a matching connector on the power supply and powers everything on the motherboard except the CPU. |
| 8- | 4 pin power connection. This mates with a matching connector on the power supply and powers the CPU. |
| 9- | SATA connectors. Notice that the SATA connectors on the Abit and Gigabyte boards have different colors, different configurations, and different number of connectors. These perform the same function regardless of color and configuration. The only difference is the number of devices that can be connected. Unlike the IDE connector in #6, a SATA connector handles only one device, which greatly simplifies system setup. |
| 10- | This is a PCI Express x16 slot. PCI Express is a new standard to replace the elderly PCI bus and intended to increase bandwidth for video and other high demand cards. PCI Express operates as a point-to-point serial protocol called a "lane", instead of a buss architecture (all devices share the same bandwidth). The PCI Express bandwidth is 250 megabytes per second. The x16 at the end tells how many "lanes" a connected device can use. In this case x16 means 16 lanes with a total bandwidth of 16 x 250MB/s or 4 gigabytes per second. x16 slots are most commonly used for video cards. x16 has four times the bandwidth of the aging AGP architecture previously used for video. |
| 11- | PCI slots. PCI is short for Peripheral Component Interconnect. The PCI bus has a bandwidth of 166 megabytes per second for the entire bus. This means every PCI card shares half the bandwidth of a singe PCI express card. Isn't progress great! Standard PCI remains the dominant standard, except in video cards, though I expect this to change as more manufacturers move to PCI Express. |
| 12- | This is a PCI Express x1 slot. The x1 means the card uses one "lane" and has a maximum bandwidth of 250 megabytes per second. |
| 13- | CMOS battery. This button cell battery stores the BIOS information when the computer does not have a power source. |
| 14- | Headers. These little pins are arranged in groups and are called headers. This is where you would connect fans, USB ports, firewire ports, front panel audio connectors and LED's, as well as power and reset buttons. |
| 15- | CD Audio connector. This connector delivers audio directly from a CDROM or DVD drive. |
Hey! Something is missing here!
Did you notice that there is no Northbridge(#2) on the Abit motherboard? Go back and look, I promise you won't find it.
AMD moved the Memory Controller from the Northbridge to the actual CPU several years ago. Because of this AMD chipsets combine the remaining functions of the Northbridge onto the Southbridge chip, thus creating a one chip chipset, though some manufacturers are referring to this chip as an MCP, Media Communications Processor.
This approach has some very promising potential affects on performance. The potential performance benefits are so much so that Intel will be following suit with their upcoming Nehalem chips to be released in late 2008.
Points to remember when planning a purchase
- Choose your CPU first. Choose a CPU with a high Front Side Bus speed. Your motherboard choice will depend upon your CPU choice.
- Stay with a CPU/motherboard that uses the latest socket. You don't want to be stuck with no upgrade options.
- Different manufacturers use different colors for various connections, so don't worry about connector color.
- Buy a motherboard with on board video if at all possible. Make sure it has the various video connections you will use (VGA, DVI, HDMI). This ensures you have a way to troubleshoot video problems without buying another card.
- Look for motherboards with at least one PCI Express x1 and one PCI Express x16 slot to provide for future upgrades.
- Buy a motherboard with SATA connectors. Even if you don't have any SATA devices now, you will in the near future.
- Research, research, research!
There you have it! Now you know everything there is to know about motherboards (OK, not quite). At least you have a great start. You have the knowledge to buy the right one, and what all those chips and connectors do if you ever need it.
Please share your thoughts and comments about this article in the box below!
Problems in Paradise
By David Hartsock
If you would like to see your question or problem answered here email me at
Take my email with me!
Mike wrote recently with the following:
I am looking at a bunch of email options. I would like to set up my own family .com or .net email so if I change cable company's again I will not have to change my email address. I am not sure on how to do that or how much it would cost to do that.
Don't we all feel Mike's pain? It is unfortunate that email addresses provided by our ISP's can't be kept when changing providers. I've experienced this myself. I currently have 4 active email accounts. I keep two personal, one work related, and one Daves Computer Tips related email address. I've switched ISP's and waded through the emails sent to every contact with notifications of the address change. Some reply, some make the change, some don't. I solved my personal email problem by using a gmail account as my primary personal email address.
Mike's problem is actually two separate problems. 1 - He needs a domain name. 2 - he needs a mail server, or some way to receive and access his email. Let's look at each of these problems and their possible solutions.
Domain
I covered domain names in issue #27. If you aren't familiar with the term take a few moments to read the article before proceeding.
Domains are not free, but rented. You must pay a yearly fee to a registrar for use of a domain. Domains range in price from $2(US) to $25(US) per year depending on the registrar and top level domain chosen, but the average is between $8(US) and $10(US). There are many registrars, but I prefer 1and1.com or godaddy.com.
How do I get my email?
Once a domain has been acquired you have to have a way to access the email. This requires an email server and a complicated process involving DNS servers to point the domain to the email server. These two requirements leave you with three choices:
- Build and maintain your own server
- Requires a constant email connection
- Requires specialized software and knowledge
- Requires knowledge of DNS servers and records
- Use a free service such as Gmail
- Requires knowledge of DNS servers and records
- Usually easy setup
- No direct tech support
- No guarantee of service. Taking your business elsewhere doesn't hurt the company or provide an incentive for performance
- May have limited access methods. This means of the three popular access methods (POP3, IMAP, and webmail) your use may be limited to only one or two methods
- May or may not include SPAM filtering
- A complete email solution
- Price includes domain
- Price includes email server
- Price includes access using POP3, IMAP, and webmail so you can get email any way necessary
- Included tech support
- No special software or knowledge needed
- The provider has a performance incentive to provide good service
- Most include SPAM filtering
I would choose option #1, just because I'm a geek and it would be interesting (grin). Actually that's not true. I have enough to do already, and I am sure you do too!
In my opinion option #3 is the best value when time, quality, and service are figured into the equation. I use and trust 1and1 for the hosting of this site, so I checked out their service options for combination domain/email services. If you buy a domain through their site for $6.99/yr you get one free email account as part of the deal. This won't help a family, but suit a single person just fine. They also have a service labeled Instant Email. The Instant Email account includes the domain, five email accounts, spam filtering, webmail, and quite a few other features for $1 per month. This seems like a great plan for Mike. The cost of $12 per year is little more than the cost of a domain, and well worth it.
Please share your thoughts and comments about this article in the box below!
Security Corner
by Ken Harthun
How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #6 ~ Disable Message Preview
The email preview pane in Outlook Express and other email clients allows you to quickly review a lot of messages just by moving through them in the inbox. This is certainly convenient, but it can make your PC vulnerable to infection by worms or viruses. In order to preview a message, the mail client has to open the message and interpret any web code, images, etc. that may be embedded in it. If there is anything malicious in the email, it can execute.
The preview pane in Outlook Express uses Internet Explorer to render images and web code. Many PCs running IE have been infected by malicious web sites just by visiting them; an HTML email message is no different than a web page--the same malicious programs can be put in HTML email messages. It’s a serious security risk but there are three things you can do to keep yourself safe:
1. Turn off message preview completely. In Outlook Express, click View-->Layout and remove the checkmark beside Show Preview Pane.
2. Click Tools-->Options and click on the Read Tab. Check the box that says Read all messages in plain text.
3. Click the Security tab. Under Download Images, click the checkbox that says Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail.
Other email clients allow you apply various similar settings; a web search or review of the program documentation will get you pointed in the right direction.
Until next time, when we'll explore file and hard drive encryption, I leave you with Security Maxim #6:
Always disable any message preview or auto-open features in your e-mail client, including the blocking of external images, or view messages as text-only until you know they are safe.
Ken Harthun writes about security issues at LockerGnome and IT Knowledge Exchange. He also blogs on general Geek things at http://askthegeek.kennyhart.com. He's always interested in your questions.
Please share your thoughts and comments about Ken's Security Corner article in the box below!
Learning Linux
by Joseph Bales
Installing Ubuntu Linux 8.04
In my previous two articles we went over what Linux is and set up our computers to install Ubuntu and now we are ready to begin. However, first let me say once again that now is the time to back up all of your important files if you have not done so already. Data loss is possible during this step and data recovery is frustrating and expensive.
I'll start by saying that I haven't installed Ubuntu from scratch in a while. It was much easier than I remembered and much more automatic than in previous version. I would say that it is even easier to install than Windows XP. The days of manually partitioning drives and compiling custom kernels and modules is long behind (and thank goodness for that). Unless you are on the bleeding edge of hardware, most things will work right out of the box. Everything worked on my Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop without having to do anything special. That really says something considering that most laptop hardware is vendor specific and custom made for each model.
To begin, boot to your Ubuntu installation CD as described in my previous article. Once the CD boots you can go to the LiveCD desktop or you can go directly to the installation. Either option will allow you to install Ubuntu in the same way. If you do boot to the LiveCD desktop, you will need to double click on the installation icon on the desktop.
Once you are in the installation program, the first screen that comes up will be the language selection dialog. Just select your language and click the Forward button.
Next comes time zone selection. You can click on the map or select a city or region near you from the drop down menu. Don't worry if you mess this up because you can change it later after installation. The drop down menu was easier for me to use than trying to click on the tiny dot on the map. Click Forward when you are done.
Now you will have to select a keyboard layout. I just selected the typical US layout and my laptop keyboard worked fine. You can text your keyboard by typing in the text box provided. Once you are satisfied, click Forward again.
Everything up until now has been super easy. Now comes a part that might be confusing, but is easy once you know what is going on, disk partitioning. Linux and Windows cannot live within the same space on the disk. Space must be set aside for Linux. We began that process by defragmenting and creating a large block of free space for Linux. Now we will partition the drive into two sections. One section will house your Windows installation and the other section will house your Linux installation. For Windows XP, your Ubuntu partition will essentially be invisible and it will merely think your drive shrank in size once installation of Ubuntu is complete. Ubuntu will just treat your Windows partition as another drive.
On this menu you have three choices. The last choice is "Manual" and I recommend that you just leave that alone. You'll just get into trouble using that. The second option is "Guided - use entire disk." Use this option if you plan to install Ubuntu by itself on a hard drive. Pay careful attention to the drive you select if you have multiple drives inside your computer. You can see above that I had a flash drive plugged into the computer (for grabbing these screenshots) and if I had selected it, Ubuntu would have been installed on it.
The first option is the one you want to select if you are installing with Windows. The orange highlighted area is the area that Ubuntu will be installed in. Move your cursor over the dotted area and slide it back and forth to make the partition larger or smaller. In the example above, I had already installed Ubuntu once on this drive and I was installing it again. If you install along side Windows, it will automatically resize the partition in the manner you select. Once you've selected a size, click Forward to proceed. Don't over think this step, it's as easy as it seems.
The next step is setting up the admin user. This user will have administrative privileges and should be used by the main user of the computer. You can set up accounts for other users later. Just enter your name, the name you'd like to use as a login name, your password, and the name of the computer (this can be any word, I'd keep it simple). Write down your username and password if you think you might forget it. If you do forget it, you'll have to reinstall Ubuntu, so be careful! Click Forward.
I didn't have much luck with this next section. Ubuntu will attempt to pull your documents, files, settings, and bookmarks form your Windows installation or other Ubuntu installations. It pulled my Internet Explorer favorites and some of my files from Windows, but missed many files and didn't get my bookmarks from Firefox. You can try it if you want, but in the future, I'll probably skip this step and import my documents and settings myself. It does add time to the installation if you use this feature. To use it check the user setting you'd like to import and click Forward.
Now you are almost done. The final screen just shows the options you have selected and gives you a bunch of warnings. If you want to change anything, now is the time. Click the back button to go back to the step you'd like to redo, or click Install to begin installation.
Once you click Install the partitions you created earlier will be formatted and the files will be written to the disk. It should take about 10 minutes to complete the install from this point. If you selected an account to be imported, it will take longer since those files have to be copied as well. When the installation is complete you can go back to the LiveCD or reboot and start enjoying your freshly installed Ubuntu Linux.
That sure was easy! Well, it was easy for me anyway. You might have a few problems if your hardware is extremely new or extremely old, but the system should work with little extra effort from you. If you find that you are having trouble with a particular piece of hardware, try searching the Ubuntu forums (http://ubuntuforums.org) or Google to see if there is a known issue (sound problems seem to be the biggest hitter). Proper forum etiquette says that you should search first and ask second, but don't be afraid to ask if you don't find what you are looking for. Don't be afraid to dive in and start figuring things out on your own. You are the adventurous type or you wouldn't be doing this in the first place, so dig in and have a lot of fun!
Joseph Bales is a writer of fiction and humor, as well as a true computer geek and Linux guru. Visit his blog at http://josephbales.com.
Please share your thoughts and comments about Joey's Linux article in the box below!
Carol's Corner Office
by Carol A. Bratt
Hi everyone,
This article may be a bit shorter than usual because I have had a lot going on in the last two weeks and now I am trying to play catch up. We had a death in the family - my mother-in-law. She was a lovely woman and lived to the ripe old age of 93! She was the perfect lady right up to the end.
Just after that my cat turned up sick and a terribly sick kitten she was! She was in the Intensive Care Unit with a fever of one hundred and five point eight! She had to spend two or three days in the hospital but I'm happy to report that she is home now and recuperating nicely.
Enough of my travails - on with the articles!
Getting Started with MS Excel
Last time around we started with getting familiar with the MS Excel Screen. Hopefully you all clicked around the screen and became familiar with the different menus and dialog boxes and learned about some features in this robust piece of software.
(Click the image for a larger view)
This time around I will go over some of the basics that you may have discovered on your own while clicking around the screen. In MS Excel, you open and save documents using the Open and Save icons on the Standard and Formatting toolbar. 
You can also accomplish these tasks by using the File icon on the Menu bar. When you click it you can select open, close, save, save as, etc.
You can use the Print icon to print your spreadsheets or use the File button to see the Print Preview or to Set or Clear the Print area. 
You can apply formatting using the icons on the Standard and Formatting toolbar.
You can click on the B for bolding, etc. to format your text. You can also apply borders and shading using the icons on this toolbar, by selecting the cells and using the icon where you want the borders and shading. If you hover your cursor over the icons on this toolbar it will tell you what each is used for.
You can use the Format Painter to copy formatting from one cell to another. 
Simply select the cell with the formatting you would like to copy and click the Format Painter icon (paint brush) and click on the cell where you would like to copy the formatting.
The Autosum icon allows you to add a series of cells. 
You select the cells you want to add and click the icon.
More in OpenOffice
Just like MS Excel, we started with the screen interface in OpenOffice Calc last week and again, I hope that you took some time to click around the screen and see what you could discover.
(Click the image for a larger view)
Everything I explained in MS Excel above is just about exactly the same in OpenOffice calc. With most new products there is a required learning curve. In this case, the products have a lot of similarities - you just need to look at them and learn any new navigation that is required.
Even the icons are the same or very similar in OpenOffice. Go ahead and open Calc and look at the toolbars and icons that I discussed above and you will see the similarities. The biggest difference that I always point out to you is the price. OpenOffice is FREE.
Next time I will go over some more icons and their similarities and how to use them. I apologize if this seems to basic to some of you, but once you have these basics down then you can really move forward with confidence. I know lots of folks who think they are power users but they don't really know what half the toolbars and icons do for them. So use this time to really get to know what you have in the interface and how to use it. I promise you won't be sorry.
Until next time, please take care of you!
Carol Bratt has authored several informative Microsoft Office books and writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks in each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Click here to see her latest books!
Please share your thoughts and comments about Carol's article in the box below!
My Recommended Software
Anti-spyware and Anti-malware Software
Webroot SpySweeper - Daves Computer Tips Seal of Approval Winner! See the test results HERE. Spysweeper provides the best protection of the seven anti-spyware programs tested! Great detection and removal rates with a small real-time protection memory footprint. This is the one you want! SpySweeper includes the ASK toolbar. Be sure to uncheck this option during installation. Free 14 day trial.
CounterSpy - Runner-up in my Anti-Spyware test. Not only does CounterSpy scan and remove spyware, it also uses real time protection. Real-time protection prevents spyware infection. Free 15 day trial. Winner of Computer Shopper Magazine's Best Buy Award!
Antivirus and Firewall Software
ESET Smart Security - New from the maker's of NOD32. Antivirus, Antispyware, Antispam, and Firewall all wrapped into one effective, swift, and low resource package. It is what I use to protect each of my computers!
Kaspersky Antivirus - Kaspersky is my second choice for antivirus software. A good program that is very close in performance to NOD32. Free trial.
Online Armor Firewall - You shouldn't be on the internet without a software firewall that offers inbound and outbound protection. Online Armor is the Best of the Best. Online Armor uses an interface that is easier to navigate than most other firewalls and the protection level can't be beat! Online Armor is available in both a free and reasonably priced paid version, which offers even more protection!
Audio and Video Software
Acoustica Audio Converter Pro - This program converts audio formats and bitrates. Perfect for those with portable audio players or large music collections. 30 day trial.
Adobe Premier Elements - Elements is the consumer version of Adobe Premiere. It costs 1/6th the price, but is very capable of making videos that will impress everyone.
DVDFab is my favorite DVD software. I tried over 30 different programs before settling on DVDFab. It offers every function of the other programs and more! Copy, burn, shrink, convert for mobile devices, or convert for streaming. Almost all of the other programs I've tried did not function as advertised, were extremely slow, or did not have features that worked as advertised. DVDFab works, and works as advertised! It's easy to use, has a pleasant user interface, and it updated often.
Computer Hardware
Crucial Memory - Memory (RAM) is the upgrade that gives any computer the best bang for the buck. If you want to speed things up with more memory, why not purchase it from the leading source of quality RAM memory. Great selection, good prices, excellent support, and a lifetime warranty! A real winner!
CyberGuys - The place to get those hard to find cables and accessories for your computer!
HP Computers
- My current pick for new laptops and desktops. In the current market I don't think you can beat HP's combination of price and performance. Their laptop line is very cost effective and the design is absolutely beautiful!
Newegg - Newegg.com is known for great service and awesome pricing on computers, upgrades, and electronics. If you're looking for computers, computer parts, or electronics you owe it to yourself to start here! Great Products. Great Prices. Great Customer Service!
Computer Maintenance Software
Diskeeper 2008 - My current favorite defrag program. As files are written and erased from the hard drive they begin to leave "spaces" behind. When the drive is written to again files are broken up to fill in these spaces. This causes the drive to go to several different locations to read an entire file, which slows performance greatly. Diskeeper has several advanced features such as; automatic defrag, scheduled defrag, and the ability to defrag the MFT (Master File Table) and paging file. 30 day trial.
Registry Mechanic - A very thorough and efficient registry cleaner and defragmenter. A definite must to maintain peak performance and stabile operation. 30 day trial.
Computer Utility Software
Acronis True Image 11 - Do you value the data on your computer? Do you value your time? How much time will you spend recovering data and returning your computer to its original state after a hardware failure or software glitch? True Image is my #1 choice in backup tools. Whether you choose file or image based backups (you should use both!) True Image will perform better than any other application I've used. Disk images created with True Image are generally 10-20% smaller than those from comparable programs. If your time and files are as important to you as mine are to me this is a must have.
Acronis Disk Director - My favorite tool to partition, format, and resize hard drives.
Roboform - This program is the next best thing since sliced bread in my book! This program integrates into Internet Explorer and firefox. It generates very secure passwords at the click of a button. How do I remember these complex passwords? Roboform allows you to save passwords and personal data in an encrypted format. A master password (yes only one password to remember!) allows access. Roboform in IE and FireFox works like a super powered bookmark. You click the site you want to go to and Roboform opens the site, enters your username and password for the site (if required) and as if by magic clicks the submit button. If you shop online Roboform can enter your personal information and credit card information, which is also stored in a secure encrypted file, in one click. A real time saver with great security thrown in to boot! 30 day trial.
WinRar - What is commonly called a zip utility, similar to the more widely known WinZip. WinRar is faster and works with more formats for about 1/2 the price of WinZip. 30 day trial.
Desktop Utility Software
LogonStudio - Change the screen that appears when you boot Windows (the one with the moving bar graph). Hundreds of free skins available online. It's free.
Cursor XP Plus - Change the cursors on your computer. Hundreds of cursor packs are available online for free.
Icon Packager - Change the icons on your computer. Icon Packager puts you in control to change every icon with the click of a button. Tired of the plain icons built into Windows? There are hundreds of Icon Packs available online for free, which will add a truly personal feel to your computer.
WindowBlinds 6 - This is the icing on the proverbial cake. WindowBlinds changes the look and feel of Windows. By changing the appearance of the task bar, start menu, and any other window or program you open. It adds transparency, shadows, alpha blending, and animations. Hundreds of themes are available online for free.
Internet and Email
1&1 hosting - If you want to start your own website, blog, photo gallery, or have a personalized email address then 1&1 is for you. 1&1 can not be beat for reliability, features, support, and price. 90 day guarantee.
Google Gmail - The best internet based email (webmail) available. Each mailbox has a 6.5GB limit. The interface is superb, and the spam filter is top notch. You will never need to delete an email again! It has a great search function and a feature called thread view, which makes finding emails easy. A webmail account offers several advantages including not being required to change your email address if you change service providers. Gmail requires an invitation from a current member. If you are interested shoot me an email and I'll send you an invite.
Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Outlook is the current email client of choice for corporate America. I get well over 200 emails a day. Outlook has a few features I really need such as a plug in for automatic backups, office sounds which offers me some audible feedback, and the ability to change headers. I've used Mozilla Thunderbird and liked it a lot. With the amount of mail I go through I really need the features of Outlook. If you aren't a heavy user, or don't need the features I do then Thunderbird is a great alternative.
- An amazing, free, web browser. If you aren't using it you should be! Highly customizable through addins called extensions. There are thousands of extensions which can allow FireFox to do just about anything you can imagine. More importantly, Firefox is not subject to ActiveX, which is a large part of Internet Explorer, AOL, and MSN. No ActiveX means much less chance of getting spyware! Firefox also conforms to web standards more closely than Internet Explorer, which means you will see what the authors intended, not Microsoft.
Mozilla Thunderbird - A great free email client, from the same folks that brought us FireFox. Easy to use and highly customizable through extensions.
Photo and Picture Software
Adobe Photoshop Elements - Photoshop Elements is a consumer version of Adobe Photoshop. If you are serious about digital photos you will find Photoshop Elements a great program to have at your disposal. Elements provides all the functionality most will need at 1/6th the price of the full Photoshop version.
Picasa - A great (FREE) way to organize, edit, and share your digital photos.
Please share your thoughts and comments about Dave's Recommended Software in the box below!
Windows Home Server Update
by David Hartsock
It's been over four months since I've written about WHS and I thought everyone would be interested in an update. I've tackled a problem or two and tried a few addins. Everything works like a charm. Windows Home Server has become an integral part of my home network.
The WHS to xBox video tragedy
One of the reasons I had high hopes for WHS was the ability to store my DVD collection in a digital medium and stream them to my xBox360. One can only have so many DVD's lying around the living room before the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) weighs in on the subject. I had hoped to eliminate the DVD's from the living room and having the ability to browse and change movies from the couch would be a nice added benefit.
I also wanted to eliminate CD's from my living room. Moving my audio collection to the WHS was easy. Simply convert to mp3, store on the WHS, and stream to the xbox. It was nice to remove the CD changer from the entertainment center and clean it up a bit!
The real hurdle was video, and the first step was figuring out which video and audio formats the xbox supported. I had some basic requirements:
- High quality video
- A common video format
- Support for AC3 5.1 audio
I enjoy 5.1 surround. In fact, watching a movie without 5.1 eating cake with no icing! I feel the surround sound adds realism to movies. It is a must have! I learned the xbox supported two formats with 5.1 audio - xvid/divx and wmv. And that's where my problems began...
I started searching the web for programs that supported conversions to those formats with 5.1 audio. That didn't go so well. In the end I downloaded, installed, and tested over 30 programs. Of those about 25 couldn't convert with 5.1, which resulted in multiple emails to tech support only to find that their products couldn't do it (hmmm the advertisement says it can). I found several programs and methods that worked, but were extremely complicated or difficult to use. In the end I settled on DVD-WMV and DVDFab Platinum.
DVD-WMV is free and supports the wmv (Windows Media Video) format with 5.1 audio. I was so happy to find a program that actually worked. The downside is the user interface is outdated and the conversion times were awful. Then I stumbled upon DVDFab Platinum. WOW! DVDFab was a full featured product that handles every DVD related task you can think of. I was also impressed with the frequency the program was updated and that the author answers questions directly on the support forum. DVDFab supports the xvid format with 5.1 audio and conversions are very fast compared to the other programs. The downside is DVDFab isn't free. Let's just say that $50 later I am happily watching my movies (stored on the WHS) through my xbox. I wish I have found DVDFab first, as I spent at least 100 hours searching, installing, and testing all of those programs!
I am so impressed that I will be adding DVDFab to my recommended software list in the newsletter and on the website!
Power Pack 1
A WHS Power Pack is similar to a service pack for other Windows distributions. It hasn't been released yet, but I've been running a beta version for a few weeks. I have experienced no problems with PP1 and have nothing but kudos for the WHS development team.
The major features of PP1 are:
- Drive Extender has been tweaked for better performance
- Correction of a data corruption bug that affected some users
- Performance improvements when copying files to shared folders
- Improvement of the Hard Drive Removal applet
- Support for 64 bit windows versions
- Support added for backup to external drives
- Remote file upload/download functionality improved
- Improved support for Windows Media Playlists
- Improved dialogs and wizards
There are many more improvements and fixes, but these are the big ones.
Add-ins
Two addins I've come to rely on are Disk Management and Advanced Admin Console.
Disk management provides important information for each drive that isn't available from the WHS Console. Health, size, temp, and percent of space used are some of the info it provides.
Advanced Admin Console provides access to the control panel from within the WHS Console. This allows you to change system settings remotely.
If you haven't checked the Windows Home Server out you should. It fills a void in the home computer environment. As multiple PC homes and digital video/audio become more common place WHS will hit it's stride. This is an application that will be around for a long while, expecially in my home!
Please share your thoughts and comments about this software, or other free software, in the box below!
Useful Freeware
If you find a program that hasn't been included in a previous newsletter tell me by emailing me at
Partition Logic - A free disk partitioning tool. Partition Logic allows you to change partition sizes, create new partitions, combine partitions and other useful functions.
AIMP2 - A free audio player with very small resource usage. Skinable, Plug-ins, the whole nine yards. - Win2K, XP, Vista
UpdateStar - A free program that monitors your freeware, shareware, and commercial software for updates. The programs database is maintained by the users, with over 80,000 programs currently listed. -XP/Vista
Process Lasso - An interesting free program which throttles CPU hogging programs to increase system responsiveness. -XP/Vista
AnVir Task Manager - WOW. I tried this software on the suggestion of a comment in a previous newsletter. It is now my default task manager, replacing the built-in Windows task manager. AnVir gives detailed information about every running process and startup program. It also allows you to monitor system health by displaying CPU temp, memory usage, and more! - XP/Vista
SnapaShot - A free screen capture utility. -XP/Vista
Please share your thoughts and comments about this software, or other free software, in the box below!
Useful websites
If you find a website that hasn't been included in a previous newsletter tell me by emailing me at
WobZip - Need to unzip or unrar a compressed archive in a pinch? Simply upload it to WobZip!
OSX on your PC? - If you are adventurous here is an interesting idea. How to install Apple's OSX on a PC.
Verify Email - Use this site to verify email addresses.
Picasa Add-ons - Are you using Picasa to manage your digital photos? If not you should be! This site has 19 free add-ons for Picasa. If you haven't tried Picasa yet you can download it from the My Recommended Software section
Please share your thoughts and comments about these websites, or other useful sites, in the box below!
The Lighter Side
I spend thousands of hours each week searching the internet for funny or entertaining items to share with my readers. Enjoy!
Corporate Bully? - This is a MUST read! Some companies are known for bullying smaller companies with frivolous lawsuits. Monster Cable may have bitten off more than they can chew with this one! It's worth your time to read it from a consumer standpoint, as well at the humor of the matter.
Put-Put Golf - Warning: Very addictive!!
Funny, buy useless - Can't find a gift for someone? I bet you can find something on this site that will make them smile!
World Clock - This site is pretty cool. It shows numerous world wide statistics continually updated by year, month, week, or second.
Senior Boating - Funny things happen when you combine senior citizens and boats! ~ thanks Jim
Political Double speak - Aren't they all the same? Can't we just answer a question? ~ thanks Don
Please share your thoughts and comments on The Lighter Side in the box below!
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