Disable Windows 7 Snap

Disable Windows 7 Snap


The Windows 7 snap feature is great for those who like to view their windows in full screen. It's a handy option for auto sizing your windows to full or side by side view. However, there are those of us who find this feature very annoying so if you want to turn it off follow the steps below.







Click on "Start”



Click on "Control Panel”



Click on "Ease of Access Center”



Click on "Make the mouse easier to use”



Click on "Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edge of the screen”



Click on "OK" in "Make the mouse easier to use"



See more posts like this one on my site technoobie.com

Disable Windows 7 Snap

The Windows 7 snap feature is great for those who like to view their windows in full screen. It's a handy option for auto sizing your windows to full or side by side view. However, there are those of us who find this feature very annoying so if you want to turn it off follow the steps below.







Click on "Start”



Click on "Control Panel”



Click on "Ease of Access Center”



Click on "Make the mouse easier to use”



Click on "Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edge of the screen”



Click on "OK" in "Make the mouse easier to use"

A few MMORPG Wallpapers

MMORPG Wallpapers

Whether you play online rpg’s or not you can take your desktop to the sci-fi/fanasty realm with some of these free wallpapers from a few popular online MMORPG’s sites. Take a look at some of our favorites.

World of Warcraft



Vindictus



Darkfall



Rift



Runes of Magic



Eve Online



Guild Wars



Lineage



Lineagell



Perfect World



Dungeons and Dragons online

Apple Virus Prevention Tips

Apple Virus Prevention Tips…

Recently we posted information regarding a program called MacDefender, which is a fake antivirus program that installs on the Mac OS. We’ve recently discovered another variant of this virus / malware called MacGuard. We’ve seen this type of virus for years on the PC and now they’ve made their way on to the Mac.  It is important that you understand how to prevent these types of viruses from infecting your computer.

Good Prevention Tips:

1. Never click on something that you don’t know where it leads to. If someone sends you an e-mail containing a link or file, make sure it’s from someone you know. Even then sometimes viruses can send fake e-mails that appear to have come from family and friends. If it sounds too good to be true or just plain weird, don’t click on it.


2. Run Macintosh OS under a standard user account. Unless you need to make changes to the system, there is no need to be logged in as an administrator. Viruses can gain access to critical system files and programs because you are logged in with an account that has full access to these files.


3. If you all the sudden see a page that looks like an antivirus program is scanning your computer for viruses immediately click out of it or shut off the Mac… especially if you see this while browsing inside safari or another web browser.


4. Even though people say you don’t need Virus protection for Macs… you do. It’s always better to be safe than sorry…  Check out Sophos Antivirus for Mac Home Edition. It’s free and it works.
   http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx


5. Keep your Mac Up to Date. Apple will more than likely patch and update the OS so Viruses can be prevented. You can perform an Apple software update by going to the Apple menu in the top left bar and click “Software Update”. From there you can see what updates are available for your Mac.

DVD-ROM Mode

I ran into something new the other day while doing some research on backing up a disc. Apparently, you can burn a disc in different modes such as burning in ROM or DVD+R mode on a DVD-R. This has to do with setting the Booktype, which can be set to suite your needs. This is very helpful since older players have a hard time reading formats such as +R and - R media.

For Example, you can set the booktype to DVD-ROM mode, so older players have a greater chance of reading the disc.

According to what I found on Wikipedia:

The book type is a field of four bits at the start of every DVD (in the physical format information section of the control data block) that indicates what the physical format of the disc is. Many devices will use this "Book Type Field" to determine how the disc should be treated.

One common cause of compatibility problems is the failure of a device to recognize the book type of the disc that has been loaded, most likely as a result of the device being manufactured before that particular book type has been defined. (E.g., most DVD playback devices made before mid-2004 will not recognize the relatively new DVD+R DL Book Type). For DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD+R DL discs, it is possible to change the Book Type field value to the value for DVD-ROM (or in some rare and unorthodox cases, even the value for DVD-R) in order to fool older devices that do not recognize newer Book Type Field values (this process is known as bitsetting).

So here is what you do to change the booktype.

1. First, you need a program that supports changing the booktype. I have heard Nero and Alcholol 120% does this, but a free program out there that works great is ImageBurn. You can download this software from their website : http://www.imgburn.com/


2. You will need to go into the setting in the program to change the booktype for your DVD-Burner. (You must know the brand of your burner)


3. Once you have it set then your media should burn in your specified booktype. It worked well for me!

Windows 8 - Coming to a PC near you

Windows 8 – Coming to a PC near you

Microsoft is working hard on their next release of Microsoft Windows. Windows 8 is expected to be available sometime in 2012. From what we can gather, Windows 8 is going have a revamped GUI and support for ARM processors. Windows 8 is also supposed to have a feature called Hybrid Boot, which allows for faster OS load times.

Once more information becomes available we will let you know.

Current Versions of Windows 8 (Information from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia)

Milestone 1 (build 7850, with a build date of September 22, 2010) was leaked to BetaArchive, an online beta community, which was soon leaked to P2P/torrent sharing networks on April 12, 2011. Milestone 1 includes a ribbon interface for Windows Explorer, a PDF reader called Modern Reader, an updated task manager called Modern Task Manager, and native ISO mounting.

A Milestone 3 build, build 7971, was released to close partners of Microsoft on March 29, 2011 but was kept under heavy security. However, a few screenshots were leaked. The Windows 7 Basic theme has been replaced with a new theme, where the boxes that encase the "close, maximize, and minimize" buttons have been removed, leaving just the signs.

Milestone 3 includes a new Welcome screen, a new packaged application model called AppX that is based on Silverlight, Windows Store to review and buy applications online, and a setting for automatically adjusting the window color to fit the wallpaper. It also includes a stripped down "Immersive" version of Internet Explorer, similar to the mobile version of Internet Explorer, but using the desktop Trident rendering engine.

Watch Family Guy, South Park, and The Simpsons for FREE!

If you're a fan of American Dad, Family Guy, South Park, or the Simpsons you may want to check out xepisodes.com. There they have cataloged every single episode. That's a pretty impressive collection!

Speed up your PC using Defraggler!

Is your computer running slow? Download and run Defraggler. It's sure to give your computer the boost it needs! Defraggler arranges the files on your computer, putting your files in an index for faster read and seek times on your hard drive.

Publishers Description:

"Use Defraggler to defrag your entire hard drive, or individual files - unique in the industry. This compact and portable Windows application supports NTFS and FAT32 file systems."

Download Link:

http://www.piriform.com/defraggler/download

Free Antivirus for Mac

Need antivirus software for your Mac? Look no further. Check out Sophos Antivirus Free Edition for Mac OS.

To download go here: http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx

Publishers Description:

Overview
As Apple computers grow more popular than ever, they're an increasingly-enticing target for hackers. And these hackers aren't just mischief-makers — by targeting your computer or applications you use, these criminals are out to steal and profit from your valuable personal information. Don't let them. Get free Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac today.

Introducing Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition.
It's easy to install, quiet to run and simple to use — it keeps you safe from viruses, Trojans and worms without getting in your way.

High-grade protection without slowing you down.
Best of all, it's free full-featured antivirus. You get business-grade protection for your Mac backed by our SophosLabs experts — they're on the job every day of the year, 24 hours a day. We'll stop, quarantine and clean up Mac or Windows threats that try to infect your computer. We can even stop new, unknown threats.

As versatile as you want it to be, as powerful as you need it to be.
Nobody likes system pop-ups or system slow-downs. That's why our product won't annoy you with messages or take up your computer's resources. And once you install Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition, you're the boss. Want it to just scan quietly in the background as you work? No problem. Need to create a custom scan to check what you want and leave out what you don't? It can do that too.

Garage Band Alternative

Ever wish you could have a program similar to Garage Band on Windows? Here are a couple of programs that have the most or all the features of Garage Band… and even more!

Acoustica Mixcraft 5 - Mixcraft 5 is a powerful yet easy-to-use multi-track recording studio that enables you to record audio, arrange loops, remix tracks, compose with virtual instruments, score and edit video, and add effects to create stunningly professional compositions. Easy enough for everyone and powerful enough for the pros. Get a studio for a song with Mixcraft 5!
http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/

Magix Music Maker - turns making music into an experience! Create your own songs, remixes, and beats right off the bat. Use practical info videos and loads of sounds, loops and effects to develop your own musical style now - without any prior skills.
http://www.magix.com/us/music-maker/

Upload your Picasa photos to Facebook

Have photos in your Picasa albums that you want to upload to Facebook? Just download the Picasa Uploader for facebook, install, and you're all set.

Visit the Picasa Uploader facebook page here

Click on ”Install Now” on the Picasa Uploader page



Select Picasa and Click on "OK"



Click on "Yes”















Select the Facebook icon and start uploading!

Virus and malware prevention basics

Viruses are easy to get and picking one up can be as simple as clicking a link on a search engine. There are many other ways to infect your computer file downloads being at the top. File sharing programs like Limewire are great ways to infect yourself as well. If you must download  whatever from a program like this we suggest moving over to a torrent application and download your files this way. Torrent search engine sites like btjunkie often have comments and virus reporting. If the file is infected many times someone will say so in the comments. However, always scan the file as soon it is downloaded because even the sites are not entirely safe  and don’t click on anything but the torrent download link while you’re on there. Remember when you venture into the file sharing realm you’re in dangerous waters in more ways than just virus infection.

The number one thing you can do to keep from getting infected is to pay attention to your searching habits. This is so important because hitting malware infested sites is one of the easiest and most common ways to get a virus. Here is a list of 5 searches (in no particular order) that will get you into trouble fast:
1. Cooking recipes
2. Free online games
3. Screensavers/Desktop Wallpapers
4. Ringtones
5. Coupons
If you come across a site that greets you with a pop-up warning stating that you are infected, wanting you to run their scan, or install their software, you need to close your browser and run anti-malware/anti-virus software as soon as possible. Whatever you do don't click anywhere on the pop-up window. The best way to close your browser in these cases is to kill the process in Task Manger. Right click on an open area of Taskbar and select "Start Task Manger". You can also press CTRL+ALT+DEL but using the Taskbar option saves a little time and you don't have to wait for your screen to refresh.

Once you're in Task Manger click the "Processes" tab and find all instances of your web browser. Firefox will appear as "firefox.exe" and Internet Explorer will appear as "iexplorer.exe". I'm not sure about the others but you should be able to find them easy enough, Right click on the process and select "End process".
We would also like to add that you should never have to “install” a Wallpaper. Desktop wallpaper is nothing more than an image file and if the file downloaded is an “.exe” just delete it. The best way to get wallpaper is to do a Google search for a wallpaper, whatever subject it may be, and click the images link at the top of the page. On the left side of the results you can select between multiple size settings. Find an image you like “Right Click”  it and select “Save image/picture as”. Watching your surfing helps a great deal in prevention but you’ll still need a few tools in your box in order to keep your machine clean.
There are  three types of programs we recommend installing and keeping updated on your PC throughout your everyday computing. The first of course is an anti-virus program. We'll start by saying (in our professional opinions) please don’t waste your money on Norton, McAfee, or any other product that you have to pay for! There are two things we hate about these types of programs. First you have to pay to keep them updated and the second is they kill your pc’s performance with all of their real-time processes that run in the background. Programs like Norton have internet security suits that are constantly monitoring your system for malicious  software attacks and yes this good but it’s not worth slowing your computer down and paying for a subscription. Windows has its own built in firewall so you don’t need a second. Besides a firewall does you no good against a file you have downloaded or a popup you may have clicked on while browsing that coupon page. If you feel safer with Norton or McAfee with their added features that’s fine we just hate to see people throw their money away on something they don’t need. So what do you use instead? Personally I like AVG Free Edition and Avast Free Edition anti-virus. Both are free including updates and can be downloaded from download.com. They have a search box at the top of their page and your results can be arranged by pay, trial, and free software. AVG and Avast have pro versions that offer more features that you really don’t need and AVG also has a corporate business version that they charge for. That’s how they make their money. The basic free versions is all you need and we’ve been using AVG for years and it’s great. We also like Avast which most of us at technoobie are currently using on our home computers as well. Anti-virus programs are good for scheduled scans and running when you think you may be infected but they don’t always get everything. The second program I suggest is Spybot-Search and Destroy. This is a good utility to run to clean up things like tracking cookies and other spyware which is a little different than viruses. Note that Spybot is not an ant-virus program and should not be used in place of one. The third utility is one that has saved me many times and it’s called Malwarebytes. This utility is used after you have been hit and need to remove the virus. After you run Malwarebytes run your Anti-virus and make sure it comes up clean as well. You may also want to try reverting back to an earlier restore point using System restore. After restoring run these three programs just to make sure your clean. If the system restore doesn’t work and Malwarebytes and your anti-virus continue to show infections you we recommend turning off system restore because many times the virus is still in these restore points even after the scan. Doing this will delete all your restore points which have been infected. You can always turn it back on later and it will begin to create new ones. If you’ve been infected by a virus that disables Malwarebytes you will need to copy the install file you downloaded to a USB drive and boot Windows into Safe Mode by pressing F8 when the computer boots. You should be able to reinstall it once in Safe Mode. If you do this however make sure it’s the latest version of Malwarebytes you can get because you won’t be able to update the program in Safe Mode. If you continue to have trouble you can try using a utility like rkill which finds and stops the running service allowing for removal.
Overall remember to watch your surfing habits, install the programs mentioned above and make sure to update before every scan, and scan those file you have downloaded which your not sure of before opening or running them. This can easily be done with both AVG and Avast by right clicking the file and choosing Scan in the context menu.
Example:

For more information on Avast and AVG see: Antivirus Free Alternatives

Sort Google search results by most recent date

Do you ever search for something on Google just to find out that the article you're reading is 1 to 2 years old or even older. You can easily filter the results by clicking the “Advanced search option” to the right and select the date range you want in the Date options toward the bottom of the screen. The screenshots below will show you the way. Happy Hunting!
















Click Google “Advanced Search”






Click on "Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more (editable text)" in "Google Advanced Search"






Click in "Google Advanced Search"





Select your date preference






Click in "Google Advanced Search"