Daily Computer Tips

One of the favorite website that everyone loves to visit is youtube.com. This is for a simple reason, because there are a lot of informative, interesting videos there as well as various videos of the music clips. Sometime we just wondering, can we convert those videos to mp3? Or maybe just download that video to our computer so we don’t have to play that using streaming that will run out our internet bandwidth? The answer is yes.

youtube logo

There’s voydo.com that come to help your need on converting youtube to mp3 or simply download the video to your desktop. Voydo Download youtube video, youtube to mp3 for free.,  youtube to mp3 for free. The interesting part of this website is you don’t have to pay any cent for this service. You simply just need to paste your URL there and the download will begin shortly after the URL is processed. Voydo is not just processed youtube video. It also can process videos from Metacafe Google videos, Dailymotion.com, and Blip.tv. I guess you will love this website as you can download the favorite videos and play your videos easily on your desktop.

So if you need a youtube or other online video sharing converter to offline video, don’t forget to go to voydo.com. If you think their service is great don’t forget to tell your friend about it.

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When you are using Excel for data entry or doing analysis, do you have the situation that you always need to pick up your mouse while you actually just want to get to another grid and start editing? Or you need to use the mouse to click on the grids while you need your hand to type in the same time?

Programmers do understand the situation. Therefore a set of shortcut keys, which allows you to put your hands on the keyboard all the time is available. You do not need to grab your mouse and then miss the grid where you were entering data into.  

Below is a shortcut key table that you can download and print out as a cheatsheet card to help yourself!

Useful Shortcut Keys for Excel

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If you still experience low performance issue with your computer after cleaning up your hard drive, you might need to scan your computer with anti-virus softwares or anti-spyware softwares. 

Computer virus program can negatively affects the working of a computer by altering user data or information without the permission or knowledge of its actual user. Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer’s performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using the PC safety scan from Windows Live OneCare. This scan is a free service and will help check for and remove viruses.

There are also many other anti-spyware softwares or spyware scanners available for free online.

Anti-virus scanning

Besides the above ways that can get rid of existing rubbish in your computer, you also also prevent your computer data and resources from viruses, below are some tips & tricks to keep virus away:

1. Always have anti-virus and anti-spyware programs switched on, and keep them updated regularly. By doing so, your computer will be protected. You’ll get alerts when the programs detect something wrong. You can set up regular updating schedule to make sure the program is being updated regular to prevent new viruses.

2. Never open unknown e-mail messages, and always scan email attachments before downloading, even if you know the sender of the message, as sometimes email accounts of your friends can be hacked for sending out viruses.

3. Do not install anything suspicious. Sometimes you will see popup windows coming up from your browse. Don’t download anything before you scan them thoroughly.

4. Minimize usage through USB drive or external hardware. Viruses can be carried over from one computer to another by the USB stick.

5. Always keep backup of your important data so even one copy got impacted, you still have a back up. (See appendix for steps to do a back up)

Back up in progress

Appendix – Steps to back up your files:

1. Open Backup and Restore by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Backup and Restore.
2. Do one of the following:

a. If you’ve never used Windows Backup before, click Set up backup, and then follow the steps in the wizard. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

b. If you’ve created a backup before, you can wait for your regularly scheduled backup to occur, or you can manually create a new backup by clicking Back up now. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

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After the external care for your hardwares, it is time to clean up your computer internally.

Cleaning your hard drive not only can give you a faster hard drive, but also can make sure that rubbish and malwares are removed, which can give you a safer computer environment.

The below 2 tips are the easiest tricks that you can run to clean your hard drive:  

1. Free up disk space

The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk to improve the performance of your computer. The tool identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.

Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.

Steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.
3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don’t want to delete, and then click OK.
4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.

After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.

2. Speed up access to data

Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.

Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer’s hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up. In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when uou add a large number of file or your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.

Steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
2. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
3.  To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button.

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Computer cleanness concerns basically 2 aspects, the outer part – the physically cleanness of the hardware and the inner parts – data cleanness.

Let’s start with the physically cleanness.

Your mouse

The mouse is the most commonly used pointing device in windows environment on the personal computers. You really need to take care of it and otherwise the mouse would not follow your commands anymore.

Tips to keep your mouse clean:

1. Do not touch the mouse when your hand is dirty!

2. If you did touch the mouse when you hands are dirty, clean it right afterwards.

3. If you notice that the mouse is not moving as smooth as before, check the bottom of the mouse and remove any visible dust.

4. If you are using an optical move, you can open the ball over from the back side and de-dust the whole thing.

Your Keyboard

Besides your mouse, keyboard is also something that you would touch everytime when you use your computer. It is even worse than a mouse, since a keyboard got loads of small areas to store dust.

How dirty can a keyboard get?

Below are tips to keep your keyboard clean:

 1. Same as the way you should try you mouse (and indeed everything), don’t touch the keyboard with dirty hands, and if you did already, clean the dirt immediately.

2. Avoid eating or drinking in front of your keyboard. Your bits and chucks can get into the keyboard and stay there forever.

3. Cover your keyboard with cloth when you’re not using it for a long while.

4. Use high-pressured spray to clean your keyboard – there are keyboard cleaners available in the market. These are pressured spray with air to force all little tiny things from your keyboard to get out.

A keyboard spray

5. Another cost-effective way to get rid of the dust is to flip over your keyboard and pat the dust out.

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Have you ever have experience error message when you want to delete a file or a folder, which is infected by a virus, but then the file is at the same time, being used by another program?

You might receive an error message saying one of the below:

1. Cannot delect File: It is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that might be using the file and try again.
2. Cannot delete file: the file is in use by the other program
3. Cannot delete file: There has been a sharing violation
4. Cannot delete file: The file is in use by another program or user
5. Cannot delete file: Disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
6. Cannot delete file: The source or destination file may be in used

Irritating error messages!

Yes, that is a loop as the file is using by another program and simply you cannot delete that anymore.

Below is the trick showing you how to delete such infected shared file without affect the running of another program.

A. The easiest way is to restart your window.

Steps:

1. shut down the program(s) that the shared file is running on.

2. Restart your pc.

3. When restarted, make sure the programs are still shut down.

4. Try to delete the file(s) you want to remove again.

5. Now you should be able to remove.

B. If you do not want to restart your computer, you can download a freeware called ‘Unlocker’.

Steps:

1. download the freeware with the correct windows version(you should be able to find from download.com).

2. Run the set up for ‘Unlocker’

3. After installed, find the file you want to delete, right click on it and you should be able to select the option ‘Unlocker’.

Unlocker

4. It will tell you if the file is being used with other programs, now click on ‘unlock all’ and you’ll be able to delete the file.

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You might be tired of all the wires from your mouse, keyboard, external hardware and everything. Ain’t a wireless mouse attractive? At least it can reduce 1 wire! So how to pick a wireless mouse that is suitable for you? See below tips for below you buy one:

How does a wireless mouse work?

It is quite important to understand this before you get one. A wireless mouse goes with a receiver station which will be connected with your computer via either USB or PS/2 connection. The mouse will send signals to the receiver in order to work properly.

Wireless mouse with a receiver

Optical or Laser?

There are both optical and laser wireless mouse available in the market, with laser being the most updated technology. A laser mouse can give you smoother movement. For either optical or laser mouse, you do not need a mouse pad for it.

Are you right or left handed?

If you are right handed, almost all the wireless mouse in the market are suitable for you. The better known brands that produces wireless mouse are Logitech and Belkin.

If you are left handed, you might look into details of the wireless mouse produced by Belkin. Belkin is renowned of producing mouse that are versatile and can be used by either left or right handed users.

How does a wireless mouse get power from?

Unlike a wired mouse, which can use the power from the cord connected to your computer, a wireless mouse needs batteries in the mouse itself. Most wireless mouse in the market runs on 2 AA batteries. Some of the wireless mouse comes with a charger which you can charge the mouse directly.

Wireless mouse with a charger

What price range should be expected?

Wireless mouse are priced from around US$15 – 45, depends on the brand, distance coverage of the wireless mouse and of course other functionalities.

Find one that suits yourself and cut down a cord connecting to your computer!

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Why is your laptop’s battery be gone so quickly?

Do you have problems with your laptop that the battery last for only a very short time when you’re not charging it? Below are some tips to lengthen the life of your battery.

Low battery again?!

1.     Lower brightness, less battery needed

The light from your laptop’s monitor consumes battery. To save energy, tune the light setting (by pressing Fn & the light control key on your laptop, which is normally located next to your function keys) to the lowest comfortable light level.

 2. Switch off bluetooth and/ or wireless adapter when not in use

If you have built in bluetooth or wireless adapters, they are very often running as soon as you use your laptop. Check everytime that they should be switched off when they are not in use.

3. Do not plug in extra USB devices if not needed

When you’re not using USB devices but keep it plugged in, these devices will be in a charging mode, charing power from your laptop of course.

4. Shut down programs that you not needed

Programs like MSN/ Skype do consume a lot of memories, and thus power to run. If you are not using them, please shut them down.

5. No extra CD/ DVD in your drive when not in use

Again, keep unnecessary  things like CD/ DVD out of your laptop. Any discs in your drive would consume energy as they keep spinning.

 6. Keep your laptop in Mute

Speaker, like any other part of your laptop, also takes up energy. Keep it at mute whenever possible.

How to get your laptop battery work longer?

7. Do not burn CD/ DVD when you do not have the battery charge with you

If you still want to use your laptop when you are missing the charge, please do not perform any CD/ DVD burning activities, as that also burns out your battery.

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Do you know what Google Buzz is? it’s a new feature from Google which combine RSS with our social networking, integrated with Google.com and GMail infrastructure.

Google Buzz interface

In a glance the Buzz looks like facebook than twitter, it has likes and dislikes on the posting area. While someone responses to your post you’ll get notification in your inbox and pop-up notification in Buzz label. And if you check them, it bumps all buzz to the top.

Can I turn Google Buzz off?

Some of my friends feels uncomfortable with this new feature from Google, it little bit annoying. What about you?

If you feel so, I have some ways to hide Google Buzz. Here it is:

1. Do login to your GMail account, and you’ll notice a label with icon named Buzz.

2.  To hide the Buzz, just go to setting page and find the “Buzz” tab

Google Buzz setting page

in this section you will find two information, they are “Display following lists” and “Buzz choices”, so if you want to turn it off take a look on Buzz choices section, make sure you choose “Do not show Google Buzz in Gmail”, that will hide the Buzz tab in Gmail. And you will still be able to use Buzz on your phone. Your connected sites will continue to create new posts in Google Buzz.

Of course you can, still in the Buzz setting tab, there is “Disable Google Buzz” link, just click on it and it will delete your Google Profile and Buzz posts.

If you feel lazy to go to setting page, just take a look at the footer of Gmail, find the link named “turn off buzz”.

- the image shown bellow captured when Buzz already off -

GMail footer

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You have to be careful on posting in social network site such as facebook, because other user can see your posting on that. I got some some tips for you to safe posting on social network:

1. Please remember that You’re not the only one that post

Facebook allow anyone of Your friends to do anything with Your posting. So You have to concern about your friend’s TAG and Comment on your posting. Check Their Comment and TAG and ensure that They do on the right way

2. Are You Familiar Enough with the setting?

Before You’re begin to post on social Networking You have to know the appopriate setting. Some social networking site allow to restrict access to a folder of photos, some is not. Some even can restrict the wall of your posting to just some group of friend. You have to be familiar with this so You can bring a post that relevant to your group of audience

3. Pictures means Thousands Words and can be thousand times ashamed

You have to understand that posting your video and images with some pose that’s not appropriate can affect directly on make You lose your face. Posting Your tatto image, posting your pictures with someone that Isn’t your couple in kissing mode, Posting picture when You’re drinking. You have to take care about your own personality.

4. Don’t Post When You’re not stable

You know that driving when drinking is not allowed. This is the same way in posting. Just don’t post when You’re not stable. When You’re emotional, lack of sleep and in fear. That will influence The way You do posting.

5. Please Remember What For and Where Do You right now

The first thing is what the site is all about. Some site is made up for business and professional purpose, and some site are made up just for social purpose purely. Sometime your posting is good for linked in is not appropriate enough for facebook. Please remember where You are. Formality in diction is quite important. Is It Formal or Non Formal.

6. Ready to say No and delete friend

Not all request is good request. You have to refuse some bad request from Your friend. Sometime You also have to delete someone on your friend list if He’s not appropriate persons to be your friend and You don’t like what They post.

7. Remember Your Target

You have to think exactly of your reader. You post something that can be seen by many persons. What I mean here is We have to think about different purpose on your posting. Posting in twitter with thousands of follower need to be in line with your purpose. If You’re posting with programming concern, You should talk about programming not about the other.

8. Sensitive material Can be a boomerang

You have to take care about the material that You’re posting. Posting some material that seems to be so sensitive can result on a very bad comment from another. You have to think about the material on that post.  You have to be careful on posting, commenting and make suggestion on the politics, sex and religion

9.  Don’t mix Working with Pleasure

Facebook can be use for working and business but also can be used for pleasure. You have to think about this when You post what You have in mind. Maybe You can imagine that someone posting his farming game result on his business facebook?

10.  Is It Important to use an alias?

Maybe You think that using alias is the best way to get rid of  problems arise because of the social networking site. You can make a face account and doing everything You want. But You have to know if another don’t know You, Is It still a social networking purpose?

Those are some tips to safe posting on social networking site like facebook, hope it can be helpful

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