RyanTAdams.com

Technology Advice by Ryan Taylor Adams

Entries posted in 'Technology'

Restore the Address Bar in Windows XP SP3

May 8th, 2008 · 18 Comments

Windows XP SP3 fixes many things. But it also removes the Internet Explorer icon form the desktop and the “address bar” toolbar from the taskbar. If you want to restore your Internet Explorer icon, check out this guide. If you want the address bar back, keep reading.

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Posted in: Guides

MP3Gain

May 2nd, 2008 · Comments Off on MP3Gain

MP3Gain is a graphical program for volume normalizing MP3 files. MP3Gain analyzes and adjusts mp3 files so that they have the same volume.

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Posted in: Downloads

Restore the Internet Explorer Desktop Icon in Windows XP SP3

April 30th, 2008 · 4 Comments

In addition to the few additions included with SP3 for Windows XP, Microsoft also removed a few features. Apparently in connection with its European anti-trust settlement, Microsoft’s latest service pack tries to “deintegrate” Internet Explorer from the operating system. As such, many users will notice their Internet Explorer icon is missing from the desktop after […]

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Posted in: Guides

Recovering Data From a Non-bootable (dead) Computer

April 28th, 2008 · 1 Comment

If you’re like me, your computer is a container for everything from your DVD and music collection, to family photos and financial documents. And, if you are one of the estimated 75% of users who don’t backup their data regularly, a computer crash can cost you time, sanity, and potentially lots of money. The good […]

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Posted in: Guides

Fixing a Slow Computer

April 23rd, 2008 · Comments Off on Fixing a Slow Computer

If your computer is slower than the day you bought it, there is a problem. Unlike mechanical devices, a computer’s performance doesn’t degrade from wearing out. Any change in performance is due to software (the operating system, programs you have installed, etc.). The good news is, troubleshooting and fixing a slow computer is easy and […]

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Posted in: Guides

Convert Word Documents (or Any Printable File) to a PDF

April 6th, 2008 · Comments Off on Convert Word Documents (or Any Printable File) to a PDF

Ever need to save a file (such as a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or picture) as a PDF? Adobe Acrobat (NOT the free “Acrobat Reader”, but “Acrobat”) includes tools to create a PDF from any file. However, if you don’t own Acrobat, you can still create PDF files for free.

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Posted in: Guides

I’m Having Trouble Adding Images/media to My Posts in WordPress 2.5

March 31st, 2008 · 6 Comments

It seems that there are some issues with the new image/media uploader in WordPress 2.5. The following are some of the issues users have experienced: Upload progress gets “stuck” Upload fails with an HTTP error Upload box does not appear at all If the upload window does appear, images can’t be managed or added I […]

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Posted in: Guides

Installing Ubuntu 7 in Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

March 26th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Ubuntu 7 runs great inside of Virtual PC 2007, at least once you get it installed. The installation would turn away most new Linux users since, by default, neither the graphics or mouse work. Not being able to see or interact with the installer is obviously a major issue. With a few simple text commands […]

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Posted in: Guides

Cleanup Vista SP1 Junk Files

March 20th, 2008 · Comments Off on Cleanup Vista SP1 Junk Files

When you install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 on your computer, the SP1 installer will not remove the older versions of Vista files from the hard drive. These older are required if you decide to uninstall SP1. If you are satisfied with the performance of Windows Vista SP1 and don’t plan on removing it, you can […]

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Posted in: Guides

Troubleshooting “Stop 0x0000007B” Error

March 13th, 2008 · 3 Comments

When you start your computer, you may receive one of the following error messages: STOP: 0x0000007B (parameter1, parameter2, parameter3, parameter4) INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE Setup has encountered a fatal error that prevents it from continuing. Contact your product support representative for assistance. The following status will assist them in diagnosing the problem. (0x4, 0x1, 0, 0) Setup cannot […]

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Posted in: Guides

NVBackup: Freeware Palm Backup

March 13th, 2008 · Comments Off on NVBackup: Freeware Palm Backup

NVBackup is a backup utility for NVFS-based PDAs: Palm T5, LifeDrive, TX, TE2, Treo 650, Treo 700P. Unlike commercial backup utilities that access data via the database cache, this reads data direct out of the flash disk where it is store. This seems to be the best backup utility in terms of restoring the exact state […]

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Posted in: Downloads

Fix Your Broken Outlook Personal Folders (PST) File

March 6th, 2008 · Comments Off on Fix Your Broken Outlook Personal Folders (PST) File

If you use Outlook and you’ve noticed it being excessively slow or just having errors, you should probably scan and repair your Personal Folders file for any problems. It’s sorta like checkdisk for your email client.

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Posted in: Guides

OpenWithView

March 4th, 2008 · Comments Off on OpenWithView

OpenWithView is a small utility that displays the list of all available applications in the ‘Open With’ dialog-box of Windows, and allows you to easily disable/enable the applications in the list. When application is disabled, it won’t be displayed in the ‘Other Programs’ section of the ‘Open With’ dialog-box.

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Posted in: Downloads

Restore the Show Desktop Shortcut on Quick Launch Bar in Windows XP

March 3rd, 2008 · 3 Comments

The Quick Launch toolbar (which can be enabled by right-clicking on the taskbar, clicking “Toolbars”, and then clicking “Quick Launch) by default contains a shortcut to instantly minimize all open windows and show the desktop. It is possible to accidentally move or delete this shortcut. If you have accidentally removed the shortcut and want it back, use […]

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Posted in: Guides

Increase the Number of Simultaneous (concurrent) Downloads in Internet Explorer

March 2nd, 2008 · Comments Off on Increase the Number of Simultaneous (concurrent) Downloads in Internet Explorer

To comply with current Internet standards, Internet Explorer (Internet Explorer 5.5, Internet Explorer 5.01, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP, Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Server 2003, Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Server 2003 IA64) limits the number of simultaneous downloads (from the same server) to […]

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Posted in: Guides

PSPad Editor

March 2nd, 2008 · 1 Comment

 PSPad is my favorite text editor. I use it for everything from PHP coding to opening unknown file types. MUCH better than Notepad or Wordpad.

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Posted in: Downloads

EventID.net Event Viewer Redirection Registry Hack

March 1st, 2008 · Comments Off on EventID.net Event Viewer Redirection Registry Hack

In Windows XP, for most of the events Event Viewer would add at the end the following sentence: “For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.” If one clicks on this link, another window will open with information that will be submitted to the site. The main problem is that in 99% of […]

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Posted in: Downloads

Show Hidden Files And Folders

February 29th, 2008 · Comments Off on Show Hidden Files And Folders

All versions of the Windows operating system support “hidden” files and folders. When a file or folder is marked as hidden, it will (by default) not be visible to the user. Files are often hidden to prevent accidental deletion or editing of important system files by the user. Sometimes it is necessary to view hidden […]

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Posted in: Guides

IsUsedBy: Troubleshoot “file is in Use” And “access Denied” Errors

February 28th, 2008 · Comments Off on IsUsedBy: Troubleshoot “file is in Use” And “access Denied” Errors

IsUsedBy is a software tool which you can use to determine what process on your system has a particular file open. This is important, for example, if you want to copy or delete a file and you don’t know why it isn’t working.

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Posted in: Downloads

What is a Pagefile And How Big is Mine?

February 27th, 2008 · Comments Off on What is a Pagefile And How Big is Mine?

The paging file is very closely related to the physical RAM installed in the computer.

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Posted in: Guides

Why Can’t I Get FairUse4WM Or Mirakagi to Work?

February 25th, 2008 · 19 Comments

If you are having trouble with the FairUse4WM/mirakagi programs read on.

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Posted in: Guides

Disable UAC (user Account Control) in Vista

February 24th, 2008 · Comments Off on Disable UAC (user Account Control) in Vista

User Account Control (UAC) is a technology introduced in Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system. It aims to improve the security of Microsoft Windows by limiting application software to standard user privileges until an administrator authorizes an increase in privilege level. In this way, only applications that the user trusts receive higher privileges, and malware is kept […]

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Posted in: Guides

Removing “$NtServicePackUninstall$” And Other Update Related Folders

February 21st, 2008 · Comments Off on Removing “$NtServicePackUninstall$” And Other Update Related Folders

Inside of your Windows folder you will notice multiple folders named “$NtServicePackUninstall$” or similar. Because these folders are hidden by default, you may have to go into My Computer or Windows Explorer and select Tools, Folder Options. Select the View tab and change the Hidden Files and Folders setting to Show Hidden Files and Folders. These […]

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Posted in: Guides

What is the “$hf_mig$” Folder for And Can I Delete It?

February 21st, 2008 · 3 Comments

If you have the “Show hidden files and folders” option enabled, you may have noticed a folder named “$hf_mig$” inside of your Windows directory. This folder contains information about previously installed updates. According to Microsoft, “When a security update, critical update, update, update rollup, driver, or feature pack installs GDR version files, the hotfix files […]

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Posted in: Guides

Make Sure Your Computer Isn’t Exposing Sensitive Files

February 19th, 2008 · Comments Off on Make Sure Your Computer Isn’t Exposing Sensitive Files

All versions of Windows allow for the sharing of folders and printers over a network. This feature is useful if you want to be able to access files stored on one computer while using a second computer. There are plenty of guides availible that explain how to set up secure file sharing (that is, assigning permissions […]

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Posted in: Downloads · Guides