Notification service, safe Internet for kids. group dialer site and Speed up LAN browsing.

pleasenotify.me is a simple, free service to let you send tasks to people, and be notified when they're done. It works like this: You can use the form on the site to email someone a task. If they don't mark it complete by the time you specify, both of you will be notified. You'll both be reminded daily until it's finally completed. It's the simplest project management imaginable. * email addresses used in this service won't be sold, or used for anything else. http://pleasenotify.me/

Safe email for kids.  Parents control it: http://pikluk.com/getit  FREE

Dial My Calls:  Group dialing...up to 25 people: https://www.dialmycalls.com/members/index.html

Speed up LAN browsing with XP: http://www.petri.co.il/speed_up_lan_browsing_in_windows_xp.htm

--

email posting OR signature suppressed 

builders bible

The 2008 PC Builder's Bible

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-2008-pc-builders-bible/a-20080918153014865039

Thomas Pitre

http://tpitre.nikola.com

"The wicked are always surprised to find that the good can be clever."  Marquis de Vauvenargues

Open Directory Project

About the Open Directory Project

The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors.

The Republic of the Web

The web continues to grow at staggering rates. Automated search engines are increasingly unable to turn up useful results to search queries. The small paid editorial staffs at commercial directory sites can't keep up with submissions, and the quality and comprehensiveness of their directories has suffered. Link rot is setting in and they can't keep pace with the growth of the Internet.

Instead of fighting the explosive growth of the Internet, the Open Directory provides the means for the Internet to organize itself. As the Internet grows, so do the number of net-citizens. These citizens can each organize a small portion of the web and present it back to the rest of the population, culling out the bad and useless and keeping only the best content.

The Definitive Catalog of the Web

The Open Directory follows in the footsteps of some of the most important editor/contributor projects of the 20th century. Just as the Oxford English Dictionary became the definitive word on words through the efforts of volunteers, the Open Directory follows in its footsteps to become the definitive catalog of the Web.

The Open Directory was founded in the spirit of the Open Source movement, and is the only major directory that is 100% free. There is not, nor will there ever be, a cost to submit a site to the directory, and/or to use the directory's data. The Open Directory data is made available for free to anyone who agrees to comply with our free use license.

The Internet Brain

The Open Directory is the most widely distributed data base of Web content classified by humans. Its editorial standards body of net-citizens provide the collective brain behind resource discovery on the Web. The Open Directory powers the core directory services for the Web's largest and most popular search engines and portals, including Netscape Search, AOL Search, Google, Lycos, HotBot, DirectHit, and hundreds of others.

http://www.dmoz.org/

Search tool, TV, and Timevault Beta

Everything search engine - Locate files and folders by name instantly. Everything   
    * Small installation file
    * Clean and simple user interface
    * Quick file indexing
    * Quick searching
    * Minimal resource usage
    * Share files with others easily
    * Free and feature
This tiny little Windows utility does an amazing job of providing nearly instantaneous search results. Just download and install the file and within moments you'll be able to find just about anything stored on your system. No need to wait a few hours or days for Everything to build an index of your files first. You can register Everything to start up when Windows starts. But because it doesn't need to spend a long time building its index, you can just as easily launch it when you need it, search for a file, and then close it. There's also a Windows Explorer shell plug in that lets you search individual folders or hard drives by right-clicking on them.
http://www.voidtools.com/

Al Gore's Current TV: http://current.com/

Timevault is an automatic backup utility that takes a snapshot of your current file system or directory for pre-defined amount of time, which can be used later to retrieve damaged files or folders. Timevault is in beta stage of development and can be downloaded from https://launchpad.net/timevault. After installation you need to logout and log in back to finish installation and you will find timevault icon on the systray.

--

email posting OR signature suppressed 

Send a FAX for FREE from your browser!

Send a fax for free to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada

• Free!
• Ad on the cover page
• Fax 1 document—maximum 3 pages
• Maximum 2 free faxes per day

http://faxzero.com/

Make slide shows, BLOG critics, book finder, database searches, and Textbooks

There has been a lot of press, lately about textbook costs.  I'm aware of it, as an educator and student.  There ARE alternatives.

-Make slide shows on line: http://280slides.com/Editor/

-BLOG critics: http://blogcritics.org/

-BookFinder.com
http://www.bookfinder.com/textbooks/
Compare prices on new and used textbooks for sale.

-CompletePlanet
http://aip.completeplanet.com/
Discover over 70,000+ searchable databases and specialty search engines.

-CourseSmart
http://www.coursesmart.com/
CourseSmart LLC is a new venture founded and supported by five higher education textbook publishers. Our mission is to improve teaching and learning by providing instructors and students better exposure and access to digital course materials.

--

email posting OR signature suppressed 

Hacks for Firefox, dead pixels, XP Chat and Sandisk puts MP3s on cards

Hacks to speed-up FireFox:   
http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/8-hacks-to-make-firefox-ridiculously-fast-468317

A 19 inch LCD has over 3.9 million pixels and a 24 inch display has almost 7 million pixels, so it's true that one or two dead ones are probably not going to be very noticeable. And in some cases, you can fix the bad pixel. Here are Samsung's instructions for doing so: http://www.wxpnews.com/0WJMWV/080923-Samsung-Support

How to chat with other XP users on your network
Did you know that you can chat with other XP computers on your local network, without using Windows Messenger or going through the Internet? Just start the hidden Windows Chat program that's built into XP. Here's how:
1. Click Start | Run
2. Type winchat
3. Click Conversation | Dial
4. Type in the name of the computer you want to communicate with, or choose it from              the drop down list
5. Click OK
6. Type your message in the top half of the chat window

SanDisk pushes music on memory cards
Posted 1d 7h ago
By Rachel Metz, AP Technology Writer
NEW YORK — Just as vinyl once gave way to compact discs as the main physical medium for music, could CDs be replaced now by a fingernail-sized memory card? Perhaps not entirely, but SanDisk, four major record labels and retailers Best Buy and Wal-Mart Stores are hoping that albums sold on microSD memory cards will at least provide an additional stream of sales. The companies were expected to unveil plans Monday to sell memory cards loaded with music in the MP3 format, free of copy protections.

Called "slotMusic," the new format is meant to address two intertwined trends. Most albums are still sold in a physical format — 449 million were sold on CDs in 2007, while 50 million were sold digitally, according to Nielsen SoundScan — yet CDs are decreasingly popular. Albums sold on CD dropped almost 19% last year.

Given this, the record labels — Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp. and EMI Group PLC — are hoping slotMusic can be another physical revenue source — and one that is more versatile than CDs, given the kinds of gadgets people carry around these days.

Unlike when the CD was introduced and people had to buy new players, many people already have the ability to play slotMusic albums, since many cellphones and multimedia players support microSD cards.

These new albums will come with a small USB dongle that lets buyers use them with computers, too.

"Particularly in this kind of economic climate, the idea of being able to use an electronic device you already own to enjoy music rather than going out and buying a dedicated player is pretty compelling," said Daniel Schreiber, who heads the audio-video business unit at SanDisk, which created the microSD card format and is working on the technology behind slotMusic.

Schreiber said slotMusic albums will be sold on 1 gigabyte microSD cards, which means they will be able to hold a full album and related content such as liner notes and cover art. Buyers will be able to use extra space on the cards to hold songs and photos from their own collections.

The cards and dongles will come in boxes similar to current CD packaging, and Schreiber expects the cost of slotMusic releases to be "in the ballpark" of current CD prices.

It's not yet known exactly when — or how many — albums will be initially sold in the format, but Schreiber expects retailers to give a "sizable amount of shelf space" to slotMusic albums. The albums are expected to debut at multiple retailers, including Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores in the U.S., and later in Europe.

Rio Caraeff, executive vice president of Universal Music Group's eLabs digital music unit, said the label will initially release about 30 titles in the slotMusic format. The titles will include old and new albums, such as one by singer Akon.

"We want to provide the benefits of digital music to people who go to physical retail environments," he said.

Asked whether he sees the format taking the place of the CD, Caraeff said, "I think we would certainly hope that would be the case, but I don't think we are so tied to that."

NPD Group entertainment analyst Russ Crupnick sees a potential for slotMusic to emerge as a compelling format. He said the industry needs "desperately" to give people a new reason to head back into the music sections at brick-and-mortar stores.

"Not that we want them out of the gaming section, but once they're done looking at 'Guitar Hero' we want them to come look at the music section," he said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

--

email posting OR signature suppressed 

The PC Decrapifier

Version 2.0.0 Released

Features

The PC Decrapifier will uninstall many of the common trialware and annoyances found on many of the PCs from big name OEMs. Here is the current list of software and items that the PC Decrapifier can detect and remove. You get to see the list of items it detects and then choose what will be removed automatically.

Go to his website for the list of software the programs removes, you get to pick and choose which software you remove.

Sat, 09/13/2008 - 23:26 — Jason

This version has been cooking up for quite some time now. Version 2.0.0 brings you a complete rewrite of the application. I got to the point where I exceeded the limits of the scripting language I was using and the program was becoming a maintenance nightmare. This isn't to say anything bad about the scripting language, in fact, it's one of the coolest tools I've used. However, it just wasn't designed for what I needed to do.

http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/home

Note: This is the updated and much improved program that is on the Just the Basics CD!

NexusFile an alternate to Windows Explorer

NexusFile v5.02

If you're tired of the limitations of Windows Explorer, you'd do well to try this free file manager, which significantly improves on Microsoft's underpowered one. For a start, it has a two-paned interface, which makes it simple to move and copy files between folders, either on the same PC or over a network. Windows Explorer, by contrast, has only a single pane, and this often requires that you open two instances of it to perform the simplest of tasks.

That's just a start, though. There are also a slew of other features, including hot keys for renaming, copying, and moving files, among other tasks. In fact, NexusFile makes just about any kind of file operation a breeze. Want to copy only the path of a file to the clipboard? It'll do that. It also makes it easy to archive files, add files to archives, and to extract files out of archives. Another useful feature is a built-in simple FTP applet.

If you've been frustrated by Windows Explorer, NexusFile may solve your problems. And given that it's free, there's no reason not to give it a try.

--Preston Gralla

Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003

File Size: 2121 KB (2.1MB)

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,72959-order,1-page,1/description.html?tk=nl_ddxdwn

New term, REFLECTOR - Craig's List Searching, Extras for Open Office and Tranquility Sounds

-Term new to me:  reflector
So what's a "Mail List" aka "Reflector" aka "E-Mail Newsletter"???  One of the  wonders of the internet is the "Reflector" as it is a method of mailing and receiving specific topic information to/from a select group of folks interested in a specific discipline.
http://www.orfmax.net/Web%20Page%20Test/Malware-Adware-Hoaxes_files/frame.htm

-Craig's list search tool: New. CraigsPalFree. Craigslist Search Tool - Search Craigslist - Craigslist Global Search - Craigslist Search Engine: http://www.craigspal.com/to_download.php

-New. OOExtras- Extras for OpenOffice.org: http://www.smalldataproblem.org/ooextras/

-Tranquility. Listen to never ending, never repeating acoustic genres such as Nature, Ambient Music, Experiemental, Political, create your own. 215meg: http://www.suntelia.com/tranquility/index.asp

--

email posting OR signature supressed 

System folder, Public Domain Movies, Linux Repository, Google AUDIO indexing

How to find your Windows system folders

Sometimes it can be difficult to navigate through the Windows file system and find specific system folders, such as the one where your cookies are stored, or the one that holds the items in the Send To menu. Instead of trying to slog through directory lists, you can use the command line and find them quickly (if you know their names) with the shell command. Here's how:

   1. Click Start | Run
   2. In the Run box, type shell:'folder name'

NOTE:  NO SPACE AFTER COLON

Here are some of the commonly used shell folders:
shell:Cookies - display the cookies folder
shell:Cache - displays temporary Internet files
shell:Favorites - displays the IE Favorites folder
shell:SendTo - displays the Send To folder
shell:MyMusic - displays the My Music folder
shell:MyPictures - displays the My Pictures folder

For the names of more shell folders in XP and Vista, see
http://www.wxpnews.com/0WJMWV/080916-System-Folders

##

-

Public Domain Movies: http://www.publicdomainflicks.com


Linux repositories at Google: http://www.google.com/linuxrepositories/index.html

Google indexes AUDIO files: http://labs.google.com/gaudi

--

email posting 

HTML Reference

http://www.html-reference.com/index.htm

--

email posting 

Secure partion on USB drive creator and SPEED TEST site

Rohos Mini Drive
Version: 1.19
File Size: 1409k
License Type: Free
Operating Systems: Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000

The Rohos Mini Drive utility protects files on a USB drive by creating an encrypted and password-protected partition, or section of drive space. You can save or copy files into the partition as per normal, but if you happen to lose the drive anyone would have to know the password to decrypt your protected files. After a quick download and installation you can choose a size, encryption type (AES256 or Blowfish) and drive letter to use for the encrypted partition. When you connect, or mount, the encrypted partition, it will show up in Explorer under the drive letter you choose. You can access the remaining, unencrypted space on the drive like you usually do, under the drive letter usually used for USB drives on your PC.
--Erik Larkin http://tinyurl.com/6puulh



======
Der Speedtest http://www.speed.io

Bridge Adapter by Granite

I used the Bridge Adapter by Granite, again, this morning to access an unbootable drive and to recover data off it and to format it.  I did without removing the hard drive from the PC. 



I had enough room to attach the power and data cables while the drive was still inside the machine.  See the adapter at: http://www.cwol.com/usb/usb-sata-ide-adapter-granite-8240.htm  Granite Digital at: www.granitedigital.com

--

email posting 

boot from a CD and gain access to an unbootable or locked-out PC

ERD Commander 2007 -

ERD Commander
Allows you to instantly boot from a CD and gain access to an unbootable or locked-out PC. You may then perform a large number of functions to recover the system including resetting a password, removing a hot fix, viewing all logs, and changing critical OS settings.

System Restore
The only utility on the market that allows Windows Restore Points to be restored when the operating system will not boot.

Crash Analyzer
Lets you quickly determine the most likely cause of a system crash. Its point-and-click wizard guides you through the steps of selecting the most recent system crash dump file, then reports on the driver that is most likely to have caused the crash, so that you can apply the appropriate changes to correct the issue or to prevent it from
re-occurring. Crash Analyzer operates on a non-bootable Windows installation, uniquely analyzing the crash dump on the crashed system.

FileRestore
Allows you to quickly recover files that have been lost or deleted from your computer. FileRestore can bring back files that would otherwise be gone for good, including files emptied from the Recycle Bin, deleted by application programs and remote processes, lost with removed directories, or deleted via a command prompt.

Insight for Active Directory
Provides a real-time view of the internals of Active Directory transactions on the local machine so that you can pinpoint the precise cause of conflicts and resolve them. You can troubleshoot conflicts that are occurring with mission-critical applications such as e-mail and messaging, databases, and CRM, and prevent access to corporate directories, system log-in, and File and Print sharing.

DiskWipe
Enables you to securely wipe a disk or volume.

Disk Commander
Lets you recover deleted partitions, directories, and/or files.

Hotfix Uninstall
Allows for removal of Windows hotfixes and Service Packs.

download
http://rapidshare.com/files/110724267/ERD.Commander.2007.rar

I tried this on a PC that would not boot.  No luck, but others may find this useful...depending, of course.
tp.

--

email posting 

Video Msg. from Tom Pitre

PUSH PLAY BUTTON > TO PLAY VIDEO:





Tuition for NON members is $59.00 per course. Members pay $39.00 per course.

Secure logins, Site ratings, capture audio, record from cassette

Just added (7 Sept): Freecorder Toolbar is a free sound recorder - a revolutionary new browser-based audio recorder program, combining state of the art sound recording technology, ease-of-use, and some great browser enhancements. And best of all, it's 100% FREE!
You can use the Freecorder Toolbar sound recorder as a:
* Song Recorder
* Audio Extractor from Videos.
* Internet Radio Recorder
* Recorder for your PC's Microphone or Line-in ports
* And anything else! http://applian.com/sound-recorder/



-Secure Login - Version: 0.9.2.5 License Type: Free Operating Systems: Windows Vista, Windows XP. If you often log into Web sites and forget or lose your password, Secure Login will be a great time-saver. It directly integrates with Firefox's password manager, and will log you into any Web site without you having to remember or look up the password. When you're on a page that requires a login, simply click the icon. Better yet, use a hot key combination to log in faster. The program also helps keep you safe by preventing hackers from stealing your passwords by halting malicious JavaScript code. It also prevents against other password dangers, such as cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
--Preston Gralla
Go to the download page now: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,73034-order,1-page,1/description.html?tk=nl_ddxdwn

-WOT - The Web is full of innocent-seeming sites with bad intentions. Sites that host spyware or malware. Sites that spam you. Sites that scam you. Sites that invade your privacy, or that children shouldn't view. Unfortunately, there's no simple way to tell the good sites from the bad. That's where WOT comes in. It rates every site for trustworthiness, vendor reliability, privacy, and child safety, and shows you the results using simple-to-scan colored icons. (Red for bad, green for good.) When you do a search in Google or another Web site, you'll see the icons and know what you're in for if you visit. You can also visit the WOT rating for each site to see why it was given its rating. Go to the download page now:
WOT http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,73058-order,1-page,1/description.html?tk=nl_ddxdwn

-How to capture, save, record or download streaming audio for free:
http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-capture-save-record-or-download-streaming-audio-for-free

-How to record cassette tapes to PC/Computer:
http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/transfer-audio-cassette-to-computer/

--

email posting 

Convert 2007 Word Docs on line, Processes??? and Recovering Damaged USER profiles

-Convert Word 2007 docx type files to .doc files and other formats.  Do it on line, free, at: http://www.zamzar.com/  Get a button for your web browser, here: http://www.zamzar.com/tools/

-What is that program.  For example, this URL will tell you about wuaudt.exe. Note that the program name (with extension) is at the end.
http://www.processlibrary.com/directory/files/wuaudt
Go to main site at: http://www.processlibrary.com

-Recovering a damaged XP User Profile: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=769&tag=nl.e064

--

email posting 

Store your most valuable notes as a LockNote

Steganos LockNote will change the way you work with confidential notes. Application and document in one: the mechanism to encrypt and decrypt a note is part of it. Secure, simple, independent. No installation required.

System requirements: Windows 2000, Windows XP or better
https://www.steganos.com/us/products/home-office/locknote/overview/  DOWNLOAD

Version 1.0.4 for Windows (312 KB) - Downloads: 281580 - Download via HTML

Why use Steganos LockNote?

• Store your most valuable notes as a LockNote
  Hide your serial numbers, passwords, phone numbers and everyday notes in a safe place. Your informations will be encrypted using a password and most modern AES 256bit encryption technology.
• Secure, yet simple
  Just double-click a LockNote and enter your password to access your text files as usual.
• No installation required
  Move LockNotes wherever you want, as often as you want. A LockNote document does not require much more hard drive space than an unencrypted document.
• Encrypt existing text files in no time at all
  Simply drag and drop existing text files on a LockNote window: they will be encrypted automatically.
• Open and free
  LockNote is open source and is based upon open source technologies, e.g. the certified CryptoPP program library for strong encryption.

--

email posting