One of my major hangups with vista is the 'Search Bar'. When I first started using Vista I felt that Microsoft had done a great thing - They made it so I could launch my favorite program with one click instead of two.
I was quickly disappointed to find that when you type a word into the search bar it is nothing like the old Start->Run command bar window. It starts searching for the words you type in, and many times you need to wait...and wait...and wait some more.
Additionally if you are like me...and have an old habit of clicking start, then run, then type c:\ to open up your hard drive...you are in for lots of fun with the search bar. Depending on what it finds it will almost never open your hard drive in explorer.
I found a few quick ways to ease the pain. First of all you can simply hold the windows key + R to bring up the command line window. That is the easiest.
You can also get the run command back on the start menu. This can be done by right clicking on the start button, go to properties.
Move over to the "Start Menu" Tab and click customize.
Now scroll down. Find the option that says "Run Command" Make sure it is checked, and click OK.
Now the run command will be added as an extra button to the bottom of the start menu:
Now I can get to back to my familiar old 'run' command line.
Windows only: Freeware app GNU ls brings the common ls terminal command for *nix to the Windows command prompt. Though subtle, this very lightweight download will bring you the nuances of the *nix terminal to Windows. If you're a heavy command line user or a heavy batch scripter, you'll appreciate the customizability GNU ls affords. GNU ls is a great companion for *nix heads stuck on Windows systems.
ls (also called msls) is a console utility that lists information on Windows files. It is based on the GNU/Linux ls directory information utility. It displays exhaustive information on Windows files including DACLs/SACLs, reparse points, shortcuts, hard links, hidden streams, encryption, compaction, and offline status.
GNU ls is an excellent way to obtain detailed file information in one location without downloading all of Cygwin. GNU ls is a free download for all versions of Windows. Thanks, Ben!
Windows XP and Vista only: Dual monitor utility DisplayFusion can set different wallpaper images for each of your desktops or stretch an image across desktops. Choose one of your own images or search and browse Flickr photos for new wallpaper images right inside DisplayFusion. (I recommend searching for "panoramic" images and setting one to stretch across both monitors.) DisplayFusion was a little crabby on my PowerBook Bootcamp'ing Windows XP, but the concept is spot-on and much-needed. Can't understand why Windows doesn't have better built-in dual monitor support like this. DisplayFusion is a free download (donations requested) which requires the .NET 2.0 runtime to run.
The official blog of ThemBid.com has an interesting write-up on what he installed after Vista made his machine go boom. First on the list? Back up your data.
Since I recently had a Vista implosion myself, I read this article with interest. Each program and application is entered in detail here, from tweaking automatic Microsoft updates to installing OpenOffice. If you've had to reformat Windows (and honestly, who hasn't, right?), please share your essential installs in the comments.w
Over the past few years, blogs have become incredibly popular. Just about everyone who uses the internet also has a blog. You want to get in on the action, but you're not sure how to get your own blog.
Luckily for you, sites like Blogger.com have made it easy to set-up and make posts on a blog. In this newsletter, we will go over everything from signing up for a blog on Blogger.com to choosing a template (look) to finally making a first post.
What is Blogger.com?
Simply put, Blogger.com is a site that hosts blogs for free. This makes it even easier for you to have a blog because there is no need to set up a web site and host the blog yourself. All you have to do on Blogger.com, once you've signed up, is login to your blog, write a blog post and click submit. It's that simple.
What will my web address be on Blogger.com?
Your web address will be http://yourname.blogspot.com. One thing that people dislike about Blogger and other free blog sites is that they don't have as great of a freedom in choosing a name. You are limited to choosing only what is available. So if you're looking for http://net-hunt.blogspot.com, you probably won't be able to find that.
Signing up for a blog on Blogger
The first thing you'll do is go to blogger.com. Next, you'll scroll down the page and click on the button labeled "Create Your Blog Now".
You will then be taken to a page where you will enter an email address(used to log into your blog), a password, and a word verification. You'll also have to check "I Accept Terms of Service". Click continue.
Next, you will be taken to a page where you will choose the blog title, blog address, and another word verification(which is done to prevent auto-signups). When you type in your blog address, you can click a link that says "check availability". This will tell you whether or not the desired name is available. If the first name you wish to have is not available, keep typing in different variations of the name until you find one that is available.
After you have put in all the information, click "Continue".
Choosing a Template
After you click "Continue", you'll be asked to choose a template. The template can be changed at any time after you sign-up for the blog, so you don't have to choose an "official" template now.
If you scroll down, you'll see a variety of different templates. Click on the one that you like best and then click "Continue".
Your First Blog Post
After you've chosen a template, you'll see that your blog has been created and that there is a button to "Start Posting". Click that button.
You'll be taken to a page that is similar to the posting page at a message board. There is a "Title" field, where you can put in the title of this particular blog posting. Then there is a bigger field, which is the body of your post. Type all you want in this "Body" field, as there is no limit.
Note that there are options above the field to bold, italicize, underline or spell check the text. There is also the option of changing the size and color of the text, plus the ability to add bullet points, numbered lists and even pictures. For now, you'll just do a simple "Welcome" post.
In the "Title" field, type "Welcome!" In the "Body" field, type your message. You could start with a simple introduction, talking about yourself and the purpose of the blog. When you're done typing the message, click the "Publish" button. It is worth noting that you can choose to save the post as a draft, if you want to go back and later finish the post.
After you've clicked "Publish", you'll see that your blog has been published successfully. Click the "View Blog" link to view the results of your work. You'll now see your post.
Logging into Blogger after the first post
You'll go to Blogger.com and click on the "Old Blogger" link at the top right of the page. Type in the email address and password that you signed up with. You'll be taken to the "Dashboard" of your blog. If you want to enter a new post on your blog, click "New Post". Then follow the instructions mentioned in the previous section. Or if you want to edit the template, add/edit elements to your page, you'll click "Settings" and then "Template".
That's all there is to it. Blogs, whether they are hosted at blogger.com or another free blog site, are incredibly useful and fun.
Blogger makes setting up and running a blog very easy for those who have never done it before. So what are you waiting for? Sign-up for a free blog at Blogger.com today and enjoy posting!
Creating a blog on your site isn't as daunting as it may initially sound.
There are several different ways that you can go about the process. All of them assume that you have some kind of web space hosting of your own - this is readily available nowadays for very little money, so don't panic.
The very cheapest web hosting is free but this often comes with adverts that pay the service hosting your site enough money for them to offer you the space for free.
If you expect your site to generate a reasonable amount of traffic then it's better to spend a few dollars a month on reliable web hosting.
Next up is to decide on your blog platform.
1. Use Blogger on your own site
Google's Blogger service gives you the option of using Blogger and its accompanying site or simply using Blogger to write your posts, which then get published on your own site.
It's easy to do this. Just go into your Blogger control panel, click the Settings tab and then select the Publishing tab. You'll see a link that says "Switch to custom domain". You'll then be given the option of buying a brand new domain for your blog or pointing it to a domain you already use. It's a simple matter of following the instructions on screen. Once you've done that, your Blogger blog will be posted to your own website instead of on Blogger.
2. Use Wordpress on your own site
This isn't quite as easy as Blogger, but it's pretty close. Most hosts offer a one click install of Wordpress. This installs the basic software on your web hosting space and then allows you to do whatever tweaks you need to make the blog your own rather than the "out of the box" settings. At the very least, you should turn on Akismet anti spam in your plug-ins. This involves getting an API key from Wordpress but that's a simple matter of clicking a few links and following the instructions that appear.
Once you've got Wordpress installed, check out a few tutorial sites to make sure that you've got your brand new blog set up as efficiently as possible so that the search engines can give it the publicity it deserves.
3. Choose a different blogging platform
Blogger and Wordpress are just two of the blog platforms available. There are lots more including systems such as Moveable Type amongst others.
That said, most people find that either the simplicity of Blogger or the customizable nature of Wordpress are more than adequate for their needs. Both platforms are very well supported and you're almost certain to be able to do exactly what you want to do with them.
Whichever you choose, you should make sure that you perform regular backups of your posts.
Apart from your writing, the template you choose for your new blog is the biggest statement you can make to the outside world. Both Blogger and Wordpress come with lots of templates or you can have your own template custom designed if you want to really stand out from the crowd.