Windows 8: Change default photo viewer ( #vmvwiki )

A problem in Windows 8 is when you click on an image in Windows explorer it annoyingly loads it into the Win 8 photo viewer app.

To fix this:

go to Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs and select  Set your default programs.
Scroll down and click Windows Photo Viewer in the Programs list.
Then, click 'Set this program as default' if you'd like the Viewer to open all the file types it can handle, or select the 'Choose default' options if you prefer to specify which file types it should open. Finish by clicking OK.

PC-iPad screen share: [1] Windows 7 starter, ad hoc network

According to Microsoft Win7 starter is unable to create an ad hoc network. Am trying to screen share an iPad with a laptop without 3G needed.

A quick search on Dr. Google reveals that the ad hoc network option is actually there in starter, but the link is missing. To set up an ad hoc network just click on start and in the box "Search programs and files" type "ad hoc".. this will bring up the wizard and away you go.

Will add to the post how well this goes with screen share with iPad

 

Microsoft Product keys

 

Track down lost Microsoft product keys with ProduKey

Find your lost key for any properly installed Microsoft product with the help of this free tool.

Instructions:

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/quick-tip-track-down-lost-microsoft-product-keys-with-produkey/7579?tag=nl.e098&s_cid=e098&ttag=e098

Download

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Windows 8:shut down

To shut Windows 8 down, just move the mouse cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen, click the Settings icon - or just hold down the Windows key and press I - and you'll see a power button. Click this and choose 'Shut Down' or 'Restart'. Some of the tricks available in previous versions of Windows still apply. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, for instance, click the power button in the bottom right-hand corner and you'll be presented with the same 'Shut Down' and 'Restart' options. And if you're on the desktop, press Alt+F4 and you'll be able to choose 'Shut Down', 'Restart', 'Sign Out' or 'Switch User' options. From Paradigm PCs

Task manager in Windows 7/Vista now Ctrl+Shift+Esc

The old ctrl+Alt+Del has been changed to Ctrl+Shift+Esc (who knows why??)

 

You can also right click on the task bar and select task manager

Microsoft Tech Ed Online 2010

http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand

Videos from the Microsoft Tech Ed - link from Paul Lo

Proxy Switching On/Off

One of the more annoying things when you carry a laptop between home and work is that you constantly have to turn the Browser Proxy on (for work) and off (for home).

If you don't know what a proxy is, Wikipedia starts out "In computer networks, a proxy server is a server (a computer system or an application program) that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers."  Proxy Server (2010) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server

In IE this involves...Tools > Internet Options> Connections>LAN Settings> then check the "Proxy Server: Use a proxy server ...". Then [Ok], [Ok], and then you can refresh your page. (Of course you can always do this by right clicking the Browser icon on the desktop and selecting Properties>Connections, etc...

Chrome uses the same Proxy dialog so requires Tools>Options>Under the Bonnet>Change Proxy Settings>Connections>LAN Settings> then check the "Proxy Server: Use a proxy server ...", then [Ok], [Ok]"

Firefox Tools>Options>Network Settings >Choose proxy type>, then [Ok], [Ok]

Its a shame browsers don't have a one click Proxy on/off.... BUT wait... others have realised this and fortunately there are one click proxy extensions.

Some one click proxy switchers  for Windows.

IE -  Proxy Pal http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Servers/Proxy-Servers/ProxyPal.shtml - very simple and seems to work brilliantly

Chrome - Switch HTTP Proxy  (https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/fajkpbphiejhldakjboejnabfchhccnn). There is another one to manage multiple proxys Proxy Switchy! ( https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/caehdcpeofiiigpdhbabniblemipncjj ) which I trouble with but others recommend it).

Firefox - QuickProxy ( https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1557/ ) watchout for this one that you get the correct one, I used the extension serch and came up with another one that didn't work :(

So thats about it.. enjoy.

50 Open Source Tools That Replace Popular Education Apps

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/osrc/article.php/12068_3888901_4/50-Open-Source-Tools-That-Replace-Popular-Education-Apps.htm

Windows 7 - Missing drives (especially empty USB)

From http://www.pp.co.nz newsletter

Show all of your Drives in Windows 7 Explorer
Depending on your system settings, when you go to computer in Windows Explorer, you might be in for a shock –> you may not see all your drives such as memory card readers if those drives are empty. If this disconcerts you, there’s a simple way for you to see them even if there’s nothing there:
1. Launch Windows Explorer and move below back-forward button and click on organize –> Folder and Search Options and move to View tab.
2. Under ‘Advanced settings’, uncheck box next to ‘Hide empty drives in Computer folder’. Click OK.
3. The empty drives would now be visible.

VirtualPC (Microsoft) free

For those techo's who really want to test stuff Microsoft have downloadable trial (up to 90 day) versions of their OS available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=21eabb90-958f-4b64-b5f1-73d0a413c8ef&DisplayLang=en

(I understand for example you could download the image with IE8 and upgrade to IE9 to try it)

Help Desk: Problem Steps Recorder - Windows 7

Problem Steps Recorder - Windows 7
As the local PC guru you're probably very used to friends and family asking for help with their computer problems, yet having no idea how to clearly describe what's going on. It's frustrating, but Microsoft feels your pain, and Windows 7 includes an excellent new solution in the Problem Steps Recorder.
When any app starts misbehaving under Windows 7 then all your friends need do is click Start, type PSR and press Enter, then click Start Record. If they then work through whatever they're doing then the Problem Steps Recorder will record every click and keypress, take screen grabs, and package everything up into a single zipped MHTML file when they're finished, ready for emailing to you. It's quick, easy and effective, and will save you hours of troubleshooting time.

From my Paradigm PCs email list (hrrp://www.pp.co.nz )

Windows Phone 7 Series

Will this compete with the iPhone or Android?

http://www.windowsphone7series.com/

Opening Excel files in a new instance

This is one of those things that drives you nuts when you need it.

Sometimes (especially with dual monitors) it is easier to open two instances of Excel rather than place 2 worksheets into the same window (it used to do it in earlier versions)

Solution 1

Open excel first (from the start menu) then in that instance open the excel file (or drag from Windows explorer into it)

Solution 2

Add a right click to Windows explorer

http://www.vadriano.com/excel-vb/2007/04/12/how-to-open-excel-files-in-a-new-application-instance/

Windows 7 "God mode"

From one of my feeds...

“God Mode” folder for Windows 7 supplies a tidy place to find nearly everything you can do within the Windows Control Panel. To access the special capabilities of the God Mode folder, create a new folder anywhere on your Windows 7 computer and name it:
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
Once renamed, the icon will change to a control panel looking icon, and when opened you will be presented with a plethora of different tweaking options.

Desktop utilities

A collection of downloadable utilities to enhance your desktop. Object dock - a zooming menu (like mac) and fences (if you have lots of desktop icons)
http://www.virtualmv.com/wiki/index.php?title=Operating_System:_Desktop_utilities

Hard Disk Manager / Music maker (PC Authority Oct 09 Cover Disk)

A useful utility on the cover disk of Australian PC authority ( http://www.pcauthority.com.au/ ) is Paragon's Hard Disk Manager (9.5 SE)

I am often confronted with students who have trashed their Hard Drives (or the drive have magically trashed themselves). This utility allows you to create a complete backup of the drive. Additionally if you want to upgrade your HDD to a bigger one it has a wizard to do this.

Also included is Magix Music Maker Silver for those of you who want to create your own "original " music.

Directory of Utilities

JJ has just given me a link to a page that links to lots of free(?) utilities - nicely organised.

FileHippo.com (2009). Retireved August 4, 2009 from http://www.filehippo.com/

Microsoft: Malicious Software Removal Tool

Conflicker is doing the rounds so had a quick surf and found Microsoft has a Malicious Software Removal Tool for post infection (once you have a computer that is infected). Apparently it is part of Windows Update, so it should only be an issue if you have this turned off!!

Have added to my wiki

http://www.virtualmv.com/wiki/index.php?title=Virus/Anti-virus_software

Internet Explorer 8 - html editing (view source)

Probably the dumbist thing I have seen in a while is the cobbling of IE 8s view source. IE8 has an amazing developer tools feature (press F12 in the browser or Tools > Developer Tools), however with all its magic it is unable to do a simple edit. 

However all is not lost, to change the View Source from the Default viewer, to either notepad or some other editor (I like pspad (http://www.pspad.com/en/) as its as quick as notepad but has better context editing).

1. Open the Developer Tools (press F12 in the browser or Tools > Developer Tools)


2. Select File > Customise IE View Source


3. either select notepad or browse to where your editor exe file is stored (my pspad was in C:\Program Files\PSPad editor\PSPad.exe)

Makes you wonder why you get a glitzy viewer but no way to do simple editing. Would it be so hard to have a check box in the developer options to "enable web page editing" if they are worried about people accidentaly changing pages?? (And yes I know chrome suffers the same fate - but I am sure there would be a plugin for editing like in Firefox!!)

Thanks to Ramesh Srinivasan (2009) from Winhelponline for pointing me in the right direction.

Srinivasan, R. (2009)"The default View Source Editor has changed in Internet Explorer 8 - The Winhelponline Blog" Retrieved June 22, 2009 from http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/default-view-source-editor-changed-in-ie8/

Moving/recovering/finding windows on multiple monitors

On the theme of multiple monitors something that can cause you problems ( grief) is if change monitor types (e.g. I have an external wide screen  at work and a square one at home). So what happens is that some applications remember what the position was when they closed and try to do this on the new monitor. Sometimes this means that the top of the window (including all the toolbars are off the screen and unaccessible).

If the applications have been well designed they should have a move option available if you right click on the button on the Windows status bar.  If this is so you can click move, now the sneaky bit - just tap one of the arrows on your keyboard - somehow this attaches the mouse to the mindow and by moving your mouse you can get your window onto your current screen.

Note: You may have to double click the button on the status basr as in order to move the window it has to be in the windows desktop.