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Jun 05 2007
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backup, computers, linux, microsoft, software, technology, vista

Acronis True Image 10 Backup

I recently purchased a great backup solution for my computer. It’s from Acronis and it’s the True Image 10.0 Home Edition software backup solution.

This software is similar to products you may already be familiar with like Norton Ghost. However I’ve used Norton Ghost v12 and I didn’t like it. The interface is not user friendly and it does not function like a great backup solution should.

Acronis on the other hand has released version 10 of their True Image software. It has some great features that make it really stand out. It also supports a variety of file systems from Fat to NTFS to Ext3. Very cool. The suite costs $50.00 from their website and offers some really nice benefits if you register your product including account management and notification of upgrades. It also activates your support for the product.

So if you need a great way to backup your data and image your hard drive in case of failure, Acronis is the way to go.

Download Trial (2000/XP/Vista)

May 16 2007
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computers, google

Brin – “We’re widening the gap…”

Today the awesome internet giant, Google, unveiled a major reworking of their search engine architecture and format. The layout of various Google sites are now a little different and the results page for searches are quite different. I like the new look even though it’s not much and I definitely enjoy the new power you have while searching with Google. Here’s a link to an article about it:

Google creates uber search site

Google.com

Mar 23 2007
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cd/dvd, computers, software, technology

ImgBurn Releases New Version

There’s a new version of Image Burn out and it looks like they’ve done some nice bug fixes and added a few new features.  I installed it with no problems and I think it’s a great little program.

Download ImgBurn 2.3.0.0

Mar 07 2007
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computers, linux, open source, software, technology, ubuntu, web 2.0

My Escapades into Linux…

kubuntu-header.png

So a few days ago, I broke out my many Linux CDs & DVDs. I have downloaded 4 or 5 distros recently and I wanted to test a few of them out on an extra 40GB hard drive I have on my old Dell computer. It’s a P4 2.4GHz with 768MB Ram and a 64 Meg graphics card – nice little machine – works very well with no problems.

I did my research and decided on the Ubuntu Edgy Eft release. It installed perfectly. Then I read something Linus Torvalds said that he hates Gnome and loves KDE. So I figured if the creator of Linux’s kernel loves KDE, I should probably try it out… and since I don’t use Macs and Gnome is more emulated for Mac style I should probably just try KDE. So I installed Kubuntu 6.10 from the DVD distribution I downloaded. It installed great.

I tried to install a nVidia third party graphics driver so I could get Beryl XGL working but that failed horribly due to lack of experience on my part and some bad instructions online. I had to reformat my installation again…

Round 2

After installing Kubuntu again, I found some better instructions on how to get a third party graphics accelerator installed here. Then I found a great wiki on how to install XGL & Beryl so I can get cool desktop effects. VERY FUN!

I couldn’t believe I actually got Beryl working on my Kubuntu installation… I was SO excited! Still am. It’s so great to have a free OS with free software, free tools, free help, free EVERYTHING and it works so well and is secure and safe and fast and fun. It’s a challenge to learn the Konsole (command line) and how to install stuff but once you get the hang of it and if you don’t mind researching on the internet how to do stuff it’s not that bad.

The Future

I’ll be posting more about my escapades into the Linux world as I discover more cool stuff. I’ll be sure to let you all know what I find. I don’t think Linux is ready for the mainstream world yet. If Linux can be as powerful as it is today and change to become an OS that my dad can use….. then it will be ready to CRUSH Microsoft. That’s what I think :)

Mar 05 2007
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browsers, computers, firefox, mozilla, open source, security, software, technology

Firefox 2.0.0.3 to 2.0.0.4

Mozilla is going to very quickly release an update to 2.0.0.3 because of some high security threats that were left behind for 2.0.0.2.  They plan to have builds available on Wednesday.  The next regular security/stability update will be 2.0.0.4.

Source: Mozilla Dev News

Mar 04 2007
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computers, microsoft, software, technology, vista

Exposé Like Task Switcher for Vista

Paul Thurrott has a cool hint about the new MS IntelliPoint software for Vista. The default function of the middle click scroll button on the mouse is a new Instant Viewer feature that is much more like Mac’s Exposé than Windows Flip 3D. Check it out!

Mar 04 2007
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browsers, computers, firefox, mozilla, open source, software, technology, videos

Download Videos from YouTube

I just got back from my Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Champaign, IL and I decided I wanted to keep the videos people are now posting on YouTube and Google Video etc. So I found an extension for Firefox and a relevant video player for my computer to accomplish that! The extension is called VideoDownloader and installs easily and is very easy to use. The video player is an FLV Player.

Here’s how it works, install the VideoDownloader extension for Firefox, then go to YouTube and click on a favorite video. In the bottom right hand status bar of Firefox you’ll see a little icon that you can click on. It’ll bring up a window with a button that says “Download Link” RIGHT CLICK on this button, and erase the given file name, i.e. get_video.htm…

Type in a new file name and add “.flv” at the end (no quotes) i.e. chilipeppers.flv then click save. It will download the file with an FLV file extension to your computer.

To play the file, install the FLV player and it will work its magic for you, very easy to use as well. Enjoy!

Mar 02 2007
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computers, email, mozilla, open source, software, technology, thunderbird, web 2.0

Thunderbird 1.5.0.10 Released; 2.0 on the way…

Well it looks like you can get your security update for Thunderbird now to v1.5.0.10.  Highly recommended to update to it.

As far as Thunderbird 2.0 goes, my research shows that March 6th is the final code freeze which means they’ll be getting into RC builds soon and then we’ll have a sparkling new Thunderbird to play with in March or April.  :)

Thunderbird 3.0 is due sometime in 2008.

Feb 28 2007
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computers, microsoft, technology, tips, vista

Change Start Menu Power Button

Thanks to a tip from Paul Thurrott on the WinSuperSite, I finally found the way to change the start menu power button in Vista. By default, the power button puts your system to the new hybrid sleep mode. If you want the power button to actually go ahead and turn your computer off (like it should) you can do this:

  • Open Control Panel
  • Click on Hardware and Sound (default) or Power Options (classic)
  • Click Change Plan Settings
  • Change Advanced Power Settings
  • Under Power buttons and lid, change start menu power button from sleep to shutdown

vistapower.jpg

The start menu power button is now red instead of orange and will shut your computer down!

Feb 26 2007
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cd/dvd, computers, software, technology

ImgBurn Releases v2.2.0.0

ImgBurn is a free software program for burning CD/DVD images to disc, e.g. ISO images. This updated version has an extensive list of changes and bug fixes as well as more support for Windows Vista. Let me know what you think!

Download ImgBurn

*Alternatively, if you need a free (and open source!) CD/DVD general use burning program for Windows you might want to try Infra Recorder.

Download Infra Recorder

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