Nov 05

AVG or Symantec Endpoint Protection – 139 Point Software Removal Procedure Steps

By gregorypauljohnson Technology No Comments »

Technology

20091105th-symantec-endpoint-protectionSummary. Symantec Endpoint Security can sometimes become corrupted to the point that it produces error messages yet can’t be uninstalled automatically by Windows. Symantec is aware of this issue.

Removal Instructions. A four page fine-print manual removal procedure document is available on the Symantec website. The instructions include about 139 steps or points that need to be completed in order to remove their software. This includes searching the Windows registry to remove entries relating to Symantec.

Damage Assessment. Depending on the hourly rate paid for computer support, the cost of removal could be $100 or more. For legal reasons, it would be advisable for any retailer selling this product to include a disclaimer with the product indicating that the store is not liable for damages resulting from a corrupted installation.

Alternative Products. Because these kinds of problems are not uncommon for Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, and other expensive retail products, it’s difficult to know what product one should use. Fortunately, the best antivirus solution is also free. The AVG Antivirus software is the most popular downloaded antivirus software at Download.com and also the most popular program in general for all categories of Windows software downloads. With over 2.4 million downloads as of November 2009, the product is being used by millions of people. Over 19,000 people have rated the software giving it an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The AVG software was produced by AVG Technologies (formerly Grisoft). A paid version of AVG is also available and offers a few more features than the free product.

Tagged with: • • • • •
Nov 05

Apple and Windows Text File Editing With TextEdit WordPad and Notepad for Carriage Return Line Feed Restoration

By gregorypauljohnson Technology No Comments »

Effective Living > Technology > Apple

20091105th-flower-zoom-DSC09417Summary. When editing and then saving text files using the Apple TextEdit program, once viewed with Windows Notepad, the added lines will appear to have been appended to the end of the previous line with no line break (carriage return line feed). This is because the codes used for Apple Carriage Return Line Feed (line break) are not recognized by Windows.

Windows WordPad. To fix the file in Windows, simply open it with WordPad, then save it as text. When the file is opened in Notepad, the text will display as expected with line breaks restored. Windows WordPad apparently repairs the line break problem.

Apple Encoding Options. Apple TextEdit offers various text encoding options such as: Non-lossy ASCII, Western ASCII, Western DOS Latin 1, Western Mac OS Roman, Western Unicode UTF 16, and Western Windows Latin 1. Regardless of the text encoding used, after saving, any new line feeds (carriage returns) were not recognized by Windows. If the text file originated in Windows, only the new line breaks added by Apple will be ignored by Windows. The line breaks originally created in Windows will be retained.

Virtual Windows Computer on Apple. To edit text files in the Apple environment, using a virtual computer with VM Ware Fusion on the Apple will work fine. Note that this isn’t necessary in most instances. Only when issues arise with editing text files.

Microsoft Word as a Text Editor on Apple. Using Microsoft Word as a text editor will work well when needing to edit files between the Apple and Windows platforms. Word has the ability to preserve the CR/LF (Carriage Return / Line Feed).When saving the document, simply choose Plain Text as the format. After clicking the save button, you will be prompted for specific settings for your file. Choose MS-DOS Latin-US (DOS) as the text encoding. The default setting for ending lines will be CR/LF (to end the lines with a Carriage Return and Line Feed).

Text Files as Data Files. Sometimes text files are used as data files for programs to read and write to. In such cases, it’s common to use Tab characters to mark the end of fields and CR (carriage return) to mark the end of a record. For this reason, a file with a Carriage Return only (and no line feed) may look messy, but a program can still read it and determine where one record ends and another begins.

Tagged with: • • •
Nov 05

Audacity Audio Recording Editing and Production Software for Export to MP3 Files

By gregorypauljohnson Technology No Comments »

Effective Living > Technology

20091105th-audacity-logo-audio-recording-software-soundSummary. Audacity is a free audio recording, editing, and production software program that allows for saving audio files in various formats including MP3.

Export to MP3. Follow the instructions below to save in MP3 format.

  1. The Audacity software should be installed and the separate Lame MP3 encoding files should be placed in a folder called lame inside of the folder where the Audacity program is located.
  2. The first time an export to MP3 is attempted, the Audacity software will ask you to locate the lame library file. Simply navigate to the lame folder and click on the file. On Windows this will be in the Program Files > Audacity folder. For Apple, this will be in Applications > Audacity.
  3. Because the Audacity software is not currently a multi-user program, even if one user on the computer has exported to MP3, others will still need to go through the instructions described in step #2 above.
Tagged with: • • • •
Nov 03

Sanako Tandberg Educational Lab 100 Master Cassette Tape Deck Drive Model 6001090 Installation Guide

By gregorypauljohnson Technology No Comments »

Technology

20091103tu-sanako-lab100-master-cassette-deck-driveSummary. This page offers simple setup instructions for the Sanako / Tandberg Educational Lab 100 external cassette tape deck drive. For more reading, Wikipedia has additional information about Sanako and Tandberg Educational. The following lengthy PDF manuals are also available:

Instructions. Here are the simple instructions for cassette tape deck/drive installation. If these don’t work, it may be necessary to refer to the full set of instructions linked above.

  1. Exit out of all software and programs on the teacher station (Windows computer) where the Lab 100 software is normally running.
  2. Turn off the System Connection Unit. It is the box with lots of CAT5 (like networking cable) ports on the back. It is typically sitting on top of the MSU.
  3. Plug the CAT5 cable from the cassette deck to the back of the System Connection Unit. Choose an available port and note the number of that port. Don’t choose any port that has a special designation written next to it. Just choose one of the numbered ports like 20. The CAT5 cable will serve as the audio connection and power cord for the cassette deck.
  4. Start the Lab 100 Config software. If you get a System Manager Error, the Lab 100 software may not have exited fully. Click the No button. Then restart the Lab 100 Config software. Once the Config program has started properly, the student station’s may be gray with a yellow box and wrench symbols next to them. This can happen with some Lab 100 installations. If this happens, click the Find Workstations button. Then walk around to each student workstation and, using the number keys, enter the two digit number for that station. Once complete, click the Save button in the Config software. All stations should have green boxes now.
  5. Click on the Set Audio Sources button found in the right side of the screen.
  6. In the resulting window, you’ll see some audio sources listed under Source Type. This is where you’ll be adding the Cassette Deck as an External Source.
    1. Find the next available blank entry on the list, and choose External Source from the drop-down menu.
    2. Provide a Source Name for the device such as Cassette External.
    3. Under the Port Number heading the Current box will be blank. From the Set drop down menu, choose port 20 (assuming that’s the port you plugged the cassette deck into).
    4. For Video Source, leave this as No Video.
  7. Click the Okay button to save the Audio Sources settings you’ve entered for the cassette deck.
  8. Now, when using the Sanako Lab 100 software, the Cassette External will show up as an available audio source for activities such as Listening Comprehension.
Tagged with: • • • •
Nov 03

Gmail Recovering Deleted Email Messages from Trash Can Folder

By gregorypauljohnson Technology No Comments »

Technology

20091103tu-gmail-logoProblem Summary. Gmail does not have an easy or intuitive method for recovering deleted messages. This page explains the details of this problem and the solution to recovering deleted messages from Gmail.

Quick Fix. These are the simple step 1, 2, 3 instructions for quickly and easily recovering deleted Gmail messages.

  1. In very small print, at the top of the Gmail page when you are logged in, you’ll see a link that says Show search options. Click this link, then choose Trash from the drop down next to Search and then click the Search Mail button. This will show all of the messages in your Trash.
  2. If you have too many emails in the trash to easily find what you are looking for, you can actually search the Trash for something in specific.
  3. Once you find what you are looking for, select it, and then click the Move to Inbox button.

Alternate Methods. Instead of implementing a simple and intuitive method for recovering deleted messages, Gmail has chosen to leave their system confusing, complicated, and difficult to figure out, and they have written up difficult to find help pages. This is similar to putting a sign along the road that says “bump ahead” instead of fixing the bump in the road.

Problem Details. When using the web interface for Gmail, the Trash folder doesn’t show up in the left navigation bar. However, email client software running on your computer, such as Thunderbird or Apple Mail, when configured to access GMail via the IMAP protocol, will show hidden folders on Gmail including the Trash folder. You’ll see All Mail, Drafts, Sent Mail, Spam, Starred, and Trash. The Trash folder is where deleted messages go. If you see a Deleted Messages drop-down in the web version of Gmail, this may have been created by the Apple Mail client. It is a different folder than the Gmail Trash. This may be a result of the client having it’s own method of marking messages as deleted.

Tagged with: • • • •
Nov 02

Fast High-Speed Scanning of Bound Documents, Instruction Guides, Owner’s Manuals, User’s Guides, and Old Books

By gregorypauljohnson Effective Living, Technology No Comments »

Effective Living > Technology

20091102mo-old-booksSummary. Scanning of books and bound documents can be difficult and time consuming since they must be scanned manually on a flat-bed scanner. The following instructions offer a faster method for some situations.

The method suggested here would probably not be applicable for valuable or rare books. Also, before spending time scanning documents, it’s best to make every effort to find searchable PDF versions of documents of them online.

Scanned documents converted to PDF, even after OCR has been performed, are never quite as accurate or clear as the original digital PDF versions.

20090827th-neat-receipts-scanner-apple-macScanning Process. That said, here is a suggestion for reducing the scan time of bound documents.

  1. Remove Binding. Most copy centers have bulk paper cutting equipment. A bulk paper cutter is able to cleanly cut through large stacks of paper at one time. For smaller booklets, it may be possible to a standard office paper cutter, or box cutter. Avoid anything that would tear the paper or create dust from fine paper cuttings.
  2. Scan Pages. Once the document has had the binding removed, then the sheets can be fed into a paper feeding scanner. The Fujitsu ScanSnap series of scanners can scan both sides of a page at one time, significantly reducing scan time. The Neat Company offers smart document scanners that feed pages through the scanner a single page at a time. The included software performs OCR on the pages, resulting in searchable PDF files.
Tagged with: • • • •
Nov 01

Microsoft Windows XP or Vista Upgrade to Windows 7 Mail Import Conversion to Thunderbird Email

By gregorypauljohnson Technology No Comments »

Technology

20091101su-microsoft-windows-7-logo-300x300Summary. Windows 7 is a significant improvement over previous versions of Windows. However, when upgrading from Microsoft Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7, you’ll soon discover that all of your email messages are missing as a result of the migration. This page explains how to recover your email messages using Mozilla Thunderbird and a special Thunderbird Windows Mail import and export utility available from Nic-Nac-Project.de free download. The step-by-step instructions are found at the bottom of this page, following some general information about email clients and why Windows no longer includes one. There is also information about best practices for upgrading to Windows 7.

Missing Mail Client Program. Windows 7, like previous releases of Windows, eliminates features that were included in previous versions. For many years, Windows has included email software such as Outlook Express or most recently Windows Mail with Vista as an email client. Windows 98 did not include bundled Fax capabilities as part of the standard installation as was the case with Windows 95. Microsoft Office 2003 lacked utilities and functionality available in previous versions. As Microsoft adds and later removes features from Windows and also the Office suite of programs, there appears to be an effort on their part to avoid antitrust action.

Benefits of Email Client Software. Many people use web-based email services such as Google, Hotmail, and Yahoo. The benefit to web-based email services (not using an email client) is that your entire collection of emails are easily accessible from any computer. You don’t need to worry about losing your e-mail if your computer crashes. Also, it’s one less program to install when you upgrade from one computer to another. However, despite the advantages of using only web-based email services, many people choose to use email client programs such as Thunderbird, Outlook, or Apple Mail for the following reasons and benefits.

  • Archive. Online email services allow some archiving. However, mailboxes can quickly fill-up if messages contain large attachments. Email client software allows you to store many years worth of emails on your computer and quickly search, sort, and export based on a variety of criteria.
  • Consolidation. Email clients can help with the consolidation of schedule, contacts, tasks, and other information. Programs such as Outlook help organize schedule, contacts, and emails all in one system. In Apple computers, the Address, Mail, and Calendar programs work together.
  • Features. Email client programs typically offer a more diverse set of features and formatting controls, email rules, signatures, and spam filtering.
  • Multiple Accounts. Online email services are primarily for accessing email from a single account, though some offer the ability to check other accounts.
  • Off-line Access. Online email services require an Internet connection. Perhaps the biggest reason for using an email client is the ability to read and compose email while not connected to the Internet – such as during air flight, riding in a car, or traveling in a remote area.

Windows 7 Upgrade. Assuming you have an existing copy of Windows Vista that is stable and problem free, the best upgrade path to Windows 7 is probably to purchase the $120 Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade DVD. This will retain your programs, settings, and user data.

Windows 7 Clean Installation. If you have several days of free time, there may be a benefit to performing a clean installation of Windows 7. This will required reinstalling and configuring all software programs, as well as drivers for printers and other accessories. For users with only a few data files, who need only Word Processing and Internet access, a clean installation is fairly easy. For users who have numerous programs and hardware devices, and gigabytes of photos, music, and videos, a clean installation will be quite time consuming.

20091101su-mozilla-thunderbird-icon-logo-300x300Importing Windows Mail Messages. Below are instructions for importing Windows Mail messages into Thunderbird.

  1. Download and configure Mozilla Thunderbird.
  2. Download the Nic-Nac-Project import export plug-in for Thunderbird.
  3. In Thunderbird, go in Tools > Addons (or Extensions) and click on Install, then pick the xpi file you downloaded and follow the instructions. Restart Thunderbird.
  4. Before importing, you’ll need to configure at least one email account in Thunderbird.
  5. From the Tools menu find Import / Export Tools. The Import options include the ability to import all the eml files (email message files) from a certain directory, including the subfolders in that directory. Choose to do this, and navigate to Users > Yourname > Application Data > Microsoft > Windows Mail. Or, alternatively, you could probably just click on your user folder and allow the import to search for any email files in your user account. This may result in importing from multiple programs if you had previously used Outlook Express and then later began using Windows Mail.
  6. After importing, a folder structure will be added under the Inbox of the Thunderbird account you created. You may need to review the emails that were imported. There may be some email messages with no date, subject, sender, or contents. Delete these or any other messages you don’t need.
Tagged with: • • • •
Oct 31

The Fun Theory Initiative by Volkswagen – Piano Stairs Video

By gregorypauljohnson Activism, Effective Living, Good News, Mobility, Technology, Video, advertising No Comments »

Activism > Training | Effective Living > Life Mobility

20091031sa-volkswagen-the-fun-theory-initiativeSummary. The Fun Theory, at TheFunTheory.org, is an initiative of Volkswagen that demonstrates how the enjoyability factor is an essential element in designing products that will inspire and motivate people to use them.

Innovation. Volkswagen is to the automobile industry what Apple is to the world of computers and gadgets. Volkswagen vehicles include innovative design elements that are of little or no benefit other than making their cars more fun and enjoyable. For example, the VW Beetle includes a flower vase (pictured below) to bring color and and additional beauty to the inside of the car.

20091101su-vw-flower-vase-captain-oblivious-flickr-photostreamInspirational Marketing. The Fun Theory campaign itself is an example of innovation, creativity, and fun with marketing. It is similar to the funny eTrade baby commercials, where a business will create a non-traditional advertising campaign that entertains or inspires while also spreading brand awareness and affinity. The Fun Theory campaign has the grass roots social action elements of the music video, If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback. The campaign proves that, with a little creativity, people can be inspired to do good.

Videos. Below are some of the videos demonstrating The Fun Theory principle. The cost of advertising to reach a targeted captive audience of millions would be very expensive. However, like the eTrade funny baby commercials, these videos have had millions of views on YouTube alone.

Tagged with: • • •
Oct 29

Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot Wireless Router

By gregorypauljohnson Technology No Comments »

Technology

20091029th-verizon-mifi-2200-mobile-hotspotSummary. The Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot makes it possible to have a wireless hotspot anywhere there is Verizon coverage.

Features. Up to five computers or devices can simultaneously use the wireless router to access the Internet. The following description is from the Verizon website.

The Intelligent Mobile Hotspot provides access to up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices, including notebooks, netbooks, MP3 players, smartphones, cameras, PDAs, portable gaming systems and more.

The Intelligent Mobile Hotspot is your portable, wireless Wi-Fi hotspot. From wherever you are in the coverage area, it detects the Verizon Wireless network and allows you to access a reliable broadband connection.

Connect up to five Wi-Fi–enabled devices at once. Use the lithium-ion battery for up to 4 hours (40 hours standby) of usage or plug the device directly into an outlet.

Tagged with: •
Oct 29

PageLines Professional WordPress Themes Support Resources Page and Partners Program for Earning Money

By gregorypauljohnson Technology No Comments »

Technology > WordPress > Themes

20091029th-pagelines-themes-allthreepromo300by250Summary. PageLines is a developer and support provider for professional CMS WordPress themes. The themes are fast, clean, attractive, and easy to use. This page provides some PageLines information and support resources.

Free Themes. As a public service, some fully functional (but simplified) PageLines themes are available for free, such as iBlog 2.

Paid Support. We highly recommend signing up as a user of the professional themes from PageLines to gain access to their excellent support resources even if you’re only planning to use the free themes. Why? You’ll get excellent support, and also have an opportunity to make suggestions for features or improvements to the free themes.

Partners Program. The PageLines Partners Program is a thoughtful and considerate mechanism that allows you to earn money when you refer customers who purchase the PageLines Professional Themes. More information is available by clicking the Partners link on the PageLines website. Once approved, you’ll get a link (like this one) from e-junkie that can be used for text or graphics images. When people click the link, they will be sent to the PageLines website, you’ll earn commissions and receive monthly income via PayPal. It’s that simple.

About e-Junkie Links. The html code provided by e-junkie (explained above) contains some extra text that isn’t entirely necessary. What’s necessary is the https:// link that ends with aff= and a number. That number at the end is your e-junkie member number. The number after the cl= in the link is the merchant (such as PageLines). Anyone who clicks on that link in an email, or as a text or image link from a web page or blog will allow for the e-junkie commissions tracking. This is significant because it means you can simply keep that link handy for anytime you want to send someone to the PageLines website. Using e-junkie, you can also sign-up for referral commissions from other merchants you’d like to promote, such as the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. The links will be identical, except for the number that follow cl= in the link. It’s a good idea to have these links open in a new window when clicked to make sure people don’t leave your site when clicking.

Activating Your Site. In addition to placing links and ads in your website, it’s also possible to modify the sidebar.php file to ensure the PageLines logo shown uses your personalized e-junkie link. Here are some simple instructions that work with the iBlog2 theme.

  1. From the WordPress Dashboard, under the Appearance heading on the left, once expanded, choose Editor. Assuming the iBlog2 theme is active, it will be the currently selected theme you are editing.
  2. Under the Templates heading, click on the Sidebar (sidebar.php) link. This will cause the sidebar.php file to be visible in the editing window.
  3. At the top of the file, on the third line, you will see some code that looks like this: <a class=”plimage” href=”<?php echo get_option(’pllink’); ?>”>Themes for WordPress</a>
  4. That is the code that defines the logo link. Change it to look like this: <a href=”https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=49427&c=ib&aff=12345″ target=”_blank”>Themes for WordPress</a>
  5. Notice that the primary change made was to substitute the text between the quotes after href= so that the link is now your e-junkie link as described above. In addition, target=”_blank” was added to make sure the PageLines site opens in a new Window so visitors won’t leave your website entirely.
  6. Instead of 12345 as shown in the example, you’ll want your e-junkie account number. This will still send people to the PageLines website, but also ensure that you are able to earn revenue from the referral.

Why This Matters. Using a PageLines theme and becoming a partner commissions income is important for several reasons:

  1. Saving Valuable Time. The PageLines themes will save you time because they are easy to use.
  2. Promoting Good Business Practices. The PageLines business model is a progressive business model used by companies like Google and software vendors who provide very valuable products and services for free that meet 100% of the needs of 80% of the people. The 20% of the people who need something more advanced help fund the products and services used by the 80%.
  3. Cleaning Up The Internet. The Internet is just like any other ecosystem. It can get cluttered and polluted. Using PageLines themes allows you to help make the Internet simpler, more elegant, and more beautiful to look at. It does to the Internet what environmental restoration does to the planet. The PageLines themes are well organized and this helps establish standards of navigation and quality.
  4. Enhancing Your Impact. You are trying to have a positive impact in the world. Unless you have an unlimited supply of wealth, the quantity and quality of content on your site is limited by the various revenue streams in your life. If you can have an unobtrusive revenue stream, that offers win-win benefits to everyone involved, then the additional money coming in can help you provide a better quality and service to those who visit your site. It’s that simple. When you let someone know about PageLines themes, you are doing them a favor. So, why not let them do you the favor of earning some revenue.

Donating to PageLines. Because PageLines is a professional consulting firm with paying clients, they don’t have a donate button on their site. However, by donating to PageLines, you can help their business grow. Donating is really quite simple. Just buy an extra theme, even if you don’t plan on using it.

Great Gift Ideas. PageLines professional themes make great stocking stuffers! You can also put one on a memory stick and have it gift wrapped!

Previous Entries
preload preload preload