Search Engine Tips

If you want to search for an exact phrase enclose it in speech marks ie, if you were looking for gourmet recipes you could enter "gourmet recipes", the speech marks tell the search engine that you only want results that include that exact phrase instead of results that include both words in any order.

Firstly try and narrow down the results by including all the important keywords ie if you were looking for a website about fishing in spain, and you just entered fishing then you would have lots of results that may not be suitable, in the same way if you just entered spain you would again get a lot of results that were not appropriate.

Different search engines use different methods of returning results, for instance Google® uses a method called pagerank, this system returns results by working out a pages popularity by how many other pages link to that page, in other words if a certain website/page has a lot of different websites/pages linking to it and the content matches your search it will be higher in the results, it even checks to see if the websites/pages that link to it are of the same search criteria !! So you always get results that meet your original search as close as possible.

If you don't get results using all the keywords then try taking out certain keywords from your search, especially if you are enclosing your search in speech marks.

Safe online shopping

How can you tell if an online company is legit when you're thinking of buying something? Well, there are some key things to look out for:

If you get an unsolicited email about a product from a company you don't know, then DEFINATELY do your homework before you buy. Check out their reputation, or see if the same product is available from an online business you trust.

Since web addresses can change, look on the site for an address and phone number. Know where to complain or contact if you are dissatisfied or have a question. You might also want to review the Privacy Policy to make sure they won't sell your information to marketers.

Read the refund and return policy (if the website does not have one). Can the item be returned? What if it is opened? Is there a restocking fee? What about damaged merchandise.

If the site displays the BBB Online Reliability logo, click it and read the popup (hold your Ctrl key if you have a pop-up stopper) to make sure the company is currently participating.

Keep a record of your online purchase. Print out the page with the seller's name, address, and phone number. Print out the page about the item you ordered. Print any email confirmation messages you get and any follow-up messages about problems in shipping.

What kind of attachments can conain viruses?

Basically, anything that is executable (able to run). You're generally safe with picture files, text files, and the like. However, it still pays to scan first.

Here is a very short list of the most common to watch out for:

exe
zip
scr
vbs
bat
com
pif
asp
doc
xls

Those are the most common; don't misinterpret this to mean that if you get one of these files it's automatically a virus. A ".zip" file may be nothing more than a set of compressed files your friend sent you to look at. A "doc" or "xls" file may simply be an MS Office file. It's just that these type of files could also be viruses.

A couple other virus tricks you need to be aware of. First, MS Office files can contain what are called "Macro Viruses". Without getting into too much detail, these files can run a "macro" (a macro is a mini-program run from within another program) that can be as destructive as any "regular" virus. So, my advice on MS Office attachments is not to open them unless you are expecting them. If they just show up, verify with the sender first.

The other trick you need to look out for is an extra extension added to an attached file. For example, you may have something like "mypicture.jpg.vbs". In fact, if you don't have your computer set to view file extensions, it may just look like "mypicture.jpg" and omit that last "vbs" part.

This may appear to be a jpg picture file, but it's actually a Visual Basic Script file. If executed, it will happily infect your computer with a virus.

So, be careful out there.

Intel releases slew of new core 2 chips

Gamers, fasten your seatbelts. On Monday, Intel introduced a new Core 2 Extreme processor for notebook PCs, calling it the "world's highest-performing mobile processor." The company also introduced a new Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor and other desktop chips.

The Core 2 Extreme X7800 for laptops runs at 2.6 GHz, has 4 MB of L2 cache, and is targeted at gamers and digital artists. The chip's clock multiplier has been unlocked, meaning that the chip can be overclocked by laptop manufacturers for even higher speeds, if so desired. However, the company warned that pushing the processor beyond its specifications can cause component failure and other damage.

The Santa Clara, California-based company said that the X7800 provides up to 28 percent faster performance than its previous-generation mobile processor, and offers power-saving features that could come in handy for laptop users.

Changing the licensed owner's name in your computer

Let's say you inherit a computer from someone else and it has their name and/or organization listed as the licensed owner in Windows and now, it's yours, so you want to change this. Navigate your way to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\ Current Version.

(navigate by doubleclicking each of these.) In the right pane, you'll see RegisteredOrganization and RegisteredOwner in the Name column. Right-click the one you want to change, select Modify, and on the Value Data line of the resulting dialog box, type the correct information. Click OK, repeat these steps for the other value, if desired, and close the Registry Editor.

Removing the password from Internet Explorer's Content Advisor

If you have forgotten the password you created for the Content Advisor and want to disable it so you can get into the Content Advisor again, navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\ Current Version\Policies

Click Ratings, look to right, Click line below Default, press delete, enter. Leave default line only in right pane. Close registry editor. Next click start, find, files and folders, type "ratings.pol" (without the quotes) in top line, C: in bottom, find now. When this file is found, delete it. This will remove password set, and leave content advisor fully operable. Next time, choose a password you can remember.

Removing something from Control Panel> Add/Remove Programs

If you have uninstalled a program but it remains on the list in Add/Remove Programs, you can manually remove it by navigating to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\ Current Version\Uninstall.

You'll see a list of all the programs available in your Add/Remove Programs Control Panel. You can simply select an entry from the list on the left, press the Delete key, and confirm to remove it. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows; the item will be gone from your Add/Remove Programs list.

Removing Log Off User from the start menu

If you are the only one using your computer and you don't want this cluttering up your start menu, you can remove it by navigating to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ Current Version\Policies\Explorer.

Right-click in the white area of the right window and select New, DWORD Value. Name this value NoLogOff and press Enter. Then double-click this entry and enter 1 under Value. Exit RegEdit and restart Windows. Log Off User will be gone

Alphabetizing Your Start Menu and/or Favorites

Notice how your Start Menu adds new items to the end of the list and you have to constantly re-alphabetize them by right clicking and choosing "Sort by Name"? Well, here's how to tell Windows to always alphabetize them. Navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder\StartMenu

Click the Menu folder, then right-click Order in the right pane and select Delete from the pop-up menu. You can do the same for your Favorites, located in the same MenuOrder folder.

After you close Regedit and reboot your system, the Windows Start menus will always appear in alphabetical order.

Change case of letters in MS-Word

Microsoft Word allows you to change the case of a text typed in it but to do so is not so obvious. Of course you can always delete and retype the text, but why waste time when there is a much better way to do it. To change the case of a text, select the text, and Press Shift + F3. You can toggle the different case modes by pressing the F3 key repeatedly while still holding down the Shift key. The three case modes are "lowercase", "UPPERCASE" and "Title case". So if you select a word "name", the three modes will give you: "name", "NAME" and "Name".

How to change Browser's title text?

1. Click Start > Run > Type gpedit.msc
2. Click User Configuration > Windows Setting > Internet Explorer Maintenance > Browser User Interface
3. Double click on Browser Title
4. Click on Customize Title Bars
5. Change the text to what whatever you want
6. Click on Ok

Now you changed the title of your browser and you sure see what you wrote when you
open a New Window.

How to create more space for temporary internet pages?

• On the Tools menu in Internet Explorer, click Internet Options.
• On the General tab, click Settings.
• To create more space to store pages temporarily, move the slider to the right.

Finding "WINIPCFG" in Windows XP

Instead of using the command line to display /configure your ip with ipconfig, you can download wntipcfg directly from Microsoft which will give you the same GUI to display / configure your ip as winipcfg.

Download: http://microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/wntipcfg-o.asp

When you have downloaded it, install it (the default is c:\program files\resource kit\ ) copy wntipcfg.exe to c:\windows and rename it to winipcfg.exe Now you can just click on run, then type in "winipcfg"

How to take back up?

Here are a number of free backup programs you can download off of the Internet. Here are just a few to choose from:

• Second Copy v6.2.0.37
  Automatically copy files and folders when they are modified.
• WinRescue
  Troubleshoot your system, back up your Registry, and test your printer connection.
• Backup Now! Deluxe v2.5.4
  Compress and back up your files onto CD-R/RW discs.
• Smart Backup v1.04
  Perform backups of crucial files and automatically update them.
• Backup Plus v7.07
  Back up your files with this no-nonsense system utility.
• Backer v5.04
  Synchronize files between two or more PCs.
• Retrospect Backup Express v6.0
  Back up and encrypt your confidential files to various media, including CD/RW and DVD-RAM.

How to reinstall Internet Explorer?

1. Insert the Win XP CD
2. Open Start / Run and type:
   rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 c:\windows\inf\ie.inf
3. Press ENTER