Month: March 2009

What program cleans up all in the list below: Downloaded Program files Temporary Internet files Offline webpages Office setup files Recycle bin Setup Log files System Error Memory Dump files System error Minidump files Temporary files Thumbnails Per User archived Windows error reporting System Queued Windows error reporting Removes all but the last Restore Point Links to Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features Answer: Windows Disk Cleanup So why go looking for some third party crap cleaner which has dangerous additions like a registry cleaner? The majority of third party cleaning utilities will screw up your system. Some do it … Continue reading A ‘Cure all’ alternative..

It works, and I should be really pleased, and I was until I clicked on ‘Purchase now’. There are two versions of Vuescan: standard or professional. Pricing is essentially half the price of a new scanner, or almost full price of a new scanner. To offset the cost, I believe that you get a five license package so that the software can be used on multiple computers on a home network for instance. But there are compelling reasons to buy new New versions of support programs like photo editors, OCR’s etc. Quieter operation. Faster scan times. Higher resolution. The warranty. … Continue reading 64bit + Canon Lide 30 + Vuescan 8.5

.. is finally RTM, and despite some saying that it still has bugs, it works for me. In fact, in 64bit guise, it works extremely well for me, but then all I want to do is browse with it. The compatibility button (to the left of ‘refresh’) seems to work with website pages which seem not to display too well at first load, and the whole thing looks nice and clean. Unlike Firefox, there is no annoying popup offering the installation or update  of yet another add-in. It lacks the confusing and for the most part useless array of features … Continue reading Internet Explorer 8

I had recently installed Diskeeper Pro Premier 2009 on a 32bit installation of Vista Ultimate, but set it for manual rather than automatic defragmentation because I felt that it was interfering in normal operation. Since then, I have installed Vista Ultimate 64bit and re-installed Diskeeper 2009. I have to tell you that it works very well indeed, and is not noticeable when set for auto operation. A few minutes ago, I opened Diskeeper in order to do a manual defrag, and none of my drives and partitions needed doing. It doesn’t get any better than that. Version 2009 is without … Continue reading Defragging..

Antivirus Avira – AVG – Avast – Kapersky – ESET NOD32 Antispyware Spybot S&D – Malwarebytes – SuperAntiSpyware OK, there are others BUT The decent ones never produce unsolicited popups which warn of multiple infections UNLESS you have one of the above installed.. Neither do they appear as ads every time that you go to any webpage.. Just because an ad appears on the webpage of some IT professionals does not mean that the program has any merit. Some of the ads are most decidedly crapware. The IT professionals should know better and clean up their act. If you are not … Continue reading Reputable anti-Malware solutions..

When you sign up with an ISP, you will be given an e-mail ID too. It will look something like this: a.n.other@ISP name.com .. If in Canada, .ca, in the UK, .co.uk, in Australia, .au and so on. I always use my ISP mail account as my primary mail in/mail out box because it looks better, especially when sending mail to sensible people and institutions like banks and insurance companies. Mail ID’s like hot_diggety-dawg@web mail.com just don’t have the air of sensibility required for some messages. So, the cable guy has called, or maybe the DSL provider has sent you … Continue reading Internet Service Provider Mail

If you buy a new OEM computer these days, it will most likely come supplied with a USB keyboard and mouse. It wasn’t always this way. Early IBM clone computers used a 5 pin DIN port for the keyboard and a 9 pin ‘D’ serial port for the mouse. These were replaced by the IBM PS/2 type connectors. PS/2 keyboards and mice generally had grey or black plugs attached to them, and these changed to purple (keyboards) and green (mice) when motherboard manufacturers decided to make it easy for anybody connecting up a system. It was a great idea which … Continue reading A new USB keyboard and mouse?

I have been thinking about options today and I have three. None of them are too good, but I will save anything up to $110. Option 1. Use a KVM switch attached to a computer which will run the scanner Pro’s: It would work.. Cons: I don’t have a KVM switch which works with a wireless desktop set, and the noise of two computers running within earshot could drive me insane. Option 2. Attach it to another computer on the home network which will support the scanner. Pro’s: It would work Cons: Unfortunately the computer in question is almost in … Continue reading Vista 64 drivers – my Canon Lide scanner..

A few days ago, I wrote about 64bit Vista and losing the use of my scanner, an aging yet still cute Canon Lide 30. Well, after having used my 32bit Vista installation since November 17, 2006, I have finally thrown in the towel. It was taking longer than it should to boot up, and the Windows Update feed for the SP2 RC was really playing up. I decided to try out 64bit Vista, ensuring that I put it through the WU SP2 saga before making a decision. Everything worked as it should. I also solved the ‘external drive’ issue, so … Continue reading The Crow Dilemma..

It took me a day or two to figure out why Vista 64 would not see my USB enclosure. It has a WD 80gb IDE drive installed in it, and the jumper was set to slave. It seems that 32bit does not really care where the jumper is, but Vista 64 likes to see the jumper set for Cable Select.