Listen to Your MP3 Player Through Your Windows 7 PC’s Speakers

Windows 7 introduces a useful new feature that allows you to listen to your MP3 player or other audio device through your computer’s speakers without installing any additional software. Friendly Computers has more information below…

Windows expert Ed Bott finds a useful feature in Windows 7: you can play an external audio device through your computer's speakers without any extra software using a simple configuration setting.

To activate the setting, you'll need to plug the device into the Line In or microphone jacks, head to the Sounds panel, and then find the new Listen tab under the input jack. You'll be able to direct the input from your iPod or other device to play directly from your speakers, an extremely useful feature if you've got a nice set of speakers connected to your PC.

Readers will note that you can always play your iPod's music using iTunes, but this method works even if you connect a friend's iPod or any other sound input you would like to use—and this method doesn't require using any software.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5326409/play-your-ipod-through-your-windows-7-pcs-speakers

How to Troubleshoot a Flaky Internet Connection

Nearly everyone experiences issues with their internet connection from time to time, and they are often difficult to diagnose. Your Internet Service Provider is not always able to help you, so what can you do to fix the problem? Friendly Computers found a great article with a slew of tips for fixing a variety of network issues. Read more below…

You're zooming down the information superhighway getting things done when your usually-trusty browser throws up the dreaded "Server not found" message. Argh! Now what?

Roll up your sleeves and get troubleshooting, that's what. When your internet connection goes down or starts acting up, here's what to do.

(First: save this article to your computer's hard drive. It will do you no good out on the internet when you can't get online.)

The best way to resolve ANY computer problem is to use the process of elimination. Narrow down a wide field of possible problems to come up with the right solution. There are two types of connectivity downage: when you can't get to ANY web site or online service at all, and when you can't get to a single specific site or family of sites.

To determine which situation you're in, try getting a response from a few different web sites, including one that most likely is not down, like Google.com, Yahoo.com, or Microsoft.com. At this point command line lovers skip the browser and go straight to ping, a simple tool that sends data packets to a server and receives a response back. Ping a server by typing ping google.com in your Mac's Terminal, Windows command line, or shell. You'll see immediately whether or not you're getting a response. In the screenshot here, Google is responding within 106 milliseconds or so.

(Hit Ctrl+C to stop; otherwise ping keeps pinging.) Try to ping google.com or yahoo.com, as well as a few smaller sites like Lifehacker and whatever site you were trying to reach when things went down. If you can't reach Google, Yahoo, Lifehacker, or any other site, your whole connection is borked.

If ping ain't your cup of tea, you can also use a web browser to reach a few different sites. Just make sure you try more than one browser when you do, just in case a specific browser's settings or add-ons are actually the problem. Ping is the best way to see if you can reach a given server, not your browser.

Now you know whether your connection is totally down, or if it's just one or a few specific web sites. If you've got more than one computer or device on your network, try the same process on each one to make sure the problem isn't specific to a single computer. You can even grab your Wi-Fi-enabled smartphone, hop on your network, and check to make sure that the same sites or the whole internet are unavailable as well. Is it the same type of downage on all devices and computers? Ok, let's go from there. (If the problem is specific to one computer, skip to Scenario 3.)

Scenario 1: You can't get online at all from any device or computer

In a typical home wireless network, there are three main components: the computer(s) and other devices, your wireless router, and your cable or DSL modem. Of course, many more devices are involved in any network connection from your computer to a web site on the internet, but these are the ones you have control over. If you've been surfing away happily on your computer on your home network and then for no apparent reason go down, the first places to check are your modem and router.

In short, rebooting the modem and the router will solve 90% of your home internet connectivity problems. Generally I unplug the router first, then unplug the modem. (Neither of them have power buttons, so it's a matter of pulling the power cord out of the box. Don't be fooled by the standby button on the top of your modem, that's not the power button. You have to actually pull the power cord out of the modem.) Count down to 10, then plug the modem back in and then the router. Give them both time to boot up and connect by watching the activity lights. Then try connecting to the internet again on your computer.

At this point, if all the lights are on but you still aren't getting ping responses nor able to load web pages, it's time to continue down the elimination road. Grab the cable that your ISP gave you and connect your computer directly to the modem to eliminate the router. Reboot the modem again. Try pinging or getting online. No dice? It's time to call your ISP.

If you can get online while you're connected directly to your modem, but not when you're connected to your router, the problem is somewhere on your router. Unless they've installed the router for you, most ISP's won't offer tech support for your router. Troubleshoot it by visiting its administrative page and checking whether or not it's getting a connection from your provider. This is the time you want to have your router's user guide handy. Skip down to Scenario 4 for more on the care and feeding of a troubled router.

Scenario 2: You can't get to a specific web site or set of web sites from any computer or device

If it's just one web site that you can't reach, the problem most likely isn't you; it's that web site's server.

My favorite tool for checking a web site is the super-useful Down For Everyone Or Just Me tool, which tells you if the whole world can't reach that web site as well. If it's not just you, and that web site is indeed unavailable to anyone, use Notify Mee to get an email alert when that web site is back up.

If it turns out it is just you, you're in an interesting pickle. You can reach DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com and Google.com, but not this particular web site—but the rest of the world can. At this point, it's time to start thinking about DNS servers. Your ISP's DNS servers are the ones which figure out what internet domain names (like lifehacker.com) map to what IP addresses. If your ISP's DNS server doesn't have the correct address for a web site name, you're not going to the right server. To see if the problem is DNS, try switching to the free OpenDNS service.

To get more exact information about the source of the problem, skip down to the section on using traceroute.

Scenario 3: One computer can't get to certain web sites, but other computers on the same network can

If you're here reading Lifehacker, chances are your computer is free and clear of viruses and other malware. If you're visiting Aunt Mitzy and Uncle Ralph, however, that might not be the case. If a specific computer can't get online but other devices can, the problem is local to that machine.

First, make sure the problem isn't browser-specific. Install Firefox (or create a fresh, extension-free Firefox profile) and check to see if you can get online with it. Try Chrome as well. (If the computer can't get online at all, use one that can to download the browser installation files, or bring along a portable version on a thumb drive.)

If all the browsers on the system can't get online, disable the anti-virus software and check the firewall. Sometimes corrupt AV software that's not entirely turned off or uninstalled can mess with the network connection. Try creating a whole new user on the system and logging in as that new user to make sure no process is running in the background that's getting in the way. If you suspect malware IS at work, scrub down the machine. In the worst case scenario of a totally crap-laden system, wipe the hard drive clean and install Windows from scratch.

Scenario 4: Your router requires constant resets or slows down connections

If your wireless router seems to slow down your connection or goes on vacation often and without warning, there are a few things you can do.

For routers that become unreachable or lose connectivity often, try updating the firmware to the latest version. Search the router's manufacturer's web site for the latest and greatest and install it using your router's administrative interface. If you're feeling very adventurous and have compatible hardware, try third-party firmware like DD-WRT or Tomato.

For router slowdowns, try reducing interference or changing the wireless channel.

The Command Line Tool of Network Ninjas: traceroute

Every good network administrator reaches for the age-old command line tool traceroute to troubleshoot broken network connections. Traceroute maps the path data packets take from your computer to a web site, and includes every single stop along the way and how long it took to get there. For broken connections, traceroute reveals at what exact point the broken connection is failing, and gives someone with a little knowledge of ping and IP addresses more information about how to resolve the problem.

To give traceroute a spin and see what its output looks like, try this online version (which obviously doesn't help if you can't get online at all).

To run it from your computer, on Windows from the command line type tracert google.com (notice the missing o, u, and e). In a Mac Terminal window, type traceroute google.com. Check out this awesome traceroute tutorial or this traceroute primer to learn more on interpreting traceroute output, which will look something like this on a broken connection where the connection fails on hop 4:

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5319976/how-to-troubleshoot-a-flaky-internet-connection

What Size External Drive?

External hard drives are a great way to backup your files, but how do you know what size is sufficient? Friendly Computers came across an excellent article that offers advice on what size to get – both capacity-wise and physically. Read more below…

When people talk about the "size" of a hard drive, they generally mean it's capacity--how many gigabytes of data it holds. But you should also consider its literal, physical size.

External hard drives come in two basic sizes: portable and desktop. Portable drives are light, generally the size of a small whiskey flask, and can be powered by the computer's USB port. Desktop drives are larger, inconvenient to carry, and need separate AC power.

On the other hand, desktop drives tend to be faster, hold more data, and cost less by the gigabyte if not by the drive. For instance, as I write this, $100 can buy you a 500GB portable drive or a 1TB desktop one.

If you want to take the drive with you on the road, go for a portable. If you want to back up massive amounts of hi-def video, you'll want a desktop. Otherwise, weigh the factors and consider your needs. Personally, I prefer portable drives for backup, even if I don't travel with them, because I can hide them after backing up and lesson the likelihood that a burglar will take my PC and my backup.

Now then, about capacity: Go with the drive that holds about 25-percent more than the source drive you'll be backing up from. This will allow you to do a full backup and many incrementals.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/168220/what_size_external_drive.html

How do I know if my computer has a virus?

As usual, Friendly Computers reminds you to regularly update your antivirus and operating system software to avoid getting viruses and other malware. In addition, we found a great article outlining the signs to look for to determine if your computer is infected with a virus. Read more below…

Do you think you may have a virus? The following are some ways you can tell you may have a virus

1. Your Anti-virus software won't come up when you try to start it.
2. You get a lot of returned e-mails that you did not send. NOTE: this might also be spoofing, meaning someone else is infected and is giving out your address.
3. You get e-mails back letting you know you have a virus. This could also be spoofing If there are attachments, do not click on them or open them. Delete the messages immediately.
4. Your computer is unusually slow, or exhibiting strange behavior. Spyware will also commonly cause these symtoms.
   If your computer does have a virus, you should purchase anti virus software and install it on your computer if you do not have any. You can find it at places like most retail outlets, and allcomputer stores. In the meantime, you can immediately do a free virus scan by simply typing "free virus scan" into your favorite search engine. You can also instantly purchase the software at various sites such as Free AVG, Norton AntiVirus and Macafee. Check with your ISP, as they may offer free virus/security protection. Comcast for instance offers Macafee for free to all her customers.

1. If you have anti-virus software make sure, it is updated regularly. In fact, most programs have an option to perform automatic updates.
2. The best way to keep a virus from spreading through your computer and to remove it is to boot the computer into safe mode, by hitting the boot menu key at startup (usually F8)
3. If you cannot get it to remove a, send or take it in to a computer repair shop and have them clean it out.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5426-Internet-and-Technology-Examiner~y2009m7d19-Gadgets-101-How-do-I-know-if-my-computer-has-a-virus

Create a Fast Boot Option

Sometimes you just want to turn on your computer to quickly check something, and waiting for Windows and all of your Startup programs to load can be a hassle. Friendly Computers found a useful tutorial for setting up a user account made specifically to load quickly.

The trick is to set up Windows with two logons, as you would if the computer was being used by two people. It's actually pretty simple.

First, create a new user account. To launch the new account wizard:

In XP: Select Start, Control Panel. Click User Accounts, then Create a new account.

In Vista: Select Start, type control userpasswords and press ENTER. Click Manage another account, then Create a new account.

With either version, once you're in the wizard, name the account Fast Boot and make it an Administrator account (Computer administrator in XP). You can change it to a standard user account when everything is set up.

Now that you've created the account, you need to make Windows boot to it by default, because what's the point of a fast boot if it stops for a decision and a password. (If you feel you must password protect this fast boot option, you can skip this step.)

Select Start, Run, type control userpasswords2 (note that 2; this is a different command than the one above), and press ENTER. On the resulting dialog box's Users tab, check Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. In the list of users, select Fast Boot. Then uncheck Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. Click OK.

When the dialog box asks for Fast Boot's password, you can leave those fields blank.

Now when you boot Windows, it will load your Fast Boot environment by default. To get to your regular environment, simply log onto it. In XP, select Start, Log Off and make your choice. In Vista, select Start, the shutdown arrow (the one to the right of the lock), then either Switch User or Log Off.

Of course, a fast boot option isn't of much use unless it boots fast:

While you're still in your old logon, select Start, All Programs. Right-click Startup, and select Open. Then repeat that process, only this time, select Open All Users.

Now consider every icon in the second Windows Explorer window you just opened (the All Users one). Drag any that don't seem necessary for your Fast Boot environment to the other Windows Explorer window.

Now log off and on again into Fast Boot, and get passed all the introduction junk Windows throws at you the first time you boot into a new logon. You might also want to pick different wallpaper (Desktop Background in Vista) than you use in your old logon; it keeps you clear about what environment you're in at the moment.

Once again, select Start, All Programs. Right-click Startup, and select Open. Anything you don't need? Delete it.

Now select Start, Run (you can just select Start in Vista), type msconfig, and press ENTER. Click the Startup tab. Scan the Location column for anything that starts with HKCU (which stands, by the way, for HKEY_CURRENT_USER). Uncheck anything here you can do without.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/164967/create_a_fast_boot_option.html

Pay-as-You-Go Internet

One of the problems with travelling in the digital age is that it can be difficult to find internet access away from home, and when you do find it it often isn’t cheap. Friendly Computers found a plethora of ideas for getting online while you're on vacation. Read more below…

The recession isn't likely to take a vacation this summer, but there's no reason you can't. In fact, if business is slow, this may be the perfect time for a month-long home swap, or to hit the road with your camper and French poodle, Steinbeck style. Either way, with a little planning, you can still get work done by taking your virtual office with you. And if you're careful, you can set up your virtual office without spending a lot of money.

The first item on your to-do list is to figure out how you'll get broadband Internet access while you're away. This week let's take a look at your options, including two new contract-free, pay-as-you-go 3G mobile broadband services. Next week, how to keep your communications costs down when you're away from home.

Planning Your Internet Access

We've all done dial-up. And it still works in a pinch--that is, if your laptop has a dial-up modem (most current models don't).

Otherwise, here are your primary options for getting online at reasonably fast connection speeds.

Research Internet access options. Find out if the place where you'll be staying has Wi-Fi or wired Internet access. If it does, you're golden. If not, is there a nearby café, library, or other establishment offering free Wi-Fi? You can find one before you go by searching for Wi-Fi hotspots in your vacation area.

Tether your mobile phone. Some mobile phones can be tethered to a laptop wirelessly or via a cable. Tethering is a process in which your mobile phone serves as a wireless modem, connecting your computer to the Internet.

There are plenty of downsides, though. Computerworld's Mike Elgan put it this way: "For most users, who would like to connect from anywhere, tethering is a ridiculous, burdensome kludge created artificially by carrier greed."

In short: Tethering can be expensive, slow, and cumbersome to set up. Also, you can't talk on your mobile phone while it's serving as your laptop modem.

Get a 3G connection. If you'll be moving around a lot during your time off, or there's no Wi-Fi or wired Internet access where you'll be, 3G mobile broadband--Internet access delivered over a cellular data network--might be your best option. (Check out "A Day in the Life of 3G" for test results using 3G data networks in 13 different U.S. cities.)

While 3G Internet access is fairly widespread, especially in urban areas, and is offered by the major U.S. wireless carriers, it's by no means ubiquitous. There may be rural areas where 3G isn't available, though you may be able to use a slower 1x cellular data network in those cases.

3G service has other drawbacks. Some notebooks and netbooks come with a built-in 3G cellular modem (either standard or as an optional upgrade). But these modems are usually tied to a particular carrier's 3G service. And in most cases, using the 3G connection requires signing a one- or two-year contract and agreeing to pay a monthly fee, usually $40 and up. Here are a few sites to get you started:

• AT&T Wireless
• Sprint Mobile Broadband
• T-Mobile
• Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband

If you need to avoid 3G service contracts, you have two primary pay-as-you-go 3G cellular alternatives, both of which only became available in the past few months: the Novatel Wireless MiFi and Virgin Mobile USA Broadband2Go.

Novatel Wireless's MiFi is a compact router that lets you create a wireless hotspot using a mobile broadband network. The device is available from Sprint and Verizon Wireless. If you pay full price for the MiFi ($400), you can then pay $15 per day for unlimited use, with no contract.

That may be okay for those who need only a day's worth of 3G cellular Internet connection multiple times throughout the year. However, if you need MiFi for Internet connectivity for several consecutive weeks or more, the $15-per-day plan is prohibitively expensive. Otherwise, you'd have to opt for a $60 monthly data plan (for 5GB of data) or $40 monthly plan (for up to 250MB)--both of which require contracts.

Virgin Mobile USA's Broadband2Go is a USB 3G cellular modem ($150 at Best Buy) that you can use with blocks of broadband cellular Internet usage without a contract. You have four plans to choose from: 100 MB (for use within 10 days) for $10; 250MB for $20, 600MB for $40, or 1GB for $60 (these three plans give you up to 30 days to reach the maximum usage limit).

If you're planning to be gone for several weeks, the 1GB plan might serve your needs. But you'll pay about $210 total ($150 for the device, $60 for the 1GB plan) for the privilege. Also, be careful: Playing YouTube videos, downloading iTunes songs and movies, and such, will quickly eat into your data allotment. If you expect to download lots of multimedia content, you might want to do that at a nearby Wi-Fi café and save your Broadband2Go plan for e-mail and basic Web surfing.

Use WiMAX--if you can find it. WiMAX is a fast, limited-range wireless network technology that far surpasses Wi-Fi's physical and speed limitations but offers nowhere near the expanse in coverage of today's 3G cellular data network. Currently, WiMAX is offered in only a handful of U.S. cities. Also, service from Comcast and others usually requires a contract.

The Wrap Up

Unfortunately, widely available, broadband Internet access is a business primarily controlled by wireless phone carriers--and we all know how consumer-friendly they can be. Otherwise, fast Internet service is a spotty, patchwork affair in cities and often nonexistent in rural areas and small towns.

I've been testing Virgin Mobile USA's Broadband2Go and so far, I've found it works well. (I'll have a full review soon.) It's probably your best, least restrictive option for affordable broadband Internet access, if you'll be roaming frequently or will be staying somewhere without a wired or wireless Internet connection.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/168186/payasyougo_internet.html

Best Free Ways to Manage Photos and Video

Check out these free ways Friendly Computers found to help you manage for photos and videos:

You can use these five free offerings to decorate, detail, and enhance your photos and screenshots.

For instance, with some of these no-cost services and downloads, you can upload a photo of your face and have it appear in an image of the Mona Lisa or in a museum frame, among other options; capture screens easliy and share them; work with a Web service that approaches the abilities of Adobe Photoshop; and edit your photos to make them leap off the screen.

BEST BET PhotoPerfect Express: You may not have the trained eye of a professional photo editor, but with this download, you won't need it. Create stunning images through simple point-and-click optimizations that make your photos pop.

Jing: This download captures screen shots and video screencasts of your desktop with elegance and ease, and then lets you share the results quickly and easily online. Rather than trying to describe to friends and coworkers what you're seeing on your computer, you can show them.

PhotoFunia: Plaster your skillfully superimposed face all over iconic (and not-so-iconic) images with Google's PhotoFunia service.

Skitch: This service (registration required) annotates images--either screen shots you've taken with it or any photo you drag into it--with attractive and readable text, arrows, and shapes, just the thing for getting your point across with style. Once you're done drawing, you can share your Skitch creation on the Web with the click of a mouse.

Sumo Paint: This impressive Web-based service packs all the layered image editing goodness of Photoshop into one incredible Web application--perfect for a little advanced photo editing from your cubicle.

Vital Video Helpers

In this group, you'll find nine innovative ways to discover, transfer, and organize video.

You can learn to cut down YouTube videos so your friends don't have to watch the full 6 minutes to see the monkey throw the cream pie; create embeddable playlists of favorite videos; make DVDs friendly to PCs and set-top devices; and interact with a great media hub and player.

BEST BET DVD Flick: Normally, burning video files to a DVD that you can run in your DVD player is notoriously difficult, unless you're ready to bust open your piggy bank. This no-cost download, however, burns virtually any video file to a playable DVD with ease.

Embedr: This simple but smart service creates embeddable video playlists, allowing you to fashion the perfect combination of online video clips into one long-playing video.

HandBrake: This must-have download converts DVDs to computer- and mobile-friendly formats so you can get your Lost fix during your commute, on your iPod or other video-capable portable device.

KickYouTube: Ever wish you could download a YouTube video to carry with you on your cell phone, iPod, or PSP--or just to save on your PC? This service converts YouTube videos to virtually any device-friendly format, on the fly. All you have to do is add the word kick to the front of any YouTube URL.

RerunCheck: TV lovers often ask, "Is my favorite show a new episode or a rerun this week?" Jump onto this site for the answer, or sign up for weekly e-mail reminders so you never suffer the heartbreak of a warm bowl of popcorn and nothing to watch.

Splicd: Feel bad about making friends suffer through a 5-minute-long YouTube video just so they can appreciate the pratfall at 4:43? With this service, you can link straight to the good part when you share YouTube videos.

TV.com: Hulu's video service was big in 2008, but it now has some stiff competition from the CBS-owned TV.com. This service is part Hulu, part IMDb, and all television-streaming goodness.

Wowbrary: Looking to save some serious cash on entertainment in the midst of this financial apocalypse? This service (registration required) monitors your local library for new DVDs (along with books and CDs) so that you can be first in line to get your hands on a fresh release.

XBMC: Originally developed to run on the original Microsoft Xbox (hence the name, XBox Media Center), this download is a robust media player and entertainment hub. It runs on Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, and Xbox.

 

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/161617-2/best_free_ways_to_manage_photos_and_video.html

Speed Up Your Windows XP Netbook

 
Most netbooks are too small to house powerful hardware, and are instead stocked with a tiny processor and small amount of memory. This can leave them running pretty sluggishly. Friendly Computers found some simple but useful tips to speed up your netbook…

Most modern desktops and laptops have power to spare, but netbooks are notoriously pokey. Consequently, you should turn off any operating-system features that can make your Lilliputian PC even slower.

If your system runs Windows XP, as most netbooks do, here's an easy way to squeeze some extra speed out of it:

1. Open the Control Panel.

2. Double-click System.

3. Click the Advanced tab, followed by the Settings button in the Performance section.

4. By default, the Visual Effects tab is usually set to Let Windows choose what's best for my computer. Windows knows best?! Hardly. Change the setting to Adjust for best performance. As you'll see, this disables all XP's visual effects.

5. Click OK, then wait a few seconds while Windows readjusts itself. Click OK again to exit System Properties.

While this leaves you with a plainer, less visually exciting Windows, it also lets your netbook devote its minimal processing power to more important things, like running apps and crunching data.

source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/167993/speed_up_your_windows_xp_netbook.html

Search engines for the music lover

 

We use search engines every day to find out all types of information such as news, sports, and research. Did you know that there are also search engines to help you find your favorite music? Friendly Computers found this out:

If you have trouble finding music on the Web, you'll be happy to know there are search engines designed specifically for finding your favorite tunes. They can help you stream everything from Top 40 hits to classics.

Find your music

MP3 Realm is a music search engine that helps you find MP3 tracks from across the Web. To do so, you'll need to search the site for either an artist or a song. A results page will then give you the option of downloading the track or embedding the tune into your blog. You can also stream the song on your site. All of the songs MP3 Realm finds are hosted on servers across the Web, so download times do vary. It can be quick but can also make you endure a brutally long wait. MP3 Realm is a fine site, but it's not the best music search engine in this roundup.

Mp3 Realm has a fine selection, but download times vary widely.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Project Playlist is one of the most convenient music search engines on the Web. Simply input an artist or track you like into the search engine and chances are that Project Playlist will have what you're looking for. I searched for a variety of titles, including some that are obscure and, in every case, Project Playlist had at least one matching track.

After you find the track you're looking for, you can stream it or add it to your playlist for future listening. If you can't get enough of the song, you can have Project Playlist send it to you as a ringtone. That will take just a few seconds. Overall, Project Playlist is a stellar music search engine.

Project Playlist has a great search engine.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

SkreemR won't blow you away with its design. In fact, it's an ugly site. But finding songs you might want to listen to is quite easy. It doesn't offer as many songs as a site like Project Playlist, but I was generally pleased with the selection. SkreemR also features the option to create a ringtone from the song and to share your favorite tunes with your Twitter followers. Both features add some more value, but I had a hard time getting over SkreemR's poor design.

SkreemR is just plain ugly.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Songza allows you to search for artists or songs. It returns several results. When you hover your mouse over those results, you have the option of streaming the track, sharing it with your Twitter and Facebook friends, adding it to a playlist, or rating it. Playing a song takes just a few seconds. The site's playlist feature is outstanding. And thanks to the YouTube window to the right of the search results, you can watch songs being performed. Songza is a neat site. Check it out.

Songza lets you listen to songs and watch videos.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

My top 2

1. Project Playlist: Whether you're looking for popular or obscure music, you'll like Project Playlist's convenient, thorough search engine.

2. Songza: Songza's playlists make it worth checking out.

 

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10281031-2.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0

Cheap Printing: 5 Ways to Save Bucks on Ink and Paper

 

Nobody likes to buy printing supplies. Ink is expensive and paper can be too, not to mention heavy. Below are some ways Friendly Computers found out about to help you save some money:

Printers blow through ink as extravagantly as Wall Street bankers blow through bailout money. And your printer might cry "no ink!" when in fact it has plenty to spare. (See our story, "How Much Ink Is Left in That Dead Cartridge?") Whatever the case, no one likes paying for pricey ink and printing supplies, so let's look at ways to cut your consumption.

Buy discount printer ink: Do you really need to buy pricey name-brand ink for your inkjet printer? As we found in "Cheap Ink: Will It Cost You?" inexpensive third-party and remanufactured cartridges often yield more prints than their new, branded counterparts--but they don't always deliver the same quality and fade-resistance. Thus, while you'll definitely save some money, you may not be as happy with your printer's photo output.

However, if you print primarily text, there's every reason to choose the cheap stuff. This is true for laser printers as well: For years I've used only remanufactured toner cartridges in my HP and Brother lasers, and the results have always been excellent. Estimated savings: $30 on a black-ink replacement cartridge compatible with an HP 45 inkjet printer.

Use your printer's economy mode: Not every page you print needs to be fit for framing, right? If you're just cranking out a draft of, say, a school paper or business presentation, why not use your printer's economy mode? True to its name, this setting uses less ink, resulting in lighter (but still readable) output.

Before you print, open the printer's preferences settings from within the program's Print dialog box. Look for a setting called Draft Mode, Economy Mode, Toner Saver, or the like. (On some inkjets, the "Fast" quality setting is equivalent to economy mode.) If you can live with the results, consider making it the default setting, switching to standard (or high-quality) mode only for documents that need to look their best. Estimated savings: $25 per year.

Print two sheets on each page: Here's another way to cut your printing bill: Shrink your output. Most printer drivers can fit two pages' worth of a document on a single sheet of paper. Each page gets reduced in size and rotated 90 degrees, so that two pages land side-by-side on one sheet (think: booklet).

Programs like Word and Adobe Reader give you this option right in the Print menu. In programs that don't (like Firefox), you can venture into the Properties menu for the selected printer and look for a "page layout" or "page scaling" option. Obviously this won't be practical for all your printing needs, but it will save you both ink and paper. Estimated savings: $20 per year.

Print to PDF instead: The best way to save paper and ink is to bypass them entirely. Whenever possible, "print" your documents to PDF files you can store on your PC or e-mail to others. I'm partial to CutePDF Writer, a freeware "printer driver" that lets you turn virtually any document into a PDF. Obviously you need a hard copy sometimes; but before you click Print, ask yourself if you--or the document's eventual recipient--can get by with electronic text. Estimated savings: $20 per year.

Get a laser printer: If you're an infrequent photo printer but like to make hard copies of Web receipts and other (mostly) text documents, you could save a lot of money by opting for an inexpensive laser printer to do routine jobs and using online photo printing services when you do want images you can touch (or hang on a wall). While laser printers still cost more than inkjets, toner's cheaper per-page cost can pay for the difference over time. But you can do your own total-cost-of-ownership math with a spreadsheet such as the one at Nifty-Stuff.com. Estimated savings: Depends on printing habits.

 

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/159709/cheap_printing_5_ways_to_save_bucks_on_ink_and_paper.html

10 Ways to Clean Your Keyboard

Getting all the dirt and grime out from the inside of your keyboard can be a grueling task. Friendly Computers found an interesting article that provides 10 ways to de-grossify your keyboard. Read more below…

1. Use an air compressor

Get rid of the mysterious sticky stuff under your keyboard with compressed air equipped with an extension nozzle. Turn the can at a 45-degree angle and spray between the keys. Tap and shake the keyboard and then repeat spraying. Finish by cleaning the piled up grime with a damp cloth.

2. Use isopropyl alcohol

It's easy to use isopropyl alcohol (never ethyl alcohol because you might remove the printed letters/numbers) with a damp cloth and Q-tips to remove the built up dirt. Always use a cloth rather than applying the alcohol directly to the keys.

3. Use a USB vacuum cleaner

USB vacuum cleaners to do the hard part of sucking up potato chip and pretzel debris. Just plug into your USB port and use the thin keyboard tool to make your keyboard look like new again. Also includes a built in LED light.

4. Use CyberClean

CyberClean makes cleaning fun! Just take the yellow gel blob that looks like Play-Doh and press it over the keys to lift out dirt and bacteria. The patented sticky formula from Switzerland even kills germs on contact. It's also good on cell phones and any other potentially infectious surface.

5. Remove all of the keys

This tip is for folks with a lot of patience. First make a copy of your keyboard layout and turn your computer/keyboard off. Next, remove the keys with a screwdriver. Clean out what's underneath the keys and then clean each key with a damp cloth and Q-tip.

6. Clorox Wipes or household disinfectants

If you eat at your keyboard or type with dirty hands or if multiple people use your keyboard, you need to protect yourself daily with Clorox or a disinfectant spray (on a cloth) to control the germ invasion.

7. Use the dishwasher

Yes, it does sound extreme, but it works if you want to save time and don't need your keyboard for a few days. Wash the keyboard using only water and remember to remove all of keys. Then let it dry out for two or three days.

8. Use Post-it Notes

If there's an ample supply of Post-it Notes around, they'll come in handy when you want to clean your crumb-filled keyboard fast. Just turn the sticky edge of the Post-it towards the hard-to-remove specks and voila!

9. Use a hairdryer

Using a hairdryer is great for general dusting and debris-clearing. It also saves time. Just point it at the keyboard and go with the heat on or off. Can be used with or without the compressed air can.

10. Use Scotch Tape

Using Scotch Tape or another brand of transparent tape can help you quickly remove dirt and crumbs. First give the keyboard a good shake and then start applying the tape.

Source: http://www.inc.com/ss/how-clean-your-keyboard?slide=0#1

Get songs off your iPod

Friendly Computers found this awesome article on how to get songs and photos off your iPod and back onto your computer. Check it out!

 

Apple's iTunes software makes it dead-simple to copy music onto your iPod, but when it comes to moving files in the opposite direction--from the iPod to your computer--there's no obvious solution. I get an e-mail on this topic at least once a week, usually from someone who's had his laptop stolen or watched helplessly as his hard drive crashed. After an incident like that, it can be a relief to know your music collection (or at least part of it) is backed up on an iPod.

Of course, relief can quickly turn to frustration when you plug that iPod into a new computer and can't figure out how to grab those files. Worse yet, iTunes will sometimes prompt you to erase the iPod if it's not recognized. Saying yes will only end in tears.

To be fair, iTunes isn't completely useless when it comes to pulling media off your iPod. Under the iTunes File menu, there's an option for "Transfer Purchases From iPod" that will work to pull any content purchased through the iTunes Store back to your computer. It's a nice place to start, but to get the rest of your content off your iPod, you'll need to download some additional software.

There are two, very useful, and very free applications out there that will transfer the rest of your music, videos, playlists, and metadata off your iPod and back to your computer. In truth, there are dozens of programs that can accomplish the same thing, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll stick with these two since they're free, easy to use, and work with all models of iPods and iPhones.

Depending on the type of computer you're transferring to, download Pod to Mac or Pod to PC from Download.com. If you're looking to get photos off your iPod, go ahead and download Pod Photo Transfer (PC only), as well.

To see how the process works, CNET's Tom Merrit made a handy video that walks you through the steps for retrieving files from an iPhone. The process is identical for iPods, so don't feel left out when Tom says "iPhone"--just overdub it in your mind with the iPod model of your choice. For a few extra iPod media transfer tips, check out our CNET slideshow.

 

Source: http://reviews.cnet.com/transfer-ipod-songs/?tag=smallCarouselArea.4