Tiplet expert tips & tech support

April 18, 2009

How and Why to Enable Javascript in Your Browser

Filed under: computer performance,Internet — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

JavaScript is a very important programming language that, along with its cousin Java, makes it possible for most of the user-interactivity that happens when you’re using a browser application to navigate the World Wide Web. Without Javascript, your ability to experience the richness of some of your favorite Web sites is curtailed. It is still possible to browse online without Javascript enabled. Most browsers have security settings that can disable JavaScript, since it can pose a security threat when malicious coders write a program with Javascript that is designed to invade your system and take it over. This happens only when Javascript is given unfettered access to your computer and you aren’t using an antivirus program. A happy medium is to enable JavaScript, but to limit its application, and make sure you have a fully up to date antivirus running, as you always should any time you go online.
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File Extension mov

Filed under: file extensions — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 11:00 am

Extension: mov

What is it? Apple Quicktime movie file

Where’s it from? The mov standard for multimedia files was created by Apple Computer. It is widely used by developers of multimedia content and applications. It is available on Mac OS and Windows platforms.

How do I use it? Use Apple Quicktime for Mac or Windows, or the free IRFranview utility for Windows.

Can I safely delete or move it? Yes.

Can it be dangerous? Yes. Mov files found on P2P networks such as Limewire are often infected with malware. Use antivirus software.

— David Hakala

How Can I Avoid, Prepare For, and Recover from PC and Technology Disasters?

Filed under: computer performance,data storage and recovery,privacy & security — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

The best disaster is the one that doesn’t happen. Next best is one that doesn’t matter, because it was anticipated. Worse than that are events that require some recovery time, and worst of all are … well, real disasters.

The most common computer-related advice used to be backup, backup, backup (your data). And when DID you last backup your hard drive? But these days, that advice is equaled by urgent reminders to keep your computer and applications updated and patched against viruses, spyware, and the like.
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April 17, 2009

How Can I Save Text Messages From My Cell Phone?

Filed under: communication,mobile computing — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

by David Hakala

Many of us use text messaging more than we use the voice features of our cell phones. Thank goodness for flat-rate all-you-can-text pricing plans. I calculated what one month’s bill for text messages would have been at the per-message rate: $1,683! My T-Mobile Dash smartphone contains 2,115 sent and received text messages right now, not counting deleted messages. I would like to keep some of those texts. But how?
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How to Make Windows XP Shut Down Faster

Filed under: computer performance,Windows — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

When its time to reboot your computer, it can be frustratingly slow sometimes to wait out the reboot, especially if you need to use your system. There are a few things you can do to help speed up the process, though.
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File Extension dmg

Filed under: file extensions — Tags: , , , — admin @ 11:00 am

Extension:dmg

What is it? Macintosh OS X Disk Copy Disk Image File

Where’s it from? An Apple Mac OS X CD burner. A dmg file is a bit-for-bit image of CD-ROM, hard drive, or other disk full of data. A dmg file can be stored on your hard drive, mounted and used as if it was a drive itself by one of the programs listed above. A dmg file can also be burned to a CD or DVD disc, and the programs it contains can be run from disc. Dmg files come in several file system formats including HFS, HFS+, UFS, ProDOS, Linux, and Fat32 and so may also require special mounting software.

How do I use it? Mac OSX Disk Copy; Windows: dmg2img http://vu1tur.eu.org/tools/; Linux:  DMG Automounter for Linux http://sourceforge.net/projects/dmgmount/

Can I safely delete or move it? Yes

Can it be dangerous? No

–David Hakala

Are There Simple, Free Tools for Checking My PC’s Status and Health?

Filed under: computer performance,privacy & security,Windows — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

In order to renew my car’s registration, I recently needed to have its pollution emissions tested. Since this was the first time my 2007 Honda had this check, I found it interesting that instead of using a tailpipe probe as was done with my previous (1989) auto, the mechanic simply connected his equipment to the car’s diagnostic port and read out a few numbers.

Considering how complex it is to maintain Windows computers – needing to worry about operating system patches, application updates, security settings, and many more issues — it would be nice to have a simple and automatic process for checking security, patches, reliability, performance, and everything else that matters.
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April 16, 2009

Can I and Should I Delete or Remove Vista’s Recovery Partition?

Filed under: data storage and recovery,Vista,Windows — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 6:00 pm

by David Hakala

Q: Is the recovery partition of Vista really needed? Can I remove it? If I can remove it, what is a procedure to remove this partition? – Don

Vista’s recovery partition is needed like a car’s spare tire is needed. The car will run fine without a spare tire and you will free up some trunk space by removing the spare tire. You can keep the spare tire in your garage at home, and go get it when one of your tires goes flat. But better hope the car is in your driveway when a tire goes flat.
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What to Look for In a Computer Chair

Filed under: computer-related health — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 3:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

If you work with a computer or just enjoy using it in your spare time to browse online, watch movies, or play games, you need a comfortable chair. In fact, the longer you spend in front of your monitor, the more important it is to have a chair that will support your lower back, keep your eyes at the right level for reading your screen, and give your wrists a break to avoid repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
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File Extension iso

Filed under: file extensions — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 1:00 pm

Extension: iso

What is it? ISO-9660 CD Disk Image File

Where’s it from? Generally, ISO files are created by CD burning software such as Nero. The ISO (Intl. Standards Organization) 9660 standard specifies how to copy data, such as a set of music files, to an iso file that can be read as if it was a CD disc. ISO files can be transferred over the Internet, then burned to CD to re-recreate the original CD. An ISO file can also be mounted and used like any other drive. MagicISO can translate proprietary image file formats (such as Nero) into standard ISO files.

How do I use it? Windows:  MagicISO http://www.magiciso.com/ ; Mac: Mac OS X Finder, built into Mac OS X; Linux:  mount command, i. e., mount -o loop -t iso9660 filename.iso

Can I safely delete or move it? Yes.

Can it be dangerous? No

–David Hakala

Expect Saves Time on Tedious Command-Line Tasks

Filed under: advanced computing,applications,network administration,servers — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Cameron Laird

Expect can save you time–hours, or even weeks, of time. If you work at the command line, and ever find yourself annoyed at how tedious some task is, you’re a potential Expect customer. Expect automates interactive applications including telnet, ftp, password updates and more.

The cost to start is small, too: modern Mac OS and many popular Linux distributions include it, and convenient installable packages are available at no charge for Windows and all leading Unix releases.
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