Windows Media Player and iTunes do not use standard formats, such as .m3u, to store the playlists that users create. This can be a problem for users migrating to other players such as MediaMonkey, WinAmp etc. Luckily, all is not lost; Windows Media Player has functionality for exporting playlists built in, and there are tools that will convert iTunes playlists to .m3u format for you.
Windows Media Player (more…)
Category: Software
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Exporting iTunes and Windows Media Player playlists to .m3u-format.
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Outlook "disappears" when minimized
A user called me up, telling me that whenever she’d minimize Outlook, it would shut down in stead of minimizing. Accessing her computer remotely, I easily saw that Outlook wasn’t closed, it was minimized to tray.
To avoid this problem reappearing, I did the following:
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Outlook runs slowly
I was contacted by a user telling me that Outlook was running slowly on his computer, especially when switching between Mail and Contacts, etc. He also reported that when he had Outlook open, he didn’t get the speed he was supposed to while surfing the web.
The problem was simply that Outlook was set to check with the Exchange Server constantly. To avoid this problem, you need to turn Cached Mode on. Here’s how:
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Where old software goes to pasture
Ever needed a specific version of a specific program? I sure have. An example of this is the fact that the application that many of my users use to report sales is dependent on an obscure and out-dated version of Java (1.4.09) to be able to run at all. Another example is when you need a specific function that has actuall been removed from a program at some point.
There is an obvious solution to this: keep copies of old software handy. This is a bad solution, and inefficient at best. Much better than to be able to go to a website and download it from there.
There is such a website, it’s called OldVersion.com. It’s got a load of software, divided into the following categories:
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Firefox – Copy tabs
One of the reasons why I absolutely love Mozilla Firefox is the fact that the system of tabs is so excellently implemented. At times I want to be able to copy a tab. There are two simple ways of doing this:
Method one: mouse
By simply holding down the Ctrl-button on our keyboard while dragging a tab (as if to relocate it) you instead create a copy of the tab where you drop the tab.
Method two: keyboard
Start by clicking Ctrl+L to activate the address bar. Then press Alt+Enter. This will copy the current tab to a new tab located at the far left of the list of tabs. -
Spacemonger – find out what’s clogging up your hard drive
Ever seen that your hard drive is nearing full, and been unsure what files are to blame? In my job as a desktop service technician, I’ve many times been called upon to find out what is causing a client’s computer to be running slowly, or simply what’s making a software install fail. One of the tools I have with me for these situations is a nifty little tool called Spacemonger.
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Created by Sixty-Five Software, Inc., Spacemonger exists in at least two versions; the current version 2.1, and its predecessor 1.4. The latter is available as a free download, and the other one is available for purchase at $24.95. Here’s what the main window looks like:
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A quicker PDF reader
A while ago a good friend of mine introduced me to a nifty little program. We were talking about the fact that both of us had a plethora of pdf-files, and were annoyed at the fact that Adobe Reader not only takes very long to load, but also takes time to render the files.
He then proceded to tell me that at his new job, they’d cut out Adobe altogether, in favor of a different reader; Foxit Reader. Recently released in version 3, it not only loads quickly, it also renders very quickly.
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Reducing memory usage in Mozilla Firefox
If you’re like me, you use Mozilla Firefox as your preferred web browser. However, Firefox has one great weakness; its great love of RAM. I browsed around the web a bit, and found this workaround, which should help a bit at least. I have tried it, and it worked nicely for me.
What this workaround does is move Firefox to your hard drive when minimized, which results in Firefox taking up less RAM. Obviously, the amount of RAM taken up will increase when you maximize the window, but it appears to increase to less than it used to be, which could certainly be said to be an improvement.
The number one objection I have seen to this workaround is that people say that Firefx will take longer to maximize as the cache is located on the hard drive instead of in RAM. However, according to other bloggers out there, any delay is not noticeable.
Now, to the step-by-step:
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FileZilla – the only FTP client you’ll ever need.
In managing two websites of my own, and one for an organisation I’m involved with, not to mention just to upload all the pictures I use in this blog, I use an excellent little application called FileZilla. Simply put, it’s an FTP client, a program designed to upload and download files using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Packed with features, it’s one of those programs I just can’t live without.
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Syncronising Lotus Notes Calendar with Google Calendar
At work, I use IBM’s Lotus Notes as my primary email and calendar client. It works well enough, but there are some issues. My main problem with it though, is that syncronising calendar data with Google Calendar is nigh on impossible, at least out of the box.
Finding this annoying, I talked to a colleague of mine, and asked him if he had any clues as to third party software that could solve my problem. The answer he came up with turned out to be the very thing I’d been looking for. The app is made by a company called CompanionLink Software, and is called Companionlink for Google.
The program is available as a 14 day free evaluation, after that it costs $29,95. Frankly, just under 30 bucks for this piece of software is pretty cheap. It is easy to use, and it just works.
CompanionLink supports the following PIMs:
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Identifying unknown devices – SIW
Part of my job is setting up new computers. Part of the routine is to make sure all hardware devices have been installed. Now, this can be easier said than done, when all the information I have to go on is that the device in question is called “USB Device”…
Now, a while ago, a colleague of mine showed me a piece of software that so impressed me that I immediately put it on my on-site troubleshooting kit. The software in question is called System Information for Windows, or SIW for short.
SIW is a powerful bit of software that can be found here. The application to solve the aformentioned problem is as follows:
I plugged in my USB drive, and started SIW. I then found the entry “Devices” under Hardware. There I found the errant device, and found it to be identified as “vid_0c24&pid000F” A quick Google later, I knew the culprit to be the onboard Bluetooth card.
Instead of spending a lot of time trying different drivers, the above approach allowed me to find a solution, and implement it, within the space of ten minutes.