Showing Tag: "" (Show all posts)

Windows 8 - new Metro start menu (screenshot)

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, September 17, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 
I have yet to find an application installed on Win 7 that does not run smoothly on the new Windows Developer Preview OS.

Link to a larger screenshot of the Metro menu on a regular PC running Windows 8



 Back to Blog



Continue reading ...
 

Windows 8 - disable Metro start menu

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, September 17, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

This needs to be set for each individual user:

Windows > System 32 > Regedt32 >

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer>
RPEnabled = dword change from 1 to 0


Enable

Windows > System 32 > Regedt32 >

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer>
RPEnabled = dword change from 0 to 1


Continue reading ...
 

Installing Windows 8 from bootable USB

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, September 17, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

Windows Developer Preview (aka Windows 8) is available for free download from Microsoft; at the time of writing it is a pre-Beta version. So far I can confirm that all my Programmes from the Win 7 environment run smoothly in Win 8.



Windows Developer Preview Installation
(instructions assume a reasonable knowledge of IT; I suggest you back up all data prior to the install)

Prepare an HDD of at least 20 GB; you can always "shrink" a volume by this amount should you lack spare drives.
It might b...


Continue reading ...
 

Skype update / upgrade email alert from www.skype-news-center.net

Posted by John Cowburn on Sunday, July 17, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 



 

The Skype application always upgrades/ updates from within the applications itself, never by an email that asks you to click on a URL and furnish payment details. This might be an affiliate site, but is not a Skype site, do not provide Credit Card details. A check on the DNS returns  "www.skype-news-center.net has no DNS entries"

Please note the return path in the email header below: bo-bwhfj3cbgv4ht3au7grgeqcwd0769g@b.e.rhapsody.com
A DNS search for b.e.rhapsody.com returns "Sorry, we a...


Continue reading ...
 

iPad / iPhone Quick Fixes

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, June 25, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 


iPad / iPhone stops receiving email -  hard reset*, remove and replace SIM, restart

iPad / iPhone calendar stops syncing - update device software

iPhone: can’t phone out, can’t end calls, no ring tone – update device software

iPhone: can receive SMS text messages but cannot send SMS – refer to Telco who’ll need to adjust configuration

iPhone / iPad: no ringtone but speaker works – check the physical mute button on the side of the device

iPhone / iPad: can’t backup as iTunes...


Continue reading ...
 

Supporting iPads & iPhones in an Enterprise environment

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, June 25, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

Where resources permit, have a dedicated PC for mobility users - replete with the necessary adapters and software. You'll need iTunes, and the iPhone configuration utility should you decide to utilise an enterprise configuration file for security reasons.
 
Mobility is now deemed part of the old "Desktop Support" environment which is gradually being renamed IT Support. I bring numerous phones or tablets on line each week, all of which have sizeable data plans enabled. Once the go ahead is given...


Continue reading ...
 

Windows System Assessment Tool | Test RAM (winsat mem)

Posted by John Cowburn on Sunday, June 19, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

Open a Command Prompt (you ought to have UAC turned off, otherwise "run as administrator")

type: winsat mem

Speeds will be influenced by RAM type (DDR2 or DDR3, frequency and basic timings)

Optimised DDR2 ought to score above 4000 MB/s, DDR3 above 10 000 MB/s


Continue reading ...
 

iPad Screenshots: an in-built feature

Posted by John Cowburn on Sunday, June 19, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

Screenshot capability is built in to the iPad and users don't need to pay for a dedicated iPad screenshot App, though plenty are available.

  • While holding the iPad Home button, quickly press and release the Power Button at the top right hand side (when the iPad is held as per the illustration)
  • You'll hear a camera shutter sound and see a whitish flash
  • The screenshot will automatically have been saved to the Photos App

 

This can be transferred to a computer via iTunes or similar; anot...


Continue reading ...
 

iPad waiting icon

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, June 18, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 



Should a "waiting" icon appear as an App on your iPad, and refuse to be deleted even after doing the icon jiggling trick (no "x" will appear) - it is likely waiting for a wi-fi connection in order to download a file larger than the 3G limit (about 20 MB.) Either connect to a wi-fi network to complete the download, or:

  • sign out of the App Store
  • do a hard shutdown (i.e. hold down Home and on/off buttons simultaneously, and do not use the slide to switch off: it will eventually power down b...


Continue reading ...
 

Wikileaks Wallpaper

Posted by John Cowburn on Thursday, December 9, 2010, In : Press Freedom 


This is just a sample taken from their site, low image quality and resolution. Originals can be downloaded from: here



Please consider making a donation to them, see this entry


Continue reading ...
 

Stop clicking sound/ sound effects in Internet Explorer, Explorer

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, August 7, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 


Sound - unwanted sound effects in Internet Explorer & Windows Explorer
(Windows 7, Vista - same principle for XP)



Should you be hearing a clicking sound each time you press a local or hyper link and would like to get rid of it, open the start menu search box on the bottom left of your taskbar (the 7/Vista Windows Orb) and navigate to the sounds configurations menu by typing mmsys
.cpl into the search field, then press enter. Browse 2/3 of the way down the dropdown box to "Start Navigation."

You'l...
Continue reading ...
 

Hosts file - read only in Vista/ Windows 7

Posted by John Cowburn on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

For experienced users

Even as an Administrator it can sometimes be tricky to edit the Hosts file in Vista, or in any Windows 7 system that has been upgraded from Vista. Generally the workaround is to open Notepad by right clicking, selecting run as administrator, and then navigating to Windows/System32/ Drivers/ etc/ hosts - editing, and remembering to save as all files, not text (just click on existing Hosts file to replace.) The hosts file ought never to have a file type extension like .tx...


Continue reading ...
 

Deleting a Service in Windows 7, XP & others

Posted by John Cowburn on Sunday, May 30, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

Recommended for advanced users:

You might wish to delete a service at some stage, perhaps one that remains after an uninstall (I've even seen a service remain in W7 after a system restore to a point prior to the installation!)

Go to your Registry Editor (windows+R and then type regedit > enter.)
Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > System > CurrentControlSet
Select Services folder
Examine the listed services (they're in alphabetical order)
Highlight/ select the service you wish to delete > right click > d...


Continue reading ...
 

Delete ICQ Search & Toolbar (Firfefox 3.6)

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, May 29, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

{The easiest method is to do a system restore to a time before the installation but as you're here you probably cannot do that}
 
Should you wish to delete ICQ, first go to add/remove programs (where you'll need to delete both the toolbar and the application)
Restart Firefox and, should ICQ still remain:

Open a fresh Firefox tab, In the URL address bar type "about:config" (not the quote marks) > notice the warning message > do be careful
In the "Filter" box type : "keyword.URL" (without quotatio...


Continue reading ...
 

Windows 7 - deleting Themes

Posted by John Cowburn on Friday, April 2, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

It is simple but I see many "how-to" questions on the web, so thought to place an entry here.

>Right click on your desktop
>Select "Personalize"
>Right click on the Theme you wish to delete
>Delete, and then confirm deletion

NB You cannot delete the active theme in this window, i.e. you need to have more than one theme in order for the delete option to appear when right clicking.

Should you be looking for more desktop backgrounds, have a look at some of mine - high definition wallpaper available f...
Continue reading ...
 

Software Fraud on eBay (Adobe Photoshop)

Posted by John Cowburn on Friday, April 2, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

In December 2009 I noticed Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended for auction on eBay. Many copies were on sale, and I followed a few auctions to discover they were trading for around $400 (usual retail is around $1000 - Australian.) Authenticity was guaranteed by the seller, and, though I had doubts as to the provenance of the software, I was new to eBay and decided that they would not permit the trade of any suspicious items on their site. Basically, in my view, eBay's name lent credence to the selle...


Continue reading ...
 

Amber Sands Beach Resort, Koh Chang, Thailand

Posted by John Cowburn on Monday, February 9, 2009, In : Personal 

Koh Chang is Thai for “elephant island”, a real treasure situated on the quieter, Eastern, side of the island and has its own beach frontage of about 200 meters. After our vacation in South Africa, we flew in to Bangkok’s impressive new airport from where we took a leisurely 40 minute flight to Trat in the southern mainland. From Trat we headed for the ferry terminal, and it is a half hour crossing from there.

Our hosts, Julian and Cheryl, gave us a tour of the pool area, stunning a...
Continue reading ...
 

New Thumbnail Gallery

Posted by John Cowburn on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, In : Photography 
It took a bit of work, however, my new thumbnail gallery is complete.

I hope you can find a few minutes to join me there :


John Cowburn Photography



Continue reading ...
 

Alexa Toolbar

Posted by John Cowburn on Wednesday, December 3, 2008, In : Website Promotion 



Alexa dotcom provides a web information service on Internet traffic, specifically volume of traffic to a site during the preceding 3 month period.

 

Alexa ranks sites based on visits from users of its Alexa toolbar for certain browsers like Internet Explorer and Firefox; there is currently no download available for Safari.

 

It is unknown as to what proportion of all Internet users actually have the toolbar installed, and of those with it installed - just how many are representative of ...


Continue reading ...
 

Traffic Exchanges - my experience

Posted by John Cowburn on Tuesday, December 2, 2008, In : Website Promotion 
Should you be a TE surfer or be considering this multiple click pastime, this article is sure to save you time, and might just spare you from the gnarled clutches of RSI.

I joined a few traffic exchanges when I started this website; I wanted to advertise the existence of my dotcom while simultaneously trying for a decent Alexa traffic ranking. I'm not sure what a decent Alexa ranking is, but I thought something in the top one million would be sufficient.


Please note, I did not join to make mone...
Continue reading ...
 
 

Me


John I'm an IT Professional and freelance photographer/digital artist based in Australia. Email : john [at] johncowburn.com


 

  Double Click a song to start the Playlist

 
  





Showing Tag: "" (Show all posts)

Windows 8 - new Metro start menu (screenshot)

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, September 17, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 
I have yet to find an application installed on Win 7 that does not run smoothly on the new Windows Developer Preview OS.

Link to a larger screenshot of the Metro menu on a regular PC running Windows 8



 Back to Blog



Continue reading ...
 

Windows 8 - disable Metro start menu

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, September 17, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

This needs to be set for each individual user:

Windows > System 32 > Regedt32 >

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer>
RPEnabled = dword change from 1 to 0


Enable

Windows > System 32 > Regedt32 >

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer>
RPEnabled = dword change from 0 to 1


Continue reading ...
 

Installing Windows 8 from bootable USB

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, September 17, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

Windows Developer Preview (aka Windows 8) is available for free download from Microsoft; at the time of writing it is a pre-Beta version. So far I can confirm that all my Programmes from the Win 7 environment run smoothly in Win 8.



Windows Developer Preview Installation
(instructions assume a reasonable knowledge of IT; I suggest you back up all data prior to the install)

Prepare an HDD of at least 20 GB; you can always "shrink" a volume by this amount should you lack spare drives.
It might b...


Continue reading ...
 

Skype update / upgrade email alert from www.skype-news-center.net

Posted by John Cowburn on Sunday, July 17, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 



 

The Skype application always upgrades/ updates from within the applications itself, never by an email that asks you to click on a URL and furnish payment details. This might be an affiliate site, but is not a Skype site, do not provide Credit Card details. A check on the DNS returns  "www.skype-news-center.net has no DNS entries"

Please note the return path in the email header below: bo-bwhfj3cbgv4ht3au7grgeqcwd0769g@b.e.rhapsody.com
A DNS search for b.e.rhapsody.com returns "Sorry, we a...


Continue reading ...
 

iPad / iPhone Quick Fixes

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, June 25, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 


iPad / iPhone stops receiving email -  hard reset*, remove and replace SIM, restart

iPad / iPhone calendar stops syncing - update device software

iPhone: can’t phone out, can’t end calls, no ring tone – update device software

iPhone: can receive SMS text messages but cannot send SMS – refer to Telco who’ll need to adjust configuration

iPhone / iPad: no ringtone but speaker works – check the physical mute button on the side of the device

iPhone / iPad: can’t backup as iTunes...


Continue reading ...
 

Supporting iPads & iPhones in an Enterprise environment

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, June 25, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

Where resources permit, have a dedicated PC for mobility users - replete with the necessary adapters and software. You'll need iTunes, and the iPhone configuration utility should you decide to utilise an enterprise configuration file for security reasons.
 
Mobility is now deemed part of the old "Desktop Support" environment which is gradually being renamed IT Support. I bring numerous phones or tablets on line each week, all of which have sizeable data plans enabled. Once the go ahead is given...


Continue reading ...
 

Windows System Assessment Tool | Test RAM (winsat mem)

Posted by John Cowburn on Sunday, June 19, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

Open a Command Prompt (you ought to have UAC turned off, otherwise "run as administrator")

type: winsat mem

Speeds will be influenced by RAM type (DDR2 or DDR3, frequency and basic timings)

Optimised DDR2 ought to score above 4000 MB/s, DDR3 above 10 000 MB/s


Continue reading ...
 

iPad Screenshots: an in-built feature

Posted by John Cowburn on Sunday, June 19, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 

Screenshot capability is built in to the iPad and users don't need to pay for a dedicated iPad screenshot App, though plenty are available.

  • While holding the iPad Home button, quickly press and release the Power Button at the top right hand side (when the iPad is held as per the illustration)
  • You'll hear a camera shutter sound and see a whitish flash
  • The screenshot will automatically have been saved to the Photos App

 

This can be transferred to a computer via iTunes or similar; anot...


Continue reading ...
 

iPad waiting icon

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, June 18, 2011, In : Software & IT-related 



Should a "waiting" icon appear as an App on your iPad, and refuse to be deleted even after doing the icon jiggling trick (no "x" will appear) - it is likely waiting for a wi-fi connection in order to download a file larger than the 3G limit (about 20 MB.) Either connect to a wi-fi network to complete the download, or:

  • sign out of the App Store
  • do a hard shutdown (i.e. hold down Home and on/off buttons simultaneously, and do not use the slide to switch off: it will eventually power down b...


Continue reading ...
 

Wikileaks Wallpaper

Posted by John Cowburn on Thursday, December 9, 2010, In : Press Freedom 


This is just a sample taken from their site, low image quality and resolution. Originals can be downloaded from: here



Please consider making a donation to them, see this entry


Continue reading ...
 

Stop clicking sound/ sound effects in Internet Explorer, Explorer

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, August 7, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 


Sound - unwanted sound effects in Internet Explorer & Windows Explorer
(Windows 7, Vista - same principle for XP)



Should you be hearing a clicking sound each time you press a local or hyper link and would like to get rid of it, open the start menu search box on the bottom left of your taskbar (the 7/Vista Windows Orb) and navigate to the sounds configurations menu by typing mmsys
.cpl into the search field, then press enter. Browse 2/3 of the way down the dropdown box to "Start Navigation."

You'l...
Continue reading ...
 

Hosts file - read only in Vista/ Windows 7

Posted by John Cowburn on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

For experienced users

Even as an Administrator it can sometimes be tricky to edit the Hosts file in Vista, or in any Windows 7 system that has been upgraded from Vista. Generally the workaround is to open Notepad by right clicking, selecting run as administrator, and then navigating to Windows/System32/ Drivers/ etc/ hosts - editing, and remembering to save as all files, not text (just click on existing Hosts file to replace.) The hosts file ought never to have a file type extension like .tx...


Continue reading ...
 

Deleting a Service in Windows 7, XP & others

Posted by John Cowburn on Sunday, May 30, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

Recommended for advanced users:

You might wish to delete a service at some stage, perhaps one that remains after an uninstall (I've even seen a service remain in W7 after a system restore to a point prior to the installation!)

Go to your Registry Editor (windows+R and then type regedit > enter.)
Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > System > CurrentControlSet
Select Services folder
Examine the listed services (they're in alphabetical order)
Highlight/ select the service you wish to delete > right click > d...


Continue reading ...
 

Delete ICQ Search & Toolbar (Firfefox 3.6)

Posted by John Cowburn on Saturday, May 29, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

{The easiest method is to do a system restore to a time before the installation but as you're here you probably cannot do that}
 
Should you wish to delete ICQ, first go to add/remove programs (where you'll need to delete both the toolbar and the application)
Restart Firefox and, should ICQ still remain:

Open a fresh Firefox tab, In the URL address bar type "about:config" (not the quote marks) > notice the warning message > do be careful
In the "Filter" box type : "keyword.URL" (without quotatio...


Continue reading ...
 

Windows 7 - deleting Themes

Posted by John Cowburn on Friday, April 2, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

It is simple but I see many "how-to" questions on the web, so thought to place an entry here.

>Right click on your desktop
>Select "Personalize"
>Right click on the Theme you wish to delete
>Delete, and then confirm deletion

NB You cannot delete the active theme in this window, i.e. you need to have more than one theme in order for the delete option to appear when right clicking.

Should you be looking for more desktop backgrounds, have a look at some of mine - high definition wallpaper available f...
Continue reading ...
 

Software Fraud on eBay (Adobe Photoshop)

Posted by John Cowburn on Friday, April 2, 2010, In : Software & IT-related 

In December 2009 I noticed Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended for auction on eBay. Many copies were on sale, and I followed a few auctions to discover they were trading for around $400 (usual retail is around $1000 - Australian.) Authenticity was guaranteed by the seller, and, though I had doubts as to the provenance of the software, I was new to eBay and decided that they would not permit the trade of any suspicious items on their site. Basically, in my view, eBay's name lent credence to the selle...


Continue reading ...
 

Amber Sands Beach Resort, Koh Chang, Thailand

Posted by John Cowburn on Monday, February 9, 2009, In : Personal 

Koh Chang is Thai for “elephant island”, a real treasure situated on the quieter, Eastern, side of the island and has its own beach frontage of about 200 meters. After our vacation in South Africa, we flew in to Bangkok’s impressive new airport from where we took a leisurely 40 minute flight to Trat in the southern mainland. From Trat we headed for the ferry terminal, and it is a half hour crossing from there.

Our hosts, Julian and Cheryl, gave us a tour of the pool area, stunning a...
Continue reading ...
 

New Thumbnail Gallery

Posted by John Cowburn on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, In : Photography 
It took a bit of work, however, my new thumbnail gallery is complete.

I hope you can find a few minutes to join me there :


John Cowburn Photography



Continue reading ...
 

Alexa Toolbar

Posted by John Cowburn on Wednesday, December 3, 2008, In : Website Promotion 



Alexa dotcom provides a web information service on Internet traffic, specifically volume of traffic to a site during the preceding 3 month period.

 

Alexa ranks sites based on visits from users of its Alexa toolbar for certain browsers like Internet Explorer and Firefox; there is currently no download available for Safari.

 

It is unknown as to what proportion of all Internet users actually have the toolbar installed, and of those with it installed - just how many are representative of ...


Continue reading ...
 

Traffic Exchanges - my experience

Posted by John Cowburn on Tuesday, December 2, 2008, In : Website Promotion 
Should you be a TE surfer or be considering this multiple click pastime, this article is sure to save you time, and might just spare you from the gnarled clutches of RSI.

I joined a few traffic exchanges when I started this website; I wanted to advertise the existence of my dotcom while simultaneously trying for a decent Alexa traffic ranking. I'm not sure what a decent Alexa ranking is, but I thought something in the top one million would be sufficient.


Please note, I did not join to make mone...
Continue reading ...
 
 
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