Posts Tagged: ‘Windows’

Windows Snipping Tool – Originally Published September 2016

September 4, 2016 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

This month I’d like to take a few minutes and tell you about a great utility program for making a screen shot.  This program is not only free, but you don’t even have to download and install it.  This is because it is integrated into the Windows Operating System.  I thought I’d write a short article about it because I am so often surprised that many people don’t even know it exists.

Snipping Tool is a screenshot utility included in Windows Vista and later.  Before Windows Vista, Snipping Tool was included in the Experience Pack for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.  It was originally released as a PowerToy for the Microsoft Tablet PC launch on November 7, 2002.

The Snipping Tool can be started by clicking “Start>Programs>Accessories>Snipping Tool”.  I’ve found that in later versions of Windows, it is much easier to start by just typing “sn” in the search box and clicking on the link that is found.

Running the program opens a small window.  Clicking on “New Clip” places a cursor on your computer screen for outlining the area you want to snip.  There are four options for new clips.  A free–clip lets you draw around an object on your screen with your cursor.   A rectangular clip drags the cursor around an object to form a rectangle.   A window snip clips the entire active window on your monitor.   Finally, a full–screen snip clip will capture your entire screen.

When you select your clip, it is copied to the clipboard.  A new mark–window with options will also open.  In this window you can make an annotation on your clip.  You can also highlight areas on your clip.  You can send your clip via e‑mail or save it to disk.  Clips can be saved in JPEG, GIF or PNG formats.  You can also save as a web page in MHT format.

The only thing I wish that Microsoft had added is a function to add text notes to your screenshot.  This is not by any means a deal breaker as almost every graphics editing program will do this for you.  In short, why download a program to make a screen shot when there is such an excellent utility built into the OS?

If you like this program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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Is Windows 10 Really New? – Originally Published July 2016

July 3, 2016 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Is Windows 10 really a new operating system?  If it is why do new security updates apply to all versions of Windows?  Shouldn’t they either only have to update older versions or just Windows 10.  I’m starting to believe that Windows 10 is really Windows 8,  7, Vista, Millennium and maybe even 98.  Could it be that all they’ve done is change the interface and add some new features?

From the Microsoft website: “Windows 10 is full of new features and improvements.  Take a look at the highlights!”  This is where we first find out that the Start Menu is back.  It was removed for the last version.  Is it a feature that has been restored, or is it really new in Windows  10?

The next paragraph lets us know about the great apps in the Windows Store.  There isn’t any mention of the Store being released with Windows 8.  Might be improved, but it sure isn’t new.

Next up on the new list is something that is actually almost new.  Cortana is Microsoft’s personal voice assistant.  New might or might not be the right description.  You might remember several years ago when I gave a demonstration on voice recognition in Windows.  Dragon’s Naturally Speaking has been around since 1997.  By the way, Cortana is only available in seven countries.

“Microsoft Edge is the first browser that lets you take notes, write, doodle, and highlight directly on web pages.  Use the reading list to save your favorite articles for later, then read them in reading view.  Hover over open tabs to preview them, and bring your favorites and reading list with you when you use Microsoft Edge on another device.  Plus, Cortana is built in to Microsoft Edge to help you do things faster and easier.”  Don’t you think it is kind of amusing that the company is extolling a web browser as the best thing about a “new” operating system?

Next on the whats new list is Windows Hello.  You can use facial recognition or a fingerprint reader to log into Windows.  Once again, a new feature that isn’t new.  Yawn.

Microsoft is telling us that we can use the enhanced Photo App to create photo albums, organize photo folders and sub-folders, share them in e-mail and post them to social media.  Once again, nothing new in the operating system.

King Solomon said “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again.  There is nothing new under the sun.”  It seems to me that he was right.
Thanks for reading.

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Wondering About Windows 10 – Originally Published July 2016

July 3, 2016 Posted by Tiny

Wondering About Windows 10
by Tiny Ruisch

I’ve been wondering!  As we get closer to July 29, there are so many things that might happen with the Windows 10 operating system.  The free upgrade will soon be coming to an end and I’m sure there will be more changes in the way Microsoft does business.  Here are some of my predictions.  Just like for the New Year, they probably won’t be too accurate.  It’s still fun to make them.

I think that Microsoft will magnanimously have a change of heart and continue to offer free upgrades to Windows 10.  Of course, if I’m right that also means that those of us choosing not to upgrade our operating systems will probably continue to receive pop up advertisements and other spam from Microsoft.  Another possibility is that instead of a free upgrade, there will be a heavily discounted price on upgrading.

I also predict that those of us who upgraded for free will finally have to start paying for the free by enduring more advertising.  Personally, I can live with this as long as they don’t get as nauseating as the “upgrade to Windows 10” campaign was.  In fairness, I should mention that Google seems to be sending me more ads on my Android phone.

One thing I am pretty sure will happen is that we will start seeing lots of rumors on various tech sites, news organizations and of course, Facebook.  I can see them in my mind.
1) Microsoft will start charging an annual subscription fee will probably be one.  That may eventually happen, but I don’t think it will on machines that were updated within the free time period.
2) Don’t take your laptop into the bathroom because Microsoft will be turning on the camera to check what brand of toilet paper you use.
3) They have also installed a key logger with the latest update.
4) Microsoft will start making Windows 7 updates more inconvenient to obtain.  I can imagine slower downloads so that you will want to upgrade for more speed.
I’m sure there will be many other rumors.

Do you think that Microsoft will continue to be as aggressive with updating as they have been the first year?  Security updates and new builds have been installing fairly frequently in the first year.  This has been one of their stated reasons for upgrading.  I wonder if the fast pace will continue after the grace period ends or will they revert to a massive monthly update on the first Tuesday?

I hope I’m wrong, but I’m going to make a prediction that Microsoft will do some nasty things in their future “mandatory” updates.  For instance, if they think that your favorite anti-virus software isn’t compatible with the operating system, they could just uninstall it.  By the way, don’t plan on installing any “unauthorized” hardware on your system.  You’ve agreed to let them do this if they want to.

There is only one thing that I don’t have to wonder about.  After July 29, we will find out what the cost of free is.  There will also be a lot of customer complaints that they wanted to upgrade to Windows 10 but weren’t able to.

Isn’t wondering fun?

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FileMenu Tools – Originally Published July 2016

July 3, 2016 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

This month I’d like to tell you about one of my favorite utility programs.  I’ve got it installed on all of my computers and have been using it for eight or nine years.  Like many other free programs, the programmer has a donate button on his website.  I like the program so much that I hit the PayPal button a long time ago.  Maybe it is about time I gave him a few more dollars.

FileMenu Tools lets you customize the right click menu of Windows Explorer (or on my computers FreeCommander XE).  The program adds utilities to perform operations on files and folders and adds customized commands that let you run external applications, copy or move to a specific folder or delete specific file types.

With the built in commands you can:
Run With Parameters – Runs a program with parameters you input in a dialog box.
Command Line From Here – Opens a command line window.
Copy/Move – No need to cut and paste. You can also use filters in file selection.
Duplicate Files – Make a copy in the same folder.
Pack to Folder – Moves all the selected elements to new subfolder in the current folder.
Copy Path/Name/Content – Copies the selected item(s) to the clipboard.
Attributes – You can view and change them without opening a properties dialog box.
Find and Replace – Lets you find or replace a text for all the files in a selected folder.
Advanced Rename – With lots of options.
Change Icon – Quickly and easily change folder options.
Advanced Delete – lets you delete specific file types in a folder.
Synchronize Two Folders – Lets you synchronize two folders quickly and easily.
Shred Files – Overwrites several times so it is impossible to recover the file in the future.
Send to Mail Recipient – Lets you send an e-mail with selected elements as attachments.

These are less than half of the FileMenu commands you can select from.  In the configuration menu, a simple check will turn off the commands you don’t want.  If you can’t find the FileMenu function you need, then just add a customized command to run external applications, copy/move to a specific folder or delete specific file types.

FileMenu Tools lets you configure the “Send to” submenu.  You can add new items, change the properties of the existing items or delete them.  You also can disable existing “Send to” items in order to hide them from the menu.

FileMenu Tools will also let you enable/disable the commands which are added to the context menu of the Windows Explorer by other programs.  This is the only function that is not one hundred percent reliable.  When it works, it works well, but it doesn‘t catch all of the programs that add a right click.

FileMenu Tools is a 10 MB download and runs on all Windows platforms.  Open Candy is used during the installation process, but can be refused with a check mark.  Did I mention the price?  This program is freeware and costs nothing.

Download FileMenu Tools and give the program a test. I’m pretty sure that you’ll like it.  While you’re on the Lopesoft website, you can also download LopeEdit Lite.  If you do, you’ll probably never use Windows Notepad again.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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Microsoft, What Are You Doing? – Originally Published June 2016

May 26, 2016 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

What are you doing Microsoft?  In the last few days, almost all of the headlines on tech news sites were about the Chrome Browser replacing Internet Explorer as the most used browser.  Even though I don’t use IE very much, I became even more concerned when I read the the usage statistics include Microsoft’s new Edge browser in the totals.  This means that IE has slipped even more that the totals reflect.  Of course, one of the main reasons IE ever had such a high usage is because it has always been the Windows Operating System Default browser.  With the past years push by Microsoft to update users to Windows 10, they can no longer use what has been the dominant browser.

I’ve written in the past my reasons for not installing Windows 10 on any of my main computers.  Not only is the OS still not stable enough for me to trust with my daily use machines, I have no desire to install it on my old hardware.  I do have it installed on two machines and it works great, when it works.  It seems that about every other update messes up my settings, uninstalls some of my software or does some other niggling thing that makes me utter a few bad words.

I’m not planning to ever install Windows 10 on my two Windows 7 machines.  Aside from my hardware concerns, I’ve got them both running exactly like I want.  The only thing I don’t like about them is that I’ve had to disable Windows update.  Once a week or so, I check for updates and carefully scrutinize them before I install.  I don’t want to install a new operating system by accident.

Four years ago, in July of 2012, I wrote an article for the newsletter explaining why I switched from a Windows phone to an Android.  Since then, all of my mobile devices have had Android Operating Systems.  It looks like I was ahead of the times.  Today, Windows Mobile is around four percent and sliding lower.  Do you suppose this might be the result of many users like myself?  Customers get tired of waiting and move on.  The problem is that they often don’t move back.

I think the same thing is starting to happen with the Windows desktop/laptop Operating Systems.  A slow slide into oblivion.  Although there are no real accurate statistics, it isn’t hard to guess that Linux, Chrome OS and others are increasing in use.  Could this be happening because of Microsoft’s “strong arm” tactics to get everyone to use Windows 10?  Only time will tell, but I’d bet that many people are like me, using Linux more and more.

I will probably never know whether I am right or wrong, but I am starting to believe that in twenty years or so tech writers will only be writing about the history of Microsoft.  It’s not anything new in the technology world.  Just think of Commodore, Gateway, Lotus 123, Netscape, IBM, WordPerfect, AOL, Yahoo!, Motorola, Blackberry, Polaroid and many others.  Will Microsoft one day be just a footnote in the history books?

Thanks for reading.

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Scribus Desktop Publishing – Originally Published April 2016

April 24, 2016 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (län’yəp, län-yäp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

Do you send out an annual Christmas letter to all of your relatives?  Do you like to make personalized greeting cards and party invitations?  Are you writing the next great novel?  Would you like to make your own personal calendar?  Would you like to edit the Computer Club Newsletter?

If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you probably need some good desktop publishing software.  There are many programs you could buy: Microsoft Publisher, PrintMaster, The Print Shop and PagePlus, to name a few of the well known ones.  These programs will set you back anywhere from forty to two hundred dollars or more.

Or, if you’re thrifty like me, you could download and use an open source program that does everything the paid programs do and more.  I’ve been using Scribus Open Source Desktop Publishing to edit and publish the club newsletter for four months now.   I’ve come to think of the program as a word processor on steroids.

With Scribus you can create single or multi-page documents which can be single or doubles sided.  You can also create three or four fold documents for making brochures.  After your document is created, you simply have to insert text or image frames.  All the frames can be re‑sized, dragged and dropped or copy and pasted, etc.  You can also enter your data directly on the page, but it is much easier to create a frame.

Although I haven’t used all of the features, you can also insert render tables, frames, tables, shapes, etc.  There is also an insert barcode option.  I might research that feature in the future.  Wouldn’t it be cool to be reading a newsletter article and scan a barcode to get more information?

A search of the internet will yield several sites where you can find templates for everything from creating a comic book or magazine to printing your own newspaper.  You can also create and save your own templates.  I’ve done that for the newsletter.  Every month, the first page is nearly the same.  I just load the template, change the dates, volume number, meeting information and insert the President’s message.  Then it is just a matter of inserting articles, pictures, web site charts, etc.  My template is twelve pages, but it is a simple mouse click on the menu to add or delete pages as needed.

There are a few other things about Scribus you should know.  If you want to use the print preview, you have to install the interpreter Ghostscript.  Ghostscript is a non-harmful open source program, but it is more software on your computer.

Scribus has a medium difficulty learning curve.  Most items are intuitive and work much like any word processor.  Others are not.  For instance, to insert a hyperlink, you have to highlight the text and then select “Insert PDF Text Field”.  Then the inserted field has to be edited and the hyperlink inserted.  It was a pain at first, but after about the twentieth time, it became second nature.  For everything I have had difficulty with, it has been easy to find help and solutions in either the Scribus Wiki or an internet search.

Scribus is open source with versions for Windows, Mac and Linux.  There is also a portable version for Windows 32 Bit.  You can download the software at Get Scribus.  If you have a need for desktop publishing software, give it a try.  The cost is zero dollars, plus tax.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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Finding Free Software – Originally Published November 2015

November 22, 2015 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

I was looking back through some of the old newsletters when I saw an article about the annual club software disk.  Tom used to work hard at making all club members a CD with several freeware/shareware programs that were always useful.  Being a frugal computer user, I often got a gem or two from the annual Christmas gift.

I don’t think we should return to the days of an annual disk, but I thought I’d share my methods of obtaining free software.  Keep in mind that nothing is free.  We’ve all heard the saying “when something is free, you are the product.”  Although not necessarily always true, often you pay a price for “free” software by giving up personal data, looking at advertisements, getting fewer features, etc.

No, I’m not making a plea to turn back the clock.  Instead I thought I’d write about where to find useful software for zero or little charge.  Although I’m not going to recommend any software as being “better”, I will mention that I’m writing this article with LibreOffice Writer, a module of the LibreOffice suite.  You can download it for free at LibreOffice – the document foundation.

When looking for free software, a good idea is to load your favorite internet search engine and include the words free or freeware in your search terms.  Refine your results as necessary.  For instance, when I became the newsletter editor, I searched for “best freeware newsletter software”.  Search engine suggestions (usually found near the bottom) soon made me realize that I was really looking for desktop publishing software.  It wasn’t long before I found several programs that I plan to test.

There are many sites that offer lists and reviews of different categories of software.  Almost all of them have a search function.  Those that don’t have menu buttons to easily find what you are looking for.

My favorite is one that I have often talked about.  Gizmo’s Freeware is a community site with several members that curate lists of freeware in different categories.  Recently, they have also added reviews for free to try and paid programs.  I have found this to be one of the best software resources on the internet.

Major Geeks goal is to provide the top one percent of editor tested freeware downloads.  They’ve been on the internet since 2001, so they must be doing something right.  There is also an active user forum.

FileHippo is another site where you can find many popular freeware programs for downloading.  A unique feature of the website is the FileHippo App Manager.  This is a small utility that scans your installed software and notifies you of programs that have an available update.  The app only works for programs that are hosted on the site.

The Giveaway of the Day website offers one free license software title each day.  The programs are available for only twenty four hours.  Software companies do this with the hope that you will like the program enough to purchase it.  Many days the free program isn’t the best, but there is the occasional gem.

A fellow by the name of Nir Sofer has written more than a hundred utilities.  They are mostly small, stand alone programs that are easy to use and solve a specific problem.  Best of all, they are all free.  You can check them out at Nirsoft.

There are many other places to find free software.  Some are good and some are not so reliable.  Watch out for sites that hide their download links.  They may try to fool you by having you click on a big download button for software you don’t want while putting the correct link at the bottom of the page where it is easy to miss.  Before installing unknown software, do an internet search of the program name.  If you use a keyword such as problems, you might find something to change your mind.  The more reviews you read, the better informed you will be.  You will soon get a “feel” whether or not the program is worth trying.

Thanks for reading.

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KB3035583 – Originally Published August 2015

August 8, 2015 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

KB3035583 was recently resurrected on my Windows update list as an important update.  It has been making me think a lot about Microsoft and Windows 10.  In fact, I’m having second thoughts about whether I want Windows 10 an any of my primary computers.

This patch first appeared back in March as an optional update.  It was described as an update that enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available for the user.  About a week later, the patch was re-released with a change from optional to recommended.

WOW!  This must really be an important update.  Like so many things in life, it depends on your point of view.  At first, I liked the update. Since then, my viewpoint has changed.

When the update is installed, a new icon appears in the Windows taskbar.  Mousing over the icon reveals the message “Get Windows 10”.  Clicking opens a multi‑page advertisement to reserve your Windows 10 free upgrade.  So far, so good.

After I reserved my free upgrade, the Get Windows 10 icon remained in my taskbar.  No problem at all.  I opened the Control Panel to customize notification area icons.  I changed the GWX (Get Windows Ten) icon to hide icon and notifications.  Problem solved.

A few days later, when I rebooted my computer, I noticed that the GWX icon had returned.  Microsoft changed my customized notifications settings.  Since I’m kind of fussy about unnecessary programs, tasks and services that run on my computers, I uninstalled KB3035583.  Of course, I opened Windows Update and hid the patch.

Since then, the update has shown up two or three times as either an important or recommended update.  It’s like Skype. You can hide it, but not permanently.

Thanks for reading.

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FreeCommander XE 2015 – Originally Published July 2015

August 6, 2015 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (län’yəp, län-yäp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

Windows 10 will soon be released and once again Microsoft hasn’t done much with a program that everyone uses.  Windows Explorer was first released in Windows 95 as a replacement for File Manager.  It is the interface for accessing the Windows file system.  Windows Explorer is also the interface that controls many items on the monitor such as the task bar and the desktop.  In short, it is a necessary program for operating your computer.

Over the years, Windows Explorer has morphed into what is commonly known as Windows File Explorer.  Enhancements to the program have included, the task pane, search and image handling, to name just a few.

As in many other facets of Windows, third party developers have released enhancements or replacements to the File Explorer.  An internet search will give you listings for hundreds of them.  For the past year or so, I’ve been using XYPlorer.  This is an excellent program which I like.  It is a paid program.  I got it as a Giveaway of the Day about a year ago.  Since I can’t update it, I decided it was time to move on.

For the past month or so, I’ve been using FreeCommander XE 2015, an easy to use alternative to the Windows File Manager.  It has a friendly user interface and can be easily adapted to your individual needs and desires.  There are more features than I can use.  I’ve disabled many of them, another pretty good feature of the program.

One of the main features is the dual pane interface.  If you do a lot of file copying or moving, it is easy to drag and drop from one pane to another.  With Windows File Explorer, you would have to have another open window.

My favorite feature is the tabbed interface.  Instead of having to open a new window for each file location I access, The FreeCommander window has as many tabs as you need.  I always have easy access to my most common locations.  Tabs can be locked so that you don’t accidentally close them.

There are four optional toolbars.  Toolbars can be resized.  I haven’t counted the number of toolbar commands available, but there are at least 150.  Nearly every toolbar button can be customized by the user.  However you handle files, I believe FreeCommander XE will do the job for you.

The last feature I’m going to mention is the favorites menu.  Everyone has favorite folders, files and programs that they access often when using the computer.  FreeCommander has an excellent favorites folder that can be accessed from anywhere in the program.  Remember that there is only one window that ever needs to be opened.  Click here for screenshots of the program.

Did I mention the best feature?  FreeCommander XE 2015 is freeware and can be used free of charge for both private and commercial purposes.  For those that are interested, the program also has a portable version.

I’ve barely skimmed the features of this software.  I think if you try it, you’ll never go back to File Explorer.  You can download the program from the FreeCommander XE download page.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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PathSync – Originally Published April 2015

March 8, 2015 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

There are many programs for syncing files on your computer(s). The one I use doesn’t have a lot of fancy features, doesn’t come with any help files and hasn’t been updated since August 2007. So why do I keep using it? To borrow a line from Apple, “It just works.”

PathSync is an open source application that allows you to compare and sync two different directories. It lets you seamlessly copy files from source folder to destination folder, destination to source folder, or in a bidirectional manner.

PathSync works by analyzing two directories and showing you a list of the differences. The folders can be on either an internal or external hard drive, portable flash drives and cards or cloud storage. You can define rules to differentiate between file formats. Other masks can be added.

Everything is accomplished from a single screen which is laid out in an intuitive manner. To compare your desired folders, select them by clicking the browse buttons in the “local” and “remote” fields. Select your synchronization action. If you want to use file name masks, click the “question mark” button to get instructions. The ignore field will let you make exception for file size, file dates and missing files. Finally, click the “Analyze!” button.

PathSync Screen Shot

After the file comparison list is generated, right clicking on a file name will give you the options to change the synchronization directions or take no action at all. When all of your options are completed, click the “Synchronize!” button.

When the program starts to synchronize, a new job status window will open. This will display information about the item that is currently being processed, the total progress of the job, and an estimated time until completion.  If you would like to try the program, you can download it here.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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