Telnet

Did you know that there is another way of checking the email with the use of DOS command?  This procedure will work only on Windows, Mac and Linux has also their own way.

Here's how to do it:

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type cmd
4. At the command prompt, type telnet myemailprovider.com 110 (where myemailprovider is your email provider)
5. Type USER yourusername (you will see what you type or not, and "yourusername" is your email account which comes just before the @ e.g. john@myemail.com)
6. Then type PASS your password (don't be surprised that you see your password as you type)
7. You will see a list of items with labels like "1 600" and "2 1122".
8. If you'd like to look at the message labeld 2 1122, type retr 2. Just type the email that you want to see by typing its number as you can see on my example which is 2.
9. If you want to delete message 1 600, type dele 1.
10. When you are done checking your email, simply type quit.

This procedure may be use to checking purposes and not to actually replace the way we check out email.

Thunderbird Vs. Outlook

This is a clash between an open source and a close source email clients. What are their strengths and weaknesses?  Let us find out.

Thunderbird belongs to Mozilla family together with its big brother Firefox.  Thunderbird, just like Firefox, is an open source and we can download it for free.  Every now and then they release an updated version and we can as well get that update for free.  Apart from that it has loads of add ons which we can also get for free though a few of them are just asking for a few bucks of donation.  On the other side of the ring is Outlook, a close source email client from the Microsoft family.  Outlook as part of Microsoft Office is designed for small and large scale organizations and you can get it for $$$.  It works very well with Microsoft Exchange Server as it should be.  It has some add ons however not all of them are free.

Thunderbird’s email files such as the inbox, sent items, draft, and so on are saved independently.   If one file gets corrupted the other is not affected.  On the other hand, Outlook stores its email in a single file.  As you receive many email in a day it is getting bigger and bigger just like a huge bomb that may explode at anytime.  Although you can compact your email but it does not help that much if you have a huge "outlook.pst" file already. The other solution for that is you can archive your old emails to extract it from the main email file called "outlook.pst" and store it in a separate archive file but its structure is the same as the main email file.  Usually email corruption on Outlook happens if you close it while it is in the process of sending or receiving.  Next time you open Outlook you will see a tiny gear on the lower right corner of your monitor.  That tiny gear is indicating that Outlook is repairing your email because you did not close it properly. That is not an issue on Thunderbird.

Nowadays, one of the main concerns of the users is how well secured their emails are.  Thunderbird has the capability of identifying junk email set by SpamAssasin and Spampal.  It has a built in feature that analyzes email scam. Apart from that it can be setup to let the antivirus scan the incoming email before it stores them. While Outlook has its own way of identifying junk email you just have to set it up yourself.  You can block by sender or by domain.  All the antivirus works very well with Outlook hence that is not going to be an issue.

Let us move on to backing up of email.  Thunderbird does not have a built in feature of backing up and restoring the email however there are two ways on how you can back it up.  First, you can open its hidden folder and copy the profile where the emails, contacts and settings are.  These are the same files that you will use in restoring manually. And secondly, you can download for free a third party software called MozBackup to make your backing up and restoring easier.  Outlook has a built in import and export feature which can help you backup and restore your email and contacts a little bit easier.  Alternatively, you can  open the folder where Outlook is storing the "outlook.pst" and "archive.pst" (if you have archives) files to copy and paste it to your backup drive.

Perhaps the calendar is one of the features that is being looked into by most users when choosing an email client software.  Thunderbird does not have a calendar bundled with its installer but you can download a free add on called Lightning.  It is straight forward to use you will not have a hard time figuring out on how to use it. You can customize it and publish it on the internet.  Outlook has a nice looking and more sophisticated calendar.  You just have to give a little more time to yourself before you get familiar with it because it has many features.

To make our emails organize what we normally do is to create rules so that incoming emails go to their respective folder.  Thunderbird has a straightforward of way creating rules.  Outlook on the other hand has a bit longer procedure but it is not that difficult to learn.

When it comes to signature, Thunderbird has a quite difficult way of creating signature.  You need to have a little knowledge on HTML.  Alternatively, you can use a third party add on called Wise Stamp if you want a simpler way of creating signature. This gives a lead on Outlook because it is very easy creating signature.  It is just like you are typing in MS Word.

There is one thing that makes Thunderbird stand out from the rest of email clients software and it is about portability and just like the standard version it is also free.  Did you know that Thunderbird has a portable version which you can store in a flash drive or an external hard drive?  You just have to insert the flash drive or external hard drive and you can use Thunderbird like the way you use the standard version. You can find it on this website http://portableapps.com/apps .  Outlook has also came up with a portable version however it is not free.

Choosing an email client depends on what features the user is looking for. Usually in the corporate world they use Microsoft Exchange Server which gives an edge to Outlook because it is designed for that. If you are looking for a more stable email client that is where Thunderbird comes in because the email files are not susceptible to corruption.  Backing up and restoring of email is one of the important criteria that should be considered when choosing an email client. Outlook has its own built in straight forward backup and restore feature.  On the other hand Thunderbird with the help of MozBackup makes it possible to backup and restore the email with ease. When it comes to security both of them has their own way to safeguard the email.

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How to remotely view the MAC address

Would you like to remotely view the MAC address of the computers on your network?  Here's how to do it:

1. Click Start / Windows Logo
2. On Run type cmd
3. Type GETMAC /S [system] (e.g. GETMAC /S computer10)

How to Syncronize MS Outlook Address Book with Black Berry

 
Connect the Black Berry via USB or Bluetooth, once connected run the Black Berry Desktop Manager and follow these procedures:

1. Click Syncronization
2. Select Microsoft Outlook
3. Click Two Way Sync
4. Select Outlook and click Next
5. Click Finish
6. Click Syncronize 
7. Put a tick mark on "Syncronize organizer data" and click Syncronize button

Virtual Memory

Did you know that there is an alternative way of increasing the memory of your computer even if you don’t buy a memory stick?  This is cost saving because you won't spend a single penny. Before you do this make sure that you have plenty of space on your hard drive because it will eat up a portion of its free space. 

This is how to do it:

Windows Vista and 7:
1. Click Windows Logo
2. Click Settings
3. Control Panel
4. Click System and Maintenance
5. Click System
5. Click Advanced System Setting
6. Click Advanced tab
7. Click Advance tab
8. Under Virtual Memory click Change button
9. Uncheck “Autonatically manage paging file size for all drives”
10. Click Custom Size
11. On Initial Size (MB) input an initial size higher than the “Recommended” size which you will see under “Total paging file size for all drives”
12. On Maximum Size (MB) input an initial size higher than the “Currently Allocated” size which you will see under “Total paging file size for all drives” 
13. Click Set button
14. Click OK button


Windows XP:
1. Click Start
2. Click Settings
3. Control Panel
4. Click System
5. Click Advanced Tab
6. Under Performance click Settings button
7. Click Advance Tab
8. Under Virtual Memory click Change button
9. Click Custom Size
10. On Initial Size (MB) input an initial size higher than the “Recommended” size which you will see under “Total paging file size for all drives”
11. On Maximum Size (MB) input an maximum size higher than the “Currently Allocated” size which you will see under “Total paging file size for all drives” 
12. Click Set button
13. Click OK button

How to Setup Gmail on Thunderbird

1. Login to Gmail
2. Click on Settings
3. Click on Forwarding POP/IMAP
4. Click Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on
5. Alternatively, you may enable IMAP instead of POP if you prefer to use IMAP
6. Save your setting
7. Open Thunderbird
8. Click on Tools
9. Click on Account Settings
10. Click on Account Actions
11. Click Add Mail Account
12. Type your name, email address and password
13. Put a tick mark on Remember Password
14. Click Continue
15. Wait for a while until TB creates the setting and then click on Create Account
16. That's it, happy emailing using Gmail on TB

How To Share An Excel File

There are times that several users would like to work on one excel file all at the same time. Excel has this feature of sharing the workbook. Ideally, the shared workbook has to be saved in a shared folder on the network accessible to the other users.  Here's how you are going to do it:

1. Open an excel file
2. Go to Review menu (if you're using MS Office 2007)
3. Click on Share Workbook
4. On Editing tab put a tick on "Allow changes by more than one user at the same time...."
5. Click OK
6. A confirmation window will appear whether you want to continue, just click on OK
7. Click on Protect Shared Workbook
8. Put a tick mark on "Sharing with track changes"
9. You'll notice the word "shared" in square bracket right beside your file name because you've just shared your excel file.
 
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How to Create Two Partitions in Windows 7

If you would like to have two partitions on your computer you may follow this procedure:

1.  Click Start or the Windows Logo
2.  Click Control Panel
3.  Click System and Security
4.  Click Create and format hard disk partitions
5.  The Disk Management Window will come out, right beside the Disk0 select Drive C:
6.  Right click on Drive C: and then click Shrink Volume
7.  On the "Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB" you may type your desired space or use the suggested amount of space
8.  Click Shrink button
9.  You will notice there the newly added Free Space you right click on that and click New Volume
10. Click Next
11. Click Next
12. Click Next and leave as is the Simple volume size in MB
13. On the "Assign the following drive letter:" you may select the drive assignment you wish or leave it as is and click Next
14. On the "File System" you may select FAT or NTFS, the default is NTFS and then click Next
15. Click Finish
16. That's it, you will notice the newly added drive right beside Drive C:

How to Make A Cheap WiFi Antenna Booster

Are you experiencing a poor signal on your wifi?  Did you know that there is a way to boost the signal that will not cost you that much?  Watch this video.

Thanks to Grace of www.revision3.com for allowing me to post this video.

How To Map A Network Drive

1. On your desktop double click "Computer" for Windows Vista and 7 (or My Computer for Windows XP)
2. On the address bar access the computer you want to map a network drive (e.g. \\server\foldername) or click Network (or Network Places) and look for the computer name
3. Once you are able to access the computer, look for the shared folder on that computer that you want to get an access.
4. Right click on the folder
5. Click "Map Network Drive"
6. Select the drive you want to assign for that shared folder
7. Put a tick mark on "Reconnect at logon"
8. Click Finish
9. You will notice a new drive is added. If you double click "Computer" from your desktop the drive looks like this FOLDERNAME(\\SERVER)(Z:)

If you want to remove the Network Drive, double click on "Computer" (or My Computer) move the mouse  pointer on that network drive right click and click Disconnect.

Mapping a network drive makes the accessing of files easier.  That way you don't have go through the long process of opening the shared folder on another computer because it's like you have a local folder which you can open anytime.

MAC Address Filter

To protect the wifi what we usually do is to setup a password.  We can setup another security on the wifi by enabling the MAC address filter.  Since changing the MAC address requires advance knowledge on hacking as compared to changing an ip address, MAC address filtering is definitely a deterrent.  Basically, all the machines and peripherals that is capable of connecting to a network has its MAC address such as personal computers, video game consoles, smartphones, printers and so on.

This is how to get the MAC address of the computer:

1. Click Start  or Windows Logo
2. On Run type cmd
3. Type ipconfig /all
4. Look for the “Physical Address of your wireless LAN adapter”

For the other peripherals such as print servers you will find the MAC address on the label or upon installation of the driver.

It is difficult to give the exact detail on how to enable the MAC address filter of your router because each brand has its own way of enabling it.  However, that feature is common to most of the brands of router.  You just have to read the user’s manual on how to use this feature.  Usually, you will find it inside the WLAN setting. Once you are done enabling the MAC address filter you may now add the MAC address of your computer onto the router. The router will now verify the computers that will attempt to connect, if it does not find the MAC address on its list it will deny the access.

Enabling the MAC address filter may not be the ultimate solution on securing the wifi however having a second security is better than just relying on one.

POP Vs. IMAP

If you're using email client software such as Outlook and Thunderbird you will notice these two protocols called POP and IMAP on the account setting.  Before we begin let us find out what POP and IMAP stands for.  POP is Post Office Protocol while IMAP is Internet Message Access Protocol.

IMAP is like a window to your email on the email server.  If you check your email on your computer it retains the messages on the email server although you will see them appear on your computer.  It also synchronizes the folders of your email client on your computer with that of the email server.  POP on the other hand works the other way around.  If you open your email client software on your computer it moves all the email from the email server to your computer. Although you will find an option on the email client softwares that you can retain a copy on server however by default that is disabled.

The advantage of IMAP over POP is you can access your email anywhere. You will find it useful if you are travelling because even while you are away from the office or school you still have an access to your email.

Email Tracer

Would you like to know the origin of the email you received?  Before you do that you have to copy first the email header of the email you want to trace.  The picture above is a sample of an email header, there are some information that are covered for privacy reason.  For the following email you may follow the instructions on how to get the email header.

Yahoo
1. Open an email
2. At the lower right of the screen, click Full Headers
3. Highlight the email header
4. Press Ctrl + C

Gmail
1. Open an email
2. Click Show Original
3. Highlight the email header
4. Press Ctrl + C

Thunderbird
1. Open an email
2. Click View
3. Click Message Source
4. Highlight the email header
5. Press Ctrl + C

Outlook Express
1. Click File menu
2. Click Properties
3. Click Details tab
4.Click Message Source
5. Highlight the email header
6. Press Ctrl + C

Once you are done with the copying of email header open this website http://www.ip-adress.com/trace_email/  and under  the “For email tracing copy and paste an email header in this field:” paste the email header.  Click Trace Email Sender button.

From now on you will be able to know where an email originated. Happy tracing....

Bandwidth Speed Test

Do you want to know the speed of your internet?  There are some websites that do bandwidth speed test such as these websites below.  One thing I like about them is they test both the download and upload speed.  Usually the other websites test only the download speed.  If your computer is connected to a network you have to make sure that the other computers are not accessing the internet except the one that you will use for testing so you can get an accurate result. 

1. www.speedtest.net
2. www.speakeasy.net
3. www.dslreports.com
4. www.bandwidth.com

By knowing the speed you can verify if you are getting the right bandwidth that you applied for from your ISP.  If the test result is close to what you applied for then there is no problem with that. However if the margin is too wide perhaps you might want to check where the problem is coming at.  Start in this sequence computer -> router -> modem -> ISP.

How to Repair a Corrupted MS Outlook File

1. Click Start
2. Go to Run
3. Type C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\scanpst.exe and the repair window will appear or you can use the search to let the computer find it for you and double click scanpst.exe once you see it.
4. Click browse and locate the outlook.pst file, if you dont know where the outlook.pst file is:
   4.1. Open MS Outlook
   4.2. Click on tools
   4.3. Click on account settings
   4.4. Click on data files tab
   4.5. Double click on the personal folders, another window will appear
   4.6. Highlight the full path excluding the "outlook.pst file" (e.g. C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\) and press Ctrl + C
   4.7. Go back to the MS Outlook repair window
5. On the "enter the name of the file you want to scan:" paste the full path you got from MS Outlook data file tab by pressing Ctrl + V
6. Click start button
7. Put a check on "make backup of scanned file before repairing"
8. Click Ok

Data Theft

Data theft is now a major issue regardless whether in small or large scale organizations. So long as you have important data you can be a victim.

Data theft can be in any form. Since the emerging use of flash drive (a.k.a. thumb drive and flash disk) it has now become the medium to copy the data.  Because it is small you can easily hide it in the pocket. Anybody can be a data thief it can be somebody within your organization or somebody who is breaking into your premises.

To prevent data theft you must instigate of blocking the access to USB ports. There are two ways of doing that.

1. You can insert a specially designed lock onto the USB port.   This type of lock comes with a key that fits only for that USB port lock.  It has another type of lock that holds the USB cable (i.e. keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, etc.) to prevent the unauthorized people from removing the cable and insert with a flash drive.  If you prefer to use this method of sealing the usb ports you have to buy a lock for each port. You will find more information about this on this website http://us.kensington.com/html/17084.html .

2. Install a USB port lock software that will deny an access to the USB ports.  Each time a flash drive is inserted it will ask for a password.  Just don't forget the password because if you do you might end up formatting your computer to be able to use the USB ports again. If you want to know more about this lock.... http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,77358-order,4-c,security/description.html

Either of the two methods can give an assurance of sealing the USB ports.  It is only a matter of choosing which is more convenient for you.

I am not in anyway connected with Kensington and uHook.

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How to Manually Eject a DVD/CD Drive

Do you have a DVD/CD that is stucked on the cd tray of your desktop computer and you wish you could take it out?

You need to “shut down" your computer and “unplug” its power cable from the outlet before you do this.  All you need is a small paper clip.  You need to straighten the other end of that paper clip to make it somewhat like the number nine shape.  In front of your DVD/CD drive you will find a small hole that fits only a small object same as the size of the tip of the paper clip.   This small hole is usually located near the eject button. You have to put in the straightened end of the paper clip inside that small hole and keep on pushing it with slight pressure.  Your  main goal here is to find the gear that is responsible for opening the tray so you don’t need to apply too much pressure otherwise you might permanently damage your DVD/CD drive.  Once you get a chance to hit the gear, the tray will open up a bit as you push the paper clip. Keep on pushing the gear gently until the tray has fully ejected. 

DNS

Have you heard of the DNS? Did you know that if there is no DNS we would have to memorize a lot of numbers better known as ip address before we can open a website?  People use the URL or Universal Resource Locator in finding a website and machines use ip address in finding a website. URL is a user-friendly name e.g. www.mywebsite.com. DNS or Domain Name System is responsible for translating the URL to ip address.  Ip address is the method use by machines to refer to one another. Like for instance if you open on the browser this ip address 209.85.227.106 it will open www.google.com.  However, we don’t do   that we just type the URL and let the DNS do the search of ip address.  DNS is helping us out not to memorize ip address.  It is easier to recall the name google than recall its ip address.

A Simple Tip on How to Save on Ink or Toner

Basically, all the printers have the print quality option and by default the quality is in Normal mode. If you do not need a good quality printing you can have Draft as your default quality. If you will need a fine quality then just change it to Normal or Best. This is the instruction on how to do this:

1. Right click on the name of the printer
2. Click Properties
3. Click General tab
4. Click Printing Preference
5. On the Print Quality drop down list select “Draft”

In some printers you might not find “Draft” it may be “Econo Mode” or any similar term denoting how you can save on your ink or toner.

Remote Shutdown

One of the annoying practices of some employees is negligence of not shutting down their computer when they are leaving the office especially on weekend or just before holiday. If you are the one in charge of the network administration you might have encountered this once in a while. If you are “certain” that an employee has left the office already and he/she did not turn off the computer, did you know that you can remotely shut it down? You need to have an administrator priviledge so you can perform this task. I just want to warn you not to do this unless necessary because there is no way to recover unsaved documents and if windows happen to be updating at that moment might just create more trouble on the computer.

1.Click Start or Windows Logo
2.Click Run and type cmd
3.On the command prompt type shutdown /s /m \\[the name of computer] you can also use /f to force any open application to close without warning
e.g. shutdown /s /f /m \\computer10

Laptop Battery

Laptops are designed for people who are always on the move. Laptop users carry with them their documents just like a brief case and they communicate with their family or colleagues while travelling. They just sit in one corner and continue doing their work. While on the road it will be useless without a battery but what if we are at home or in the office. Do we need to remove the battery before we plug it in to the outlet?

Before we go any further, the average life span of the battery is only about two years. Whether we have used it or not it is going to come to its end. Some people have the notion that if they remove the battery it will extend the battery life. Using the laptop without battery may just cause further damage when power failure occurs. The most probable hardware that will be hit is the hard drive because it spins rapidly while reading and writing onto the media.

Having said that scenario I would prefer to keep the battery because it add protection to the laptop itself in case of sudden power failure. It is also awkward if you have that big empty slot right at the bottom of your laptop.

Internet Explorer Vs. Firefox

 This is not the first time that you are going to see this subject matter comparing these two big name of browsers. Some people may still have this on their mind. Which of these two is superior than the other is it Firefox or Internet Explorer (IE for short)?

It is safe to say that in the corporate world it is dominated by IE due to the fact that most of the corporations buy branded computers. Branded computers “normally” come with pre-installed Windows as their operating system. So the users just prefer to use whatever there is on their computer. The other reason is, in the corporate world the non-IT employees have restricted access on their computer so they cannot install any software. On the other hand, most home users have the freedom to install any software they want on their computer. Regardless whether they buy branded or not. That is why you will notice in some forums that most of the people posting comments or questions are home users. Home users prefer to use Firefox because it’s customizable and there are tons of free add-ons. You can dress it up the way you want it.

Both Firefox and IE are put to the test by malware attacks and both of them came out with patches to counter those attacks. It is a common knowledge also that IE is more susceptible to most of those attacks. That is why it is the one that came out with more security updates than Firefox. The other security issues are the keylogger and password revealer. There are some keyloggers and password revealers that do not affect Firefox at all. As we all know, Firefox is an opensource they have volunteer programmers all over the globe collaborating to make it a better and safer browser. That gives Firefox the lead over IE because the number can be greater to that of IE’s programmers. Apart from that the fruit of labor of volunteers outshine the output of hired personnel because they do it on their free will. Though some people might say that since those are volunteers and Firefox team might not know them personally they can embed some form of malicious codes. Yes, that can be true but due to the fact that Firefox is an opensource the Firefox team can review the codes if they indeed do such thing.

When it comes to speed, it cannot be attributed on the browser alone because you have to consider the bandwidth of your internet, the speed of the CPU, the RPM of the hard drive and the amount of RAM. Browser takes space as well on the hard drive and on the RAM aside from the other applications running on your system, windows files, antivirus, antispyware, firewall, and so on. The more applications are open, the fewer space is left on the RAM for it to hold other information. The bandwidth of your internet plays a big role as well on how the browser behaves. The higher the bandwidth the faster the browser opens a page.

There is a glitch that makes Firefox a bit unstable, you might have encountered this already. If you close Firefox and re-open it a message will come out saying that Firefox is still running. If that message doesn’t go away then you will be forced to end Firefox on the Task Manager. That glitch is noticeable on Firefox and I never experienced that on IE.

Having said all of that, the users are the one who will decide which they prefer most. If you do online transactions you might want to consider which browser offers better security. If you are just going from one website to another you can choose IE because there are some websites that works better with IE than Firefox.

Net Send

Did you know that Windows has a built-in messaging feature where you can send a message to other computers within your network...how to do that it's simple. You will need an administrator priviledge before you can do this. By default this feature is disabled in Windows so you need to enable it on your computer and to the computer where you will be sending a message.

To enable the messenger:
1. Click Start
2. Click Settings
3. Click Control Panel
4. Click Administrative Tools
5. Click Services and look for Messenger
6. On the drop downlist of "Startup type" select "Automatic"
7. Click Start
8. Click Apply
9. Click OK

To send a message, please open the command prompt.
1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type cmd
4. The command prompt will pop up (this is the black screen)
5. Start typing your message in this format
NET SEND [THE NAME OF COMPUTER WHERE YOU WILL SEND THE MESSAGE] [YOUR MESSAGE IN DOUBLE QUOTE] e.g. NET SEND COMPUTER10 "Hello the meeting will start in 5 minutes"

You will find this useful if you are just sending a short message to one of your colleagues who is far from your table.

Parental Control

The internet is a vast source of information that we can use for school research, communication, skill enhancement, job hunting, profit, and so on  but we cannot deny the fact that it is also a source of many wrong doings and unwanted activities. If you are a parent and you are worried about what your kids are browsing on the internet.  You can have a control on their internet use.  There are some parental control software that you can get at a reasonable price. Alternatively, if you have a router that has the capability of blocking by keywords you can also use this to prevent the kids from viewing websites not suitable for them. You as a parent of course has to password protect the router so that you alone can change the setting.

Either of these two methods you as a parent can have a control on your kids’ internet browsing.  You just have to select which one that applies to your need.  However, the disadvantage of the router is only for the laptop because that web content filter only works within your network. On the other hand since the parental control software is installed on the computer even if you connect the computer to another network it will always filter the internet.

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