Usability

Renaming Multiple Files

By terry Leave a Comment

Recently, I needed to rename several folders of files. They were all HTML files for web sites with the extension “.html”, which means that they are static HTML files � they don’t change when they’re called.

I wanted them to be “.php” files so that I could make file maintenance easier. This way, I can have common headers, footers and other parts of the page — and have them stored one time in a single file.

Also, that way, if I want to change the footer, I change it in the footer’s file. Then, as each web page gets called, it grabs the footer file and includes it. All I have to do is to make one change to one file — and they’re all changed.

My tool for this was a freeware program called Lupus Rename.

By the way, I also received an email from someone who wanted to rename a bunch of picture files from their camera. The camera named the files something like “NAME 001.JPG”, while their slideshow program wanted the names formatted like “001 NAME.JPG”. That kind of modification looks like it would be easy with Lupas Rename.

Filed Under: Other, Software, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability

WinClear – Clean Your Windows & Internet History

By terry Leave a Comment

WinClear is a computer history cleaner program designed to delete or erase the history of your activity on your computer. Obviously, it can’t dig into the guts of every program to find and delete the history each might retain (and you probably would not want that).

WinClear targets general Windows items, recent document lists in many programs, chat history, and all sorts of data that Internet Explorer records on your use of IE.

I wrote several weeks ago in my email newsletter that I had been trying out WinClear. I was impressed with it from the start.

On my notebook, after I had deleted my temporary files (I thought) and the Temporary Internet Files, I was surprised that WinClear found over 800 MB of temporary files for me. Since I was down to only 2 GB free on my notebook, getting 800 MB more was a significant find.

Read more in my WinClear Review — or download the trial scanner

Filed Under: History Cleaner, Internet Privacy, Software, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability, Web Browsers, Windows XP

Hot-Swapping USB Devices

By terry Leave a Comment

In computer terminology, Hot-Swapping refers to being able to disconnect and remove hardware, as well as installing and connecting hardware, without turning off a computer.

Generally, this is a dumb idea, since most operating systems and most hardware aren’t prepared for you to do that.

In fact, a lot of internal hardware (drives and memory, for example) can fry if you connect them while your computer is powered. PS2 ports for keyboard and mouse are also subject to frying themselves — the motherboard connector, not the frying the cheap keyboard or mouse — if you unplug or plug a device into a PS2 port. Of course, new computers today seldomly have PS2 ports, but those from recent years have them.

Ads by Terry

Error Doctor 2007
Error Doctor 2007 Registry Repair Software
Free Download + Free Scan!

Speed.Performance..Power…
Optimize Windows
at the click of a button

Many new devices use USB connections to connect to the computer. Examples of devices using USB connectors today are keyboards, mice, scanners, flash drives, cameras, some network adapters, and even more items.

Although hot-swapping is billed as one of the big advantages of USB, the devices are not all “hot swappable.

Free Software From Google

By terry Leave a Comment

There’s a great package of goodies available from Google for us to install on our computers — Google Pack!

Terry’s Computer Tips

Google Pack is the combination package of Google Earth (view and zoom the Earth from space), Picasa (photo gallery), Google Pack Screensaver (create your own photoshow screensaver), Google Desktop (easy searching of your computer) and the Google Toolbar (a great search tool and popup blocker for Internet Explorer).

Read more and download it via my Google Pack article at Terry’s Computer Tips.

Filed Under: Internet Explorer, Sales, Software, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability, Web Browsers, Windows XP

Firefox 2.0.0.1 Released

By terry Leave a Comment

Firefox 2.0.0.1 has just been released. If you’re running Firefox 2.0, you’ll see the update as it automatically installs.� When you exit Firefox and restart it, the update will finish its installation and check for updates to any Add-ons (formerly called Extensions) that you have installed..

Primarily, v2.0.0.1 is a security-fix update, although it has changes for increased compatibility with Windows Vista. (Gee, I wonder why they were needed? At least it’s not the same old “Windows doesn’t run on DRDOS” bogus error messages.)

Filed Under: Usability, Web Browsers, Windows XP

Adding a Program to the “Send To” Menu

By terry Leave a Comment

Recently, I answered some questions from a subscriber about the Send To menu. He wanted to add a program to the “Open with…” context menu � the menu that pops up when you right-click on an icon.

Unfortunately, I have not found a reliable way to add a program there. Fortunately, it’s very easy to add a program to the “Send To” option on the popup “context menu.”

Read more in my Terry’s Computer Tips article Adding a Program to the “Send To” Menu

Filed Under: System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability, Windows XP