View PowerPoint presentations without Office

I was reminded of this “quick tip” topic while I was doing research for an upcoming Tech–for Everyone article, and the information I wanted to read was contained in a PowerPoint slideshow (aka “presentation”) archive, available online.. a “.ppt” file.

Normally, this is no problem: you click on the “view” hyperlink; are asked if you want to “Open” or “Save” the file (since all I wanted to do was read it, I chose “open”). Here is where I was reminded that the machine I was surfing on was new and did not have Office installed — “Windows cannot open this file:”

You may have seen a window like this in your computer career…

(My article on what to do to resolve this can be read here.)

Fortunately, a quick visit to the Microsoft Download Center is all that’s required to enable my machine to view PowerPoint Presentations (and cool slides of airshows).

Tip of the day/Today’s free link: If you are not using the Microsoft Office suite of programs, download and install the free PowerPoint Viewer 2007.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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XP and Dell

Folks, yesterday I pointed out that June 30th (that’s tomorrow) marks the end of Microsoft’s shipping of copies of XP to retail stores and PC manufacturers, (Install CD’s will be limited to stock-on-hand) and suggested to those folks for whom XP is it, (aka “Vista bashers”) that they should get whatever copies of XP they might need now. XP has reached EOL (end-of-life).

Mike McGinley, who writes My Tech Talk, posted this (helpful) comment, “Dell did announce that customers may buy new PCs with XP until 2009. There is still hope for the (XP) die hards.”

It is true that Dell will continue to ship computers with XP installed past tomorrow’s deadline, but there’s a couple details that — if you’re considering this– you should know:
1) The version of XP is XP Pro– and only XP Pro.
2) You also are buying either Vista Business Edition or Vista Ultimate Edition (Install DVD’s).
3) 2009 is not so very far away. Install CD’s don’t expire.

This is so you can “transition on your schedule” to Vista.
Today’s free link: Dell explains all this, and answers FAQ’s, here. If you’re thinking about this, please read these pages. Also, there’s an interesting comparison chart of the OS’s posted there.

Frankly, since you’re paying for Ultimate Edition w/SP1, and it’s a new machine, I cannot understand why you would want to downgrade it to XP. It makes no sense to me. Vista’s bad rep came from early adopters who tried installing it on older, underpowered machines.. and griped because there was no device drivers for their legacy (that’s a polite word for “obsolete”) hardware yet.
(My deluxe “gaming rig” runs Vista Ultimate Edition w/SP1. Would I do that if “Vista is slow”??? I think not.)

However, if XP is it — or you think you’re going too want XP Home or XP Media Center Edition — for you in the future, I suggest you go get whatever copies (Install Cd’s) you think you’re going to need.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Attention XP fans– get your copies NOW

Redmond laid to rest rumors that they might reconsider pulling XP from retail shelves and from most PC makers next Monday. Bill Veghte, the Senior Veep who manages Microsoft’s online and Windows business groups, confirmed that June 30 would indeed be the deadline when MS halts all shipments of boxed XP copies to retailers and stops licensing the OS directly to major computer manufacturers.*

So, if you’re one of those folks who thinks XP is the last Microsoft OS (version) you’re going to run, you better go buy whatever copies you think you might need for the future.
It’s going bye bye. Adios, amigo.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

* Source: WServerNews Vol. 13, #27 – Jun 30, 2008 – Issue #681

[Addenda: For more on the latest (last?) Service Pack for XP, including troubleshooting, click here]

Word on your thumb drive*

One of my more popular articles discussed using a thumb drive to run applications (to read it, click here), and my two previous articles discussed Microsoft Word (click on “MS Word” in the Tag Cloud), which led to two reader questions which I think are worth posting — in the Q’s and their A’s format.

Q: Is there a version of Word I can run on my U3 thumb drive?
A: There are tremendous advantages to running programs from a thumb drive (particularly when using someone-elses’ computer), and there are many programs already developed that are designed to do this, which are called “portable”.
The answer to this question is: no… and yes. Microsoft has not released a portable version of any of the programs in the Office suite, and I have not read of any plans to do so in the future. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot find warez and hacks out there. Loyal friends and true of this blog know that I would never advocate advocate the use of this kind of software; aside from the question of legality, the security risks are simply too great.

That is not to say you cannot run a word processor from your thumb drive. If you have loaded your thumb drive with the Portable Apps suite, (wildly popular, and previously recommended here) you already have the free Open Source suite of programs called Open Office which includes a “clone” of Word called Write. This works so much like Word that there’s practically a zero learning-curve.
Users of the U3 system of thumb drives need to download Open Office to add it to the installed programs. To do this manually, visit http://software.u3.com/, which will show you all of the U3 programs available– listed by category. But the easiest way is to plug in your thumb drive and launch the U3 “Launchpad” from the System Tray, and click on the “Add programs>>” link.

You might also want to consider using MS Works, which is Word compatible. For more on that, click here.

Q: Can I use portable Write to read Word documents?
A: The two main portable word processors (and there are others, if you’re the experimental sort) — Open Office’s Write, and the platform-independent AbiWord– allow you to open, and edit MS Word documents. They also allow you to save to HTML, PDF, and Word formats (this step is taken in the Save As menu) which allows you to send your documents to anyone.

Today’s free link(s): You needn’t put these word processors on a thumb drive to use them (and get to know and love them). Click the links in the paragraph above to get free word processing power.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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What is a Szirbi?! (And my Top Movies list)

E-mails which spoof the Classmates.com site by sending messages saying “there is an update on friend information”, or send a video link with a message stating, “Here’s a link of you doing something stupid” contain links which will infect your computer with Scirzi and turn it into a spambot.
So many people have been infected this way that spam has tripled in the last week. This article, Szirbi Botnet Causes Spam To Triple In A Week explains further.
And please folks, don’t click the links in e-mails. If you really must go to the site, type the link into your browser bar.

Folks, it is summertime here where I live, and old Tech Paul is fixin’ to put on his flip flops, bermuda shorts, straw hat and just “chill out” for well-deserved several days of vacationing.
I will post some prior articles, and maybe a small article, but I won’t do any heavy lifting.

In the spirit of goofing off, and taking it easy, I spent a little time thinking about what movies I needed to gather up for my popcorn-and-favorite-movies-marathon, scheduled for sometime this week.
I wound up assembling a Top 30 Movies Of All Time list (I was aiming at 20.. then 25..) which I posit to you here for your consideration.

True Grit
Saving Private Ryan
Unforgiven
Forrest Gump
North by Northwest
The Maltese Falcon
Double Indemnity
Key Largo
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Big Sleep
Dr. Strangelove
Rear Window
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World
Casablanca
The Caine Mutiny
The Shootist
Anatomy of a Murder
Best Years of Our Lives
Fargo
It Happened One Night
Arsenic and Old Lace
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
The Searchers
The African Queen
Full Metal Jacket
The Sting
Witness for the Prosecution
The Wild Bunch
It’s a Wonderful Life
Die Hard
Night of the Living Dead
Rocky
* Lonely are the Brave
* The Usual Suspects

I did spend a little time arranging them in order, but.. I am not convinced this is my final version of this list and that I’ll want to “tweak” it some. I am also fairly certain that shortly after posting this, I’ll have a slap-my-forehead moment and remember a title that should have been included… that’s how it usually works with me.

Your comments, input, and critiques are welcome.
[Note: I am not of the female persuassion, and so a chick flick (aka "romantic comedy") will never appear on my Top Movies list. Please don't bother to suggest any.]

* Oh! Yeah!

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Deadline today for AVG users*

People who have been using the free AVG antivirus tool will have seen by now a rather alarming pop-up warning (I’m kind of paraphrasing): Warning– AVG 7.5 will stop checking for new signatures effective May 31st June 25th.
That happens to be today.

Loyal Friends and True of this series will already be aware of a couple of facts (as I have said them often enough), and will reiterate them here:
* An anti-malware tool (such as an antivirus) that is not receiving the latest updates is for all intents and purposes useless. This can happen if its subscription has ‘expired’, or it is improperly configured. (To read how to make sure this isn’t you, click here.)
* I am a big fan of the free (top-rated) antivirus scanner, AVG.
* You need protection in today’s world.

So, I read the details in the pop-up to find out why my beloved AVG was going to go the way of the dodo bird and T-Rex on May 31st June 25th today. I was relieved to learn that AVG 7.5 was being phased out, and replaced with the new Version 8.0, and if I wanted, I could go ahead and upgrade to 8 now. So I did.*

The screenshot shows the web page that opens.
Now, I had to look at this twice. And each time I looked it, it sure seemed to me like I was being forced to buy a Internet security suite for $55 (If I wanted to stay with AVG).
My initial reaction was.. well, I got a little hot under the collar (to use a little of the ‘hip’ slang of today, I got “bent”).

And then I saw — way down at the very bottom — the link I was looking for, and I stopped cursing: AVG 8 can be downloaded for free. (To do so now, click here.)

I clicked the link and installed the new Version 8.0, which went very smoothly (on both an XP and Vista machines). New to AVG 8.0 is anti-spyware protection, and the option to include a AVG toolbar.

To get the full benefits of the toolbar, you (of course) need the paid version. In the free, you only get “safe search”, which is essentially just a site filter (a pre-made blacklist) in combination with Yahoo Search. I see no real benefit to installing the free-version toolbar as I use today’s free application for safe search results (below).

This is the new 8.0 user interface.

* Tip of the day: Don’t panic, “freak out”, or “get bent”– like I did. Just scroll down to the bottom and click the link for the free AVG 8.0.

[Addenda: For those of you seeking how to make the pop-up go away, you can either uninstall 7.5, or upgrade to 8. You are not going to be allowed to sit pat on 7.5.]

Today’s free link: 8.0’s toolbar does include a good technology, the LinkScanner Website analyzer. While the paid for edition of LinkScanner is commendable, the free “Lite” version is an excellent addition to your safe surfing arsenal. To get it, click here.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Why do we compute?

What do you use your computer for the most?
* Communication: E-mail, Instant Message/Chat, VoIP (telephony), video conference/chat, blogging, social networking, presentations, creating documents for distribution, participate in Groups?
* Entertainment: (video) games, online videos/YouTube, IPTV/webcasts, online radio, play music, watch DVD’s?
* Information/Education: obtain news items, research Knowledge Bases (Wikipedia, WebMD), virtual classrooms, Search Engines, product reviews, public opinion, get directions and/or find businesses with Maps, math, read RSS feeds/blogs, check sports scores?
* Business/Commerce: buy/sell items online (Ebay, Craig’s List, Amazon…), collaborate, advertising/marketing, host a Website, research the competition, solicit, documentation, payroll, taxes/banking, perform required duties (yes, that’s kind of a catch-all; but what I mean is your job requires you to use a computer)?

Of course, I have omited plenty of things in this quick list, and other reasons don’t easily pigeonhole — like “to save trees by using less paper”, and “because everyone does”. A highly scientific study I just now dreamed up concludes that people use their computers for a healthy combination of the things I mentioned above, (although all my 12 yr-old nephew does is play video games..) and that they do some of them “online” and some of them not.
This highly scientific study also shows a direct correlation between the rise in global broadband availability and people’s using the Internet– more people are going “online” everyday. (I know of at least six.)

And, computers aren’t as new and frightening to us as they once were, nor do they require aquiring and mastering a foreign language.. like DOS or Unix. Why, just the other day I caught my father (most definitely not a member of the Computer Generation) watching a video on YouTube  (“Why, father, how Late 20th-Century of you!”). No, he was not watching a Smashing Pumpkins music video, but rather, some travelogue of Eastern Europe, but still, you see my point.

Tip of the day: Be nice to you computer and take good care of it. Protect it from viruses and spyware, and keep it clean and well-cooled. Be nice to it, and it’ll be nice to you. I’ve created a 10-point checklist to help.

Today’s free link: There are several things a PC owner should do to have a healthy computer and be safe(r) from online cyber criminals when they browse the Internet. I have compiled a short checklist that you can quickly run down and “check off” the items; and I have provided links to the tools and How To’s for those items you find that need mending– Top 10 Things You Should Do To Your Computer

[Addenda: One of the most common uses for computers falls into my list under "Entertainment"-- the viewing of pornographic pictures and videos. (Does that surprise you???) If you (ahem) know someone who uses their machine for this activity, please read Like Porno Sites?--They LOVE you! by Bill Mullins]

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.post to jaanix

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G.C.

Today (yesterday for many of you), a talented man passed.

He made me laugh.

This clip is part of his “baseball and football” routine, and (unlike some of his material) is “safe” for family viewing.

How to recover your lost files

You have deleted some old files and now you need them back.
Or, you disconnected your thumb drive by pulling it out of the machine without bothering with that “Safely Remove” thingy, and now your machine cannot “see” the thumb drive at all– it’s dead.

Your files are gone and you need them back.. what a nightmare! How do you get them back?

I cannot count the number of times I have advised my readers to make regular backup copies of their files (in fact, Automate your backup and get some peace of mind was one of the very first articles I wrote). Having copies of your files on some place other than your hard drive (such as a CD/DVD) is the surest way to make sure that some unfortunate mouse click, mechanical failure, or glitch doesn’t permanently rob you of important documents, irreplaceable photographs, or costly music downloads. (There. I’ve nagged you again. Now, will you please run a Backup program and burn some discs?)

But you don’t have backup copies of these files… you didn’t think you’d ever need them.. but now you do. OK.
As I mentioned in Delete does not erase your data–preventing recovery, if the reason you no longer have access to the file you want is because you emptied your Recycle Bin (Trash) or right-clicked+delete, you may recover your file with an undelete tool.. just so long as too much time has not elapsed.
* It is a very good idea to install an undelete tool on your computer before you need it. If you haven’t done so and you don’t already have an undelete tool installed, use an online scanner/recovery tool such as Softperfect File Recovery to try to effect your recovery.

Other reasons for missing (“inaccessible”) files are varied and numerous.. and I could fill a book book with detailed steps for each variant. (If you’ve had to reformat your hard drive, for example {try an “unformat” tool}. Data recovery is a large– and costly –business.) Fortunately, I don’t have to write it, it’s already been written.

Tip of the day+Today’s free link: Visit and bookmark the following Webpage.
PC World Magazine and MSN Tech have teamed up to bring us Kirk Steers’ How To Recover Almost Anything, a three page primer on data recovery steps, and advice for which tools to use.
This information is first place to look when you run into a file recovery situation.. having it bookmarked ahead of time is a good idea, because timeliness is a factor in your success or failure.

*** Disclaimer: you may have noticed that I used the words “may” and “can try”; this is because recovering damaged/corrupted, deleted, or “lost” files is as much luck as it is science. Certain things improve your chances of success.. but the only sure method is making copies of your stuff, and keeping them somewhere else.. like in a safe-deposit box.

* Bonus free link of the day: Folks, my friend and fellow Internationally Renown Tech Blogger, Bill Mullins, has posted what I consider to be a very important article regarding the current state of security on the Internet. You, your loved ones, and your friends should (IMHO) take a look at Script Kiddie Bonaza–Do-It-Yourself Phishing Kits

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Quad-cores? I want 80 cores

From time to time in my writing I have made reference to Moore’s Law; which, phrased simply, means “the power of computers doubles every 18 months” (some say two years). I like Moore’s Law– smaller, faster, double the power (and often, power consumption is lower too).

Moore’s Law is most often comes up when speaking about CPU’s (your computer’s “brain”). My first Intel computer ran a very good CPU– a 486 DX (at 133MHz [that's .1GHz]). It had a million transistor on it, and was considered Top of the Line.
Today’s Top of the Line consumer chip is actually four-CPU’s-in-one (or, “quad-core”) and runs at just over 3GHz.

I don’t think you have to be particularly good with numbers, nor particularly geeky, to see that there’s been some improvement since the 486.

Just the other day, in an article about chip-maker AMD and corrupt European Socialist bureaucrats (EU punishes Intel+corruption, greed, gov’t) it was mentioned that chip-maker Intel had produced the fastest chip ever.
I like fast, so I looked into it.

The chip is capable of performing a trillion calculations a second (called a “teraflop”), is the size of a fingernail, and has 80 cores. Oh yeah, and it’s dialed-down to 3GHz but can handle 6.

Wow.

The condensed (sound bite) details of the new (and yes, revolutionary) chip design can be read here, Intel Will Revolutionize Computing with the Fastest Chip Ever. And Intel’s press release version (detailed) can be read here.
Intel says we’ll see it in our devices in “about 5 years” (Boo!).

* The electrical outage mentioned yesterday has not been truly resolved, but hopefully, Tech–for Everyone will appear as usual. Y’all have a good weekend now. Ya’ hear?

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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