Windows 7 - Create Password

Control Panel > User Accounts > Create Password

Password - Create for a User Account - Windows 7 Forums

If your iPhone Stopped Rotating

Aha!

These NYTimes instructions are for 'stopping' the rotation, but the reverse will 'start' the rotation again.

"You can lock the iPhone 4 screen orientation on the to the vertical “portrait mode” to keep it from changing. To do so, double-click the iPhone’s Home button to open up the bottom panel of apps. In the app panel, swipe your finger from left to right until you get to the first icon, which has a circular arrow in the middle. Tap this circular arrow icon — known as the “portrait orientation lock” — to lock the screen into the vertical orientation so it won’t move, even if you do.

To free up your screen and let it rotate freely again, reverse the process. (Shortcut controls for the iPhone’s iPod functions are also down in the app panel in case you want to skip, repeat or pause currently playing music without having to burrow into the iPod app on the Home screen.) When the portrait orientation lock is on, a small version of the circular-arrow icon appears at the top of the iPhone screen. Even when you have the phone locked in the portrait mode, some apps like YouTube videos or the Street Views feature of the Google Maps app still appear in the horizontal landscape mode.

Thanks and source: Q&A: Make the iPhone Screen Stop Spinning - NYTimes.com

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How To Rotate the iPod Nano Screen

Simply put two fingers on different corners and twist. It's not like the iPhone where it senses the orientation and does it automatically.

Thanks and source: How To Rotate the 6th Generation iPod nano Screen

Reset the iPhone

Follow these steps to reset your device. Note: Reset your device only if it is no longer responding and simply turning the phone off and then on again did not work.

Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button together for at least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.

Source: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1430

Optimizing Sony VAIO Battery Life

To Optimize Battery Use

(Below is simply copied from the VAIO Control Center on my machine.)

The battery pack has a finite lifetime and gradually loses its capacity to store energy by repeated charging/discharging and battery aging.
For this reason, battery pack rapidly runs out of power even after fully charged and will eventually stop working.
The followings are tips on making the battery life last longer and maintaining the battery health.

• To make the battery life longer
• To maintain the battery health

To make the battery life longer

Read the following tips to make the battery life longer.

• Use the power saving function.
  Your computer has two distinct power saving modes which apply to the computer not in use: Sleep mode and Hibernate mode.
  To place the computer into Sleep mode, press the power button (with the default setting). To place the computer into Hibernate mode, press and hold the Fn key and press the F12 key.
  Place the computer into Sleep mode as often as possible and into Hibernate mode when you do not use it for a while, and turn it off when you do not intend to use for an extended period of time.
  The computer goes back to the previous work state from Hibernate mode in a shorter time than it takes for the computer to run after you press the power button, and the computer comes out of Sleep mode in a shorter time than Hibernate mode.
• Adjust the LCD brightness of your computer screen.
• Decrease the volume of the speakers or headphones.
• Disconnect any peripheral devices not in use.

About battery life and the remaining battery level icon in the pop-up window

While your computer is running on battery power, the window containing battery life information (battery life and the remaining battery level icon) is displayed when you click the power status icon in the Windows desktop notification area.

This information may significantly change right after you disconnect the AC adapter or depending on the computer status just before you check the information, because it is calculated based on the computer status. In such a case, wait for a while, and then check it again.
Battery life, described in specifications, is measured with the designated power saving mode.
Battery life in the Windows desktop notification area is displayed shorter than the one in the specifications, because the computer is delivered with the default settings that enable you to use it with the optimal performance.

To maintain the battery health

Your computer has the battery care function. By setting the maximum charge level lower with the function, you can slow battery degradation and maintain the battery health.

Effects on battery capacity at the different maximum charge levels

Vertical axis: battery capacity, horizontal axis: duration of use

: Battery care function disabled
: Battery care function enabled

Note

The above figure is based on the results of the experiments conducted under specific conditions. This does not guarantee the described battery characteristics and battery lifetime.

To display the settings window for the battery care function, follow these steps:

1. Click Start , All Programs, and VAIO Control Center.
   The VAIO Control Center window appears.
2. Click Power Management and Battery Charge Functions.
   The settings window appears. 

iPhone's Mophie Juice Pack Instructions

From the juice pack manual on Mophie's website: https://www.mophie.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/juicepack-air-iPhone4-manual-eng.pdf
and be sure to register for their 1-year warranty per below.

Charging your juice pack air
Connect the juice pack to a power source using
the micro USB cable that came with your juice
pack. The USB cable can be plugged in to your
computer or any “Made for iPhone” wall-plug
style power source with USB out including the
standard iPhone USB wall adaptor. (The LEDs
located on the back of the device will blink
when charging, as the juice pack becomes
more charged the LEDs will indicate how full
it is, but one LED will remain blinking until
completely full.)

Important
The juice pack air comes charged and ready to
go, but after the initial use, normal charging
will take only 2 to 3 hours for maximum power
– AND you can then charge it while the iPhone
is inserted or separately.
Charging your iPhone 4 using the juice pack air
If your iPhone is drained of power or if you want
to extend the battery life of your iPhone, simply
slide the iPhone into the juice pack air. Make
sure that the pin connector is securely inserted
into the bottom of the iPhone and the switch is
turned On (green). When the iPhone recognizes
the juice pack, a battery symbol will appear on
the screen and you will hear a chirp from the
iPhone, this indicates that the iPhone is
charging and/or using the power from the juice
pack rather than from the iPhone itself.
If your iPhone is drained of power, the juice
pack will first charge your iPhone. If your iPhone
is fully charged, the juice pack will act as your
primary battery and no power will be lost from
the iPhone internal battery until the juice pack
is depleted. So you keep on talkin’, rockin’,
surfin’ and sendin’!

Checking the status of the juice pack air
You are always in the KNOW! To check the
battery status of the juice pack, press the
button located on the bottom of the device.
When pressed, the LED lights will illuminate for
several seconds. Four LEDs means that the
juice pack is fully charged, and one LED means
that it is almost empty.


Stand-by mode
If you’d rather use your internal battery and
not the juice pack, use the switch on the
lower-left corner of the juice pack, to put it into
stand-by mode. The dot near the switch will
indicate whether the juice pack is in stand-by
mode (red) or charging mode (green). When
your internal battery is low, simply flick the
switch On and your iPhone will begin charging
immediately.

*Note: Using the stand-by switch will give you
even more total battery life, as the iPhone uses
additional power to be on a constant charge.

Sync with your computer without removing 
While connected to the juice pack air, you can
still sync your iPhone with a computer. Simply
connect the included micro USB cable from the
juice pack air to the computer and sync your
iPhone the same as if it was directly connected.
To keep your juice pack air operating to its
fullest potential, make sure to do the following:
1. Keep your juice pack dry and away from
moisture and corrosive materials.
2. Do not wash the juice pack with harsh
chemicals, soaps or detergents. Just wipe the
case with a soft, water-dampened cloth. Wipe
the pins gently with a soft, dry cloth.
3. Re-charge your juice pack once every three
months when not in use, and remember to
charge it for one hour before putting it away
the first time.

Warranty
At mophie, we are dedicated to making the
best quality products we can. To back this up,
your juice pack is warranted for 1 full year from
the date of purchase. Be sure to register your 
product at mophie.com to activate it and check
for the latest product updates as they develop: https://www.mophie.com/articles.asp?id=155


Customer Service
Telephone: 888.8mophie
Web Contact: www.mophie.com/cs
Service Hours: 9am to 6pm M-F  ET

I like this too: http://www.mophie.com/mophie-Juice-Pack-Reserve-p/2035_jpu-reserve-2-red.htm

How to Remove iPhone Speck Cover

Works perfectly, keeping the steps here for safe keeping:

1. Put the iPhone down with it turned so the volume buttons and mute slider are away from you.
2. Slide your finger under the edge of the Speck case closest to you.
3. Slide a second finger and then move both fingers to the right corner.
4. The corner should pop apart but you may have to hold it with a finger from your other hand.
5. Move to the next closest corner (the one above the mute slider) and pop it away from the iPhone.
6. Continue down that side until the case comes completely off.

Source and thanks to http://www.intellectualpoison.com/2010/08/how-to-remove-speck-iphone-4-case.html

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Remove iCloud Calendar from Outlook

This is how to remove the iCloud calendar from Outlook. You can still sync your contacts/calendar with your iPhone or iPad, you just want to do that within iTunes (very easy too). You can also continue to use iCloud to sync pictures you take on the go, etc (that's what I do).

First you'll need to uninstall iCloud from your machine (you'll re-install later below):

1. Close Outlook.

2. Go to Control Panel

3. Under Programs: Uninstall a Program

4. Double-click iCloud and select Remove

Now go back into Outlook, right click and delete the iCloud calendar.

Next you'll re-install iCloud:

Locate "iCloudSetup" (it's probably in your Download folder. If you don't have the program any longer, see further below), double-click and follow instructions to reinstall. Once installed, open and UN-CHECK the option to sync with Outlook.

Also, I would go into Settings, iCloud, and switch off everything that syncs with iCloud except for Photo Stream and Find My Ipad. All those other items you should sync through iTunes (Mail, Contacts, Calendars, etc.) - Otherwise you are ripe for a 3-way collision.

*To download iCloud again:

http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/pc.html - for Windows /PC

http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/mac.html - for MAC

To sync your iPad with Outlook: http://digital-qa.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-sync-your-ipad-with-outlook.html

To turn on iCloud on your iPhone:
http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/

IMPORTANT NOTE: New photos you take will be automatically uploaded to your Photo Stream when you leave the Camera app and are connected to Wi-Fi. Photo Stream does not push photos over cellular connections.


On a PC, the default folder where pictures are installed is here: C:\Users\Apple\Pictures\Photo Stream\Uploads. You can change this location by visiting Photo Stream Options in the iCloud Control Panel for Windows.


The photos you upload to Photo Stream are stored in iCloud for 30 days to give your devices plenty of time to connect and download them.


Individual photos cannot be deleted from your Photo Stream. You can, however, delete all the photos in your Photo Stream by clicking the Reset Photo Stream button in your account at icloud.com. The Reset Photo Stream button will instantly delete all Photo Stream photos stored in iCloud, but it will not remove any Photo Stream photos that have already been pushed to your devices.


Source for the iCloud photo stream notes above: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4486

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Birthday's on iPhone Calendar

Hide or show birthday's (the dates with the little presents) by:
- Clicking on the Calendar's app
- Under 'Other' click on Birthdays

If you want to know where iPhone gets the dates:
- Click on the Contacts app and open the contact for the birthday you see. You can edit the birthday here.

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Easy Way to Delete all Contacts from iPhone at Once

This is my favorite way to fix my iPad or iPhone contacts when they get screwed up (duplicate contacts, etc.):

"...go to the Info tab in iTunes (when your iPhone is attached). Change the "Sync Contacts with" option to something else that has no contacts in it." e.g. a gmail account, yahoo acct, etc." Now sync. Afterwards you can change back to whatever you had before.

Source and thanks: How to delete all contacts from IPHONE at once | iPhone and iPad Forums

This usually happens if you are syncing your contacts to multiple sources. Pick just one. I picked Outlook for syncing contacts (and mostly only backup pictures taken on the iPhone to iCloud).

Now that you've done that, here's how to:

Remove iCloud Calendar from Outlook

How to sync your iPad with Outlook

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What’s Really Killing Your iPhone Battery?

What’s Really Killing Your iPhone Battery?: At some point I may want to try the app mentioned in the above article, so saving it here: App Store - System Activity Monitor: System Activity Monitor By Recession Apps

In the meantime, see this post for the #1 reason your battery is dying so quickly:
How to Make your iPhone Battery last Longer

And finally, closing those apps doesn't do anything towards extending your battery life!!
Closing out Apps on your iPhone Does NOT Extend Battery Life

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Google Chrome Instant Search

With Instant enabled, most webpages begin loading as soon as you type a URL in the omnibox, before you hit Enter. In addition, if supported by your default search engine, search results appear instantly as you type queries in the omnibox, and in-line predictions help guide your search.

Because search results are requested even while you're typing your query, your default search engine may be logging these as search queries.

Within Google Chrome select the wrench, and in the Basics tab check "Enable Instant for faster searching and browsing".

FAQ's: http://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/answer.py?answer=180655&hl=en

IPhone as modem - Verizon Wireless

IPhone as a modem - Verizon Wireless Community:

• First, you must have paid for a plan (e.g. 2gb broadband/wifi data plan, $20/month). You can add the plan by calling 611 from your iPhone. You can can buy this on a month to month basis (I only buy it when I'm traveling).

• Then on your iPhone, go to Settings/General/Network/Personal Hotspot

• Once you turn this on, your laptop can recognize the iPhone as a wireless access point. Then just connect to the wireless network like you normally connect to wireless networks (ala Starbucks, etc.).

This looks good too: http://www.simonblog.com/2011/02/11/how-to-use-personal-hotspot-on-iphone-4-ios-4-34-2-6/
and another link: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/02/verizon-iphone-hotspot/

Saving this link if needed for troubleshooting: http://community.vzw.com/t5/iPhone-4/bd-p/iPhone

iPhone Email: Change number of Lines Displayed

1. Click on Settings
2. Click on Mail, Contacts and Calendar
3. Scroll down to Preview
4. Click on Preview

Setting up GoDaddy Email in iPhone or iPad

iPhone: Setting up Email @ Go Daddy Help Center

Changing the Cities in the Default iPhone Weather App

How to delete Cupertino or any of the other cities: Tap the little i button in the lower right corner. When you see the list of cities, tap the red circle with the white slash beside the city you want to delete. Use the plus sign at the top left corner to add a new city.

Travelers, if you add a city click the little Yahoo link in the lower left corner to get city tips. :)

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New iPhone User... transitioning from BlackBerry

Love the iPhone, and here I'll start my wish list...

1. Be able to delete individual email messages on both my device and the server (Blackberry can do this).
2. "That blinking red light is the best notification system on the face of the planet
3. Battery lasts longer

The Best Ear Buds ~$89

shure se215 - Google Search After reading multiple reviews, these looks to be great ear buds. If you're going for cheaper, just stick with the ones that came with your device.

Linkedin - How to Export Contacts

My Contacts: Export LinkedIn Connections | LinkedIn

Linkedin - How to Export Contacts

My Contacts: Export LinkedIn Connections | LinkedIn

Dropbox vs. SugarSync

Dropbox vs. SugarSync: A Synchronized Duel - SmallCloudBuilder

This is why I'll choose Dropbox:

"SugarSync transmits files from your machine to the cloud via an SSL-secured connection, but encrypts the files themselves with AES-128 after they reach SugarSync's servers. Dropbox encrypts files with stronger AES-256 before sending them up with a secure SSL connection.


So in the event that someone were to intercept the SSL connection with Dropbox, they'd still have to unencrypt the files. While with SugarSync their job would be done."

http://www.dropbox.com/

https://www.sugarsync.com/

"Go To" is Grayed-out in Notepad

If you have Word Wrap checked (Format/Word Wrap) then Go To (Ctrl+G) is grayed out. Uncheck Word Wrap and Go To will no longer be grayed out.

Remote Connection - Resize Screen to Fit Window

Finally found where to adjust the screen I am remotely connected to (so I don't have to use the vertical and horizontal scroll bars to view the screen): Click "options" in the logon dialog box. Choose the "Display" tab, then drag the "Display configuration" slider to the far right until you see "Full Screen" (instead of e.g. 1280 x 768 pixels).

iMorn - Great Posts about Steve Jobs

With Time Running Short, Steve Jobs Managed His Farewells - NYTimes.com

12 lessons for us all from the life of Steve Jobs - Portfolio Insights by Brett Arends - MarketWatch

Steve Jobs' death a challenge to tech industry - San Francisco Chronicle

What I learned from Steve Jobs | Apple - CNET News - By: Guy Kawasaki

and something from the 90's that Steve wrote!
http://bradgessler.com/thinking-different

How different the World would have been without Steve Jobs

When will the iPhone 5 be Available?

UPDATE: 8/2012:  NOTE! This is NOT about the iPhone 5. This was written about the 4s in June of 2011 when everybody thought it was going to be the 5! The posts below are from 2011.

Keeping noteworthy postings about the new iPhone 5 (or "whatever Apple decides to call it").

10/8 - That was NOT it!!!

Search:
Verizon iPhone 5 - News w/in the last 24 hours
Verizon iPhone 5 - News w/in the last 1 week

10/8 - iPhone 5 rumors: Questions “Let’s Talk iPhone” left unanswered


9/26 - Rumor: Next iPhone to feature powerful Assistant, 1 GB of RAM (Updated)

9/9 - iPhone 5 rumor roundup | CNET - This is good, with ongoing updates
9/9 - Most Readers Would Buy an iPhone 5 Sight Unseen... And Go With Verizon or Sprint

7/29 - Have we found the iPhone 5? | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence
7/29 - New iPhone 5 rumors: Leaked case suggests 'radical' redesign - CNN.com

7/7 - The Wall Street Journal now seems to be confirming what our sources told us back in April about the iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple decides to call it). According to the report (which closely mirrors some of the chatter we’d been hearing previously), the new device will be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4, and is expected to launch sometime in the fall. Read more: http://thisismynext.com/2011/07/07/iphone-5-design-ipad-hd-iphone-4s/

7/6 - New report sees iPhone 5, iPad 3 coming in the fall | Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal - announcement in September, coming in October.

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Print Friendly & PDF

Print Friendly

I love this site! Simply place the URL of the page you want to print into the "enter a url" box, and click "print preview". The page is nicely formatted to print.

But this is my FAVORITE feature... check the "no images" box and the images are removed leaving a clean, well formatted page. Simply click "print" (or "pdf" if you'd like).

You can also add an icon to your web browser and perform the task without calling up their website.

Thanks printfriendly.com!

Chrome - Disable in-Tab Print Preview

To disable the new Chrome Print Preview feature:

• Cut/paste into Chrome browser address bar: chrome://flags/ (this is the same as typing about:flags in the address bar)
• Scroll down and disable Print Preview.

Excel - Subtract a number of days from a date

Put this formula this in any cell (except A1):

=DATE(YEAR(A1), MONTH(A1), DAY(A1)-35)

Assumes your date is in Cell A1

or

=DATE(YEAR(A1), MONTH(A1), DAY(A1)-(A2))

Where your date is in Cell A1 and number of days is in Cell A2

Where's "Recent Items" in Windows 7?

Add Recent Items back to Start this way:

1. Right click the 'Taskbar',
2. click 'Properties',
3. select the 'Start Menu' tab
4. click 'Customize'
5. in the dialog displayed, check off the appropriate menu link, 'Recent Items'

Thanks to: Andre Da Costa http://adacosta.spaces.live.com http://www.activewin.com" via Where in Windows 7 can I find the recent items menu? - Microsoft Answers

Windows 7 Screensaver Like Old Vista XP

Fantastic! How to make Windows 7 Screen saver perform like the old Windows Vista or SP.

Can Microsoft make 7 screensaver Pan and Zoom like Vista did?: "...the Windows Photo Gallery has been removed from Windows 7, but you can still obtain the Windows live screensaver once installing the Windows Live Photo Gallery, then you (can) get the Pan and Zoom effort. You just need to choose the Windows Live Photo Gallery as your screensaver, and change the setting to pan and zoom."

My favorite settings for screensaver:

Pan and Zoom
Shuffle Contents
Fast

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Blackberry is No Longer Receiving Emails

The solution is below. But for me that setting was already checked however what I found was that by simply making a change to that setting (even if you switch it back later) jump starts the email messages going to my Blackberry again. So thanks Jennifer on coolblackberrythemes.com. Afterwards, if there are no email and you expect there to be, go into the trash of your Email server (Yahoo in my case) and move it all back to the Inbox. It should then feed into your Blackberry. (My email client is Microsoft Outlook 2007, my phone is a Blackberry 8330, my service is with Verizon Wireless, and my email server is Yahoo Plus.)

Solution for Not Receiving Emails on BlackBerry - CoolBlackberryThemes Forums: I recently encountered a problem, where out of the blue, I was not receiving email on my BlackBerry. My emails were coming to my Outlook just fine, but I wasn't seeing them at all on my phone. After doing some digging, I found a very easy fix. Just follow these few simple steps in Outlook (I am using Outlook 2007) If you are using Yahoo, Gmail, etc, then the steps may be a bit different. 1. In Outlook, go to 'Tools' and then 'Account Settings' 2. Highlight your email address and select 'Change' 3. Click on 'More Settings' and then the 'Advanced' Tab 4. For the Delivery Option, check off the box that says 'Leave a copy of messages on the server'. You can choose to check off the box to remove them after so many days. I chose 2 days. 5. Click on 'ok' then 'next' and then 'finish' Within 20 minutes, all my emails started arriving. Hope this helps!

HP Laserjet 1022 - How to install in Windows 7

This took forever to figure out. Windows 7 does not recognize an HP Laserjet 1022 to "plug and play". It also does not list the driver when you select to Add a Printer (even with a Windows update to find more drivers).

This is what you have to do:

1. First be sure the printer is NOT connected to the computer.
2. Go here on HP's support site and download the driver "Version 2.0" updated 9 Nov 2010: HP LaserJet Hostbased Plug and Play Basic Driver. (7/12/2015: HP keeps moving the driver. Here it is today: http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/HP-LaserJet-P1100-Printer-series/4110394/model/4110306#Z7_3054ICK0KGTE30AQO5O3KA30R1)
3. Once downloaded, find the driver (it will look like this: LJP1100_P1560_P1600-HB-win64-en), right click and choose "Run as Administrator".
4. Plug the printer into the computer when the install process asks you to do so.
5. Finally!  (You may need to shut down and restart your computer.)

It is possible you need to do one more step:

Go to Control Panel \Hardware and Sound \Devices and Printers and find the printer. Although you likely tried this before, right click on the printer and select troubleshoot. It likely didn't work before because the driver may have been corrupted. So try again after completing steps 1-6 above.

Coffee Break: Patiently Experiencing Zero by Badassjackson

http://badassjackson.bandcamp.com/album/the-good-looking-revolution

Outlook 2007 - My Settings

My favorite settings (and where to find the option):

Everything below starts within Outlook with Tools >

1. Options > Preferences > Email Options > "After moving or deleting an open item: Open the Next Item"

2. > Account Settings > Double-click an email address > More Settings > Advanced > Leave a copy of messages on the server.

3. > Options > Mail Setup Tab > Check box: Send immediately when connected.

4. > Options > Mail Setup Tab > Send/Receive button > Check: Schedule an automatic send/receive every 1 minute, and uncheck: Perform an automatic send/receive when exiting.

5. > Options > Mail Format tab > Stationery and Fonts button to Change email font to Automatic (default is light blue).

6. > Options > Spelling > Check: Always check spelling before sending

7. > Options > Other > Check: Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting

8. > Options > Other > Advanced Options &gt:

• Uncheck Warn before permanently deleting items
• Check Show Paste Options buttons
• Uncheck Sync RSS Feeds to the Common Feed List
• Startup in this folder: Inbox

9. > Options > Other > Reading Pane button:

• Uncheck Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane
• Uncheck Mark item as read when selection changes

And here's how to change the location of the Data Folder. You'll want to do this fist, directly after installing Outlook.

You'll need to do this whenever you re-image your machine (or get a new one) if you want to use your existing Personal Folders. You may want to create a backup or copy of your Personal Folders just in case, but this works great.

1. After initial install, close Outlook and go here to delete the newly created Personal Folders: c:\users\rls\appdata\local\microsoft\outlook (where 'rls' is your user name).
2. Open Outlook. It will prompt for Personal Folder location. Point to your Personal Folders. 

Version: Microsoft Outlook 2007

Vaio VPCSC1AFM - Won't turn on

The computer will not turn on or has no power.

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&externalId=C390934&fes=true&mdl=VPCSC1AFM

IMPORTANT:

• While following this procedure, note the LED status at each step. This will provide additional information for the technician if repair becomes necessary.
• If model-specific information is required to complete any of the steps in this solution, refer to the operating instructions supplied with the product. Manuals are available online through the Manuals/Specs/Warranty link on this page.

NOTE: Some computers are designed with hooks above the LCD screen that secure the lid when closed. A switch inside the holes below the touchpad detects when the lid is closed and latched. If the switch is stuck, the computer may not turn on properly. Check to make sure the switch is working properly.

1. Connect the AC adapter into a known working AC outlet and to the DC jack on the notebook.
   NOTES:
   • Verify the correct Sony AC adapter is being used, and not a third-party replacement AC adapter. To determine the model number of the AC adapter for your computer, refer to the specifications available online through theManuals/Specs/Warranty link on this page.
   • Do not connect the AC adapter to a surge protector or extension cord.
   • If the DC jack on the computer is loose or damaged, the computer may require service.
   • Some AC adapters have a POWER LED indicator and can be confirmed as receiving power by ensuring the LED is lit. If the AC adapter is damaged, or the LED is not lit or continuously flickers when plugged into a working AC outlet, the adapter must be replaced. A replacement AC adapter can be obtained from the Sony® Parts and Accessories Sales Web site at http://www.sony.com/pas or by calling (239) 768-7691.
2. Attempt to turn on the computer normally.
3. Press and hold the Power Switch for 5 seconds.
4. Remove the battery.
5. Disconnect the AC power adapter.
6. Press and hold the Power Switch for 5 seconds.
7. Connect the AC power adapter.
8. Attempt to turn on the computer.
   NOTE: If the computer turns on without the battery, connect and charge the battery for 24 hours.
9. Disconnect all external devices that are connected to the computer.
   NOTES:
   • These devices include, but are not limited to, a modem, floppy disk drive, network connection, USB device, printer, keyboard, or mouse.
   • On older model computers, the maximum current output from the USB is 500ma. If a connected USB device draws more current than this amount, the unit may not power on.
10. Attempt to turn on the computer.
11. Remove any additional Random Access Memory (RAM) that was installed in the computer.
12. Attempt to turn on the computer.
    NOTES:
    • The troubleshooting steps listed above should resolve your issue. If you have completed all of the steps and the issue is not resolved, service may be required.
    • When shipping the computer for repair, include all notes of the LED status that display during troubleshooting.

How to Turn a Twitter User's Stream into an RSS Feed

http://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/user_timeline.rss?screen_name=beckysnyder

Replace 'beckysnyder' with any twitter name. You can then add that URL to any RSS reader (I use Google Reader).

Where are Sticky Notes Stored?

If you want to include your Microsoft Sticky Notes in your backups, find them here:

C:\Users\rls\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Sticky Notes (where rls is your user name)

The file is called: StickyNotes.snt, and that is what you want to save.

See here for: How to Remove Microsoft Sticky Notes from Startup

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Where's the Num Lock Key on the Mac Keyboard

Shift + Clear (the key above the 7 on the number pad)

Mac/Apple num lock

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Windows 7 - Adjust Taskbar Hover Delay

Here is how to adjust the amount of time you need to hover over the taskbar button before the preview (or button text appears). I found that the hover time was too short out of the box.

1. Click on the Start Button and type in Regedit and hit Enter.
2. Navigate through HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
3. Right click on Advanced and select New DWORD and name the new value "ExtendedUIHoverTime".
4. Right click on ExtendedUIHoverTime and select Modify.
5. Switch to Decimal base and enter in your new number.  The default is 400 milliseconds. I like to set mine to 100 for a 100 millisecond delay. (Digital Q&A: 20000 is right for me).
6. Once changed click OK and restart the explorer process or restart your computer.

Thanks to WinGeek - Adjust Taskbar Preview Hover Delay

Best Buy Blue Label Press Release

Saving the text here just in case. It talks about the extended 2-year warranty, etc.

Best Buy® Launches Pre-Sale of Exclusive Blue Label(TM) 3.0 Laptop Line | Reuters

Best Buy® Launches Pre-Sale of Exclusive Blue Label(TM) 3.0 Laptop Line

Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:36pm EDT

Collaboration with Intel, Sony and Toshiba yields two new notebooks that meet consumer expectations for performance and protection

MINNEAPOLIS - April 14, 2011 - Today Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) launches the online pre-sale of Blue Label 3.0 laptops, the latest computing solutions in an exclusive line created by and for consumers. Developed and manufactured in partnership with Intel^®, Sony and Toshiba, the two new Blue Label notebooks deliver a combination of features such as pre-loaded anti-theft technology, streaming wirelessly to your TV in 1080p and solid state hybrid technology.

Blue Label 3.0 laptops are the latest arrivals in the customer-inspired You Spoke, We Listened program at Best Buy. The new Toshiba Satellite^® E305 (priced at $899.99) and Sony VAIO^® VPCSC1AFM/S (priced at $949.99) are available for online pre-order beginning today, and for sale in-store and on-line starting May 1.

"Three years ago, when we first launched Blue Label, we created thin, lightweight laptops with backlit keyboards and prolonged battery life because those were the features people said were really important to them," said Jason Bonfig, vice president of Computing at Best Buy. "Today, those form factors are really the new basics, and what we're creating now are notebooks with a whole new set of essentials that improve performance and deliver better data protection."

"Best Buy's Blue Label 3.0 program is bringing great PC innovation like 2^nd Generation Intel® Core Processors, Intel® Anti-Theft Technology and Intel Wireless Display 2.0 to the market in attractive form factors. And when great performance and innovative features come together in cool form factors, consumers win," said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of Intel's PC Client Group.

Blue Label 3.0 laptops offer a broad range of features to address consumer expectations for getting fast, reliable and safe performance from their notebooks. With a backlit keyboard and improved battery life to seven hours, the laptops also feature:

· PC Theft Defense (PCTD) service powered by Intel Anti-Theft Technology provides hardware-enabled security for added peace of mind. If the PC is lost or stolen, PCTD service will automatically shut down the PC and lock down the data stored on the PC. Built directly into the hardware, Intel Anti-Theft provides local protection that works even if a thief reinstalls the operating system, uses a new hard-drive or stays off the Internet. These Blue Label 3.0 systems include three years' of PC Theft Defense service.

· A built-in Blu-Ray drive and Wireless Display technology with push button streaming to provide easy transfer of content from the laptop to the TV in 1080p without wires. Included in the package is the NETGEAR Push2TV(TM) adapter that connects to the HDMI port on the television.

· A Seagate solid state hybrid drive with up to 50 percent faster boot-up time over 7200 RPM¹.

· A two-year extended manufacturer's limited warranty, 90 days of Geek Squad phone and remote support, and 12 months of Anti-Virus protection.

More information about Blue Label 3.0 laptops is available by visiting www.bestbuy.com/bluelabel. Customers also can conveniently pre-order a new laptop at this site for free in-home delivery beginning May 1.

About You Spoke, We Listened

Since their launch in late 2008, laptops emerging from the You Spoke, We Listened program at Best Buy have changed the dynamics of how computers are designed. Each generation originates with insight into desired features, styling and performance gleaned from Best Buy's own customers and employees. These are translated into product specifications for further development by the retailer's computing partners. The resulting laptops are offered under the brand names Blue Label, Next Class and First Glimpse, and are available exclusively at Best Buy stores and online.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Mexico, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $50 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy, Audiovisions, Best Buy Mobile, The Carphone Warehouse, Five Star, Future Shop, Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Napster, Pacific Sales, and The Phone House. Approximately 180,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way Best Buy does business. In fiscal 2011, the company donated approximately $25 million to improve the vitality of the communities where its employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bby.com.

¹Performance may vary depending on user's hardware configuration and operating system. Test results based on comparison with traditional 5400 RPM HDD using Windows® 7 OS and PCMark® Vantage benchmark analysis.

Media Contacts:

Paula Baldwin, Best Buy

612-291-6126

Paula.baldwin@bestbuy.com

Excel - Problem with Dates Older than 1930

If your dates are displaying incorrectly, e.g. 1935 shows as 2035, this is why. It can be frustrating because although the date looks correct in the cell, if you select the cell and view the formula bar you'll see a different date shows there. This occurs only when you use 2 digits for the year. You will not have this problem if you use 4 digits for the year.

Any 2-digit year on or after 1/1/30 (1/1/1930) will show correctly in the 1900's. Any 2-digit year before 1/1/30 will show incorrectly in the 2000's, basically putting a '20' in front of the 2 digits instead of '19'.  Thus:

1/1/30 = 1/1/1930
1/1/31 = 1/1/1931

but:

1/1/00 = 1/1/2000
1/1/01 = 1/1/2001
1/1/29 = 1/1/2029

I recommend always using 4-digit years. You can then format the cell to display anyway you'd like (use "customize" if the way you like is not shown).

Microsoft support offers these solutions:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302768

Storing Data in the Cloud

3 Ways to Keep Your Data With You At All Times - NYTimes.com

"Here are some of my favorite services when it comes to maintaining data while on the road."

Dropbox
Pogoplug
LetsCrate

How to Turn on ClearType

For Windows 7:

1. In the Control Panel (Category view), select 'Appearance and Personalization'
2. Under Fonts, select 'Adjust ClearType text'
3. Follow the instructions on your screen to adjust your ClearType settings

For other operating systems (XP, Vista), go here:
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ClearTypeFAQ.mspx

How to Remove Microsoft Sticky Notes from Startup

Click Start and in the search box type: msconfig. Under the Startup tab, scroll down and find the Microsoft Windows Operating System command: C:\Windows\System32\StikyNot.exe, and uncheck that box. Be sure to choose the right one, there are two Microsoft Windows Operating System commands in there.

See here for: Where are Sticky Notes Stored?

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What is StikyNot? Microsoft Sticky Notes are like Digital Post-its

StikyNot is the program application name for Microsoft's Sticky Notes. The application is much like Post-it Notes, only digital.

Read how to use Sticky Notes here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Using-Sticky-Notes

To create a Sticky Note: Open Sticky Notes by tapping the Start button . In the search box, type Sticky Notes, and then tap Sticky Notes in the list of results.

To delete a Sticky Note, click the x in the upper right corner.

To enable the Delete Prompt again in Microsoft Stick notes, see this Digital Q&A post: Enable Delete Prompt again in Microsoft Sticky Notes

Click here to see how to remove Sticky Notes: How to Remove Microsoft Sticky Notes from Startup
Click here to see where they are stored on your computer: http://digital-qa.blogspot.com/2011/08/where-are-sticky-notes-stored.html

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My Favorite Favicon Generator

Simple and works great. No files stored on their site, no registration:

Favicon Generator | Make Free Favicons | Create a Favicon.ico Design

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How to Program Your Comcast Remote

New from Comcast support site: How to Program your remote control to your TV + a new tool to find your remote control code.

Comcast Remote Codes - Program Your Comcast Remote Control

You can also download remote manuals here: http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/HelpNFC.aspx?print=false&id=remotes#download

How to Split a PDF File

I needed to split a 53MB (yes, large) PDF document in two. There are so many "PDF Splitters" out there that just, well, don't work. How annoying to spend time with those.

This one worked for me:

AnyBizSoft PDF Splitter and you can download it via CNET here: http://download.cnet.com/AnybizSoft-PDF-Splitter/3000-18483_4-75211444.html

Hope that saves you some frustration.

I hesitated to add what didn't work, but thought it would be helpful. This one just didn't work for me:

PDF Splitter - Spent too much time and in the end never got it to work.

Outlook Email - Turn off Automatic Read when Selection Changes

From within Outlook, select

1. Tools
2. Options
3. Other
4. Reading Pane
5. Mark item as read when selection changes
6. Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane

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How to Display the Toolbar in Windows Explorer (Windows 7)

To display the Toolbar (the one at top that shows File, Edit, View, Tools, Help) in Windows 7 Explorer: within Explorer hit the ALT key.

If you'd always like to see the menu bar, then set the default here:
Tools, Folder Options, View, "Always show menus".

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What is the Consecutive Date of Today?

This online calendar will give you the consecutive date of today: What Is The Date Today.com - Date Today and Online Calendar.

For example, the date of this post shows like this:

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

07 / 20 / 2011
mm / dd / yyyy

July is the 07 month of the year, and we are currently in day # 200 of 2011. We are NOT currently in a leap year.

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I Like Google+ My Initial 3 Second Review

So looks like you can easily drag contacts into groups ('circles') and then just read or status out to that group. Could be ongoing, like 'Digital Analysts' or 'Family', or temp like 'Karen's Surprise Party'. Quick and easy to isolate conversations by circle - nice. Definitely a cross between Facebook/Twitter (and much easier if you have multiple Twitter accounts). And if you use Chrome, super sweet that it's always a click away via upper right corner icon. But what to give up?? My gym membership?

Cheatsheets: http://www.howtogeek.com/news/use-your-google-account-like-a-pro-with-these-two-awesome-cheat-sheets/5726/