For those of you who want to experience the glorious magic of iCloud on your Windows 7 PC which, among other things, will allow you to seamlessly sync between your iOS devices, Macs, and MS Office 2007/2010, simply Click Here to get started.

Mark

In this approximately 4 minute episode of the Candle Shore Podcast, I offer an extremely useful tip on how low vision users of Windows 7 can now use the High Contrast Themes without losing web functionality. 

Enjoy,

Mark

Episode:  How Windows 7 Low Vision Users Can Now Use High Contrast Desktop Themes Without Losing Web Functionality

Recently, I needed to create another disk partition on my PC; that is, I wanted both drive C and drive D to be that of my internal hard disk.  Imagine my delight at discovering that I did not need to completely erase and format my hard disk nor did I need to purchase a third-party application in order to accomplish this task. 

While I did not write the following instructions, I can vouch for their accuracy. 

Mark

HOW TO CREATE ADDITIONAL DISK PARTITIONS USING ONLY WINDOWS 7

First of all go to “ Start ” and then on the window that appears search for ” Computer ” and then once you right click on it another window opens and then you should navigate to the option “ Manage “. 

At once a new window will open entitled  “Computer Management“. In this new window click on “ Storage ” and then go to “ Disk Management “.

The completion of the second step will give you a view of all the drives present in your computer.

Among these select the one you want to partition. Then right click on the selected drive and navigate to the option ” Shrink Volume.. “.

A new window should open in which the size of the drive before shrink will be mentioned and the available space to shrink will be mentioned , and in the next line you will be asked to enter the amount of space you want to shrink and this will be the size of the new partition.
Caution : The space you enter must be within the limit of the available space displayed above.

After entering the values click on the option “ Shrink ” and wait for the process to complete. The time taken for the operation may be long depending upon the size of the disk and the space to be shrunk. Once the operation is completed a window appears showing unallocated space and the value is exactly the one you entered earlier. Select this unallocated space and on right clicking on it click on the option “ New Simple Volume “.

A wizard will open up. Go through the wizard and fill in the values required. Usually the value needed to enter is the same one that you entered as the volume to be shrunk.
The drive newly created needs a letter to be assigned to it. Assign any letter of your choice as it does not make any difference.

A Format page will appear and in it carefully notice that the File System selected is “ NTFS ” . After this is done enter a name for your drive and then click on ” Next ” and then “ Finish “.

You have reached your goal. You have partitioned your Hard Drive in Windows 7 without formatting your computer and without the use of any software.

Click Here for original source.

The following is a wonderful resource, showcased by SiimpleHelp, for those of us winding our way down the ever-widening Microsoft Windows road:
  
Mark

FIND GREAT FREE AND PAID APPS FOR WINDOWS WITH ALLMYAPPS
 
If you’re doing a fresh install of your Windows computer or need a specific utility, it can be annoying to search all over the Internet for them. AllMyApps solves this problem by providing a central location where you can find free and paid apps for your Windows computer.

1.
Head over to the AllMyApps website and sign up for the service (an account is needed to use the service). While you can certainly browse the site for different categories of free and commercial applications, an easier method is to download and install AllMyApps Desktop. Installation is pretty straight-forward following the wizard.

2.
Once installed log into your account if you made one on their website, or create a new one.

3.
When it launches click on the Discover link to find new applications. You can also use the search field if you know exactly what you want.

4.
Now you can brows through their catalog of apps and find what you need.

5.
In the left column you can choose the category of application you’re looking for. You’ll also see an App of the Week which is usually a commercial program that’s on sale.

6.
Click on an application that you want to learn more about and it will display a description of what it is and what it does.

7.
Click the Install button and you’ll see the Terms and conditions of Use, check that you accept the terms, and then click Install.  Then the program you selected will download and install.  You’ll see a popup screen near the notification area once it’s installed.

8.
After the program is installed you may be asked to sign-in in order to activate the license. 

9.
Once you’re finished logging into the app or setting up, it will launch right away so you can begin using it.

You know, we live in exciting times evidenced by the following information that brings a smile to my face and puts a song in my soul. 

Best of all, it really works!!! 

Mark

Google recently released Cloud Print, a web feature that allowed you to print documents on your home printer from anywhere. Today, they’re going to start rolling out that feature for mobile Gmail, so you can print straight from your smartphone. 

Until today, Google Cloud Print was only available for Chrome OS, but now iPhone and Android users can print anything from mobile Gmail on-the-go. So, if you’re out and about and want to print out an email (or one of its attachments, like a .doc or .pdf file), you can just head to Gmail’s mobile web interface and hit the print button from the top right-hand dropdown. When you gethome, your email will be waiting for you at the printer. To set up Google Cloud Print, just head to Chrome’s preferences and go to Under the Hood > Sign in to Google Cloud Print. It should automatically add all printers hooked up to that computer to your Google Cloud Print manager, and you’ll be able to print to them from your phone. Note that as of right now, it only works on Windows, and you’ll need the latest beta version of Google Chrome to set it up

Click Here For An Actual Review of This Remarkable Free Service

The following comes to us courtesy of SimpleHelp.com

Mark

Beginners Guide to Setting Up Windows Live Mail 2011

If you’re moving from XP or Vista to Windows 7, you might be wondering where the Windows Mail app is. It’s actually part of the Live Essentials 2011 suite of utilities and here we’ll give you the beginners guide for setting it up and some basic functions.  
1.
The first thing you’ll need to do is download the Windows Live Essentials 2011 installer file, right-click, and launch it as Administrator.

2.
A screen is displayed in Live Essentials 2011 that didn’t display in the older versions. It asks if you want to install all the apps in the suite or not. If you don’t want everything click on Choose the programs you want to install.

3.
For this tutorial we’ll just install the Windows Live Mail app. Check Mail then click the Install button.

4.
Now you’ll see a progress screen while Live Mail is installed on your Windows 7 PC.

5.
If you only install Live Mail, a reboot shouldn’t be required. Click the Start Menu and you’ll find Live Mail listed under All Programs…just click on it to launch it.

6.
Windows Live Mail launches and you’ll need to enter in your Windows Live, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Plus, or other email accounts with the correct username and passwords. Make sure to check Remember this password so you don’t have to enter it in every time you want to check your email, then click Next.

7.
Click Yes when the dialog comes up to verify you want to sign in with your email address. In this instance we’re using a MS Live account.

8.
Success! Our email account was added. You can add additional accounts from here as well.

9.
You’ll notice the user interface is different than previous version of Windows email clients. Like most other apps in Windows 7, it introduces the Ribbon. By default the Reading Pane is to the right of the messages. You can change this by clicking the View tab >> Reading Pane and selecting a different view. In this example we’re going to put it at the bottom of the message list.

10.
To send an email, click on the Home tab then click on Email Message or use the Ctrl + N keyboard shortcut.

11.
Now you can compose your message like normal by entering in the recipients address. Notice on the right you can show or hide the CC and BCC fields to include other contacts. When you’re finished simply click the send button.

12.
To see if you have new email and to make sure all of your messages are sent out, you’ll find the Send / Receive button under the Home tab in the Tools section of the Ribbon…or you can use the F5 button as well.

13.
Windows Live Mail 2011 also includes a calendar which is similar to the one in Outlook. To access it, click on Calendar in the navigation pane in the lower left corner and choose the view you want under the Home tab and the View section. You can select Day, Week, and full month views.

14.
To schedule an event in your Calendar, double click on the day of the event. The New Event screen opens and you can enter in the subject field, the time of the event, add any notes to it, then click the Save and Close button.

15.
Then you will see the event listed in your Calendar.

If you’re looking for an easy to use free email client to manage your email, contacts, and activities in the Calendar, Windows Live Mail 2011 is a great choice for your new Windows 7 PC. This beginner guide should get you started, and in the coming days, we’ll be taking a look at more in depth features such as adding multiple accounts, using it as an RSS reader, and a lot more…so stay tuned!

Click Here for original article complete with illistrations.

Just as the title suggests, in this approximately 5 minute episode of the Candle Shore Podcast, I demonstrate how to configure gMail to allow email clients such as Outlook and the MacMail client to undelete messages when using the iMap protocol.

Mark
Episode:  How To Configure Google Mail To Allow Messages To Be Undeleted In Email Clients

The following is from Simple Help:

Enjoy,

Mark

HOW TO STOP WINDOWS 7 FROM HIGHLIGHTING NEWLY INSTALLED PROGRAMS 

 
One of the most annoying ‘features’ of a PC with Windows freshly installed, is that it highlights all the new programs you install. Disabling this behavior is one of the first things I do when I’m working with Windows 7. Keep reading for the brief walk-through.

Windows loves to highlight newly installed programs.

I don’t like it when Windows does that, so I disable it. To do so, right-click on any blank space in the Windows taskbar. Select Properties from the pop-up.

Select the Start Menu tab from the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window. Then click the Customize… button.

Scroll down until you find the item Highlight newly installed programs – and remove the check mark from that box. Click OK to return to the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window, and click OK there as well.

Now each time you install a new program, Windows won’t highlight its entry in the Start Menu.

Just as the title of this posts suggests, Click Here to go to the Microsoft Windows Blue Screen of Death Survival Guide.

Good Luck,

Mark

Microsoft will enable Exchange ActiveSync for Hotmail users on Monday, August 31, 2010, giving them the ability to receive push email on devices such as iPhone.

Microsoft’s Dharmesh Mehta told CNET that ActiveSync offers a more robust option than IMAP and, when combined with POP access, should give most Hotmail users the syncing capabilities they are looking for.

Mark

Read More

Need help with setting up or troubleshooting your network configuration?  Go to:
http://practicallynetworked.com for the answers to practically all of your questions.

Good Luck,

Mark

In this approximately 5 minute podcast, I tell you about a recent misfortune I suffered, remind you to backup any data that you do not wish to lose, and ask you for a little help.

Thank you for listening.

Mark
Episode:  Take It From Mark, Back It Up And A Call For Help

Believe it or not, there is a world out there beyond, and in some cases, albeit few, better than apple. 

Click Here to read a fabulous PC Magazine article that lists some very excellent Apple product alternative.

Mark

The following comes to us courtesy of PC Magazine.

Enjoy,

Mark

12 TIPS TO SPEED UP WINDOWS 7 

1.
Uninstall Bloatware
Uninstall bloatware that came with your laptop or PC.
Or even apps you installed but no longer want. Head to Control Panel | Programs | Uninstall a program and take the hatchet to anything, such as unwanted games, that you’ll never need. Many programs will load processes at boot time and take up valuable RAM and CPU cycles. While you’re in here, you can also click “Turn Windows Features On or Off” and scan the list to see if there’s anything you don’t use. You might also try software like PCDecrapifier and Revo Uninstaller, both utilities that are featured in our Best Free Software of 2010 blockbuster.
Ads by Google
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2.
Limit Startup Processes
Limit startup processes.
In the Start button’s search box, type MSCONFIG, then head to the Startup tab. You’ll likely see a slew of apps, mostly for system support, but you’ll be able to identify some that clearly aren’t necessary. There’s absolutely no need to have GoogleUpdate or even QuickTime running all the time, for example. Don’t delete those that support your hardware or security, but anything blatantly nonproductive can go. You may have to check the program names online with a site like processlibrary.com to see what they are—they may even be malware. If you want to get more granular, run Microsoft’s Autoruns utility.

3.
Add More RAM
Add more RAM.
Windows 7 isn’t has much of a hog as Vista, but if you’re moving from XP, the memory requirements are greater. Here’s a great article to show you how to add RAM.

4.
Turn Off Search Indexing
Turn off search indexing.
In Vista I, would only do this if I saw the search indexing icon in the system tray and noticed a performance lag, but that notification isn’t present in Windows 7. Of course, if you do a lot of searching, this won’t appeal to you, as some searches will be slower. To turn off indexing, open the Indexing Options Control Panel window (if you just type “index” in the Start button search box, you’ll see that choice at the top of the start menu), click “Modify” and remove locations being indexed and file types, too. If you want to leave search indexing on, but find that it occasionally slows you down, you can stop its process when you need extra speed. Right-click on Computer either in the Start menu or on the desktop, choose Manage. Then double-click Services and Applications, then Services. Find Windows Search, and double click on that. From this properties dialog, you can choose a Startup type of Manual or Disabled to have the process silent by default. 5. Defrag
Defragment your hard drive.
Your disk stores data in chunks wherever there’s space on disk, regardless of whether the space is contiguous for one file. Defragging tidies everything up and blocks a program’s bits together so that the reader heads don’t have to shuttle back and forth to read a whole executable or data file. While this is less of a problem with today’s huge hard drives and copius RAM, a slow system can still benefit from defragmenting the disk. Windows 7 comes with a built-in defragger that runs automatically at scheduled intervals. Mine was set by default to run Wednesdays at 1:00 AM, when my PC is usually turned off; so it never got defragged. If you’re in a similar boat, you can either change the scheduled defrag, or defrag on demand. Just type “defrag” in the Windows Start Menu search bar, and click on “Disk Defragmenter.” The version of the utility is improved in Windows 7, and shows more information about what’s happening on your disk than Vista did. The Windows 7 engineering team posted a very in-depth, informative article on the Engineering Windows 7 blog.

6.
Change Power Settings
Change power settings to maximum performance.
Of course, this isn’t a good choice if you want to save electricity, but it could boost your computing. Head to Control Panel / System and Security / Power Options. From here, click on the left-panel choice “Create a power option” and choose “High Performance.”

7.
Clean Up Your Disk
Clean up Your Disk.
From the Start menu, choose All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Disk Cleanup. This finds unwanted junk and files such as temporary, offline Web pages, and installer files on your PC and offers to delete them all at once. You may even find that your Recycle Bin is bulging at the seams: Mine had 1.47GB I didn’t know was there! This will generally only have a noticeable affect on speed if your machine is getting close to full, however.

8.
Check for Viruses & Spyware
Check for Viruses and Spyware.
You can run the built in Windows Defender or a third-party app. You could start with our Editors’ Choice, Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2010. If you don’t want to pay, though, there are plenty of free antimalware options. Our current Editors’ Choice for free AV is Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.1.

9.
Performance Troubleshooter
Use the Performance Troubleshooter.
In Control Panel’s search box, type “troubleshooting” and under System and Security, you’ll see the choice “Check for performance issues.” Run the troubleshooter and it may find the root cause of your slowdown.

10.
Turn Off Desktop Gadgets
Turn off Desktop Gadgets.
Now we come to the tips that require shutting down some of the operating system’s bling. Windows 7 ditched the actual visual sidebar of Vista, but there’s still a sidebar process running. Turn it off by typing “gadgets” in the start menu search bar, choosing “View list of running gadgets” and select each in turn and click Remove to shut any gadgets you can live without.

11.
Don’t Use a Beautiful Desktop Background
Don’t use a beautiful desktop background.
This will free up extra RAM and therefore boost speed slightly. Right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize, then Desktop Background at the bottom of the resulting dialog window. Set it to a solid color.

12.
Turn Off Aero Eeffects
Turn off Aero effects.
Head to the Control Panel’s Performance Information and Tools section, and choose Adjust Visual Effects. Here you’ll find a long list of effects, but simply choosing “Adjust for best performance” will turn everything off. You’ll feel like you stepped back into a decade ago.

Click Here for Original Article.

Want to have Windows 7 display all of the icons in the notification area all the time?

Unused icons in the notification area are usually hidden. If you prefer to show all of the icons (even those that are not currently in use), follow these steps: 

1.
Right-Click the Start Button

2.
Click Properties.  A Multi-Tab Dialog Box will appear.

3.
Select the Taskbar Tab.

4.
Click the Notification Area Customize Button.  A secondary Dialog Box will appear. 

5.
Place a Checkmark in the Checkbox next to the item labeled “Always Show All Icons and Notifications on the Taskbar”.

6.
Click the [OK] Button to save your changes. 

Mark

From PC Magazine
NEWS: Microsoft Shows Off ‘Wave 4′ Windows Live Essentials Apps
Windows 7 doesn’t come pre-installed with an iLife-type suite of consumer applications, but you can download the free Windows Live Essentials to fill this role. Microsoft gave early access to the upcoming “Wave 4″ apps to some tech journalists, and PCMag.com was invited for a test spin.
Click Here To Read More.

Mark

As a low vision Windows 7 and Mac Snow Leopard user, I access computers via a screen reader (JAWS) for Windows 7 and (VoiceOver) for Mac Snow Leopard.

I also happen to be a very satisfied user of iPhone 3GS. 

Included with the iPhone 3GS, at the time of purchase, is a very nice set of Apple branded stereo earphones with inline 3-button remote control and microphone.  This included headset can be used to remotely control iPhone 3GS volume level, dialing feature, and iPod App. 

Since the release of iPhone 3GS, I have damaged the microphone on at least three sets of these headsets by various sundry accidents including getting the microphone wet. 

The other day, while opening yet another pair of Apple iPhone 3GS earphones, I decided to attach the older pair to my MacBook Pro. 

What do you think I discovered?  You’re right!  The inline remote control acts just like it does on my iPhone 3GS; that is, the volume buttons work to change the volume level of the MacBook Pro and the middle button will open iTunes. When iTunes is playing media, the headset inline remote control functions to navigate the playback just as it does on the iPhone 3GS. 

As a bonus, even when running Windows 7 in VM Ware’s Fusion, the inline remote volume buttons continue to function normally. 

So, go ahead and shove  that iPhone 3GS 3-button inline remote control headset with Microphone, attached to your MacBook Pro, in your ear.

Enjoy,

Mark

This post is for those scientifically-minded blind and low vision computerers who prefer a little Windex in their Apple Cider.  (Smile)  That is to say, for those visually impaired JAWS users who wish to run Microsoft Windows as a virtual machine on a Macintosh system.

The following is an overview of the setup I now enjoy:

I HAVE 
1.
A MacBook Pro 13-inch running the latest version of the Mac operating system with VoiceOver, Apple’s software screen reading solution for the blind and low vision, enabled. 

2.
A copy of the latest Desktop version of VM Ware’s Fusion.

3.
A licensed copy of Windows 7.

4.
A copy of Freedom Scientific’s JAWS, a windows based software screen reading solution for the blind and low vision.

5.
A copy of Sharp Keys, a keyboard mapping solution.

6.
A standard USB Microsoft keyboard.

GENERAL SETUP
1.
Install and register VM Ware’s Fusion on the Mac.

2.
From within the VM Ware Fusion application, create a Windows 7 virtual machine. 

3.
Install JAWS in the virtual Windows 7 machine.

KEYBOARD CONFLICTS
While sighted users can easily begin using a virtual machine, almost immediately, those of us requiring the use of a screen reader must resolve some keyboard conflicts in order to use both screen readers, in their respective operating systems, successfully.

Several very important keys, necessary to use both JAWS and Windows 7 efficiently include the INSERT, CONTROL, CAPSLOCK, and APPLICATION keys, none of which, from the JAWS screen reader’s perspective, exist on the MacBook Pro keyboard. 

CONFLICT RESOLUTION
1.
Attach a standard USB Microsoft keyboard to the Mac.

2.
From the Windows 7 Desktop, launch Sharp Keys.

3.
Using both the USB attached keyboard and the Mac keyboard to enter parameters, map the USB keyboard INSERT key to the GRAV key on the Mac.

2.
Map one of the USB keyboard CONTROL keys to a Function key on the Mac.

3.
Map one of the USB keyboard APPLICATION keys to the CONTROL key on the Mac.

4.
Save the changes and restart Windows 7.

5.
Detach the USB keyboard from the Mac.

6.
From within the JAWS User Interface, select Laptop Keyboard Layout, if applicable. 

7.
From within the Configuration Manager, assign the JAWS KEY to the INSERT key.

8.
From within the JAWS keyboard Manager, create new keyboard assignments for both the Left and Right Mouse clicks.  I suggest that you use the CONTROL key as a modifier. 

That’s all there is to it.

Good Luck and Enjoy,

Mark

If you’re a small business that wishes to take it to the next level in either free or low-cost, reliable, and professional quality online solutions, then Click Here to read this very comprehensive PC Magazine article that can help you get started.

Good Luck,

Mark

Sometimes, that wonderfully perfect PC just refuses to work right.  When that happens, Click Here to engage the ever-amazing magic of the Complete PC Recovery Toolkit.

Good Luck,

Mark