Seattle Tech Talk Blog » PC Tweaks

Search For Drivers For Unknown Devices

Micro — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 01:24:14 +0000

Whenever I format a computer I look too see if I am missing any drivers. First to see this menu, right click my computer and go to properties. Once there Click the hardware tab and then click the device manager button. If you have an exclamation that means it is missing a driver.

To update or install a driver, you have two options go to windows update or search Google and download one. However, sometimes you get a “Unknown Device” and you may have no idea on what this device is. You can find the type of device by right clicking the Unknown device and going to the details tab. Now change the drop down box to compatible IDs. Now you might see something like this “pci/ven_13f6&dev_0111&rev_10 ” What you need to do is copy down the items that would be on your hardware in bold. Your numbers will be different then 13f6 and 0111. Now Search the first four numbers/letters on this site using control F. Now once you locate the company, click on it and search for the second set of numbers/letters. Now it will give you a device, Google this device to find the drivers to download.

This maybe a little confusing so feel free to leave comments if you need further explanation.

What Does Disk Defragment Do?

Micro — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 04:59:21 +0000

Windows offers the option of defragmenting your HDD but what does it do exactly? Well it defragments your disk. Basically when you install and delete files your disk becomes fragmented. Meaning data becomes split up and in a way out of order. Since data is further apart then it takes your computer longer to read the data. So basically a disk defrag brings all your files back into order which should increase the speed on how your computer reads data off the HDD. To defrag your disk got to Start->All programs-> accessories-> System Tools->Disk Clean up.

Why Vista is not liked by the pro’s.

seattle techtalk — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 04:00:43 +0000

Vista is really a great operating system, but it just isn’t something a expert would want. Why? Simply, because it consists of too much stuff. A computer with Vista should have atleast 512 mb ram to actually maintain the efficieny of the system, but then again are we all efficient?

Vista has several factors which are quite obnoxious such as the random popup for every exe application or just about anything you open. Another thing is, it has alot of background processes.

One thing you always want to do is cut down all the background crap. The less stuff you have in background the more use you can make out of your computer’s power. Be efficient.

Make Your Computer Load Faster in a Few Easy Steps

Micro — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 04:33:15 +0000

Don’t you hate it when you turn on the computer and you must wait a couple minutes before use? What make cause this slow down is due to the fact that many programs are starting up as you turn on a computer. Often when you install new programs onto a computer they add a registry edit where they start upon startup. These programs do not need to be started as you turn on the computer because they don’t affect how they function.

To remove these programs at start up go to Start->Run-> Type msconfig then press enter. Go to the start up tab and a list of programs should be there. For example, I removed the AIM entry also you may be willing to remove MSN messenger or any other unneeded programs.

This tip will shave off maybe minutes, depending on how many programs start at start up, so try it out and see if there is a difference.

Cloak Opera Browser as Internet Explorer or Firefox

Micro — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 05:14:06 +0000

Many sites discriminate the Opera users from viewing their site. The reason behind it was that opera had trouble loading sites however this issue has now been fixed. Yet some sites still say that you must have IE or FF to view this site. Luckily Opera allows users to cloak itself as other browsers. To change how sites view your browser go to the search box and type Opera:Config then go to User Agent. Change the number according to which browser you wished to be cloaked as.
Global values:
1 = Opera
2 = Mozilla
3 = Internet Explorer
Site-specific values:
4 = Mozilla, Opera not mentioned
5 = Internet Explorer, Opera not mentioned

Disable Annoying No Antivirus Detected Popup

Micro — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 04:36:12 +0000

Do those popups from Microsoft saying you’re firewall is off or you have no antivirus annoy you? Often when I reformat a computer I disable it because I already know that I have no antivirus and I do not need Windows telling me so. To disable these popups, click start->Control Panel. One at control panel click security center. On the left side of the security center window you should see “Change the way Security center alerts me.” After that you can choose to disable Firewall, Automatic Updates, and Antivirus protection.

How to Send Text Messages to Mobile Numbers Through AIM

Micro — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:24:54 +0000

If you wish to save money because texting can become expensive, you can just send texts through aim. To do so Add a buddy then type +1areacodephonenumber. So when you are adding a number it should look like +11234567890. Most phones will allow the person to text your AIM user which is useful if you want to carry out a conversation with each other.

Also if you are at aa computer but do not have AIM installed, you can use AIM express. Aim Express is just like using aim except that it is browser based. You dont have to install anything to use it.

Create Shutdown, Logoff, and Restart Icons on Desktop

Micro — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 04:17:55 +0000

These icons are really easy to create and if you dont like to waste time like me, then these icons will become every handy.

Fist to create any icon we must create a shortcut. To do so Right Click your Desktop and then go to New and then Shortcut. Now You must copy and past the following texts into the blank white box after you create a shortcut. To shutdown your computer paste: shutdown -s -t 00 into the box after you create a shortcut.

shutdown -r -t 00 to restart the computer

and shutdown -l -t 00 to logoff the computer.

How To Use Gmail Through Outlook 2003

Micro — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:02:51 +0000

To set up your Outlook client to work with Gmail:

Enable POP in your Gmail account. Don’t forget to click Save Changes when you’re done.
Open Outlook.
Click the Tools menu, and select E-mail Accounts…
Click Add a new e-mail account, and click Next.
Choose POP3 as your server type by clicking the radio button, and click Next.
Fill in all necessary fields to include the following information:

User Information
Your Name: Enter your name as you would like it to appear in the From: field of outgoing messages.
Email Address: Enter your full Gmail email address (username@gmail.com)Server Information
Incoming mail server (POP3):pop.gmail.com
Outgoing mail server (SMTP):smtp.gmail.com

Login Information
User Name:Enter your Gmail username (including @gmail.com)
Password: Enter your Gmail password
Click More Settings… and then click the Outgoing Server tab.
Check the box next to My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication and select Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
Click the Advanced tab, and check the box next to This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) under Incoming Server (POP3).
Check the box next to This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) under Outgoing Server (SMTP), and enter 465 in the Outgoing server (SMTP) box.
Click OK.
Click Test Account Settings… After receiving Congratulations! All tests completed successfully, click Close.
Click Next, and then click Finish.

You may ask why would you use this? Well using your gmail through outlook is more convenient since you dont have to go to gmail everytime you want to read your mail. Instead you can just click on the outlook icon to read your mail whenever you need too.

Via Mail.google.com

How to Store ANY File on Gmail

Micro — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:06:13 +0000

Note: All files stored on gmail is limited to 20 megabytes.

Now this tutorial is fairly easy. To those who dont know, Gmail doesnt allow you to upload attatchments that have the .exe extension. However, there is a quick way around this. Login to gmail and create a new draft. When using a draft you can upload any file you want that is limited to 20mb. You cannot send these files but gmail still acts as a storage server. You can have as many 20mb files as you like, as long as they dont surpass your 5.4gb limit.

You can also use a Gmail Drive. This program creates a new dirve on your desktop where you can drag and drop files to it where they will automatically be uploaded into your email account. “The e-mail appears in your normal Inbox folder, and the file is attached as an e-mail attachment. GMail Drive periodically checks your mail account (using the GMail search function) to see if new files have arrived and to rebuild the directory structures.”

Download Gmail Drive