Computer Work Ideas

Disclaimer :- I have Windows '98 se on my system. These items and software work for me, but I can't guarantee that they'll work for you. This is just where I store my scraps and notes to keep them from floating around in my My Documents folder.

The sections on this page :-

Archiving - Storing Windows Updates

Embedding a Windows Media Player applet Audio Tricks Visual Workings Key Software I Use

Website Builder Editor - Frontpage Express My Computer and it's Components

Archiving - Storing Windows Updates

When you clean (re) install windows onto your computer. It's a pain in the ass to have to re download all your
critical and non critical updates from the Windows Update website. It takes time and MB's of download.

What I discovered is that when you download an update, it leaves an INSTALLER file for that update in your Temporary Internet Files folder.

This installer icon looks like this E.g . The file name most times also has the update name or number inside the 20+ digit filename.

Once you have installed your update/s. Go to your Start Menu - Find - Files or Folders (open).

In Name & Location in the Named: text box type in *.exe In Look in: text box type in C:\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files

Tick the Include subfolders box. Then click on the Find Now button.

The update files will show up found like this E.g

Then all you have to do is WINDOW these files with your mouse, and Right click Copy them.
Then Paste these files into one of your folders to keep them.

Note... .exe files will not DRAG and DROP, they only produce a shortcut to them if you do. So it's COPY and PASTE.

You can then cut the filenames down to just the Update name, E.g Q832894 or note what the update name is when you install it.

So that's it, the next time you back up all your Documents and files for a Windows Clean Install.
You just put your Documents and files back into your computer after it. Then open your installers folder
and DOUBLE CLICK on these installers to open and install the updates. You can install multiple updates without
having to GO OFFLINE the INTERNET. RESTARTING COMPUTER. GOING BACK ONLINE and ALL THAT CRAP.

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Embedding a Windows Media Player applet

The text code :-

The above code (with amended parameters) can be CUT and PASTE into your web page text using a text
editor, Eg - Wordpad or Notepad. In a web page editor you can also insertthe text in HTML Markup.

Basic Parameters Description

width is the defined Applet width (pixels) shown in page.

height is the defined Applet height (pixels) shown in page.

FileName is the web address/location of the sound file. Can be .wav, .mid or .mp3 files.

AutoStart is set to (1 to start playing when page/file is loaded)
or (0for the sound file notto play until PLAY is clicked).

True = 1 and False = 0.

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Audio Tricks

Windows Sounds. Opening and Closing etc.

To change the closing / opening ( and other sounds ) in Windows to personalize it, go to Start menu, - Settings, and click on Control Panel. In Control Panel, open Sounds. Then in the Events window, scroll down to locate either Exit Windows( or Start Windows ) and select. In the Sound section you can click to preview the current sound and use the drop down to select other sounds for that event. If you have a favourite.wav file, that you would like to use, click Browse and locate the the file where you keep it ( * only wav files can be used ). Select the file then click OK. Then you can preview the new sound or just click OK or Apply to finish and exit Sounds Properties. Then the next time you Shut Down or Start Windows the new sound for that event will be played.

* It is a good idea to take note of the current event sound you want to change, so you can change it back if you don't like the new one. Sort of like girlfriends, and keeping the old ones phone numbers.

* Also, the longer and larger the sound file, the longer the delay will be on the event action.

Audio File Sizes.

If you've got .wav or .mp3 files that you find take up too much space in thier file sizes. You can convert then down to a smaller file size but it is at the expense of the quality, which if you do it properly isn't too costly. PCM ( CD Quality files ) can be quite large and space consuming.

Using theSound Recorder program go, File, Open and find the files location. Sound Recorder will default the file type as a .wav, so select Files of typeto All files if your file is an .mp3 file to see it in the Open window. Select your file and Open it. Then in Sound Recorder go to File, and select Properties then select Convert Now. You can choose either CD Quality, Radio Quality or Telephone Quality. CD Quality is large size files and Telephone Quality is pretty shitty, but Radio Quality is O.K. In Format select MPEG Layer-3and I find that the best Attributes ( No i'm not talking TITS here ) to select is 20 kBit/s, 11,025 Hz, Stereo 2 KB/s for GOOD quality. Then click OK and Sound Recorder will convert it down. Click Ok to close Properties, then play it in Sound Recorder to test it. Then re - Save the file. If it is an .mp3 you'll have to type .mp3on the end of the file name. You can also save the file under a slightly different file name, to keep the original file ( if you don't like the new quality ) or to compare the two versions.

For example a file that was 2,930kb size at MPEG Layer-3 56 kBit/s, 24,000 Hz Stereo became 1,042kb size at MPEG Layer-3 20 kBit/s, 11,025 Hz Stereo. That is a reduction of 1,888kb, more than half of the original size. Some audio files you can drop by about three quarters of thier original size at least, and still have good quality.

Converting Audio Files.

To convert a MP3 to WAV or vice versa, open the file in Media Player then go FILE / Save As and type on to the end
of the filename either " .wav" or " .mp3 " then click Save. The file will then be saved with that extension in that file format.

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Visual Workings

Screen Savers.

If you have a screen saver maker, ( I do ) or you have downloaded a screensaver file from the internet the place to put in, is C:\WINDOWS. Screensaver files have the .SCR file extension. If the file you've made / downloaded, is in another location then to relocate it to C:\WINDOWS you will have to copy and paste the file there. .SCR files are similar to .EXE files in the respect that you just can't drag and drop them. The only thing you'll be dragging and dropping is a shortcut to the file. That's why you'll have to copyand paste it and then you can delete the original.

Two ways you can go to setting your Screen Saver :-

On your Desktop right click on your mouse and go Active Desktop, click on Customise my Desktop, Display Properties and then Screen Saver. Or you can do it from the Start menu, go Start, Settings, Active Desktop, click on Customise my Desktop, Display Properties and then Screen Saver.

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Key Software I Use

Key ( VITAL ) software that I couldn't do without .

Frontpage Express. This came as part of Internet Explorer 5.1. You'll most likely have a more recent version of I.E than that.
If so, then download Frontpage Express from here http://www.sph.emory.edu/PAMM/IH552/FPX.exe .
Run the EXE file and create a folder to unzip the files to e.g C:\Program Files\Frontpage Express.
The actual program file will be in - C:\Program Files\Frontpage Express\FPX\BIN.
Just create a shortcut to that Fpxpress.exe file then move the shortcut to your desktop. Simple.
* FrontPage Express Resource Centre.http://www.accessfp.net/fpexpress.htm how to use Frontpage Express because
the actual program includes very little instruction. Microsoft want you to buy the full Frontpage Software Package.

WS FTP LE FTP file transfer client. Ipswitch Inc. http://www.ftpplanet.com/download.htm.

Image File Converter. http://www.homeplansoftware.com/imgconv.htm.

RegClean v4.1. Cleans and fixes your system registry. http://download.com.com/3000-2094-881470.html?tag=list .

Norton System Works 2003.

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Website Builder Editor - Frontpage Express

Frontpage Express originally came as part of Internet Explorer 5.1. You'll most likely have a more recent version of I.E than that so download the Frontpage Express zip file from this location:-

http://www.sph.emory.edu/PAMM/IH552/FPX.exe 1,519KB

As it is an Installer select Save This Program to disk. Find the location where you want to put it and select Save.

When downloaded, double click to open its WinZip Self-Extractor, then in Unzip To Folder, type in :-

C:\Program Files

Click Unzip. This will unzip a folder named Fpx (including 24 files) inside C:\Program Files. When it is finished click OK then Close the WinZip Self Extractor.

The next step is to create a shortcut to the program on your desktop :-

C:\Program Files\FPX\BIN\Fpxpress.exe

On your deskstop in a blank space, Right click and go across from New and click on Shortcut.

In Create Shortcut click Browse and open the Program Files folder, then open the Fpx folder and then finally the Bin folder. Select the icon and click the Open box.

The Command line should say :-

"C:\Program Files\FPX\BIN\Fpxpress.exe"

then click Next and Finish.

On your desktop you should now have the icon to open the program.

Now, to change the Folder that Frontpage Express will start in, to open your files.

Right click on the above shortcut to its Properties. Change the "C:\Program files\FPX\BIN" in the Start in to :-

"C:\My documents" and click OK.

* FrontPage Express Resource Centre.http://www.accessfp.net/fpexpress.htm a tutorial on how to use
Frontpage Express because the actual program includes very little instruction.

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My Computer and it's Components

(OLD girl, she's slow, does struggle at times, although battles on ).

IBM APTIVA 26A ( Yr 2000 ).

Processor AMD-K6-2/500 mhz with 3D now technology. L1 cache 128 kb L2 cache 512 kb.

Mouse/Keyboard IBM Rapid Access II Keyboard, Microsoft Optical Wheel Mouse.

Memory 128 MB SDRAM expandable to 256 MB. Hard Drive 20.5 GB.

CD-ROM/MODEM 40 x Max- CD ROM, 56K V.90 Data/Fax Modem.

Multi Media 8MB Video, 3D Graphics - SIS 530.

Self installed -.

20.5 GB HARD DRIVE from the pissy 6 GB drive that was standard. 128 MB SDRAM chip from the 64 MB that was standard.

CREATIVE CD - RW DRIVE ( 12 x 10 x 32X ) C.D read, writer.

Accessories -.

Digital Camera 1.3 Megapixel ( 1280 x 960 pixel ). Flatbed Scanner CanoScan FB 330P. Printer Canon BJC - 265 SP.

Cam Logitech Quickcam. Optical Wheel Mouse Microsoft.

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