Support Stuff

This section contains general personal computer support.

Setup and Maintenance Tips

There are hundreds of ways to customize your computer during and after setup. We've gathered tips on setup and customization for you to explore

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/tips/default.mspx

Personalize Your Browser

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/personalize.mspx

Address Bar Keyboard Shortcut

Add "www." to the beginning and ".com" to the end of the text typed in the Address bar. You don't have to type http://www.<domainName>.com and click the Go button. You can just type the <domainName> and press Ctrl + Enter. Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) adds the http://www. and the .com to the domain name then goes to the web page. Probably the least known shortcut, but it is a tremendous time saver. You can type the domain name and press Enter, but IE does a search for the domain and that can add anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. If you know where you are going, why search?

Host Name Information

Drop the Host Name when typing an address. The prefix www does not always need to be used when going to a domain's default web site. (This prefix is called the Host Name.) For instance, if I type http://missico.com, IE will do a "DNS lookup" for the web server of the domain missico.com, which happens to be www.missico.com. Therefore, http://missico.com is exactly the same as http://www.missico.com. Many domains, including mine, go a step further by allowing you to type anything before the domain. For instance, the addresses http://tony.missico.net, http://anthony.missico.net, or http://fred.missico.net will all direct you to the web server at missico.net. (If you try this, you will see an under construction page.) Notice, this doesn't work for missico.com. My stupid Web Service Provider (WSP) can't seem to understand me when I explain what I want them to do. (Yet, they sure do understand when I don't pay them for lack of support / service. That always gets their attention.)

JavaScript Random Numbers

I am going to show the proper way to generate random integer numbers in JavaScript, JScript, ECMAScript, or whatever the current version for the day is. This same technique is used in all programming languages.

The first function is the technique everyone is referencing in the discussion on how to generate random numbers in JavaScript. The get_random() function returns integer numbers between 0 and 4. Notice the 4 is hard-coded. Yuk! Amateurs. First, it is not a technique. It only provides for simple random number that function as lookups into arrays. Seconds, this is not a function, but more of a statement. Calling this function is just a waste of time and resources. Better to generate the random number as an inline statement. Seconds, this function can only return integer numbers between 0 and N, where N is any number. What if you do not what numbers between 0 and N? What if you want letters between A and Z?

function get_random()
{
    var ranNum = Math.round(Math.random() * 4);
    return ranNum;
}

The following function is the correct way to generate integer numbers. This function accepts lower and upper ranges, and returns integer numbers within the specified bounds. This is a true function that provides the basis for other more sophisticated procedures and functions.

function getRandom(lowerBound, upperBound) {
    return Math.floor((upperBound - lowerBound + 1) * Math.random() + lowerBound);
}

The get_random() function becomes the following function. Yet, just using getRandom(0,4) inline is still better than calling the get_random() function.

function get_random() {
    return getRandom(0,4);
}

Generating random letters is just as easy, and shows the true power of properly generating random numbers. In any language.

function getRandomLetter() {
    return String.fromCharCode(getRandom(65, 90));
}

Keyboard Shortcuts

Leaning keyboard shortcuts allows you to quickly access programs, functions, documents, and folders. For instance, did you know that pressing  + D minimizes all windows and shows the Desktop, and If you press  + D again, all windows are restored?

Here are a few of my favorite shortcuts:

• Use the Backspace key, in most browsers, to go back when browsing, instead of clicking the Back button.
• Press  + E to open Windows Explorer.
• Press  + L to lock Windows XP when you get up to leave your computer. This is very handy if you want to keep someone from ease dropping or hide sensitive information when they come up to you when you are working.
• Press Ctrl + N to create a new document in Microsoft Word, create a new workbook in Microsoft Excel, or a new window of the same page in Microsoft Internet Explorer. This works in most applications.

In my opinion, the most important of all general keyboard shortcuts:

• Ctrl + C for Copy, which copies the selected item to the Clipboard.
• Ctrl + X for Cut, copies the selected item to the Clipboard then deletes the item.
• Ctrl + V for Paste, copies the selected item from the Clipboard into the application. Each application handles this pasting operation differently.
• Ctrl + Z for Undo is the most important because it undoes your mistakes.

These general keyboard shortcuts work in nearly every application. You can do some cool things. For instance, you can Copy (Ctrl + C) files from Windows Explorer and Paste (Ctrl + V) them into other folders, into a Microsoft Outlook message, even when editing this web page. (See .) Microsoft FrontPage determined an image was on the Clipboard and inserted accordingly. If I had copied a Plain Text file from Windows Explorer and pasted into Microsoft FrontPage then the contents of the file would be inserted.

You can move a file with Windows Explorer by cutting the file and pasting into another folder. You can even copy sections of Microsoft Office documents and paste them as "document scraps", which is very cool. You can cut and paste between all the Microsoft Office applications in addition to drag and drop.

Walkthrough

Try this little walkthrough to see the power of keyboard shortcuts.

1. Select some text from a Microsoft Word document. Press Copy (Ctrl + C) to copy the text to the Clipboard. Open Windows Explorer, using the keyboard shortcut  + E. Browse to your "My Documents" folder or any other folder and Paste (Ctrl + V). A Document Scrap is created.
2. Switch to Microsoft Outlook using Alt + Tab and Paste (Ctrl + V). Microsoft Outlook creates a new message with the contents of the Clipboard automatically inserted as the body.
3. Switch back to Windows Explorer. Grab the Document Scrap with your mouse and move it over the Microsoft Outlook bar on the Task Bar. Now drop it. Microsoft Outlook does the same thing. It creates a new message with the contents of the Clipboard as the message body.

Here is a great tip. In most applications, press F1 to display the application's help then search for "keyboard shortcuts" to find helpful ways to quickly access functions in the application.

Slow Download Speeds

Q: Why am I downloading at speeds as low as 28 to 33.6k?

• Your connection speed is measured in bits. Download speeds reported by your computer are measured in bytes, 8 bits is equal to 1 byte. The formula for converting your connection rate (kilobits) to your download, or throughput rate (kilobytes) and taking in consideration for 30% packet overhead loss is: Connection rate divided by a factor of 8 and multiplied by 70%. Example: [384,000 bits divided by 8 (bit to byte conversion)] multiplied by 70% = 33,600, or 33.6K. This provides the optimal download speed for a 384k connection.
• Line problems.
• External interference.
• Internet congestion/traffic.

DVD+R Disc Care

1. This DVD+R disc can be recorded on by using a general purpose DVD recorder. It can then be played back on most DVD-ROM and DVD-Video machines.
2. Handle this disc with care to prevent scratches, fingerprints, dust and dirt from collecting on the recording side. Also, be sure not to touch the recording side of the disc. Wipe off any dust or dirt that may have accumulated with a soft piece of dry cloth -- do not use benzene, thinner, record cleaner fluid or antistatic agents as these may damage the recording surface and will void any warranties.
3. Use an oil-based, felt tip pen to write on the disc. Do not use hard tipped pens such as ball-points. Write in the title area only -- if a label is used, use only full size, self-adhesive labels to maintain the proper balance of the disc.
4. Do not leave the disc in direct sunlight or exposed to high heat and humidity, and always be careful not to bend or drop the disc.

DVD Recording and Playback Quality

I purchased a new external DVD burner recently. During testing I found the burner would occasionally fail while writing without generating an error. I discovered this problem when "verifying" the finished DVD. While troubleshooting, I found that not all DVD Blank Media is the same. I tested three kinds; Sony 8x, Memorex 8x, and a generic 4x brand.

The Sony media is slow. This is an 8x disc, but I get errors when burning at better than 2x speed. If I burn at 2x, then everything is find, it just takes a couple of hours (50 min. to burn and 50 min. to verify.)

The Memorex is the worst compared to the other two. Another 8x disc, but you get no errors while burning at better than 2x speed. Yet, write errors actually happen and the disk is damaged.

I can burn on the generic brand close to 4x and playback with no problems. (There is no way to determine who makes the generic brand from the label.)

Knowing these facts, I started my research and found: What burner you have determines what media you need to buy. Regardless of your burner, where you want to play the DVD also affects your choice of media.

Long story short;

"...we recommend BeAll, Ritek, Samsung and Verbatim DVD blank media for steady recording compatibility and playback compatibility."

http://www.meritline.com/faq-dvd-blank-media-burner-burning-software.html#6

http://www.meritline.com/dvd-r-media-4-dvd-burner-recorder.html

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 12:09:00 -0800