Over the lifetime of a computer, numerous tools are installed, updated, moved or removed. Even if done thoroughly, this can create a mess in the registry when files are left behind and references become outdated. As a result, the computer slows down, programs produce registry-related errors, and eventually the system becomes unstable.

There is a number of free tools out there that can fix common registry errors, such as missing shared DLLs, incorrect file extensions, invalid paths, missing shortcuts, orphan Active X objects, invalid devices, invalid links to startup programs, and lots more.

Here is a short review of the five best freeware registry cleaners.

5. CCleaner

CCleaner definitely is the most popular Windows system optimization tool. It comes with a ton of features, one of them being a freeware registry cleaner.

CCleaner is available for all Windows versions.

If you’re a diligent user, who only installs programs he really needs and who uninstalls programs thoroughly, you won’t need a full-fledged deep registry cleaner. The registry cleaning feature included in CCleaner should be sufficient. And since CCleaner is a tool you should use in the first place, it’s very convenient.

CCleaner can not backup your registry. It’s advisable that you create a manual backup of your registry.

4. Eusing Free Registry Cleaner

Eusing’s Registry Cleaner is a tool dedicated to registry cleaning. It’s perfect for people who cannot be bothered as it is very basic and easy to use.

The tool is compatible with Windows 95 through Windows 7.

This freeware registry cleaner scans a little deeper and finds many invalid entries that were not detected by CCleaner.

Through > File you can access additional features, such as a full registry or a Windows backup. If you run into problems, you can easily restore a previous registry version under > Action or the Tasks option.

3. nCleaner second

nCleaner comes highly recommended from our IT industry superhero and tech guru Karl, who wrote a thorough nCleaner review last year. Please refer to Karl’s review for in-depth information!

The latest version of this tool is called nCleaner second and it is one of the most comprehensive free system cleaning tools on the market. Like CCleaner, it also features a registry cleaner.

Unfortunately, it is not yet available for Windows 7. Currently, Windows XP, 2003, and Vista are supported.

To clean the registry, go with the > Clean System option and continue with the > Registry clean and repair option. Before you start, you can backup the registry and in case something went wrong, restore it. Right there, you can also create a system restore point, which also backs up your registry.

2. Auslogics Registry Cleaner

Here we have a very simple to use registry cleaner, which is perfectly suited for the novice user.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner is distributed for Windows 2003 through 7 and supports both 32- and 64-bit.

The cool thing about this cleaner is that it comes with a wizard that guides you through the scan. You can select either a quick or an advanced scan. When running an advanced scan, also critical items, e.g. software and shared DLLs, can be examined. Per default, only safe items are checked and a warning is displayed, if you attempt to scan items that require experience.

The wizard offers a restore changes option. So I was wondering where the option to backup the registry was hidden. Per default, registry keys are backed up before you fix problems. However, you can deselect this option.

Finally, the tool displays the speed the computer supposedly gained after the cleaning process. Before you close the application, you can also view the full report.

1. Wise Registry Cleaner

Wise Registry Cleaner is one of the most comprehensive cleaners in this list. Hence, it made it to the number 1 position.

Despite many options, the interface remains clear. Even the novice user will find this tool easy to use, since the program guides the user through each step upon running it for the first time.

Wise Registry Cleaner is available for Windows 98 through 7 and supports 32- and 64-bit.

While the tool may ask you for your eMail address and offer to download further software during installation, it’s all optional. Just be sure to uncheck the respective boxes.

When you run Wise Registry Cleaner for the first time, you are greeted with a window that provides a link to a quick start guide. The next notice offers to perform an automatic registry backup. You can choose to never see these windows again. And don’t worry, you can manually launch a full registry backup or restore a previous registry version anytime. Also the guide and further material is available through > Help.

Once you got through the initial welcome procedure, you are pointed to the start button. Entries are categorized as safe or not fully safe to fix. Using the respective buttons you can check the safe entries, all, none or invert all checks. All these options make the tool look complicated, but I find them quite convenient.

Through > Options you can edit settings and create a scheduled task to launch and auto run the tool.

If you would like to further enhance your computer’s performance, check out TanaG’s post for 7 Common Reasons Why Windows Can Get Unresponsive and refer to Angelina’s article on Top 8 Programs That Can Make Your Computer Run Faster. This material should point you into the right direction.

How often do you clean your registry and what tool do you use?

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Chess is a historic example for a play-by-mail board game. The game known as correspondence chess even kept the greatest figures of history entertained. A match was said to be played between King Henry I of England and King Louis VI of France in the early 12th century. Also Voltaire and Frederick the Great were engaged in play-by-mail chess during their time. In 1943, the FBI allegedly suspected Humphrey Bogart to be sending secret enemy codes to correspondence chess players overseas.

Today, eMail and websites make play-by-mail games quicker and more convenient than ever before. However, eMails play only a minor role. However, play-by-mail remains a fun way to find fun games to play online throughout the day, without devoting too much time to it. Besides, you don’t have to be online at the same time your match partner is. Here is a small selection of online games.

SoundChess

The SoundChess website is the link between you and your partner. Either one of you can set up the game and make the first move. With each move you can also include a message to your partner. The site shows the current board and provides some resources on possible chess openings.

After you made your first move, you will see the history of exchanged messages on the very right of the site.

ItsYourTurn

Here a hub for play-by-mail games, including Backgammon, Halma, Checkers, Jamble, and many more. There are 13 standard games, and dozens of variations to many of the games. To play, you must sign up.

You can get into a game in several different ways. You can start a new game and post it to the waiting room. You can also go directly to the waiting room and see which games are seeking a partner. A screenshot of the waiting room is posted below. The time limit refers to the time each player has to complete one move. The minimum is 3 days.

If you already know who will be your partner (they must be registered), you can start a match with a specific player.

Finally, you can be auto-matched for up to 5 different games of any type and at the same time.

Communication happens through ItsYourTurn’s internal mailbox. However, notifications of new messages are sent to your eMail. All games and standings are listed on the game status page.

For my example I picked Halma. All moves are recorded and shown below the board. With each new move you can add a message for your opponent.

With the free account you can play up to 20 games at once and make 15 moves per day.

Phoenix

Phoenix is an incredibly complex play-by-mail strategy game.

Due to its complexity, the game has a very steep learning curve. However, sufficient material and an active community is available to guide players through each step. If you don’t mind reading and communicating with other players through forums, this game is for you.

After signing up and defining your mission preferences in a short questionnaire, you start out with your own ship. Head over to > Turns > Access and access your ship. It will then appear under > Turns.

To get familiar with your ship, its options, and available orders you should start a training session. Carefully read the mission, then head over to > Orders and give the first orders, so your ship takes off and heads to its first destination.

My mission was to dock in Balmoral on the planet Shiloh and issue a special action applying for the job as courier for the reserach labs of EEM Balmoral.

After making your orders you have to wait for the mission to progress.

When you play games via email you hardly ever know your partner personally and you cannot control how fast the game will progress. The advantage is that you can sit down and continue with your moves whenever you have time.

Have you ever played games via mail? Let us know in comments!

Image credits: lusi

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The registry is the central part of the system data and the one most likely to cause problems. It contains all information about installed software, drivers, plugins, updates, and more. After countless edits due to software being added, changed or removed, errors and bad entries pile up in the registry. This can make your computer slow or even unstable.

Here are 3 ways to backup the registry, two of them along with other critical system data.

1. Export Specific Registry Keys

If you are going to make changes to a specific registry key, you can selectively export or restore this key.

Backup

Click > Start > Run, type > regedit and click > OK. The registry editor will open.

Select the key you wish to backup, right-click to open the menu and click > Export.

Enter a name for the REG file and save it to a safe location.

In the same fashion you can export an entire registry branch or the registry as a whole.

Restore

To restore, you simply double-click the backed up REG file and it will automatically update the registry with its contents.

2. System State Backup

Windows XP Pro and other NT based Windows versions have an internal backup feature, which can be used to backup essential system data, including the Boot file, the COM+ class registration database, and the registry.

Backup

Go to > Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup Option.

The Backup or Restore Wizard will open. Click and switch to > Advanced Mode and open the > Backup tab.

Select the files you would like to backup, in this case > System State, which can be found under > My Computer.

Be sure a path is displayed under > Backup media or file name. If this is not the case, click > Browse… and select a destination. You can also change the name of the backup file. Then click > Start Backup.

A window summarizing the backup data will open. Change the backup description and eventually make further settings. Then click > Start once more. This backup can take up to 5 minutes.

Restore

To restore a system state backup, open the Backup or Restore Wizard in Advanced Mode as described above.

Switch to the > Restore and Manage Media tab. Your previous backups should be listed. Select the one you would like to restore and click > Restore Backup.

3. System Restore Point

When you set a system restore point, several files are saved, including files in the Windows File Protection (Dllcache) folder, the local user profile, COM+ and WMI databases, IIS metabase, all files that are monitored due to their file extension and the registry.

With a system restore point you can return to a previous system state. This can be helpful in case changes to the registry, new drivers or program installations have caused damage. Your personal documents, such as browser bookmarks, eMails or photos are not affected.

Backup

To create a system restore point manually, click > Start > Run, type > %SystemRoot%\System32\restore\rstrui.exe and click OK to launch the tool.

On the welcome page select > Create a restore point and click > Next. On the following page enter a name for this restore point and click > Create.

Stefan recently reviewed a tool called Single Click Restore Point, which significantly speeds up this process.

Restore

To restore previous computer settings and an older registry, you open the System Restore welcome page as described above, select > Restore my computer to an earlier time and click > Next.

On the subsequent page select a recent system restore point from the calendar and click > Next.

The Confirm Restore Point Selection page displays the restore point you chose. Click > Next to continue. Your computer will now start to restore the previous Windows XP configuration and reboot.

If you’re running into issues after installing hot fixes or patches from Microsoft, you might want to know How To Roll Back Windows Hot Fixes & Patches in XP. Fortunately, Sharninder has explained it in a recent article.

Did you ever ruin your system or the registry to the point where only a backup could save it?

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Now, sharing presentation slides is a very controversial topic for many different reasons. After all, you will provide all the work you’ve put into developing your presentation for free. But what exactly is it that you’re giving away? Your ideas? Your skill? Your time?

Presentations are a work of art. When you share them in an edible format, you are losing control over what you have created. If you don’t want to see your hard work watered down by edits, you should not share your original files. However, you can offer two alternatives. Either share only the figures and images you used in your slides. Or make your presentation slides available in a format that does not allow simple editing.

In other words, if someone wants to edit your ideas in a way you don’t approve of, they have to start from scratch and can only draw inspiration from your template.

Here are 2 ways and several tools to safely share your presentations online.

1. Share Presentation Slides as PDF

You can export your PowerPoint or Word presentations to PDF. The disadvantage of this method is that you will lose all animations. If that is not an issue, try the following tools.

KoolWIRE

The easiest and most universal way is to use an online tool such as KoolWIRE.

Using it is dead simple. Browse for the file on your computer, choose the output format, i.e. PDF, enter your eMail address, hit start and wait for the download link to be delivered to your inbox. When I tried it, it took less than a minute and in less than 5 minutes I had my PDF.

File Savr

Now you will want to share the file. Let’s say you don’t have a website or server of your own. Also, you probably don’t want to eMail a huge file every time someone asks for it. Fortunately, the web has a simple solution in store. There are many free online tools that let you share your files through the web and you don’t even have to sign up for the service.

File Savr is just one of many. You can upload files of up to 10GB, more than enough for a PDF file. Simply select the file you wish to upload. Once uploading has completed, File Savr will display the download page for the file. Save the URL and share it with people interested in your presentation. A CAPTCHA test must be passed before the file can actually be download.

I have previously reviewed 5 Easy Websites to Share Files Online Without Signing Up.

PDF Hammer

If someone would like to use parts of your work, they could prepare a PDF presentation and, using a PDF editor, merge individual presentation slides from different sources.

One free online tool to edit PDFs is PDF Hammer.

Along with KoolWIRE it was reviewed in Aibek’s post about Simplest PDF Apps Ever: Merge PDFs, PDF to DOC, Convert to PDF.

2. Share as Web Presentation

You can upload and share your presentation through an online service. While this preserves the original design of your slides, including animations, single slides can not be extracted and re-used in another medium. If this is what you desire, go ahead and give SlideBoom a try.

SlideBoom

You can use SlideBoom as a guest. However, presentations will only remain online for 7 days. To use SlideBoom to its full potential, you should register. There is a free version, which allows you to upload up to 100 presentations. It supports animations, add-ins, audio, video, groups, graphical annotations and blog or website embedding.

SlideBoom creates a summary page for your presentation, which includes the actual presentation, your notes, a transcript, and optional sharing options. Members can vote on you presentations and download them if the owner has unlocked this option. Below is a demonstration of an embedded presentation.

If you would like to improve your presentation skills, check out my post on 10 Powerpoint Tips for Preparing a Professional Presentation.

Do you feel comfortable with sharing your presentation slides?

Image credits: duchessa

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For the third and fourth quarter of 2008, the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group reported that approximately 90% of all eMail was spam. That’s an incredible number. It clearly demonstrates how much time and energy must be wasted to receive, identify and get rid of spam.

While spam protection has become quite effective at recognizing unsolicited bulk eMail, it’s still impossible to filter out and stop receiving spam.

Besides regular spam, we receive a lot of advertising in our inboxes. Although these eMails are often personalized, they still classify as spam. However, these eMails were usually created based on information we made available about ourselves, rather than straight forward eMail guessing.

Hence, one way to help stop receiving spam is to control the information you’re releasing about yourself. The best way to do this is to protect and hide your eMail address.

1. Scramble your eMail address

We often have to share our eMail address online. So what can be done to make it difficult for a bot to simply copy the information?

Rather than publishing your eMail address in its standard format, you could scramble and thereby conceal it. It requires an attentive and intelligent mind to recognize a scrambled eMail address and re-assemble it into a functional format.

A scrambled eMail address can look something like this: tina at make use of dot com

And this is the unscrambled eMail address: tina@makeuseof.com

2. Hide your eMail address in an image

A similar solution is to hide the eMail address within an image. There are several tools that will do this for you. One which provides many other functions is EmailCover.

Not only does it produce an image containing your eMail address in a CAPTCHA format, it also hosts the image and provides you with a set of links you can use to embed the image in your website, signature or on social network sites. Using the bookmark feature you can directly share your eMail address with the most popular sites. Finally, the tool records how often the image has been viewed.

Similar tool: E-Mail Icon Generator.

If you want to be sure only the smartest people can guess your eMail address, combine 1 and 2.

3. Encode your eMail address

If you must post an active eMail link, for example to give people a quick and easy way to contact you, you can encode your eMail address in a way that is not readable by spambots, which extracts eMail addresses from websites.

MailTO Encoder will decode your eMail address using Javascript. The result is a rather unsexy gibberish of characters.

Similar tools: E-mail Anti-SPAM Encoder (no Javascript), Hivelogic Enkoder

4. Hide eMail behind a test

With a tool called scr.im, you can protect your eMail address by hiding it behind a simple test.

At scr.im’s start page you enter your eMail address and the site will provide you with an ultra short scrimmed URL, along with custom HTML to share your eMail address on Twitter, Facebook, within HTML documents and in forums.

The link will lead anyone needing your eMail address to a quick test. If they manage to pass the test, they will be rewarded with a fully active link to your eMail address.

Similar tool: reCAPTCHA, tinymail.me

5. Don’t share your eMail address

The last resort is to not share your eMail address at all. Set up temporary inboxes or forms through which you can be contacted indirectly.

For example whspr! allows you to create a temporary form, which will relay messages to your eMail address. Users have to prove they are human by passing a CAPTCHA test.

Similar tools: kontactr, contactify

Summary of tools mentioned in this article:

Hide eMail address in image:
EmailCover
E-Mail Icon Generator

Encode eMail address:
MailTO Encoder (Javascript)
E-mail Anti-SPAM Encoder
Hivelogic Enkoder (Javascript)

Hide eMail address behind test:
scr.im
reCAPTCHA
tinymail.me

Contact forms:
whspr! (temporary)
kontactr
contactify

MakeUseOf has previously reported on how to identify and manage eMail spam. Dean denounced Top 5 Current Email Scams You Should Know About. Ryan explained How To Deal with Spam and Report Email Scams in the US. I outlined how to Get a Grip on eMail Spam Before It Gets A Grip On You.

How do you protect yourself from too much spam?

Image credits: mzacha, ItsMe1985

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Outlook is part of Microsoft’s Office suite. It comes with a lot of extra features compared to Outlook Express, including time/event management, contact management, and Microsoft Exchange Server support to synchronize and share information.

Arguably, Outlook Express is a good enough tool for those who don’t expect a lot of flexibility from their software. But what if you want more without having to spend money? Which free alternatives to Outlook should you look into?

Thunderbird

What is it?

Thunderbird is Mozilla’s desktop eMail client. As such, it’s an open source application and supports various addons, which enhance its functionality.

Like Outlook, Thunderbird supports POP, IMAP, and SMTP. Using the Account Wizard, you also can subscribe to RSS News & Blogs, hook up to your Newsgroup account, and launch a quick Gmail setup.

What makes it a better alternative to Outlook?

Thunderbird is available not just for Windows, but also for Mac OS X and Linux. Localized versions of Thunderbird exist for dozens of the most common languages.

Thunderbird is much better than Outlook, in case you enjoy to customize your eMail client. There is a vast collection of themes and extensions available. These will also cover up for most features that are not integrated into Thunderbird by default.

MakeUseOf has dozens of articles regarding Thunderbird. Below is a small selection:

• Saikat wrote How to Set Up Mozilla Thunderbird to Send Mass Emails.
• Mark explained how to Synchronize Your Google Contacts, Calendar & RSS In Thunderbird.
• Kyle showed you how to Update Your Thunderbird Address Book with Address Crawler.
• I have written articles explaining How to Set Up Message Filters in Thunderbird, How To Integrate Google Calendar Into Thunderbird, and How To Recover Deleted eMails in Thunderbird.

Gmail

What is it?

Gmail or Google Mail is Google’s free webmail client.

Although it is only an online eMail application, Gmail is a very powerful tool that easily rivals most common desktop clients. Gmail supports POP and IMAP and it is fully integrated with the Google Apps suite.

What makes it better than Outlook?

The clear advantage of an online eMail client is its global availability. Wherever you go, whichever computer you use, your eMail is already there.

Gmail provides a complex selection of settings and features. Gmail tracks conversations and optionally compiles all eMails belonging to one conversation into a single thread. Within settings you can create filters, enable Google Mail Labs experimental features, manage multiple inboxes, and switch themes.

There are tons of Gmail hacks that provide interesting options. MakeUseOf has covered them extensively. Here are some of the highlights:

• Mark has compiled a list of Essential Shortcuts to Browse through Gmail faster.
• Saikat covered 5 Ways To Create Custom Multiple Signatures in GMail.
• David shared 7 Tips to Make Gmail The Best Free Email Service For Productive People.
• Sharninder explained How To Access & Use Gmail Offline.
• Karl wrote about How To Backup Your Gmail account To YOUR Hard Drive.
• Aibek revealed 1 Awesome Gmail tip You Didn’t Know about.

Angelina has written a series of posts on How To Turn Gmail Into a Multitasking Machine. In Part 1 she explains how to best configure Gmail, how to consolidate your eMail, and set up labels. In Part2 she provides tips for eMail filtering. Finally, in Part 3, Angelina explores options for the sidebar and the use of multiple inboxes.

Zimbra Desktop

What is it?

Yahoo’s Zimbra Desktop is a desktop eMail client that rivals Gmail, Thunderbird, and Outlook alike. Interestingly, it is powered by Mozilla.

What makes it a better alternative to Outlook?

Much like its Mozilla companion Thunderbird, Zimbra is available in 20 different language versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The design is sleek and Zimbra offers several more theme options. Best of all, it’s easy and intuitive to use with a ton of useful features.

Zimbra supports its own online webmail client Zimbra as well as Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Microsoft Live Hotmail, AOL Mail, Microsoft Exchange IMAP, IMAP, and POP.

Zimbra has a built-in calendar, contacts, task manager, documents, and briefcase.

Obviously, language integration is not yet perfect. Although I selected the US English language installation and confirmed this language preference within options, some tabs and menus are still displayed in the language of my operating system: German. This should not be an issue if you select the language of your operating system.

Zimbra synchronizes eMails, contacts, and calendars with Zimbra, Yahoo! Mail, and Gmail.

Like Gmail, Zimbra offers an optional conversation view, i.e. threaded conversations. It also comes with advanced tagging options.

Contacts can be grouped and tagged, you can add photos, and import/export via .csv files is supported.

Zimbra comes with great search features. You can quickly search your mailbox for all or specified item types or use the advanced search to add several search criteria, such as file size, date and time, tag, status, folder, and more. The best is that searches can be saved as virtual folders.

Zimbra extensions are called Zimlets.

For more details on how Zimbra compares to Outlook and Thunderbird, check out the Feature Comparison list.

Runners-Up

If none of the above alternatives seem entirely satisfying to you, please have a look at the following two clients:

IncrediMail was reviewed by Saikat: Have Some Fun With This Email Client (Windows).
Zenbe received a review from Sam: All Your Emails In One Place.

What is your favorite eMail client and what makes it valuable to you?

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• How To Access Hotmail Email Messages from Your Gmail Account [Part II] (10)
• How to Set Up Mozilla Thunderbird to Send Mass Emails (17)
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Here is the post that will shed light on how to recover deleted emails in Thunderbird. So if you have recently deleted an important eMail and accidentally emptied the Trash, you may still be able to recover it. Just don’t compact your folders, yet!

Before you start, close Thunderbird and best perform a backup. At least make a manual backup of the files you are going to work with!

Open your Thunderbird profile folder. Generally this folder can be found under C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR USER NAME\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles.

By default, the Application Data folder is hidden. To make it visible go to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR USER NAME\ and click Tools > Folder Options and open the View tab. Scroll down to Hidden files and folders and check Show hidden files and folders. Click OK to save and you should be able to see the Application Data folder.

You should know under which account and to which folder the deleted eMail was originally delivered. Otherwise you will have to apply trial and error and search through different accounts and folders.

Let’s say we’re looking for an eMail that was delivered to the Inbox, subsequently deleted and emptied from the Trash. The traces of this eMail should still be found in the Inbox folder.

Go ahead and open the folder for the respective eMail account, then launch the Inbox file without the .msf file extension in a text editor, such as Notepad.

If you’re unsure, click on one of the files and expand the file details in the bottom left of the folder. For the correct file type it should just say “file”, rather than “MSF-file”.

Opening files can take a few seconds or a few minutes, depending on how many eMails have survived termination in that folder. Make sure the text editor you choose can handle large file sizes. Some of my files were up to 300MB!

For my example, I picked an eMail I received from Stumble Upon this morning. I had deleted it and before attempting to restore the eMail I also emptied the Trash for this account.

When I looked into the Inbox file I indeed found that eMail along with all details and contents in my Inbox text file.

To recover the eMail and make it reappear in its original folder, change the X-Mozilla-Status to 0. In the example pictured below it says “X-Mozilla-Status: 0009″. The result should say “X-Mozilla-Status: 0″.

Save the file, close it and launch your Thunderbird client.

Lo and behold, my test eMail magically reappeared in my inbox.

Now to everyone who have been getting rid of secret or compromising eMails simply by deleting them, there is no need to suffer from a nervous breakdown now.

There is a way to remove those eMails forever. Simply compact your folders. My previous post on How To Terminally Deleted eMails In Thunderbird by Compacting Folders thoroughly explains the steps you need to take.

Did I save your day? Your feedback is appreciated, please use the comments!

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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• How to Set Up Mozilla Thunderbird to Send Mass Emails (17)
• How to Email Smarter With Buit-In Time Zone Converters (8)
• How To Access Hotmail Email Messages from Your Gmail Account [Part II] (10)
• 3 Best Free Alternatives To Microsoft Outlook (19)
• MUO Polls: Do You Check Email Online or Use A Desktop Client? (37)

Did you know that eMails in the Thunderbird eMail client are not terminally deleted?

Even if you empty the trash folder, they are not physically removed, neither from the trash folder, nor from the original folder. Yes, this does mean that you can recover those eMails. However, that will be the subject of another story.

The issue here is that Thunderbird will grow to an enormous size if all the spam and mails you have trashed are never actually removed. In fact, the traces are multiplied if you move mail from one folder to another and this will add to the size of each of these folders.

So let me explain how you can finally and forever get rid of deleted eMails and thereby reduce the size the Thunderbird eMail client takes up on your hard drive.

The process of terminally removing traces of moved or trashed eMails from folders is called compacting. There are two ways to do this and they’re both rather simple.

Automatic Compacting

Per default, automatic compacting is not enabled in Thunderbird. To enable it, go to > Tools > Options > Advanced tab > Disk Space section and check the box next to > “Compact folder when it will save over …” and set a KB value. The default value is 100 kB.

Thunderbird will now start compacting folders automatically, whenever it saves a reasonable amount of disk space.

WARNING

The problem here is that your Thunderbird eMail client may not respond well at random, at moments when the critical value was reached to set off folder compacting.

Besides, you should not do anything other than reading eMails while folders are being compacted. Otherwise folders can get corrupted or you could lose data. For example eMails you were writing when compacting started may refuse to send or save.

In other words, automatic compacting can be very annoying, especially in situations where you need to use it urgently.

SOLUTION

There are two solutions. If you’re an experienced user, you can customize folder compacting using the Config Editor. If you can’t be bothered with config editing, you should compact folders manually.

Customize Compacting

Automatic folder compacting is still feasible if you make Thunderbird ask for permission before it starts. That way it’s still automatic and you don’t have to think about it, but you won’t be interrupted for good at random intervals.

To open the Config Editor, go to > Tools > Options > Advanced > General and click the > Config Editor button in the bottom right.

In the > Filter: line type > mail.purge.ask to see whether the entry exists. If it does, double-click to set the value to > true.

If the entry does not exist, right-click on any entry and select > New > Boolean and enter > mail.purge.ask as the preference name. Finally, select > true and click OK.

Manual Compacting

To entirely avoid random disruptions due to automatic folder compacting, do it manually whenever you deleted a bunch of spam or an eMail you want to remove for good.

This process is incredibly simple as well. Just right-click on a folder you wish to compact and select > Compact from the menu.

The status bar will display the progress of folder compacting. As stated in the warning above, be sure not to do anything within Thunderbird, while the process is underway!

The status bar will also announce when compacting was completed.

For a trash folder I had never compacted and which contained almost four thousand messages, compacting took less than a minute.

If you run into problems, please refer to the comprehensive coverage regarding Compacting Folders on the mozillaZine.

How do you keep your eMail client slim and speedy?

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I have and let me tell you it’s interesting, but very confusing. It definitely takes time to get used to and it has the potential to steal more of your valuable time and attention than any tool ever has. You can count on my word and people’s creativity.

What if you’re looking for an efficient and simple tool to communicate that will not clog up your inbox, steal your attention or be complicated to use. Is there any hope? Would I be writing this if there wasn’t?

Re:Subj is a group communication tool. It serves as a temporary inbox, allowing people to exchange information outside their ever crowded standard inbox. Before I expand all the advantages of Re:Subj, let me give you a quick run-through and explain how it works.

Setting up a temporary group inbox is easy as pie. Go to the website and fill in the blanks, i.e. a subject line, recipient eMail addresses, a first message, and your own eMail address. You can decide whether the inbox shall be public and whether you want threaded comments. If you’re unsure, don’t worry. Everything but the subject and your first message can be changed later on! Once you’re done hit the Create an Inbox button.

Re:Subj will instantly mail all recipients and yourself a link to the temporary inbox, as displayed in the screenshot below.

The cool thing is, you can choose whether you want to reply through your standard eMail and eventually check the entire list of replies and comments, or whether you prefer to read and reply through the website only. That way, everyone gets what they want.

Following the link in the eMail, you will enter the temporary inbox and see an overview of what everybody has had to say so far.

You can post a new reply or, in case threaded comments are enabled, reply to a previous comment. If you’ve had enough and no longer care about the discussion, you can use the respective link in the right-hand menu to leave this inbox.

The following screenshot shows what an temporary inbox will look like after a few replies and comments have been posted.

As the creator of a temporary inbox you will see a different menu to the right of an inbox than everybody else.

To add more participants, you can send invitations to their eMail address. You can also remove participants by clicking the red-Xed blue man next to their eMail address.

As promised earlier, you can change the inbox settings, i.e. enable or disable threaded comments or make your discussion public after all.

Finally, when the discussion has been completed, you can also delete the inbox.

There is a small menu in the top right corner of the website. It shows you with which eMail address you’re currently using Re:Subj and you can access your inboxes and your profile.

As you move into My Inboxes, you should notice that the top right menu link changes from My Inboxes to Create new inbox. The list of your inboxes shows when new comments or replies were added to one of them. You can also hide messages to shorten the entire list of inboxes.

The My Inboxes overview is especially handy if you decided to not receive eMail updates. This can be done in your profile. And in case you didn’t yet notice the green window asking you to associate a name with your eMail, don’t worry, that can also be edited in your Profile.

And basically, that’s it. You now know everything about Re:Subj. It’s that easy!

And the advantages should be quite obvious by now, but let me sum it up for you:

• no signup, an eMail address is sufficient
• receive eMail updates and reply through eMail
• disable eMail updates and read or reply whenever you want
• leave the “mailing list” anytime

So when everybody and their mothers has an idea or comment to a simple question, you won’t have to sit there helplessly as your inbox clogs up with silly replies. Re:Subj returns some control and you can focus on serious eMails.

What do you think? Does it sound useful to you?

Re:Subj

Image credits: spekulator

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If not, help is underway. How about surprising friends and family with a freshly overhauled apartment? I’m sure it’s something they didn’t quite expect when they invited themselves.

Uncluttering and nicely reworking your home and patio decor is also one of the best gifts you can make to yourself. After all, your work and your home are the places where you spent most of your lifetime. Why not make at least one of these places worthwhile?

1. Unclutterer

If most surfaces in your house, i.e. tables, cabinets or floors, are covered with stuff, chances are you have a clutter issue. Unclutterer can help you clear the mess.

One of the best categories to look for hands on advice is Ask Unclutterer.

For those that are fairly organized already, Unclutterer provides tons of helpful Tips to be prepared for the unexpected. Also check out Weekend Projects for tips on how to address small clutter spots.

My recent favorite was categorized into Home Organization and Parties and Celebrations. The article recommends to create a party pantry for spontaneous get togethers and provides a list of items to consider.

2. Instructables – Home Decorating

This is probably the most comprehensive source for do-it-yourself instructions for anything you can imagine, including cheap and easy home decoration.

Check out the home category for more great home and patio decor ideas from the incredibly creative user base of Instructables.

Here is one of my favorite examples:

Invisible Book Shelf

If you’re short on shelf space and have book clutter all over your place, go ahead and create some ultra unique magic shelves yourself.

3. About.com – Interior Decorating

About.com provides an endless wealth of knowledge. If you want to learn about interior decorating, this is the right place to start.

Your first stop should be the Decorating 101 guide, which thoroughly introduces you to the ideas and principles of decoration, design, and style.

A great resource for practical advice is the HowTos Index. Articles include “How To Plan Your Christmas Party Decor”, How To Find a Focal Point in a Room or How To Quick Clean Any Room in the House.

The Holidays & Seasons section contains plenty of inspiration and material for your seasonal home decoration projects. Halloween is almost here and isn’t it time to Countdown to a Perfect Thanksgiving, yet?

4. Rental Decorating Digest

Most of us don’t live in our very own house or apartment. The majority of people rent and there is only so much you can do in a rented apartment.

That’s where Rental Decorating Digest comes in. All tips and guides are compatible with rented space. Below is an overview of the available categories.

One of my favorites is Budget Decorating. Even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, there is a ton of things you can do to spruce up your home.

5. DoItYourself – Home Improvement and Repair How-To Information

If you own a home, there is a lot you have to take care of. But you also have endless freedom. DoItYourself provides the necessary resources to make your design dreams a reality.

For general tidying up and uncluttering, the Organizing Your Home and Cleaning and Stain Removal categories are a good start.

The site has a separate category for Holidays and Celebrations, which contains an extensive list of articles, including home and patio decor ideas for Halloween Planning, Thanksgiving and Autumn Decorating, Christmas Preparation and Planning, and Christmas Decorating.

For more advice on cleaning, check out my article Cleaning and Stain Removal for Bachelors.

How do you go about uncluttering, cleaning and decorating your home? Helpful advice is always appreciated, the comments are open!

Image credits: barunpatrol

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The command line lets you communicate directly with your computer and instruct it to perform various tasks. For this you have to use specific commands. The commands are not necessarily intuitive, so they have to be learned, just like words in a language. Fortunately, there are graphical user interfaces (GUIs) replacing most procedures that formerly required using the command line.

However, sometimes using the command line is quicker or even the only way to access certain information. Thus knowing how to use the command line can be extremely valuable. And that’s where this Windows command guide comes in.

To access the Windows command line in XP, click > START > Run, type cmd into the > Open: field, and click > OK.

Alternatively, you can go through > Start > All Programs > Accessories and select > command prompt.

This launches cmd.exe, a window that reminds us of the old days in computer history: pure white text on a uniform black background. Despite its resemblance to a DOS windows, cmd.exe merely is a command line interpreter merely similar to DOS.

Now that you have successfully accessed the command prompt, what is there to do here?

To operate at command prompt level, you need to know some commands. Let me give you some basics to play with.

Help

First let me say that there is intrinsic help in the command prompt. If you’re not sure whether a certain command really exists or what it does or what switches there are to it, type the command followed by a /? and you shall be enlightened.

Switches

Switches are optional extensions to a command, which change the command’s behavior. We actually saw an example of a switch in the previous section. /? is a switch to any command, explaining its function rather than executing it in any way.

Note that you can add several switches to each command, but always leave a space between the command and each switch.

Now let’s get on with serious commands.

dir

The dir command lists the contents of the current directory.

There are some useful switches to it. For example dir /d (/d being the switch) will list the directory contents in up to three columns. Alternatively, you can use dir /w, which will sort the contents differently. With dir /p the information doesn’t scroll, but pauses at the end of the screen, until you hit a random key for the next screen full of data.

cd

To change directories, use the cd command.

Pick a directory seen in the previous dir listing. Directories are indicated by <DIR> in the directory listing. For example type cd desktop and you will switch into the Desktop directory. Type cd.. to return to the previous directory. To go directly to a specific directory, rather than haggling your way through each single one, type in the entire path. Let’s say you went back to C:\> and want to return to the Desktop directory. Simply type cd documents and settings\administrator\desktop.

Note that switching between drives doesn’t require the cd command. Simply type in the respective drive letter and a colon, e.g. d: to switch.

mkdir

This one is used to make a directory, i.e. create a new directory. Type mkdir name to create a directory called name.

rmdir

To remove a directory, use this command. So that would be rmdir name to remove a directory called name. Only empty directories can be removed.

You can of course create and delete directories located in any other directory, you just have to specify the respective path in your command, starting from where you are.

For example mkdir documents and settings\administrator\test when you’re in C:\ or mkdir administrator\test if you’re already in the documents and settings directory.

del

This is the command to delete files. It works similar to the mkdir and rmdir commands. So you type del example.exe to delete the file example.exe in your directory. If you’re not already in the right directory, you add the respective path.

This was a short list of commands to make you familiar with the command line environment. For an entire list of commands, please refer to this list.

We will now look at some very helpful commands for tasks that can not easily be completed by any other means. For all of them you can use the /? switch, to find out what all you can do with these commands.

driverquery

For a list of all drivers installed on your system, driverquery is the quickest solution.

ping

Ping must be the most popular command line prompt. It’s used to check an IP address and see whether the respective computer is online or responding, i.e. whether network communication between your and that computer is possible.

ipconfig

Here you can reveal network data of your own computer, such as the name of your computer in the network, your IP address or your MAC address.

systeminfo

The command to retrieve extensive information about your system, including Windows serial number, computer model, and available RAM.

This Windows command guide can merely touch on the surface of what the command line can do. For more extensive information, please refer to The Command Line in Windows and PCStats’ WindowsXP Command Prompt Guide.

If you got hooked, you might want to check out the following MakeUseOf articles dealing with the command line. Varun wrote about 10 Windows Command Line Tips You Should Check Out and he introduced Nircmd – A Power Packed Command Line Tool. Mark explained how to Change the Windows User Password via Command Line.

What command do you find most useful?

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If you have a missed call from an unknown phone number, you may want to identify the phone number of the person who tried to reach you before you dial that number. Chances are you’re hooking up with a telemarketer. Eventually some random person simply dialed the wrong number. Or it’s your long lost best friend who finally found you. You never know.

There are several free online tools to reverse lookup and identify a North American phone number. However, with cell phone numbers it’s almost impossible to find out the identity of the person behind the phone number. Unless you are willing to pay.

Sadly, most seemingly free services will redirect you to a paid option, even if it’s possible to find the information for free elsewhere. To avoid these pitfalls, I have compiled a list with services for reverse phone number search and how to use them.

1. WhoCallsMe? (Worldwide)

If you suspect that a telemarketer called you, this is the service you should try. Enter the number in the search field and hit “Get Details“. If the number is not listed, no one has had complaints about it yet.

The database at WhoCallsMe? is supplied by its users. So if you have been receiving unsolicited calls from telemarketers, surveyors, charities or other organizations, help others avoid these people by entering their phone number and details into WhoCallsMe?’s database.

A similar page is Who Called Us.

2. Google PhoneBook (North America)

For North American landline numbers, Google is an excellent choice to identify a phone number. For listed US numbers, Google may return a phonebook result that looks like this:

It reveals the name and address of the person who owns the respective number. Using the convenient GoogleMaps link you can look up in what neighborhood they live.

For other numbers, Google may return links to local online phone books.

Now you could directly go to one of your local online phone books. Which one you choose of course depends on where you are. Unfortunately, I can’t list one for each country. Besides, reverse phone number search is restricted in and unavailable for several countries, including Australia and the UK.

The following four sites are for Canada and Germany. They basically all work the same – you find the reverse lookup option, enter the number, and hit search. So without further comments, here it goes…

3. 411 (Canada)

4. Canpages (Canada)

5. Das Telefonbuch (Germany)

6. Das Örtliche (Germany)

These were your options for landlines.

But what if you’re trying to identify a cell phone number? Honestly, I could not find a free tool for identifying the owner of a given number.

However, due to the nature of North American cell phone numbers, the prefix reveals the location of the caller. The most you can find out for free on top of that, is the name of the provider and when the number was registered.

7. Cell Phone Tracer (North America)

This website will find you the the phone carrier and the location of the given phone number. If you choose to continue to receive the entire available information, you will be asked to pay.

8. Cellphone Registry (North America)

The Cellphone Registry may be able to tell you when the phone number in question was registered. Unlike the previous website, it was not able to find the phone carrier. And all further information is available for cash only.

Did we miss an online phonebook for your country with reverse lookup option? Please feel free to request a link or provide us with the resource in the comments!

Image Credit: iprole

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So what to do when they ask you for your phone number? It’s easy. Bite your tongue, smile, don’t argue, just give them a number, and hope they will never bother you again because you gave them a wrong number.

Here are some prank phone numbers to get you out of the dilemma, without having to reject, embarrass and/or disappoint your bad date at the spot. For ease of use they are sorted by location.

North America

Rejection Hotline

The Rejection Hotline was created by Humor Hotlines.

The page provides a long list of prank phone numbers for over 100 cities in many different states in the US and one number for Victoria, Canada. Although this post found a few more numbers for Canada on Rejection Hotline, they must have meanwhile been removed.

Here is a small selection:

858-492-8002 San Diego, CA, USA

904-879-8012 Jacksonville, FL, USA

617-861-3962 Boston, MA, USA

347-689-1270 New York City, NY, USA

713-866-6249 Houston, TX, USA

250-984-0686 Victoria, BC, Canada

Please see the complete list for more numbers. In case your state isn’t listed, the Rejection Hotline recommends to use an excuse like “It’s where I went to school” or “I haven’t changed my cell phone number since I moved.” That should work perfectly fine.

Outsourcing

Humor Hotlines has a few more funny prank phone numbers that you might want to consider. How about outsourcing your friendship to India?

Here are the numbers:

267-436-5128 Philadelphia, PA, USA

267-436-5123 Philadelphia, PA, USA

401-285-0701 Rhode Island, USA

413-497-0071 Western MA, USA

The Rejection Line

Are you in New York? Then you may use this official New York Rejection Line.

212-479-7990 New York City, NY, USA

Australia

The Rejection Line

That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Well, this rejection line is for the folks down under.

In Australia there’s less hassle with area codes in the case of cell phone numbers. They simply don’t give away where you’re from, they only reveal which provider you’re signed up with. So that’s why one number fits all:

0419-317446 Australia (cell phone)

The people who set up this page had a very neat idea. All text messages sent to that number are displayed on the website. It’s hilarious! Even better, you can query the site for numbers that have texted this line.

Germany

Frank geht ran

Similar to Australia, German cell phone numbers are provider-specific and independent of location. Next time you feel forced to share your phone number, use this neutral number and Frank will answer the phone for you (Frank geht ran):

0163-1737743 Germany (cell phone)

Frank will politely tell the person calling that you do not wish to be contacted by them. It’s neutral and can also be used in all sorts of situations, for example in forms. You can preview Frank’s message here. It’s German of course.

Telefonpaul

An alternative to Frank geht ran is TelefonPaul. The concept is the same, a polite and neutral message for anyone who asked your number and didn’t deserve to get the real one. Paul provides both a landline number for Stuttgart, Germany and a German cell phone number.

0711-50885524 Stuttgart, Germany

01577-1599624 Germany (cell phone)

You can preview Paul’s message on his website.

United Kingdom

The Rejection Line

Here we have another clone of the original NY Rejection Line. This is the one for the UK and the number is:

09061-100596 UK (service number)

How to Give a Fake Phone Number

This page at eHow has advice on how to give out a fake phone number in a bar/club situation. A good read for all the girls and possibly some of the boys out there.

I tried my best to cover as many countries as possible. But due to the nature of language barriers, this list is far from comprehensive. Do you happen to know of similar services in your country? Please go ahead and add the respective resources in the comments. We will all love you for it!

Last but not least a disclaimer! Being in Germany myself, I could not test all of these prank phone numbers. Thus I do not give any guarantees as to their functionality. Furthermore, it’s your responsibility to find out about calling fees. They might be reasonable, they might not. Please query the respective websites. Finally, call or give out these numbers at your own risk!

Image Credit : lusi

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You probably wonder what a DAT file is in the first place. Simply put, DAT files contain data in text or binary format.

They are typically found as winmail.dat files in email attachments, created by Microsoft Exchange Servers. But many other programs can create .dat files as well. So if the name doesn’t give it away, it’s difficult to tell whether you’re dealing with text, pictures, movies or something completely different.

Giving advice on how to open a DAT file of an unknown source is difficult because there are so many options, depending on the original source of the file. But say you were supposed to receive a WORD document and what you did receive was a document with a .dat file extension. Basically, you have two straight forward options to open and convert a DAT file into a Word doc.

First, you could try to change the file extension. In case you don’t see file extensions in Windows, go to the folder that contains your .dat file, click Tools and select Folder Options. Switch to the View tab and uncheck the option Hide extensions for known file types.

Second, you could simply try to open the .dat file with WORD or notepad or the program you suspect created the original file. To do this, right-click on the .dat file, select Open With from the menu, then select an application from the list or click Choose Program… to pick another.

Once you successfully opened the DAT file, you’re at least half way to converting that DAT file into a Word doc. But once again, there are several options.

Say we’re still dealing with a .dat file that originally was a .doc file. You changed the file extension and now that you open the file in WORD it looks fine. In fact, you already “converted” your file – congratulations!

If you managed to open with WORD, the easiest way to “convert” your file from .dat to .doc, is to save the document using WORD. And there you go. It wasn’t that hard, was it?

Now let’s get a little more serious. All the strategies above didn’t work and your file doesn’t display properly? Maybe it’s time to use a file converter. If Microsoft Outlook messed with your attachments, chances are that Winmaildat.com will get you out of the mess.

From within the Extract tab browse for the respective .dat file on your computer, send it and wait for the Results to show in the respective tab. The file size limit with this service is 5MB.

There really isn’t more to it than that. To successfully retrieve data from a .dat file or convert it to its original file format, you need to know the source or the original file type.

Is there another smart trick that I missed out on? Please share your knowledge in the comments!

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Are you curious? Or do you think SL is crap? What is SL anyways and what does it offer?

SL is a 3D virtual reality, it’s an interactive graphics chat world, SL is a game and a playground, it’s all about sex, it’s a role playing game, people in SL have relationships and families, it’s an online community, it’s all about money, SL players spend real money, people with various skills make real money, SL can be experienced for free, SL is for geeks, SL allows the “socially handicapped” to connect, SL supports charity (e.g. Relay for Life), and that’s just a small selection. Maybe something caught your attention and interest here. Curious now?

Getting started in SL takes some time and patience. The initial learning curve may appear steep, but isn’t that true for everything new you try? With a bit of common sense it’s not that hard. The following Second Life step by step how-to guide should help

1. Start Slow!

Go to the Second Life website, sign up, download the client, install, and log in.

Your first login will take you to Orientation Island. Take your time to go through all the tutorials and get familiar with the software. It will help you tremendously in your future Second Life experience. You will also have to pass some tests before you may proceed to Help Island.

Help Island is restricted to fellow newcomers and mentors. Pick up all the free stuff you can find and play with it. Don’t hesitate to chat with passers by or ask for help from a mentor. You never know, you might as well meet your first SL companion. In any case remain open-minded.

2. Drop the Newbie Look!

Everyone starts out looking more or less the same. There are different female and male avatars to choose from when signing up. These avatars are only good for the first couple of steps and are frowned upon by advanced residents.

To blend in you should demonstrate individuality in shaping your individual character. Start by editing your appearance and sculpt your avatar until you like what you see.

In the store at Help Island you will find a few alternative outfits, try them on and also browse the public Library, which is part of your inventory, for more clothes. Later I will show you where to find more free stuff, including shapes, skins, hair, shoes and clothes.

3. Work on your Profile!

Your profile gives everyone an impression of who you are. It’s part of your character. Leaving it empty doesn’t make you mysterious, it makes you look like the noob you are.

When in SL, right-click on your avatar and select > Profile… from the pie menu. Go through the different tabs and fill in some details about yourself. To view the profile of another avatar, just right-click on their body or name-tag and select > Profile… from the pie menu.

4. Work on your Skills!

Help Island offers tutorials on building and inventory management. You’ll find a sandbox, an area where you can drop items from your inventory or start building. Use it to get familiar with the tools you have, it’s free!

To start building, right-click on the ground and select > Create from the pie menu. From the menu that comes up you can select the type of object you would like to create, then click onto the ground again and the item will apear. Now go ahead and play with it.

5. Know what is Expecting you!

On Help Island you will also find a lot of posters. Some give out information in the form of notecards. Just left-click them, accept the inventory offer (blue menu in the top-right of your screen) and keep the notecard that is being given to you. All of this is valuable information that you should not pass up on. My advice: read, read, read!

6. Explore

What is the first thing you would like to see in Second Life? A club, a park, people, a shopping mall? Whatever it is, by now you should know how to find it.

Use > Search button in the bottom of your viewer, jump to the > Classifieds, > Events or > Places tab and proceed to discover your first destination. > Showcase features some of the hottest locations in SL.

When you think you’ve found an interesting destination click the > Teleport button to leave Help Island. Alternatively, you can use the Exit at Help Island which will send you to a welcome hub on the mainland.

In the next hour or so take some time to explore. Visit the landmarks you received on Help Island or find other adventures. Walk, run, and fly, collect impressions of land and people, and don’t worry too much about still looking like a newbie.

Remember to keep a landmark (> World > Create Landmark Here) of the places you might want to check out again later.

7. Collect Free Stuff

After seeing what is possible, you might want to pick up some new clothes and a nicer skin. Search the > Classifieds for “free” stuff in the > Shopping category. Many stores offer freebies for L$0 or Dollarbies at L$1. For now you don’t want to spend any Lindens, so go with the L$0 stuff.

Many stores have special offers for newbies 30 days old or younger. This is your chance to lay your hands on high quality apparel and body parts for free. So watch out and take advantage of this opportunity.

In > Groups search for lucky chairs or dumpster diving to find groups dedicated to sharing places where you can pick up free stuff.

8. Collect Linden Dollars

Search for “money tree” in the Classifieds or even better the Places tab. While you are 30 days old or younger you can pick up Linden Dollars hidden in money trees. Other residents leave them there for new players.

9. Get Involved

Talk to people around you, make friends, if you have some more time browse the events calendar (> Search > Events) and visit a party, join groups and try to have a good time. Meeting people and making connections or friends is the best part of SL. You never know where these encounters may take you. In the end you might open a SL business.

10. Get a Job

Unless you have met someone who has offered you a job, your quest starts with searching again. Browse all available jobs in the > Employment category of the > Classifieds section and reply to those that sound interesting. Remember to tick the “Include Mature content” box if you’re ready to explore all there is to offer.

And that’s it, welcome to Second Life!

What is your experience with SL or other virtual worlds? Did you find this little guide helpful for your start into a Second Life? What’s missing? Leave your feedback in the comments!

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Whether it’s a desktop computer or a laptop, whether or not it’s broken, and no matter how old it is, it can still be useful to you or someone else.

So if you still don’t have any idea what to do with it, you might find some inspiration in this article.

1. Run a Geek Beamer

It’s an unlikely scenario, but say you had an excess TFT screen, maybe with a broken backlight so it remains black, you could still use it to build your own geeky projector. You will need a working overhead projector and a computer or laptop to run the movies or whatever else you want to watch with it. Here’s the how-to video:

Unfortunately, Tom’s Hardware Guide took down the complete guide.

2. Create a Digital Photo Frame

If your old laptop screen is OK and if either the hard drive or CD/DVD drive are working, you can use it to build a cheap digital photo frame. With a working wireless connection you could even make it show your latest Flickr photos.

You’ll find detailed instructions all over the net. Repair4Laptop.org provides an extensive list of instructions sorted by laptop models. Unfortunately, some links are outdated. If you have a spare G4 Powerbook, try this article at Instructables, and for the digital photo frame connecting to Flickr, Mike from PopSci used an old IBM ThinkPad T21 and Slickr, as described here. Shuttertalk has instructions using a LCD monitor and laptop.

3. Create an External Hard Drive

If parts of your laptop or desktop computer hardware are broken, you can salvage the working parts. So if the hard drive is still working, you can dismount it and transform it into an external and portable hard drive for your new computer. You’ll have to invest in a USB caddy, which can be acquired cheaply through eBay, Amazon or your local hardware dealer. Be sure to get the right format and connector for your hard drive. For a laptop hard drive, you’ll need a 2.5″ IDE or SATA caddy. For a regular hard drive, generally a 3.5″ IDE or SATA caddy is in order.

4. Make Money

You can dismantle your entire broken computer or laptop and sell the working parts on eBay. Hard drive, RAM, A/C adapters, motherboards, graphics and audio cards, and even an intact case will return some cash.

It’s not a very unique use, but you may be able to save up some extra money to buy that cool tool you’ve been wanting to get.

To learn more about the inside of your computer, try Karl’s Own PC Building Guide, a free MakeUseOf free guide. To succeed on eBay, apply my 7 Tips for Private eBay Sellers.

5. Make Someone Happy

The next best way to use your still working old computer is to make someone else happy!

You could offer the computer on your local FreeCycle.org group or ask friends, family, and people in your community whether anyone needs a computer for simple tasks. Alternatively, you could donate your laptop or computer through an official organization, such as Computers with Causes.

Freecycle is mentioned in my post about 6 Amazing Web Communities for Exchanging Favors.

6. Donate CPU Time

If you would rather donate to something bigger, such as science, you could hook up the old computer to the internet, install a program such as SETI@home or Proteins@home, and run these programs all day and night.

The computer could sit in a dead corner of your house and would require a monitor only occasionally. You would invest as little as a bit of electricity and bandwidth.

Ryan has composed a great article about how 10 Ways To Donate Your CPU Time To Science.

7. Try Linux

If you’re a Windows user, having an extra computer to play with is your prime chance to get familiar with Linux. And you may just be surprised by how smoothly Linux runs on your old machine. The reason is that Linux demands much less power.

Stefan has written a Linux guide for Newbies, which will guide you through setting up Ubuntu and your first steps with it.

8. Use it as File or Print Server

Transform your old computer into a workhorse with only the essential software components, including Windows File and Printer sharing. Next, hook up all your external devices to it, such as an external hard drive or printer, and make them available to all other computers in the house.

9. Set up an external Firewall or Router

Separating your firewall from the PC you are using, and running it on a standalone computer that sits between the internet and your actual operating system, is a powerful way to protect your data. With Linux as the firewall computer’s operating system it’s almost perfect.

Lockup has a guide on how to turn your old PC into a NAT firewall router. At Associated Content, you will find an article that explains how to use free software to set up a first class firewall. And finally, Instructables has a guide on how to build your own gateway firewall.

10. Turn it into a Media Station

Load all your music and videos onto this computer, if necessary supply it with an external hard drive, set up your favorite media player, listen to Last.fm, install a TV tuner card and record movies, record music from radio stations, download MP3s, stream music throughout the house using wireless speakers etc.

There are many more options of how you can use an old computer for entertainment purposes, just be creative!

To help you set it all up, we have some material in store for you. Will wrote about the Top 5 Free Media Players For Windows. Ryan covered the Best Sites To Watch TV On Your Computer Over The Internet. Using a wireless connection, you could set up this additional “internet TV” in the kitchen or office. If you would like to record music, read my article about 3 Easy Tools to Record Streaming Music as MP3 Files. And I’m sure you’ll discover many more resources on MakeUseOf.

Can you think of even better ways to use an old computer or laptop? Let’s hear!

Image credits: ryas, dolar, svilen001, ilco

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Computers are definitely not just a toy for the young generation. In fact, computers are a lot more useful for people who have problems with mobility and keeping in touch with the world in the first place.

At the same time, people with reduced eyesight may have severe difficulties using computers because technology is still created to be attractive for the young. For example screen resolutions have become enormous, providing more desktop space, and as a result smaller icons and text. Everything is smaller, faster, and more sensitive. A nightmare for a slow person with bad eyesight and stiff hands.

Fortunately, Windows provides a lot of options to revert these “features” and make computers accessible for the elderly. Windows also comes with tools that enhance visibility and accessibility. Let me show you some of them.

1. Screen Resolution

A high screen resolution is wonderful because more things find space on your desktop. However, a high resolution also reduces the size of everything and text becomes very hard to read. Hence, it may help to reduce the screen resolution. It’s not a very elegant solution, but it’s quite easy.

Right-click onto a blank area of the > desktop and select > Properties. The Display Properties window opens. Switch to the > Settings tab and reduce the screen resolution to 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600 pixel. If you’re using a flat screen, you’ll see that decreasing the screen resolution will also reduce the sharpness. You’ll simply have to find the right balance for yourself.

To retain sharpness and visibility, you can also increase the DPI (dots per inch). Note that this step may require rebooting or the Windows setup CD. Within the > Settings tab click the > Advanced button, switch to the > General tab and under > DPI setting select > Large size (120 DPI) from the pull-down menu.

2. Contrast

Besides larger text and icons (we will come to that), a good contrast enhances readability. Fortunately, there are some Windows default solutions.

We’re still in the Display Properties menu from the previous point. Switch to the > Appearance tab. Under > Windows and buttons select > Windows Classic style. Now you can select a > High Contrast > Color scheme from the respective pull-down menu.

3. Sizes

We already touched on that in the first point. Size matters. And while we’re in the Display Properties, let’s see what else we can do here. For example you can increase the > Font size.

Furthermore, you can click the > Effects button and check the > Use large icons option.

Finally, back in > Display Properties, click the > Advanced button and look at the > Items you can edit here. For example you could increase the font size in menus or the size of caption buttons or the text size in message boxes. Font styles and colors are also under your control.

Before we leave the Display Settings, let me give you one more piece of advice. You can save all these settings as a theme. This way you can easily restore or share them. Within the > Display Settings window, switch to the > Themes tab and click > Save As. I’m sure you can figure out the rest.

4. Start menu buttons

Through the start menu you can quickly navigate to frequently used or standard programs. You can customize the start menu to display large icons.

Right-click onto the > taskbar, select > Properties. Switch to the > Start Menu tab, click > Customize and select > Large icons for programs. Here you can also change your default Internet and E-Mail programs.

5. Magnifier

Windows comes with a tool that lets you magnify things you can’t see despite all your settings.

You will find the tool under > Start > All Programs > Accessories > Accessibility folder > Magnifier. In the same folder you might also find an Accessibility Wizard, a Narrator, and the On-Screen Keyboard.

The magnifier will reserve a bit of screen in the top and open a > Magnifier Settings window.

Through the settings you can increase the magnification level and change the tracking and presentation. Inverting colors can enhance contrast and readability.

The magnification window itself can be moved around the screen and you can change its size. Since it will push away your open windows when launched, you might want to select > Start Minimized for the next time you need it.

6. Keystrokes

Hitting the right keys or several keys at once may be a problem when fingers are stiff. Windows provides some relief.

Go to > Start > Control Panel (classic view) > Accessibility Options and switch to the > Keyboard tab. The options you see here are > StickyKeys, >FilterKeys, and >ToggleKeys.

When > Use StickyKeys is checked the keys [SHIFT], [CTRL], [ALT], and [WINDOWS] are stuck once pressed, which will allow you to press one key at a time. For example to produce a capital A you can press [SHIFT], release the key and then press [A].

Clicking > Use FilterKeys results in a less sensible keyboard. Brief or rapidly repeated keystrokes will simply be ignored. This should reduce the amount of mistakes. However, it’s a bad choice for touch typers.

Check > Use ToggleKeys to be notified of hitting the [CAPS LOCK], [NUM LOCK], and [SCROLL LOCK] keys with a sound.

The respective > Settings buttons provide even more options to fine-tune the behavior of your keyboard.

Within Accessibility Options you can alter many other settings, for example translating system sounds into visual warnings, increasing the display contrast and cursor blink rate and width, and more.

7. Mouse

The mouse another important item to be considered.

Open the > Mouse Properties through > Start > Control Panel (classic view) > Mouse and switch to the > Pointers tab. Changing the scheme and selecting a large pointer will increase its visibility. Within the > Pointer Options tab you can further adapt its visibility and speed. Don’t forget the adjust scrolling with the mouse > Wheel.

With these default Windows options you can do a lot to make computers accessible for elderly or handicapped people. What is the oldest person you know using a computer? Is your grandma online yet? I think it’s about time!

Image credits: Brybs

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But please don’t dig out your Christmas decorations. Not yet! Wait for December.

In the meantime however, you can preserve this light and happy feeling of spring and summer and carry it into the dark season.

How about decorating your desktop with a beautiful refreshing wallpaper, for example with images of fresh, green grass. It’s a prime delight!

1. Blueish Grass

The source for this first image is fotocommunity, a website for photographers. As a result the images are not available in typical screen resolutions. However, they are of stunning beauty and high quality. That’s why I use many of these photos, although they don’t really fit my screen resolution.

More excellent grass photos that make beautiful wallpaper from this website: wild grass, grass blades, mixed grass.

Available resolutions: 1000 x 704

2. Darkness Over Grass

One of my favorite wallpapers. Ragged grass under a cloudy sky.

Available resolutions: 1280 x 960

3. Grass field

View of a grass field in late spring.

Available resolutions: 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, 1600 x 1200

4. Lemon Grass

Be different. This highly stylish wallpaper shows lemon grass in straight glass and decoratively spread over a white surface.

Available resolutions: 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864, 1280 x 960, 1280 x 1024, 1440 x 900, 1600 x 1200

5. Perk

A beautiful textured desktop wallpaper with different shades of blue and green.

Available resolutions: 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050

6. Fantasy Grass

Cute fantasy grass wallpaper from Vladstudio with tiny spiders diving from one blade of grass to another.

Available resolutions: 800 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864, 1280 x 1024, 1600 x 1200

Higher resolutions, high quality, widescreen, dual or triple, and iPhone wallpapers are available only for registered users of Vladstudio.

7. Raindrops on grass

Water a grass are a wonderful combination, as seen in this wallpaper. Raindrops collected on a thick blade of grass.

Available resolutions: 1024 x 768, 1600 x 1200, 1920 x 1200

8. Turf

This is a beautiful night shot of turf from the side.

Available resolutions: any

If you’re looking for more stylish wallpapers, browse for more at Desktop Nexus. They have an ingenious feature that sets them apart from most other wallpaper providers: the screen resolution and aspect ratio are determined automatically. Just click the > Enlarge Wallpaper button and wait until your wallpaper is downloaded. Awesome!

9. Liriope Dual

With a dual monitor setup it’s difficult to find suitable wallpapers. Here is one of a few wallpapers that will spread across two monitors.

Available resolutions left: 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864, 1280 x 800, 1280 x 1024, 1440 x 900, 1600 x 1200, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200, 2560 x 1600

Available resolutions right: 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864, 1280 x 800, 1280 x 1024, 1440 x 900, 1600 x 1200, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200, 2560 x 1600

10. Leopard Grass

A dark, artistic wallpaper with wild grass blades covered with raindrops.

Available resolutions: 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050

Did this list hold something for you? We sure hope so.

Otherwise, there are many more sources for beautiful wallpapers and we have previously shared them with you. Karl found the Best Sites to Download Very High Resolution Wallpapers, Ryan covered 7 Websites for Free Patriotic Wallpaper Themes, and I summarized The Best Resources to Pimp Your Wallpaper.

What is your favorite desktop wallpaper?

Photo credits: saeedzadeh

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Would you know how to type these on a standard English QWERTY keyboard? There are several ways to deal with language special characters.

First of all you can use the numeric keypad and enter ASCII codes that will create the characters. You will find a thorough list of ASCII codes here.

Pick your code, click the [ALT] key and hold it while you enter the three numbers on the numeric key pad. Finally, release the [ALT] key and your character should appear.

That’s one way. However, if you are used to touch typing in a different language, you can simply install the respective keyboard layout under Windows. To change or add keyboard language in Windows, you have to take the following steps:

• Go to > START > Control Panel and open > Regional and Language Options.
• A window will open, switch to the > Languages tab.

• In the > Text services and input languages section click > Details…

• An additional window will open.

• As you see there are two language services installed here already.  To increase the selection, click > Add… and yet another window will open.
• Here finally you can select a language from > Input Locale.
• Select > Keyboard layout/IME according to the keyboard you will be using.
• Click > OK and you’ll return to text services and input languages.

I added Kyrgyz, a language that applies Cyrillic writing.

• From the list of > Installed Services select the language you want to use per default, then click > Apply.
• In order to be able to quickly switch between keyboard layouts, click the > Language Bar button and a window will open.
• Check > Show additional Language bar icons in the taskbar. You can use this taskbar icon to switch between keyboard layouts.
• Finally > OK all open windows and you should be able to switch between keyboard layouts now.

You will find a list of the standard international keyboard layouts supported by Windows here. The layout will load in a small window.

Now if you can’t switch your keyboard, but still want to use the different layouts on your English language keyboard, you may not know which keys are where.

If using different keyboard layouts is not an option because you cannot switch keyboards or you don’t know the keys by heart, you can turn to software, for example AllChars. With this nifty tool you can use simple character combinations and they will create the desired special character.

For example the keys ["] and [A] combined will make [Ä]. AllChars only translates these key combinations into special characters after you hit (click and release!) an initiation key, such as [CTRL] or [SHIFT]. You can select a starter key of your choice. If the [1] in the taskbar symbol turns red you will know the key works. The previous examples didn’t work for me, I had to select > Win Left from the configuration. Unfortunately, to run AllChars you need Administrator rights.

Language special characters are fun and useful even if you don’t really need them, for example they provide material for unique emoticons. :Þ

Image credits: ilco

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Online, smileys are a powerful way to transport emotions. The typographic smileys are generally known as emoticons. Placed with care and read with an eye for detail, they clarify the meaning of a statement and improve interpretation.

Meanwhile, chatters across the globe have developed a huge selection of emoticons and smileys on most instant messengers. If you always want to hit the right nerve and never pick the wrong expression, use our emoticon guide to popular codes for smiley faces.

Western Emoticons

Western emoticons are typically written from left to right. Here are 15 of the most popular ones.

1. Smile

: – )   or   :-]   or   :3   or   :> stands for happiness.

2. Grin

: – D   expresses great happiness or a victory.

3. Frown

: – (   or   :-c represents sadness or disappointment. The latter can also mean great sadness.

4. Wink

; – )   or   ,-)   or   *-) indicates a joke or double entendre in what was said.

5. Tongue

: – P   or   : – p   or   :-Þ   or   :-b is an emoticon to tease, often used as a joke.

6. Open mouth

:-O   or   : – () stands for surprise or shock.

7. Distorted mouth

: – / means skepticism, being annoyed or uneasy.

8. Beaked lips

:-X   or   :-*   or   :-<> expresses a kiss, love and affection. But careful, this one can be ambiguous.

:-@   or   : – ) ~~ ( – :   or   : – )~~~~ stand for french kissing.

9. Sealed lips

:-X   or   :-# stands for embarrassment. Notice the ambiguity.

10. Halo

0:-) represents an angel or innocence and is often used in a playful manner.

11. Tear

:’-( shows a crying face and expresses sadness.

12. Horns

>:-)   or   >:-D is used to express evil.

13. Blank

: – | expresses boredom, but can also stand for no comment.

14. Spittle

:-p~~ represents drooling.

15. Arrow

>.>   or   <.<   or   >_>   or   <_< points the way in which to look. Technically, this is an eastern emoticon.

Eastern Emoticons

In contrast to western codes for smiley faces, eastern emoticons can be read without tilting the head. Here is a selection, which does not correspond to the previous one.

1. Smile for happiness

(^_^)   or   (^.^)

2. Open mouth for laughing or singing

(^o^)

3. Wink for joking

(`_^)   or   (^_~)

4. Closed eyes for sadness or sighing

(-_-)

5. Lowered head for bitterness or disappointment

(._.)   or   (,_,)

6. Sweat drop for nervousness or embarrassment

(^_^’)

7. Big eyes for wonder (seriously?)

0.o   or   O_o

8. Beaked lips for a kiss

(^x^)   or   (^3^)

9. Blushing for embarrassment

^///^   or   >///<   or   o///o

10. Crossed out eyes for death

(X_X)

11. Tears for sadness and crying

(;_;)   or   (T_T)

12. Distorted eyes for pain, failure or frustration

(>_<)   or   (>.<)

13. Closed eyes and zzZ for sleeping

(-_-)zzZ   or   -_-zzZ

14. Headphones for listening to music

d^_^b   or   d-_-b

15. Distorted eyes for annoyance

(>_>)

There are many, many more emoticons to express every shade of emotion you can think of. You will find more western emoticons here and here. The latter also includes emoticons that represent celebrities and a list of available MSN and Yahoo! smileys. More eastern emoticons can be found here.

By the way, most chat clients automatically convert codes for text smiley faces to graphics. If you want to prevent this, there is a simple trick: simply type the characters in reverse order, for example (-: instead of : – ).

Do you use emoticons and did you come across different meanings of the ones mentioned above? Please share potential ambiguities with us!

Image credits: jaylopez

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I’ve had a colleague who sometimes had to bring her 3 year old son to work when the nanny was sick and no one else was available to take care of him. We all helped keeping him busy and now and then he would also enjoy some games on the computer.

Here are five ways to distract your child and keep any kid busy for a few minutes when you absolutely need it.

MysteryNet’s Kids Mysteries

This website is suited for kids who can already read and love to explore. If you don’t want your kid to simply consume, but rather use their brain and learn something new, you should give this one a try.

In Solve-it and Quick-solve your kid can read short stories and solve difficult cases, based on the information the stories reveal. Was it the gardener? The Chiller section hosts scary stories.

Finally, to impress family and friends alike, the website explains some simple magic tricks everyone can learn.

KideoPlayer

Certainly, the easiest way to keep kids busy is with videos. When the television is not an option, let me tell you, neither is YouTube. You never know what they will zap into next. Pre-filtered content is always the best idea.

KideoPlayer is a family safe YouTube player for kids. It’s extremely simple to handle. Load the page and videos will begin to play automatically. Don’t like the clip, hit the space bar for the next one. There is one button for the most popular videos and a second one just for moms. This makes the site suitable for very young kids.

ZuiTube

Your child may be a little more demanding, wanting to select from a collection of clips. In that case I recommend ZuiTube, which claims to have the largest video collection for kids.

Your kid can choose from New TV & Cartoons, Movies, Funniest Videos, New Music, Dinosaurs, and Animation. I’m sure there is at least one category they will find exciting.

Within the main categories, there are many more subcategories to explore. And while your child makes their selection, you can relax because you know the material is safe.

Crayola Coloring

Kids love color and you can give them what they want with Crayola Coloring. It’s an ace up your sleeve when all you have to offer is a boring office and a computer.  Besides, even if your kid is creative and tempted to color your walls, that’s not gonna work with these colors.

The kid can choose from different types of pens, tip sizes, and colors. The result can even be printed.

Storyline Online

Do you read stories to your children? It’s something wonderful to do and usually has a very calming effect on children, but it takes a lot of time. Why not give your children a little more of it, but have someone else do it?

At Storyline Online you will find many short stories read by many famous members of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. Now they can always claim that a celebrity read them stories when they were small.

We have previously covered games that can keep kids busy.

• Abraham wrote about 10 Open Source Online Games For Kids.
• Guy introduced Roblox – A Cool Lego-Based Free Virtual World for Kids.
• Karl has covered several online games suitable for kids. For example Preschool Online Games That Are Fun For Children or Noggin + Babysmash = One Happy Baby! (Windows).
• I recently introduced 5 Cool Free Internet Games for Kids That’ll Make them Love Math.

What is the most fascinating and self-directed distraction for your child?

Image credits: jmjvicente

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Like anywhere else, you will find all sorts of characters among scientists. Think about this: everything humans have created is so complex and diverse because it reflects the minds behind it. Just think of relationships or laws. And basically, that’s the same in science.

So let’s inspect the surprising, puzzling and fun side of science, the one you may not have expected or the one you never really took seriously. You may find that at a few of these fun science websites, there are some odd things going on. Seriously.

PhD Comics

In this case PhD stands for Piled Higher and Deeper and it’s “a comic strip about life (or the lack thereof) in academia.” The mind behind the comic is Jorge Cham, who holds a real PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

Most comic strips are actual cartoons, giving you a glimpse into the crazy life of a PhD student or PostDoc. Some comics, however, reveal the frustrating reality of life in academia.

Science Tattoo Emporium

The science tattoo emporium is a fun science website project hosted by Discover Magazine. As you may have guessed it features scientists with their scientific tattoos. Today, tattoos are quite average, aren’t they? It’s not all about analysis in science and this projects reveals the creative and playful side of scientists. Of course it’s also crazy to have the main subject of your job tattooed onto your body. But it’s not surprising because it takes a lot of passion to do science.

The image below shows “The Tree of Life – carbon, glucose, light, DNA, and the golden rectangle. A tattoo by Kevin Riley. On the chest of a PhD student in molecular biology.”

Neatorama

Neatorama is a blog that features interesting stories from the world of science in its broadest sense. It’s a very good read.

However, Neatorama is not your average blog, the creator had some ingenious ideas. The blog works a little like Digg. The difference is that you are required to submit your own work, rather than that by others. Literally anyone can write for Neatorama and add themselves to the site’s “upcoming Queue”. Readers vote on the posts in the queue and the best ones make it to the front page.

This awesome concept guarantees that you’ll only read about genuinely interesting stuff. Thankfully, the voters seem to have a healthy sense of humor and so most posts are hilarious. Isn’t the finding that drinking beer improves bone density one of the best news ever?

NCBI ROFL

NCBI is the National Center for Biotechnology Information and NCBI’s PubMed is a standard database where scientists across the globe search for research articles. ROFL is an internet acronym for Rolling On Floor Laughing.

NCBI ROFL presents funny articles found on NCBI’s PubMed. The blog is run by two Molecular and Cell Biology graduate students who procrastinate a lot. At least they remain productive and we can enjoy the result.

May I remind you that all this published research is or was officially funded? Someone decided we needed to find out about things such as the nature of injuries caused by falling coconuts, what type of people enjoy playing bingo in later life, whether accidental anal intercourse really happens, and whether garlic protects against vampires.

Before you start worrying about your tax money, calm down. The studies may not be as ridiculous as they sound. After all scientists know how to catch your attention, too.

Null Hypothesis

It’s The Journal of Unlikely Science and it’s all about the tough questions in science. The kind that drive scientists and parents crazy. You’ll find the most interesting, weird and ridiculous stories on this website.

One article deals with the question “What would happen, if we all dropped down dead?“, how would a world without men look like? Another addresses taste buds and how to trick them. In a recent story, the author recapitulates how people in the past predicted what would never be possible and how the future proved them wrong. And didn’t you ever want to know whether the early bird really catches worms?

Improbable Research

Improbable Research covers “research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.” The organization publishes the magazine “Annals of Improbable Research” and they administer the infamous Ig Nobel Prizes. Each year the most incredible and imaginative research projects in the categories nutrition, peace, archaeology, biology, medicine, cognitive science, economics, physics, chemistry, and literature are awarded with this prize.

Year-round the blog features scientific studies that entertain, spark public interest, make people curious, and get them interested in science. Are you prepared for some mind boggling questions from the world of science?

If you would like to discover the scientist in yourself, how about trying some fun experiments at home? Sara has covered 6 fun science websites that will help to unleash the mad scientist within yourself.

Who would have thought that science can be fun? Did we change your mind? I hope I could give you a new perspective and make you laugh.

Image Credit: clix

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With the internet at your fingertips, there is never a lack of fun things to do. We here at MakeUseOf try to show you all the good stuff there is to explore, discover and, well, make good use of.

Alright, So don’t let me waste your time, here are 7 silly pages to have some fun with.

1. The Squirrelizer

Objective: Active entertainment, have fun with photos!

The Squirrelizer, inspired by the now-famous National Geographic photo, adds a ground squirrel to any image. All you need is the URL of a picture that isn’t copyrighted.

You could use one of your own pictures or go through your friends’ Flickr accounts and search for a boring group photo. Turn it into a hilarious shot by adding this unexpected guest, then share the blast with everyone.

2. flowers2mail

Objective: Do something good, make someone smile, send flowers!

Being bored means you have some time to spare. Don’t let it go to waste! You could invest a minute or two to make someone happy. Are there any birthdays, anniversaries or holidays coming up? How about mailing a bunch of flowers? And if you’re notoriously broke, you will love this one because it’s free!

You can add different color flowers to the bouquet, change the vase and add a customized greeting card. The virtual flowers can be mailed up to 15 days in advance and you will be notified once the flowers are picked up.

3. Kapi Regnum

Objective: Active entertainment, play a game!

Kapi Regnum is an online strategy game set in the Middle Ages. The game simulates an economy as it may have existed about 500 years ago. You enter the role of a man who was sent to settle down and repopulate land. Being the landlord, you can produce over 100 products, build houses and entire villages, hire employees, sell your goods, trade with other players and expand your business.

How I wish something like this had existed back in the days when I had way too much time on my hands.

4. ScienceHack

Objective: Passive video entertainment, watch something different!

ScienceHack provides science videos of real scientific experiments. The videos are screened and approved by scientists. The categories include Chemistry, Space, Computer Science, Robotics and many more. Below is an example from the Psychology section:

Maybe you’ll discover something you can do at home?

5. Tworl

Objective: Social entertainment, chat with somebody.

Do you feel like chatting, but none of your friends are online? Head over to Tworl and be matched up with a random chat partner right now, based on age and/or sex. Unfortunately, the chat client is currently restricted to AOL Instant Messenger. There is one more catch: you need to sign up to use Tworl. And before accepting a match, AIM must be running.

Once a match is accepted, you’ll see Tworl’s mashup data, consisting of your chat partner’s and your own details, i.e. age, location, picture, what you have in common etc. If your chat partner accepts your invitation, you can rate each other. If he doesn’t, you can mark him as unresponsive. Happy chatting!

6. Podiobooks

Objective: Passive audio entertainment, listen to audiobooks.

Podiobooks is a site that distributes free audiobooks through RSS feeds and direct downloads. You’ll find material in over 20 different categories from countless authors. The first chapter of each book is available to anyone. To hear more, subscribe to a title or download the entire book, you need to sign up.

You should use your “I’m so bored” moment now to select a few cool books and load your mp3 player with chapters. One of these days you will get bored in a random place, e.g. stuck in public transport, and the internet may be far, far away. Yep, it’s a cruel world.

7. HadToSay

Objective: Vent, say what you have to say to a specific person and let the world know!

Do you have a secret crush on somebody and would you like to give them a hint? Or do you need to anonymously relate some information to someone? At HadToSay you can.

There are two catches: you have to sign up and you have to deliver a physical note to the intended recipient. HadtoSay provides a printable template, which contains the pickup code of your message. You can even print a template without attaching a message to it (yet), leave the note with someone, then log into your HadtoSay account and enter the message after delivering the code.

If you cannot physically deliver a note to the person, you can still eMail them anonymously with the URL and code. Simon has written an article on How To Send Completely Anonymous Emails.

I hope these sites provided some fun and inspiration. And in case there is some time left, we have a lot more material in our archives and in the MUO Directory. Enjoy!

Image credits: jazza

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Unfortunately, not everyone has the gift, time or financial freedom to create an extraordinary and sophisticated website complete with CSS and whatnot. Some of us will just have to live with simple HTML pages for a little longer.

In the meantime, you may still want to take advantage of simple, cool HTML effects and tags to make information stand out with style.

Maybe one of these is what you’ve been looking for.

1. Tableizer!

If you have an existing Excel, Calc or other spreadsheet template, Tableizer! will transform your data into an HTML table in a jiffy. The resulting HTML code can easily be added to your website. Of course, this is not really an HTML effect, but it’s quite handy.

Input:

Output:

With a little patience and editing of the background-colors you can make it look a lot cooler, for example by coloring the leftmost “index” column blue as well.

2. Scrollable Text Box

This is a helpful, cool HTML effect in case you want to pack long snippets of text into a compact format, so that it doesn’t take up the entire space on a page.

Input:

<div style=”width: 25%; height: 50px; overflow: auto; scrollbar-face-color: #CE7E00; scrollbar-shadow-color: #FFFFFF; br /scrollbar-highlight-color: #6F4709; scrollbar-3dlight-color:#11111; scrollbar-darkshadow-color: #6F4709; br /scrollbar-track-color: #FFE8C1; scrollbar-arrow-color: #6F4709;”>Your text goes here. And it can scroll down. You just have to add a sufficient amount of text to make the scrollbars show. That’s it! </div>

Output:

Your text goes here. And it can scroll down. You just have to add a sufficient amount of text to make the scrollbars show. That’s it!

You can play with the colors and the size of the text box.

3. Highlight Text

With a simple <span> HTML tag you can add a ton of effects to your text or images. Note that some may only work in IE and that I’m only mentioning those that work with both IE and Firefox.

Input:

<span style= “background-color: #FFFF00″>Your text here.</span>

Output:

Your text here.

4. Add Background Image to Text

Likewise, you can change the color of your text or add a background image. This one only becomes really exciting if your text has a big enough size, which is why I also increased the font size.

Input:

<SPAN STYLE=”background-image: url(http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/HTMLEffects03.png ); font-size: 20pt”>MakeUseOf presents…</SPAN>

Output:

MakeUseOf presents…

5. Add Title Tool Tip

A title tool tip comes up when you scroll with the mouse over a piece of “manipulated” text or images. You know these from images or linked text. Here is how you can add this one to plain text.

Input:

<SPAN TITLE=”See, this is the tool tip. ”>Move your mouse over me!</SPAN>

Output:

Move your mouse over me!

6. Change Background / Text Color

Picking colors that everyone enjoys is a tough business. In short, it’s impossible. Either you’ll violate someone’s personal taste or you will discriminate against color blind individuals. If you want to be super correct, simply let your visitors change the background and text colors on your website themselves.

Input:

<select name=”clr” onchange=”document.bgColor=this.options[this.selectedIndex].value” size=”1″><br \> <option value=”black”>black <option value=”orange”>orange <option value=”flamingred”>fuschia <option value=”lightyellow”>light yellow <option value=”green”>green <option value=”cyan”>cyan <option value=”yellow”>yellow <option value=”red”>red <option value=”white”>white</option></select>&nbsp;&nbsp;Background Color

<br \><select name=”clr” onchange=”document.fgColor=this.options[this.selectedIndex].value” size=”1″><br \> <option value=”black”>black <option value=”orange”>orange <option value=”flamingred”>fuschia <option value=”lightyellow”>light yellow <option value=”cyan”>cyan <option value=”yellow”>yellow <option value=”red”>red <option value=”white”>white</option></select>&nbsp;&nbsp;Text Color

Output:

This demonstration will actually not work here, which is why I have created a working example of it on this page.

7. Add a Switchmenu

The most exciting HTML effects are dynamic HTML effects. However, they are often script based. Here is one effect for menus that I have come to adore. It’s a little more complicated than your avarage HTML tag because it works with a style sheet and scripts. The advantage is that you don’t have to upload a CSS or script file to make it work, you can plant all necessary information into the <head> section of your website.

Input:

Add the following code into the <head> section of your page:

And this code goes wherever you want the dynamic menu to appear.

Output:

Again, this menu cannot be demonstrated here, hence I’ve made it available for viewing at the demonstration page. And here is the original source for this dynamic HTML effect.

For more <span> tags, visit HTML Goodies. If you got interested in dynamic HTML, check out Dynamic Drive for tons of incredible scripts. And finally, don’t forget, that your website is best enjoyed when it loads fast. With this regard, you may find Guy’s article on 5 HTML Tips to Create a Fast Loading Website very informative.

What is your favorite HTML effect on your or any other website? Please share it with us!

Image credit: svilen001

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Few of us have the skills to create our own fonts. Fortunately, there are tons of free text fonts available on sites like DaFont, FFonts, 1001 Free Fonts or Fontex. Once you have downloaded your favorites, you’ll need to figure out how to install those fonts. Here’s a basic guide on how to install fonts on Windows, Linux and Mac.

Please uncompress / unzip all fonts before trying to install them, preferably into a separate folder. If you select a manual installation process, you can unzip files right into the respective font folder. Make sure you delete eventually included text files, which don’t belong into this folder.

Windows

Supported fonts:

• TrueType
• OpenType
• PostScript type 1 (requires Adobe Type Manager (ATM) or ATM Deluxe; comes with Windows XP and up)
• Windows bit mapped FON

Installation process under XP:

• Close all applications.
• Select font files and copy them into C:\Windows\Fonts folder.

Alternative installation process under XP:

• Close all applications.
• Go to > Start Menu > Control Panel (> Appearance and Themes) > Fonts.
• From the > Fonts folder menu open > File > Install a new font…
• Browse for your fonts and click > OK to install.

Installation process under Vista and 7:

• Close all applications.
• Right-click font files to be installed.
• A menu will pop up, select > Install.

Alternative installation process under Vista and 7:

• Close all applications.
• Go to > Start Menu > Control Panel (> Appearance and Personalization) > Fonts.
• Right-click into the list of fonts and select > Install a new font… from the menu.
• Browse for your fonts and click > OK to install.

Ubuntu Linux

Supported fonts:

• TrueType
• OpenType

Installation process to install for single user:

• Close all applications.
• Open > /home folder.
• In the menu open > View and > Show Hidden Files.
• You will now see the > .fonts folder. If not, create that folder.
• Copy font files into the > .fonts folder.

Installation process to install for all users:

• Close all applications.
• Save fonts in a separate folder on > Desktop, e.g. > newfonts.
• Open > terminal and start command > sudo cp -R ~/Desktop/newfonts /usr/share/fonts
• Optional: rebuild font cache with command > sudo fc-cache -f -v

Damian has written a thorough post on How To Install Microsoft Text Fonts in Ubuntu Linux.

Mac OS X

Supported fonts:

• Multiple Master (OS 10.2+)
• TrueType
• data fork TrueType (DFont; OS X+)
• OpenType
• PostScript type 1 (requires ATM or ATM Deluxe; comes with OS X)

Installation process under Mac OS X:

• Close all applications.
• Open folder that contains fonts to install.
• Select fonts to be installed.
• Drag and drop the selected font files into the > Library’s Font folder.

Installation process under Mac OS 10.3+ using FontBook:

• Close all applications.
• Open folder that contains fonts to install.
• Double-click icon of font to be installed.
• FontBook opens and you can preview the font.
• To install only for you, click > Install Font button.
• To install for all users, select > Preferences and change > Default Install Location from > User to > Computer, then click > Install Font button.

Troubleshooting

I hope the above guide was thorough enough, but you may still run into problems. Just in case, here are possible solutions to some of the most common issues.

Fonts don’t show in program.

• Make sure you installed a supported font format.
• Exit all programs before installing new fonts.
• Restart programs after installing new fonts.
• If restarting the program fails, reboot operating system.
• Were the fonts installed into the correct folders?

Issues with displaying or printing text.

• Mac: To properly view and print PostScritp type 1 fonts, ATM is required.
• PostScript type 1 fonts consist of two files: PFB (printer font binary) and PFM (printer font metrics). Both need to be installed in order for these fonts to display correctly both on screen and in print.

Fonts not available to applications running in Classic mode (Mac).

• Install fonts in Macintosh TrueType or Macintosh PostScript into the fonts folder inside classic system folder.

Font only available to user who installed it (Mac, Linux).

• Mac: Make sure fonts were installed into the system library font folder, instead of /Users/username/Library/Fonts.
• Linux: Make sure fonts were installed into system folder. See instructions for details, eventually repeat the process.

Now that you know how to install new fonts, are you asking yourself where to find them? Mark has written a post about 5 Excellent Sources To Download Free Text Fonts. If you’re creative you can even create your own fonts. Saikat has a post about How To Create Your Own Fonts & Characters on Windows and Kabir wrote about 2 Free Tools To Make Your Own Text Fonts, which will also work for Linux and Mac.

What’s your favorite font or typeface?

Image credits: nookiez

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The trouble is setting up the network and eventually figuring out how to connect each device. There are some common mistakes that are best avoided in the first place. If you’re struggling with your WiFi, let this be your "WiFi For Dummies" troubleshooting guide.

1. Not reading manuals

This should be common sense. Your WiFi setup depends on the router you have and the devices you want to connect. Thus it’s essential to read the respective manuals and follow their instructions. Some of the following mistakes can be avoided simply by reading manuals.

2. Using default passwords

Your wireless router comes with a default password for its administration interface. The password is required to log into the device and configure countless critical settings. To avoid damage it’s essential to secure this area by replacing the default password with a strong password. The same applies to all devices you’re going to connect to your wireless network.

3. Failing to turn on WiFi transmission

Especially laptops and mobile phones have buttons or software settings that allow you to turn on or off wireless transmissions. Naturally, you won’t be able to locate a wireless network, let alone connect to it as long as WiFi is turned off on your laptop or phone. More details can be found in the device manual.

4. Mixing or excluding wireless standards

There are several wireless standards or WiFi technologies available: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. 802.11n is the latest standard and supports higher bandwidth as well as multiple wireless signals and antennas (MIMO technology). This article on About.com explains the differences in detail.

You may have devices supporting different standards and you should sort this out before purchasing a router or a device you want to connect to an existing router (i.e. read manuals). In general, it’s best not to mix wireless standards. You’ll see the best performance, if all connected devices "speak the same language", i.e. use the same standard. For example a device running using outdated wireless technology may slow down the entire network, even for devices that support higher standards.

That’s also the reason why many routers have an option that excludes devices only supporting old standards. So if you cannot connect your old laptop to your wireless network, maybe your router is configured to support only 802.11g and up, while your laptop only supports 802.11a.

5. Mixing encryption standards

New devices support different forms of WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encryption. The old encryption standard WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) should be avoided because it’s easily cracked.

Most users will be smart and set up their router with WPA encryption. Now what would happen if you tried to connect a device that only supports WEP, for example a PDA, to such a network. Of course it would not work! Again, it’s essential to read the manuals and understand which encryption standards are supported by the devices you want to connect.

If WPA is your only option, make sure you have a strong password, i.e. random, alphanumeric and longer than 10 characters. Don’t skip encryption! Even if WPA can be cracked, it does require a few minutes and a bit of skill, so your regular neighbor will probably be too lazy to try.

6. Badly configured firewall

One of the main reasons a computer won’t connect to a wireless network is a firewall that denies the connection. To test this, simply turn off the firewall and try again. If the firewall was the cause, learn how to configure it properly (check out a few WiFi For Dummies books from your local bookstore to learn more) to allow WiFi access.

7. Spelling

Another mistake could be transposed digits or wrong spelling of manually entered IDs, passwords, MAC addresses etc. that are required to setup the network or connect a device. When you’re receving a signal, but cannot connect, make sure your WEP or WPA key is correct. Double check!

8. Not using any security

Your data is transmitted over the air and it is an easy target for anyone trying to spy on you or hack into your system. So any security measurement is better than none. Use passwords, use strong passwords, use encryption, use a firewall or at least turn on Windows’ default firewall, monitor your traffic.

For more information about securing your WiFi connection, read these articles:

From Tim: How To Set Up Your Own Secured WiFi Hotspot

From Aibek: How To Secure Your Wireless Network Connection

From Karl: Things To Know When Using a WiFi Hotspot Or A Public PC

From Tina (me): Is Your Wireless Network Safe?

9. False sense of security

You may have changed all default passwords, turned off DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), set up MAC (Media Access Control) filtering, turned off remote router administration, turned on the router firewall, set up a firewall on your computer, and hidden your SSID (Service Set Identifier) beaconing and you probably feel safe.

Apparently, some people also try to secure their WiFi network "physically". They place the router in a central location of the area they want to cover and reduce the signal until it can not be detected outside that area. I hope they don’t forget that the signal is transmitted three-dimensionally. Also, someone using a strong antenna, e.g. a determined hacker, will still pick up the signal and invade the network.

Among harmless neighbors, you probably are safe even if you don’t apply any security measurements. But for a skilled hacker, you’re still a relatively easy target, despite all the precautions. Each security layer can be cracked separately and it’s only a matter of time until WPA will be hacked. So never feel too safe, back up your data and disconnect sensible data from connected devices.

If you’re interested in wireless internet, you should check out Guy’s other great WiFi for dummies type article Technology Explained: How Does Wireless Internet Work? and if you’re going to set up your own network, download the Network Guide PDF that was written by Stefan.

What other problems or mistakes did you encounter in setting up a wireless network?

Image credits: duchesssa, rolve, flaivoloka, groenmen, clix

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Thunderbird unites many advantages, including the flexibility we all know from Firefox. And if you have to rely on eMail accounts from different providers (e.g. work, GMail and Yahoo! Mail), a desktop eMail client like Thunderbird allows you to collect all your eMails in one place on your desktop.

One of the greatest joys for me is customizing Thunderbird’s look and feel, i.e. rearranging icons and trying new themes. Here are 10 of my favorite Mozilla Thunderbird themes.

2nd Classic

(2.0 – 2.0.0*)

2nd Classic is a light gray Mozilla Thunderbird theme with a few good contrasts, for example a different background for the sidebar. It also comes with custom icons for the Mail, Calendar and Tasks buttons, something that most skins are lacking.

If you’re wondering how I got those buttons there, check out my post How To Integrate Google Calendar Into Thunderbird and the secret should be lifted. It also works for iCalendar (ICS), CalDAV or Sun Java System Calendar Server (WCAP).

Aquabird Redone

(1.5 – 2.0.0.*)

I’m a great fan of light Mozilla Thunderbird themes with neat buttons and this skin definitely fits into my predatory pattern. The theme is also available in a dark version: Aquabird Black

Cobalt

(1.5 – 2.0.0.*)

This is the theme I’ve been using for the past few months. As I said, I have a soft spot for stylish light skins. Unfortunately, no custom Mail, Calendar and Tasks buttons.

iLeopard Mail

(2.0 – 3.1a1pre)

The color scheme of iLeopard here is very similar to 2nd Classic, but the icons are very different. I find them adorable, very Mac!

Modern Modoki

(2.0 – 2.0.0.*)

Most Mozilla Thunderbird themes are light. Modern Modoki’s blueish grey colored theme with the beautiful icons is different.

Nuvola

(2.0 – 3.1a1pre)

Nuvola is a more playful skin with colored icons on a light gray background. I like all the little details, especially the custom icons everywhere. Very well done!

OxyBird

(2.0 – 2.0.0.*)

OxyBird is another favorite light skin with pretty buttons. If you’re a fan of light skins, pay attention to the subtle differences in the icons. This theme isn’t monochrome, but integrates little bits of color, which makes it so interesting.

PitchDark

(0.8 – 2.0.0.*)

The only real dark Thunderbird skin I found and liked. The brownish grey / black combination is quite special, but will certainly find its fans. I like the clear borders. Overall it reminds of dark science fiction movies. Not sure where that comes from, though.

Silvermel

(1.5 – 3.1a1pre)

Silvermel has a light gray base with slightly colorful and novel icons.

Whitehart

(1.5 – 2.0.0.*)

Finally a light theme. Whitehart is very classy, with simple but stylish icons. Perfect if you need a low-key skin that’s easy on the eyes. My current favorite!

And Thunderbird can be a lot more than just pretty! As mentioned previously, Thunderbird supports extensions, just like Firefox. Here’s a small selection of custom settings we have covered on MakeUse Of:

Damien compiled a list of 10 Great Thunderbird Addons You Must Have.

Kyle wrote an article explaining how to Update Your Thunderbird Address Book With Address Crawler.

From Saikat you could learn How To Set Up Mozilla Thunderbird To Send Mass Emails.

And in case you’re being flooded with eMails, you will find my article about How To Set Up Message Filters In Thunderbird very useful.

What’s your favorite theme? Do you change your themes regularly? How many are currently installed for your Thunderbird? Yeah, we want to know it all!

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While Mozilla’s “open to user manipulation” nature generally is a benefit, it can also cause a lot of issues. As a result, Mozilla’s flagship browser may be buggy, i.e. slow launch, slow page loading, unstable, crash often. However, most of these bugs are man made and chances are you can easily fix them yourself.

Let the following tips be your complete Mozilla Firefox troubleshooting guide. Some very common issues are listed between step 3 and 4.

First, I assume your Cache is cleared! This can be done under > Tools > Options > Advanced tab > Network tab > Offline Storage header > Clear Now button. Eventually grant more Cache space. Finally reboot Firefox and proceed.

Before analyzing your issue(s) in detail, make sure you’re running the latest version of Firefox and its add-ons, such as extensions, themes and plugins. Per default, Firefox regularly checks for updates. Plugins, however, can not be updated automatically!

1. Firefox

Update Firefox: > Help > Check for Updates…

Download and install browser updates if necessary.

If your problem persists, check extensions and themes (step 2).

2. Extensions and Themes

Open Add-ons: > Tools > Add-ons -OR- [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [A]

Update extensions: Within the Add-ons window / sidebar: > click on the extensions icon, then go to the menu above and click > Tools > Check for Updates. Wait until checkup completes and proceed with installing updates.

Update themes: Within the Add-ons window / sidebar: > click on the themes icon, then go to the menu above and click > Tools > Check for Updates. Wait until checkup completes and proceed with installing updates.

Restart Firefox after updating extensions and/or themes. If your problem persists, check plugins (step 3).

If you think there is a compatibility issue with a specific extension or theme, you may find clues on the Mozilla Knowledge Base, the comments for that extension/theme on the Mozilla Add-ons site or the creator’s website/FAQ.

3. Plugins

Firefox does not automatically update plugins! Plugins allow viewing of various content types, e.g. PDF, Flash or DivX. In some cases, plugins are installed manually and also require a manual update. Usually, Firefox automatically recognizes third party software installed on your computer and integrates required plugins from there. Issues may occur in Firefox, if you have not updated plugins or software that provides necessary plugins, e.g. RealPlayer or QuickTime.

Open Add-ons: > Tools > Add-ons -OR- [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [A]

Update plugins: Open the Mozilla plugins website. Under > Documentation select your > operating system, then switch to > A – Z listing. Within the Add-ons window / sidebar click on the > plugins icon and compare the plugins you have with the versions listed on the website. Update plugins or respective software as needed. Make sure you disable second and third instances of the same plugin.

Reboot your computer after updating plugins or respective software! If your problem with Firefox persists, proceed to step 4.

If you think that you’re having an issue with a specific plugin, check the Mozilla Knowledge Base for specific information. They also provide tutorials for installing plugins.

Intermezzo: Common Issues

After making sure everything is up to date (if possible), let’s look at some common issues before proceeding with general steps. I will point you directly to the respective articles on the mozillaZine or Knowledge Base.

I. Firefox will not start up – profile locked or operating-specific issues

II. Firefox crashes – find and search for your crash signature

III. Firefox is running but not responding – profile is locked

More specific issues can be found on the mozillaZine Issues with Firefox page. For general advice on how to troubleshoot issues with Mozilla Firefox, please proceed.

4. Safe Mode

This step is suitable for localizing any issue you’re having with Firefox. It tells you whether the problem is in your personal customization (extensions, settings, plugins) or whether it’s a general issue with the browser, independent of your personal user profile (corrupted installation, compatibility issue with other software etc.).

Run Firefox in Safe Mode:

• Exit Firefox, make sure it’s not running.On Windows, open the > Task Manager (right-click on > taskbar and select > Task Manager from menu), switch to the > Processes tab, click on > Name to sort entries alphabetically and try to locate > firefox.exe. If you still find it, right-click on the > firefox.exe entry and select > End Process from the menu.
• Now run Firefox in Safe Mode.On Windows, open > Start > (All) Programs > Mozilla Firefox > Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode)

• Do not select any of the options for Safe mode. You don’t want to make permanent changes, yet. Simply click > Continue in Safe Mode.

Saikat has recently written a post about How to Use Mozilla Firefox in Safe Mode, which provides more details and also explains how to launch it under Linux and Mac OS X.

If Safe Mode solved your problem, I recommend to proceed to step 5 and then either reset one customization after the other (i.e. add-ons, toolbars and controls, bookmarks, preferences, search engines) until Firefox runs smoothly without Safe Mode or directly proceed to step 6.

If Safe Mode did not help, proceed to step 5, followed by step 7.

5. Backup

Before you make any permanent changes, you should seriously consider backing up any valuable information, such as passwords, bookmarks and custom settings. Here are several different strategies that will help you back up just what you want. I recommend to make separate backups for bookmarks, passwords and extensions, rather than entire profile backups. Chances are you’ll also import the issue, if you import your entire old profile into a new fresh Firefox profile or installation.

For all manual backup strategies you’ll need to find your Firefox Profile. Check this mozillaZine page for a list of operating systems and where to find the profile folder. In Windows XP it should be located under C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\profile name

Backup Bookmarks: This can be done manually. Go to > Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > Import and Backup > Backup and select a target. Instead of clicking > Backup you can also click > Export HTML… Later you can import your bookmarks via the same strategy.

Backup Passwords: If Firefox is still rather stable and doesn’t crash, you can save your passwords using the Password Exporter extension. Otherwise, there is a manual way to do it. Navigate to your Firefox profiles folder and copy the following files: “signons.txt“, “signons2.txt” and “key3.db“. To restore, simply replace new instances of these files with your backup copies and voilà, your saved passwords are back.

Backup Extensions: With a stable version of Firefox, you can try to use the FEBE (Firefox Environment Backup Extension) extension. Otherwise I recommend to backup the entire profile.

Backup entire Profile: Again, if Firefox is stable enough to install an extension, you can try several different backup or sync tools. We have previously covered Weave. Otherwise I recommend MozBackup, a standalone utility that will backup your Firefox profile. If you don’t trust tools, you can again make a manual backup. Simply copy your entire profile folder.

Mark has also written a post about how to backup Firefox preferences.

6. New Profile

Creating a new profile will give you a quick way out of your issue in case Safe Mode fixed your problem. With a new profile you’ll start from scratch – no custom settings, no extensions, no plugins.

• Exit Firefox, make sure it’s not running.On Windows, open the > Task Manager (right-click on > taskbar and select > Task Manager from menu), switch to the > Processes tab, click on > Name to sort entries alphabetically and try to locate > firefox.exe. If you still find it, right-click on the > firefox.exe entry and select > End Process from the menu.
• Run a command prompt and load > firefox.exe -profilemanager
  In Windows go to > Start > Run and type > firefox.exe -profilmanager into the command line.

• In the window that will pop up select > Create Profile… and do so.
• Then select > your new profile and click > Start Firefox.

If this fixed your problem you can begin to import your essential backups, as described in step 5. But be wary of importing your issue and try to import as little as possible. In other words: ditch some of those excessive extensions and plugins!

If creating a new profile didn’t help, although Safe Mode helped, you can either return to step 4 and do a complete reset from Safe Mode or – if that doesn’t help either – I’m afraid you’re stuck with step 7.

7. Re-Installation

This is the last resort. If resetting or creating a new profile didn’t help, then your issue sits much deeper and you’ll need to completely remove Firefox from your system and do a fresh installation. Here’s how you should go about this process.

• Remove Firefox using the tools your operating system provides.In Windows, go to > Start > Control Panel > Ad or Remove Programs and uninstall > Firefox.
• Now rename, move or delete your Firefox profile folders (see step 5 for locating folders in Windows).
• Reboot your computer.
• Reinstall Firefox.

If this fixed your issue, you can import your backups as described in step 5. As mentioned previously, be careful, you may also re-import your problem!

If none of the above helped you probably have a very serious issue! You need expert help and I suggest you post your issue and what you have tried to resolve it at the mozillaZine Forums. Best of luck!

Additional Information

There are a few more tricks and things you can do to improve the performance of Mozilla Firefox and we have previously covered a few of them. Maybe they will help you in the first place.

Are you on XP? Is Firefox still crashing on you and none of these Mozilla Firefox troubleshooting tips helped? Try running Firefox in compatibility mode. Right-click on your > Firefox icon and select > Properties. Go to the > Compatibility tab and select > Run this program in compatibility mode for: and choose > Windows 2000 from the menu. Click > Apply to confirm.

Faster Browsing! James has written about 5 Speedy Tips for Faster Browsing in Firefox. For example you can automatically load the next page, use keyboard shortcuts or download files faster.

Reduce Load Time! Matt had a story about How To Reduce Firefox 3 Load Time on Windows. It involves 3 geeky steps that are very well described in his post.

Need for Speed? Mahendra recently wrote The Ultimate Guide To Speeding Up Firefox 3.5, a post you should definitely check out if you’re only having minor speed problems.

Clear Bulk Data on Shut Down! This is useful if you’re sharing your computer and you don’t want anyone to see what you’ve been browsing for. At least regularly clearing the Cache is something you should consider. If you want to know how to do that automatically, check out Mark’s post on how to Set Firefox To Clear Temp Files, History etc. On Shut Down.

Which extensions should I use? Good question! Only the ones you really, really need of course. Also you should look into some of the security and privacy extensions we have covered in the past. Check out Varun’s post about 10+ Best Firefox Security and Privacy Addons as well as Dave’s post about Keeping Safe On The Web: 8 Firefox Addons For Privacy And Security (some are redundant of course).

Still having issues? You tried all of the above, you searched the mozillaZine for known issues with Firefox, you posted your situation on the mozillaZine Forums and you’re still stuck with a non-functional browser? Incredible! Well, you may not ever become happy with Firefox. May I suggest switching to another browser, such as Chrome as David reports or Opera, which is recommended by Laurence?

Disclaimer

Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide adequate Firefox support here, especially not across various operating systems. Rather than posting your specific issues in reply to this article, I recommend to post them in the mozillaZine Forums. Dozens of experts will review your situation and try to solve the problem with you.

However, if you would still like to share your issue, we will try our best to point you into the right direction. And if any of the guidelines above helped to solve your problem, we would love to hear your feedback in the comments!

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However, I would much prefer to be ahead of things and already know all the latest music, news and new bands. So I went out to find the best sources for alternative music novelty. Are you craving to hear what I found?

Here are five different websites that will still your hunger for fresh music, video clips, tour dates, news, gossip, and new artists.

Yahoo! Adult Alternative & Alternative Rock Stations

Before we dive into the muddy reality of the music world, let’s stick around at the surface for a bit and enjoy the result of all the hard work and advertising: the music.

I value Yahoo! music because they provide high quality video clips. The Adult Alternative Station provides "a mix of pop, rock, and alternative videos without the rep, bubble gum or hard stuff" and at Alternative Rock you’ll find "all your faves, plus new bands just hitting the scene." Just what I want. The best: you can create your own playlists from this and dozens of other video stations. The only drawback: one commercial before each clip.

NME

In the music news world, NME is an authority. But the online magazine has a lot more to offer than mere news. They feature album reviews, latest video releases, behind the scenes coverage from festivals and other events, and a special section for new music.

You can browse for a particular alternative music band or musician in the Artist section and find anything that was ever published about that person on NME. The coverage also includes a Biography, Discography, Videography and Books, if available.

Free daily MP3 downloads reside on the New Music page. The Radar recommends 10 new bands you need to hear each week. If you can’t get enough or want to share your own discoveries, sign up for MyNME and post your thoughts on the message boards, while receiving access to exclusive material. The membership is of course free.

PureVolume

This site focuses on new artists and their music, with little of the other dirt. Hence it’s less cluttered than NME, but also more useful and much more novel than Yahoo! Music. This is the perfect site to listen to new tracks and discover new alternative music because the tracks are uploaded by the artists themselves!

As you see in the screenshot above, there are four main sections: Music, Videos, Events, and People. The positive surprise was finding events, i.e. shows listed for places other than North America or the UK. Dozens of shows are listed for all over Germany on each single day. Even Egypt, Bulgaria, Jamaica, and Malaysia have solid listings, including preview audio files.

The site appears to have a very big community, which actively participates in keeping it fresh and up to date. The People section confirms this assumption. The only downside is the audio playback. It’s very basic and leaving a site means closing the track that’s playing.

The video playback is much more advanced, providing social media integration, and the quality is very good, allowing full screen view. Unfortunately, videos can’t be exported to an external window either.

There is a lot more to discover on PureMusic, so dive in!

Of course these are not the only sites for awesome alternative music. An honorable mention goes out to Alternative Addiction, which probably is the US version of NME, and Bowling Stone, a Canadian Indie / Alternative music blog where Chris, Julie and Paolo recommend "new music for your iPod."

If you care for live music, also check out Will’s recent post about 3 Ways To Track Tour Dates Of Your Favorite Rock Bands.

At what places do you stop to recharge your mp3 player or discover new music, videos, news, and background information? Pandora, Last.fm, Napster or anything we don’t know, yet? Surprise us in the comments!

Image credits: greekgod

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What makes Firefox so popular? Back in the days it hit a nerve with geeks by letting them create, add and share their own content: extensions and themes. It was the start of Web 2.0 and the fascination soon caught on with the general crowd.

If you’re using Firefox, I hope you can appreciate the freedom it provides. One is that you can express your style with custom Mozilla Firefox skins. Here are 15 of the best. Dig in!

Black Steel

(3.0 – 3.6a1pre)

A dark metal theme with sharp contrasts. It will definitely draw attention.

Silvermel

(1.5 – 3.6a1pre)

Silvermel is silver, shiny and quite unobtrusive. The transparent effect for tabs is awesome.

Daum Blue

(3.0 – 3.5.*)

This Mozilla Firefox skin is not revolutionary, but it has a fresh look with nicely designed tabs. If you keep on reading you’ll see that I’m a little obsessed with pretty tabs.

Anthem

(3.0 – 3.5.*)

Anthem is a very stylish template in dark and light grey. I love the look of the tabs. The icons are exceptional and they’re smaller than with most themes, which saves space and gives more room for browsing. This one is my new personal favorite.

Scribblies Plain

(3.5.*)

A playful theme for your kids or the kid in you. Gotta love the icons in the navigation toolbar. Also the tabs are quite original. Definitely something different!

iFox Graphite

(3.0b5 – 3.5.*)

This is the theme I’ve been using for years. It’s clean and simple and also available in three more flavors: pure, metal and smooth.

Simple Green

(3.5b4 – 3.5.*)

Simple Green reminds me of Netscape. If you still mourn the end of IE’s first serious rival, express your grief with this theme.

Stratini Padded

(3.0 – 3.5.*)

This theme made the list because it has a refreshing set of icons and very lovely shaped tabs and boxes. I’m still a huge fan of rounded edges.

Vista on XP

(3.5.*)

If you’re using a Vista transformation pack on XP, you can’t do without a Vista Firefox theme. So this one’s for you!

NASA Night Launch

(3.0 – 3.5.*)

One of the few dark Mozilla Firefox skins that are actually stylish. NASA Night Launch is very cool. Pretty tabs, well-designed icons and a very clean, dark look.

Utopia FFSE White

(3.0 – 3.5.*)

I love the fox in this theme. But also the buttons and tabs are pretty cool. If the animal is a little too much for you, there is one without it: Utopia White.

yogurttree

(3.0 – 3.6a1pre)

Here’s a very soft and girly skin with lovely pastel colors and roundish icons. Yes, we do have female readers! Girls, where are you?

XboxFox

(3.0b1 – 3.5.*)

Girls play Xbox, too! Maybe that’s why this theme isn’t exactly virile. Or is this just a very modern design?

OldFactory Black

(3.0 – 3.5.*)

Here’s one for the guys. Chrome, stone, levers and rounded edges so that you don’t hurt yourselves. I love the levers. Makes me think of Myst. And get this: they’re actually animated!!! How cool is that?

Chromifox Extreme

(3.1b1 – 3.6a1pre)

Finally, here’s a theme that will give Firefox a Chrome-like look, including tabs on top.

You like none of them? Maybe you should try Personas. Kabir wrote an article on How to Create Custom Themes for Firefox with Personas, which can be your guide in getting to know this Firefox addon.

What else would you like to see in a Firefox theme? Maybe you’re lucky and a talented theme designer will read this. So let it out!

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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