Technology and Gadgets
 

Archive for April, 2010

 
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Most small companies and home users don’t need to buy an expensive solution for data backup. They can simply copy important files to a CD or DVD, and if an information loss occurs, they can get it back easily.
If it is simply to copy documents, photos and other files, not the same is for emails, attachments, address book, stationery and other related information from your Outlook Express email client.
This article will explain how everybody can create a manual Outlook Express backup copy (because Outlook Express don’t offer a built in backup function) This email program is usually installed with the Windows operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email programs today.

1. Backup email messages
In Outlook Express, emails are stored in files with DBX extension. The easiest way to find these files is to open Outlook Express and from menu select Tools | Options | Maintenance and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find the path to the folder containing your emails.
This procedure works for all kind of email: SMTP / POP3, IMAP, MAPI, or even the Hotmail Account (some messages might be stored only at the Hotmail server).
To save all your emails and attachments you should copy all the DBX files from the folder.

2. Account settings:
Details about your mail and news accounts are stored in the registry. To find them, start RegEdit and select the “HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet Account Manager” key from the left panel. To save this data, from menu select: Registry | Export Registry File. Save the file to a name like “accounts.reg”.

3. Mail Rules
The Outlook Express mail rules are stored in the registry, in the “HKEY_CURRENT_USERIdentities” key. To save this data, from menu select: Registry | Export Registry File. Save the file to a name like “rules.reg”.

4. Address Book
The backup of address book is easy to do. It is stored in files with WBA extension. To find the location where address book is stored, you should open Outlook Express and from menu select File | Export | Address Book and select the comma separated text file as your output format. Click Export, select the folder where the backup will be saved and set the name for the backup file. After that click Next and choose the fields you want to include in your backup. Click Finish and your backup will be ready.

5. Stationery
The Outlook Express stationery location is stored in a registry key. To find it, you should open RegEdit, find “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftShared ToolsStationery” key and look at “Stationery Folder” value. There you will find the path to stationery folder. To save the stationery, you should copy all files from that folder.

If you think that manual backup is too hard, you can use a backup software tool, which can make the job much easier. Outlook Express Backup Expert is one product that can be used to easily create Outlook Express backups. It can save your emails, attachments, address book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules, stationery, accounts and settings. The biggest advantage to use automatic email backup software is the schedule function, which will create backups at specified time intervals, without user action. The downside of using a automatic email backup utility is that it costs money, usually about 20-30 USD as one time payment, while the manual backups are of course, free.
The conclusion is that email backup is a critical operation for every user.

A free evaluation copy of Outlook Express Backup Expert can be found at: http://www.bodrag.com/outlook-express-backup.html

A new unique MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product reliably defends PC against computer malware and on-line threats at unsurpassed, highest security levels.

A MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product ( http://www.nuwavesoft.com ) effectively prevents, stops, and eliminates computer viruses and spyware. The revolutionary underlying software technology enables multiple antivirus and antispyware scan-engines running on the same PC. A MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product is truly unique, because it offers unprecedented security benefits of running multiple antivirus and spyware scan-engines simultaneously, in parallel, and without performance degradation! No other computer security product for PC in the world is capable of or offering that to date.

What multi-core antivirus and antispyware solution means? Comparatively speaking, you can imagine all the benefits of having computer processor with more than one CPU core. The modern multi-core computer processors allow smoother performance and much increased speed of computer applications, which translates into better overall experience delivered to the end-users.

Conceptually similar, a multi-core antivirus and antispyware solution runs multiple antivirus and spyware scan-engines simultaneously and in parallel. As result, it delivers exceptional performance while providing the strongest protection against malware and on-line threats. With total four anti-malware scan-engines employed, MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product continuously scans PC at the same speed as traditional single-core solutions from competitors, while delivering unprecedented four times the protection! Currently, MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product utilizes world’s leading two antivirus and two antispyware scan-engines: Frisk ( http://www.f-prot.com ), Norman ( http://www.norman.com ), Lavasoft (http://www.lavasoft.com ), and Sunbelt (http://www.sunbelt-software.com ).

Why end-users need a multi-core anti-malware solution? Are traditional single-core computer security products not enough? Well, the truth of the matter is that none of the traditional single-core computer security products can provide 100% protection alone. There are at least seven major computer security vendors in the world who claim that precisely their brand is the world’ leading solution. And yet multiple tests performed by credible and independent computer security certification institutions ( such as http://www.virusbtn.com , http://www.westcoastlabs.org , and so forth) do demonstrate year after year that even the very best individual single-core computer security product can only deal with approximately 98% of the existing computer viruses and spyware. Of course, there is no conscious end-user who wants to be unprotected and to face remaining 2% computer viruses and spyware and yet they all do, unfortunately. A MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product eliminates this problem! Each and every individual scan-engine differs from the other. And all scan-engines have their own specific pros and cons in certain areas, such as heuristics, scanning speed, dealing with unknown malware, and so forth. So, all end-users inherently tied up with those pros and cons of the underlying single-core scan-engines. A MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product eliminates this problem too! Also, concerned computer users sometimes install more than one computer security solution their PCs. Little do they know that the different security products do not live well with each other on one PC – they constantly conflicting and causing instabilities and a sizeable performance hits too. It is not uncommon for end-users to have PC crashes when the two or more antivirus or other security products start fighting for control over PC. By engineering the four security cores together, MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product eliminates these problems completely!

A MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product is uniquely powerful, because by running multiple antivirus and spyware scan-engines simultaneously and in parallel ? it creates unsurpassed synergy of combined strengths provided by each individual scan-engine! The new integrated multi-core solution ensures smooth and problem-free operation of all four antivirus and antispyware scan-engines in real-time. There are no conflicts, no compatibility problems and no fighting for control over PC among the cores. The four engines are working in synergy continuously scanning and protecting your PC much better and even faster than many of the traditional anti-malware products with just one core! And unlike many traditional PC security products, MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware works transparently and is compatible with third-party antivirus, antispyware and firewall applications. And of course – all four security engines receive online updates in real-time, ensuring uninterrupted, the highest reliability, and up to date security measures.

A MultiCore AntiVirus & AntiSpyware product brings the PC security to a truly new height!

 
Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Whether you are shopping for accounting software to help budget your personal or business expenses, you may find that managing all of your files with a single program helps you to save time and know exactly where your money goes. If you are familiar with the accounting process, you already know how complicated ledgers, account statements, debits and credits can be. In an effort to simplify the accounting process, a number of manufacturers have created software specifically designed to help make your life a little easier.

Before deciding on any one particular accounting software program, keep the following tips in mind:

$Because many popular online software specialty stores allow for product feedback from customers, you will have the opportunity to read reviews that may help to make your decision easier based on the experiences by others who have already used the accounting software in question. Pay close attention to customer reviews when shopping for software.

$When you consider the purchase of any type of software, including that of accounting, you will want to make sure that it is compatible with your computer and that all PC requirements are met before purchasing the product. Many software programs require a specific type of processor, available memory, etc. In order for the software to function properly your computer will need to be able to handle all of the applications contained therein. By being familiar with your computer’s configuration, you will be able to make a better selection when it comes time to purchase your new accounting software.

$When shopping for accounting software, read about the program’s description and capabilities. You will need to make sure that you are either already familiar with the application or that you will be comfortable in learning how to use it. The reason is because many retailers will not accept software that is being returned if it has already been opened. So, before you buy, consider downloading a trial version or purchase an accounting software program that you are already familiar with.

$Purchase your accounting software from a company that has been in a business for awhile and one that has a good reputation. This will ensure prompt customer service, reliability, product assurance and a timely shipment. By purchasing software from a reliable and established business, you will also gain the peace of mind in knowing that the title is authentic and not an illegal copy. The most effective way of checking out a business’s reputation is through the Better Business Bureau.

$Learn about the company’s return, refund and/or exchange policy. Although most retailers will not refund the purchase if software has been opened, they may be willing to exchange it for the exact title if the program is defective or damaged.

Like most web developers or SEO professionals, I use a vast array of tools to get the job done. I use a combination of desktop and web applications, some purchased and some free. Everyone I know has downloaded a free copy of Mozilla Firefox, but few realize that by installing some of the 1,500 free extensions they can eliminate the need for most of the other applications they currently use. Below are my 13 favorite extensions for web professionals (in no particular order):

HTML Validator (http://users.skynet.be/mgueury/mozilla/) ? validates web pages to the W3C HTML standards with a simple green check in the corner of the page if the page validates, a red check if it doesn’t, and a yellow exclamation point if there are warnings. It also includes an enhanced view of source code that allows you to see where errors are within the code.

FireFTP (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/684/) ? free, secure, cross-platform FTP client that provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers. This eliminates a piece of software for those of you who use a separate program for FTP.

Professor X (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2823/) ? lets you view header information without having to view source code. The page “slides” down and Professor X shows you the contents of the page’s head element, including Meta, Script and Style content.

NikkelWHOIS (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2646/) ?view the WHOIS information for any page by clicking the button on the top-right of the browser.

IE Tab (http://ietab.mozdev.org) ? sick of swapping between Internet Explorer and Firefox when testing out a web page you’re developing? With IE Tab you can view Internet Explorer in a Firefox Tab!

FireBug (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1843/) ? an advanced debugger console that lets you monitor your JavaScript, CSS, HTML and Ajax.

Codetech (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1002/) ? web page editor that has the feel of Dreamweaver. An amazing extension for anyone doing web design that doesn’t want to fork out a few hundred dollars for Dreamweaver.

Server Switcher (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2409/) ? easily switch between sites on your development and live servers by clicking the switch server icon.

SEO for Firefox (http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/seo-for-firefox.html) ? pulls useful market research data right into Google’s and Yahoo!’s search results, including Google PR, Age, links, Alexa rank, WHOIS, and more. It also adds a few helpful links to the top of the search pages, including Google Trends, Google Traffic Estimator, and the Overture View Bid tool.

Yet Another Window Resizer (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2498/) ? allows you to resize browser window to default screen resolutions.

AdSense Preview (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2132/) ? preview the Google AdSense ads that would appear on that page. This is incredibly useful if you are considering putting AdSense on a page and don’t want to go through the hassle of signing up for an account and putting the ads up just to see what type of ads will show.

Screen grab (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1146/) ? takes a screenshot of the webpage and saves it as an image file. This saves a ton of time compared to the method I used to use ? take a screenshot and open Adobe Photoshop to crop the image.

Server Spy (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2036/) ? indicates what brand of HTTP server (Apache, IIS, etc.) runs on the visited site on the lower-right side of the browser.