12Aug/100
Installing an old, networked printer on Windows 7 or Vista (with the printer physically connected to a Windows XP machine)
I've got an old HP Deskjet 5550 that has served me faithfully over the years, so I haven't had the heart to toss it. I use it as a secondary printer every once in a while; it's physically connected to an old, crappy PC running Windows XP.
After installing Windows 7 on my nice PC, I had a heck of a time getting the networked printer to install on Windows 7. Every time I'd try to add it by searching for a networked printer, Windows 7 couldn't figure out the driver.
Here's the workaround. This should work for any printer that has this issue, I think.
- Click the Start Menu, then on Devices and Printers.
- In the upper left corner, click Add a Printer.
- Counter-intuitively, click Add a local printer.
- On the "Choose a printer port" screen, click Create a new port, and select Local port from the drop-down menu.
- In the "Port Name" box, you have to type two forward slashes (\\), the name of the computer where the printer is, another forward slash (\), and then the name of the printer. So the whole thing looks like \\computer-name\printer-name.
Tip: to find the name of the computer and printer, go to Start, Devices and Printers, click Add a Printer, and then click Add a network, wireless, or Bluetooth printer. Windows will search for any networked printers, and will display the computer name and printer name of any it finds. Note the pertinent computer and printer name, and then cancel out of that screen. You can then use that information to enter in the "Port Name" box in step #5.
- After you have entered the "port name", you can choose a driver.
- On the "Type a printer name" screen, give it any name you want:
- On the "Printer Sharing" screen, it's probably best to select the Do not share this printer option, since it's really already shared from another computer. If you want to get wild, though, why not try sharing it twice?
- Click Finish on the last screen. To verify your new printer is installed, go to Devices and Printers again, and you'll see it in the list:
That's it! Well, maybe that seemed like a lot of work, but your antiquated printer will thank you for saving it from the garbage heap.
Tip: if you delete the printer and try to re-add it, it won't work, because Windows remembers the port. To delete the port, you have to go to printmanagement.msc, expand Print Servers, expand your local computer, and then click on Ports. Delete the appropriate port from the list on the right, and then restart the Print Spooler service using services.msc. For more info on that process, check out this forum.
Give me a shout in the comments section if you have any trouble.
29Jul/100
Want the Image Resizer PowerToy for Windows 7 or Vista? Here it is (sorta).
Microsoft's Image Resizer PowerToy for Windows XP was a convenient, no nonsense way to quickly resize images on the fly. I used to use it all the time in XP, and was bummed it never found its way to Windows Vista/7.
But thankfully, all is not lost to Microsoft's neglect. The Image Resizer Powertoy Clone for Windows is available for free on CodePlex, in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors.
Works on XP, Vista, Windows 7...oh and even Windows 2000. 
3Jul/100
How to get different wallpaper on dual monitors in Windows (without 3rd party software)
Applies to:
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
Windows XP, Vista, and 7 will only show the same wallpaper on both of your monitors. There isn't actually a setting to change this behavior (without the use of 3rd party tools such as Ultramon), but there is a very easy workaround.
You just need to do a little bit of image editing. For this demo, I'll use Adobe Photoshop, but any simple image editing tool will do.
First off, either open an image that is the resolution of your left monitor, or re-size an image to the proper resolution.
Note: this tutorial also assumes your left monitor is the same size or bigger than your right monitor. If not, this won't work right.
For example, my left monitor is 1920x1200, so — using Photoshop — I re-sized an image to 1920x1200.
The next step is to re-size our image's canvas to the total width of both monitors. Simply add up the width of your two displays. In my scenario, my monitors are 1920x1200 and 1280x1024, so the total width is 3200 pixels.
Using your image editor, re-size the width of the canvas (not the image) to the total width of both monitors. Make sure the left side of the image is anchored to the left edge, so the part that expands is blank. Finally, ensure the unit of measurement is set to pixels.
Now, copy another image, paste it as a new layer, and make it fill up the blank space (you'll probably want to use an image that is close to the resolution of your right monitor). Make sure the new image doesn't overlap the first image!
Save your new image somewhere as a JPEG or something Windows understands, and set it as your desktop wallpaper.
Then, go into your display properties and make sure the image's position is set to tiled:
That's it! You now have the appearance that each monitor has its own unique wallpaper. Kind of a pain, but worth it if you like a little variety in your wallpaper.
(Note: the screenshot below looks a little weird because the monitors are not the same height, and that's how it is displayed when I captured the image.)
4Jun/101
Location of important folders in Windows 7
I often find myself trying to remember where Windows 7 stores my important stuff. Here are a few important locations, and I'll probably continue to add more to this article as I find 'em.
Note: I'm pretty sure most of these are the same in Vista, but I can't personally vouch for that.
Note 2: Most of these require you to turn on viewing of hidden folders
Note 3: I am assuming the "C:" drive is your system drive; if not, replace it with the correct drive.
Location of Outlook data file(s):
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Location of iTunes backup of iPhone:
C:\users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
(Note: there will be a cryptic folder name for each backup made. For example, "df774585e699dff29cf10cf495a1fe81540495e6")
Location of Windows 7 user-installed themes:
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes
You can find some of the "hidden" Windows 7 themes here (more info here):
C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT
Windows 7 temp file directory:
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp
And of course, don't forget about the most uber folder of all — God Mode.
26May/100
Getting the Run item back on the Windows Start Menu
Honestly, I liked the Run menu in Windows XP and earlier editions of Windows. I got pretty good at clicking Start, Run, and then typing in what I wanted to run (iTunes, Winword, calc, etc.). Most geeks like to be able to access msconfig and services.msc through the Run menu, for example.
But, for some reason, Microsoft ditched the run menu in Vista and Windows 7. Sure, I know you can still press Windows Key + R to invoke the Run menu, but it's kind of nice to have it there, for some reason. Makes my Start Menu feel less naked. So if you want to bring Run back, follow these simple steps.
- Right-click on the Start Menu, and click Properties.
- On the Start Menu tab, click Customize.
- In the Customize Start Menu window, scroll down until you find Run command. Check the box next to it (you can also get a lot of other stuff back here, too, like Recent Items, Network, Administrative Tools, and more. Poke around to see if there's anything you'd like to add to the Start Menu).
- Click OK on any open windows or dialog boxes.
That's it. You've got the Run menu item back — your Start Menu is whole again.
4Mar/100
The difference between Windows XP Mode and Windows xx Compatibility Mode
(I initially wrote this as a comment to this post but it seemed important enough to make into a post.)
Lately, I have noticed some confusion between Windows XP Mode and Windows xx Compatibility Mode — the former being a full image of Windows XP that runs within (some versions of) Windows 7, and the latter simply being a setting that tries to trick a program into working by applying settings from older versions of Windows.
Windows xx Compatibility Mode is accessed by right-clicking a program, and then clicking the "Compatibility" tab. It is (to my knowledge) available in any flavor of Windows 7 (Vista and XP had this capability, too).
In contrast, Windows XP Mode only runs on a couple high-end flavors of Win7, and requires a full download of Windows XP and Windows Virtual PC. More info here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/get-started.aspx.
Just clarifying. As usual, Microsoft hasn't made things easy with how they name stuff.
20Feb/090
Points Vs. Pixels (Arial)
We were wondering today at work about the size variation between points and pixels. I created a quick page in Dreamweaver to show the differences. If anyone's curious, here it is:
48 Point
48 Pixels
32 Point
32 Pixels
24 Point
24 Pixels
20 Point
20 Pixels
18 Point
18 Pixels
16 Point
16 Pixels
14 Point
14 Pixels
12 Point
12 Pixels
10 Point
10 Pixels
8 Point
8 Pixels
Sample 8-point paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 8-pixel paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 10-point paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 10-pixel paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 12-point paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 12-pixel paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 14-point paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 14-pixel paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 16-point paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
Sample 16-pixel paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sagittis mi a quam. Cras libero. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse vitae sapien ac ligula varius rhoncus. Quisque facilisis iaculis sem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Suspendisse nibh. Aenean in dolor. Donec consectetur turpis sed est. Curabitur ornare convallis velit.
18Feb/091
10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites
smashingmagazine.com has a great article entitled: 10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites. My favorite is #8:
#8: Design By Committee Brings Death
The ultimate symbol of a large organization’s approach to website management is the committee. A committee is often formed to tackle the website because internal politics demand that everybody has a say and all considerations be taken into account. To say that all committees are a bad idea is naive, and to suggest that a large corporate website could be developed without consultation is fanciful. However, when it comes to design, committees are often the kiss of death...
19Nov/084
XBOX 360-Red Ring of Death Fix?
So my 360 finally died last week—fired it up only to be greeted with the telltale three red rings. Frick!
I have been kinda looking for an excuse to get the Elite version anyway, so I wasn't too mad. Impulsively, I ran out and bought an Elite...but then I thought: what's better than one XBOX 360? Why, two 360s, of course!
To whom do we turn when disaster strikes? Google, duh. I immediately did some Googling for fixes. After reviewing some lame Youtube videos (er, "online classes"), I was ready to dive in. I took the thing apart (broke the seal & thus voided my warranty), took the heat sinks off the CPU & GPU, scraped off the old thermal paste, and applied some Arctic Silver 5.
Then, I attached some #8 sized washers to the backside of the motherboard (beneath the x-clamps that hold the heatsinks on). The goal here—according to some random Youtube guy anyway—is to create a tighter seal between the top of the CPU/GPU and the heatsinks, in theory transferring more heat from the CPU/GPU to the heatsinks. Finally, I put the 360 all back together (overall, I was pleasantly surprised how easy the thing was to disassemble/re-assemble).
Well, I am happy to report that it actually worked! I was shocked. The red ring of death has subsided. At least for now. I fired the old one up and played Gears of War 2 just to punish it and--so far--it's working. I can't guarantee it won't crap out again in a couple days, but hey...it was in the name of science.
So if you've got an out-of-warranty 360, are looking to get a new one anyway, or just like to tinker and don't care about voiding the warranty, then give it a shot! Just Google "XBOX 360 red ring of death fix" and you'll have literally hundreds of posts/sites dedicated to the topic.
Note: the "towel fix" is not recommended....
8Oct/082
Dust blobs on Optoma HD70
For a while now my Optoma HD70 has had a ton of dust blobs all over the screen; they are especially prominent in dark scenes of movies or games. I tried cleaning the lens (it didn't help), but after reading through some forums, it sounds like a few people have had the same problem with their HD70s, too. I thought I could live with it, but I'm just too anal, so I finally called Optoma and got an RMA number. Turns out this problem IS covered by the two-year warranty, so I'm sending it in. So far my experience with Optoma's support has been very positive; they have been responsive and helpful.
I'll report back when I actually get the projector back—we'll see! So if anyone's out there with a dust-blob-ridden HD70 (or any Optoma projector, for that matter), know that it is covered by your warranty.
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- Want the Image Resizer PowerToy for Windows 7 or Vista? Here it is (sorta).
- How to get different wallpaper on dual monitors in Windows (without 3rd party software)
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