Create Video Slide Shows

Transcription

l Tutor
a
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Your
Supplement to CHIP November 2008
Create
Video
Slide
Shows
Define your own
functions in
Microsoft Excel
Optimize
your system’s
performance
Animate your
Images
Emulate your
optical drives
Manage tasks
efficiently
Thinking beyond text
Dr. Know
In Detail
PC Doctor
Google Chrome,
OLED, Beta Versions
Zero-ink printing
mechanism revealed!
Troubleshooting
USB problems
CREATE FREE
RINGTONES ONLINE
Also available in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, UAE
FEATURE
Thinking beyond the text ..........................................................4
Create video slideshows ..........................................................8
Optimize your PC .................................................................... 12
AT ONE GLANCE
Making ringtones online for free!.......................................... 16
HANDS ON
Tips & Tricks ...........................................................................18
Create your own functions!....................................................26
Manage tasks efficiently ........................................................32
Create your own animation ....................................................35
Create simulated drives.........................................................38
Manage your Downloads ........................................................42
SPECIALS
Dr. Know .................................................................................45
Help! My USB device is not detected! ...................................46
Visual Glossary.......................................................................48
Portable and ink-free printing ...............................................50
EDITOR
WRITERS
HEAD OFFICE
Brian Pereira
[email protected]
Gareth Mankoo, Dolwin Fernandes,
Kamakshi Venugopal, Craig Fonseca
ASSISTANT EDITOR - TECHNICAL
DESIGN
Jamshed Avari
Jagdish Limbachiya, Brijesh Gajjar,
Sachin Pandit, Hemali Limbachiya,
Yogesh Naik
Intelligent Computing CHIP,
TBW Publishing & Media Pvt. Ltd.
À’ Wing, Ruby House, 2nd Floor,
J.K. Sawant Marg, Dadar (W),
Mumbai - 400 028. INDIA
Phone: (91 22) 4030 2323
Fax: (91 22) 4030 2707
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
GROUP PHOTO EDITOR & CREATIVE HEAD
Shiresh R Karrale
EDITORIAL
Editorial
Editorial
This month’s CHIP Plus has a lot to offer especially on some of the
most prominent and innovative programs. We start off with a feature
story on Windows Movie Maker. Learn how to create a collage of
images and save them as slideshows in different video formats.
We then continue with a feature story that can help you thwart
and eliminate all windows errors. Keep your system healthy and
error free with the awesome features and tools in TuneUp Utilities
2008.
This months AOG section exhibits a website which can be used to
create or edit your favorite ringtones. We show you how to use the
most helpful tools on this website that can help you compose or edit
your own ringtones absolutely free.
We move ahead with easy-to-do workshops useful for all types of
users. Simplify the use of Excel by creating your own functions and
then use them when required. If you’re on a tight and busy schedule,
you ought to go through the Windows Vista workshop where we
show you how to manage all your system related tasks efficiently.
If you’re annoyed with the prompts given by Windows to insert a
CD or DVD every time you start a game or application, turn to page
38 where we show you how to create simulations of your optical
drives and discs by means of images using Fantom CD emulator.
We furtherm ove on with the Specials section. Get to know the
secrets behind the all new portable and ink-free printer introduced
by ZINK. Get an in-depth view of this awe inspiring mechanism
along with its pros and cons in this month’s InDetail. PC Doc brings
you multiple solutions that can help you troubleshoot all your USB
related problems. And last but not the least, if you’re confused by
computer jargon, refer to the Visual Glossary for an easy initiation to
the world of technology.
Team CHIP
[email protected]
4 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008
Hemali Limbachiya
FEATURE X APPLICATION
Thinking beyond the text
With the constant pressure of communicating the right idea through written
words, an appropriate tone is the need of the hour. Among a plethora of free
fonts and system fonts to select from, which one would fit the bill for your
written communications? BY KAMAKSHI VENUGOPAL
hen it comes to interpersonal
conversations, body language
and gestures have an avid
and essential role to play. Although
they are complimentary to spoken
words, they construct the mood,
meaning and context of the content
used.
In a similar way, the art of
selecting the apt typeface plays an
equally important role in setting the
mood for online, printed or written
communication. As the medium
changes, so does the usage of relevant
typefaces.
W
Handwriting analysis reveals
one's vibes and mannerisms as
prevalent during the creation of the
document. Similarly, the font face,
style, size, color, underline, and
borders determine the essence of your
communication.
The right font depends on three
major factors, the target audience,
the matter or text content and the
anatomy of the font itself. Also one has
to be careful while selecting the font
style and font color. They also have a
very strong impact on the mood of the
document.
Understanding the
anatomy of a font
While the term typefaces and fonts are
interchangeable, they are technically
not the same. A font is a family
of characters that follow a single
typeface. Hence, fonts can be refered
to as a single typeface along with every
kind of variation which can be applied
to it. Thus for example “Calibri” or
“Verdana” qualify as fonts. Fonts with
specifications such as “Calibri, Bold,
pt 10” constitute a typeface. A typeface
has a set of attributes such as style,
point size, font face etc. Thus typefaces
APPLICATION W FEATURE
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 5
The baseline is where a line of text rests. X-height is the distance between
baseline and top line of lower case letters.
provide a more detailed and to the
point in description, whereas fonts
cover a much broader ground.
The best way to pick a font depends
on the legibility and the readability of
the text. You can choose any font from
the three major font-families, namely,
serif fonts, sans-serif fonts or script
fonts. As a general notion, serif fonts
enhance the readability of content in
print.
Serif fonts are those fonts which
have a short decorative line at the
start or finish of a stroke in a letter.
Sans serif fonts are generally fonts
used on the web. The word ‘sans’ is
of French origin, meaning, ‘without’.
Thus, sans-serif fonts do not have a
decorative stroke, and have a very
smooth structure.
Script fonts are also known as
contemporary or decorative fonts and
offer very little readability or legibility.
Such fonts are best used for invitations
or greeting cards.
Let us look at some of the fonts
which you can use as an option for your
online communication:
SERIF FONTS: As explained before,
serif fonts have a decorative stroke at
the beginning or at the end of a
character. Serif fonts are best suited
for the print medium, as they tend to
be abrupt on the screen because of
their stroke. Listed below are the
most desirable serif fonts available
for different occasions.
Baskerville: Baskerville is not a
system font, but can be downloaded
from the Internet for personal use.
Although this font is used quiet
extensively, the x-height of the font
makes it appear a bit hazy. It is
however a good font which can be used
Serif fonts have decorative strokes at the beginning and end of alphabets.
Here they are highlighted for your reference.
for headlines.
Book Antiqua: Book Antigua is one of
the cleanest fonts and can to used for
body text for reports spanning multiple
pages. This typeface is very legible and
readable with smaller or lower font
sizes.
Bookman Old Style: Just like Book
Antigua, Bookman Old Style is a
very good font for text books and big
reports. Since this font has a round
look, it is readable and good for
numbers or people who are dyslexic.
Cambria: Cambria is a new font
available with Windows Vista and
the Office 2007 package. Cambria
has features similar to Times New
Roman, but scores a point over it due
to better character spacing between
consecutive characters.
Courier New: The Courier comes
under the monospace font family.
It can be used to depict any type
of computing codes, technical or
other instructions, examples and
illustrations.
Garamond: Garamond is a great
font for mail based communications
which need to be eventually printed
and stored. Such documents include
memos, circulars, leave notes,
notices, etc.
Georgia: Like Garamond, Georgia
is a very ideal font for web-based
communication meant to be printed.
Additionally, it is very clear and is ideal
for numbers.
Minion: Minion is not a system font but
can be downloaded from the Internet.
Although Minion is an extensively used
serif font, you need to be careful while
justifying text.
Times: Times and Times New Roman
appear to be similar, but they do have a
minor difference. The difference is that
characters appear to be placed closer
to each other in comparison to Times
New Roman. Not a smart choice for
high text kerning.
Times New Roman: Although many
argue about the legibility of this
font, no one can deny the fact that it
serves as the default selection for
older versions of Microsoft products.
The text doesn’t go down too well for
online communication. But since the
print medium offers higher resolution,
it does not appear blurred or hazy.
SANS SERIF FONTS: As described earlier,
sans serif fonts depict free flowing
characters. Sans serif fonts are best
suited for the web, but can be used as
headline fonts for the print medium.
Listed below are the most used sans
serif fonts available for different
occasions.
Arial: Arial is the most classic sans
serif font available. Agreeable with
almost any website design, it is also
used as the default font by most of the
web browsers.
Arial Black: Arial Black is a denser
version of Arial. It is best suited for
headings and section breaks. Using
this font for the body text of your web
page may not be a wise decision.
Calibri: Calibri is a new default font
for Windows Vista and the Office 2007
package. Calibri is quite a soothing font
to be read online. It is quite readable
even with a negative kerning.
Franklin Gothic Medium: Franklin
Gothic is a slightly dark font, which can
be used for captions. It is very clear
and is ideal for numbers.
Helvetica: This is a very good font
for people with dyslexia or learning
disability. A substitute to Arial, this
Unlike serifs, sans serif fonts are free of any decorative strokes. They are very
smooth and hence are used online.
font stretches well without appearing
disintegrated. It is very clear and is
ideal for numbers.
Lucida Sans: A good font which can be
used for headings in your web page,
Lucida Sans appears to be slightly
larger than other fonts having a similar
font size. Not advisable for image
captions.
Microsoft Sans Serif: Microsoft Sans
serif is an excellent font for body text
of a web page.
Tahoma: Tahoma is a complimentary
font for Verdana. Not all systems have
Tahoma installed, but it can be easily
downloaded and installed on your
computer.
9Trebuchet MS: This font can be used
for tutorials and explanation based
content. A very effective font for
forums and community websites.
10Verdana: A good font for sending
mails. The Verdana font was actually
invented for web based content. An
excellent typeface which can be used
in any part of your web page.
DECORATIVE FONTS: Decorative fonts
are also known as invitation card or
greeting card fonts. They are used to
Kerning refers to the space between two characters irrespective of the
alignment or spaces. It is set as 0, + or - numeric values.
improve the aesthetic value of your
images but they offer little or no clarity
while reading.
Stylish fonts: Most of these fonts, also
referred to as fantasy fonts, are used
in fl ash based greeting cards or post
cards. Examples: Forte, Monotype
Corsiva, Vivaldi.
Script book fonts: This font family
is best used for children books or
creative work for kids. Examples:
Brush Script, Lucida Handwriting,
Comic sans.
All Caps Fonts: This font family
displays all characters in upper case,
irrespective of whether [Caps Lock] is
on or not.
Since all caps text is regarded as
abusive and insulting for online
communication, avoid using such fonts
for body texts. Example: Bremen,
Algerian.
Drop Cap Fonts: These fonts are
perfect for drop cap letters in
newsletters, novels or story books.
The drop cap feature in most of these
fonts is available only for letters in
the upper case. Example: Anglo text,
Gothic Flourish.
Notice how characters and numbers appear on particular typefaces. You can
choose a font based on this criteria.
View the font before
finalizing
It is always advisable to identify an
appropriate font for your text. One
way to achieve this is to first type
text and apply every font available on
your computer. This can be both time
consuming and wasteful. Instead,
you can use various font viewer
applications that can make it easy to
pick the right font to fit the occasion.
Two such applications are “The Font
Thing” and “Font Viewer”. Let us take a
look at these applications in detail.
THE FONT THING: The Font Thing is an
excellent application to view multiple
fonts. To make it more effective, you
need to use it in a particular way. Just
follow the instructions below.
} Finalize the fonts that you require.
Decide which font suits your need
based on the classification listed
above.
} This application is free to
dowwnload. Visit “http://www.
webmasterfree.com/The_Font_Thing_
d7491.html” and click “Download
Now”. Save the “tfti.zip” file. Unzip the
contents and double-click the “Setup.
You can view fonts in a selective fashion by clicking on an appropriate subcategory found on the base of the application.
Click the “Multiple” tab to view an array of selected fonts. It is wise to use the
“Quick Fox” line to ascertain apt typefaces.
exe” file to complete the installation.
} Click the “TFT” icon to start the
application and to view the fonts of
your choice.
} Presuming that the fonts finalized
are decorative in nature, click “None”
appearing on the base tray to clear out
selected fonts.
} Next, click the “Multiple” tab
on the top to view an array of selected
fonts.
} By default, the text in the text box is
“The quick brown fox jumps over the
lazy dog”. Add the same text in upper
case to check how all the alphabets
look.
} Click on all the fonts you need to
compare by clicking the font name
while holding down the [Ctrl] key.
} On the slider below, increase the
font size to “11”. This makes it easier to
view the text.
} Now you can compare and decide
which font you want to use. You can
You can change the font color and properties to view how the typefaces can
suit your document.
also check the character map by
clicking the “Characters” tab.
FONT VIEWER: Although the “Font
Viewer” application is just like the
previous application, it is easier to load
because it provides an all in one view
for all fonts and font variation. To use
the application, carry out the following
steps:
} Visit “http://www.fontviewer.net/”
and click “Download Now” to download
the applictaion.
} Double-click the setup file to install
the application on your computer.
} In the “Text to Display” textbox, type
the text “The quick brown fox jumps
over the lazy dog”.
} Click the “Go” button to view all the
fonts on your system in the text type
above.
} Click on a variation to load it in the
“Font Selection” panel. You can also
click the “Save” and subsequently load
the saved selection to view it later.
You can save selected fonts in a *.fv file. Click “Load” to re-load the saved selection in the application
window that appears.
PICKING THE BEST FONT
} Keep Headline fonts larger than
the body text, but not larger than 18
points.
} Use a maximum of three to four
fonts in your document, unless your
requirements are otherwise.
} It is always safe to use a serif font
for body text and a sans serif font for
headings.
} Headline text having a contrast
color makes the document more
effective.
} Never use a decorative or script
font for body text in documents or
mail communication.
} Colors have a very strong impact
on how a particular message is
received. Thus, it is safe to use
neutral colors like black.
} Try using complimentary fonts.
Don't use similar looking typefaces
such as two scripts or two sans
serifs when using multiple fonts.
} Either use all caps character for
headlines, or make the font face
bold. If using all caps, use a sans
serif font.
} Don't type body text in all bold
or all caps characters. Don't
change the font style very often in
your document, unless absolutely
necessary. Many users do not prefer
italicized text as it reduces text
clarity and readability.
} Make sure the character spacing
or "Kerning" is adjusted properly.
Sachin Pandit
Create video slideshows
Even though most people use different versions of Windows, very few have
discovered the presence of a full fledged audio/video editor in their systems.
This little surprise is called Windows Movie Maker and it is available with all
recent Windows. Let's discover some of the most beneficial features provided by
Windows Movie Maker. BY GARETH MANKOO
indows Movie Maker can be
found in "Start | Programs".
The software provides
support to multiple audio, video and
image formats. Here we will create a
brief movie using some images as an
example. On launching Windows Movie
Maker you will come accross the
various modules of the player.
The bottom portion of the player
comprises of the Storyboard grid
which will later accomodate your
audio, image and video files for editing.
The left panel consists of shortcuts
to different movie editing effects and
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tips. Using these shortcuts helps you
save considerable amount of time.
On the left, we have the Preview
Player. This player is capable of
playing back the clip from the selected
point on the Storyboard. In the heart of
the Movie Maker window lies the most
essential part, called the "Collections"
segment. This includes all the media
you have availible for editing. It serves
as a basket that can hold all the media
content that you wish to edit or add
to your final movie. If by any chance,
Windows Media Maker doesn't display
these Collections, you can view it by
clicking "View | Collections" or click
the "Collections" button on the toolbar.
Make sure all the media files that
you add to the Collections are of a
supported format.
Importing Media for editing
To add any media for editing you
need to add it to the Collections list.
Only the files that are present in the
Collections folder can be edited.
Click "File | Import into Collections".
The files will appear in a tiled format
in your Collections list. Clicking on
each of the images displays a preview
Click the “Multiple” tab to view an array of selected fonts. It is wise to use the
“Quick Fox” line to ascertain apt typefaces.
of the same in the preview player
on the right. Click and drag each of
the images into the Storyboard. The
image files will be enqueued in the
Moviemaker Storyboard.
There are two different viewing
modes for editing with Windows Movie
Maker namely, Storyboard view and
Timeline view.
Click "Show Storyboard" to view the
Storyboard. (Clicking "Show Timeline"
will once again switch the view to the
Timeline mode).
Add images to the
slideshow
ADDING VIDEO TRANSITIONS: Once
in the Storyboard mode, the images
will appear as larger tiles with small
rectangular boxes in between them.
These boxes accomodate various
transition effects between images.
Transition effects cause a patterned
flow between two image transitions.
The images in the “Collections” folder can be added to the Storyboard by
dragging them to the Timeline section.
Rather than just flipping over from one
image to another, many users prefer a
transition effect like Dissolve or Fade
Out in which the first image fades into
the second.
Transitions are frequently used by
those who use Microsoft PowerPoint.
The transition, in this case, occurs
between slides rather than images.
Click "Tools | Video Transitions".
The different slide transition effects
offered by Windows Movie Maker are
displayed in a list.
Select individual effects that you
would like to add during the transition
of images. Selecting the right kind
of transition effect is important and
subjective, depending upon what
message the image is meant to convey.
The entire effort put into adding these
transitions between images goes in
vain if the wrong effect is selected.
A preview of the entire clip created
so far can be viewed in the preview
Trainsition effects can be applied to the slideshow by dragging them to the
small rectangles that lie between the thumbnails.
player. Click "Show Timeline" to switch
to the Timeline mode. Drag the slider
to the start of the file on the Timeline
scale and click the "Play" button in the
preview player.
ADDING VIDEO EFFECTS: Besides
styling up the image transitions in your
slideshows Windows Movie Maker adds
another interesting feature that allows
you to set the mood for your slideshows
with the help of some cool effects.
These are primarily video effects but
can be added to images as well. Select
an appropriate Video Effect and drag
it to the image tiles in the Storyboard.
The little blank boxes at the left bottom
of the images in the Storyboard will
now show a blue star. This indicates
that the effect has been applied for that
particular image.
These effects should be selected
based on the theme of the image. For
instance: the "Sepia Tone" effect will
suit an image that indicates a memory.
“Video Effects” can be applied to individual images by dragging them over the
respective images.
Place the mouse pointer at the end of the audio track till it appears as a blue arrow. Click and drag this arrow inward till it is parallel to the end of the list of
enqueued images. The above image displays how the timeline appears before and after cropping the audio file.
The "Ease In" effect comes in handy
when you want to help the viewer to
focus on the central part of the image.
This effect gradually zooms into the
central portion of the image.
REDUCING INDIVIDUAL IMAGE DISPLAY
TIME: The time-limit of each image
appearing in the slideshow may differ
from your expectations. Click "Show
Timeline". Place your mouse pointer
between the image whose display time
you wish to reduce and the subsequent
image. The pointer will change into a
a red, bidirectional arrow. Drag this
arrow inward, toward the left of the
image whose display time you wish
to reduce. This can be done on all
images in the Storyboard, including
the last one.
Add background audio
The prime objective of creating a
slideshow is to breathe life into your
static images. Opening them in an
image viewer and pressing the next
button to browse through them isn't
exactly exciting.
Memories are meant to be
preserved with a bit more love
and care and that's why we turn
to solutions like those provided by
software like Windows Movie Maker.
Now that your images are well
formatted in a single video file it's
time to add audio to the slideshow as
background music.
For this, you will have to add
the appropriate audio files into the
Collections folder. Click "File | Import
into Collections" and add the song(s)
that you want from the dialog box.
The song file will be displayed among
other images in the Collection folder.
Click "Show Timeline" to switch to the
Timeline mode if the Storyboard view
is on.
Click the newly added audio track
and drag it down to the Timeline.
The audio track will be added below
the collage of images that form the
Timeline.
ADJUSTING AUDIO TRACKS: The
duration of the audio track can be
adjusted according to the length of
the movie. Simply place your mouse
pointer at the far end of the audio file
in the Timeline till it appears as a red
bidirectional arrow. Click and drag this
arrow inward, till it is parallel with the
end of the list of enqueued images.
You can add multiple audio tracks to
the Timeline which can be adjusted
using this technique.
Text Credits
It is always a good practice to add
some text to a slideshow so that it
indicates what the content in the
images is all about. Credits can also
be used to acknowledge those involved
in the making of the video. Windows
Movie Maker gives you a choice of
Rolling credits are commonly used at the end of a video. Enter the subtitles on the left column and the names in the right column. A preview of the same will be
visible in the preview player.
Click “Tools | Titles and Credits". Select the position in the file where you wish to place the credits. The next window offers a choice of various Title Animation
styles. The Preview Player displays the applied effect.
Click "File | Save Movie File". In the dialog box that opens click "My Computer"
and then "Next".
different credit styles, by means of
which, you can add more meaning to
your slideshows.
Click "Tools | Titles and Credits".
Select a point in the video clip where
you want the credits to be displayed
and fill in the grid with the appropriate
credits.
NOTE: The left column in the grid
indicates the subtitle, while the right
column is for the main credit name.
Once you are done filling the credits
grid, click "Done, add title to movie".
It will be added at the position that
“Video Effects” can be applied to individual images by dragging them over the
respective images.
you had selected for it in the Timeline.
i.e. either at the end of the file, the
beginning or somewhere in between it.
Save your files as a video
The process of saving your file as a
video isn't as cumbersome as one
would expect it to be. In fact it is a
straight forward technique. Here we
will save the slideshow of images as
a WMV file so that it can be played on
most media players.
Click "File | Save Movie File". In
the dialog box that opens up click "My
Computer" and then "Next". Enter the
name of the file and the location where
you want to save it and click "Next".
The next dialog box will show you the
estimated size of the created file along
with other details of it. Click the "Next"
button.
The conversion process
commences. During this process your
image files and the included audio
file(s) will combine to form a single
video file. This will be in the standard
WMV format and can be played by
Windows Media Player.
EDITING VIDEOS USING WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER
The main function of Windows
Movie Maker is to create movies
by appending two or more video
files, though it also provides other
facilities. Editing images by adding
effects is one of the many features
of the software. Videos can be
appended to one another using the
various available effects provided in
the 'Video Effects' section. Windows
Movie Maker also allows you to add
credits at the end of the video. The
audio level of the video files can be
controlled and edited separately.
Background audio can also be added
to a regular video using the same
techniques shown above. The final
video file can be saved in various
sizes depending upon the file format
and a few other specifications. The
advantage of using Windows Movie
Maker for video editing is that it
is freely availible with Windows
operating systems.
Sachin Pandit
Optimize your PC
At some point of time, your systems performance might deteriorate. The main
cause behind this may be your registry or the systems configuration settings.
Using TuneUp Utilities, we show you how to thwart and eradicate this common
system problem. BY DOLWIN FERNANDES
ith the continuous availability
of innovative software, one
would generally tend to
uninstall an older or outdated version
of the software at some time. The
removal of software from time to time
may tend to disrupt the registry thus
leaving behind unwanted registry keys
which affects system performance.
You might also be unaware of the
numerous temporary files that may
accumulate in your system due to
web browsing or other activities, thus
occupying more disk space. Moreover,
your system might even have some
W
unwanted Windows features installed,
thus adding to your woes. Avoiding
these system problems is quite a pain
staking process especially if you're a
novice user. If you ever opted for a 'One
click' solution to all these exasperating
problems, you've got to get your hands
on 'TuneUp Utilities 2008'. Apart from
its 'One click maintenance' option, it's
loaded with a range of innovative tools
that's bound to boost up your system
performance and keep it free from all
types of erros. You can download this
application from the website “www.
tune-up.com”.
What's in TuneUp utilities
2008?
The default setting in Windows usually
tends to slow down your system.
These settings can hence be tweaked
by expert users to boost system
performance. But this becomes
difficult for a novice user. With TuneUp
Utilities, you're just a few clicks away
from completely optimizing your PC.
The TuneUp Drive Defragmentor
checks for and fixes redundant errors
in the registry, thus accelerating
your system startup. The TuneUp
Optimizer module consists of a set
Select your connection type from the “Connection” drop-down box and click
"Next" to optimize your Internet connection.
of wizards that optimizes and boosts
your system as well as your Internet
connection. The Registry Defrag
module eradicates all registry fl aws
and creates a new registry structure
altogether, hence optimizing your
system by reducing fragments and
recovering unused memory space.
Using the TuneUp System
Optimizer
The TuneUp system Optimizer
consists of a set of tools that help
you thoroughly optimize your system
as well as your Internet settings. By
using the optimization wizards you can
easily manage and use your system
more efficiently. For instance, you can
optimize the speed of your Internet
connection by using the 'Accelerate
downloads and Internet surfing
wizard'. To do so:
} Run TuneUp Utilities 2008 and click
the "TuneUp System Optimizer" link.
Select appropriate options from the “Visual effects” and “Use of the
computer”drop-downs to optimize your system configuration.
} Now click the "Accelerate downloads
and Internet surfing" link.
} On the next screen choose your
connection type from the "Connection"
drop-down list and click "Next".
TuneUp Utilities will now analyze the
TCP/IP and browser settings with
relevance to your connection type.
} Click "Next" to optimize your
settings. Once done, click" Finish".
} You would probably require a system
reboot for changes to take effect.
In the same way you can even
optimize your system configuration as
per your requirement. Whether you're
a hardcore gamer or a workaholic,
TuneUp Utilities allows you to
configure and optimize your system
as per your requirement with just a
few clicks. To optimize your system
configuration:
} Run TuneUp Utilities and click the
"TuneUp System Optimizer" link in the
"Increase Performance" tab.
This wizard helps you find and rectify Windows errors. Once the errors are
displayed, simply select the check box besides the error you want to fix.
} Click the "Optimize the configuration
of your computer" link.
} Select an appropriate option from
the "Visual effects" and "Use of the
computer" drop-down list and click
"Next". TuneUp Utilities will now scan
your system and recommend specific
settings as per your input.
} Click "Next" and reboot your system
for changes to take effect.
Optimizng your system as
per TuneUp's System guide
TuneUp Utilities also acts as a system
guide by directing you on several
optimization tips. Your system's
wallpaper may require additional
resources or some administrator
settings may pose as a security
threat. You can even be notified
about important system or software
updates. To use this utility, run TuneUp
Utilities and click the "TuneUp System
Optimizer" link in the "Increase
You can add prgrams to the startup using the TuneUp StartUp manager. Click
the "Plan new program start" link and borwse for the appropriate program.
Using the TuneUp Undelete wizard, you can recover files that have been
permanently deleted.
Performance" tab. Click the "Optimize
the configuration of your computer"
link. Now click the "System Advisor"
link to view optimization suggestions.
Defragmentation using the
TuneUp Drive Defrag
At a point of time, the data on your
drive may tend to scatter. As a result,
there would be a delay in program
execution. The TuneUp Drive Defrag
utility scans for and arranges data that
has been scattered on the drive thus
increasing your system performance
tremendously. You can also view the
drive usage map in real time during
the defragmentation process. To use
the Defragmentor, click the "TuneUp
Drive Defrag" link in the "Increase
Performance" tab. In the next screen,
select appropriate drives which have
to be defragged and click "Next".
Your drives will now be analyzed and
fragmented automatically.
To stop particular files from being executed at startup, simply select the
check box next to the program and click “Delete”.
Using TuneUp Repair
wizard
Certain Windows problems occur
from time to time. Your system's icons
may have been wrongly displayed
or the Recycle Bin icon might have
disappeared. These frequent errors
might prove to disrupt your daily work
routine. By using the TuneUp Repair
wizard, you can thus overcome these
errors as well as certain display
issues. To use the Repair Wizard, click
on the "Solve Problems" tab and then
select the "TuneUp Repair” link. All
Windows related problems appear on
the next screen. Select appropriate
check boxes as required and click
"Next" and then "Finish".
Recovering deleted files
with TuneUp Undelete
You may have accidentally deleted
an important work file permanently.
You don’t have backup or a previous
TuneUp's Disk Doctor can remove Windows errors and keep your drives error
free. Simply select appropriate drives and follow the simple instructions.
version of the file might be too old. In
this case the TuneUp Undelete tool
comes in handy. With this tool, you
can possibly recover a deleted file and
save a lot of your valuable work and
time. To use this utility simply click on
the "Solve Problems" tab and select
the "TuneUp Undelete" link. Select the
drive from which the file or folder was
deleted and click "Next". In the next
screen, enter the name of the file or
folder in the "Search criteria" text box
and click "Next". Select the file and
click "Restore". Once done, click "OK".
Accelerate Windows
startup
In Windows, many applications tend to
execute automatically during startup.
These applications that run during
startup are the applications you
frequently use. In addition to these
applications, there are also unwanted
and malicious programs that execute
To find errors in reigstry and delete unwanted files, simply click the “1-click
Maintainance” from the “Increase performance” tab.
Click the “Correct problems” button to eradicate all Windows errors. Once
done, click “Close”.
unknowingly during startup. These
programs can be simply removed
by deleting the application's icon
from the Startup folder in the Start
menu. But in the case of a malicious
program, the applications are directly
added to the registry, thus making
them unnoticeable. Thus disabling
applications from the TuneUp StartUp
manager could be adequate since it
deletes entries from anywhere within
the system.
To use the StartUp manager, run
TuneUp Utilities and click the "TuneUp
StartUp Manager" link. On the next
screen, simply select an unknown
application and click "Delete".
Eliminate file system
errors
While working with Windows, many
files are read and written continuously.
Due to this, over time errors occur
which may lead to permanent data
The TuneUp Drive Defrag arranges all scattered data on your system. Select
the drives to be defragged and click “Next”.
loss, annoying error messages and
much more. These system errors can
thus be prevented by checking for file
system errors using the Tune-Up's Disk
Doctor. To do so, click on the "Solve
Problems" tab and select the "TuneUp
Disk Doctor" link. Select the drives to
be scanned and then click "Next". For a
normal file analysis, click the "Normal
analysis" radio button. For a thorough
file system check, click the "Thorough
analysis" radio button and click "Next".
All selected drives will now be free
from all errors.
Using the TuneUp Registry
Defrag
Whenever a new program or hardware
is installed, it registers itself in the
registry, thus creating a new key and a
value. The more programs you install,
the size of the registry would increase
thus making Windows slower. This
problem can be resolved by using the
Click on a particular problem to view and its details on the right pane. Change
appropriate settings as required.
TuneUp Registry Defrag. This tool can
solely consolidate your registry and
make it smaller, thus allowing windows
to run more efficiently. To use this tool,
click the "TuneUp Registry Defrag" link
and click "Next". Once your registry is
defragged, you'll be able to view your
registry details along with a graph.
One click maintainance
The best feature embedded in
TuneUp Utilities is the "1-click system
optimization" option. This function
performs a set of tasks that can free up
disk space, eliminate invalid keys from
the registry and optimize your hard disk
for better system performance. To use
the function simply run TuneUp Utilities
and click the "1-click maintenance" link
at the bottom of the window. After a few
seconds, TuneUp Utilities will display
all errors in the next window. Simply
click the "Correct" button to remove
these errors
To restore changes made by TuneUp Utilities, select appropriate changes and
click the “Undo changes” button.
AT ONE GLANCE X WEB
A great advantage of using Makeownringtone.com to edit
ringtones is that it supports multiple audio formats. The
supported formats include MP3, AAC, OGG, MP4, MMF,
etc. The first step is to upload an audio file for editing.
Click the "Upload" button that can be found below the
timeline. In the dialog box that appears, select the file
that you would like to upload. Once the track is uploaded it
will appear in the timeline as a waveform.
Click “Play” to play the track from the beginning. A part
of the audio file can be selected by clicking on a particular
part of the waveform. You will see two handles that mark
the start and the end of the selection. These handles
can be moved to adjust the length of the selected region.
You can play the selected part of the song by clicking the
“Selected” button.
Before you download the ringtone make sure that you
have selected the right format and the best possible
BitRate. Click the “Make a Ringtone” button to create the
ringtone. The file can be downloaded to your computer,
sent to your cell phone or can be directly mailed to you.
WEB W AT ONE GLANCE
Customizing your favorite ringtones normally involves downloading a third party application to edit and
crop audio files. This can be painstaking, time-consuming and even expensive. Makeownringtone.com is an
online ringtone editing tool that simplifies the process of audio editing by means of easy-to-use tools and a
basic user interface. BY GARETH MANKOO
EASY MODE: This mode, as the name
suggests, caters to basic audio editing needs
of a user. This includes “Normalization”,
a feature that amplifies the sound in the
audio file and at the same time makes sure
that there isn’t any unwanted audio. You can
apply the “Fade” effect to the beginning, end
or both of the song you uploaded.
ADVANCED MODE: The Advanced Mode
enhances the audio editing feature. Follow
the same procedure as the “Fade” effect to
apply the “No Silence” effect. The “Bass”
and “Treble” effects can be applied to the
file using the dropdown box and by adjusting
the Frequency. “Reversing” inverts the
uploaded audio file.
EXPERT MODE: For additional effects to be
added to your track click on the “Expert
Mode” tab. “Pad” adds a silence break to the
ends of the song. You can reject frequency
bands to a certain level using “BandReject”. “Chorus”, “Echo” and “Reverb”
effects can be added to any part of the audio
track. Using the other effects available in
this mode requires some expertise and
knowledge of sound signals, their behavior
and also the repurcussions of changing
these settings.
Tips & Tricks
HANDS ON X TIPS & TICKS
TIPS &
TRICKS
Windows Vista
1
Reduce partition size
In previous versions of windows,
during setup, you could allocate a
limited amount of space for every
drive. Once done, it would be inevitable
to reduce the size of any partition if
required. But in windows Vista, this
can be feasibly done. Unlike previous
windows versions, Vista allows you to
reduce the disk space of a particular
drive as and when required. To do so:
Right-click the “My Computer”
desktop icon and select “Manage”.
On the right pane, click “Disk
Management”.
Now right-click on a particular drive
and select the “Shrink Volume” option
from the context menu.
Enter the amount of space to be
reduced in the respective box.
Once done, click “Shrink”.
2
Pin folders to Start menu
Windows Vista allows you to pin
your favorite or most frequently
used applications to the Start menu.
This gives you instant access to
applications you frequently use. Since
this becomes void in case of folders,
we show you how to pin folders to the
Start menu.
To do so:
Click “Start” and type “regedit” in
the “Search” box.
Browse to the “HKEY_
CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\
ContextMenuHandlers” key.
1
Once there, right-click on the right
pane and click on “New|Key”.
Type in “{a2a9545d-a0c2-42b49708-a0b2badd77c8}” and press
[Enter].
Once done, close the registry editor
and restart the computer for changes
to take effect.
3
In Vista, the Remote Desktop
connection feature is disabled by
default. If you need to access your PC
from another system or vice versa, you
can easily enable this feature.
To do so:
Right-click the “My Computer”
desktop icon and click “Properties”.
On the left pane, click the “Remote
Settings” link.
Select “Allow Assistance
connections to this computer”.
To allow connections from any
windows version, click the “Allow
connections from computers running
any version of Remote Desktop” radio
button.
Once done, click “OK”.
4
Right-click on a particular drive and click on “Shrink” to reduce the partition size.
Turn on Remote Desktop
Hide Icon Text
In windows, you might probably not
want to know the name of common
icons. For example, familiar icons like
TIPS & TRICKS W HANDS ON
5
currently enabled.
To enable or disable a particular
feature, simply select or clear the
respective checkboxes.
7
To insert an additional clock, simply select “Show this clock” and click on a particular time zone.
My Computer, Internet Explorer and
Recycle bin need not have text below
them to know what they actually do.
Most windows users are used to these
icons and hence can eradicate the text
below if not required. To do so:
Right-click on an icon, for example,
“My Computer”.
Seelect the “Rename” option.
Make sure “Num Lock” is activated.
Now simply hold the [Alt] key while
simultaneously entering the value
“255” from the keypad.
5
Include additional clocks
In previous versions of windows, one
could view only one clock at a time.
But in Vista, there has been a major
advancement towards this feature. By
just placing your mouse pointer over
the clock, you can additionally view
two more clocks of different time zone
thus helping you to keep track of time
around the world. To do so:
Right-click on the System Clock and
select the “Adjust Date/Time” option.
Click the “Additional Clocks” tab.
Select “Show this clock”.
Now, click on an appropriate time
zone from the “Select time zone” drop
down box.
Enter a description for the clock in
the “Enter display name” text box. The
second clock is now activated.
To activate the third clock, follow
steps 3 to 5 and click “OK”.
6
Activating Vista features
Windows Vista comes with a variety
of features that can be enabled
or disabled by the administrator.
Some of these inbuilt features which
may not be required by the user
are disabled so as improve overall
system performance. But if you find it
necessary to activate these features,
follow the steps below:
Click on “Start|Control Panel”.
Double-click the “Programs and
Features” icon.
On the left pane, click the “Turn
Windows features on or off” link.
The “Windows Features” dialog box
appears with a list a activated as well
as deactivated features.
A selected checkbox next to a
feature indicates that the feature is
Capture screenshots
Previous versions of windows allowed
a user to capture screen shots by
hitting the [PrtScrn] key. This was
quiet disquieting as it had limited
options to further manipulate the
image. To overcome this problem,
Windows Vista has introduced the
Snipping Tool.
Using this tool, one can easily
capture screenshots of the desired
window, entire screen or by a
particular selection within the screen.
Moreover, this tool comes absolutely
free with Windows Vista. To use the
Snipping tool:
On the desktop, click
“Start|Accessories|Snipping Tool”.
The “Snipping tool window” appears.
Click on the “New” drop down
arrow and select an appropriate
option. For example to take a
screenshot of a particular window,
select the “Window Snip” option.
Now simply place the cursor over a
particular window and select it.
The screen shot will now appear in
the editing window.
To save the file, select the “Save
As” option from the “File” menu.
7
Once you’ve captured the screenshot, click on “File|Save As” to save the file.
11
Make the desired changes.
Click “OK”.
Check the “Add to template”
checkbox, if you want the modified
style to be added to the template.
NOTE: If you don’t check this box, the
modified style will affect only the
document you are working on.
Your document will now have a new
look as defined.
11 Double spacing text
Select an appropriate option from the “Line spacing” drop-down box.
8
Check system stability
If you think your system is running
well for a long time without any fl aws,
you probably might have to take a look
at it again. There might be several
errors which may cause inevitable
damage later. These problems should
thus be rectified. Windows Vista has a
prominent feature that can analyze and
check the stability of your system . To
check your system stability:
Click “Start” and type “reliability” in
the “Search” box. The “Reliability and
Performance” dialog box appears.
Select “Reliability Monitor” from
the left pane. You would see a system
stability chart.
Double-click the red crosses to view
further details. You can now rectify all
system errors.
Word 2003
9
Adding Sound Files
Do you find your text documents plain
and boring? If you are the type that
likes to give your documents a push
towards multimedia, Word allows you
to liven up your documents by inserting
sound files in your document. Here is
how you can do it:
Position the cursor where you want
the sound to be inserted.
Choose the “Object” option from the
“Insert” menu.
The “Object” dialog box is now
displayed.
Select the “Create from File” tab.
Click “Browse” and use the dialog
box to locate a sound file stored on
your computer that you want included
in your document.
Click “OK”.
An icon that looks like a speaker is
inserted in your document. You can
listen to your sound file by simply
double-clicking the speaker icon.
NOTE: Apart from sound you can also
add media like videos and images, by
following the same steps as above.
page number
10 Change
fonts
If you have tried everything to make
your document look different, chances
are you have not tried to change
the font style and size of the page
numbers. Word allows you to do this in
a few simple steps. Here is how you go
about it:
Choose “Styles and Formatting”
from the “Format” menu.
In the task pane on the right side of
the screen, choose “All Styles” from
the “Show” list.
From the “Pick Formatting to Apply”
list locate “Page Numbers”.
You could either right click on it or
click the drop down menu provided.
Click “Modify”. The “Modify Style”
dialog box appears.
If you feel that your text is cramped
up, and want to space it out, or if you
just want to make your text stand out,
double spacing your text will help you
do just that.
Word allows you to add extra spaces
between paragraphs and lines. You
can do so by simply following the steps
given below.
Select the portion of the document
that you want double-spaced.
NOTE: To select the entire document,
choose “Select All” from the “Edit”
menu or press the key combination
[Ctrl] + [A].
Choose “Paragraph” from the
“Format” menu.
Click the “Indents and Spacing” tab,
then select a line spacing setting from
the “Spacing” list.
Click “OK”.
NOTE: You can change both the
leading and trailing spaces as well
as the space between the lines of the
required paragraph.
12 Creating an Index
If you have a large document,
creating an index could be really
helpful in locating information within
the document. An index lists all
the important points and topics in
your document under one orderly
alphabetical list. Hence, Word provides
you with an easy to use index maker.
Select appropriate text that would
be marked as an index entry.
12
Check the “Fit Text” check box.
Click “OK” to close the “Cell
Options” dialog box.
Click “OK” to close the “Table
Properties” dialog box.
Word 2007
14 Custom Text Wrapping
Select text from the document to mark it as an index entry.
Choose “Index and Tables” from the
“Insert” menu, then click the “Index”
tab, or press [Alt] + [Shift] + [X].
In the “Mark Index Entry” dialog box
you can add additional information like
a subentry or a cross-reference.
Click “Mark” to add the entry to
the index.
NOTE: The dialog box remains open
which allows you to scroll through the
document and add one entry at a time.
Place the cursor on the last page of
the document (or the page where you
want to place your index), then open
the “Index” dialog box.
You can choose a “Format” from the
list that suits your document.
Click “OK” to create the index.
NOTE: If any changes are made after the
index is created, you will have to follow
Steps 5 and 6 to refresh the changes
that you recently made.
13 Fitting Text into a Cell
If you have finished editing your Word
document, and then need to add
some more text in a table, your entire
formatting may go hay wired. Word has
a way for you to add and format the
text in the tables without disturbing
the formatting done in the rest of the
document, by compressing the text in
the table and keeping the size of the
tables the same. Here is how you go
about it:
Select the cell or cells from the
table that want to add text in.
Choose “Table Properties” from the
“Table” menu. The “Table Properties”
dialog box is displayed.
Click the “Cell” tab to select it.
Click the “Options” button. Word
will display the “Cell Options” dialog.
Even though Word provides you with
a way to wrap text around an image,
you may need to add some text over
your image or leave some extra blank
space near it. Word allows you to do
so by altering the ‘Wrap Points’ of the
image. These are small black boxes.
Each of the wrap points is
connected with a small dashed red
line. The box made by the red dashed
line defines where the text will
appear in and around the image. It
is possible to change the position of
these anchors by simply dragging
them. Here is how you do it:
Insert your picture as you normally
would, and make sure it is selected.
Click the “Format” tab.
Click the “Text Wrapping” tool
appearing in the “Arrange” group. A
drop down menu of wrapping options
appears.
Choose the “Edit Wrap Points”
option. Word displays the wrap points
around the picture.
Move existing wrap points by
clicking and dragging them to a new
position.
13
Check the “Fit Text” box in the Cell Options dialog box.
14
You can drag the Wrap Points and change the shape of the text wrap box.
15
By default, Excel 2007 stores 17 recent files. You can change this setting as per your requirements.
Add new wrap points by holding
down the [Ctrl] key as you click on
the dashed red line at the position
where you want a wrap point. You can
then drag the new wrap point to the
desired position.
Remove an existing wrap point by
holding down the [Ctrl] key as you
click on the wrap point.
When done adjusting wrap points,
click anywhere outside the picture.
The wrap points disappear, and your
text follows the texture you defined
when you edited the points.
Excel 2007
dead recent
15 Removing
files
You might require accessing certain
file repeatedly, while dealing with
certain projects in your everyday
work. You can view a list of recent
spreadsheets in the “Recent
Documents” panel appearing in the
“Office Button” menu list. There might
be certain files which lead you to ‘Dead
Links’, because you changed the file
path or deleted the specific file. These
file continue to appear in the “Recent
Documents” panel. To delete these file,
just carry out the following steps:
Start “Excel 2007” and click the
“Office button”.
Click the “Excel Options” button.
In the “Excel Options” dialog box
that appears, select the “Advanced”
option, appearing on the left panel of
the “Excel Options” dialog box.
Scroll down, till you reach the
“Display” section.
In the “Show this number of Recent
Documents” option, click on the up/
down arrows to set the numerical
value to “0”.
Alternatively, you can manually type
the value in the text box. You can key in
any number ranging from “0” to “50”
Click “OK”.
Your “Recent Documents” list will be
cleared.
To start a new list, carry out the
following steps:
Click the “Office Button” and then
the “Excel Options” button.
Select the “Advanced” option, and
go back to the “Show this number of
Recent Documents” option under the
“Display” section.
Set a value as per your requirement
and click “OK” to save the settings
This will however remove all the
files on the list, including the ones you
require and the ones you had pinned.
To avoid this you need to use a bit of
caution. Use this trick listed below to
avoid loosing existing file paths:
For the files that are existing and
essential, check the tack pin mark
appearing near the filename in the
“Recent Documents” list.
Count the number of pinned files in
the list.
While setting the “Show this
number of Recent Documents” option
numerical value, type the number as
per your count in Step 2.
Click “OK” to complete.
You can check the tack pin option
to unpin the file from the “Recent
Documents” list.
negative time
16 Displaying
values
While calculating difference in
your worksheet, you may require
subtracting two time values. If you
try subtracting a time elapsed earlier
from a recent time, you will not be
displayed with a negative value as
expected.
Instead, Excel displays to you
a series of hash symbols (#). This
generally happens because Excel,
for Windows users by default uses
16
Using the 1904 date system, you can display negative time values with relative ease.
17
By using a base number, you can identify a total though the base number.
the 1900 date system. You can fix this
unwanted problem.
Start “Excel 2007” and click the
“Office button”.
Click the “Excel Options” button.
In the “Excel Options” dialog box
that appears, select the “Advanced”
option, on the left panel.
Scroll down till you reach the “When
calculating this workbook:” section.
Check the “Use 1904 date system”
option.
Click “OK” to save the changes.
Your time will now be displayed
along with a minus (-) sign. The 1904
date system is used as the default date
system for MAC users of Excel.
If you do not wish to change the
default date system for Excel your
machine, you can convert the value
into a text equivalent. To do so carry
out the following steps:
Presume cell B2 has the earlier time
and cell A2 a recently lapsed time.
Go to the destination cell where the
difference should appear.
Type the formula as “ =IF(B2-A2<0,
“-” & TEXT(ABS(B2-A2),”hh:mm”),
B2-A2)”
As per this formula, you are using
three functions, that is, IF(), TEXT() and
the ABS() function.
The IF condition checks whether the
resultant value is a negative number
or not.
If the function returns a true value
the ABS() function converts the value
to a positive number and we affix a
minus (-) symbol to signify the negative
value.
The TEXT() function, converts the
result to a text value.
The “&” is used to concatenate two
text values.
If the IF() function returns false,
the difference of the two values will be
displayed as it is.
Excel 2003 / 2007
numbers with
17 Displaying
a base
You might have Excel sheets which
deal with mutliple units clubbed as
one. If you deal with a number of items,
you can figure out how many multiples
you need to order on the basis of a
single base number, with the help of
this simple trick. To do so just carry
Type the heading in cell B1.
Type the original / total value in
“Row B” from cell B2 onwards.
In cell C2, type the formula as,
“=INT(B2/15) & “-” & RIGHT(“00” &
MOD(B2,15),2)”.
In this formula, the INT() function
returns the integer part of the division
value. The MOD() function returns the
remainder value, the RIGHT() function
picks two of the right most values, and
this value is then concatenated with
the “.” sign appearing after the integer
value. The result will appear as “12.09”
NOTE: This result cannot be used as a
value for mathematical functions. It is
for reference only.
18 Rearranging data series
While working with series in charts,
Excel creates a default order in which
the series would appear, depending
on the structure of the selection. You
can change the underlying structure
or else manually format the chart. To
manually affect the changes, carry out
the following steps:
Select the data, and go to the
“Insert” tab.
Create a chart as per your
requirement.
Right-click anywhere inside the
chart.
In the context menu, select the
“Select Data…” option.
18
Through the “Select Data Source” dialog box, you can add, edit or remove data series from your charts.
Enter names of friends you want to deny certain profile views. Once the names are selected click “Okay”.
In the “Select Data Source” dialog
box, click on the series you want to
move.
With the help of the Up and Down
Arrow buttons, move the series to the
desired position.
Click “OK” to save.
Facebook
19 Monitor your privacy
Facebook is a social networking site
whose user base has grown to such
an extent that it connects just about
everyone. This means that it’s no
longer a place for your friends and
loved ones to catch up but a network
that links you to your colleagues as
well. This can pose as a problem for
those who want to segregate their
private lifestyle from their official
one. For instance, if your boss has
just added you in Facebook, there is a
chance that he will have a glimpse of
your holiday pictures that you would
rather not show him.
Owing to this fact, Facebook
has come up with a strong privacy
protection scheme. This gives limited
access to those who you wish to keep
away from viewing your personal
collection of photos and your profile as
a whole.
You can provide individual viewing
preferences for each of your contacts
to avoid a common, complete view for
of your profile for all contacts.
Log into your Facebook account.
Once you are directed to your
homepage, scroll down to the bottom
and click on “Privacy”. This can be
found at the bottom, right-hand side
corner of the page.
Facebook will display the list
of “Principles” that explain how it
secures your privacy and at the same
time allows you to share maximum
information with your contacts, over
the internet. Go through these rules
carefully.
Click “Click here to go to Privacy
Settings” once you are done reading
the rules, principles, etc.
Click “Profile”.
Click the “Profile” dropdown box
and select the names of those contacts
who you want to share your profile
with and who you want to withhold
information from.
Click the “Basic Info” dropdown box
and then on “Customize”.
Select the privacy options by
clicking the appropriate radio buttons.
Enter the name of friends who you
do not wish to share your personal
information with by entering their
names in the textbox provided below.
The names of these contacts will be
listed above the textbox. To remove
names from this list simply click the
cross sign.
Click “OK”.
The same procedure should be
followed to change the privacy settings
of videos, pictures, wall posts, etc.
Once done, click “OK” to save the
changes.
Doing this can enable you to freely
upload as many videos and images as
you would please without worrying
about someone unauthorized viewing
it. It can also keep your profile safe
from those who pose as a threat to
your privacy such as hackers and other
information thieves.
Firefox 3
20 Smaller back button
Many users find the large “Back”
button in Firefox 3 as odd and
unnecessary. Unlike most other
popular browsers, the back button, in
this case, is keyhole shaped. The back
20
19
Select the “Use Small Icons“ check box from the “Customize Toolbar” dialog box.
21
In the search textbox type in the
following line of text: “gfx.color_
management.enabled”.
By default it will display the Value
as “false”. Double-click on it to change
the value to “True” and enable highdefinition color effects.
To undo this effect simply follow
the same steps and double-click on
the Preference Name to disable color
management.
Facebook
GTalk smileys include the classic smileys, the round ones and the square shaped smileys.
button alone causes the height of the
toolbar to increase.
Mozilla has made a provision to
resize this oversized button. One can
make it the same size as the forward
button by following some simple steps.
Launch Firefox 3 and navigate to
“View | Toolbars”.
Click “Customize”.
Check the “Use small icons”
checkbox.
Click “Done”.
The Back button will reduce in size
and take the same size as the Forward
button. You will also notice that the
toolbar is comparatively smaller in size
since the button doesn’t take up all the
extra space that it occupied.
Google Talk
21 Use hidden smileys
GTalk has its own list of available
smileys. Using most of them is simple
since they have the same codes as
their Yahoo! Messenger and MSN
Messenger counterparts. GTalk
smileys have an added dimension to
the way they express your emotions.
They are available in three different
styles, Classic, Round and Square.
However, the code remains the same
for each type. The problem is that most
of these aren’t available in the popup
that display the smileys.
The table above displays the list
of available smileys with the GTalk.
This includes both, the hidden smileys
and the one that are displayed in the
pop-up.
Firefox 3
22 Advanced color profile
By default, Firefox 3 doesn’t display
images at their best possible quality. In
fact, it reduces the quality of images so
that the page loads faster with lesser
CPU utilization. Loading images with
the best possible quality hampers the
performance of Firefox by 10-15%.
However, if you are a graphic
designer or if you need the displayed
image to be of the best possible quality
then follow these simple steps to
activate the Color Management.
Type “about:config” in the address
bar and hit the [Enter] button.
23 Create profile badges
Facebook helps you create Badges.
Badges help you share your Facebook
information on other sites and get
updated automatically. These are
customizable and can be created using
templates as well.
Go to your Facebook homepage
Click “Create a Profile Badge”.
Click “Create Badge”.
Select the “Layout” radio buttons,
stating you want vertical or horizontal
alignment.
Select the list of items from the
dropdown box.
Click “Save”.
Your Facebook Badge will be saved
with the HTML code to add this Badge
directly. Simply copy the code from
your Badge page and paste it in the
source code of your webpage. The
Badge will be added there and will be
updated automatically.
22
Enter the search string and double click on the value that is displayed as “false” to make it “true”.
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
Create your own
functions!
Hemali Limbachiya
Have you ever tried working with extremely
complicated and nested functions, only to find
yourself lost halfway through? One way to over
come this is to create your own hassle-free
functions! BY KAMAKSHI VENUGOPAL
REFERENCE
STEP 1: Counting cells with fill colors
WHAT ARE MACROS
AND USER-DEFINED
FUNCTIONS?
Background fill colors help you to summarize your worksheets effectively and enable you to highlight
key points in your data. If there are many cells in your worksheet with similar fill colors, you might
want to count cells based on them. Although there is no built-in function to achieve this task, you can
create a formula for your reference. To do so, just carry out these following steps:
A macro is a recording of
actions performed to
achieve a particular task.
By creating and saving a
macro, you can automate
Excel for recurring tasks.
With macros, you can
automate formatting
changes, create charts
and also create user
defined functions to make
calculations easier.
User-defined
functions are typically
Visual Basic for
Applications (VBA)
program codes, which
evaluate complex
conditions and loops
which cannot be done
otherwise using Excel.
Thus these programs
provide Excel with
flexibility and expand
their working and
calculation capacity.
Using sample cells
1
Open the target
workbook.
Select all the
cells containing
negative values.
2
On the
Formatting
toolbar, click the
"Fill Color" icon.
3
In the drop-down
menu, click
"Yellow".
4
Alternatively, you
can use the "Format
| Format Cells"
option. In the
"Format Cells"
dialog box, click the
"Patterns" tab. Click
"Yellow" under the
"Fill Color" section.
Now you need to
create a formula
to count the number
of cells with a yellow
fill color. You need to
create a Visual Basic
or VB code to
evaluate this
formula.
6
Under the
"Project1VBAProject" panel,
right-click the
"VBAProject(Book1)"
option.
8
5
7
To create the
formula, go to
"Tools | Macro |
Visual Basic Editor".
Alternatively, you
can use the [Alt] +
[F11] short key to
activate the Visual
Basic Editor.
In the contextual
menu that
appears, click
"Insert | Module".
WORKSHOP W HANDS ON
TIP
Next, we create
a formula
named
"CountYellow()".
Copy the contents
given below without
any changes.
9
MAKING USERDEFINED FUNCTIONS
GLOBALLY AVAILABLE
Function CountYellow(CellRange As Range)
Dim iCount As Integer
Application.Volatile
iCount = 0
For Each cell In CellRange
If cell.Interior.ColorIndex = 6 Then
iCount = iCount + 1
End If
Next cell
CountYellow = iCount
End Function
The
"ColorIndex"
of the color Yellow
according to VBA is
"6". You can play
around with this
value to create more
functions with
different fill colors.
10
To use this
function, go
to cell N6, and type
“=Co orYellow
(A3:M37)", where
"A3:M37" is the cell
range where you
want the count of
shaded cells.
11
STEP 2: Calculating the sum of absolute values
If you wish to calculate sum of numbers ignoring the minus sign, Excel does not have any predefined
function that you can use. You can create a complicated nest of formulas and functions, or you can
simplify the task by creating a function of your own. Just carry out the following steps:
1
2
Press [Enter] at
the end of the
previous function
and start typing the
formula named
"SumAbs()".
4
Open the target
workbook.
Go to "Tools |
Macro | Visual
Basic Editor".
Copy the
contents for the
formula "SumAbs()"
given next without
any changes.
5
Since we have
already created
a module, we just
need to type the
formula.
3
Function SumAbs(CellRange As Range) As Double
Total = 0
On Error GoTo Done
For Each element In CellRange
Total = Total + Abs(element)
Next element
Done:
SumAbs = Total
End Function
We will use the
same workbook
throughout this
workshop. A single
module can contain
multiple functions.
When you create a user
defined function for a
workbook, you will not be
able to use it outside the
workbook you created it
in. If you need to make
these user-defined
functions global, you can
do so using this simple
tip. Just follow the steps
mentioned below:
Collate all your userdefined functions in a
single Excel file.
Search for a folder
named “XLSTART”.
NOTE: This folder
can be found under
“C:\Documents and
Settings\<User_Name>\
Application Data\
Microsoft\Excel\ “ in your
computer.
Save the file as
“personal.xls” in the
“XLSTART” folder.
To check whether the
functions are available,
carry out the following
steps:
Go to “Insert |
Function…”.
In the “Insert
Function” dialog box,
click “User Defined”
in the “Or select a
category:” drop-down list.
You will see all the
functions you created
in the “Select a function:”
list box.
1
2
3
1
2
3
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
TIP
USING MACROS IN
EXCEL 2007
You can use macros in any
version of Excel from
Excel 97 onwards. If you
wish to use macros in
Excel 2007, you require
using the “Developer” tab.
By default, this tab is
hidden in Excel 2007. To
active the “Developer”
tab, carry out the
following steps:
Start
Excel 2007
Click the “Office
Button”.
Click the “Excel
Options” button.
Select the “Popular”
option on the left
pane.
Check the “Show
Developer tab in the
Ribbon” option.
Click “OK” to save the
changes.
The “Developer”
tab appears on the
application window
without restarting the
application.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
To use this
function, go to
cell N2, and type
the heading as
"Absolute Totals".
6
Drag the formula
to consecutive
cells using the fill
handle.
8
To check if the
function is
working properly,
notice the difference
in values between
Row M and Row N.
9
In cell N3 type
"=SumAbs
(A3:L3) ".
7
STEP 3: Displaying weekday names
Although Excel has functions to display weekdays with the help of the Weekday() function, it only shows
you a numerical equivalent of the day in the week. If you require displaying weekdays as per their
weekday names, you can customize Excel to do just that. Just carry out the following steps:
Go to "Tools |
Macro | Visual
Basic Editor".
1
Press [Enter] at
the end of the
previous function
formula named
"WeekDayName()".
3
Copy the
contents for the
formula
"WeekDayName()"
given next without
any changes.
4
Since we have
already created
a module, we just
need to type the
formula.
2
Function WeekDayName(dDate As Date)
Dim DayNumber As Integer
DayNumber = Weekday(dDate, vbSunday)
Select Case DayNumber
Case 1
WeekDayName = "Sunday"
Case 2
WeekDayName = "Monday"
Case 3
WeekDayName = "Tuesday"
Case 4
WeekDayName = "Wednesday"
Case 5
WeekDayName = "Thursday"
Case 6
WeekDayName = "Friday"
Case 7
WeekDayName = "Saturday"
End Select
End Function
To use this
function, type
"Date" in cell A1.
5
In cell B2 type
"=WeekDay
Name (A2) ".
8
Type date
values in cells
A2:A12.
6
7
B1.
Type "Weekday
Name" in cell
9
Type date values
in cells A2:A12.
WORKSHOP W HANDS ON
STEP 4: Calculating the number of weekdays in a month
TIP
Excel has an excellent function called NetworkDays() which helps you calculate the number of
weekdays in a particular period. What if you need to find out the number of Wednesdays that occur in a
particular month? Although you can write a complicated and nested formula, you might either get lost
halfway through or you may not be able to estimate the accuracy of the result. You can create a function
of your own to keep it simple. To do so, just carry out the following steps:
ADDING CELL STYLE
ON THE QUICK
ACCESS TOOLBAR
Press [Enter] at
the end of the
previous function
formula named
”NumberOf
Weekdays()”.
3
Go to "Tools |
Macro | Visual
Basic Editor".
1
Copy the
contents for the
formula “NumberOf
Weekdays()" given
next without any
changes.
4
Since we have
already created
a module, we just
need to type the
formula.
2
Function NumberOfWeekdays(dDate As Date,
iWeekDay As Integer)
Dim dLoop As Date
If iWeekDay < 1 Or iWeekDay > 7 Then
NumberOfWeekdays = CVErr(xlErrNum)
Exit Function
End If
NumberOfWeekdays = 0
dLoop = DateSerial(Year(dDate),
Month(dDate), 1)
Do While Month(dLoop) = Month(dDate)
If WeekDay(dLoop) = iWeekDay Then _
NumberOfWeekdays =
NumberOfWeekdays + 1
dLoop = dLoop + 1
Loop
End Function
To use and
understand how
this function works,
type "Week" in cell
A1.
5
In cell B2, type
the formula as
"=Weekday(A2)".
8
Type date
values in cells
A2:A8.
6
Drag the
formula up to
cells B8 using a fill
handle.
9
7
Type "Weekday"
in cell B1.
If you use cell styles
often and find it annoying
or difficult to navigate
back and forth to the
‘Home’ tab, you can create
short cuts by adding the
menu to the Quick Access
Toolbar. To do so, carry
Go to the
‘Home’ tab.
Right-click on the cell
style to add the cell
style gallery on the ‘Quick
Access Toolbar’.
Click on the ‘Add
Gallery to Quick
Access Toolbar’ option.
The cell style gallery
will be added to the
‘Quick Access Toolbar’.
To add the entire
‘Styles’ group to the
‘Quick Access Toolbar’,
carry out the following
steps:
Go to the
‘Home’ tab.
Click on the ‘Cell
Styles’ located under
the ‘Styles’ group.
Right-click on any
white space in the cell
style grid.
Click on the ‘Add
Group to Quick Access
Toolbar’ option.
The ‘Styles’ group will
be added to the ‘Quick
Access Toolbar’.
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
5
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
TIP
CREATING SHORTCUT
KEYS FOR MACROS
You can create keyboard
shortcuts to run your
macros, instead of
juggling back and forth to
the macros tool bar to
execute each macro. To do
so, carry out the following
steps:
Go to “Tools | Macro |
Record New Macro…”
In the “Record Macro”
dialog box, type an
appropriate macro name
under the “Macro name:”
textbox.
In the “Shortcut
key:” box, type any
character from your
keyboard that you want
to assign as the shortcut
key.
To use capital letters,
either use [Shift], or
keep the [Caps Lock] on.
To make the macro
global, select
the “Personal Macro
Workbook” option under
the “Store macro in:”
drop-down list.
Click “OK” to continue
creating the macro.
1
2
In cell C2,
type the
formula as
"=WeekdayName
(A2)"
11
Type
"Weekday
Name" in cell C1.
10
12
Drag the formula up to cells C8 using a fill handle to
copy the same to the remaining cells.
Type
"Number of
Weekdays" in cell
D1.
Drag the
formula up
to cell D8 using the
fill handle.
In cell D2
type
"=NumberOf
Weekdays (A2, B2) ".
You will find
the number
of weekdays that
appear in the
specified month
appear in Row D.
13
15
3
4
5
14
6
17
16
To confirm
the result,
type "Total days in
the month of
September" in cell
A10.
In cell D10,
type the
formula as
"=SUM(D2:D8)". The
result will be 30,
which is the number
of days in the month
of September.
18
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COMPUT
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U T ING
UT
NG CH
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P PL
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US S
SUPP
SUPPLEMENT
UP
UPP
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LEMENT
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HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
Hemali Limbachiya
Manage tasks
efficiently
Are you on a tight schedule? Do you tend to
leave out important tasks? If so, then Vista’s
Task Scheduler might come in handy.
BY DOLWIN FERNANDES
TIP
STEP 1: Create a Basic task
ABOUT THE TASK
SCHEDULER
Windows Vista has an inbuilt feature known as the task scheduler. This feature enables you to execute
a program, send an e-mail, play a particular music file or even turn off your system automatically at
the given date and time. We shall now see how to create a basic task.
The Task Scheduler in
Windows Vista is a helpful
feature that allows the
user to launch certain
event at a particular time.
This feature enables you
to run tasks periodically
which can be useful for
system administrators.
The Task Scheduler can
also wake the machine if
in ‘Sleep’ mode to run
important tasks. Other
than simply executing a
program, the task
scheduler can also send
an e-mail automatically at
a given date and time or
display a normal reminder
message. Hence suing
this feature can make the
system a full fledged
automated ad-hoc
machine.
1
Click on "Start|
Control Panel |
Administrative
Tools| Task
Scheduler".
2
Now, in the
"Name" text box,
enter an appropriate
for your task.
5
3
Enter
appropriate
description
regarding your task
in the "Description"
box.
4
Now, from the
"Action" menu,
select the "Create
Basic Task" option.
Once done, click
"Next".
WORKSHOP W HANDS ON
Click on a
particular radio
button. For example
"Daily" and click
"Next"
6
In the next
screen, click on
an appropriate
radio button. For
example "Start a
program".
7
Using the Tasks
Scheduler, you can
trigger a particular
event daily, weekly,
monthly, one time,
when the computer
starts, when you log
on or when a
specific event is
logged
8
Click
"Next".
TIP
DELETE A TASK
If your task is not a
recurring one, you might
no longer need it. Hence
the task can be deleted.
This can also save a small
amount of disk space. To
delete a task:
Run the Task
Scheduler and click on
“Task Scheduler Library”.
Click on an
appropriate task and
select the “Delete” option
from the “Action” menu.
A confirmation dialog box
will appear.
Click “Yes” to confirm
the deletion.
To delete a
non- recurring
automatically, click on
“Actions|Properties”.
Go to the “Settings”
tab.
Select the “If the task
is not scheduled to
run again, delete it after”
check box and click on
“Immediate” from the
drop-down box.
Once done,
click “OK”.
1
2
3
4
Now, click on
"Browse" and
select the program
to be executed and
click "Next"
9
On the next
screen, you
will be able to view
a detailed summary
of your task. Once
done, click "Finish".
10
5
6
7
STEP 2: Manage a scheduled task
At a particular point of time, you might want to modify a particular task that executes daily. Modifying a
task allows you to change its execution time, waken the computer from sleep mode if a particular task
is to be executed and much more. To do so:
Run the Task
Scheduler and
click on "Task
Scheduler Library".
1
Click on an
appropriate task
and select the
"Properties" option
from the "Action"
menu.
2
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
TIP
DISPLAY RUNNING
TASK
To change the
execution date
and time of a
particular task,
click on the
"Triggers" tab.
3
Modify
appropriate
parameters in the
next screen as
required and click
"OK"
5
Select the task
and click the
"Edit" button.
4
Most computers probably tend to go to the ‘Sleep’ state if idle for a specific period of time. This may
prevent a particular task from executing if scheduled. To thwart this problem follow the steps below:
The task scheduler allows
you to keep a track of all
running tasks in your
system. You can get a
detailed view of currently
running tasks, the time
when the task started
executing, the amount of
time elapsed and the
purpose of each of these
tasks. Moreover you can
even terminate a
particular process if not
required. To do so:
Click on “Start” and
type “Task Scheduler”
in the “Search Box”.
Click on “Display
All Running Tasks”
located in the “Actions”
pane. All running tasks
will appear.
1
2
6
8
Click on an
appropriate task
and select the
"Properties" option
from the "Action"
menu.
9
Run the Task
Scheduler and
click on "Task
Scheduler Library".
Click on the
"Conditions" tab.
7
Select the "Wake
the computer to
run this task" check
box and click "OK".
STEP 3: Import or export a task
It may be a pain staking process to schedule another task with the same configuration on another
machine. Hence to thwart this problem, you can use the ‘Export’ option replicate the task on another
Vista machine. To do so:
Run the Task
Scheduler and
select an
appropriate task.
1
Select the
"Export" option
from the "Actions"
menu.
2
Give the file an
appropriate
name and save it
anywhere on your
system.
Now transfer
the file to
another computer
via a flash drive or
any secondary
storage device.
4
3
Select the
"Import Task"
option from the
"Action" menu.
6
Now run 'Task
Scheduler' on
the other machine.
5
7
Browse for and
open the
appropriate file.
WORKSHOP W HANDS ON
Create your own
animation
Hemali Limbachiya
We are often fascinated by the animated
characters shown in movies or in videos. But
have you thought that you can also create
an animation? Yes, you can do it using the
software called CrazyTalk! And it’s simple!
STEP 1: Creating a simple project
TIP
Using CrazyTalk you can animate humans, cartoons, and animal faces and also add voice to it. To do all
this, follow the steps:
EXPORTING
ANIMATION TP A CELL
PHONE
1
Click on the
"Model" tab.
The "Open"
dialog box
opens. Select the
desired file and then
click on "Open".
3
Click on the icon
which has a
girl's face in the left
pane to import an
image.
2
The "Image
Processing"
dialog box opens.
Click on the "Crop
Image" icon in the
toolbar in the left to
crop the relevant
part of the image.
4
5
Then click
"OK".
Using CrazyTalk, you can
export any animated video
you have created into a
mobile phone. But you will
need to do the output
settings. Here’s how to do
this:
Click on the “Custom”
tab in the right pane.
Double click on
“Project”.
Select the project
which you want to
export by clicking on it.
Click on the “Output”
tab.
Click on the “Mobile”
tab.
Select the desired
format from the drop
down list.
Specify the “Output
Size”, “Frame Rate”,
“Video Quality”, and
“Audio Quality”.
Then, click on
“Export”.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
TIP
RECORDING YOUR
OWN SOUND
The "Auto Fit
Anchor Points"
dialog box opens.
6
8
Drag the feature
points, "1", "2",
"3", and "4"
respectively using
the image on the
right side as a
reference.
If you want to revert
any changes, you
can click on the
undo arrow present
in the toolbar in the
left pane.
7
You can use CrazyTalk to
record your own voice and
incorporate it with your
animation. To record a
sound clip, follow these
steps:
GClick on the sound
recording icon (small
red circle) in the bottom
pane.
Choose the sound
device from the drop
down list.
Adjust the
“Volume”.
Then click on
“Record”.
To listen to the sound
clip recorded, click on
“Play”.
1
2
3
4
5
Then click on
"Process".
STEP 2: Animating an image
After you are done creating a simple animation, you can modify it and add more features to it. To do
this, perform the following steps
To change the
eyes, pupil, or
sclera (white part of
the eyes), click the
"Advance Facial
Settings" button.
1
You can either
individually define
settings for pupil
and the whites by
selecting the
options "Pupil" or
"The Whites". You
can also define
settings to both
pupils and eyes by
clicking on "Both".
To increase or
decrease the
density of teeth, you
can drag the pointer
to the left or right.
5
You can also define
settings for the lips
of the character and
the mouth.
To increase the
length of the
teeth, you can drag
the pointer to the
right side.
2
Click on the
"Eye" tab.
You can choose
the appropriate
eye color for your
character from a list
of eyes in the box by
selecting a
particular eye.
3
Click and drag
the pointer in
the pane to adjust
"Brightness",
"Contrast", "Hue",
and "Saturation".
4
7
Adjust the color
settings as per
your wished.
You can either
individually define
settings for pupil
and the whites by
selecting the
options "Pupil" or
"The Whites". You
can also define
settings to both
pupils and eyes by
clicking on "Both".
6
8
Then, click
"OK".
WORKSHOP W HANDS ON
To adjust the
volume, drag
the pointers to the
right or left.
9
To make your
character speak
in your words, click
on the "Script" tab.
12
In the lower
pane click
on the "T" symbol.
You can also choose
any script from a set
of scripts displayed
on the right side.
10
11
Add the text
in the "text
area".
13
Using CrazyTalk, you can apply a set of very realistic and predefined emotions to your character. To
animate you character to display different sets of emotions, follow these steps:
2
Click on the
"Script" tab.
Click on the
"Emotives" tab.
Click on the
desired emotive
from the list.
3
4
Then click the
"Play" button.
Choosing a predefined character
1
Click on the
"Script" tab.
Then select a
character by
double clicking on
the image.
4
Click on the
"Template" tab
in the right pane.
2
From the list of
models, select
one type from
"Animal",
"Cartoon", "Doll",
or "Human".
3
You can then
customize the
character by clicking
on "Advance Facial
Settings".
5
Recording your own audio
Click on the
"Script" tab.
3
Browse for the
.wav or .mp3 file.
Click on the
"Import Wav
File" icon to import
a .wav or an .mp3
file.
4
Then click the
"Play" button.
1
CHANGING
PREFERENCES
Then click
"OK".
STEP 3: Adding different emotions
1
TIP
2
Every program you work
on has some predefined
settings. If you want
to change the default
settings of CrazyTalk, you
can do that by performing
the following steps:
Setting the Hotkey:
Click on the
“Hammer” icon,
present in the toolbar.
Specify the
“Temporary” folder.
Set the “Workspace
Image Size”.
Specify the “Enable
Undo” option.
Then click on “OK”.
The default settings
will be changed.
1
2
3
4
5
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
Create simulated
drives
Hemali Limbachiya
Famtom isn’t a real physical drive but a
software simulation of one that can function
just as well. It does the job of simulating a
CD drive, creating images and burning discs.
BY GARETH MANKOO
TIP
STEP 1: Downloading and installing
USE MULTIPLE
FORMATS
The trial version of Fantom CD emulator is available for download at “http://www.downloadbumk.info/
Fantom-CD-121-Build-1960_download-12102.html”. It is available as a Free Trial version and a Pro
version. We will use the Free version in this workshop.
1
Besides the MDS file
format Fantom also
supports additional disc
image formats. Files with
these extension will be
associated with Fantom’s
context menu. The
procedure to add these
files to the list of Fantom
supported formats is
simple.
Click
“File | Options”.
Click “Shell Integrate”
tab.
Check the extensions
that you wish to add
to the list. ISO image
formats are the most
popularly used one and
it will be of great help if
a software like Fantom
could read such formats.
Click
“OK”.
Additional formats
can be added as well by
enlisting them in the text
box at the base.
Visit the link
provided above.
3
Click "Download
Now".
Once you are on
the download
page, click
"Download Link 1".
2
1
2
3
4
4
5
Double-Click the
downloaded file.
Follow the
installation
procedure. Select
the "Complete"
installation radio
button when
provided with the
option.
Click "Finish"
once you are
done with the
installation
procedure.
6
WORKSHOP W HANDS ON
Click "Start | All
Programs |
Fantom CD |
Fantom CD".
7
9
Click "OK" on
the splash
screen that appears.
The trial version
of the
application will
initialize.
8
STEP 2: Create and load images
The content from some discs cannot be copied to the hard drive. These contain files that have to be
played directly in a CD format. Putting the CD in the drive every time you want to run the
application is cumbersome. Fantom comes to the rescue in such situations by providing with a
capability of creating images of your discs.
Click "Image
Making Wizard"
on the left pane.
1
Insert a disc,
whose image
you wish to create,
into your drive.
2
On the Image
Making Wizard,
select the
appropriate drive
name that contains
your CD/DVD.
4
3
Click
"Next".
The "Separate
Image file every"
drop down list will
allow you to create
new image files
after regular
intervals. The
sessions will be
enlisted in the list
box.
Select the
location where
you wish to save the
image files.
5
6
Type in the
name of the file.
Check if the
space that your
image file will
occupy is sufficient
and click "Start".
7
TIP
DISC READ ERRORS
DURING IMAGE
MAKING
Disk read errors are
common during the Image
making process as well as
the copy process. These
errors are enlisted in the
list that provides with
information on the status
of the drive. They are
marked in yellow in case
of single block errors and
in red if the disc reading is
canceled altogether.
These errors mostly
occur because of
scratched CDs. If such an
error occurs there isn’t
much you can do besides
simple ignoring it. Click
the check box that’s
beside “Skip Reading
Errors”. If this doesn’t
solve the problem and
if Fantom still nags you
with the disk reading error
messages then it means
that your disc is damaged
and cannot be copied or
simulated. Avoid inserting
heavily damaged discs for
the safety of your drive.
Another reason
why such errors may
occur is your discs
being encrypted with a
protection scheme check
the check box next to
“Skip Reading Errors”
and “RAW Mode + SubChannel Information”.
This should solve your
problem for good.
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
TIP
FINDING AN IMAGE
If you had made an image
file and had stored it
somewhere on your hard
drive then looking for it
using the Windows search
tool may be irksome and
time consuming as well.
Fantom’s “Image Finder
Wizard” makes it easy to
look for image files since
the search is narrowed
down to only those file
extensions that the
software supports.
Click “View | Image
File Finder” or click on
the icon that’s available
on the left pane,
Select the location
where you want to
look for the file.
Check/Uncheck the
formats that you do
not wish to look for.
When the files that
are found are enlisted,
right-click on the name
and click “Add files to
Fantom CD”.
A shortcut to the
selected file(s) will
appear in the main window
of the software.
1
2
3
4
5
The image creation
process will
commence. The
progress of the
same, along with
the errors (if any)
can be monitored on
the list box.
Right-click the
shortcut of the
device and on the
context menu click
"Mount on device |
<The name of the
simulated drive>".
9
Click "Finish" on
completion. A
shortcut to the newly
created image will
appear in Fantom
and the drive will
eject the disc.
8
The next step is to
load the image into
your simulated drive
that has been
created by Fantom.
If the your system
and your disc has an
auto run then it will
start up immediately
on loading.
To unload
the image
right-click the drive
that has a loaded
image and in the
context menu click
"Un-mount Image".
10
The image will be
loaded and will be
displayed in the
bottom section of the
Fantom window.
STEP 3: Configure new drives
Fantom offers you with simulated drives that do not really exist. It provides with a capability to increase
the number of the drives to a certain limit. This can help you load more images at a time.
1
2
Click "File |
Options".
By default, the
"General" tab
will be selected. If
not, then click on it.
Select the
number of
Fantom drives using
the provided option.
3
WORKSHOP W HANDS ON
STEP 4: Burn discs
TIP
Once the image is saved on your hard drive as a MDS file it can be written as a new CD on a fresh disc.
Fantom provides with a simplified, yet hassle-free disc burning facility.
COPY WIZARD
Click "Image
Burning
Wizard".
2
Insert a blank
disc into your
drive.
1
4
Select the
image file that
you wish to burn by
clicking "Browse".
3
Click
"Next".
Select the write
speed as
"Maximum" for best
performance.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Fantom is capable of doing a quick search for MDF files in
your system using the "Image Finder Wizard". Refer to the
respective side-bar reference on the same for more
information.
5
It is common for disc
burning utilities to have a
copying facility for discs.
One may wonder what the
difference between the
Image Making Wizard and
the Copy Wizard is. The
Copy Wizard doesn’t only
make an image of the disc
but also burns it onto a
fresh, black one.
Click “Copy Wizard”
on the left pane.
Click “Next” after
selecting a location to
save your file.
Click “Start” to
commence the image
creation.
Once the copying is
completed the image
burning dialog box will
open up.
Remove the old disc
and place a blank on
in the drive.
Select the write speed
as “Maximum” and
click “Next”.
Click “Start” to start
burning the image on
your disc.
Make sure that
the "Write"
check box is
checked.
6
7
Click
"Start".
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
Manage your
downloads
Sachin Pandit
If you have an internet connection that tends
to get disconnected quite often, you may have
trouble downloading large files. In this case,
Fresh Download can come in handy.
BY DOLWIN FERNANDES
REFERENCE
STEP 1: Download and install
WHAT IS
FRESHDOWNLOAD?
Fresh Download is a freeware and can be downloaded from the internet. Though it’s free, it is
embedded with features that any paid download manager would have. You can download Fresh
Download from the link website http://www.freshdevices.com/
Fresh Download is a full
fledged download
manager that can resume
your file downloads
efficiently. Though the
software is free, it allows
you to download any file
type and provides
features that any other
paid download manager
would have. The
Scheduling feature allows
file download scheduling
as and when required.
Thus files can be
downloaded in absence of
the user. Fresh download
also has an amazing
feature wherein the
system shuts down
automatically once
scheduled downloads are
completed. The best part
about this software being
free is that it has no
banners or ads and is
completely virus and
spyware free.
Click the
"Download Free"
tab and browse for
an appropriate
location to save the
file.
1
Once
downloading is
complete, doubleclick the setup file
and click "Next".
2
For easy access
to the
application, select
the "Create a
desktop icon" check
box and click "Next".
5
Click the "I
accept the
agreement" radio
button and click
"Next".
3
On the next
screen, click on
"Browse" and select
an appropriate
location to install the
application.
4
Click "Install"
and then
"Finish".
6
WORKSHOP W HANDS ON
STEP 2: Download a file
TIP
If you have an internet connection that tends to get disconnected every minute, it becomes a tedious
task to download large files from the internet since a slight connection problem may disrupt the
download process. But using ‘Fresh Download’ you can resume the download process from the point it
was disrupted.
INTEGRATING AN
ANTI-VIRUS
1
Click on "File|
Add new URL".
In the "Save as"
text box, enter
the path where the
download file would
be saved or click the
"Change" button to
browse for an
appropriate
location.
3
In the "URL"
text box, enter
the appropriate link.
For Example www.
download.com/file.
exe
2
To download the
file later, click
"OK".
5
Nowadays the internet is
the main source for virus
intrusions. A downloaded
file may not necessarily
be the file you actually
wanted. Hence Fresh
download allows antivirus integration, using
which, the downloaded
file would be scanned
before execution. To
integrate an anti-virus
with Fresh Download:
Run Fresh Download
and select the
“FreshDownload Options”
option from the “View”
menu.
Click on the
“Download
Completion” tab and
select the “Virus
Checking” check box.
In the “Virus scanner”
text box, specify the
path to the .exe file. For
example “avg.exe”.
Once done
click “OK”.
1
Once done, click
the "Download
now" button.
4
2
Integration of Browsers
Fresh Download can also integrate itself with Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla and other internet
browsers, thus allowing you to download a file using Fresh Download the moment the download link is
clicked. To do so:
Select the
"FreshDownload
options" option from
the "View" menu.
6
You can also click
the “Options” button
placed on the Tool
bar for easy and
quick access to the
"FreshDownload
Options" dialog box.
3
4
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
TIP
EXCLUDING
WEBSITES
7
Click the
"Integration"
tab.
Select
appropriate
check boxes as
required.
8
9
Fresh download allows
you automatically block
downloads from websites.
Using this, one can
prevent the intrusion of a
virus, spyware or any file
that can cause damage to
your system. You can set
one out of three rules to
each entry. To do so:
Run FreshDownload
and select the
“FreshDownload options”
from the “View” menu.
Now click on the
“Excluded Site” tab.
Enter the name of
the website in the
text box.
Select an appropriate
rule from the dropdown list.
Once done,
click “OK”.
Click on “Remove” to
remove an entry.
You can also modify
a website’s rule
by simply clicking the
“Edit” tab and specifying
appropriate parameters.
Once done, click
"OK".
STEP 3: Managing file downloads
Other than just resuming downloads, you can even schedule them as and when required. Scheduling
downloads can helpful since the download process starts automatically in the absence of the user, thus
making appropriate use of the bandwidth. To do so:
1
Run Fresh
download and
select an
appropriate entry.
From the
"Download"
menu, select the
"Schedule" option.
Select
appropriate
parameters in the
"" dialog box.
5
2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
3
4
To re-download
the file after
completion, select
the "Redownload if
completed"
checkbox.
Once done, click
"OK".
Make sure the
"Shutdown When
Done" option is
selected from the
"Tools" menu.
6
Visual Glossary
VISUAL GLOSSARY W SPECIALS
Visual
Glossary
Confused by computer jargon? Not any longer! Just refer to the visual glossary for an easy initiation into the
world of technology. BY KAMAKSHI VENUGOPAL
The Blue Screen of Death or BSoD is an error screen displayed
by an operating system (mainly Windows) when it encounters
a critical system error causing a system shutdown to prevent
further damage. Blue screens may appear for a variety of
errors which include poorly structured device drivers,
malfunctioning hardware, incompatible DLLs, physical faults
such as SMPS issues, overheating of components, hard disk
not properly connected, or malfunctioning buses and ports.
The term "Blue Screen of Death" was originally associated
with the operating system OS/2. When a Blue Screen of Death appears on your
screen, it is advisable to turn-off your system, check your
CPU cabinet for loose cables or devices, and reboot.
B
D
A digital signature is an encoded
signage which is used instead of an
actual handwritten signature. It
provides authenticity and security to
a message in an online document. A
message can be any kind of data; an
electronic mail, a contract, an online
form, etc. You can also add a digital signature to
messages encoded with protocols that are more
complicated. Digital signatures are mainly useful for
programs on the Internet which transfers data local
machines, requiring
to confirm its identity
to any third party
concerned.
Digital Signatures
Blue Screen of Death
EDGE is an acronym for Enhanced Data
rates for GSM Evolution. It is also
referred to as EGPRS or Enhanced
GPRS. EDGE is a digital mobile phone
technology which enables faster and
more reliable data transfer. Although
this technology is a part of the 3G
definition, it is classified as a 2.75G technology. EDGE is
compatible with GSM networks since 2003. EDGE benefits
especially for users who work
with data applications requiring
high speed, like multimedia
programs. Unlike the 3G
evolution, which requires an
entire network by itself, EGDE is
a technology which is used as an
addendum to mobile networks
using the GSM technology.
E
EDGE
SPECIALS X VISUAL GLOSSARY
Podcasts are similar to radio transmissions, but they are
digital media frequencies distributed over the Internet to
portable media players or a computer system, with the help
of syndicate feeds. Podcasts may be media files either in the
audio or video formats. The term Podcasts was first coined
by Apple, as they were initially used to broadcast feeds on an
iPod. Since Podcasts can now relayed on a computer system
as well with the help of feed readers like Atom and RSS feeds, the term
Podcasts was redefined by some as "Personal On Demand broadCASTS".
The most predominant player in the Podcasting
arena is the "Apple iTunes" player.
P
R
Podcasts
RAR is a file format which creates file
archives to support efficient data transfer.
RAR files support data compression, file
recovery and file spanning. RAR stands
for Roshal Archive, named after the
Russian software engineer Eugene
Roshal. It is currently licensed under Win.
RAR GmbH. A RAR file uses the .rar file
extension for data
archives and the .rev file
extension for recovery
archives.
RAR
T
Telecom: 3G stands for the third generation
of mobile phone standards and technology
as released by the International Mobile
Telecommunications programme (IMT2000). The 3G technologies will allow
various network operators to provide
more advanced services and better
networking capabilities. The 3G technology
will be able to support various hi-end features like VoIP
services, video calls, and hi-speed broadband. Unlike the
Wi-Fi technology which primarily supports only data
transmission, the implementation of the 3G technologies
would incorporate high-speed internet access and video
telephony
to
cellular networks
using
this
technology.
Telecom: 3G
technology
V
VoIP is an acronym for Voice over
Internet Protocol. With the help of VoIP
services, the voice of a person can be
transmitted into digital signals to be
transported over the internet. VoIP
enables you to make calls directly
from a computer through special VoIP
enabled applications or chat
applications, or VoIP enabled phones.
To use VoIP services, you would require a high-speed
internet connection to transfer data packets. While some
VoIP service providers charge for calls which are made out
of a particular calling area, others may charge a flat rate on
the basis of pulse or talk time.
VoIP
DR. KNOW W SPECIALS
Dr. Know
Get to know what the all new Google Chrome
has to offer. Learn what a beta version really
is and who wins in the battle between OLEDs
and LCD displays. BY CRAIG FONSECA
What is a Beta
version?
The term beta version was first used
by IBM for their early hardware tests,
where the tests were done to check
whether the hardware performed all of
the specified functions. The word beta
comes from the second alphabet in the
Greek language. When a product is in
development, it goes through several
stages. The first stage, or the alpha
stage is when the product is tested
within the company and any problems
are fixed at the company.
A product is usually given a beta
version tag, when it is released either
free or at a reduced price to limited
users. It has all the features but is
not yet ready for release or sale. The
product usually still has a few bugs
in them. The company may collect
feedback from the users at this time
about the product, what they would
like changed, and details of any bugs
discovered by the users before the
product is finally released.
There are two types of beta
versions, a closed beta version, where
the product is given to a selected few
to use and test, where the company
may directly contact the user for
feedback, and an open beta version,
when the product is open for general
public use, where feedback is usually
got through e-mail or a forum on the
company’s website.
There is no specified time period for
a product to be in the beta stage. The
WHAT IS THE HYPE BEHIND GOOGLE CHROME?
Google Chrome is an open source,
free to use browser developed
and released by Google. A beta
version is released and is available
as a download for public use.
The main aim of Google Chrome
is to provide its users with security,
speed and stability. The browser
was built from scratch by a team
from Denmark using code from
26 different libraries of Google
as well as from third parties
such as Netscape and Mozilla
Firefox. Google also redefines
the look of the browser with a few
simple yet effective changes. Tabs
appear on top of the address bar,
instead of the traditional tabs that
can be seen in Firefox, the tabs
appear on the top of the window
and above the address bar.
Chrome also introduces the
‘Omnibox’ which acts as the address
bar as well as a search bar. Apart
from this, it introduces new features
like ‘Incognito’ surfing, where
the user can surf the net without
storing anything in the Web History.
Another very useful feature is
the ‘Sandbox’ or isolated tabs, in
which, if a tab stops responding,
only the tab can be closed and not
the entire browser. The default
home page of the browser acts
as ‘speed dial’ by displaying
thumbnails of the nine last visited
web pages. It also displays your
recent searches and bookmarks.
beta stage may last from a few weeks
to a few years. Some products don’t
even make it out of the beta stage.
How does OLED beat
LCD?
OLED or ‘Organic Light Emitting
Diode’ is the next step in display
technology. OLED technology was
first developed by the Eastman Kodak
Company using techniques which
proved to be more effective and
cost-effective than other methods.
A typical OLED display is composed
of thin films of organic molecules,
which emit different color light when
an electric current is passed through
it. OLED displays produce brighter
and sharper images while consuming
less energy than the current LED and
LCD displays. With a faster refresh
rate than LCD’s, OLED displays
are able to produce more natural
moving image than today’s LCDs.
Currently OLED displays can be
seen as smaller displays in devices
like digital cameras and PDAs but
are slowly but surely making their
way into the home theatre arena
with huge displays. These displays
support the latest HD technology.
Using OLED technology, it is
possible to make displays that are
as thin as a sheet of paper and can
be rolled. With such technology,
it is possible to integrate displays
in places like clothing, and
electronic news papers which you
can carry around with you and
roll it like a real news paper.
SPECIALS X PC DOCTOR
Help! My USB device
is not detected!
Since the use of USB flash drives has increased, the
number of problems caused because of compatibility
issues of these devices has also taken toll on users.
These problems are often because of outdated
drivers or other software related issues. Here we
will tackle both, hardware and software problems
related to USB devices. BY GARETH MANKOO
Vista displays USB
2.0 drive as USB 1.1
After upgrading the operating system
of my PC Windows XP to Windows
Vista premium everything seems to
be working correctly except for my
USB ports. They are now showing as
USB 1.1 instead of USB 2.0, which is
what they were before the upgrade.
Is there any solution to this problem?
SOLUTION: Yes, there is a solution to
this problem. One possible cause may
be your system doesn’t recognize the
USB ports correctly. Right-click My
Computer and click “Properties” in
the context menu. Click “Hardware”
and in that the “Device Manager”
button. Scroll down to the part of the
tree that expands to the “Universal
Serial Bus controllers”. If each of the
USB controllers are marked with a
question mark (?) then right-click on
each of them individually and in the
context menu click “Update Driver”.
To update the driver it is important
to have the latest driver software.
Most manufacturers provide you with
a disc containing the Motherboard
drivers. If you don’t have the drivers
with you, do a little looking around
and get to know the brand name
and exact model number of your
Motherboard. The drivers of the
Motherboard should be available
for download at the companies web
site. Download the drivers and install
them into your PC. On detecting
the correct Motherboard drivers,
Microsoft Vista will display your
drivers as USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1.
Click the dropdown box that’s beside “Safely Remove Hardware” and select “Always show”. Click “OK” to
save the changes.
Safely Remove
Hardware icon is
not displayed
I have been using Microsoft Windows
XP for sometime now and back-up
my data on a fl ash drive. Lately, on
inserting the fl ash drive, i do not
see the notification button on my
taskbar. This makes it impossible
for me to unplug my device safely.
I have been told that it is not a good
practice to directly unplug a USB
device from the computer and hence
I do not know what to do now.
SOLUTION: This is a common problem
among most fl ash drive users.
However, there are many solutions
to this problem. The taskbar can
be set to hide inactive icons. Check
to see if your device is concealed
among the hidden icons. You can
do so by clicking on the arrow near
the clock that can be found on the
bottom, right corner of the screen.
If the icon is there then you need to
unhide it to avoid future scares of this
nature. To do this,
Right-click on the taskbar
and click “Properties”.
Uncheck the “Hide inactive
icons” check box.
Click “OK”.
If the icon isn’t to be found, even
after clicking on the arrow then you
can invoke the dialog box by clicking
on “Start | Run”. Enter the following
line of text “RUNDLL32 SHELL32.
DLL,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll”
and hit the [Enter] key. The dialog
box will open on your screen. Though
this will serve your purpose, it isn’t
a permanent solution. It is better
to have the icon pop up every time
rather than type in this line of text
in the command prompt each time.
Here’s how to enforce its presence:
Click “Start | Control Panel”.
Double-click on “Taskbar
and Start Menu Properties”.
Click “Customize”.
Select “Always Show” from the
drop down list that corresponds
to “Safely Remove Hardware”.
Click “OK”.
The “Safely Remove Hardware” icon
will now be displayed permanently
on the taskbar. The problem of
the missing icon is often solved by
a simple reboot of the computer.
However, it is best to follow these
steps rather than unplug your device
directly and risk data loss and
corruption of the device altogether.
Operating system
doesn’t support
USB 1.1
I have a new expensive USB device
that uses USB 1.1 but for some reason
it is not detected on my Windows
98 operating system. Does this OS
support USB 1.1 in the first place? If
not, then will upgrading to Windows
XP solve the problem for me?
PC DOCTOR W SPECIALS
The list of USB controllers can be found in the “Device Manager” dialog box. Right-click on a controller to
view its Properties.
No, Windows 98 does not
support USB 1.1. It works perfectly
fine for USB 1.0 devices though. Now
that you have already purchased
the fl ash drive and are ready to
upgrade to a newer operating system,
Windows XP would be a good solution.
However, as far as supporting a USB
1.1 device is concerned, you will need
to install Windows XP with Service
Pack 1. Also make sure that the
settings in the Device Manager are
configured to accommodate the latest,
correct drivers for your USB port.
SOLUTION:
USB device not
recognized by OS
My USB drive when plugged into
my computer causes the sound
alert to go off but does not get
Click the “Policies” tab and make sure that the “Enable write caching on the disk” checkbox is checked.
Once done click “OK” and reboot the system.
recognized by Microsoft Vista.
However, if I reboot my machine
the device gets recognized. It is
painstaking since I need to reboot my
machine every time. Please help.
SOLUTION: This is a common problem in
systems that have corrupted system
files in them. Click the “Start” menu
and type “Device Manager” in the
search field to open up the Device
Manager. Navigate to the portion of
the dialog box that has all your USB
controllers enlisted. Right-click
on all of them and delete them.
Reboot Windows Vista. When
Vista reboots it will detect the
missing USB controllers and will
add the devices automatically.
This will take care of the problem
if file corruption is the cause.
Another means of troubleshooting
a problem of this nature is to enable
Write Caching.
Reboot your computer so
that the drive gets detected.
Click “My Computer”
Right-click on the external drive.
Click “Properties”.
Click “Properties” under
the “Hardware” tab.
Click “Change settings”.
In the next dialog box
click the “Policies” tab.
Check the “Enable write
caching on the disk” checkbox.
Once done, click “OK”
Reboot the system.
SPECIALS X IN DETAIL
Portable and ink-free printing
With major advancements in technology, stationary printing might become
obsolete. Zink imaging has invented a portable printer that prints digital
photographs without the use of a cartridge, thus simplifying the printing
process and allowing you to print digital photographs anytime and anywhere.
Read on to get an in-depth detail of this awesome technology. BY DOLWIN FERNANDES
Z
ero ink printing or ZINK
in short is a technology
that has been researched
and developed by ZINK Imaging.
Pioneered by a group of scientists
this awe inspiring technology
provides an easy and convenient
alternative to bulky printers and ink
cartridges while maintaining high
quality printing.
Mechanism of Zero ink
printing
ZINK uses a special paper with
embedded dye crystals known as
‘Amorphocromic’ crystals which
stimulates into different colors on
heating. These crystals respond
differently to heat impulses of varying
duration and intensities, due to which
they take on different colors.
This paper is typically made up of
fi ve layers. The first layer which is
known as the ‘Base layer’ consists of
an adhesive substance in which these
crystals are placed. The second layer
is known as the ‘Cyan Imaging layer’
which when affected low temperature
releases a cyan dye that is formed into
the image. The third layer, which is
the ‘Magenta imaging layer’ releases
a magenta dye but only when heated
at a medium temperature. The ‘Yellow
imaging layer’ which is the fourth
layer tends to release a yellow dye
when heated at a high temperature.
And last but not the least comes the
‘Overcoat layer’ which protects the
image from any sort of damage once it
has been printed.
A cross section view showing five layers of the Zink paper. The mechansim of
zero ink prinitng lies between these layers.
Outcome of Zero ink
printing
The prints obtained from ZINK
printers can produce millions of colors
with accuracy. Though this technology
is new, it’s known to give out vibrant
and clean prints that are waterproof,
durable and heatproof. The major
advantage of using this printer is
that it’s pocket sized and portable. It
has also proved to be eco-friendly as
the paper is recyclable and doesn’t
contain any toxic type substance.
The crystals known as ‘’ which is embedded in the base layer produces an
image when heated.
Quick Tip - Outlook 2003
CODE MAILS WITH COLORS
You may be getting many mails in your mail box daily. Although some of
them may be spam mails or forwarded mails, there are certain mails which
are necessary to be read. While some may be marked as critical and others
may not, how can you ensure that mails from specific recipients catch your
attention? Read on to find out how to achieve this task… BY KAMAKSHI VENUGOPAL
Start Outlook 2003. Since the colors are
applicable only to a particular folder, click
the required folder under the “Mails”
panel. Select a mail sent previously by
the sender whose mails you want to color
code. Go to “Tools | Organize” to organize
your folder. The “Ways to Organize
<folder_name>” panel appears above
the folder contents.
Check the “Using Colors” option. In
“Color messages”, select “from” in the
first dropdown list. The name appears
automatically in the text box since we
clicked on the sender’s mail before.
Select a color from the second dropdown
list. Click the “Apply Color” button. You
can also find out if the mail is marked
only to you. Select a color under the
“Show messages sent only to me in”
dropdown list. Click the “Turn on”
button.
Write in to us at:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
RNI Registration No. MAHENG/2003/12687

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