Thanks to all of you readers who support the "Double Click" column by reading and writing.  It is very much appreciated.  Please keep it up.  I always enjoy hearing from you.

So it is that time of year again when we review all of the sites I have mentioned over the previous year.  As always, have fun remembering, discovering, or rediscovering all the info!  If you prefer to click on links and not type all of these, visit the DoubleClicks.info site and click away.

If the site addresses are too long to type I have shortened them using the, "bit.ly" app which I have discussed before.  All of these sites should be free (or have a free version) unless marked "nf".  Without further ado…here they are in their order of appearance with short descriptions of each.

• Open Office is a Microsoft Office clone that works almost as well.
• Ubuntu a free operating system which you can run alongside of or instead of Microsoft Windows.
• Ron’s video training I created a couple of videos for fun, it never went any further than these two…maybe one day.
• Change your User Account Picture one specific Double Click training video.
• VirtualBox an application that allows you to run multiple operating systems on one computer.
• Open DNS the best app out there for blocking objectionable sites from the kids.  It is slightly complicated but at the top of the features pile.
• Facebook you know about this one and if you don’t you won’t be interested.
• Windows Live Essentials a free suite of applications which do many different things from Microsoft.
• Create a Panorama an article I wrote for Microsoft about how to join individual pictures together to make a panoramic picture.
• Double Clicks my site for this column.
• eBay, TigerDirect.com, NewEgg.com, 1SaleADay.com, DealDump.com online tech stores, the sites are free but the stuff on them is nf.
• Active KillDisk application to absolutely clean your disk of personal information and everything else.
• True Crypt folder and/or file (and more) encryption software.
• XOOM this is Motorola’s entrance into the PC Tablet market, it is a good one, but later in the year I show you the best (IMHO).
• Keepass.com, LastPass.com, RoboForm.com, 1Password are some of the password recording applications around, still I chose KeePass over the rest.
• Open Wi-Fi leads to False Arrest an article showing why you should lock down your wi-fi network to stay out of jail.
• Your Home Router (192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) the IP Addresses that will most likely get you into your home router.
• Nook Barnes & Noble’s ebook reader.
• Project Gutenberg where you can download most any book that is not under copyright any longer.

OK, this took us through June, 2011.  Next week we will visit part 2 of last year’s links.

Tags: clone, different things, Double Click, ebay, free operating system, free version, microsoft, microsoft office, microsoft windows, multiple operating systems, open office, panorama, previous year, Ron Doyle, target, time of year, training, video training

Thanks for the emails regarding last week’s column.  I always appreciate hearing from you readers.  So, thanks for reading Double Click!

This week I am going to talk about an interesting site that I put off using for several years.  There was really nothing wrong with it but I just didn’t "get it".  I was told by a friend how they used it to discover new things in areas of interest and enjoy winding down at the end of the day by stumbling upon different sites.

The site is, you guessed it, simply named Stumble Upon (stumbleupon.com).  The way Stumble Upon works is you begin by creating a free account with an email address and password.  They also allow you to "relate" it to your Facebook account so that you use the same sign-in for both.  I don’t like doing that so I have a separate account. 

You then proceed to manage your interests in Stumble Upon.  They have some categories set up to guide you through the process. Once you are done you can start stumbling.  My interests are currently set at things like Gadgets, Technology, Internet, Christianity, Programming, Movies, Photography and TV to name a few.

To stumble you start from your Stumble Upon homepage and click the large golden button labeled, "Stumble Your Interests".  It also adds a toolbar to the top of the browser.  Do not worry.  It is only temporary while you are stumbling.  If you wish to add a "full time" Stumble Upon toolbar you can, but the choice is yours.  I don’t want extra toolbars so I don’t choose that option. 

It then takes you to other sites dealing with one or more of your interests.  The toolbar also allows you to "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" the site depending on how you like it.  You may also share the site with Twitter, Facebook, email and others if you wish.

I do like to stumble upon sites using this on occasion.  It is really great when you find a site that you are interested in; however, I have found that I have about a 50/50 chance of getting a site that actually interests me.  If you don’t like it or don’t care you don’t have to rate it and can just click your, "Stumble!" button to continue on to the next suggestion.

You can also choose to share your interesting sites with your followers…yes, think Facebook or Twitter-like on that one.  There are many other options on the site you may want to experiment with, try it out and let me know how you like stumbling through cyberspace.

Tags: christianity, discover, Double Click, find sites, finding, gadgets, golden button, I like, interesting, interests you, new site, photography, stumble, stumble upon, technology internet

Last week I wrote about two Menu Applications for Windows operating systems.  I specifically mentioned Windows Vista and 7 but those two apps will work on most any of them.  They were “Desktop Sidebar” and “RocketDock“.  Check last week’s Double Click for more details.

I also mentioned bringing the Windows’ “Quick Launch Toolbar” that many of you, just like me, miss in the newest versions of the Windows operating systems.  I received several emails from readers saying they were really looking forward to this information, so here we go!

The Quick Launch Toolbar was a really great app and was available up until Windows 7.  Yes, even though you may not have realized it you could restart it in Vista by right clicking on the taskbar.

However, in Windows 7 the QLT is hidden so that you have to really hunt for it and once found you will need to set it up.  I am going to save you from a time consuming hunt.

1)  Unlock your taskbar (This isn’t necessary but makes it much easier set up.)

2)  Right click on the taskbar and choose “Toolbars” then “New Toolbar…”

3)  A browser window will open up waiting for you to enter a location of the toolbar items you want to enter.

4)  Use the following for the Quick Launch Toolbar:

C:\Users\REPLACE THIS WITH YOUR USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

After entering the above folder path the QLT will immediately appear all the way over on the right side of your taskbar.  To move it to the left, click on the dotted lines and drag the toolbar all the way to the left (yellow arrow in graphic).  Warning: this is about the trickiest part of the set up.

Then remove all the text you will see all on the new Quick Launch Toolbar.  To do this, right click on the dotted lines (at the left edge of the new toolbar) and uncheck “Show Text” as well as “Show Title” from the menu.

Once you have it located and looking the way you want it to look I suggest checking the “Lock the taskbar” checkbox.

In case you do not remember how to use your old favorite all you have to do is drag shortcuts to the QLT.   Then the programs will be added to the toolbar and will now, “launch quickly”.  The icons may also be rearranged to your heart’s content by dragging them around the QLT.

Enjoy having your Quick Launch Toolbar back home again!

Tags: apps, browser window, desktop sidebar, Double Click, internet explorer, menu applications, microsoft, navigation system, quick launch, Quick Launch Toolbar, taskbar, toolbar, windows 7, windows operating systems

This is something that bothered me, ever so slightly for a while, but still I wanted to find a “fix” to, so today here it is.  I have successfully tested this with Windows Vista and 7.

Here is what your explorer view looks like with the default settings.

To display drive-letters first, followed by the drive description, use these steps.

You will need to “perform” a REGEDIT on your system.  If you are not familiar with a Regedit be careful!  If done wrong it could be detrimental to the life of your computer.  Read here if you want more info about Regedits from Microsoft.

1. On your computer
2. First click the Start button
3. Type Regedit.
4. Navigate to the following location
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
5. If it doesn’t already exist, create a REG_DWORD value named ShowDriveLettersFirst.  If it does exist just double click it and go to the next step.
   1. Double-click ShowDriveLettersFirst and set its Value data to 4
   2. See the screenshot below to see what it should look like

Close the Registry Editor by clicking the “X” in the upper right corner.  Whatever you have entered will be automatically saved.

Next, open “My Computer” to see your drives.  If they do not show the letter in front of the name of the drive press the “F5” key to refresh the window and there you go.

If it doesn’t work you mistyped something of didn’t follow the directions correctly.  And DO NOT email me as you were warned earlier (above in red) that you could hose your system with Regedit.

Here are the other possible edits for ShowDriveLettersFirst registry value.

Good luck and let me know it worked for you.

Tags: Double Click, Drive letters, dword value, ff0000, machine software, microsoft windows, order, png, reg dword, regedit, support microsoft, vista, windows 7

As I stated last week, I annually provide links to all of the sites we have visited throughout the previous year at Double Click.

Here is part 2. Remember, if the site addresses are too long to type I have shortened them with bit.ly. Here they are in their order of appearance with short descriptions of each.

• Yahoo! Mail (mail.yahoo.com) the most popular free online email provider.
• Windows Live/Hotmail (live.com or hotmail.com) the next most popular online email site.
• Gmail (gmail.com) next in the online email list, and my personal favorite. I use it for most of my email needs.
• AOL Mail (webmail.aol.com) last in the popular email list, and my least favorite. Yeah, the world finally agrees with me!
• Gmail hacked? (bit.ly/9u1CZi) here are instructions on what you should do if your Gmail account is hacked, such as someone other than you getting your password and changing it. The other email providers have this too. Just search for them if needed.
• KeePass (keepass.info) an app that will keep all of your usernames and passwords in one secure location. Can be used on your computer, thumb drive and on most Smart Phones.
• Lucy Phone (lucyphone.com) when you are put on hold for too long let this site call you back as soon as a real person comes online. You don’t have to wait on hold.
• Windows Live Mail (bit.ly/aMeCl4) downloadable email program from Microsoft (replaced Outlook Express).
• IMAP (bit.ly/bYXOtk) explains what IMAP does with your email. This could be good and could be bad. Just be careful if you use it.
• Run Pee (runpee.com) check out current movies for the best place to take a “pee” break and not miss anything.
• Multiple RSS readers, reader.google.com, Viigo.com, bloglines.com, feedreader.com. If you don’t know what RSS is, Google it and find out if you want to use one of these.
• Google Calendar Sync (bit.ly/google-cal-sync) easily synchronizes your Outlook calendar with Google’s calendar.
• Skype (skype.com) and Google Voice (voice.google.com) two different but similar telephony apps, complete with many details. So check the sites carefully.
• 43marks.com, create your own ultimate start page with your favorite links.
• MedicAlert (medicalert.org) identify your medical condition and give rescue personnel necessary info.
• TAC Drive (tacdrive.com) similar to above but I like it much better.
• Blogger.com here you can create your own blog site very easily.
• Heritage Basket Weaving & Chair Caning (hbs1991.wordpress.com) a friend’s site using Live Writer.
• Windows Live Essentials (bit.ly/windowle) several very good apps from Microsoft including Live Writer.

  That is all for 2010, see you next week to start 2011!

Tags: appearance, blank mail, Double Click, email providers, gmail account, keepass, lucy, microsoft, outlook express, previous year, real person, smart phones, thumb drive, usernames and passwords, yahoo, yahoo mail

Years ago I started a column about sites mentioned in the column from the previous year. It usually runs the first couple of columns in the New Year. By-the-way, as hard as it is for me to believe, today starts my tenth year writing, “Double Click.” Thanks to all of you readers who read it and write me each week! The year in review column was a lark on my part; however, I found that many of you enjoyed it, so here it is for 2010. Have fun remembering, discovering, or rediscovering all the info! If you prefer to click on links and not type all of these, visit the DoubleClicks.info site and click away.

If the site addresses are too long to type I have shortened them with, “bit.ly” which is mentioned below. All of these sites should be free (or have a free version) unless marked “nf”.

Without further ado…here they are in their order of appearance with short descriptions of each.

• Predator (bit.ly/7DicnY) provides notebook security with a thumb drive.
• Portable Apps (portableapps.com) runs full programs from your thumb drive. A minimum of a 1 GB drive is needed but the larger the better.
• Secunia-PSI (bit.ly/bx3f5u) works like Windows Update, but updates ALL of your other programs.
• SuncToy (bit.ly/hf5GRq) a neat, accurate and easy to use file backup utility from Microsoft.
• Data Crow (datacrow.net) media database for CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, books, etc.
• Smart Defrag (iobit.com/iobitsmartdefrag.html) better hard drive defrag program.
• Facebook (facebook.com/DoubleClicks).
• MouseRugs (mouserug.com) interesting little rugs for your mouse.
• Surf Faster & Smarter-IE8 (bit.ly/bJRmBo) my first article for Microsoft.
• Scrabble (bit.ly/965cg3).
• SnagIt (techsmith.com) advanced screenshot application, nf.
• Dropbox (bit.ly/aszzao) automated online file storage.
• Canyon Defense game (bit.ly/cQoWtu).
• Dogfight game (bit.ly/agxQ35).
• Double Wires game (bit.ly/cy0uEj).
• Bit.ly is a free link shortener used a lot by me.
• Country code top-level domain list (bit.ly/a7Vmpo).
• Pixel Toolbox (bit.ly/akeyHA) an app to make your own icons.
• Official US Time (bit.ly/hzMXcv).
• Invisible Hand (getinvisiblehand.com) a Firefox browser add-on to find an item at the cheapest price.
• Mozilla add-ons (addons.mozilla.org) most all Firefox browser add-ons. Search, find and install them from here.
• Soluto (soluto.com) a program that speeds up your computer’s boot time by suggesting programs you don’t need to run when it starts.

Next week we will visit part 2 of last year’s links.

Tags: backup utility, data crow, defrag, Double Click, free version, gb drive, media database, microsoft data, notebook security, predator, previous year, PSI, secunia, thumb drive, windows update, year in review

I receive many emails with questions regarding RSS feeds, so it must be time to revisit them.

RSS means (pick one) “RDF Site Summary”, “Rich Site Summary”, or more commonly “Really Simple Syndication”.  There may be others out there.  I have no idea what the problem is with picking one name for this feature.   “Really Simple Syndication” seems to be the most popular.

How would you like to get regular revisions on sites you often visit without having to go there each time you want to check for new updates or “news feeds”?  That is RSS.  You can receive the site’s latest information whether text, audio, video or just about any other form of media in RSS feeds.

There are basically two steps for using RSS.

First you need a RSS Reader which allows you to read the news feeds.  Be aware…there are millions!  Try Google’s Reader and see what you get.  If you have a BlackBerry, as I do, you can use Viigo.com.  A good basic freebie is Bloglines.  You can also use Mozilla’s Firefox or Thunderbird.  The possibilities are endless.  The last one I will mention is “FeedReader” which is an old favorite of mine.  Just pick one out, and try it. If you like it, keep using it. If not, toss it since they are all free.

FeedReader is a good choice for a new person just starting out with RSS.  This is because it has several categories where “Feeds” are already set up.  You can play with them and see how they work before adding your own.  Also FeedReader looks a lot like a regular email program so you don’t have to get used to a new GUI (Graphical Use Interface).  Again, there are a multitude of readers out there — try them and find one you like.

All readers work very similarly, some just have more “buttons and bells”.  Usually you click on the category that you want to read, say “Sports, Baseball” and a list of recent news items will be made available.  Click on the item/feed you wish to read (there will be a sentence or two describing it) and enjoy.

Next, a site must be configured for a RSS “feed”.  You don’t have anything to do with that, it is done by the web site.

RSS feeds are usually very easy to spot.  Go to almost any news site and look for the standard RSS logo.  It is usually an orange square with rounded edges. There is a dot in the lower left corner with two arches pointing to the NE corner.  Give RSS feeds a try and you can stay up-to-date with many of your favorite sites.  I don’t use the RSS logo on my page.  It simply says, “Entries RSS“.

Click the orange link. When the page opens choose the area you like and copy the URL into your reader’s new feed area.  Experiment because you can add and delete feeds at will.

There are “feeds” for everything. Just find the orange emblem and try it.  Try one of my favorites at the Weather Channel.

Tags: Double Click, feed, Firefox, Gmail, google, microsoft, mozilla, news, rss

If you read the column regularly you will know that I occasionally give you general warnings about viruses, scams, etc.  However, there is one running like crazy right now that I feel I need to talk about.  I interrupted the regularly scheduled column this week to let you know about it.

A lot of my readers use Facebook.  It is a neat site and different people like it for varying reasons.  My wife likes it to keep up with friends, relatives and see baby pictures of all of those peoples’ offspring (and their offspring).

Me, I like to read strange thoughts people choose to talk about in public.  15+ years ago they would only tell their psychologists these things.  I also like to see if the old high school jocks are still jocks or fatter slobs than me.  I win sometimes!

Over the last week or so many of us have been receiving emails purportedly from Facebook.  The emails subject line states, “Facebook Password Reset Confirmation Customer Support”.  It has an attached zip file and includes a short message about “providing safety to our clients” and you can find your new password in the attached file. OK, red lights should start flashing as soon as you get this.  First off, if you did not ask Facebook, or anyone else for that matter, for a new password you will not get one.

Second, if it were really a new password, why would it be in an attached file much less a zipped file?  If it is a new password it would be just that, a “word” typed in the email not anything you would have to open.  By-the-way, the antivirus software company McAfee states that after testing it was found that, if opened, this attachment can, “potentially access any username and password combination utilized on that computer.”

Opening the email that is safe but DO NOT open the attachment.  You may receive the email multiple times.  All you should do is delete the email and be done with it.

Third, if you are like me and have several email accounts for miscellaneous uses and it arrives in an email account you do not use with Facebook, well…think about it.

If you are interested in Facebook’s opinions and what they are doing about spam and viruses you should go to “facebook.com/security” and see what they say.  I stumbled on this site while doing research for this article and found it to be interesting.

If you are a Facebook user, visit the Double Click fan page on Facebook and become a follower.

Tags: Double Click, facebook, Fan Page

My mouse has no tail! No, I do not mean the little rodent variety, but the ones fitting comfortably under your hand that you poke and prod all the time at your computer.

One of my readers/listeners, Jenny saw me in a local eatery the other day while I was working on something.  I go to several of the fast-food, pastry shops, coffee shops, book stores, etc. in the area that offer free Wi-Fi access to work on columns, etc.   If you ever see me, come over and say, “Hi!” too.

But now back to the story.  Jenny had never seen a netbook and she thought it was a “cute little thingy”.  Uh, thanks Jenny.  She had also never seen a wireless mouse – she did not say that was cute.  She wanted to know about them.  If one person does not know about something there must be plenty of others who do not know about it either, so here we go.

You know how it is when you are intent on something at your computer.  Your mouse slips to the edge of your mouse pad; you pick up the mouse and have to untangle the wire to get it back just where you like it.

A wireless mouse uses a laser instead of a ball on the bottom .  What do they look like?  Look at   the mouse you use now and cut the wire off of it really close to the mouse body.  That’s it, now you have a wireless mouse…NO! STOP! Not really, but that is what one looks like.

They work just as well as a wired mouse, are much easier to keep straight and fit into your backpack for traveling with your notebook.  They have a little USB bar maybe 1.5″ long that plugs into your computer which is how they communicate.

There are two slight drawbacks to the unwired mouse.  First is that they will not work on a glass top.  Before someone out there writes me, yes I know that they do make a type of blue-laser mouse that works on glass.  However, I have a friend who bought one.  He says that it does work, but it does not work as well as advertised.  Also it cost about 3 times as much.

The second little problem is that they use batteries for power.  I have two different brands, a no name that uses two-AA batteries and one from Microsoft that uses one-AA battery.  The one that I use at work five days a week, probably nine hours a day, lasts for approximately six months before needing a new battery.  The other, I would guess even longer.

Now you are asking, “OK, Ron how much?”  You can get the Microsoft mouse for less than $20 in the local area.  Try one out.  You will like it.

Tags: computer, Double Click, internet, microsoft, mouse, usb

Free Antivirus Software:

• Avast!
• AVG
• Microsoft Security Essentials

Commercial Antivirus Software: 

• Norton
• McAfee
• NOD32

Tags: antivirus, computer, Daily News Record, Double Click, Jeff Ishee, microsoft, newspaper column, radio, Ron Doyle, WSVA