Archive for 2007

GoogleBot untold Story

November 29, 2007 Add Comment

GoogleBot untold Story


Around the time Google announced “Big Daddy,” there was a new Googlebot roaming the web. Since then I’ve heard stories from clients of websites and servers going down and previously unindexed content getting indexed.

I started digging into this and you’d be surprised at what I found out.

First, lets look at the timeline of events:

In Late September some astute spider watchers over at Webmasterworld spotted unique Googlebot activity. In fact, it was in this thread that the bot was first reported on. It concerned some posters who thought that perhaps this could be regular users masquerading as the famous bot.

Early on it also appeared that the new bot wasn’t obeying the Robots.txt file. This is the protocol which allows or denies crawling to parts of a website.

Speculation grew on what the new crawler was until Matt Cutts mentioned a new Google test data center. For those that don’t know, Matt Cutts is a senior engineer with Google and one of the few Google employees talking to us “regular folk.” This mention happened in November.

There wasn’t much mention of Big Daddy until early January of this year when Matt again blogged about it asking for feedback.

Much feedback was given on the accuracy of the results. There were also those that asked if the Mozilla Googlebot (known as “Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html)” in your visitor logs) and Big Daddy were related, but no response was made.

Now I’m going to begin some of my own speculation:

I do in fact believe the two are related. In fact, I think this new crawler will eventually replace the old crawlers just as Big Daddy will replace the current data infrastructure.

Why is this important?

Based on my observations, this crawler may be able to do so much more than the old crawler.

For one, it emulates a newer browser. The old bot was based on the Lynx text based browser. While I’m sure Google added features as time went on, the basic Lynx browser is just that – basic.

Which explains why Google couldn’t deal with things like JavaScript, CSS and Flash.

However, with the new spider, built on the Mozilla engine, there are so many possibilities.

Just look at what your Mozilla or Firefox browser can do itself – render CSS, read and execute JavaScript and other scripting languages, even emulate other browsers.

But that’s not all.

I’ve talked to a few of my clients and their sites are getting hammered by this new spider. It has gotten so bad that some of their servers have gone down because of the volume of traffic from this one spider!

On the plus side, I have clients who went from a few hundred thousand indexed pages to over 10 million in just a few weeks! Literally since December, 2005 there’s been a 3500% increase in indexed pages over an 8 week period! Just so you know, this is also the client’s site that went down because of the huge volume of crawling happening.

But that’s still not all.

I have another client which uses IP recognition to serve content based on a person’s geographic location. If you live in the US you get American content and pricing; if you live in the UK you get UK content and pricing. As you may imagine, the UK, US, Canadian and Australian content is all very similar. In fact about the only thing noticeably different is the pricing aspect.

This is my concern – if the duplicate content gets indexed by Google what will they do? There’s a good chance that the site would be penalized or even banned for violation of the webmaster quality guidelines set forth by Google.

This is why we implemented IP recognition – so that Googlebot, which crawls from US IP addresses only sees one version of the site.

However, a review of the server logs shows that this new Googlebot has been visiting not only the US content but also the content of the other sections of the site. Naturally, I wanted to verify that the IP recognition was working. It is. This leads me to wonder then; can this browser spoof its location and/or use a proxy?

Imagine that – the browser is smart enough to do some of its own testing by viewing the site from multiple IP addresses. If that’s the case then those who cloak sites are going to have problems.

In any case, from the limited observations I’ve made, this new Google – both the data center and the spider – are going to change the way we do things.

If you have experienced anything similar in the past few months to do with Google, be sure to add it to our comments section below.

Connect mobile Bluetooth with Home computer

September 24, 2007 Add Comment

Connect mobile Bluetooth with Home computer



In this article , i will teach you that how can you install bluetooth mobile phones on PC.If your bluetooth mobile phone can also communicate with your computer over a Bluetooth wireless network to perform tasks such as contact synchronization or file transfer, then use Bluetooth Devices in Control Panel to install your mobile phone.

1. Attach or turn on the Bluetooth radio adapter for your Windows XP computer.
2. Set up your mobile phone so that Windows XP can find it. Setting up your phone includes:

• Turning it on
• Making it discoverable (or visible)
• Giving it a name (optional)

If you are not sure how to set up your phone to make it discoverable, read the documentation for the phone.

3. Open Bluetooth Devices in Control Panel.
4. On the Devices tab, click Add
5. Follow the steps in the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard.

Notes:
To open Bluetooth Devices, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Bluetooth Devices.

The passkey and encryption features help to secure your data. However, these and other security measures can be compromised or fail, and, if that happens, your data could be visible to or accessible by other devices or computers within range. Therefore, Bluetooth wireless technology should not be considered completely secure.
To install your Bluetooth device, refer to the instructions that came with the device.

Data Execution Prevention Error Message

August 18, 2007 Add Comment

Data Execution Prevention Error Message


This is most likely occurring because you are using the Data Execution Prevention feature of Windows XP. You may get this error if the program you are using is not compatible with Data Execution Prevention

Data Execution Prevention (DEP) helps prevent damage from viruses and other security threats that attack by running (executing) malicious code from memory locations that only Windows and other programs should use. This type of threat causes damage by taking over one or more memory locations in use by a program.

Resolution 1
1. When you receive the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section, click Change Settings.
2. Click to select the check box next to the program, and then click Apply.
3. When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK two times, and then restart your system.

Resolution 2
1. Right click My Computer and select Properties
2. Click the Advanced tab, then click Performance, and then Settings.
3. In Performance Options, click the Data Execution Prevention tab, and then click Add. To enable the Add button you may have to check the radio button that says Turn on DEP for all programs and services except for those I select.
4. In the Open dialog box, locate and then click the program.
5. Click Open, click Apply, and then click OK.
6. Click Ok to restart your computer. 

System boot issues -Trouble shooting

August 14, 2007 Add Comment

System boot issues -Trouble shooting

Processor Issues
No boot situations can be caused by any of the following.

If you have installed an incompatible processor, the system will not boot. Ensure the selected processor model is correct for your desktop board. Some processors require specific desktop board versions and BIOS revisions. To find the supported processor list for your board, go to Supported Processors. If the processor is compatible, try removing and reinstalling the processor to ensure it is installed correctly.

If the processor overheats, the system may not boot or may shut down shortly after booting.

* Make sure the fans on the processor are connected properly and running.
* Make sure that the thermal interface material or the thermal grease is applied to the processor properly.
* Make sure that the power supply fan is running properly and any other external case fans are running properly.
* Make sure that the air intakes for the external fans are unobstructed and have at least several inches away from walls and other items.


Memory Issues
No boot situations can be caused by any of the following.

* If you have installed incompatible memory modules, the system may not boot. Verify the memory you've installed has been tested with your board. To find the tested memory list for your board, go to Tested Memory. If the memory is compatible, try removing and reinstalling the memory modules to ensure they are installed correctly.
* Some desktop boards require you to populate the memory sockets starting with the first socket. The product guide for your desktop board will indicate such a requirement.
* If you have defective memory modules, the system may not boot. One, two or three beeps at boot indicate defective memory. To isolate a specific memory module as defective, boot the system with just one memory module installed at a time.


Monitor Issues
No boot situations can be caused by monitor configurations. Check the following:

* Make sure the monitor is plugged in and turned on.
* Make sure the video cable is connected properly at the monitor and the computer.
* Check the brightness and contrast controls on the monitor. The monitor may be dimmed where you cannot see anything on the monitor.
* Most monitors have a light indicating its current status:
o A green light indicates the monitor has sufficient power and is getting a video signal.
o An amber light appears if the monitor has power but it is not getting a video signal from the computer. This indicates the problem is most likely in the computer.
o If the light does not turn on at all, it is likely a problem with the monitor itself. Make sure that the monitor is connected to a working AC outlet. If there is an on/off switch for the outlet, make sure the switch is on. If the problem still persists, try replacing the monitor or try the monitor on different AC outlet or a different system.


Power Supply and Chassis Issues
No boot situations can be caused by any of the following power supply, chassis or fan issues:

* Verify that your chassis and power supply is appropriate for the processor model and frequency and the desktop board you have.
o An ATX12V or SFX12V with the 2x2 connector is required for all Pentium® 4 processor based and higher Intel® Desktop Boards. Power consumption requirements for high-end video cards, sound cards, peripherals, and the Pentium 4 processor will exceed the typical 5A current capacity of standard ATX & SPX power supplies.
* Do not use 2x2 power cable adapters with non-compatible older power supplies.
* Verify that the power supply has the capacity to power all the devices used in your system.
* Ensure the power cord is firmly connected to the power supply and the AC outlet.
* If the power supply or the AC outlet has an on/off switch, make sure that it is on.
* Determine power supply voltage selector setting (230 volts vs. 115 volts) is correct.
* Check for foreign objects inside the chassis such as screws that may ground the desktop.
* Attach the desktop board correctly to the chassis base with the spacers/stand- offs. Make sure not to tighten the screws too much.
* If possible, use a voltmeter to verify that each output from the power supply is correct. If any output is very low (especially the +5 volt output), consider replacing the power supply.
* If possible, use a voltmeter to verify the PowerGood signal is +5 volts. If the signal is below 1.0 volts, there may be a short or overload causing a constant reset. Consider replacing the power supply.


Cable Issues
No boot situations can be caused by any of the following cabling issues:

* Make sure the drive ribbon cables inside the computer are attached correctly and securely. For IDE drives, check the orientation of pin 1 of the hard drive cable. A cable connected backwards may cause the computer not to power up.
* Check that the cables connecting the chassis front panel to the desktop board are plugged in properly to the onboard headers.


Electrical Short or Overload
An electrical short or overload may cause a system not to boot.

Check for shorts and overloads by removing non-essential items such as extra controller cards or IDE/ATAPI devices. Keep only the desktop board, power supply, memory and processor installed. If the system boots, it is possible there is a short or overload with one of the components that you removed or one of those components is faulty. Replace each of non-essential items one at a time until you isolate which one is causing the problem.

If the problem occurs even after removing the non-essential components, the problem has to be with the desktop board, power supply, memory or processor.


Defective Components
Defective components, especially processor and memory, can cause a system not to boot up properly.

* Swap the memory modules with known good memory. In addition, test the suspected memory in another known working system.
* Swap the processor with a known good processor. In addition, test the suspected processor in another known working system.




System Used to Boot up and Now Does Not
Changes to your computer's configuration can cause your system to not boot properly.


New Processor or Additional Memory was Installed
If you upgraded the processor or added memory:

* Some processors require specific desktop board versions or specific BIOS revisions.
* Make sure the new processor is supported for your desktop board. To find the supported processor list for your board, go to Supported Processors.
* Make sure the new memory modules are supported for your desktop board. To find the tested memory list for your board, go to Tested Memory.


New PCI or PCI Express* Card was Installed
If you installed a new add-in card to a PCI or PCI Express slot and now the system won't boot:

* Some PCI Express graphics cards require additional power.
* Remove and reinstall the new card to make sure it is fully seated in the slot.
* Try the card in a different slot, if possible.
* Make sure other devices and cables inside the chassis were not disturbed or loosened when you installed the new card.


New Drive was Installed
If you added a new drive (hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD) and now the system won't boot:

* Make sure all drive cables are properly connected.
* Make sure the correct power cable is connected to the new drive.
* Make sure any drive jumpers (master, slave) are configured correctly according to the manufacturer's documentation.
* Make sure other devices and cables inside the chassis were not disturbed or loosened when you added the new drive.


New Software or Drivers were Installed
If you recently installed new software or new device drivers:

* Try booting into Safe Mode and uninstall the new software or driver. If you can now boot normally, there may be a compatibility issue between the new software or driver and some component in your system. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance.


Settings Were Changed in BIOS
Certain changes in BIOS settings (such as chipset timing or latency, memory timing or latency, processor clock frequency, etc.) can cause a system to no longer boot.

If you are able to enter the BIOS Setup by pressing F2, reset the BIOS to factory defaults by pressing F9. Save and exit the BIOS Setup.

If you cannot enter the BIOS Setup, clear the CMOS:

1. Turn off all peripheral devices connected to the computer.
2. Disconnect the computer’s power cord from the AC power source (wall outlet or power adapter).
3. Remove the computer cover.
4. Locate the battery on the board (see figure below).
5. With a medium flat-bladed screwdriver, gently pry the battery free from its connector. Note the orientation of the “+” and “-” on the battery.
6. Wait one hour then replace the battery.
7. Replace the computer cover.
8. Plug the computer and all devices back in.

You may also need to perform a BIOS Recovery after clearing the CMOS.


Other Boot Issues

Resolving Slow Boot Times
Check the following tips to speed up the boot time of your computer.

* Set the hard drive as the first boot device in the boot order in the BIOS setup (Boot > Boot Device Priority menu).
* Enable Intel® Rapid BIOS boot in the BIOS setup (Boot menu).
* Disable Hard Disk Pre-Delay in the BIOS Setup (Advanced > Drive Configuration menu).
* Disable system functions and features if you do not need them. Examples include:
o Legacy USB - this must be enabled if you use a USB keyboard or USB mouse outside the Windows* environment (Advanced > USB Configuration).
o Unused I/O ports, such as serial, parallel and IEEE-1394 ports (Advanced > Peripheral Configuration menu).
o Event logging (Advanced > Event Log Configuration menu).

To enter BIOS Setup, press the key after the Power-On Self-Test (POST) memory test begins and before the operating system boot begins. 

Microblogging & The Facebook

April 12, 2007 Add Comment

Microblogging & The Facebook


Microblogging presence in Indonesia is still new. Use of this site is not as famous as Facebook. However, if your site Twitter or Plurk will not compete with Facebook? Blogging Network explains that there are fundamental differences between Microblogging with Facebook. "Microblogging” are closed. That is, the network created between the user microblogging narrower than Facebook.

If a community becomes too large, the discussion not focused. Relationships that focus can be created because of the similarity in user interest in a matter of microblogging. On development, Twitter does not just write into the event status, but is also used to distribute links to the sites that are considered interesting. In addition, the term is known as Twitter or follows the people. We follow someone because the person is interested in.. There is value here.

Different case if we use Facebook. With this site we can get a friend as much as possible from anywhere. However, we have become a friend on Facebook, we will not be actively in touch with the people of that. In the end we are only dealing with people who are already known or that and only that.
So, who the winner? It all depends on your needs. If you have ambition to get as many friends, Facebook is the right choice. However, if you find a network that 
communication and better quality, Micro Blogger is a solution.

Facebook


Community is very general, too many features. Usually used to that and only that. We sent an application that is often not important in Facebook. Despite our many friends in Facebook, the most frequently associated with our certain people.

Microblogging


Recommended that focus only on a short status update. Network of focus, a few members but the quality of communication that occurred. On the growth of Twitter becomes a means to share a link to the site. The proximity of the same interest and against an issue. Chatting going on in Twitter the withdrawal occurs on a forum. In its development, Microblogging is a communication tool that may replace SMS.

Ubuntu Will NOT Be Next

April 01, 2007 Add Comment

Ubuntu Will NOT Be Next



Xandros and Linspire recently followed Novell and drank the Koolaid. Possibly because those two are known for ease of use (like Ubuntu), possibly because Ubuntu is popular, there have been whispers that Ubuntu is next. Ubuntu is not next. The SABDFL has decided to clear up the rumours. Canonical is not talking to Microsoft about patent deals, except to say "no." Mark makes it clear that as long as Microsoft cannot substantiate any claims, there will be no negotiations. I suppose this means that if Microsoft were to tell us all what they want to have fixed, he'd be willing to work on clearing up the violations or, as I would like to see happen, work on stripping Microsoft of those patents (the stupid, obvious ones).

He goes on to say that he would like (as, I think, many of us would like) to see Microsoft's talk of interoperability become a reality. He suggests a few things, the gist of which involve Microsoft learning to conform to standards instead of making up their own. Not to burst his bubble, but the W3C has been trying that for years. Opera is still the most standards-compliant browser (despite lacking Microsoft's extensive resources), and Internet Explorer is still the least standards-compliant browser. They may have made an attempt to get closer to standards with IE7, but really, the thousands of programmers they have couldn't do it? The millions of dollars Microsoft has couldn't hire programmers who could do it? No, much more likely is that Microsoft considers standards-compliance to be very very low-priority. Vendor lock-in by making as many things proprietary as possible is a very high priority to them. Thats seems hard to achieve on a browser at first glance, but when you consider all of the sites which use broken code to display correctly on IE and end up breaking on Firefox, there end up being a lot of people who won't switch to good browsers because their favorite website uses bad code and "doesn't work" on standards-compliant browsers. Similarly, the harder they make it for OOo to open Microsoft Office documents, the harder it becomes for people to use OOo (unless everyone they know uses it too), and then the more copies of Microsoft Office they can sell.

Disk Maintenance

March 25, 2007 Add Comment

Disk Maintenance


Let's begin with a proactive approach to file system maintenance. What steps should an administrator take to help prevent file system problems from happening in the first place? Here are my seven golden rules on the subject, in no particular order:

1. Upgrade your servers to Windows Server 2003. There's real value in doing this as far as disk maintenance is concerned, for example:

* The chkdsk command in Windows Server 2003 runs a lot faster than the Windows 2000 version of this utility, plus it can fix things like a corrupt Master File Table (MFT) that the previous version of the utility would choke on.
* Powerful new command-line tools like DiskPart.exe, Fsutil.exe and Defrag.exe give you more flexibility for managing disks from the command-line instead of the GUI. These tools can be scripted to automate common disk management tasks you need to perform on a regular basis.
* The new Automated System Recovery (ASR) feature greatly simplifies the task of restoring your system/boot volume in the event of catastrophic disk failure.

2. Use hardware redundancy. RAID 1 disk mirroring lets you recover from catastrophic system volume failure with zero downtime, while RAID 5 is a great way of protecting your data volumes. Windows servers include support for built-in software RAID but you'll get better performance and true hot-swap redundancy by investing more money and buying a hardware RAID controller for your system instead. Don't forget though, keep a few spare drives handy so you can swap them during an emergency—redundancy is useless if you don't have the redundant hardware around to use it. Note that if you do choose to go with the software RAID provided by Windows, mirroring your boot and system volumes requires that these volumes be one and the same i.e. one volume is both your boot volume (contains operating system files) and your system volume (contains hardware-specific boot files).

3. Use a good antivirus program. Viruses can be nasty, and one of the things they can do when they infect a machine is to corrupt the Master Boot Record (MBR) and other critical portions of your hard drives. Not only should you have AV installed on your servers, you should also avoid risky behaviors such as running scripts from untrusted sources, browsing the web, and so on. These are just the kinds of behavior that can lead to infecting your system, so avoid doing things like this on your production servers.

4. Defragment your file systems on a regular basis. This is especially important on servers on which a high number of transactional operations occur as the file systems can quickly become fragmented, dragging down the performance of applications running on your server. To perform a successful defrag you should really have at least 15% free space left on your disk, so make sure you don't let critical system or data disks fill up too much or they'll be harder to maintain. The new command-line Defrag.exe tool of Windows Server 2003 is useful here since you can schedule regular running of this tool during off-hours using the Schtasks.exe command instead of having to defrag manually or buy a third-party defrag tool.

5. Run chkdsk /r on a regular basis. This command finds bad sectors on your disk and tries to fix them by recovering data from them and moving it elsewhere. You can run this command either from a command-prompt window or from the Recovery Console if you can't boot your system normally. Remember that when you try and run chkdsk.exe on your system or boot volume, Windows configures autochk.exe (the boot version of chkdsk.exe) to run at your next reboot. This means you'll need to schedule downtime for your server when you perform this kind of maintenance so that autochk.exe can run.

6. Check your event logs regularly for any disk-related events. Windows sometimes determines on its own when a disk is "dirty" i.e. there are file system errors present on it. In that case, Windows automatically schedules autochk.exe to run at the next reboot, but it also writes an event to the Application log using either the source name "Chkdsk" or "Winlogon". So filter your Application log to view these kinds of events on a regular basis or collect them using Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) or whatever other systems management tool you use on your network.

7. Back up all your volumes regularly. As a last recourse in the event of a disaster, having working backups of both your system/boot volume and data volumes is critical. ASR in Windows Server 2003 makes backing up the boot/system volume easier, while backing up your data volumes can be done using the Windows Backup (ntbackup.exe) tool or any other backup tool such as one from a third-party vendor. Whatever way you choose to back up your system, do it regularly and verify your backups to ensure you can recover your system using them.


8. (the Platinum rule) If your disk starts to make funny sounds, don't ignore them—do something. Disk failure is often preceded by funny sounds emanating from your computer. These clicking, scraping, screeching, or other types of sounds mean trouble, so when you hear them it's time to make sure you've got a recent backup and a spare disk handy just in case. And it's also time to check your event logs, run chkdsk –r, and use other maintenance and troubleshooting tools to check the health of your disks. Don't ignore these funny sounds! 

You Ever tried to rename Your Recycle Bin

March 21, 2007 Add Comment

You Ever tried to rename Your Recycle Bin


Hey Guys just follow these simple steps and change the name of your Recycle Bin(where temporarily deleted files are stored)


  • Go to 'start' menu and Choose 'Run' command.
  • Type 'regedit' (without inverted commas). U will see Registry Editor  Window on Ur Screen. 
  • Now, On the Left Hand Side of the Window you'll see a Tree of folders Just Double Click on the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder>Now in the new folder Tree DoubleClick on the 'Software' folder > then Double Click on 'Microsoft' folder>'Windows' folder>'Current Version' folder>'Explorer' folder>'CLSID' folder.
  • Now, You will see a Tree of 3 or 4 folder(don't worry about the no. of folders). Just Click on the folder : '{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}'.
  • Finally, after Clicking on '{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}' folder Go to the Right Hand Side of the Same window and Double Click On the Default Option and Write in the name You want for Your Recycle Bin e.g. :- Trash #. Click O.K. button. Go to Your Desktop and Refresh the Desktop and See the magic. Your Recycle Bin has been Renamed.

Windows Shortcuts

February 22, 2007 Add Comment

Windows Shortcuts


Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
WindowsLogo+D (Display the desktop)
Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)


CTRL+C (Copy)
CTRL+X (Cut)
CTRL+V (Paste)
CTRL+Z (Undo)
DELETE (Delete)
SHIFT+DELETE
(Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word) CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word) CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)


CTRL+A (Select all)
F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)

Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager) Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts
Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager) Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
END (Display the bottom of the active window)
HOME (Display the top of the active window)
NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)

Do you know this Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

February 10, 2007 Add Comment

Do you know this Windows Keyboard Shortcuts



In my training practice one of the biggest complaints we get is our persistence in requiring our students to know their shortcuts and to practice in class using the keyboards. To become truly effective and productive in using any of the Microsoft Office Applications you must know the shortcuts.

See, what many people don’t realise is that if you rely on using the mouse only, you waste an incredible amount of time because each time you want to use the mouse, you must first stop. Take your hands off the keyboard. You then go to the mouse and then use it. You stop using the mouse and then go back to the keyboard and keep typing. If you do this you will find that you are only 20% effective compared to somebody who uses the keyboard only.

Why? Well, it is quite simple. All the time spent moving from the mouse to the keyboard is lost time or non-productive time, so people who use the shortcut keystrokes exclusively will often be five times more effective then somebody who doesn’t because they don’t have that lost time moving from the keyboard to the mouse and back again.

In some jobs, like call centres you will find that knowing your shortcut keystrokes compared to not knowing them can mean the difference between keeping your job or not. I have noticed in many telecommunications call centres throughout Australia and overseas they are now converting their systems to windows based software. What they have also done in these jobs is set some key performance standards that are really quite amazing. For example one telco I know of, in their faults departments, require that all fault calls be actioned and concluded from the moment they take the call to the finish of the call within 3 – 5 minutes. This is an awesome requirement and many of the call centre staff who were not familiar with the shortcut keystrokes found their jobs were in jeopardy simply because they couldn’t get all the data into the system within the allotted time frame. Essentially it was found as I mentioned before that those people who were reliant on the mouse were only 20% as effective as those who used the keyboard exclusively.

So … What Shortcut Keystrokes Should I Know?
This is a challenging question as many of the common applications we use in today’s market place have different shortcut keystrokes. One thing I have learnt since my wife won an Apple computer is that many of the shortcut keystrokes we use in windows don’t correlate to other operating systems, but also in the same breath. Many Do!

Some of the most common keystrokes we do have in Microsoft Office are these

[Ctrl] + [N] – New Document
[Ctrl] + [O] – Open Document
[Ctrl] + [P] – Print Document
[Ctrl] + [S] – Save Document
[F7] – Spell Check
[Ctrl] + [X] – Cut
[Ctrl] + [C] – Copy
[Ctrl] + [V] - Paste
[Ctrl] + [F] – Find
[Ctrl] + [H] – Replace
[Ctrl] + [K] – Insert Hyperlink

What you will find is that the shortcuts I presented are the most common ones are the same regardless of which Microsoft Office Application you are working with.

One of the other things you will notice is that in many of the Microsoft Office Applications some of the shortcut keystrokes are similar.

For example in Microsoft Word to get to the start of the line you can press the [Home] key, to get to the end of the line you press the [End] Key. In Microsoft Excel to get to the start of the row you press the [Home] Key, to get to the end of your data you simply press the [End] Key. There are even similarities with other Microsoft Office Applications like Microsoft Access. In a table in Microsoft Access, to get to the first field of a record you press the [Home] key and to get to the end of the record you press the [End] key.

These similar shortcut keystrokes also apply in other non-Microsoft office Applications. For example if you are writing an email in Microsoft Outlook Express. You can get to the start of the line by choosing the [Home] key and you can get to the end of the line by using the [End]
The really cool part about many of the applications that run on Microsoft Windows is that the software development guru’s have maintained which shortcuts are used to do certain functions which means we users have a much easier time of it, learning the shortcut keystrokes.
Some of the more common shortcuts for moving the Insertion Point in Microsoft Office are –

[Home] – Moves to the start of the line
[End] – Moves to the end of the line
[Ctrl] + [Home] – Moves to the First Character first line of the document
[Ctrl] + [End] – Moves to the Last Character last line of the document
[Ctrl] + [Left Arrow] – Moves one word to the left
[Ctrl] + [Right Arrow] – Moves one word to the right
[Page Up] – Move up by one screen
[Page Down] – Move down by one screen

Learning the shortcut keystrokes for the Microsoft Office Application Suite should be mandatory for any computer training course. If you don’t know these keystrokes you will never be as effective as someone who has. Often when you go to job interviews or to recruitment agencies they will test you to see if you know these using systems like those from Self-Test Software. Many a time, I have heard stories where people have missed out on job opportunities simply because they were too slow during testing at the recruitment agencies.
The bottom line is this, if you want to be more effective in using the computer you must learn your shortcuts. If you know them, passing certification exams like the Microsoft Office Specialist program will be much easier as well.

Windows XP - Clean booting Troubles

January 15, 2007 Add Comment
If your computer does not want to start normally or is giving you errors that you cannot diagnose then Windows XP has a feature to help troubleshoot these issues when you start your computer. This process is known as clean booting. This will start the computer with a minimum amount of processes to allow you to better troubleshoot your problem.

Be warned that after you follow the instructions for a clean boot, you may lose some functionality of your computer. When you restore the settings, you will restore the functionality, but you may receive the same error message or encounter the same problem.
Here are the steps to perform a clean boot in Windows XP

Make sure you are logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group.

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and click Ok.

2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then clear the Process System.ini File, Process Win.ini File, and Load Startup Items check boxes. You won’t be able to clear the Use Original Boot.ini check box.

3. On the Services tab, select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.

4. Click OK, and then click Restart to restart your computer.

5. After Windows starts, check to see if you still have the same problem or error.

Run msconfig again and check the General tab to make sure that the check boxes that you cleared are still cleared. Continue to step 6 if none of the check boxes are selected. If the Load System Services check box is the only disabled check box, your computer is not clean booted. If additional check boxes are disabled and the issue is not resolved, you may require help from the manufacturer of the program that places a check mark back in Msconfig.

If none of the check boxes are selected, and the issue is not resolved, you may have to repeat steps 1 through 5, but you may also have to clear the Load System Services check box on the General tab. This temporarily disables Microsoft services and permanently deletes all system restore points. Do not do this if you want to retain your restore points for System Restore or if you must use a Microsoft service to test the issue.

6. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig and then click Ok.

7. On the General tab, select the Process System.ini File check box, click Ok, and then click Restart to reboot your computer. If the issue continues, the issue is with an entry in your System.ini file. If the issue does not continue, repeat this step for the Process Win.ini File, Load Startup Items, and Load System Services check boxes until the issue occurs. After the issue occurs, the last item that you selected is the item where the issue is occurring.

Note Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not use System Configuration Utility to modify the Boot.ini file on your computer. Doing so may make your computer unusable.



Manual steps to start the Windows Installer service if needed

The Windows Installer service does not start if you disable Load System Services. To use Windows Installer in this case, you need to start the Windows Installer service manually.

1. Click Start, Run and then type services.msc and click Ok.

2. Right click Windows Installer, and then click Start.

If you run a Setup program without manually starting the Windows Installer, you may receive the following error message:
The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that the windows Installer service is properly registered.

Manual steps to return from a clean boot state

1. Click on Start, Run and type msconfig and then click Ok.

2. On the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services.

3. Click OK, and then click Restart when you are prompted to restart your computer. 
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