Technically Easy

Category: Windows

Windows being the most used operating system, the posts in this category will provide information about software that can run on Windows.

  • Automating Computer Maintenance

    I have written several posts in the past regarding regular computer maintenance. Keeping a regular maintenance schedule is important if you would like to protect yourself against viruses and spyware, as well as maintaining the computer performance. My latest post title Regular Computer Maintenance provided a tutorial on performing some standard maintenance on your computer.

    In addition to the information provided in that post, there is an automated way of virus and spyware scanning as well as defragging your hard drive, all without you having to worry about it in the future. This post explains how to accomplish this.

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  • Creating MP3 Files from a CD in Media Player

    For many years now MP3 music files have become mainstream. With the enormous number of MP3 players on the market, it seems everyone owns one. It is hard to walk down the street and not see anyone listening to their MP3 player. There are many people out there who may not know how to create their own MP3 files from their CDs.

    In this post I will provide a step-by-step tutorial on creating MP3 files from your CDs using Windows Media Player. I chose this application because it is readily available on any Windows system.

    Specify MP3 Options

    Before we begin creating MP3 files it is important to first ensure we have set some important settings in Media Player. If you haven’t already done so, please start Windows Media Player.

    To set the MP3 options, use the following steps:

    1. Right-click an empty portion of the top toolbar to display a menu.
    2. From the menu select Tools->Options. The Options dialog box should now be displayed.
    3. Click the Rip Music tab.
    4. Under Rip music to this location you can specify the location you want the MP3s to be stored. If you would like to change this directory, then click Change and select a new directory. Click the File Name button to change the file naming convention for your MP3 files.
    5. Under Rip settings, select mp3 from the Format list.
    6. By default the audio quality is set at 128Kbps. I usually choose a higher quality since space is not really an option. If you want better quality, move the Audio Quality slider to the right. I usually select 256Kbps as the quality. The file size will be doubled by the quality will be better.
    7. Click OK to save your changes and close the Options dialog box.

    You have now setup your CD ripping settings and are ready to convert your CD tracks to MP3 files. Since these settings are saved, you will not need to specify them when you create MP3 files in the future.

    Converting CD Tracks to MP3 Files

    Windows Media Player makes converting CD tracks to MP3 files very easy. The process is fairly quick and you can convert multiple tracks from a single CD at the same time. Use the following steps to create MP3 files:

    1. Insert an audio CD into either the CD or DVD ROM in your computer. It doesn’t matter which drive you insert the disc into as both can read CDs.
    2. In the Windows Media Player menu bar at the top, click Rip
    3. Click the CD/DVD-ROM drive from the list on the left.
    4. A list of the audio tracks will now appear with all tracks selected. Click the Start Rip button in the lower right corner if you wish to convert all tracks to MP3 files. If you wish to select only a few of the tracks, then uncheck the checkboxes that you don’t wish to convert, and then click the Start Rip button.
    5. The progress bar will be displayed beside the tracks currently being converted. Once the message Ripped to libraryappears beside the tracks you selected, it means that the MP3 files have been created and are saved in the directory specified in the previous section.

      6. You can repeat the above steps to convert tracks in other audio CDs. The MP3 directories are organized by artist and then album within the directory you specified in the previous section. This allows you to convert many CDs while still maintaining some organization.

      Note: You will also find some JPEGs included with your MP3s. These are images of the album covers if you have downloaded them from the Internet.

    Summary

    Creating MP3 files is really easy with Windows Media Player. After you save your MP3 settings, all you need to do is insert an audio CD and select the tracks you want to convert to MP3 files.

  • Regular Computer Maintenance

    A little while ago I wrote a post titled How To Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly where I explain several tools you should install and use to help keep your computer running. In this post I will provide step-by-step instructions on what I do to keep my computers running without any problems.

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  • Vista Power Saving Settings – Increase Laptop Battery Life

    In a previous articles titled Conserving Your Laptop Battery Power I listed several tips you can use to help conserve your laptop battery. The tips in that post can be applied not only Vista, but also previous versions of the Windows operating system.

    In this post, however, I will discuss a new utility within Vista to help you get even more time out of your laptop battery.

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  • Stop Programs from Running When Windows Starts

    One of the many complaints users have of Windows is the slow start times they may experience. Some of the time, the slow start time is due to the number of programs that are loaded when Windows starts up. These programs will sometimes create an icon in the system tray near the time in the lower right part of the screen. Others may load but give no indication that they are loaded, except when viewing the processes.

    There may also be times when one of the applications causes your system to crash. The reality is that most of those programs don’t need to start up, but are there to make your life easier. In this post I’ll explain several ways of preventing those programs from loading when Windows starts.

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  • What is a Device Driver?

    You have probably connected several devices to your computer, a printer, scanner, or digital camera, and sometimes Windows would recognize the device without difficulty. Other times, however, the device was now recognized by Windows, and you couldn’t use the device.

    The reason Windows couldn’t recognize the device was because it didn’t have a device driver for it. This is required by all devices that are connected to your computer, both internal and external. In this post, I will describe what a device driver is, as well as what it does.

    Interacting with Hardware

    There are many types of hardware that you can connect to your computer. Hardware such as video or sound cards are connected directly to the motherboard inside of your case, while printers and scanners are connected externally into one of the ports. The problem is how does an operating system know how to talk to the hardware if it is all different. Answer: through the use of device drivers.

    A device driver, or just driver, is a computer program that allows software interact with hardware. Typically, the software that talks to the device driver is the operating system, such as Windows. Essentially, the driver is an instruction manual that provides information to the operating system on how to communicate and use the device.

    Installing Device Drivers

    If the operating system needs to use a driver to talk to a device, how is the driver installed? There are many ways a driver is installed.

    If the device you are connecting is older than the version of Windows, chances are that Windows already contains the necessary driver. Once you connect your device, then Windows will detect it and install the drivers automatically. You may be prompted to insert the Windows CD/DVD.

    Most devices also include a CD that includes such things as applications and manuals. Also on the CD are drivers for specific operating systems that you can install. These drivers should be installed if the operating system is older than the device. Since the device wasn’t around when the operating system was created, then it obviously wouldn’t have the drivers. Follow the instructions included with your device to install the drivers.

    You can also navigate to the vendor’s Web site of your device online and download any updated drivers. Once downloaded you just run the application and the drivers are installed.

    It is important to keep your device drivers updated as they may help fix any issues you may be having. Sometimes Windows Update will install an updated driver. You can also go to the vendor’s Web site and see if they have a new driver available for download.

    Summary

    Device drivers are used by the operating system to communicate with a piece of hardware. Anytime you install a new piece of hardware, you will also need to install the device driver associated with that hardware.

    There are many ways of installing the driver. The operating system can install the driver if it has one, install the driver from the CD that came with the device, or download the driver from the vendor’s Web site.

  • Windows Vista Web Sites

    I recently bought a laptop with the Windows Vista operating system. I have used most of the Windows operating systems in the past and currently use Windows XP on all my systems, but because Vista looks and feels different, I have had to relearn a few things. I decided to search the Web for information regarding Vista, and have compile a list of links that will hopefully help you.

    I realize that there are many more out there, but I will update the list if I discover more links.

    Microsoft Windows Vista Home Page – The official Microsoft Web page for the Vista operating system.

    Black Viper’s Web Site – A great site with a lot of information about the Vista services. It also provides step-by-step instructions on how to install Vista. I highly recommend you check out the site.

    Windows Vista Tips & Tricks – A PC magazine Web page that lists 15 tips for Windows Vista. It’s not a comprehensive list, but does provide some good tips.

    Vista Made Easy: 50 Tips And Tricks – This page contains some more tips on using Vista.

    Windows Vista User Account Control Step by Step Guide – Provides a step-by-step guide to using Windows Vista’s new User Account Control.

    Windows Backup and Restore Center – Provides an overview of the backup and restore capability of the Vista operating system.

    Using Windows Vista System Restore – This article details how the use Windows Vista’s system restore feature.

    Using Backup Status and Configuration in Vista – This article provides step-by-step instructions on using the Windows Vista Backup Status and Configuration tool.

  • Conserving Your Laptop Battery Power

    Do you ever wish that you can get more out of your battery? Maybe you would need just a few minutes to finish that long document you have been working on? You may already be carrying the power cord and an extra battery, but if you won’t be near AC power for the next several hours, wouldn’t you like to get the most out of you battery?

    This post will provide several easy tips that can help you get more time out of your battery.

    Change your power plan. Windows allows you to select various power plans for when your laptop is plugged in or when you are connected to AC power. These plans will usually include the ability to power down the display or the entire PC after a specific length of time.

    Reduce display brightness. The display consumes more power than any other hardware in your laptop. You can reduce the amount of power consumed by the display by reducing the brightness. Just make sure that you are still able to clearly read the screen without difficulty.

    Turn off WI-FI if you don’t connect to the Internet. Turning off your WI-FI connection if you don’t need it will help reduce the amount of battery that is needed. This is also a security method as no one can then connect into your computer.

    Turn off sounds. If you are working in a public place, have sounds play on your laptop can be annoying to those around you. The sounds also require CPU and power to play, so turning off the sounds can save your battery.

    Switch to classic Windows. Many people like the look of the new Windows Vista, but I’m not one of them. I prefer the classic gray-coloured Windows, which is what I run on most of my computers. The new Windows Vista Aero look requires more graphics processing to display, so it uses more power. Switching to the classic look is much easier on the battery.

    Disable background processes. There are many processes that run in the background to help maintain your computer. Processes such as a virus scan (disable the actual scan, but not the program), defrag program, and others that are running consume CPU resources, which in turn drains your battery. You can run these processes once you have access to AC power.

    Turn off devices that you aren’t using. Any USB device that is connected to your laptop uses power just be being connected. Disconnect any of the devices that your aren’t using to conserve your battery life.

    To help with conserving battery life, you should download Vista Battery Saver.