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  • Replacing an Application with Another in Windows

    I recently received an e-mail form someone asking if it is possible to change the Task Manager in Windows. They had another application that they would like to use, instead of the built-in Task Manager. It is very possible to change the Task Manager, since I use Proces Explorer and have set it so I can use that application instead of Task Manager.

    While Process Explorer provides this ability, many applications that provide the same functionality may not allow a user to replace the Task Manager. In this post I will not only show you how you can easily do this, but also how you can do this for almost any application within Windows.

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  • How to Automate Your Computer Maintenance

    As you use your computer it can become slower as time goes on. As you create and delete files, your hard drive can become fragmented, and take up valuable space. Uninstalled applications may also leave behind shortcuts or files that are no longer needed which can also use up disk space. If you use the Internet a lot, you may have had the unpleasant experience of battling with viruses, trojans or spyware. These are several reasons why it is important to maintain your computer.

    While it may sound complex, performing regular computer maintainence doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, you can automate the whole process so your computer can sort of “self-clean”. All you need to do is install the right tools, and create a schedule that works for you. In this post I’ll explain what I have done to maintain my old Pentium IV 1.7GHz machine so it can run Windows XP without any issues.

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  • OIOpublisher – Private Advertising Made Easy

    For many months now I have been using OIOpublisher to provide private advertising on Technically Easy. While I could easily do it myself without any help, using OIOpublisher has made offering private advertising very easy.

    Last month the author of OIOpublisher released a new version that adds even more functionality to the already amazing tool. I have just upgraded to the lastest version and have had no issues since the upgrade. OIOpublisher is perhaps the most versatile private advertising tool available for both web sites and blogs.

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  • Matshita UJ-850s DVD Drive Is Missing

    I recently had to fix a problem with a Toshiba laptop where the DVD-ROM drive no longer appeared in Windows. The drive was installed properly, and had recently appeared and the owner was able to use it. After uninstalling Norton Antivirus, the DVD-ROM drive suddenly disappeared.

    The good news is that it could still be seen by the BIOS, so the drive was apparently still working from the system’s point of view. The problem, then, must lay within Windows. After doing some research, the information provided in this post corrected the problem.

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  • Creating Printable Post Pages in WordPress

    Creating Printable Post Pages in WordPress

    Some time ago I created a post titled How to Create Printable Web Pages where I talk about using two CSS style sheets for a web site: 1 for the screen display and one for printing. I used the two style sheets when Technically Easy was on Blogger, but since then I never created a print-only CSS style sheet.

    Since this blog is comprised of many tutorials and how-to guides, I decided I should provide the ability for a visitor to print a post without the sidebar, navigation bar and RSS subscription area taking up space on the printed page. As I thought about it, I figured I could provide a more flexible solution than just creating a print-only style sheet, so this post will explain how I manage to create a printable version of each post.

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  • How to Reset the D-Link DIR-628 Wireless Router

    How to Reset the D-Link DIR-628 Wireless Router

    A few posts ago I wrote a post titled Securing the D-Link DIR-628 Wireless Router. In that post I outlined the steps needed to secure that particular wireless router. Securing a wireless router is extremely important to prevent others from accessing your network and Internet from their computers.

    There are times, however, where you may need to reset your router back to the factory defaults. You may need to do this if a setting you changed is preventing you from connecting to your router or the Internet, or you don’t know the password to access your router. It is easy to reset the DIR-628 router back to the factory defaults, which I outline below.

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  • Syntax Error When Inserting a Record in Excel Using ODBC

    I have connected to various data sources in the past using ODBC, including Access, SQL Server, and DB2 databases. For the most part using ODBC is easy, since all you really need is the proper connection string and authentication. Once you have those, then you can easily run queries against the data source. I recently ran into an issue with inserting records into an Excel worksheet.

    I had created the Excel worksheet and inserted the column headers, which I will call fields in this post. Once I had created the Excel workbook with the one worksheet, I attempted to insert a record into the sheet using vbscript and ODBC. When I executed the Insert SQL query, I continuously received an error. After doing some research, I solved my problem and I’ll explain what the issue was and how I fixed it in this post.

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  • Securing the D-Link DIR-628 Wireless Router

    Securing the D-Link DIR-628 Wireless Router

    I have written a few guides about securing a wireless router. All the guides in the past were for 802.11g routers, so the routers have been around for many years, and are quite common. This guide will concentrate on a newer router, with many more options.

    The 802.11n proposed standard is becoming much more commonly supported in various networking devices, and has been for the last few years. This post will provide step-by-step instructions for securing an 802.11n device: the D-Link DIR-628 wireless router.

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