Install Windows From USB

Install Windows From a USB Flash Drive - WinToFlash | Portable USB Pen Drive Applications
Install Windows from USB. WinToFlash, created by Novicorp, is a tool that can be used to copy your existing Windows XP, 2003, 2008, WinPE, Vista, or Windows 7 CD/DVD Install Disk – Setup Disk to a USB Flash Drive. Upon completion, you should be able to Install Windows using a Flash Drive. Very useful if you own a Netbook or Notebook PC that can boot from USB but does not have an optical drive

Get it here.

This can be done other ways but if this works, why bother rolling your own.

Stalled Printer Repair

Stalled Printer Repair Cancels Print Jobs Without Waiting Years, No Batch File Required - Printers - Lifehacker
Just fire up Stalled Printer Repair next time you're staring at a stuck job in the print queue that won't be deleted.

Comments: We know how miserable stalled print jobs can be to delete. This portable program fixes it (I guess).

Stalled
Printer Repair [Fantastic Freeware]

NeoRouter Another Possible VPN

NeoRouter Free Portable Remote Desktop | Portable USB Pen Drive Applications
NeoRouter Free Portable is a Freeware Remote Desktop Client created by NeoRouter Inc. It can be used for Remote Desktop, Folder Sharing, Printer Sharing, Chat and more. It supports Windows, Linux, and Mac computers.

Free AVG Rescue CD May Be Worth Noting

Free AVG Rescue CD Helps gets Unbootable PCs Working
AVG have just released a free rescue CD that can be used to recover your computer when the system cannot be loaded normally, such as after an extensive or deep-rooted virus infection.

The AVG Rescue CD enables you to fully remove infections from an otherwise inoperable PC and render the system bootable again

This could also be handy for folks who this week were locked out of their PCs by a faulty update installed by BitDefender and Bullguard (which uses the same engine and signatures) which rendered many 64 bit machines useless.

The AVG Rescue CD aims to help people so affected to recover their system. Essentially, it is a portable version of AVG Anti-Virus embedded in a version of Linux so it doesn't need Windows to operate.

AVG Link http://www.avg.com/us-en/avg-rescue-cd#tba2

Garmin Map Update

Garmin Nuvi is easy to update. Grab a copy of the most recent "CN Full North America NT 20xx.xx Unlocked IMG" and put it in a folder named "Garmin". There must be a torrent file of it somewhere. Transfer that folder to an empty SD card and plug it into the Nuvi. It should now work without further input. Check by going to Settings>map>map info and you should see two versions. I unchecked the old version so be safe. An old 2GB card should be sufficient but I used a 4GB I had lying around.

The file is over 1GB so both old and new can not fit on the internal Nuvi memory. One of my Nuvi units looked like it would allow me to delete the old map file and the other unit had "delete" gray in my PC menu. I decided not to chance it and just used the SD card method. This violated my OCD leanings slightly but it worked.

The 2010 Garmin GPS Update: Hacked | Haklabs.com
Garmin GPS systems are great if you don’t know how to find your way to an address but their maps often get outdated in a few years as new infrastructure is developed in your city. Many find the $80 update somewhat of a pinch in their pockets so here is a solution for those people!

Comments: Interesting.

Scan A File With "Everything"

VirusTotal - Free Online Virus and Malware Scan
Virustotal is a service that analyzes suspicious files and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware detected by antivirus engines.

Comments: If you have a file, let's say a program you wish to install that came from some mysterious source, and you want to check it for viruses, use Virus Total and have the file scanned by every virus scanner know to man. Some files are still benign even if a few detect false positives. You must be the judge.

Hard Drive Recovery

My little developing list of hard drive recovery software (how soon I forget):
TestDisk
FileRecovey
Easeus
Using Linux

Hard Drive Dock (handy to have)

XP Mode No Longer Requires Virtualization Hardware

Windows XP Mode No Longer Requires Virtualization Hardware - Windows XP Mode - Lifehacker
Windows XP Mode is a pre-configured solution for Windows 7 users needing support for older software, and, until recently, it required AMD-V or VT processor hardware. An update released today should make XP Mode far more accessible to more Windows 7 users.

If you're a 7 user who's been trapped by the lack of that finicky hardware requirement, check out the XP Mode page later today and look for the update. Those with Intel or AMD processors sporting virtualization code will still see benefits, but now you can run XP inside 7 solely on the back of your processor and memory, if that's what you need to do to ensure legacy program compatibility.

Comments: XP Mode in Windows 7 works very well. A program running in XP mode works as if it were running in Windows 7. I experienced none of the set up pain of Virtual Box (although VB has improved greatly). I have an old PIM that has a ton of info that does not easily transfer to any other program, so I need it now and then. But XP Mode would not work with older Intel or AMD Processors not possessing on chip virtualization. Hope it works.

Here is the update needed.

Here is he hack if you do not have Ultimate.

PDF to Word Converter

PDF to Word Converter — 100% Free!
Using our PDF-to-Word conversion technology, you can quickly and easily create editable DOC/RTF files, making it a cinch to re-use PDF content in applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, OpenOffice, and WordPerfect.
Best of all, it's entirely free!

Comments: Try cut/paste text from a pdf to anything. Fun right? This online service will convert the pdf to doc or rtf and email a copy to you. If you can not find your little conversion program or don't have one, this works. If you want a stand alone program try pdf2word.

If you want to split, join or collate try or PDFTK Builder or PDF Binder

Java Console Firefox Extension

I noticed a couple "Java Console" entries in my Firefox extensions. The "uninstall" is grayed out and I found some exotic uninstall instructions while searching. The easiest way to uninstall is to start Firefox as Admin. and the button activates.

I have no idea what the extension did but I don't want extensions installing without may authority. So goodbye for now Java Console.

Goo.gl URL shortening in Firefox

How To Make Short Hyper-Links with Goo.gl URL Shortener (via Bookmarklet or Extension Add-on) » My Digital Life
goo.gl lite (Firefox Add-on): Let users use Goo.gl, Google’s URL shortener without installing Google Toolbar. After installation, user has to right-click Firefox toolbar, click “Customize”, and drag the Goo.gl button to a toolbar. Clicking it will make a goo.gl URL and copy it to clipboard, which can then be pasted to everywhere.

Comments: Shortening URLs with Google Tool Bar is a pain unless you want to send the url to a specific location like Facebook. A better way is to use the Firefox extension above. After installation a new right click menu entry appears, "Copy Goo.gl URL for link location". The chance of Google shorts being around in the future may be better than with some others. Let's not forget Google Notebook, so longevity is not guaranteed.

Secunia Personal Software Inspector

PSI - Consumer - Products
Used by millions of home users around the world, the Secunia PSI is a FREE security tool designed with the sole purpose of helping you secure your computer against vulnerabilities in programs.

Download the Secunia PSI now and start securing your PC today.

Comments: Interesting program to update and analyze computer security. It is worth a try for the security anal retentive.

Boot Multiple Operating Systems

GAG, THE GRAPHICAL BOOT MANAGER may be the ticket if you can't fix your boot manager when installing XP or Linux after Vista or Win7.

I have used VistaBootPro (Now DualBootPro) - previously free. Seems to need payment now??? VistaBoot lets you fix/modify the Windows boot loader. I don't know how GAG works.

EasyBCD is another free option for modifying the Windows boot loader.

If your dual boot does not work here is a great troubleshooting guide.

Share Files Over Internet

FeelHome new to try for sharing files.

Delete A Hard Drive Securely

Leave No Trace: How to Completely Erase Your Hard Drives, SSDs and Thumb Drives - Data wiping - Gizmodo
Conclusion

We've highlighted a variety of free ways to protect data on castoff drives from being retrieved. As you can see, your best bet is to overwrite data directly, but you also might want to consider using a program such as SDelete to scramble filenames first and then use a disk wiper such as Eraser or WipeDisk to finish the job.

Comments: The article is long so here is what I do.
1. DBAN if your OS is trashed and you can not run windows or you wish to delete the OS drive. This simply boots and nukes the drive, thus the name. When? If discarding the drive or you want to still use the drive but be rid of any previous information.
2. DiskWipe if you can run from windows and wish to delete the none OS drive.

Monitor Calibration

Best website for calibration

And Here     And Here

What I'm doing:
Using the above sites:
I set the monitor controls first
Then I use the video card controls to set again.
I did the sites in order above and it worked quite well.

I used this monitor setting on my Asus VE247
Scenery Mode
Brightness 30
Contrast 85
Saturation 70
Color Temp: User Mode
Skin Tone: Natural
Sharpness 81
ASCR: OFF

Proofread Your Writing Online

Pre-Grade Your Paper
I have not tried this yet. An online solution for proofreading. Could be interesting for your next edition of "War and Peace".

Proofread Your Writing Online

Pre-Grade Your Paper
I have not tried this yet. An online solution for proofreading. Could be interesting.

Check Your System For 64 Bit / Virtualization Compatibility

Check Your System’s Compatibility With 64-Bit Windows & Virtualization Using BITS Tool

Quick little stand alone program