How to delete your Plaxo account (and why you want to)

By Ross McKillop on May 14th, 2008
Email

This brief guide will walk you through the steps on deleting your Plaxo account, and all of the data associated with it. Why would you want to do this? Plaxo has signed an agreement to be acquired by Comcast. Read the rest of this article »

How to replace your Firefox Bookmarks with Google Bookmarks

By Ross McKillop on May 9th, 2008
Firefox

Using the amazing Firefox Addon GMarks, you can import your Firefox bookmarks to Google Bookmarks, and then add a GMarks menu item to replace your Firefox bookmarks. And you get a number of extra features, one of the best being quick search. Follow the instructions outlined below and your bookmarks will be organized like never before. Read the rest of this article »

How to create an online family tree

By Ross McKillop on May 8th, 2008

Using the new service Hellotree.com, you can quickly and easily create a family tree. Now I know what some of you might be thinking - booooooring. Well as it happens I agree. But I have to tell you - my mom, grandmother and aunt absolutely love this service. They’ve created a family tree that goes back 7 generations and includes relatives in 8 different countries. And the very best part is that Hellotree is so easy to use, they don’t constantly bother me to “help”. Keep reading for an overview with screenshots etc. Note: this review/overview was not paid for, sponsored or endorsed by Hellotree. I just thought that if my family gets such a kick out of it, yours might too. Read the rest of this article »

Overview: XBox Media Center for OS X

By Ross McKillop on May 7th, 2008
Mac

If for whatever reason you’re not a huge fan of Front Row, the XBox Media Center (XBMC) for OS X may be the replacement you’ve been looking for. It supports the Apple Remote (not perfectly) and has almost all of the features of the original XBMC (and way more than Front Row). The developers will be the first people to admit that it’s not as stable as they’d like, but I’ve been using it for a couple of days now and it hasn’t crashed on me once. For a setup overview and lots of screenshots, keep reading. Read the rest of this article »

How to set up and use PortableApps on your USB thumb drive

By Ross McKillop on May 6th, 2008
Firefox Office Windows

The PortableApps.com Suite is a collection of free portable apps including a web browser (Firefox), email client (Thunderbird), office suite, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client, antivirus, sudoku game, backup utility and integrated menu, all preconfigured to work portably. This guide will take you through installing and setting up PortableApps to best suit your needs. Read the rest of this article »

How to add custom folders to the Microsoft Office 2007 Save As dialog box

By Ross McKillop on May 5th, 2008
Office Windows

Previously I did a tutorial on how to customize the “Save As” shortcut folders in XP. But that tutorial doesn’t apply to the Microsoft Office Save As window. This brief overview will show you how to add custom folders to the MS Office 2007 “Save As” dialog box. By adding custom folders you can save valuable time by jumping to folders with fewer clicks. Read the rest of this article »

How to control Winamp from your iPhone, iPod Touch or web browser

By Ross McKillop on May 5th, 2008
Windows Mobile iPod/iPhone

This tutorial will guide you through setting up and using WWWinamp, a Windows web server-like application that allows remote control of Winamp via any web browser. If you run a media server in your house and want to be able to control what’s playing in Winamp without having to go to that server, this is the program for you. Read the rest of this article »

How to set Thunderbird to leave mail on the server

By Ross McKillop on May 4th, 2008
Email

This very brief tutorial will guide you through the steps to set Thunderbird to leave mail on the server. Leaving your mail on the server can be helpful if you use Thunderbird on a portable USB drive to check your email while away from your main computer. That way when you return to your main desktop/laptop, you can still download all of your email. Read the rest of this article »

How to perform Mac specific searches using Google

By Ross McKillop on May 2nd, 2008
Mac

The fine folks over at Google have come up with a Mac specific search - just visit http://www.google.com/mac. Instead of having the normal Google Search button, they have a Search Mac Sites button.

google search form for mac
click to enlarge

The results of your search will be Mac specific. So the next time you need help finding Apple software, hardware or troubleshooting tips - you’ll know where to go.

google search results for mac
click to enlarge

How to take screenshots using your jailbroken iPod Touch running the 1.1.4 firmware

By Ross McKillop on May 1st, 2008
iPod/iPhone

If you’ve recently updated your iPod Touch firmware to 1.1.4 and are frustrated that the Screenshot utility that used to work, no longer does, this tutorial will show you how to get the screenshot functionality back. Read the rest of this article »

How to add favicons to your Firefox 3 Bookmarks Toolbar in OS X

By Ross McKillop on April 30th, 2008
Firefox Mac

This brief tutorial will take you through the steps required to add favicons to your Bookmarks Toolbar in Firefox 3 Beta 5. This is a tutorial requested by the friendly How-To Geek.

firefox 3 beta 5 bookmarks toolbar with favicons in os x
click to enlarge

Read the rest of this article »

The differences between XP and Vista folder locations

By Ross McKillop on April 30th, 2008
Windows

So you’ve upgraded to Vista. Now you’re wondering where exactly your files and folders went. This chart breaks down the differences between where Windows XP kept files and where Windows Vista keeps files.

Windows XP         Windows Vista
 
C:\Documents and Settings\         C:\Users\
C:\Documents and Settings\your-username\My Documents\         C:\Users\your-username\Documents\
C:\Documents and Settings\your-username\My Documents\My Pictures\         C:\Users\your-username\Pictures\
C:\Documents and Settings\your-username\My Documents\My Music\         C:\Users\your-username\Music\
C:\Documents and Settings\your-username\Local Settings\         C:\Users\your-username\AppData\Local\
C:\Documents and Settings\your-username\Local Settings\Temp\         C:\Users\your-user-name\AppData\Local\Temp\
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\         C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\

How to display file extensions in Windows Vista

By Ross McKillop on April 29th, 2008
Windows

This brief tutorial will show you how to display file extensions (and a number of other file and folder options) in Windows Vista.

If you’re new to Vista but a pro with XP or Windows 2000, even you might be a bit stumped as to where the file and folder options went. Here’s how to enable viewing file extensions - Read the rest of this article »

How to create a shortcut to the Command Prompt with Administrative Privileges in Vista

By Ross McKillop on April 29th, 2008
Windows

This tutorial will guide you through creating a shortcut to the Vista Command Prompt that automatically opens with Administrator privileges. Read the rest of this article »

How to make your WordPress site beautiful for iPhone or iPod Touch visitors

By Ross McKillop on April 28th, 2008
Blogging Web Design & Dev iPod/iPhone

Using the absolutely fantastic WordPress plugin WPtouch, your site will not only look great for visitors using an iPhone or iPod Touch, but it will be significantly easier to navigate. Keep reading for a review and screenshots. Read the rest of this article »