Use New Google Labs features in Gmail

Google Labs

Google has now integrated Google Labs in Gmail. Google Labs allow you to test features which are under testing. At present, there are 12 experimental features available to enhance your email experience. You can enable or disable each of these features from Settings/Labs. Feel free to experiment with them, you may find some of them very handy for your particular needs. I have mentioned some more useful ones here with its applications.

Step1

You need to login to you gmail account. You will find Google Labs icon on the top. Clicking on it will take you to Google Labs settings. Here you can enable or disable any features. (you can also go to google labs though 'Settings'

Step2

Quick Links: It adds a box to the left column that gives you 1-click access to any bookmarkable URL in Gmail. You can use it for saving frequent searches, important individual messages, and more.

For example, you can add a link to a draft email where you keep your to do list, or an email with your frequent flyer information. You can also save a common Gmail search by conducting the search (let's say for "is:unread" -- which brings up all your unread mail) and then clicking "Add Quick Link." (You can rename the link so that you can identify the search or bookmark.) There are whole lot of possibilities with this feature. More you 'digg' it, more you will find creative ways to use it. I may add new 'How-To' article for this feature alone.

Step3

Super stars: It adds additional star icons. After enabling this feature, you can choose which icons you wish to use in the "General" Settings page. In order to use them, first you can set the order in 'general' settings. You can pick and add or remove from 'in use' or 'not in use'. Now, when you want to add star icons, click successively to rotate through order.

Step4

Superstars can be very useful. Instead of using just a yellow star, you can add colored stars, check marks, exclamation points, and question marks to help diversify the reasons for a message being 'starred'.

Step5

Email Addict - It lets you take a break from email and chat by blocking the screen for fifteen minutes and making you invisible in chat. This is great idea if you can't leave your PC even if you have to go to rest room. (I hope, I am not the only one.

It adds a new "Take a break" link to Gmail’s top right navigation strip. Clicking this link places a gray overlay on Gmail and sets your chat status to invisible, essentially locking you out of Gmail for 15 minutes. (If something truly important comes up and you need access to Gmail again, simply reloading the page gets rid of the Take a Break overlay.

Step6

Hide Unread Counts - It allows you to hide number of unread emails in your inbox. If you have many news letters or daily emails, you can avoid the embarrassment of not reading your emails by hiding the count or pressure of reading them all.

Step7

Signature tweaks - It places your signature before the quoted text in a reply, and removes the "--" line that appears before signatures. Can't use this and the "Random signature" Labs feature at the same time.

Step8

Random signature - It rotates among random quotations for your email signature. You can set different signatures in 'general' setting. You can't use this and the "Signature tweaks" Labs feature at the same time.

Step9

Custom date formats - It adds options to the general settings page allowing the date and time format to be changed independent of language. For example, you can use a 24-hour clock (14:57) or show dates with the day first (31/12/07).

Step10

Pictures in Chat - You can see your friends' profile pictures when you chat with them.

Step11

Fixed width font - It adds an option to the reply dropdown menu that lets you view a message in fixed width font.

Step12

Mouse gestures - You can use your mouse to navigate with gestures. Hold right-click and move the mouse left to go to a previous conversation, move it right to go to the next conversation, and move up to go back to the inbox view. Works best on Windows. (It may conflict with firefox features)

Step13

Muzzle - It conserves screen real estate by hiding your friends' status messages.

Step14

Old Snakey - Kick it old school with Old Snakey! Enable keyboard shortcuts and hit '&' from the main page to play a game of snake.

Make Money Using Google AdSense

Google AdSense is a program that allows almost anyone with a website or blog to display and get paid for ads in their personal or professional webspace. Payment is on a per click or per thousand page impressions basis. AdSense will automatically display ads that are relevant to the content on your site. Strategically tailoring your content to use keywords can increase both traffic to your site and your AdSense revenue

Sign up for a Google AdSense account at https://www.google.com/adsense/. When you receive the account confirmation email, confirm your account by clicking on the link provided.

Step2

Log in to your Google AdSense account and click on “AdSense setup”. Using the links on the left, choose the type of Google AdSense ads you want to include on your site.

Step3

Choose your preferred options and click “continue” to move through the AdSense wizard. When you are finished, a text box with html code will be displayed.

Step4

Copy all of the html code and paste it into the appropriate place on your web page or blog site.

Secure a PC on Broadband

With more and more people opting for Braodband connections, more and more people are opening their computers to potential security issues. By connecting a computer directly to a cable modem, you are potentially exposing your PC to all kinds of security issues. The use of a basic router will immediately stop all BROADCAST packets bouncing around the network that could possible start a program on your PC.

Step1

Jot down the current network settings Start by getting your current network settings.

This can be done by opening a Command Window (DOS) and typing in IPCONFIC /ALL

Step2

Find a Cheap Router ( wired is best if you don't have the need for wireless ). Searching Froogle will give you plenty of options.

If you're not going to use the wireless function, disable it completely using the manufacturers instructions.

Step3

Plug the ethernet cable that came with the router into the WLAN port on the router.

Step4

Plug the other end of the ethernet cable into the ethernet port on the cable modem.

Step5

Connect the router power supply to the router

Step6

Connect an ethernet cable to 1 of the LAN ports on the Router and the other end into your computer.

Step7

Turn on your computer

If the router(most do) has a DHCP server built into it, your PC will get an IP address for the router.

Step8

After the computer has finished starting up, try and visit a web site to see if your computer has gotten a connection.

Step9

Check your network settings as in STEP 1, if you do not have a DNS setting, you may have to manually enter using the manufacturers instructions.

solve DSL setup problems in Windows Vista

Here's some help to get you connected even when you do not have a setup disc for Windows Vista for AT&T or Bellsouth Internet Service. This assumes you have all hardware and other software in place (such as filters) as directed.

How to troubleshoot your AT&T DSL setup in Windows Vista

Step1

Open up your web browser (preferably Internet Explorer), then clear the address in the address bar and type in http://192.168.0.1 where the website is normally displayed.

Step2

It should find the website. If so, then proceed to type: sbcyahooreg@sbcgloal.net where appropriate.

type sbcyahooreg (in the password field).

Step3

Proceed with the DSL Internet download. You may need to use your old Internet connection to complete this download, but normally this is not necessary.

If you had a dial up Internet service provider on your computer, this may take over 60 minutes. Please allow enough time for the download to complete.

Step4

Type in 204.60.203.227/register in the web address bar of Internet Explorer (or other browser) on the top of the web page.

Step5

Once you are registered, you will need to go back and log out of the "master" modem and log back into your own modem with the user ID and password that you created with your AT&T account.

make Firefox load pages faster

OK, not at the speed of light, but noticeably faster than before. Here are a few steps to making your firefox browser a little faster. Firefox comes preset for dial-up users, but can be optimized for better performance if you have a faster connection. This is for users with at least a broadband connection.

Step1

Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return.

Step2

Scroll down and look for the following entries:

network.http.pipelining
network.http.proxy.pipelining
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

Step3

Alter the entries as follows:

Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.

Step4

Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.

test your internet connection speed

Want to see if you're really getting the download and upload speeds you should be? Well it's really simple and only takes a minute.

First you need to make sure no other software is using your connection. So wait for all file downloads to finish and shut down any peer to peer download programs. Also make sure that windows update isn't currently downloading updates. Also if you're using a router and sharing the connection with one or more other computers, make sure none of them are accessing the internet either. The best way is to do that is to just disconnect their ethernet cables from the router (or disconnect from the wireless connection if they're wireless).

Step2

Now open your web browser and go to either the speakeasy website or the cnet one. Both links are listed in the resources area below.

Step3

If you chose the cnet site, put in your US telephone area code and pick your connection type and pick your ISP from the list then hit go. It will download a small file and give you a result about how long it took. If you chose the slightly better and more accurate speakeasy link, choose a server in a city closest to where toy live. It will use a flash program to download and upload random data and give you a result about how long it took.

Step4

Either way you should have a download speed result in kilobits. Cnet has a pretty good comparison chart. Dialup at max speed results in 53.3 Kbps. Normal DSL maxes at 1500 kbps (or 1.5 mbps) and the cheap packages are usually 768 kbps. T1's are 1500 kbps also. Cable varies but at the time this article was written, Time Warner's Road Runner service is set at 8000 kbps. If you used speakeasy, it also gave you an upload speed. This is likely to be a lot slower unless you're using a T1 which is the same speed up and down. Road Runner connections currently max out at around 512 kbps. Most DSL packages end up around 256 or 384. If your speed result is significantly slower than what was stated when you signed up with your ISP, you might want to switch to a different one. DSL is famous for giving you about 50% the speed they say they will while most cable providers give you at least 75% speed even during peak usage hours.

Use the Blackberry Curve as a Modem on a Laptop With Windows XP

So you have a Blackberry Curve 8300 smartphone and a laptop using Windows XP. Follow these simple instructions to connect to the internet using your Blackberry Curve as a modem wherever you get cellular network coverage

1

You must install the Blackberry Desktop Software 4.1 or later.

Step2

On your laptop, Click, Start, Settings, Control Panel, Phone and Modem Options. Now click the Modems tab. Click on Standard Modem. Click Properties. Click Change Settings. Click the Advanced Tab. Go to EXTRA INITIALIZATION COMMAND and type +cgdcont=1, "O{", "(your APN)"

If you do not know your Internet Access Point Name (APN), contact your mobile service provider.

Step3

Click Start, Settings, Network Connections. Now Double-click on New Connection Wizard. Click Next. Click Connect to the Internet Option, then click next. Click on Set up my connection manually and then click next. Click Connect using a dial-up modem and then click next. When the Select a Device screen appears, then select the Modem - Standard Modem check box. Now click next. In the ISP Name field, type a name for your connection. Now click Next. In the phone number field, type *99 and then click next. Now you will have to indicate which users will have access to the connection and then click next. Type the user name and password provided by your service provider and then click Next and then Click Finish. In the Connect window, click Properties. Where it says Connect Using add Modem - Standard Modem and then click Configure. In the Modem Configuration window, uncheck the Enable hardware flow control check box and verify that none others are checked. Click OK. Click OK again.

Step4

Depending on your service provider, you may need to pay for an extra service from your cellular service provider in order to use your phone as a modem.

Recognize a Fake Email Address

Email is replacing physical letters, and online bill paying is becoming much more popular with consumers than sending a check or money order through the mail. However, with the increased online usage comes a higher possibility of becoming the victim of phishing or email scams, which can lead to identity theft. Sometimes it is difficult for people to recognize fake emails addresses and the emails that are attached. Here are several ways that should help you catch most fake emails that make their way into your inbo.

1

Look closely at the email address. If the alphanumeric string before the @ sign is gibberish, with a lot of letters and numbers intermixed, it can normally be considered a fake email address. The only time you would actually open an email with an email address of this type is if you know the sender.

Step2

Many crooks are taking advantage of free email services online. You can spot a fake email address easily when it starts with a known company name and finishes up with an @(add free email service provider here).com. This can also be true of lottery and banking scams, as they will try to trick you into believing they are having you contact a banking institution at a free email address.

Step3

Clues within the email message can help you recognize a fake email address. A message that is “urgent” or that needs “immediate attention,” ones with spelling and grammatical errors, any email asking for personal information, like passwords or bank account numbers, and emails with impersonal greetings (e.g. "Dear valued customer").

simple feedback form to your website

Wanted to put a small form that you could get feedback from on your website, I will show you how to easily do that and start receiving feedback from your website visitors.

• HTML editor to copy and paste code into a web page

Step1

Get an account at:
http://www.freedback.com/
There are free and paid accounts the free accounts only allow one feedback form per account. You get more features with paid accounts.
You will have to confirm your email address to continue.

Step2

After registering you will now need to decide what information you want to receive on your form. Most folks won't trust you with a phone number but will leave and email sometimes, or they just have something to say. Depends what your site is about, it could even be a customer service form.

Step3

You will edit your form in a window, step 2 will help you decide if you want your person directed to a web page you made or one of Feedbacks pages. You can select a text message sent to your cell phone with a paid account. Make your selections and click on step 3 button at the bottom of the page.

Step4

This will take you to the page where the code is generated to copy and paste into your web page where you want the form to appear. This is where you will open up your HTML editor and open up the web page and insert the code. Hit save and then preview the page before uploading it to your server. If all looks great then upload the page and test drive it to see if the form works as it should. Check your email and see if you got the response from the form.

Make Money Reading Email

If you have spent any amount of time on the Internet, you have probably come across websites that promise big money for doing very little. In truth, you're not going to make "big money," but you can indeed earn cash for doing something as simple as reading email. There are sites that pay you a few cents at a time to read email offers from third-party companies, but before you know it pennies add up to dollars. Read on to learn how to make money reading email.

Step1

Research online to find unbiased opinions of which sites are legitimate and which ones string you along with promises of money that they never deliver. A couple of legitimate sites are MyPoints and InboxDollars.

Step2

Verify the site on McAfee's SiteAdvisor website to determine if the site might have spam or virus issues.

Step3

Read carefully through the program guidelines. You should be able to access them through links marked "Learn More," "How It Works," "FAQ" or maybe "Help."

Step4

Determine how money is accrued. Do you receive actual monetary credit for each email (like InboxDollars), or do you receive points that are later converted into credit at online retail stores (like MyPoints)?

Step5

Determine how many emails you can expect per day. Too few and you might not make much money. Too many and they could become a nuisance.

Step6

Find out how often payments are made. Do you need to accrue a certain amount before you can be paid?

Step7

Sign up. You may be asked to identify topics that are of interest to you so that you may be sent emails that meet those interests.

Step8

Make sure your junk email filter isn't set to delete emails from the site.

Step9

When you receive an email, click on the link verifying that you have read the email. (You don't actually have to read the email.) The link will send you to a website asking you to take advantage of an offer, but you usually don't have to accept the offer or buy anything in order to get credit for the email.

Build A HUGE List For Email Marketing

Need to increase your list of email addresses for opt-in email marketing and newsletters? Learn how to build your list with just a few easy steps.

Step1

If you are trying to build a list for your email marketing campaign or newsletters, an easy way to accomplish this is through free traffic exchanges. However, there is a strategy that must be followed to make this successful. With this technique, you will be offering a free report of high value. Create these free reports using free private label rights (plr) content/articles, which can be found using the link provided for you in the Resources Box below article, titled "FREE PLR CONTENT/Articles".

Step2

The first step is to offer a free report that will get the attention of surfers. Report on ways to make money is the best idea for traffic exchanges, since most surfers are entrepreneurs themselves. Make your offer short and to the point. Also, make it very easy to sign up for your offer, asking for just a name and email address is the best idea.

Step3

To collect and manage your list, use a free email collection service such as feedblitz.com. Once you build your list, deliver the free report and then wait a week to deliver your free newsletter. It is in this free newsletter that you will have the opportunity to promote your product or affiliate products or services.

Step4

DO NOT try to promote anything in the initial free report. This will usually backfire and cause the subscriber to ignore your future mailings, or opt-out all together.

Step5

Use free plr content to create your free newsletters, as you did the free report, doing this will assure that you never run out of new and useful information. A free plr provider can be found below, under the Resources Heading, titled "FREE PLR Content/Articles".

Free Internet Access In Thousands Of Locations

1

NetZero now offers free dial-up internet access in most states. This free service comes with a free email account, spam protection and email virus protection.

Step2

They have 1000s of free access numbers, so you can use it at no charge in many locations. However, you are limited to only 10 hours per month, but for someone who rarely uses the net, this is a great option.

Step3

To get your free internet access, simply visit netzero.net (link below). The link to the free access is located at the very bottom, far right of the netzero homepage

Choose Mobile Email Solution for your Organization

The workforce mobility is steadily increasing every year. There are approximately more than Billion mobile workers in the world today. If IT applications do not go mobile along with the employees, their productivity level and value decreases significantly. The immediate need of these mobile professionals is for remote access to their email in order to successfully transact business outside traditional work places at all times.

1

As mobile ways of working become indispensable, it is imperative for working professionals to move out of their organization to realize the significant business benefits. Whether the top management or the decision makers of an organization realize it or not, the majority of their mobile workforce has an inherent requirement for wireless access to e-mail.

If wireless e-mail is such a priority for enterprises, then the question arises
“What is preventing deployment?”

These days various wireless e-mail solutions and client models are available in the market. The enterprises (large or SME’s) are still evaluating the right
configuration for their deployment. Most wireless e-mail solutions fall into three categories like Desk Top Client Solutions, Behind the Firewall Server Deployments and Carrier Hosted Solutions.

Step2

T.here are various factors which determine wireless email deployment in an Organization, the foremost being Total Cost of ownership, Mobile Workforce of Organization, security issues, support for wide array of devices and network compatibility.

Many organizations consider those email solutions for deployment that are cost effective and require minimal expenditure. The Basic Components of a wireless email total cost of ownership includes the software cost, service cost, device cost and the support & maintenance cost.

In many cases the organizations are not ready to make such huge investments in the IT department in terms of enterprise server, buying & providing suitable high end devices to all its employees, paying monthly subscription charges to mobile service providers and full time support and maintenance from IT department to keep the entire set up running.

Step3

Secondly while talking about the mobile workforce, there are two types of mobile professionals in an organization. On one hand we have the Top management or the senior most executives and on the other hand we have the other set of employees like the sales executives, site engineers, etc who need timely access to information while they are on the move. Many times the company provides for a mobile email solution for its high level employees only, by giving them laptops or high end mobile phones like PDA’s, Smart phones, etc. The decision makers realize the fact that other set of employees also have an inherent need to remote access to their emails in order to remain connected with their resources but again the question of making such a huge investment stops them from deployment .

Small and medium enterprises that have a smaller number of remote or mobile employees can avail on move services offered by mobile carriers but then the monthly service charges applicable per person might not be feasible for the company.

Step4

Wireless email solutions are also available at monthly subscription which is a cost effective option for enterprises or individuals as compared to enterprise applications but security of data is the major constraint as the server access remains with the third party putting a constraint on the security of company’s confidential information.

These days’ different kinds of wireless email clients and solutions are available so the Enterprises must evaluate the benefits and potential drawbacks of each configuration and then select a vendor based solution or client on the basis of its ability to deliver the chosen service/solution.

Recently I came across a unique email solution called email@mobile which can surely be a resourceful solution for large as well as SME’s who can not justify the deployment of expensive enterprise solutions. It is basically meant for those organizations who would like to provide its employees with the facility of accessing their corporate/official emails on the mobile but do not want to invest in purchasing high end mobile phones, paying monthly subscription charges or giving their server access to a third party.

Step5

email@mobile software requires one time investment and installation of software on company’s mail server or web-space provided for the website. It allows the company users to access their corporate (POP3 and IMAP4) email boxes anytime, anywhere using their existing mobile phone, operational in any network and without having to install any software on the handset.


Although issues such as cost and security are some of the top barriers to wireless access to data, several other issues are making enterprises hesitant to adopt wireless email solutions. So I suggest that an enterprise should go in for such a mobile email deployment that is cost-effective, secured, implemented with minimal development & integration, easy for IT department to manage; provide support for a wide array of devices; and
work well on today’s limited-bandwidth wireless networks

Set Yahoo as Default Email

With its extensive list of user-friendly tools and ever-increasing storage capacity, Yahoo is an industry leader in email services. If you have a Yahoo Mail account, you probably use it as your primary email address. Here's how you can arrange to set Yahoo as your default email so that anytime you send a message, it will be sent directly from your Yahoo account:

Step1

Visit the Yahoo Mail home page and click on the 'Sign Up' link to create your new Yahoo Mail account (see Resources below).

Step2

Enter all required information where indicated. Choose a username that will identify you to email recipients and a password that contains at least 6 characters and will be easy for you to remember.

Step3

Select a security question from the drop-down menu provided that you will be sure to remember the answer to if asked again later. Yahoo will ask you this question should you forget your password in the future.

Step4

Type in your answer to the question in the field below.

Step5

Type in your birth date, zip code and any other requested information in the fields provided.

Step6

Verify your registration by typing the characters shown in the last section of the registration page into the field provided.

Step7

Thoroughly read the Terms of Service and print a copy for your personal records if you desire.

Step8

Click 'I Agree' to complete the registration process and establish your account.

Set up Yahoo as Your Default Email Account

Step1

Log in to your email account from Yahoo's home page. Find and click on 'Tools' at the top of the page and select 'Internet Options.'

Step2

Select the 'Programs' tab in the Internet Options window. Select 'Yahoo Mail' in the email section. Click 'Apply.'

Step3

You have now successfully set Yahoo Mail as your default email address.

you use Hotmail, you may want to check your other email accounts

If you use Hotmail, you may want to check your other email accounts every time you log into Hotmail without having to actually go to the other accounts. You can do this with Hotmail by following a few simple steps

1

Log into your Hotmail account. Click on the "Options" button. Then click on "Send and Receive Mail From Other Email Accounts."

Step2

Choose "Add a POP3 Account." Enter the settings for this account and choose "Save." This sets up email forwarding to your Hotmail account. Decide if you want your messages to be left on this server or forwarded and deleted.

Step3

Determine if your other email has the ability to forward mail and choose to forward it to your Hotmail account as another option to check other email accounts with Hotmail.

Step4

Go to the email account you want to check and open it. Now choose "options" and select "email forwarding."

Step5

Follow the directions on this page. This consists of entering the Hotmail account address into the box provided. Then choose "Forward." You then have the option to leave the mail on this server or delete after forwarding.

Back Up Your Gmail Account

Does the thought of losing personal email and confidential information from your Gmail account worry you? Using POP (Post Office Protocol) access, you can back up your Gmail with Microsoft Outlook Express, Apple Mail, Mozilla, Thunderbird and so on. Follow these steps to back up your Gmail account using Outlook Express.

Back Up Your Gmail Account Using POP Access

Step1

Login to your Gmail account and open it.

Step2

Click on the "Settings" option on the top right side of the page.

Step3

Press on the "Forwarding" and "POP" tabs. Go to the POP download section and select "Enable POP" for all mail. Click on the "Save Changes" tab.

Step4

Open the mail client you have configured to check for new messages. For example, you can choose Outlook, Eudora, Netscape Mail, Thunderbird or Mozilla.

Configure Your Email Client With Microsoft Outlook Express Automatically

Step1

Configure your email client. For this, run the auto-configuration tool and open the Mail Client Autoconfiguration page.

Step2

Press ''Open'' to select the program you want to use with your Gmail account. You will find 2 options: Microsoft Outlook Express and Microsoft Outlook 2002 or older with the Internet Mail Only option. Select Microsoft Outlook Express.

Step3

Enter your Gmail account information. Enter your email address and your name in the ''Display name" box.

Step4

Click ''Configure." The display will show the Configuration Complete page.

Step5

Click on the "Finish" tab to exit Microsoft Outlook Express. This will enable your email client to send and retrieve messages from your Gmail account.

Configure Your Email Client With Microsoft Outlook Express Manually

Step1

Enable POP in your Gmail account.

Step2

Open Microsoft Outlook Express. Click on the ''Tools'' menu. Select ''Accounts…'' from the menu.

Step3

Click on the ''Add'' tab and select the ''Mail…'' option. It will open the Internet Connection Wizard page.

Step4

Enter your name in the ''Display name'' box and click on the ''Next'' tab.

Step5

Enter the email address of your Gmail account in the ''Email address'' box. Click on the ''Next'' tab.

Step6

Enter ''pop.gmail.com'' in the ''Incoming mail (POP3, IMAP or HTTP) server'' box and enter ''smtp.gmail.com'' in the ''Outgoing mail (SMTP) server'' box. Click on the ''Next'' tab.

Step7

Enter the username of your Gmail account in the ''Account name'' box. Enter your Gmail account password in the ''Password'' box and click the ''Next'' tab.

Step8

Press ''Finish'' and highlight the ''pop.gmail.com'' in the ''Account'' box. Then click on ''Properties." Click on the ''Advanced'' tab.

Step9

Check the box next to ''This server requires a secure connection (SSL)'' under ''Outgoing Mail (SMTP)," and enter the numbers ''465'' in the ''Outgoing mail (SMTP)'' box.

Step10

Check the box next to ''This server requires a secure connection (SSL)'' under ''Incoming Mail (POP3)'': the numbers in the port will change to 995.

Step11

Click the servers tab to check the box next to ''My server requires authentication'' and click ''OK."

• Gmail messages will take time to appear in your mail client as the messages are downloaded in groups.
• You will need to download Gmail POP Troubleshooter to access your Gmail account with Outlook Setup, Outlook Express and Thunderbird 1.5 version.
• Make sure you click ''Save Changes'' on the ''Forwarding" and "POP'' tabs in your Gmail settings. This will enable your Gmail account to communicate with your email client

Use Your Gmail Account for Online File Storage

Gmail gives you a nearly unlimited amount of storage--almost 5GB at time of writing. Here are instructions on using Gmail for storage using a Firefox plugin called GSpace.

Step1

Download and install the Gspace plugin here:

http://www.getgspace.com/download.html

Step2

You would need to restart your Firefox browser and launch the plugin by clicking on 'Tools' and then GSpace.

Step3

You will be presented with the Gspace console.

Step4

Click on 'Manage Accounts'. You will need to enter your Gmail account information.

Step5

Once you are logged in, you will be presented with options on uploading your files. Simply navigate and select the files that you wish to upload and click on the arrow pointing right in the middle of the console.

Step6

Your upload will take a while depending on the speed of your connection.

Step7

The file should then appear in your GMail account after it has been successfully uploaded.

Avoid Junk Email a Spamming

Find out how to eliminate junk mail and spamming of your personal email address.

1

If you're tired of receiving spamming and junk mail in your personal email account, there is a service you can use to avoid this.

Step2

MailEaters.com (link provided under Resources heading) provides a great solution by offering a temporary email address you can use. This is useful when signing up for offers, downloading freeware and information, and other situations where an email address is required.

Step3

To use maileaters, you don't even need to set up an account. Just choose a user name, as an example Bob550, then just enter Bob550@maileaters.com anywhere a valid email address is required.

Step4

However, if you need to confirm information, or verify account, this must be done within 4 hours as all messages are automatically deleted at that time. To check your messages, simply enter your username on the home page to retrieve you email.

Make Your Home Office More Energy Efficient

Step1

Measure your home office energy consumption by plugging the Kill A Watt meter into a power outlet. The Kill A Watt meter has an outlet to plug your power strips into. Plug all of your devices into the power strips and plug your power strips into the Kill A Watt meter. You can daisy chain your power strips. The device will display power consumed over time in kilowatt / hrs and also displays power drawn in watts.

Step2

If you haven't already done this, you should replace your CRT monitor with an Energy Star compliant LCD monitor. This will probably be your biggest savings.

Step3

Some equipment continues to pull a small amount of power even when turned off. Put as much equipment as you can on a power strip, and turn it off at the end of the day. Some surge protectors have certain outlets that are designated as always on, which allow you to keep power flowing to some devices even after turning off the power strip.

Step4

Enabling power management on your desktop or laptop can save power consumption. Start timeouts at 15 minutes for the display and disk spin-down, 30 minutes for standby and 45 minutes for hibernate mode. Then try more aggressive settings for the display and disk. It is recommended to try and get down to 2 to 3 minutes for each.

Step5

Replace your separate broadband modem and router with a single, integrated gateway device. You will not see an instant return on your investment with this, but over the long term it will save. Best to buy your own and not rent from your broadband provider.

Step6

You should turn off any peripherals that you are not using. For example your printer, if you only use your printer once or twice a day why have it on drawing power all the time?

Step7

When you are finished using your home office equipment for the day, reach down and shut off the power strips.

Step8

Replace desk lamps with incandescent bulbs to those with LED bulbs, this will also reduce the heat.

Set Windows XP For A Wide Screen LCD

Over the years and with the introduction of LCD monitors for PC's there has been some confusion on what the screen resolution should be set to for wide screen display. Some users set it for the wrong resolution and just live with it being distorted or think that their monitor or video card is bad. This is probably not true and it is probably just the settings which can be fixed real easily. First, lets talk about what is screen resolution. Screen resolution is the amount of pixels your monitor and video card displays across and down on the given monitor size. So an example setting would be 1024 x 768, so translated into width and height it would be 1024 pixels across and 768 pixel down on a standard 17" monitor. The higher the numbers the higher the resolution, the more pixels are displayed. Second lets talk about dimensions, on a standard computer monitor its 4:3, the ratio of width versus height. So 640 x 480 would be of that approximate proportion of 4:3. The aspect ratio defines the shape of the displayed image on your monitor. So a standard monitor is 4:3 and a wide screen is 16:9 or 16:10. So if we want the image on the monitor to look right we need to have 16:10 ratio of the resolution. Third here are some sample resolutions for wide screen use. 1280 x 800 , 1440 x 900, 1600 x 1080. Many times these are referred to by letter designations like WUXGA or WVGA and so on. I personally don't care for the letter designation since it means you have to translate or know what the numbers are in order to set your resolution. But you can usually find all the resolution display numbers by just searching for "WUXGA standards". So by using one of the above screen resolutions we can quickly and easily change our resolution so that the display looks correct and not scrunched up.

Attach an LCD Monitor

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Check the port of your video card. All video cards support LCD analog monitors, but if you buy a digital LCD monitor you'll need a video card with DVI (Digital Video Interface) to be able to attach it to the computer.

Step2

Study the manual that accompanies the LCD monitor to understand the cables that need to be connected. Normally the LCD monitor comes with two cables—one to connect it to the power source and one to connect it to the CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the computer.

Step3

Plug in the cables and view the screen of a LCD monitor after your computer’s operating system has automatically detected the monitor. Most operating systems install the necessary drivers for the LCD monitor automatically. However, if this is not the case, use the installation CD (provided with the monitor) to install the drivers.

Step4

Use the on-screen display controls of the LCD to adjust settings like color, contrast and brightness to your liking.

Step5

Adjust the monitor angle so you're looking slightly down at the screen

How to Hide Or Lock Your Hard Drives (Disks)

This article will help you in hiding or locking your hard drives, as if you dont want to show the program files to anyone or you can lock your hard drives that no one can access them. Do raed the article for the details

Things You’ll Need:

• Knowledge of opening the Registry.

Step1

Open Registry

Go to Run command, type "regedit" (without quotes) and press enter.

Step2

Registry page will open, now go to :

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer

Step3

Now right click in right side pane and create DWORD Value (blue color)

Rename it as "NoViewOnDrive" (for locking drive)
OR
Rename it as "NoDrives" (for Hiding drive)

Double click on it and put some numbers to lock ur desired Drive and click OK.

DRIVE NOS.

FOR A : 1
FOR C : 4
FOR D : 8
FOR E : 16
FOR F : 32
FOR G : 64
FOR H : 128

Step4

Close the registry. Now Restart or Log-off the computer to take effect.
Keep in mind that "0" is Default Value to Disable or remove this setting..

After locking the drive when u try to open it, u will see a msg box like this "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer.Please contact your system administrator"

Thats it.

Upgrade your Video Card

The hardest part about upgrading a video card is knowing which video card style you need to buy. I will walk you through the process of determining exactly what you need.

Step1

Determine the video socket type on your mother board.
There are 3 main types.
PCI, AGP, PCI-E

Look at the photo comparison and write down the type of card you have.
If you have PCI or PCI-E, you are set. You can jump to step 5.

Step2

If you have AGP, sit down and take a deep breath. Let it out. ok here wee go. You must determine which version of AGP you have. Over the many years of AGP, card-makers improved the technology and also changed the socket of agp along the way.

Step3

In the year 1999-2000, the agp style was brand new and was known as 1X. In 2002, the upgrade began and they came at a crazy rate. the only people in a jam are those who own 1X machines and there is hope for you. I have found at least 2 cards that work with 1X machines. I will share those card names in step 5.

There are 3 main types. 1x, 2X-4X, 4X-8X
many card makers will overlap many versions but some will only support a handful of speeds.

Step4

The best place to start is with the card connector appearance or your documentation from the computer maker. Since documentation can be hard to find, lets look at the video card's edge connector.

The AGP standard uses notches in the card's edge to force the user to use the right card. Most of the time, this will be all you need, but there are times when you just need to know what your computer will support. (depending on what the video card maker lists as supported AGP speeds.)

Step5

The biggest (but not the only) difference between the AGP style is the voltage available to the video card. Some motherboards actually offer more than one voltage and can handle more card types.

Luckily there are some card makers who offer video cards that can accept more than one voltage level and they auto adjust as needed.

Very few cards will list 1X as a feature. Most will say 2x-8x or 4x-8x.

So to sum up..

If you have a 1X card, look at the
Matrox Millenium G450 16MB AGP
Connect3D Radeon 9250se
I have these 2 cards and they are both 1X-4x. Or just use a PCI Card if needed. If you have a computer with 4x-8x ability, you can pick most any new card.

Step6

Ok so we have purchased a new video card.
Lets do the install process.

This can be trickier that you might imagine. We want to replace the old video drivers with new ones but we are using the old ones. Here's the best process to use.

Step7

Right-click "My computer" > pick Properties > Hardware > Device Manager.

Step8

Click display adapter and right-click your video card, Pick UNINSTALL.

Step9

shut your computer down.

Step10

Remove the power cord

Step11

Open the case

Step12

Locate the card with your video connection on it

Step13

Remove the screw or plastic clip that holds the card in place.

Step14

Using your index finger to pull back the plastic clip at the back of the card-slot (if your PC has such a tab) as you pull the card straight out of the card-slot. Note: PCI-E and some agp cards have a retaining clip at the back of the card slot. Its very clear to see if you have one.

Step15

Once the card is removed you can easily insert the new card. Make sure the card snaps deep into place.

Step16

Put everything back together.
Put the screw or plastic clip back on
close the case
put the power cord back on
connect a PC monitor
turn ON the PC and watch the screen.
If all has gone well, you will see video on your screen.

Step17

If your computer beeps and puts up a note about a change, press F# to continue, please follow the prompts.

Step18

Insert the CD that came with your video card and install the driver.

Clean an LCD Screen

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Because of their superior clarity and space-saving size, LCD screens are often preferred over standard CRT screens. With the increased popularity of LCD screens has come the need to embrace some slightly different maintenance techniques. Here are a few steps you can take to effectively clean your LCD screen without buying one of those expensive LCD cleaners.

Step1

Turn off your monitor or set the background color to black so you can easily identify spots that need to be removed.

Step2

Apply the distilled water to your clean, soft cloth.

Step3

Wipe your LCD screen in smooth motions from left to right, going from the top of the screen to the bottom.

Step4

Let the screen air dry or simply run a dry area of the cloth over the screen again.

Change Your IP Address

How do I change my IP address?" and "Can I change my IP address?" are probably the most commonly asked questions. Please attempt the following then. Before trying any other methods to change your IP address, try turning off (or unplugging the power of) your Cable/DSL modem for five minutes. In many cases this will change your IP address. However, if that does not change your IP address, leave your modem off for 8 hours (overnight works well) instead of 5 minutes. Hopefully this will result in an IP address change. If the above does not result in your IP address changing, please look below for instructions on how to change your IP address another way. Unfortunately, you wont always be able to get your IP address to change, because it is ultimately determined by your ISP's DHCP configuration (when you have a dynamically assigned IP address.)

Step1

Click on "Start" in the bottom left hand corner of your desktop screen.

Step2

Click on "Run".

Step3

Type in "command" and hit OK. You should now have a Windows Command Prompt on the screen.

Step4

Type "ipconfig /release" without the quotation marks, then hit the Enter key.

Step5

Type "exit" without the quotation marks and the command prompt will disappear.

Step6

Click START, then click on "Network Places", "Network Connections" or "My Network Places". Different versions of windows will have it worded differently. There may also be a shortcut to this on your desktop. If there is an icon that says one of these three phrases, you may double click it instead.

Step7

You should now be on a screen with something titled "Local Area Connection", or something similar to that.

Step8

Right click on "Local Area Connection" and click "properties"

Step9

Double-click on the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" from the list under the "General" tab

Step10

Click on "Use the following IP address" under the "General" tab

Step11

Create an IP address (It doesn't matter what it is. I just type 1 and 2 until I fill the area up).

Step12

Press "Tab" and it should automatically fill in the "Subnet Mask" section with default numbers.

Step13

Hit the "Ok" button.

Step14

Hit the "Ok" button again.

Step15

You should now be back to the "Local Area Connection" screen.

Step16

Right-click on "Local Area Connection" and go to properties again.

Step17

Go back to the "TCP/IP" settings.

Step18

This time, select "Obtain an IP address automatically".

Step19

Click "Ok".

Step20

Click "Ok" again.

Step21

You now have a new IP address. Congratulations on learning how to change your IP address