Tips ‘n Tricks »

Here you will find tips, tricks, and guides on various different topics, but mainly focused on computers.



Heads up: Free 1 year license of BitDefender AntiVirus 2010 starting Friday (August 13, 2010) [24-hours only]

Ashraf August 12, 2010 41

Starting Friday, v3.co.uk is going to run a promotion allowing users to get BitDefender AntiVirus 2010 (1 year license) free. Here is the official word from them:

We’ve given you some of the very best full applications in the past and we’re back again with four full exclusive promos through

[...]

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Want AnyBizSoft PDF to Word Converter 3.0.0 for free but don’t want to use Facebook? Now you don’t have to.

Ashraf August 6, 2010 30

Back in July I posted about how to get AnyBizSoft PDF to Word Converter 3.0.0 for free. However, that freebie required users to create a Facebook account, something quite a few people don’t have, don’t want to create, or can’t create. For those people that were unable to take advantage [...]

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Add support for 250+ programs to CCleaner with CCleaner Enhancer

Ashraf August 5, 2010 29

No one will argue with me when I say CCleaner is one of the most popular and effective privacy cleaning tools out there. Most people know when they need to protect their privacy, CCleaner is one of the tools they need to turn to. (CCleaner, of course, cleans out the [...]

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Soluto: A community-based solution to the my-computer-boots-very-slowly problem

Ashraf July 23, 2010 33

It be an over used statement, but it is true: When we get new computers, they are blazing fast (or, they seem to be blazing fast); however as we use our computers more and more, they seem to get slower and slower. One of the most noticeable aspects where a [...]

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Virtual CloneDrive: Dead simple tool to mount/unmount disc images (.ISO, .UDF, .IMG, etc.)

Ashraf July 19, 2010 21
Virtual CloneDrive: Dead simple tool to mount/unmount disc images (.ISO, .UDF, .IMG, etc.)

How many dotTechies know what a disc image is? Most of us properly either know what it is, used one before, or have at least heard of it. If I asked this same question, say, 3-4 years ago, most of us probably would not have known what a disc image [...]

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Help diagnose the blue screen of death with BlueScreenView

Ashraf July 10, 2010 13

The blue screen of death (BSOD) is an infamous blue screen that appears when Windows crashes (not always, though). It became infamous thanks to how frequently it appeared in pre-Vista days. (The introduction of Vista and Win7 saw less BSODs, although they will exist.) Anyone that has encountered the BSOD [...]

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Internet Explorer 8 is out – and better than ever.

Ashraf June 5, 2010 13

Today Microsoft has officially release Internet Explorer 8 for the general public. IE 8 is a vast improvement over previous versions: it is faster, more secure and more compatible.

The question of the day: does IE 8 offer anything that existing version of Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, etc. don’t already [...]

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EASEUS releases new freeware version of Data Recovery Wizard

Ashraf May 19, 2010 15

EASEUS is a name that should be very well known to dotTechies because EASEUS not only often runs freebies promotions that I have posted about, but dotTech has also reviewed multiple different EASEUS products. One such product – that was given out as a freebie by EASEUS and reviewed by [...]

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YoWindow: Read (watch) the weather forecast in style

Ashraf May 18, 2010 7

Ever use your computer to read the weather forecast? It can’t be a very exciting experience; reading about the weather, intrinsically, is just boring. YoWindow is a weather forecast program that aims to making reading (watching) the weather forecast a bit more delightful and enjoyable, rather than the dull experience [...]

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Is your Wi-Fi unprotected? Google probably stole your data.

Ashraf May 16, 2010 36

Privacy, privacy, privacy; it seems all like everyone is talking about nowadays is privacy. And why shouldn’t we be – no one likes the idea of big brother watching every move we make on the internet or having some psychopath be able to find us by simply typing our name [...]

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An Apple a day… keeps the lawsuits their way: Apple under attack by Wall Street

Samuel May 14, 2010 6

In the past, whether in the wrong or not, Microsoft has been the company to attack. Apparently, now there are deep (enough) pockets elsewhere to target. Not only is Google being targeted but now Apple is too, with the iPhone OS platform (that means anything that uses the iPhone OS, [...]

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Apple may face legal inquiry on Flash snub

Ashraf May 5, 2010 38

Those of you who follow Apple news may know that with the release of iPhone OS 4.0, Apple added a clause in their terms and conditions that all software written for iPhone OS must written “directly in C, C++, or Objective-C” and developers can no longer “call any private APIs”. [...]

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Internet Explorer’s market share has dropped below 60%

Adrian May 5, 2010 33

According to Net Applications, an authority on Internet browser usage statistics, Internet Explorer (all the versions added together) is continually losing market share, and has finally dropped below 60%:

Meanwhile, as you can see from the graph, Firefox’s market share is at 24.59%, Opera and 2.3%, and Chrome at 6.73%. [...]

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Windows 8 to be released in 2011?

Ashraf May 3, 2010 23

How long has Windows 7 been out, 6-8 months? Apparently Microsoft already has plans for Windows 8. A leaked document by former Microsoft employee Chris Green reveals that Windows 8 may be released in 2011:

(Windows 8 probably won’t be called Windows 8 when it is released.)

The document also [...]

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Stun the audience by using Prezi instead of PowerPoint for your presentations

Ashraf April 29, 2010 18

When it comes to creating presentations, we all tend to use PowerPoint (or other equivalent) presentations. PowerPoint presentations are really nice – and they are very easy to make with lots of customization available – but what if you want your presentation to standout from above the rest? For example, [...]

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New v2 of CapsLock Warning brings new features

Ashraf April 24, 2010 32

Back in February I introduced CapsLock Warning, a program written by our very own Rob. Since February Rob has made improvements to CapsLock Warning, based off feedback he has received and new ideas he has conjured on his own. This new version of CapsLock Warning – which I am calling [...]

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Tip: Use the “reply” button when responding to someone on dotTech

Adrian April 20, 2010 31

Previously there was an article by Ashraf teaching you how to use simple HTML to markup your comments on dotTech. However that article is now useless for comments on dotTech since now dotTech uses a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You G[...]

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Which government monitors and censors the most? Google tells all.

Ashraf April 20, 2010 17

Google has been in the news lately for many privacy/censorship/etc. issues. I supposed Google HQ has got tired of the Google-bashing when it comes to ‘net neutrality, so is now Google is fighting back. Today Google has released a new “Government Requests tool” to give users insight on which governments [...]

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Gizmodo reveals (leaks) the next iPhone (iPhone 4)

Ashraf April 19, 2010 19

Gizmodo got its hands on a lost iPhone 4 (the next iPhone set to be released this summer). Gizmodo posted an article – which has secured over 3 million hits in less than 24 hours – that leaked details about the iPhone 4. Some predict the demise of Gizmodo by [...]

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AnyBizSoft PDF to Word Converter v2.5.3 now freeware and huge discounts available on AnyBizSoft PDF converter products

Ashraf April 16, 2010 14

AnyBizSoft has recently been running a “freebie promotion” of their PDF to Word Converter (v2.5.3)  software. Now, AnyBizSoft has decided to make PDF to Word Converter v2.5.3 freeware with users having the option of purchasing v3.0.0 (v3.0.0 makes improvements to PDF to Word Converter such as removing the dependency on [...]

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Is Google Chrome collecting your private information?

Ashraf April 9, 2010 23

In a recent escalation of sectarian violence between the tech-giant love triangle (Microsoft, Google, and Apple), Microsoft has accused Google Chrome of “collecting every keystroke you make” while Internet Explorer 8 “keeps your information private through two address bars and In Private browsing.”

The accusation – made in a post [...]

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Beat deceitful developers at their deceitful games by calling them out on their deceitful “awards”

MikeR April 3, 2010 56

Birds might not do it. Bees might not do it — nor even, educated fleas. But… retailers do it. Auto dealers do it. Package tour operators do it. And countless other professions and occupations do it. They all sign up to membership of a trade association that has at its [...]

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Let-Me-Google-That-For-You redirects users to Bing instead of Google – April Fool’s joke or more sinister intentions?

Ashraf April 1, 2010 6

Update: It seems like the Bing redirect was an April Fool’s joke because LMGTFY.com is back to normal.

LMGTFY.com (“Let Me Google That For You”) is a website that allows people to run Google search queries for other people and link the queries to them. Just for the heck of [...]

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Innovative Solutions releases Advanced Uninstaller Free, a free version of their Advanced Uninstaller Pro

Ashraf March 24, 2010 14

Not to be confused with IObit’s Advanced Uninstaller, Innovative Solutions – a software development firm most famous for their DriveMax software – recently released Advanced Uninstaller Free, a free version of their Advanced Uninstaller Pro software:

Advanced Uninstaller is a program that – like IObit’s Advanced Uninstaller and RevoUninstaller – [...]

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Be obnoxious by typing upside down and backwards with TypeUpsideDown.com

Ashraf March 24, 2010 26

Can’t read what the above sentence says? No, you don’t need glasses. The reason why you (probably) can’t read or understand the first line of this article is because it has been typed upside down and backwards. (It says “dotTech.org – Reviews, advice, tips, tricks, and freebies related to the [...]

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U.S. cities compete for gigabit (1024 Mbps) Internet from Google

Locutus March 19, 2010 21

What are over 200 Facebook groups and cities across the United States talking about? If you said gigabit Internet from Google, you’re right.  Until March 26th, Google is asking cities to send forms telling them things about their community.

Chances are, Google owns your life.  They have your mail, your [...]

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How To: Restore the “Show Desktop” in your Quick Launch bar

Adrian March 3, 2010 19

Have you ever accidentally deleted, or somehow lost the “Show Desktop” icon in your Quick Launch bar (just next to your Start button)? The icon is quite useful, so the problem is, how do you restore it? It’s very easy actually, just follow these quick steps:

The story of the fake VirusTotal

Adrian March 2, 2010 12

So you’ve probably visited VirusTotal in the past to scan your files. For those that haven’t, VirusTotal is an online, free service that scans your uploaded file(s) – limited to 10 MB in size – with 43 different antivirus engines.

Apparently some scumbag(s) decided to take advantage of VirusTotal’s popularity. [...]

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European Justice (Vengeance?): First Microsoft, now Google in the crosshairs of EU regulators

Samuel February 25, 2010 34

The Americas and Europe have had their disagreements in the past; apparently, in this case, the “past” does not necessarily mean history, because recent events seem to foretell that the friction is alive and well! The EU is well known for its seeming hatred dislike of Microsoft (or Microsoft’s business [...]

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FruitfulTime Software: 4 (commercial-gone-free) software for bookmarks, notes, tasks, and time management you may want to take a look at

Ashraf February 19, 2010 43

As I am sure we all know by now, quality software is not limited to only big name developer. Smaller, possibly unknown, developers often also create great software. FruitfulTime is one such small developer.

Legend has it that FruitfulTime once provided commercial solutions software aimed at four different tasks:

Virtual Machines, Part Three: Window integration and other operating systems

Locutus February 15, 2010 17

Now that you’ve gotten either Windows or Ubuntu – or both – installed in VirtualBox and Shared Folders installed it’s time to go further. This article – the third in the series on virtual machines – is a shorter article detailing the easy task of window integration and suggestions of [...]

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Reminder: Windows 7 RC automatically shuts down every two hours starting March 1st

Locutus February 14, 2010 25

Back in May Microsoft made the release candidate (RC) of Windows 7 available for free download to everyone. (Undoubtedly many people downloaded it and some may even be still using it.) To ensure Microsoft would not lose revenue by people using Windows 7 RC – instead of purchasing it after [...]

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How trustworthy are Mozilla’s “malware checks” on Firefox add-ons? Sothink Web Video Downloader now declared “false positive”.

Ashraf February 10, 2010 15

On Saturday I posted about how recently Mozilla declared two experimental Firefox add-ons as malware. Now Mozilla is claiming that the malware reading on v4.0 of Sothink Web Video Downloader was actually a false positive. (Master Filer extension is still declared as malware.)

For a moment, lets ignore the fact [...]

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Mozilla confirms malware add-ons for Firefox slipped through the cracks and promises to improve screening process

Ashraf February 6, 2010 20

Although not the most popular browser out there, Firefox – by the Mozilla Foundation – is very popular for its combination of speed, customization (via add-ons), and a fair amount of security. That is not to say it is the most fast browser, has the best customization (which is does, [...]

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