HowTo Install Dropbox in Windows

Dropbox is software that makes it easy to save, share and sync files between different computers and devices. I posted about it here: Dropbox - Save, Share, Sync Files Between Computers. When you install Dropbox, you get a dedicated folder on your computer that is automatically backed up. The nice thing about it is if you have multiple computers and each one has it, Dropbox syncs the files on each. Your files are available everywhere. You get the same file version on each computer updated automatically. What's more, you can go back to previous versions from the last 30 days should you need to. Here's how to install it:

1. Go to  http://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTEwMjA1MzQyOQ and sign up for an account:

2. After signing up, you'll be directed to the downloads page:

3. Click Run when prompted:

4. The download may take a while. Go get yourself a cup of coffee:

5. When the download finishes and after you've had a few sips of your coffee, click on Run:

6. Click on Install:

7. Finish your coffee while it installs:

8. Since you signed up using my link **hint, hint**, choose I Already Have a Dropbox Account:

9. Type in the email and password you signed up with and edit the computer's name if you want to, then click Next:

10. Choose the 2GB Free option and click Next:

11. I'd recommend reading the info on the 4 slides, to get a little more background on how to use it. Click on Next to move to each one:

12. Finish the install by ticking either on Add a Shortcut on My Desktop or I Want to Choose Where to Put My Dropbox Folder, then Finish (i personally prefer the Desktop, it makes it easier to find):

13. You should have a link on you desktop after clicking on Finish in the previous step:

14.  Click on the icon to access you Dropbox and start drag-dropping your files:

If you want to keep it free, you only have 2GB to work with. But you can increase your free storage if you invite friends. For every person who signs up using your link, you and that person get 250MB each. You can get up to 8GB free! That's 10 GB total, for free. So if you want to try it out, use click my link (http://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTEwMjA1MzQyOQ) and we'll both get 250MB free ;-)

Use OpenDNS to Protect Yourself

In a recent poll Paypal, the IRS and Facebook have been ranked the most phished sites. Clearly, scammers are out to get us and our valuable personal data and financial information. One way to protect your self is to use a service that screens out phishing sites. OpenDNS is one option and the good news is it is free!

OpenDNS features phishing site filtering, warning you if a site you're going to is a scammer's site trying to get your information. Add to that, OpenDNS can also help speed up your browsing speed or filter out adult sites with parental controls.

Its easy to set-up. Here's how to do it in Windows 7:

1. On your taskbar, right-click network icon (the one that looks like a computer monitor) and click Open Network and Sharing Center:

2. In Network and Sharing Center, click on Change Adapter Settings on the left pane:

3. In the Network Connections window, right-click on the Local Area Connection and click Properties:

4. In the Local Area Network Properties window, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties:

5. In the IPv4 window, check the option Use The Following DNS Server Address and type in 208.67.222.222 as your Preferred DNS Server and 208.67.220.220 as your Alternate DNS Server, then click the OK button to save the changes:

After doing the steps above, you're all set. Your computer will ask OpenDNS where it should go every time you type in a website address on your browser. Be careful out there!

Win 7 RC Expires March 1

I was just barely able to beat the deadline. I had reinstalled Windows 7 last night. If you had Windows 7 Beta or RC just like me your install will expire today and you'll have reduced functionality. Well technically it isn't 'expired' since you'll be able to use it until June, but it will shut down every two hours and it won't save any applications or data when it does. It's going to be a supreme bother that it won't be worth staying with it anyway.

It's best that you reinstall with the retail or OEM version. You can also try this great guide for upgrading to the final retail version on HowToGeek. You may notice the article says RTM instead of final version. Don't worry about that, RTM just means Released to Manufacturing, which in the PC industry means it's the final version that is released to big PC manufacturers just in time for the launch. It is almost similar to the retail version except for the customizations that manufacturers like Lenovo, Dell or HP include into their versions of the installer.

Back to the article on HowToGeek, it details how you can 'upgrade' your existing RC installation into the final version and at the same time preserving your settings and installed software. Note that since all RC and Beta versions were Ultimate, your retail or OEM version should be Windows 7 Ultimate for this to work. Bear in mind though that as with all work-arounds there are some instances it will not work. But that shouldn't discourage you from trying. You're going to do a full OSRI anyway, so why not try it and you may have shot at preserving all the stuff you already have in there.

As for me, I always do a full OSRI. I have my important data always saved or backed up in a separate partition. That way, any time I need to I can just reinstall Windows.

OSRI Weekend

For those unfamiliar with the term, OSRI is a acronym we use in my line of work. I means Operating System Re-Install. I know, I know. Geek language is just so darn rife with acronyms it sounds like an alphabet soup.

Well, this weekend I embark on a regular round of OSRI. I tend to do it every few months just to start anew. I guess this has been one of my longest runs. I haven't done an OSRI since August. I used to do it every three months or so. I've stayed too long probably because for the first time in many years I actually enjoyed Windows. Windows 7 was actually pleasant. I usually have my computer dual-booted and have been equally happy with Ubuntu 9.04. Even when 9.10 came around, I didn't feel I needed to upgrade. I guess it comes with age. When you get older, you tend to stick to what you like. No more listless multi-boot experiments.

This isn't a joke. Seriously. Just a few years back, I actually maintained 5 operating systems at any given time on my machine. I nominally had Windows 2000, Windows XP, Ubuntu, Mandrake (now called Mandriva) and Xandros. I dabbled on even more Live distributions, burned whatever caught my eye in Distrowatch.com. I had to give it up after going through the pain of having to maintain updates, security and otherwise, on 5 different operating systems. Add to that the fact that at the time, I only had dial-up. Heck, those were the days.

So this weekend I dive into another round of OSRI to rid my system of all the crud that got accumulated in the last 6 months. It's going to be a geeky weekend for me. I'm planning to install Windows 7 and Linux Mint 8. I've been meaning to install the latter from when it launched. Now I'm really going for it. My only problem now is the space on my hard drive. After almost a year, the Seagate 500 GB drive  I bought now has only 84.6 GB left of free space. I think I need to rethink my storage strategy. But for now, just installing will have to do.

Hiding/Restoring Win 7 Updates

Ever been faked by Win 7 into thinking important updates are in the offing only to find out that the only updates available are language packs you don't need? Here's a simple way to rid yourself of the notifications on unwanted optional updates and ensure you still get prompted for the important stuff:

1. Open up Windows Update and go to Optional Updates:

2. Right-click on the update you wish to hide and click Hide Update:

Real easy, eh? Should you choose to restore that update, the steps are equally easy.

1. Go back to the main Windows Update screen and click the Restore Update link:

2. Next tick the check boxes of the update you wish to restore and click the Restore button.

Hope this helps ;-)

Installing 'Missing' Windows Apps in Win 7

You might be looking for some applications on Windows 7, some
applications that were installed by default on Vista. These applications
are not installed by default on Win7:

* Windows Mail
* Windows Calendar
* Windows Messenger
* Windows Movie Maker
* Windows Photo Gallery

Well if that is the case, you still want to use the same applications
you've become cozy to, there is a way to get them. All you have to do is
to launch Windows Live and it will install the programs for you. Here's
how:

* Click the "Start button". Select "Programs". Select "Windows Live":
* Alternatively you can click on the "Start button" and just type
"Windows Live" on the Search box:
* Authorize the download:
* Once done, the installation starts and you'll be asked what
applications you want to install:
* After that, wait a few minutes. If you had chosen to install
everything it may take 10-20 minutes to install and download the
additional software: