Graphic Problems - An easy Fix to most issues :)

Well then, this post I decided to publish after having several issues over the past 4 years.

Graphic issues can range from getting the dreaded blue screen of death (BSOD), to simply display issues such as games crashing and applications looking odd like.

The one thing you must always do in any graphics issue is up date your driver (or try older drivers) !

Though make sure you do it right because you'll be amazed at how many people do it wrong !

Four simple steps:

1) Download the latest driver from your Graphics Card Manufacturers web site (or chip set site)

Q. I don't know what my Graphics Card is?
A. It's easy to find out, download and install an application called Everest Freeware
-- To date version 2.20 is the most up to date but you can look at these Google results for a more up to date version of the application.
-- Use the summary part, found under the 'Computer' menu (the left toolbar)
-- Your Graphics Card (hardware which is used for graphics displayed on your monitor) will be next to the heading 'Display / Video Adapter'.

Q. I can't tell what the manufacture of my graphics card is, so what driver do I download?
A. If you don't know your manufacture then download the latest Graphics Driver from the chipset manufacture:

- nVidia (GeForce etc ... nVidia has always had better graphics driver support in my personal opinion)
or
- ATI (Radeon etc)

Select the Graphics Card you have, and your OS (Operating System) and then download the driver.


2) Once you have downloaded the latest driver, keep it on your desktop or in your 'My Documents' folder (just somewhere where you can remember where it is)

3) Uninstal your current graphics driver (found in your control panel > add / remove programs) .. those on Vista you will need to go to Program Features within your control panel

-- Do not just install the latest driver on top of your currently installed driver or else you will begin to experience problems !

4) Once uninstalled reboot your PC (or laptop), your OS will install a default VGA driver once it has booted up (which is a basic graphics driver).

Now run the latest graphics driver installer to install the most up to date driver. When asked reboot after it has installed successfully.

-- Note: Even if your PC / Laptop does not ask to reboot, it is recommended you do so just so your OS can register the newly installed hardware properly.

That's it !

System Maintanence (Recommended Tools)

Maintaining your system is just as important as maintaining a car.

I won't write an entire blog on how often or what you should do. I don't see the point in that as there are plenty of guides on the internet already for that.

Here is a few tools I do recommend:

1. Microsoft Windows Users - Visit to learn more about general windows maintenance !
   
   - You may have to navigate around MS in order to find your OS (Operating System)
   
2. CCleaner (Freeware) - Highly Recommended ! "CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :) ", Thanks to Gareth Abbott for Providing a link !
   
3. Registry Cleaner (Payware) - I personally love this. Not to be run every day, but if you run it every 7 days (it has a reminder feature), then you will find that your system operates well and you will see less error messages. Visit the link to learn more.
   
4. Spybot (Freeware) - "Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications." ... plus much more ! Visit the link to learn more.
   
   IMPORTANT NOTE: When installing Spybot I do not recommend the use of both SDHelper and TeaTimer. So make sure to untick the boxes otherwise you'll find your system becomes very slow!

Recommended Open Source Software (Open Source)

Listed by type of software (alphabetically)

AUDIO Software (Editing and Audio Converters)
Converter(s)

There are just too many out there. The best I have come across has to be SUPER. It is very easy to use. Visit the web site to learn more.

MediaCoder is certainly worth a look at as well !

Feel free to browse these Google results though.
Editing (including recorders)

For editing audio tracks (what ever their format) I highly recommend using this software:

Audacity - This is just fantastic and very easy to use !


ART Software (including Animation)

GIMP - One program that I really am impressed with. During university I used applications such as Photoshop 2 and Paint Shop Pro 9. This open source might not be as good but it has some great features (many which you will find in the payware products); however if your too use to using the payware stuff then you will need to read the manual on how to do simple tasks (let alone the complex ones) first before committing yourself to using this open source application.



Compression Utilities

7-Zip - This is the best compression utility I have ever used. It compresses better than Winzip and competes well with Winrar. It has a security feature which I love, which is extremely secure for when transferring files through the net or other means. I recommend the use of a password generator though.



CD / DVD Burning Software

CDBurnerXP - Never really used this myself as I got Nero along with my DVD drive so here is something that turned up my results and I would recommend it as open source.

ImgBurn  - Have used this and I have found it to be just as good as Nero Express. I recommend looking over this before deciding which you want to use. Again it's 100% free.



Data Recovery

TestDisk - Have personally used this and I have to say it is very good. The only problem is that it runs in a command prompt window (kind of like a dos mode), so it maybe a little hard to understand to the not so computer literate person. Searching for files is a pain but it does the job. I have managed to recovery files with this software relatively easily. Only downside I found is that when recovering the file(s), the file names are not the same as their original; so finding the right file afterwards is a nightmare. Try it for yourself and make up your own mind.


Email + Internet Browser

For Email Clients I recommend the use of Thunderbird (see my blog post for July 2009); or Windows Outlook Express (Windows Mail in Vista).

I also recommend the use of Mozilla's FireFox internet browser (again see my July 2009 post).



FTP Solutions

FileZilla - Highly recommend this as it is fantastic. I have used this for uploading files and downloading. Very easy to use and has a great interface.



Open Office + PDF Creator

Open Office - Just like MS Office but FREE !

PDF Creator - works well along side MS Office and Open Office. Allows you to convert any document (that prints) into a PDF document (usually making it smaller).



SECURITY (including free anti-virus)

One thing you certainly need on the internet, regardless of what you are using it for. The best FREE anti-virus software out there, which I highly recommend is AVG Free. Many people use it. As with any anti-virus software (including payware) there are still risks that you can get a virus, so make sure you set automatic updates (set by default). I have used this for more than 2 years after using Norton's 360 (has to be their best package), Kaspersky (I really liked this one) and McAfee. They are all good, but I do prefer Kaspersky or AVG Free.

Remember though, if you are not behind a router (or a software firewall) you can still get 'potentially' hacked (unlikely you will be targeted but it can happen). So make sure OS (operating system such as Windows) Firewall is turned on, and that your OS is up to date !

For routers I highly recommend Linksys (sub division of Cisco Systems). They are the best brand you can buy, with Netgear and Belkin below competing for the next top spot.



SECURITY - Encryption Software

TrueCrypt - It's the best out there for data encrypting but you need to read before you use as it is complex for non IT professionals !



VIDEO Software (editing and converters)

Converters

Nothing beats Any Video Converter (Free Version). It is extremely easy to use and does what it says in it's title.

I have used this, with only one negative comment. It is a little hard trying to convert resolutions; otherwise it is a must have !



Editing

Now, this will shock you but I have never really needed anything but Windows Movie Maker. I think people need to realise it's potential. I have managed to create some good work on YouTube using this video editing software.

However, I highly recommend using the following addons:

http://www.thefxarchive.com/index.php

Use the sub menu to get the effects you would like to use. You can download them as packs or as single addons. Huge thanks to my friend Gareth Abbott for providing this link to me !


Software which can record your desktop activity!
What do you mean by record my desktop activity?

CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs)

Here are just a few ways you can use this software:

• You can use it to create demonstration videos for any software program
• Or how about creating a set of videos answering your most frequently asked questions?
• You can create video tutorials for school or college class
• You can use it to record a recurring problem with your computer so you can show technical support people
• You can use it to create video-based information products you can sell
• You can even use it to record new tricks and techniques you discover on your favourite software program, before you forget them

How to find Open Source Software? / Where else can you look?

In time I may /may not update this. You can always search the major search engines (I recommend Google) using the criteria "open source [what ever your looking for]" (e.g. open source pdf creator).

Or try using Wikipedia (I don't trust this site myself but feel free to visit the list).

Recommend Using Mozilla's Firefox (internet browser)

Mozilla FireFox (Open Source Web Browser) + Recommended Addons

See this post:

http://charityalbumman.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/recommended-addons-for-mozill-firefox.html

Thunderbird won't wrap text? Easy Answer here !

Mozilla Thunderbird (Open Source Email Client) + Recommended Addons

Firstly you will need to download the Thunderbird Email Client.

Then I would recommend downloading and installing the following addons:

* Clicking on a link will allow you to learn more about the addon

1. Dictionary


2. Minimise to Tray


3. Dubplicate Contact Manager


4. Update Notifier


5. Copy Plain Text


6. Contacts Sidebar


7. Attachment Sizes


8. Attachment Reminder


9. Smilie Inserter


10. StartupMaster - Excellent for Password Protecting


11. How to backup your emails (requires Mozbackup as explained in the article).

Mozilla Thunderbird (Fixing the Word Wrap Issues)

Just one thing, to make sure your outgoing mail is wrapped, make sure you set the following below. This basically stops the annoyance of recipients having to scroll left and right to read messages that you have sent them.

1. Go to Tools > Options > Composition


2. On the general tab set the default Wrap plain text messages at 72 characters


3. Under HTML set the Font to one you prefer


4. Then click on the button 'Send Options' (towards the bottom right)


5. Select from the
   drop down menu "Send the message in HTML anyway"

Get your recipients to set their clients to do the same so you both don't have to scroll left and right:

• Outlook Express 5 / 6 (comes with Windows, on Vista it is called Windows Mail)


• Outlook (MS Office - All Versions)