Tag: Nbsp

Pandora Chrome Extension

  In a previous post I talked about the Windows Pandora Gadget; I wanted to find a similar way to play Pandora on OSX and came across a solution for cross platform compatibility (using Chrome).


I found a Chrome extension called Anesidora that plays Pandora without the need to have a tab open for Pandora.com and it never plays ads. Anasidora was previously hosted in the Chrome extension store but has been taken down. Once i found a download site i was able to install the extension however, it would not let me log in! The hosted download is a later version that has a simple bug and here is how to fix it:


Edit: I have found a site that hosts a working version thanks to a Facebook friend:
http://chromeunderground.blogspot.com/2011/04/pandora-extension.html


1. Go here and download the extension (using Chrome) http://pandora-extension.googlecode.com/files/Anesidora-1.3.2.crx


2. You’ll get the issue where it won’t let you login. This is because of a bug in version 1.3.2. The Web Store version was up to 1.3.7 I believe and had fixed this issue, but in the 1.3.2 version the bug still exists.

3. To fix it you have to hunt for the file “anesidora.js”
On OSX extensions are located at: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Extensions
On Linux, extensions are located at: ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions/
On Windows XP, extensions are located at: C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions
And on Windows Vista/7, extensions are located at: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions
For Windows, you may have to ‘Show All Hidden Files’ to see the AppData directory in Vista/7, or Local Settings directory in XP.

This is worth it stick with me!


4. You’ll know you’ve found the right folder when you see the a folder “1.3.2.0”.

5. When you’ve found that folder, open it, and then open the “js” folder, and you’ll see the file “anesidora.js”. Open that with your favorite text editor, and do a search for “v3” (use ctrl+f). There should only be one occurrence. It will say v30 or v31 to start with, but it needs to say v32.

6. Change it to v32, save it, and restart Chrome. You should now be able to login and enjoy the wonderful experience that is Anesidora.

Please comment below if you run into any issues so i can modify my post with more clarity if need be.


Microsoft Security Essentials (Antivirus)

       If you’re running Windows you’re going to want to run up-to-date antivirus software. There is no need to pay for antivirus anymore because Microsoft Security Essentials is free if you have a genuine copy of Windows (not pirated). It protects against viruses, spyware, and other malware without being a resource hog in return not killing system performance like many other anti-virus’. No anti-virus software is fool-proof so you will still have to browse safely and make sure to run Windows updates, which Microsoft Security Essentials is integrated into. Once MSE is installed it will reside in the system tray in the bottom right hand corner of your task-bar; make sure to keep an eye out for the little castle looking icon and if it’s orange or red, it needs attention.


The download page can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/mse.aspx

Internet Connectivity Diagnostics

      I wish i would have found this troubleshooting guide sooner. Networking problems are a computer problem that i cannot simply solve by connecting remotely to a machine so i usually end up troubleshooting over the phone which isn’t the most convenient. This diagnostic map was put together by a networking tech support guru to whom i owe many thanks! Print off the map or view it on another computer while trying to solve internet connectivity issues.


http://mind42.com/pub/mindmap?mid=0f55a05d-f7ca-47f6-a800-8afa3f20c526


Monoprice





    I buy all of my cables exclusively from Monoprice.com because of their low prices, quantity discounts, helpful reviews, and online chat for both customer service and tech support. I wanted to bring Monoprice to the attention of my readers in part of the rise of HDMI cables and the ridiculous marketing strategies companies like Monster cable conduct to ensure you need the best. The average consumer will not need the best cable out there because for the most part it is unnecessary, especially for short cable run distances. It never pays to go with the most expensive first; Monoprice offers a solid return policy and satisfaction guarantee so if the cable is not up to your standards a quick return is all that is required. 


HDMI Cable price comparison
Monoprice: $4.34 (10ft.) VS. Monster: $69.95 (13.12 ft.)


Do you NEED the best?  


Ninite

     I’ve mentioned Ninite in “Removing Malware” but wanted to dedicate a post to this nifty site. Ninite has a categorized list of some of the most useful applications and bulks the installation files together to streamline the installation process. Ninite fully automates the installations so you don’t have to click “next”, says no to installing toolbars, chooses the correct version for your PC (32 or 64), installs the app in your PC’s language, and updates the app if it is already installed. The site comes in handy if you have to wipe your operating system and need to re-install the applications; this can save HOURS. I’ve discovered many new apps that i had never heard of because of this site and best of all most of them are free.

On a personal machine this is what i would choose to download on a fresh Windows install:



Jing

    As a provider of tech support i find screen shots incredibly helpful when troubleshooting a user’s problem. If everyone knew how to do this it would make my life, as well as the clients, a lot easier. Capturing a screen shot can be as easy as using Windows 7’s snip-it tool or simply pressing the Prnt Scrn (print screen) button and pasting it into paint. From there you can upload the screen shot in order to share it with others or save it to your machine. This is all fine and dandy but i find a little program called Jing a step above. Jing can capture a precise screen shot or video, let you edit it in a user friendly fashion, host it online, and then gives you the option to copy it to the clipboard as a url or download it. 


Jing is free so give it a try: http://www.techsmith.com/download/jing/


My take on SSD’s



I’ve been getting asked a lot of questions about SSD’s lately so i figured i would post about my experiences with them: About 4 months ago i put a 60GB OCZ Agility ($110) SSD in my desktop and have absolutely loved it. I put my operating system (Win 7 Pro x64) and programs on this drive and still have 20GB left over. The biggest performance increases are faster boot times (around 20 seconds), programs startup as if they are minimized, and installations are very quick.

After the hard drive failed in my Dell notebook i decided to upgrade to a Corsair SSD based on my experience with the one in my desktop. I use my notebook mainly to take notes in class, browse the web, and check emails so i opted for a small 30GB SSD (Also, because i couldn’t afford a larger capacity). I store all of my data online (mainly dropbox and google docs) so this justified my reasoning behind this decision as well. In the future i plan to replace my optical drive (CD/DVD) with a high capacity hard drive, for a total of two hard drives.

Now, for my recommendation: If you have a machine that you would like to upgrade and have the money, go SSD. The cost of SSD’s is slowly coming down so if you can’t afford it, wait. If you can decrease your dependency on local storage (your hard drive) then you can sacrifice capacity for a cheaper priced SSD. A great program to figure out how much space you are using on your current machine is Treesize free. This will display how much space you are using and where the utilized space is located.