How to revive an old XP-PC to a useful PC

First you have to ask yourself if it’s worth it – for instance:

  1. has it got enough memory (2gb or more)
  2. is the processor good enough (2mhz or better)
  3. is there 6gb or more free disk space on your hard drive

If you answered “Yes” to all the above questions you can then safely install Ubuntu (Linux) onto your PC/Laptop.

You can install it either as the ONLY operating system on your PC or change your PC to become a dual boot system; where you have to answer (at boot time) which system to use (a Ubuntu screen where both Ubuntu and Windows are the choices).

By using dual boot you can then when you need to re-boot and use Windows for example for your scanner – that is – if you can’t find the Linux driver for it.

Linux Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS will automatically install:

  1. Rhythmbox – Music Player
  2. Shotwell – Photo Manager
  3. GIMP – Image Editor
  4. PiTiVi – Video Editor
  5. FireFox – Web Browser
  6. Thunderbird – Email reader
  7. LibraOffice – similar to OpenOffice Word, Excel, PowerPoint …

Ubuntu offers thousands of apps available for download from the software center. Most are available for free and can be installed with just a few clicks.



Just a Snippet I came across

How many times have you wanted to be able to cut just a little piece out of a screen display, be it from an advert, an internet picture or just some text somewhere on your screen?

 

Up till now I had to: take a screenshot (using either [Print Screen] {whole screen} or [Alt]+[Print screen] {active window only}) and paste it into a picture manipulation program; then cut out the bit I was interested in and save that bit.

 

Once, while I was fixing a customers PC I saw an icon of “Snipping Tool” and ask my customer what it was, he didn’t quite know as his daughter might have put it there. So I made a note and checked when I got home; this is what I found.

What is the Microsoft snipping tool?

clip_image002
Snipping Tool is a screen shooting utility included in Windows Vista and later.

    It can be found in “All Programs” -> “Accessories”.

  • If you want it on your desktop:
  • Right-Click it and “Send to” -> “Desktop (create shortcut)”

clip_image002[4]

You can use Snipping Tool to capture a screen shot, or snip, of any object on your screen, and then annotate, save, or share the image.

    It can take screenshots of an open window using:

  1. “Free-Form Snip”
  2. “Rectangular Snip”
  3. “Window Snip”
  4. “Full Screen Snip”

 

    Snips can then be annotated using a mouse, then:

  1. Save As: a PNG, GIF, JPEG or MHT file,
  2. Send To: as e-mail attachment or part of e-mail body.

 



My bad start to 2016

Happy 2016 – I wish you all a successful and prosperous year.

Now that I have started ‘working’ again – IT-buddy at the library today was a waste of time as nobody turned up. So my two hours reserved for the library was in vain;
and tomorrows two hours has already been cut to just one; but that’s ok because I know.

Aggie, my supervisor, is getting me two new students for Wednesdays.

On the positive side; I fixed a laptop that didn’t want to start, and it only took two hours.



Windows 7 Gadgets

Have you ever lost your Win7 gadgets?

You went out in the morning and they were there,
you came back late and they were gone!

Swear, swear!
How to get them back?
This might work; at least it did for me.

  1. Type “windows feature” in ‘the search programs’ on the Start menu.
  2. Select “Turn Windows features on or off”.
  3. Wait while windows collect all the information
  4. Scroll down to “Windows Gadget Platform”
  5. If it is ticked, un-tick it and reboot your PC.
    then repeat step 1-4 and go to step 6.
  6. If it is un-ticked, tick it and reboot your PC.
  7. This time – after the final reboot your gadgets should be back.