1. Connecting a digital camera
2. Checking your modem's performance
3. Connecting a digital video camera
4. File sharing
5. Quickly activating a screen saver.
6. Connecting an ISDN box from Telstra.
7. Adding an external hard disk
8. Changing the resolution of your monitor
9. Rename a Windows XP System Folder / Rename Your Computer
10. Networking between Windows 2000 and Windows95/98 and between MacOSX and Classic Mac OS8.6+
11. Getting a home network to function
12. Preventing items from opening when logging in
13. Burning a DVD
14. Unmounting a 1394 / Firewire external drive
15. Add a shortcut / alias to the task bar / dock
16. One step backup
17. One step backup AGAIN
18. change IP address

Go to this site (http://www.xvsxp.com/) which does a complete comparison of MacOSX and Windows XP.

on a Mac running OSX 10.4

1. Plug the USB cable that came with your camera into your PC. PC recognises Canon PowerShot A70
2. PC asks which program (from a list of to launch, select Canon ZoomBrowserEX, it is the first on the list)
3. Click on Import Images at the bottom of next dialogue box
4. Dialogue box asks which source, either open a file or the Canon. Select the Canon
5. Message "No camera detected. There may be a problem with the camera communication settings or the camera is not ready. Press OK to select communication settings to re-connect or "Cancel" to stop the re-connection."
   Click on OK.
6. Dialogue box comes up asking for
   a. Port Type so select USB, and
   b. Detected Camera Models , None is the only option, click OK
7. Message from 5. above is repeated, so click Cancel
8. Close ZoomBrowser
9. Go to Google
10. Download and install Picasa
11. Try from step 2 again but this time choose Picasa
12. Picase automatically imports all the images, click Finish (Picasa does not give you the option to retain or delete images from the camera)
13. You are asked to name the folder and provide other details as needed, click Finish

1. Plug the USB cable that came with your camera into your PC
2. PC recognises Canon PowerShot A70 and a dialogue box comes to the front.
3. PC asks which program (from a list of to launch, select Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard) and click OK
4. Click next and next in following two dialogue boxes
5. Dialogue box asks for a destination and name for the folder (there is the option here to delete the contents of the camera)
6. The pictures are imported. Then presented with three options (publish on a website, order prints or do nothing). Select "Do nothing" and Click on OK.
7. Dialogue box comes up asking you to view the images: it opens up a new window in Windows Explorer.

1. Plug the USB cable that came with your camera into the Mac which recognises the camera.
2. iPhoto opens automatically and comes to the front (it tells you what camera is attached and gives you a picture of it in the bottom left of the screen)
3. Click the import button and all images on the camera are imported (you are given the option to retain or delete the images from the camera) Note: iPhoto organises all images by the date of import - the user can reorganise them later.

in Mac OS9.x

1. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Monitor
2. Choose Edit
3. Select Add item
4. Select Dial-Up Adapter
5. Select Bytes Received/Sent
6. Click OK.

Go to Control Strip > Open Remote Access

on any Mac (made since 1999)

(source: Icon magazine, Sydney Morning Herald, November 16, 2002
http://www.smh.com.au/articles
/2002/11/15/1037080910303.html)

If you're using a new digital camcorder it will, most likely, support the new IEEE 1394 connection standard. IEEE 1394 is the technical name for what you may otherwise know as FireWire or iLINK. ... you will probably need to purchase and install a FireWire expansion card to make the connection. You'll also need a cable to connect your camcorder to the FireWire port. For a desktop PC, purchase a FireWire expansion card and, if you're using a notebook, buy a FireWire PC card. (Some editing software packages come with a FireWire expansion card). To install the expansion card, turn off your PC and open the case. Ground yourself, so you don't zap any of the internal components, using a special wrist band or another approved method. (To find more information about dealing with electrostatic discharge and how to prevent it damaging your PC, visit www.pccomputernotes.com/esd/esd.htm.) Remove the backing plate from a spare PC slot, place the card in the slot and then screw it into place. You can then reassemble your computer and turn it on but don't plug anything into your card until it is set up. If you're using Windows ME or XP, the card should be detected automatically by Windows as it starts up and it will install automatically. However, if you're using Windows 98, you may need your original operating system CD to install it. If the card isn't recognised you can run the Add New Hardware Wizard from the Control Panel to search for it and install it. If you still encounter problems, first check that you don't have anything connected to your FireWire card (if you do, unplug it, turn off the computer and start over again), and, if this isn't the problem, try moving the card to another vacant slot. Once you have the expansion card installed, check the manufacturer's website to see if there is an updated driver and if so, download and install it.

plug the firewire cable that came with your Mac into the camera

in Mac OS9.x

To turn off file sharing in Windows 95/98/ME:

1. Click on the Start menu.
2. Go to Settings, and click on Control Panel.
3. Double-click on the Network icon.
4. From the Network window, click on the bar labeled "File and Print Sharing." A dialog box will appear.
5. Make sure that neither of the check boxes are checked. Click on the OK button.
6. Click on the OK button for the Network Control Panel.
7. You may be prompted to insert your Windows 95 CD, and you will need to reboot your computer for any changes to take effect.

To turn off file sharing in a Mac

1. Go to the Apple Menu.
2. Select Control Panels and File Sharing.
3. Click on the "Stop" (File Sharing) button. (Note: no reboot is necessary.)

or

Go to Control Strip > TurnFile Sharing off

in Mac OSX

To set a keyboard shortcut for screensaver activation

(source: Icon magazine, Sydney Morning Herald, p.10. March 2-3, 2003)

1. Open Windows Explorer and move the window around so you can see part of the desktop around it.
2. Locate the Windows/system folder.
3. Find your screensaver file (it will have the .scr extension.
4. Right click the file and drag it (using the right mouse button) onto the desktop. From the menu that appears, choose Create Shortcut(s) Here.
5. Close Windows Explorer and return to your desktop. (you now have a shortcut to the screensaver that you can start any time by clicking it)
6. Assign a keyboard shortcut to it by right clicking the shortcut and choose Properties, Shortcut tab.
7. Click in the Shortcut key area and press the key combination you want to assign to the screensaver.
8. Click Apply
9. Click Close to finish

to activate use the key combination selected in 7.

To set a mouse shortcut for screensaver activation

1. Select Systems Preferences in the dock
2. Select Screen Saver
3. Select Hot Corners
4. Select a square for activation
5. Close system preferences

to activate move the mouse to the corner selected in 4.

in Mac OS

USB Installation of NT1 PlusII

USB Installation of NT1 PlusII

Getting online with NT1 PlusII

Getting online with NT1 PlusII

in Mac OSX

Source:July 1, 2002 For Plug-and-Play, I Pick the Apple by Peter Coffee http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,324759,00.asp

About two years ago, I believe it was, ADS Technologies sent me one of its Pyro Drive Kit packages: an enclosure, with interface electronics, designed to turn a standard hard disk into a plug-and-play IEEE 1394 device. To my chagrin, though it certainly wasn't the company's fault, the ADS unit required Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows 2000 (or a Macintosh) at a time when my only available machines used either the original Win98 or NT 4. That box sat in another corner. Last week, I realized that I had gradually accumulated a Win98 SE laptop, a Win2K laptop, and a Mac OS X laptop all with IEEE 1394 connections, along with (theoretically) the necessary software support. The time had come to take advantage of high-speed plug-and-play storage. I assembled the drive kit, powered up the boxes, and anticipated great things.

On Windows 98 SE, a "required" software update left me with a machine that could not even boot to the GUI desktop. I had to bring it up in command-line mode, run the registry scanner, and settle (with a sigh of relief) for system self-repair that restored the state where I'd begun. I guess I should be glad that I can write this column on that machine, but it sure is a struggle to feel thankful. If my Win2K machine weren't my primary photo/video system, with the attendant need for portable high-speed storage, I might be tempted to search for an updated software driver that would make the Win98 SE interface work. I may do so anyway, after my recent discoveries about how hard it is to really defragment a WinNT/2K/XP drive; I've used this Win98 SE machine with a FireWire camcorder, so I know it's not a hardware problem. But come on, there's work to be done.

On Windows 2000, I got a cheerful report (but only after double-clicking the obscure taskbar icon for managing plug-and-play hardware) that the 1394 device was working correctly. OK, so where was the Explorer icon for my new drive? Nowhere to be seen. But kudos go to Tuan, at ADS technical support: Less than 24 hours after I left a hotline message ("Where, oh where has my disk icon gone?"), he called me and talked me through the process of getting Windows 2000 to admit that the disk was there and to put it to work. But it was a journey that most users would find intimidating, involving several layers of navigation through utilities with forbidding names and impeded by insistently helpful wizards. It certainly wasn't what you would call "discoverable."

Source:July 1, 2002 For Plug-and-Play, I Pick the Apple by Peter Coffee http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,324759,00.asp

When I plugged the drive into the Titanium PowerBook's spinal-tap connector, I got a courteous dialog box offering to format the disk (this happened before I had persuaded Win2K to see it) as a Mac, DOS or Unix volume. When this was done, the system offered me a completely obvious GUI utility for creating partitions and making other optional settings. I had a fully functional drive, desktop icon and all.

in Mac Classic

1. Click on the Start Button.
2. Move the Mouse to "Settings."
3. Wait a few moments.
4. Click on "Control Panel."
5. Wait a few moments.
6. Find the icon that says "Display" and double-click on it.
7. Wait a few moments.
8. Click on the tab that says "Settings."
9. Look where it says "Screen Area" and drag the slider to the desired screen resolution level.
10. Click on "OK."
11. Click "OK" on the dialog that pops up.
12. Wait a few moments for your display to resize.
13. Click "OK" on the dialog that makes sure you want to keep the display resolution.
14. Close the Control Panel.
(Mouse clicks: 10)
(Mouse movements: 10)

Or:
1. Double-click on the "My Computer" icon.
2. Double-click on the "Control Panel" icon.
3. Wait a few moments.
4. Find the icon that says "Display" and double-click on it.
5. Wait a few moments.
6. Click on the tab that says "Settings."
7. Look where it says "Screen Area" and drag the slider to the desired screen resolution level.
8. Click on "OK."
9. Click "OK" on the dialog that pops up.
10. Wait a few moments for your display to resize.
11. Click "OK" on the dialog that makes sure you want to keep the display resolution.
12. Close the Control Panel.
13. Close the "My Computer" window.
(Mouse clicks: 13)
(Mouse movements: 10)

Or:

1. Right-click on the desktop.
2. Choose "Properties" from the popup menu.
3. Wait a few moments.
4. Click on the tab that says "Settings."
5. Look where it says "Screen Area" and drag the slider to the desired screen resolution level.
6. Click on "OK."
7. Click "OK" on the dialog that pops up.
8. Wait a few moments for your display to resize.
9. Click "OK" on the dialog that makes sure you want to keep the display resolution.
(Mouse clicks: 7)
(Mouse movements: 7)

1. Click on the Control Strip tab to pop it open.
2. Click on the button that has the picture of the monitor with a checkerboard pattern on it.
3. Click on the desktop resolution and refresh rate that you want.
4. Wait a few moments for your display to resize.
5. Click on either end of the Control Strip to collapse it.

(Mouse clicks: 4)
(Mouse movements: 4)

in Mac OSX

Irritating little mistake is probably too complicated to fix by George Skarbek
SMH November 11 2002

Q. Is there a way to rename a Windows XP System Folder? (C:\Documents and Settings/myName). The technician who installed my new hard drive spelt my name wrong and it annoys me whenever I see it. M. Hertager

A. Unfortunately this is not possible to do without a full reinstallation of XP. The operating system will not allow this as there are too many references to this folder in the Registry and other areas such as user privileges. Attempting to do this manually is a daunting task and I would not recommend it.

Networking between Windows 2000 and Windows95/98

source: http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/wxpwin9x.htm

Networking between MacOSX and Classic Mac OS8.6+

1) Common protocol: Either install on all system NetBEUI protocol or TCP/IP: Since the default protocol for Windows XP is now TCP/IP, you should also use TCP/IP on the Windows95/98/ME system. (for details on the selection/ installation of protocols, please view the Adjust the Network Configuration) Check on TCP/IP properties: for Windows95, you must define manually an IP-address, for Windows98/ME, you can select to use the Windows 98 TCP/IP AutoConfiguration. however: since the Windows98 Auto-IP-configuration will cause a delay at startup, I strongly suggest to assign manually an IP-address (use an address from the range 192.168.x.x with subnetmask 255.255.255.0 ) test, that you have a working network connection to the Windows2000 system by making the TCP/IP PING test. Verify the Windows XP Network. By default, TCP/IP is installed and configured for an Automatic IP-configuration. Although it will not delay the startup, the network will not be ready for a while, since the IP-address will not yet be defined. I suggest to define the IP-address manually, assigning an IP-address in the same range as defined on the Windows95/98 system. test, that you have a working network connection to the Windows95/98/ME system by making the TCP/IP PING test.

2) Install File-and-Printer Sharing: You need to install the "File-and-Printer Sharing" on Windows95/98/ME as part of the Network configuration. "File-and-Printer Sharing" is installed already by default, see the Windows XP Network Verification.

3) make sure to be in the same workgroup: Check in the Network-Configuration, tab: Identification, that the name of the workgroup is the same as defined on the Windows 2000 system. Check in the Properties of "My Computer", tab: Network Identification, that the name of the workgroup is the same as defined on the Windows95/98/ME system. if required, adjust it.

4) Make the resources available by Sharing disks/folders on Windows95/98/ME and by sharing disks/folders on Windows XP Home Edition / sharing disks/folders on Windows XF Prof.

5) If you used Windows XP professional, create a WindowsXP Username for the user working on the Windows95/98/ME system: Display Screen Shot Graphic / Registered User ? use Windows XP User Management to create a username and password to be used to logon on the Windows95/98/ME system.

6) Login on the Windows95/98/ME system on startup with the username and password defined in the step above, when connecting to Windows XP Professional : You can use any Username and password to connect to Windows XP Home Edition, but you MUST define a username (and password, if required) to logon (if you select on the Windows95/98/ME "Enter Network Password" to "Cancel" or press the "ESC-key", then you did NOT logon to the network and can NOT use the network ! )

7) the Windows95 "Network Neighborhood" should allow you now to access the WindowsXP system and the Windows XP "My Network Places" / "Computers Near Me" access to the Windows: Display Screen Shot Graphic / Registered User ?If you get the request to enter a password on connection to a Windows XP Professional system for the IPC$ resource, then there is a mismatch between the username/password and permission defined on the XP-system and the username/password used when making the logon to the Windows95/98/ME system. There is a new behavior with Windows XP on network access , when using usernames without any passwords : Display Screen Shot Graphic / Registered User ?Although Windows XP allows to logon without passwords, it requires that passwords are defined for users, when such users like to connect via the network to shared resources on the Windows XP system : Trying to access from Windows95/98 to Windows XP with matching usernames but using blank ( = no ) passwords will result on Windows95 to an "Unknown Error 31". Solution : define on both systems a password for this user or use on Windows XP the Group-Policy Editor to allow network access without passwords.

1. Open Network preferences on OSX and TCP-IP in OS8.6, select Ethernet in TCP-IP and define an IP address.
2. Turn on Appletalk for both computers (In network for OSX, in the Appletalk menu in OS8.6.
3. Open users and groups on OS8.6 and create a login/password.
4. In Finder for OSX select go > connect to server.
5. Pick the OS8.6 computer from the list, login to the computer.

for OS8.6+
3a. On OSX computer put the items you want to share into the public folder
4a Select Chooser and Appletalk
5a. Select the computer you want to connect to.

QA
By Nicole Manktelow
December 20, 2003
Icon in The Sydney Morning Herald

Networking between two MacOSX computers

Q1: I have run network wizard for home on my two Windows XP computers but cannot get the network to work. The main computer is a PC using the Home version. It has a cable connected to a Toshiba notebook that uses the Professional version of XP. I have tried every "help" available and the only message I get is that the server could not be found on the network.

A: " Take a look at the excellent help site Practically Networked. It suggests the number one problem in setting up a home network is that settings on firewalls, even XP's own firewall, can get in the way. Next, check this site's Windows XP troubleshooter, which should help you work through and tackle the most common causes for XP-related networking despair."

1. Open System preferences > Sharing on both computers.
2. Check the box "Personal File Sharing"
3. To connect from one computer to the other computer type Command - K
4. Select the computer from the list and enter the user name and password for the other computer.

Stopping applications opening when Windows launches

source:Sydney Morning Herald IT p.14 March 8-9 2003

Preventing items from opening when you log in
If applications open automatically when you start up or log in, you may want to prevent these applications from opening.
source: MacOSX Help

1. Click Start, run and type 'msconfig'
2. Press Enter
3. Choose the startup tab and disable any applications you don't want to open when Windows starts
4. Click Apply and OK
5. Restart the computer (to allow the change in settings to apply)

Either
If the login window appears when you start up your computer, hold down the Shift key then click the Login button.
or
If you don't see the login window, hold down the Shift key when you see the progress bar in the startup window. Continue holding down the key until the Finder appears and startup completely finishes.

Note : changes for more than one login do not require a restart

source:http://www.imaging-resource.com/IRNEWS/archive/current.htm#toc

http://www.imaging-resource.com/IRNEWS/archive/current.htm#toc

Recently, we took a leisurely month to burn a DVD slide show using DVDit! on Windows XP. We chronicled our adventure in the Oct. 18 issue last year as part of our ongoing Slide Show Project.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/IRNEWS/archive/v04/20021018.htm

"It took us a month, but we finally burned our first DVD on Windows XP. ...

Yes, we were greatly annoyed as we hit brick wall after brick wall.

When you break free of the computer, you break free of an awful lot of problems."

Recently, we took a leisurely month to burn a DVD slide show using DVDit! on Windows XP. We chronicled our adventure in the Oct. 18 issue last year as part of our ongoing Slide Show Project. Some helpful souls suggested we'd enjoy life more if we used iDVD on the Mac. So we did. Apple sent a G4 with a SuperDrive and iDVD 3. We got out our calendar to time it, but then thought we should note the time too, in case those helpful souls were right.

It was 4:50 p.m. when we launched the Tutorial...

At 6:10 we were ready to burn ...

We were done at 6:26.

on Windows Me/2000/XP

on a Mac

1. Right click the green arrow icon on the system tray
2. Select Remove/Reject devices
3. Highlight the drive in the dialogue box
4. Click on Stop
5. Choose the 1394 external drive that you want to disconnect,
6. Click on Stop again on the next screen
7. Wait for the prompt "You may safely remove this device" and unplug the drive

1. Drag the drive's icon to the trash
   (or Cmd-Y in Classic, or Cmd-E in OSX)
2. Unplug the drive
   

on Windows Me/2000/XP

on a Mac

1. Right-click on Taskbar
2. Choose New Toolbar...
3. Select drive or folder (or Network volume, Internet Address, etc., etc.)
4. Click OK

1. Locate the icon / folder you want
   
2. Drag it to the right side of the dock
   

on Windows Me/2000
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/12/1052591725527.html

on a Mac OS9

I want to create a simple command to do a copy back-up of a work folder to a portable drive. I would like to save the command on the desktop for ready access, i.e. so I can do the copy with one double-click. I would like to do it in Windows 2000 and Windows Me. G. Sutherland

This can be done using a DOS BAT file with the copy commands and then making it into a shortcut.
For example D: CD\MyBackups xcopy "C:\windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\*.pst" /D /Y CD\MyBackups\favs xcopy C:\DOCUME~1\GEORGE~1\ FAVORI~1\*.* CD\MyBackups\eudora xcopy c:\eudora\*.* /D /S /Y The /D switch instructs the DOS xcopy command to copy only new or modified files.

This means if you have 1000 files and you have added one and modified two files, only three files will be copied. The /S switch instructs to copy all the sub-folders. The /Y switch instructs to copy without asking if you wish to replace the older files. If the folder name has a space in it or is longer than eight characters then quotes must be used per the Outlook example above.

However, you can still use the DOS file names as per the favourites example shown. Put a shortcut to this BAT file on your desktop and then you can back up with a single click. Another advantage of this method is that to restore a file, you just have to use Explorer to copy it and not worry about back-up programs.

To create a backup procedure to a removable medium (floppy, flash, zip or netwirk drive)

1. Go to Apple> Control Panels> File synchronisation
2. Select the local file you want to back up.
3. Insert the backup medium and select it in File synchronisation

Whenever you want to backup go to Apple> Control Panels> File synchronisation and click on the "synchronise" button

this time for Windows XP
from Geroge Skarbek's Tech Tips in Sydney Morning Herald - 6th July 2004
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/05/1089000078120.html?oneclick=true

on Mac OSX

Q2. I have learned the hard way about back-ups and purchased a USB drive (512 MB) in order to back up everything, externally as well as internally. Can I copy/save/back up a collection of files, eg My Documents, or do I have to copy each one individually? Microsoft Word's Help function is no help. - Old and technologically challenged, P. Elliott

A2. The good news is there is a very easy way, but it will be slow. The bad news is that a faster way will require you to write a tiny BAT (batch) file or use additional software.

The quick way is simply to plug in the USB drive and, using Windows Explorer, drag the My Documents folder to the new drive. If you have 1000 files in these sub-folders, all will be copied over. However, the next day, if you have added one file and modified two, this method will still copy all 1001 files. In order to automatically copy just the required three files, you will need to create a BAT file and then you can easily make it into an icon on the desktop and rapidly back up with a double-click on that icon. Using this method, the back-up will copy just the required three files.

In case you are still reading this and not running Windows XP, the method is as follows. Use Word to write one line similar to this: xcopy "C:\My Documents" X:\MyDocs /S /D /I /Y where X is the drive letter of the USB drive, and save it in the \Windows folder as MyBackup.bat, ensuring that the Save as Type is selected as Plain Text (*.txt). This last step is essential, as are the quotes. Now, all you have to do is to right-click on this new BAT file, Create Shortcut and drag it to the desktop. This method will create a new folder called MyDocs and subsequently copy only new or changed files.
If you are running Windows XP, then the line in the BAT file will have to be: xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\My Documents" X:\MyDocs /S /D /I /Y but all else will be the same.
If you have other important folders, then just add one line per folder to the BAT file, such as xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\Favorites" X:\MyFavs /S /D /I /Y

George Skarbek's latest book, Computer Guide, based on this column is available from skarbek.com.au and at many bookshops, or you can post a cheque for $36 to Skarbek Consulting, Suite 120, 66 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, Vic 3150. George Skarbek runs a computer consulting company and can be contacted at gskarbek@melbpc.org.au.

To create a backup procedure to a removable medium (USB, Firewire or network drive)

1. Download freeware such as Silverkeeper*
2. Install the software
3. Configure the software following the fairly straightforward onscreen instructions
4 Configuration will take about 4 to 5 steps depending on what you want to do

*
SilverKeeper will Backup, Compare, Synchronize or Restore folders on Apple Power Macintosh computers. It can copy or compare folders of any writable device that is visible as a volume mounted on the Macintosh Desktop. This includes hard drives, ZIP drives, DVD-RAM drives; almost any internal or external Macintosh disk or flash device.

on Windows XP Home to change IP address
http://bbs.xvsxp.com/forums/index.php?
act=ST&f=1&t=751&s=68ccb1195ff023750fac0736026b094d

on a Mac OSX to change IP address

Click on "Start"
Click on "Control Panel"
Click on "Network and Internet Connections" (technically the same thing...)
Click on "Network Connections"
Double click on "Local Area Connection"
Click "Properties" button
Scroll down and find "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and select it. Click "Properties" button
Congratulations, you have access to the IP address settings dialog!
Total layers between normal operation and IP address settings: 7
Holy FREAKING crap. I mean, come on! What average person can figure that out, let alone remember it! Now, let's take a look at OS X's method for accessing network settings, and the IP address settings of the ethernet interface.

Go to Apple menu and Location
Choose the preset location

How to preset a location (network settings)
Select "System Preferences" from Location and enter the appropriate TCP/IP, Airport, Proxies etc

2 easy-to-follow steps on a Mac

Mobile users with a PowerBook or iBook will find this particularly useful