One function that is under used in windows is the SUBST command. It allows you to map a drive letter to a local folder. This is useful when you are dealing with large directory paths or you want a quick and easy way to access a frequently used folder.
I will use a relativity short folder structure here but you will still be able to see the benefit of this command.
If we have a bunch of files located in the folder C:\- data\code\project\USB (graphic1) each time we want to use them we need to navigate through the folder structure to access them. Surprisingly time consuming…
Would it not be easier just to go to a driver letter like T:\?
Sure it would, so let get it done!
- Fire up the command prompt
- CLICK start > run
- Type CMD and click OK
- You should now be presented with the command prompt screen
- Assign a drive letter to a folder (graphic2)
- Type subst t: “C:\- data\code\project\USB” (you can substitute t: for any free drive on your system)
- Type t: press enter or check it through windows explorer (graphic4)
- Show subst options(graphic3)
- Type subst /?
- To display a list of current virtual drives.
- Type subs
If you suffer from acute command line phobia you can check out the great utility visual-subst this will do everything you need from the comfort and security of your well loved GUI.
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Gmail has been around for a while now and is still the #1 choice for most webmail users.
Gmail acheives this by inovation and giving the users what they want, like accessing it over a secure connection.
Without going in to too much detail, the reason you want to use https is that all communication that takes place between your PC and the gmail server will be kept private. This means nobody at work will be able to take a peak at what your doing or that geeky kid at the back of starbuck will not steal your passwords.
How to enable HTTPS in Gmail
- logon to your gmail account
- locate and click on settings at the top right of your screen
- under the general tab scroll to the bottom
- you should now see the options for browser connection
- click always use https
- click the button save changes
- sit back and access gmail with all the secure socket layer protection goodness
I use a KVM at work and in my home and really can’t live without it.
One of my bug bears is, when I plug in a Windows XP PC that has been using a PS2 keyboard and mouse it will not recognise my USB keyboard and mouse through the KVM!
This is one of these problems that only happens once in a while, but generally the time is long enough in between that I always forget how to quickly fix it!
The Problem
Windows will not load the USB keyboard and mouse driver until you logon. This is only an issue if you use the windows welcome screen see the graphic opposite. If you are setup to go straight in to windows, this wont affect you.
The Fix
Simply plug in a PS2 keyboard before you boot, CONTROL + ALT + DELETE enter your logon credentials. Once Windows has loaded your KVM should pick up the correct drive and work!
If you have ever done any system administration you will quickly find that many users think Outlooks auto complete feature is a fully fledged address book, but it’s not.
A feature I thought Microsoft would look at in Office 2007 is a more robust auto complete feature set, sadly this is not the case. However it is still a nice feature to have in your arsenal.
The brains of auto complete lies in the Outlook.NK2 file. This is the place that stores all the auto complete entries, you can get to this file by navigating through explorer to…
C:\Documents and Settings\user.name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.NK2
user.name should be subsituted for the user name of the account you are using.
Basic method
You can simply copy this file to the same location on any computer, the usernames do not need to match. Then they will have the same autocomplete entries as the source computer.
Advanced method
A great utility for managing your NK2 files is NK2View from the guys at Nirsoft. This will let you import/export enteries and easily backup your NK2 files amongst other things.
