How To Easily Compress Your Video Files in Vista

When recording video with your digital cameras, they can leave you with pretty big files for just a few seconds of video. Windows has a program that allows you to shrink these files by almost 1/3 in just a few steps.

Windows Vista and XP has a program called Windows Movie Maker which can be used to slightly edit videos. For the purpose of this tutorial, I'll just show you how to use that program to compress your videos by almost a third to save storage space. I'll also make a tutorial for Windows XP shortly.

When recording video on a Digital Camera, you usually get a slightly compressed AVI. In my example of the 2004 NYE fireworks in Las Vegas, my 3 minute video with sound was about 48 MB, as shot from my Canon PowerShot G5. After compressing the video to a WMV, the file turned out to be just shy of 19 MB.

Open Windows Movie Maker by pressing the Start Button > All Programs > Windows Movie Maker

The program will open. Theres a few main parts to the program.

• On the top of course is the menu bar.
• On the left is the Tasks.
• In the middle is basically your Movie Library where you can edit your videos.
• On the right is where you can preview your videos
• On the bottom is where you drag your videos incase you want to combine videos together (along with transitions if you like)

So, to compress a video, add the video you want to the Movie library by Importing the movie. You can do this in a few ways.

1. Just drag and drop the video file from the folder directly into the middle Library secion of the program; or
2. Click File > Import from Digital Video Camera or File > Import Media Items; or
3. Click the Import Media button just below the menu bar; or
4. Under the Import section in the Tasks menu (left side) click the corresponding button. In our case, select Videos

Once you have imported a video into the library, you can access them from the program now. Select the video you want to compress and drag it into the bottom Storyboard where it says "Drag Media Here".

Next we want to Publish the Video, which will also compress it. You can also do this in a number of ways.

1. Click File > Publish Movie; or
2. In the Task menu under Publish to select where you want to save the video to

Select where you want to save the file to. In my example I will choose This Computer.

Enter in a file name for your video, and select the destination. I will save my video to my Desktop so I can easily find my compressed video.

Next it will ask you how you would like to publish the movie. I selected Best Quality for playback on my computer (recommended) because it still shrinks the video by about 1/3 if you select the same settings I have. Of course you can play around with the video, to increase the quality of the video or decrease. It's all up to you. You can even set an exact file size that you want your video to be by selecting Compress To: and selecting a file size. You can also play around with More Settings and choose different file types and formats. All of this will affect the final size of your video. So play around if you wish.

Next, click Publish.

Your computer will do its thing and will save your file wherever you told it to.

How To Configure Windows Vista Search Indexing Option

So you're wondering why the heck is my hard drive light constantly flashing when you aren't doing anything. The answer is simple.

Indexing Options is on by default and I did write a tutorial about how to turn the service off but I looked back why I wanted to turn the service off in the first place. Simple, it was destroying my hard drive by making it work 99% of the time. To cut the story short let's leave it on but lets optimize this feature and actually index the folders we would want to search.

1. Click on Windows Icon from the taskbar aka the start menu (bottom left corner by default)
2. Click on Control Panel
3. Double click Indexing Options
4. Click on Modify button
5. Select the drive(s), folders you want and it gives you the option to index your Microsoft Outlook.
   

How To Remove Windows Genuine Authentication

Have you updated your copy of Windows and received the "This copy of Windows is not genuine" notification. Have you ever wondered how to get rid of it?

The Windows Genuine Advantage notification checks if you have a genuine copy of Windows registered to that computer. It allows you to update your computer with the Windows updates. If you have installed it, and you do not have a genuine copy of Windows XP installed, then you may notice an icon at the bottom of your window before you Login. It will make you wait three seconds before allowing you to login.

In your tray, you will also notice a WGA icon telling you that you may be a victim of software counterfeiting.

Here's how to get rid of it.

The Long Way:

• 
  
  The longer way is to restart your computer and go into Safe Mode. Once in safe mode, non-essential programs will not run, includingWgaTray.exe (the Windows Genuine Advantage program). Once in Safe Mode go toC:\Windows\System32\ and locate and delete WgaTray.exe
  
  
  

Cheat notes for computer savy users:

1. 
   
   Restart your computer and boot into safe mode (press F8 while you restart your computer)
   
   
   
2. 
   
   In Safe mode browse to C:\Windows\System32\
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Search for WgaTray.exe and Delete it.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Reboot your computer and you are done.
   
   
   

The Quick but more difficult way (requires speed):

• If you do not want to restart your computer and get into Safe Mode, you can do it in the following way. This requires a bit of speed with both the mouse and keyboard because every time you close the WgaTray.exe process, it will restart itself in less than a second.

• Go to C:\Windows\System32\ and locate WgaTray.exe and highlight it. Trying to delete this right now will not work since WgaTray.exe is currently running. Next press ctrl+alt+del and select theprocess tab. Find WgaTray.exe in the list. To make it easier to find it, you can sort the list in alphabetical order by clicking the Process title at the top. Highlight WgaTray.exe.

• Here's where your speed comes in. You have to end the WgaTray.exe process and then quickly go to the other window and delete WgaTray.exe.

• Tip: Press end process then enter, then alt+tab, then delete, then enter. This is the sequence you should go through.

• Note: If you do not delete WgaTray.exe before the program restarts itself, you will not be able to delete it. You will have to try again.

In both cases, continue with the following steps.

Next go to C:\Windows\System32\dllcache\ and delete WgaTray.exe here also.

Next you have to modify your registry.

• Press the Start Button > Run and type regedit and then press enter.
• Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify and delete the WGALOGON folder.

That's all you have to do, now you are WGA free. Just make sure you don't automatically install the WGA update again. Restart your computer to see if you did it correctly. The WGA logo should not appear on your login screen.

DISCLAIMER: We do not condone having pirated copies of Windows on your computer. You should have one CAL per computer. This is for educational purposes only. 

You can simply use a little application to remove windows genuine authentication notification: RemoveWGA

Dot TK Brings Free Domain Names With DNS Support

Dot TK – the free .tk domain name provider service has added a new and exciting feature: now you can use .tk domain names just like any other normal domain name (like .com, .org, .in etc.)
Till now, users could use .tk domain names only for masking/forwarding URLs, something similar to URL shortening services. Free users were not allowed to host their domains. With this recent announcement, now you can host your domain names to any web server by adding own name server records (NS records).



Surely, this is a big thing but I’m not sure if serious users would like it, as users don’t own the domain legally. Though, if you are looking for a 100% freedomain name for lifetime, and without any advertisement – Dot TK is the best service on the planet.

How to host a free .tk domain name?

To use this service, sign-up for an account with Dot TK. Now from the left navigation panel, select “My Domains” and register a free domain. During registration process, you will be asked for using DNS. Choose "Use my own DNS Services" and enter Name Server or IP address (see above screenshot). Hence, you can host a free .tkdomain name to a web server.
You can also opt for Dot TK’s free DNS service. This feature can be useful for you – if you are willing to create A, CNAME and MX records only. You may need to configure these records for hosting yourdomain name with many popular services like Blogger (Blogspot), Posterous, Google Apps, Tumblr etc.

Website : Dot TK

TeamViewer - Remote Desktop sharing

TeamViewer 5.0.7572

TeamViewer is an excellent screen-sharing and file-transfer app that can be used to facilitate business collaborations as well as helping distraught relatives diagnose and cure computer problems. Along with being free for noncorporate use, it gives users precisely the tools they need to share screens securely, send files with a minimum of hassle, control access rights, and even flip which user has control.

The options available while you're in control work smoothly. You can maximize the pane that the other computer's screen is visible in, as well as utilize several smart options from a drop-down toolbar in the center of the window. A big X lets you close the connection, while the Actions button lets you switch whose in control, disable remote input, and reboot remotely. The View menu hides options to adjust the screen resolution, the optimization toward speed or quality, and control multiple-monitor displays.

When you log in, you're given an access code and a password. Sharing those allows your computer to be controlled by the level you set it to: remote support, presentation, file transfer, or VPN. The TeamViewer servers remember which computers you've connected to, so reconnecting to previously shared computers happens faster. TeamViewer also has a Web-based version, for remote connecting to home from public computer. Even the installation process is impressive. Users can toggle admin rights, can opt out of running at startup, and can opt into installing the TeamViewer VPN driver for more secure screensharing. Overall, TeamViewer makes screensharing and file-sharing as fluid and unobtrusive as it should be.

General:

• PublisherTeamViewer
• Publisher web sitehttp://www.teamviewer.com
• Release dateDecember 19, 2009
• Date addedDecember 18, 2009

Category:

• CategoryNetworking Software
• SubcategoryRemote Access

System requirements:

• Operating systemsWindows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Me, Windows Server 2008, Windows NT, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
• Additional requirementsNot available

Download information:

• File size2.5MB
• File nameTeamViewer_Setup.exe

Popularity:

• Total Downloads4,682,896
• Downloads last week271,013

Pricing:

• License modelFree
• LimitationsNot available
• PriceNot available

What's new in this version

The transfer speed has been improved in certain circumstances. The size of the partner list window can be resized in docked state.

Download Now (2.5MB)

Tested spyware free 

Tips and tricks for deploying Google Apps

Has your company, school or organization decided to "go Google" — but not yet fully "gone?" Perhaps you'd like more guidance on the technical, marketing or training details? Or maybe you could use some resources to help you deploy? Making the decision to go Google can be the easiest part, but we realize that it sometimes takes a little boost to finish the process, which is where we come in.

Our Google Apps Deployment team has assisted hundreds of organizations — large and small — make the switch to Google Apps. To ensure that your implementation is a success, we've developed step-by-step tools to guide you through the process, and best practices to make your transition as smooth and easy as possible. Here are some of the resources you can explore when going Google:

Sign up for a Deployment Training Webinar. In this live session, a deployment specialist will walk you through the deployment planning steps and use cases.

Take advantage of our deployment guides, which include creative examples and templates, to help with your technical and marketing rollout:

• For enterprises
• For small/medium businesses
• For schools

Recently, we also launched two learning sites to jump start your transition to Google Apps: the customizable Google Enterprise Launch Site for large enterprises and the Apps Learning Center for small businesses. You can find out more about these Google site templates in theEnterprise Deployment Site.

To find answers to your technical questions about Google Apps, visit the Administrator Help Center. We also provide overviews and videos for integration and migration tools, includingMicrosoft Outlook Sync, Google Blackberry Enterprise Server Connector and Lotus Notes Migration.

We hope these resources help with your move to Google Apps, and we can't wait to welcome you to the Google Apps family.

source: googleblog

Blogger is turning 10

Google's about to have its second tenth birthday. In late August, Blogger will officially turn 10 years old. As our birthday draws near, we thought it would be interesting to share some fun facts about Blogger:

• Every minute of every day, 270,000 words are written on Blogger
• Millions of people worldwide use Blogger to publish to their blog each week
• Almost two thirds of Blogger's traffic comes from outside North America (What's the #2 country after the U.S.? Brazil, followed by Turkey, Spain, Canada, and the U.K.)
• The most popular sport for our bloggers? Soccer (that's football to the rest of the world), more than four times larger than the #2 sport, baseball

While we're really excited about this milestone, we want the focus to be on you and the remarkable stories that you and millions of people around the world document on Blogger. After all, blogs are one of the true building blocks of the web, constantly updated not only with news and personal stories, but any kind of information you can imagine. Just this week, there's an Iranian student documenting the minute-by-minute proceedings in Iran, while a British woman is uploading nightly blog posts from her satellite phone while rowing solo from Hawaii to Australia, while an American college student is running from Amsterdam to Athens with nothing but the pack on his back. There are literally millions more.

What's your story? Did your blog help you find a job? Learn a language? Interact with your fans? Master a new skill? Battle an illness? Turn a hobby into a career? We read as many blog posts as we can, and what we do read is often brilliant. But we want to know more — we want to hear from you about what Blogger has meant to you over the past decade.

Do what you do best: tell your story. Write a post, and then let us know about it by filling outthis form. Keep an eye on Blogger Buzz, where we'll be sharing some of our favorites over the coming weeks.

To the millions who have depended on Blogger to help you tell your story, thank you. To those of you who have yet to tell your story, creating a blog couldn't be easier: just visit blogger.comto get started. We can't wait to see what the next ten years bring — and stay tuned for details about the tenth birthday itself.