How to Use Windows

What’s on your PC?  It’s a fairly innocuous question, one that even the most tired of geeks should be answer without a moment’s hesitation.  But let’s face it — you sometimes spend a decent amount of time between upgrades.  So much so, that you might have very well lost track of the exact names of the parts and pieces inside your system.  Do I personally remember the exact model name of my motherboard?  Nope!  I won’t tell you the manufacturer, but I’ve definitely had to pop off the side of the case and scan around, flashlight in hand, just to find my motherboard’s actual model number for a firmware update search. Yuck. Don’t let that be you.  Furthermore, now’s as good a time as any to get a solid inventory of not only the parts and pieces attached to your rig, but a full list of your installed software (and running services) as well.  Why’s that?  Suppose your rig crashes tomorrow–I’m talking about the big one.  No hard drive.  All your data’s wiped out.  Can you honestly tell me that you’ll remember each little freeware app or utility you installed on your system when you go to rebuild your machine?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little checklist to help you along? And thus enters this week’s download of the week–an application that goes above-and-beyond the call of duty to give you a full load-out of every little thing, hardware or software, that’s in any way connected to your system.  It’s called LookInMyPC , but it’s not just the name of this freeware app that’s clever.  The program starts by listing out every possible element of your computer, everything from the brand and size of your hard drives, to all the software you’ve installed, to your networking information.  This baseline report is a key element of LookInMyPC, as you can then come back to the application months later (presumably after you’ve made some changes) and compare specific elements of your new system against the baseline you previously established.

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Oh, Cisco. What a tease you are!  The company’s been pumping up the general Internet crowd for a game-changing announcement, one that would–and I quote–”forever change the Internet.”  I was honestly hoping that said unveiled device would be like, a super-crazy consumer router that would… well. I’m not really sure what it would do. Gigabit speeds are more than sufficient for anyone’s home networking needs right now (when I’m looking for this column on a terabit connection in five years, I’ll have a hearty laugh.)  And it’s not like we have a new wireless draft on the way any time soon.

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Alright, geeks–this week’s feature Chrome extension is calling out your name.  While most net-savvy individuals can always surf on over to Google to run most any calculations they need to run (quick: 12 cups is how much of a gallon!), there’s an easier way to go about solving the answers to life’s tougher mathematical issues.  In fact, you can do it straight from your Chrome browser without having to surf on over to a secondary page.  The genius behind this functionality is a little extension called Chromey Calculator . Don’t let the cute alliteration fool you–this little wonder is akin to packing Einstein’s brain into a tiny little button next to your address bar.  Clicking on said button pulls up a little pop-up window with a simple, console-style prompt.  Type in a common equation you need solved (1+1), and the extension will spit out an answer in a running field that keeps track of the last few commands you’ve entered.  Not only does this beat the one-equation, one-answer style of Windows’ default calculator program, but Chromey Calculator also taps into the power of the Web to fuel more complex commands. For example, if you need to run some mixed unit calculations — what’s two miles plus 24 light-years — the extension can calculate out this absurd request by turning to a mix of Google and Wolfram Alpha for its answer.  Similarly, you can input common Wolfram Alpha queries for advanced mathematics if you really feel like taking Chromey Calculator to the next level.  Clicking on any result will automatically copy it to your console command area, which is perfect for running extra calculations on previously displayed answers. Will you need any other calculator program after you’ve used Chromey Calculator?  Faster than you can say Soh-cah-toa, I’ve calculated the answer to be a firm “n – o.”

For the longest time, Xmarks has been my Firefox bookmark synchronization tool of choice.  I’ve been using it forever, and I can’t recall the last time it’s presented me with any kind of problem–that’s because it never has.  Simply put, Xmarks is an amazing tool for keeping your bookmarks in check across multiple installations of the Firefox browser. But this post isn’t about Xmarks.  Mozilla itself has released its own synchronization tool dubbed ” Weave Browser Sync ,” and it offers up even more possibilities than the trusty ol’ Xmarks add-on.  So why am I not fawning over this extension outright and declaring it to be the greatest browser synchronization tool since the sliced bread, er, synchronization utility?  Well, a few stability issues reported by other Firefox users have left me a bit cautious to suggest that Weave is the answer to all of your dreams.  It’s certainly worth trying out, just don’t put all your eggs in your woven basket should it not ultimately work on your browser–or worse, accidentally nuke your bookmarks. Here’s the deal.  I haven’t had any problems with Weave’s synchronization features myself.  In a few cross-platform tests, the browser add-on was able to correctly sync over my bookmarks, history, preferences, tabs, and saved passwords.  That’s a pretty hefty list compared to Xmarks, which only really synchronizes passwords and bookmarks.  Weave’s tabs synchronization is an especially killer feature–you’ll feel like you’re browsing with one, unified session no matter what system you’re accessing Firefox from.  Couple this up with BarTab , and you have a super-powerful setup for tabbed browsing. As I mentioned, a number of users have had a bit of trouble getting Weave to work.  The add-on offers enough to make it worth the recommendation.  However, I’d be remiss in my abilities as a reviewer if I didn’t mention this fact–be sure to back up your bookmarks prior to installing Weave in case the add-on doesn’t work out as well as you would have preferred. Maximum PC picks one new Firefox add-on as its favorite of the week each…

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A thousand pardons!  I got so caught up in various bits and pieces of the weekend that I completely forgot to grace Maximum PC with a Web App of the Week for last week!  It’s a real shame too, as I was totally proud of (and wasted a lot of time playing with) last week’s big selection. I won’t put off the details any more than necessary with my usual rambling introductions. The app’s called Codeorgan and, like the name implies, it’s an excellent fusion of raw geek Web construction with music–truly, my two passions. So what is Codeorgan ?  You’ll find out pretty quickly as soon as you hit up the main Web site

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It doesn’t happen that often, but sometimes, you just need an FTP.  Or, rather, the problem is more like this: You need to access an FTP and you don’t have a suitable software client on-hand for whatever reason.  Sure, you can usually access an FTP via your Web browser, but that just offers the most rudimentary form of functionality (read: downloads only) that you can get.  And that’s even assuming that you can get into the FTP site you’re trying to access–I’ve tested good ol’ Mozilla Firefox on a few FTP sites that definitely work in a software client, yet do absolutely nothing when the ftp.*.* address is typed into a browser. What do you do?  If you’re a fan of Mozilla Firefox, all you need is but one simple extension to bridge both worlds together.  That’s right–an FTP browser inside your Internet browser, which you can pull up into its own separate tab as if it was a new Web page, even though it’s not. What wizardry is this?  A little extension called FireFTP is the hunk of code that makes this all possible.  As mentioned, it’s super-easy to use.  Once you’ve installed the add-on, click on your Tools menu and select the FireFTP option.  The add-on will pop up in its own separate tab.  From there, you can use the “Create an account” button in the upper-left corner to define the IP addresses and login credentials for FTP sites you frequent, or you can hold down the left mouse button when clicking the button to access the add-on’s Quickconnect feature.

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Let it not be said that I don’t pay attention to the demands of the readers.  No sooner did I wrap up another comparative analysis of three slammin’ freeware applications for altering your desktop in new and unique ways then, well, you all talked.  And talked.  And talked. That’s not a bad thing, however.  A number of you voiced support for your favorite applications and utilities that you use to radically transform the look of your traditional Windows desktop in some pretty awesome ways.  It would be a shame to let these suggestions languish in the comments thread of an old article, however.  So, this week, Freeware Files is all about you.  I’ll be featuring your suggestions for applications and showing people why they should consider your alternatives for giving their desktops a refreshed look. Got it?  Let’s begin! 3DNA What.  The.  Hell.  Sorry to be so blunt, and I apologize for offending anyone’s sensitive ears.  Let’s not kid ourselves, however.  That’s the first think you’ll be thinking when you go to load up 3DNA, a desktop transformation that takes the concept of a 3D environment one step further… off the deep end.  I kid, but it’s just that much of a radical transformation.  Unlike the previously featured Bumptop, which allows you to manipulate your desktop as if it was a 3D cube of-sorts, 3DNA turns your desktop into the equivalent of Second Life.

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Just as you have one heart, and one brain, your Windows installation comes with but one desktop. Sure, you can change the look of this digital meeting space by applying new wallpapers, or adding sidebars and widgets, or letting Windows 7 do all that automatic stuff that it does every ten minutes or so. But that’s not really changing the desktop per se–at the end of the day, you’re still blessed (or cursed) with the same ol’ functionality that’s been a staple of the Windows platform since its inception. That’s about to change.

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Listening to many gamers and critics prattle on about Mass Effect 2 is kind of like listening to a teenager talk about their first love. The game, they say, can do no wrong. It’s a pure, perhaps even blind sort of love, and at first glance, it’s well-deserved. But no videogame – no matter how much of its dialogue is delivered in Martin Sheen’s seductively raspy warble – is perfect. Problem is, many of Mass Effect 2’s detractors are picking on the wrong “flaw.” For Mass Effect 2, the word of the day that’s got nitpickers screaming like they’re on an episode of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse is “streamlined.” Or, in many cases, its more derogatory cousin: “dumbed-down.” “Mass Effect 2’s not even an RPG anymore,” many of them hoot and holler.

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Hot on the heels of my ” 5 Add-ons That Make Windows Explorer Even Better ” article comes the appropriately named utility  Right Click Context Menu Extender .  It’s a recent addition to the freeware world–as in, it was launched five days ago–yet the program shows a surprising amount of prowess for its relative infancy.  As for what the little application actually does, you can probably figure out the general context by its name alone.  The specifics, well, there’s the real kicker. Install the utility to your system and you’ll suddenly unlock a wealth of configurable extensions to your average Windows right-click menu.  These are split off into two categories: right-click context options that work in your standard Windows Explorer interface and right-click menu options that only come about when you’ve performed that activity on the desktop itself.  As to what different kinds of features have been unleashed in your day-to-day PC use, here’s a brief overview: Windows Explorer Copy / Move to Administrative Command Prompt (opens to the folder) Encryption/Decryption Hide File/Folder Take Ownership Desktop Flip Windows 3D Switcher Control Panel shortcut Administrative Tools shortcut Registry Editor Desktop God Mode Even better, you can specify which options show up in each right-click menu using the application’s super-simple configuration menu.  That’s it.  While this isn’t the kitchen sink of right-menu context options, nor can you add any that aren’t already specified by the program, Right Click Context Menu Extender provides a simple way for increasing the power of your middle finger in a manner that’s pleasing to all.