Evernote

Evernote is probably the application I use most frequently. I use Evernote to capture and organize all kinds of data all in one spot.  By far the majority of content is articles from the web I want to keep for later reference.  One of the key features for me is the ability to access it from any computer I want.  The data is kept both locally and in the cloud.

While tagging is available, I find it far more useful to organize by notebooks.  As I add more and more content, I continue to add additional notebooks keeping each notebook a manageable size for me.

I have been using Evernote for over a year now, and have not needed to upgrade from the ad-supported free account.

Why did it take me so long to start using Dropbox?

Why did it take me so long to start using Dropbox?  I certainly understood what it is capable of doing and heard many people raving about it.  Perhaps, I did not know what problem it solved for me!  Being concerned with security, I am not planning on using for anything personal, financial or confidential.  What then can I use it for?  I thought this could be a good place for me to put computer manuals and software tools that I use often.  I could then have them kept in sync across all the different machines I use and that would mean Mac, Windows and Linux.

I started testing using Dropbox on Mac, Windows and Linux.  I have been blown away so far!  My use case is simple.  In the past, I would either use a usb drive to copy data from one machine to another.  Or I would log in one machine and connect to another and copy files across.  With Dropbox, all I need to do now is create a set up on each machine I use, then all I need to do is drop files into the drop area on one machine and I can pick it up on another.  As soon as I remove the files on one machine, the others show a message that the files have been deleted.  The sync is amazingly fast.

I can see using this as a way to keep documents handy all the time.  I am planning on keeping various computer documents here for reference.  Notice that I still do not plan on keeping anything personal, financial or confidential ..... at least not yet.

JDiskReport

There are lots of software tools out available that can help you understand how the space on your drive is being used. I always try to put the largest drive possible in any computer I own. Still there are times when space available runs a bit low and I need to figure out what I should delete or perhaps move off another drive. Whenever this happens on Windows, I tend to gravitate back to using JDiskReport.

Once installed you will be presented with the JDiskReport page letting you choose what drive or directory path you want to report on.

Once the scan is complete you will be presented with a report that you can analyze. 

The two areas I typically focus on first are:
1)  Which folder is taking up the most space.  You can easily tell by viewing the pie chart.  You can drill down as necessary.

 2)  The Top 50 largest files.

After analyzing these and cleaning up whatever I don't need or want, I might rerun the report if I deleted a lot of files.  Otherwise, I would take a quick look for anything unusual.

Let Windows Speak To You

In my previous post Let Your Mac Speak To You, I covered how you can get your Mac to convert text to speech. For Windows users, you can also do the same with ClipSpeak.

1) Using a browser, go to http://clipspeak.codeplex.com.
2) Download the latest version of ClipSpeak.
3) Expand the zip file and start ClipSpeak.
4) All you need to do is select some text (e.g. from a web page) and copy (Control-C).  It will automatically start speaking.

Data Backup on Windows using SyncBack Freeware

For backing up my data on Windows, I use SyncBack Freeware.  SyncBack Freeware is available from 2BrightSparks.  Although there are paid versions with additional functionality, my requirements are totally satisfied with this version.  The most important requirement is the ability to backup my data (e.g. photos, music, personal files) to external drives.  You can optionally synchronize your files to a hard drive (local, external, networked), CD, FTP or Zip archive.

SyncBack Freeware is intuitive and you can get started in a flash.  SyncBack helps you quickly set up backup jobs using default starter profiles.

A sampling of the profiles I use:

Profile Example - Easy Setup Options

Profile Example - Expert Setup Options

Window 7 Clean Install Using Upgrade Media

Sadly, Microsoft has provided very little information on the Windows 7 upgrade process.  Fortunately, Paul Thurott has shed some light on this and has identified what is possible.  In an article titled "Clean Install Windows 7 with Upgrade Media" on his website Supersite for Windows, Paul identifies 3 methods for perform this clean install  (1) Boot with the Upgrade Setup media  (2) Registry hack, and (3) The good old "double install" method.  Please visit his site for further details.

 

Microsoft Security Essentials

I have been running Microsoft Security Essentials on my Windows 7 RC image for over a month now.  Microsoft provides this software at no cost and it provides real-time protection for your pc that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.  Is it working?  I don't know as it has not identified anything....but then again, I would not expect it to based on the sites I normally visit.

Prior to running Microsoft Security Essentials, I was using AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition.  Other free alternatives include Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus and Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus.

Ninite - Software Installer

For those of us who build new Windows images often, it can be quite tedious downloading and installing all the software we use on a regular basis.  Well, there is a fantastic tool call Ninite that can save you tons of time!  I tested on a Windows 7 RC image by choosing Chrome, Safari, Skype, iTunes, VLC, CutePDF, Evernote, RealVNC, 7-Zip and Notepad++ on their webpage.  Next you get the customized Installer and you are off to the races.  The latest versions of the software you chose will then be installed in the background.  Awesome!! 

There are lots more free for personal use software to choose from.  Ninite also runs on Windows XP and Vista.