Phone: 250.764.7043
Email: help@computercarekelowna.com

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Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

Leftovers
by Cate Eales

Appeared February 4, 2010 on castanet.net
 

I finally found a desktop gadget I really like. I like the new version of Firefox. If you liked Outlook Express, you can give Windows Mail or Windows Live Mail that retro look. This week’s theme is Things I Couldn’t Fit into Previous Columns That Had Themes.


Do you have gadgets on your desktop?
Hey, there Vista and Windows 7 users! Do you have gadgets on your desktop? Gadgets are little programs that are fun and or useful, and stay on your desktop. In Vista, these gadgets are typically in the Sidebar, which is most often at the right side of your screen.

In Windows 7, there is no Sidebar, and gadgets can be anywhere on your desktop. (Gadgets can run free in Vista, too. See this column for more information.)

Those who know me will know that I keep a very austere desktop. (OK, those who really know me say it’s a boring desktop!) I have a weather gadget (and yes, I do know I could look out the window) and sometimes the yellow sticky gadget if I need virtual yellow sticky notes. But recently I found the “Remove Drive Safely” gadget for my Vista system, and I have been loving it!

The gadget makes it easy to remove your removable media like USB drives and camera cards safely, and it’s beautiful besides. When no USB devices are plugged in, the gadget looks like a USB connector.

However, when you plug in your drive, it changes to show the drive letter of your USB device. When you’re ready to remove the drive, instead of hunting through the system notification area for a tiny green check mark, you can click on the drive letter on this gadget.

If you have more than one device plugged in, you can easily tell which one is which and remove just the one you want to.

It works great in Vista; it should work in Windows 7, although I have not tested it there yet. To learn more about Vista gadgets, visit this page. You’ll see a link there to the gadget gallery. The corresponding site for Windows 7 users is here, and a more thorough explanation is here.

What gadgets do you like? What gadgets do you hate?


Firefox 3.6 is here
The current version of Mozilla Firefox is 3.6. This version offers improvements in security, speed, and offers “Personas” which are a new kind of theme that you can use to customize the look of your Firefox browser. The developers have changed the way some things work under the hood to reduce the number of crashes.

I’ve use Firefox as my default browser for years. I recommend it heartily over Internet Explorer, which is pokey, resource-intensive, insecure, and prone to crashes. If you haven’t yet tried Firefox, this is a good time. You can download it here. Firefox is completely free of charge.



Make Windows Live Mail and Windows Mail Look Like Outlook Express
People really miss Outlook Express. If you’ve moved away from Windows XP to Vista or Windows 7, no more Outlook Express for you!

You can make Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail resemble Outlook Express by changing the location of the Preview Pane in Windows Mail, and the Reading Pane in Windows Live Mail. It’s easy!

In Windows Mail:

(click to enlarge graphic)

In Windows Live Mail

(click to enlarge graphic)

You’re good to go!


Links
Gadgets, Surges, and Shutdowns http://rlis.com/columns/column165.htm
Remove Drive Safely gadget http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=e17817f6-42e4-4b7e-a95a-fe4f076c9170
Windows 7 Desktop Gadgets http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/features/gadgets.aspx
Windows 7 Desktop Gadgets How To http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Desktop-gadgets-overview
Firefox http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html
Computer Care Kelowna http://computercarekelowna.com
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618
RSS Feed: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml

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Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your home or business computer get along!

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com.

You can read previous columns here. If you'd like to subscribe to this column by email, please visit this link It's easy, and free. If you'd prefer the RSS Feed, click here.

© Cate Eales 2009 – All Rights Reserved

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