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iPhone: How to capture a picture of your screen

apple-logo There are many reasons why getting a picture of your screen is helpful.  You may want to take a picture of a text or IM conversation, an error, a game score, or anything else imaginable, are just some of the reasons I’m aware of.

iPhone

The following simple steps can be taken to capture a picture of any screen of the iPhone

Step 1: Navigate to The Screen You Want to Capture

Move to the screen you want to that an image of just like normal. Make sure it appears on the screen exactly as you want it to appear in the picture. Once you see it on the screen exactly as you want it, you’re ready to take a screenshot!

Step 2: Take The Screenshot

Taking the screenshot is an easy process, as you only need to push 2 buttons:

  1. Hold down the sleep/wake button on the top, right edge of the phone
  2. At the same time press the home button 2 times (short presses)

The screen will flash momentarily, signifying the picture has been taken. These screenshots are now automatically saved as photos in your camera roll.

How to: Getting the old picture view back on Facebook (workaround)

facebook On Thursday 2/10/2011, Facebook announced on their (LINK) blog page (http://blog NULL.facebook NULL.com/blog NULL.php?post=432670242130) in post called (LINK) More Beautiful Photos (http://blog NULL.facebook NULL.com/blog NULL.php?post=432670242130), that they are rolling out the new picture viewer to all Facebook users.

UPDATE on Thursday, February 10, 2011: We are rolling out the new Photo Viewer to everyone over the course of the next few weeks. Now, you can browse more photos faster without having to lose your place in Facebook. Visit the Help Center (http://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/help/?page=831) to learn more about using the Photo Viewer. Check out our Engineering blog (http://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/notes/facebook-engineering/developing-facebooks-new-photo-viewer/499447633919) for more technical details about how we designed and engineered the new feature.

  The new viewer is supposed to give users the following

  • Higher Resolution

We’re increasing the size of the photos stored from 720 pixels to 2048 pixels on the largest edge, for an 8 times increase overall

  • A Better Photo Viewer

   The new viewer makes it simpler and faster to navigate photos

  • Easier Tagging and Uploading

With our new uploader, you will be able to tag multiple photos in the same album all at once, as well as tag photos of the same person with a lot less effort

Some Comments made about this new picture viewer (these were posted on the same Facebook announcement by various Facebook users)

  • THIS BIG BLACK SCREEN IS MAKING MY PICTURES SMALLER NOT LARGER
  • I have a back button on my browser. I think I can handle browsing photos. I’d rather hit back 40 times than use this stupid new photo viewer, what a nightmare
  • No, I do not like this new way. I can’t see the photos. C can’t see what I have put on and sure can’t see what other friends have on their site. i guess older people or those of us wit eye problems don’t matter. Why would anyone ever do this so lots can’t see I don’t know!!!!!!
  • The new photo viewer is awful. It’s skips pictures when you are clicking on the arrow buttons and when you click on the actual picture. I hate pop ups, and I feel like the new photo viewer is one big pop up. The photos are actually smaller than they used to be. It’s really hard to tag ppl b/c it stays on the tagging function until you click “done tagging” even if you’ve moved on to the next picture. It’s harder to edit the picture info… i.e. caption, rotate, etc. Why mess with a good thing? The old way was SOOO much better. Please change!

So what does the Facebook Picture Viewer look like now / What issues are there

When accessing pictures in the new Facebook viewer they will look like this now.

image

However as well intentioned as this Facebook change was (as the reasons listed above – given by Facebook sound good), the implementation leaves A LOT to be desired.  Here are some of the things that I have directly noticed.

  • Pic viewer only shows black screen, no pic sometimes
  • Pictures show smaller now than they did
  • Browser has locked up more than once while trying to use the new pic viewer (Both IE8 and Firefox)

Workaround to the old version back (It’s simple)

  • Unfortunately this new Picture viewer is not an optional selection.  Facebook in its wisdom has chosen to make this a standard for all users in the coming weeks.  If you find that you don’t like the new viewer, here is a simple workaround that will get you the old viewer back (unfortunately the viewer will revert back to the new viewer each time you access a new photo album, so you will need to do this each time you access a picture folder in Facebook)

  • Once you click on a picture and it comes up in the new viewer
  • image

    • You can do 1 of 2 things (which ever is easier for you)

    1 – On top of the browser you will see the page refresh button –> click it and refresh your browser window (the IE8 refresh shown in picture, but all browsers have a similar button)

    image

    2 – Once you have the picture open in the new viewer –> on your keyboard click the F5 key (this does the same refresh function as the browser button)

    image

    • Once your page refreshes, you will see the picture you were on and all other pictures in that album in the old viewer version (Just like below)

    image

    Hardware: (From Microsoft at Home) How to clean your computer

    image As a tech I’m still surprised at what I find when I open up customers pc’s for upgrades or repairs.  I have seen everything from enough lint to make a sweater all the way to small furry creatures (Keep in mind, the creatures have not all been dead).  Microsoft at Home has a post out this morning with 5 basic how to steps to keep your machine clean, and happy.

    Remember, a pc needs to be treated like a car, that goes for both software and hardware.  These 5 steps are just one more thing you really should do to your pc, just like taking your car in for an oil change or to rotate the tires.

    The following is from “How to clean your pc”

    I have a dirty secret. I’ve never cleaned my computer. Sure, I’ve dusted my monitor, but I haven’t taken off the cover or tried to reach the crumbs lurking inside my keyboard. And I honestly don’t know the difference between pressurized air dusters and compressed air cleaners.

    “Your computer could fry if you don’t keep it clean,” says Jonathon Millman, chief technology officer for Hooplah Interactive.

    Whether it’s a desktop or laptop/notebook computer, dust and lint can clog the cooling vents. This can cause your computer’s brain—the central processing unit (CPU)—to heat up. And heat is the biggest cause of component failure in computers. Regular cleaning could save you costly maintenance fees down the road.

    Follow the five simple steps (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/athome/setup/cleancomputer NULL.aspx#3) in the cleanup and maintenance routine below to keep your computer and accessories looking shiny and new. It’s an easy, do-it-yourself solution to help them run smoothly and last longer.

    To read the complete post go to Microsoft at Home (LINK) http://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/cleancomputer.aspx#3 (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/athome/setup/cleancomputer NULL.aspx#3)

    Alert: Facebook – Tagged Picture used to spread “Fake” links and Malware. (Plus How to Untag yourself)

    facebook Since Facebook is the BIG FISH currently, and most users on Facebook seem to “trust” what they see, the bad guys are now targeting Facebook with more daily scams.  From Rogue apps, to fake links, to hacking accounts, to now Fake picture tagging on profiles.  The following was something I came across yesterday

    image

    the tagged picture was on the profile of someone I know.  I did confirm with that person that they don’t know “Julie” (either by name or picture) the person on the tag.  Of course Julie has a link on her tag.  If you happen to click on the link (even if just by mistake) what you get is sent to a website that will download malware on your pc.

    So as always having a Facebook account means that you need to pay attention to what is happening on your account.  If you run into a situation where a picture is tagged to you that you don’t want showing on your profile, here are the steps to Un-Tag yourself from the picture.

    How to Untag yourself –

    • From your Facebook home page, locate the blue bar at the top of the screen. It says Facebook, Home, Profile, Friends, and Inbox. Click on “Profile”. Now you will be sent to your profile page.

    image

    • On your profile page, look underneath your profile picture that is located at the top left. Under it, you will see “Photos”. Click on Photos

    image

    • Now in the middle section of the page toward the bottom you will find the “Photos and Videos of you” section.

    image

    Look at the pictures below this section.  Any pictures tagged will appear in this area. Click on the picture you would like to remove.

    • Now look under the picture for the section that says “In this photo”.  Next to that you will find “Remove tag”.

    image

    Click remove tag. The photo will not show up on your profile anymore

    Software: Windows – Optimize your computer for peak performance

    microsoft People think a pc is like a TV, just there, you click on the power button and it turns on, and that all you need to do. In fact that is wrong, a computer needs to be treated more like a car than a TV. You should be doing the pc equivalent of an oil change and tune up, so that you can get the most out of your pc.

    The following tips can help improve your computer’s performance. These examples are for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. However, you’ll find that these tips work for all versions of the Windows operating system.

    By the way, it is not possible for you to blow up your computer or your files with any of these procedures. These tasks use utilities provided within the Windows operating system to help you to achieve the best system performance. This article does not address tinkering with the registry files

    Microsoft at home has a great article with tips on what you should be doing. “Optimize your computer for peak performance”. (LINK) http://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/optimize.aspx?WT.rss_f=At%20Work%20RSS&WT.rss_a=Improve%20your%20computer’s%20performance&WT.rss_ev=a (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/athome/setup/optimize NULL.aspx?WT NULL.rss_f=At%20Work%20RSS&WT NULL.rss_a=Improve%20your%20computer)

    Software: How-to fix: When Internet Explorer gives you “Page cannot be displayed” error

    microsoft  An issue I’ve been dealing with recently involves Internet Explorer unexpectedly coming up with the message “This page cannot be displayed”, when surfing but only on some websites.  Sometimes it is the entire page with that message, sometimes its only part of the page.

    image

    (I have found 2 solutions that have helped clear up this issue.  I suggest trying solution #1 and seeing if that corrects things and then moving to solution #2 if the issue continues.) The issue seems to occur because something inside of Internet Explorer gets “corrupted”.  To clear up the corruption you can do the following

    Solution #1 – Clear Cookies and Temporary Internet files.

    To clear cookies and Temporary Internet –

    • Close all open copies of Internet Explorer
    • Go to Start –> Settings –> Control Panel –> Internet Options

      image

    • When Internet Options opens –> Click on Delete (Middle of the page)

    image

    • When the Delete Browsing History opens –> Make sure that Preserve Favorites website data is unchecked and that Temporary Internet files and cookies have a check next to them.

    image

    • At this point click on Delete (at the bottom).  Once the system finishes removing your temp files and cookies, you can close the Internet options windows by clicking ok.
    • Now open Internet Explorer and try one of the sites that wasn’t working again.

    Solution #2 – Reset Internet Explorer to “Factory Defaults”

    Sometimes the issue with Internet Explorer can be caused by a toolbar, or add-on that is just not working properly. If Solution #1 didn’t fix your issue, try the following steps.  (Again this is done with Internet Explorer closed.)

    • Go to start –> settings –> Control Panel – Internet Options
    • In the Internet Options Window –> Go to the Advanced Tab
    • Then Click on the Reset button (towards the bottom of the box)

    image

    • The following Window will open –> click on Reset**. (See Below if you want to know what changes with this reset)

    (Prior to this reset make note what your homepage address is, as that will be changed back to msn.com)

    image

    • Once reset completed, close the Internet Options window by clicking ok, and then try one of the sites that wasn’t working correctly. 

    This is what happens when you do the reset.

    Reset Internet Explorer settings

    By resetting Internet Explorer settings, you return Internet Explorer to the state it was in when it was first installed on your computer. This is useful for troubleshooting problems that might be caused by settings that were changed after installation. When you delete personal settings, some webpages that rely on previously stored cookies, form data, passwords, or previously installed browser add-ons might not work correctly. Resetting Internet Explorer to its default settings does not delete your favorites, feeds, Web Slices, and a few other personalized settings. See the table below for a complete list of all settings and information about whether they are reset or maintained.

    Resetting Internet Explorer’s settings is not reversible. After a reset, all previous settings are lost and cannot be recovered. Rather than resetting everything, you might want to reset specific settings or delete your webpage history. For more information, see the links at the bottom of this topic.

    Internet Explorer settings that are affected by a reset

    The following table describes what will happen to various settings when you reset Internet Explorer.

     

    Settings categories

    Items affected

    Settings that are deleted

    • Disabled toolbars and add-ons

    • Websites added to intranet, trusted, or restricted zones

    • Websites added for special cookie handling under the Privacy tab

    • Websites allowed to use pop-ups under Pop-up Blocker settings

    Settings that are reset to Windows, manufacturer, Internet provider, or corporate defaults

    • Home page (for information about backing up your home page tabs, (SUGGESTED – NOTE WHAT YOUR TABS ARE)

    • Search providers, tabbed browsing settings

    • Colors, languages, fonts, and accessibility settings (General tab)

    • Security settings for all zones (Security tab)

    • Advanced tab settings

    • Privacy tab settings

    • Pop-up blocker, AutoComplete, SmartScreen Filter, and Zoom settings

    • Page setup, toolbar, and text size settings

    • Feeds settings (sync and notification, not feeds themselves)

    • ActiveX controls that are not on the pre-approved list (reset to opt-in state)

    • Toolbars, browser helper objects, and browser extensions are disabled

    Settings that are deleted (Delete personal settings is selected)

    • Browser history, temporary Internet files, cookies, form data, and stored passwords

    • Typed URL information, menu extensions

    • InPrivate Filtering data

    • Explorer most recently used list

    Settings and items that are maintained

    • Favorites

    • Feeds and Web Slices

    • Content Advisor settings

    • Pre-approved ActiveX controls

    • Temporary Internet file (cache) path settings

    • Certificate information

    • Internet Programs (e‑mail, instant messenger, and other programs associated with Internet use)

    • Internet connection, proxy, and VPN settings

    • Default web browser setting

    • Toolbars are not restored

    Software: Unix/Linux Command Cheat Sheet

    linux  I ran across the following Unix/Linux cheat sheet at the FOSWire.com site.  For anyone who just likes to keep a cheat sheet handy, here is a very good one with Unix / Linux commands.

     fwunixrefshot.png (http://files NULL.fosswire NULL.com/2007/08/fwunixref NULL.pdf)

    Click the image above to download a full PDF. Print it out, stick it on your wall, and pass it on. It’s licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (http://creativecommons NULL.org/licenses/by-sa/3 NULL.0/) license, so feel free do distribute and modify it, even for commercial use! Just keep the FOSSwire credit on the page.

    Translations are already available, so if you have your own translation you would like to share, post it in the comments and we’ll add it here!

    • Russian (http://ulmencave NULL.blogspot NULL.com/2007/08/unixlinux-cheat-sheet NULL.html)
    • Spanish (http://kernelsource NULL.org/2007/08/03/guia-rapida-de-comandos-unixlinux/)
    • Simplified Chinese (http://linuxtoy NULL.org/archives/unix-linux-command-cheat-sheet NULL.html)
    • Traditional Chinese (http://kkbruce NULL.blogspot NULL.com/2008/04/linux_27 NULL.html)
    • Japanese (http://www NULL.yotabanana NULL.com/hiki/ja/?fwunixref)
    • Bulgarian (http://stanislav NULL.org/?p=83)
    • Italian: (PDF) (http://files NULL.fosswire NULL.com/2008/04/fwunixref_it NULL.pdf) (ODT) (http://files NULL.fosswire NULL.com/2008/04/fwunixref_it NULL.odt) (credit) (http://www NULL.falappa NULL.net/)
    • Greek (http://elkosmas NULL.gr/2007/08/28/linux_cheat_sheet/)
    • French: (PDF) (http://files NULL.fosswire NULL.com/2009/08/fwunixref_fr NULL.pdf) (ODT) (http://files NULL.fosswire NULL.com/2009/08/fwunixref_fr NULL.odt) (translated by Jean Peyratout, Scideralle (http://scideralle NULL.org))

    How to: Win 7–Fix for printer share error 0x000006d9

    windows_7 I ran across an interesting error this week that I hadn’t seen before, on a Windows 7 pc as I attempted to share a printer.  I would go into the printer properties –> sharing tab and label the printer and as soon as I clicked on either apply or ok I would see “Printer settings could not be saved. Operation could not be completed (error 0x000006d9). The issue turned out to be caused by the Windows Firewall being turned off.

    error fix printer share

    The solution was actually very easy -

    1 – Go to Control Panel –> Administrative Tools –> Services

    image image

    Once you are in services – go to the bottom and make sure the Windows Firewall is turned on

    image

    If the Firewall isn’t turned on – Double click directly where it says Windows Firewall. You will get a pop up window where you can click on start.

    image

    Once you have started the Firewall service – > Click on OK.  (You can close the Firewall –> Services –> and Control Panel Windows.

    2 – Now try and SHARE the printer, it should share without any errors
    3 – If you have a need or reason for running with the Firewall off, you can at this point go back in and stop the firewall in Control Panel – > Administrative Tools –> Services.

    You can now attach to your shared printer from other pc’s…….

    ALERT: Windows Live Messenger 2009 Users–“Active links in Messenger 2009 temporarily turned off to prevent a malicious worm”

    microsoft  Microsoft has announced via the Windows Team Blog (LINK) http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/11/12/security-alert-active-links-in-messenger-2009-temporarily-turned-off-to-prevent-a-malicious-worm.aspx (http://windowsteamblog NULL.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/11/12/security-alert-active-links-in-messenger-2009-temporarily-turned-off-to-prevent-a-malicious-worm NULL.aspx) that they are now blocking Active links in Windows Live Messenger 2009. What that means is that when you are in a chat with someone, if a link appears that you will NOT be able to directly click on it to open the link. If you wish to see the link you will need to copy it from the chat window and then past it into your browser. 

         Keep in mind that not only in WLM chat but in all chat programs there is always a possibility of receiving “Rogue” links that were not actually sent by the person who you are talking to.  If you ever receive a link via chat, you want to make sure and check with the person you are talking to, so that you can confirm if its legit or not. 

         Those who click on the malicious link, will download a Worm (a form of virus), which will install on your pc, and then use your pc to send itself to all your friends links.  As always you should make sure you have an up to date Antivirus.

    A particularly malicious worm (a self-replicating computer virus) is currently trying to spread itself through many of the world’s largest instant messaging and social networks, including Windows Live Messenger 2009. We’re very serious about protecting our customers, and are pursuing multiple avenues to help stop its progress. The worm spreads by inserting a link into an IM conversation with a person whose computer is already infected. When someone clicks the link, it opens in a browser, downloads the worm on the recipient’s computer, and then repeats this process.

    Normally, when Messenger sees a web address in a conversation it is turned into a hyperlink which, when clicked, automatically opens in a web browser. This feature makes it very easy for the malicious worm to be unknowingly installed on your computer by clicking on the link and being sent to a web site containing the malicious software. We’re pursuing a number of activities to help protect you, working actively with industry experts and law enforcement to help stop this criminal activity.

    Most notably, we’ve temporarily turned off active hyperlinks for web addresses sent in IM conversations using Windows Live Messenger 2009. You will still be able to copy a web address and paste it into a browser window if you know it to be safe, but by removing active hyperlinks from Messenger 2009, we’re taking a significant step towards stopping the unintentional spreading of this worm.

    Because we’ve now blocked active links in Messenger 2009, starting today, some customers may also see a notification in the main Messenger window warning them that some features might not be available.

    Messenger warning message (http://windowsteamblog NULL.com/cfs-file NULL.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Blogs-Components-WeblogFiles/00-00-00-53-82-metablogapi/6116 NULL.messenger_2D00_warning_5F00_3E135389 NULL.png)

    Messenger 2011 is not impacted in the same way, thanks to its Link Safety feature. However, we are actively monitoring the situation and investigating different approaches to help protect customers using the latest version of Messenger, should the situation change.

    As always, we encourage customers to exercise caution with links to web pages that you receive in IMs, especially if the links are to a web page that you are not familiar with, unsure of the destination of, or suspicious of. Malicious software may be installed in your computer simply by visiting a web page with harmful content.

    If you think your computer may have already been infected by a malicious worm, check the , please visit the Security TechCenter on Microsoft TechNet (http://technet NULL.microsoft NULL.com/en-us/security/default NULL.aspx), and then download and use the malicious software removal tool (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/security/malwareremove/default NULL.aspx). For additional help with Messenger, check out the Messenger Solution Center (http://windowslivehelp NULL.com/product NULL.aspx?productid=2).

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