Don’t you love it when you get a new laptop and less than a year later when you are running on juice instead of the 2.5 hours you are suppose to have magically turns into 30 minutes?  Well as I was studying for my A+ certification (which I need to take soon) I came up on calibrating your notebook’s battery. This process can take up to 5+ hours to accomplish and I was like what? EF that…but then I did another Google Search and found a sweet tutorial on how to calibrate your battery on the quick yo. Now this particular video applies to MacBooks but I am sure if you do your own research (I can’t do everything for you) you can find a way to do it fast on any other OS platform.

Enjoy.

Can’t convince the boss to shell out some bucks for Sharepoint server? Oh what’s that…He doesn’t trust Google with company resources? Ok well, you still need to figure how to set up a collaborative website/cms/wiki whatever you want to call it. In this case we will use the term “wiki” because that is the solution to your problem.  Gina Trapani, Lifehacker’s founding editor shows us how to set up MediaWiki to make you totally forget about Microsoft, Google and your cheap ass boss!

“The free MediaWiki software is best known for powering Wikipedia, but you don’t have to be writing an encyclopedia to put it to good use. Extend, skin, and customize MediaWiki to create any kind of easy-to-update, collaborative web site.

MediaWiki is arguably the most advanced, install-it-yourself, free wiki package available. A wiki is an editable web site; you can change each page's content without having to log into a content management system like WordPress or access the server via FTP or other means—you just hit the edit button. While MediaWiki is built for public web sites that anyone can update, like Wikipedia, you can customize it to limit access to certain users.

Like WordPress and Firefox, MediaWiki is extendable via plug-ins that add functionality. MediaWiki is also skinnable, which means your wiki can sport a custom theme so it doesn’t look just like Wikipedia.”

Read More via Customize MediaWiki into Your Ultimate Collaborative Web Site – Wikipedia – Lifehacker.

Lee Mathews over at DownloadSquad hit another home run:

“Adobe has done a lot to improve Reader in recent versions. I’m more than happy to run an open source alternative, however. Sumatra PDF is ridiculously small (a 1.2Mb download), lightweight, and handles the PDFs I throw at it without skipping a beat.

Today, Sumatra has finally hit version 1.0. Sumatra’s a pretty bare-bones application, so don’t expect any mind-blowing changes. What the new update boils down to is better compatibility, bug fixes, and performance tweaks.”

Read More: Open source Adobe Reader alternative Sumatra PDF hits version 1.0.

Amit Banerjee over at Techie Buzz found a cool little Windows App called Lock Image:

You can lock any image file with a password just as you lock files and folders in your computer. Lock Image is yet another portable application for windows that converts an image into an exe file and password protects it. After that, anyone trying to view the image will have to enter the password to unlock it. Techie Buzz Lock Image is great for password protecting images and converting them into exe files. It’s portable and you do not need any installation. No compatibility problems and even a kid can use it easily.

Read More via: How to Password Protect any Image File in Windows

Ken over at The Network Zone writes

I’m always looking for easy and effective ways to improve network performance. When I’m unhappy with network performance I try removing unused protocols to help lower traffic and increase network speed.  To give this one a try, check the default network protocol settings used when installing operating systems and network drivers. They often include protocols such as IPv6, LLMNR and PGM, which are not commonly used in most networks. For example, if you have Microsoft Vista, you’re wasting traffic with the IPv6 protocol running, unless you’re actually using IPv6. If you remove it, you’ll open up your network and improve speed.

Have you found any other effective methods that you want to share? Ken wants to hear them via The Network Zone: Slow Bandwidth? Remove Unused Protocols to Improve Speed.

Chris Jacob over at Gizmodo wrote an interesting article about building your own Network Attached Storage device.

A while ago I was considering putting low-powered 5400 RPM drives into a NAS. I was worried about performance, but Tom’s Hardware shows us that drive speed isn’t the bottleneck, and how slower drives can even beat faster ones.The main bottleneck in any NAS is the RAID engine. Since many NAS units don’t include a dedicated controller, oftentimes the speed of the drive just doesn’t matter.

If you’re using a blazing-fast hardware RAID card in your own custom built setup, then drive speed might make a difference. But for most consumer units, the controller is the bottleneck.With that in mind, you can go with slower 5400 RPM drives that reduce power consumption, generate less heat, and will likely cost less up front too. Even if you have a dedicated RAID card that could let a 7200 RPM drive do it’s thing at full speed, I’d consider the benefits of low-power drives to outweigh the marginal speed increase you might see.

via Building a NAS? Skip the Performance Drives – DIY – Gizmodo.

[Thanks for the Tip Craig M!]

Small businesses must concentrate their time and energy on knowing their own industry — and that often means that effective technology practices get overlooked. Erik Eckel over at Tech Republic explains the most common tech missteps he’s encountered, along with preventive measures to protect businesses and prevent serious problems.

“In today’s microwave society — in which just-in-time manufacturing models, heightened customer expectations, and 24×7 accessibility demands burden both manufacturers and service providers — little time remains for much else. Small businesses often don’t have the resources or inclination to track the latest computer news, security threats, or even common break/fix tips. And not all small business owners are adept at maintaining best technology practices.”

The ten mistakes that Eric explains in his article are the following:

1. Insufficient technical support
2. Hardware/software issues
3. Insufficient power protection
4. Illegal software
5. Insufficient training
6. Security failures
7. Poor backup strategies
8. Virus exposure
9. Spyware exposure
10. Unsolicited E-mail AKA SPAM

Click Here to Read the entire article on Tech Republic…

The Windows GUI may be easy for the average user to navigate, but power users and IT pros alike still recognize the usefulness of the command prompt. Bill Detwiler shows you five tricks that will help you become a command-prompt ninja.

“In the video, I mention a tip from TechRepublic member Kiwi.Dusty and mytmous about using the Function keys from the command prompt. Here’s the complete list Function Key actions as posted in the original article’s discussion post:

F1 retypes the previous command one character at a time
F2 brings up a dialog and asks “Enter the char to copy up to:”
F3 retypes the last command in full
F4 brings up a dialog and asks “Enter char to delete up to:”
F5 as for F3
F6 Print EOF character (Ctrl+Z)
F7 brings up a dialog of all the recent command history
F8 brings up each of the most recent commands, one at a time
F9 brings up a dialog and asks “Enter command number:”

Click Here to View the Video @ Tech Republic…

Earlier this year Norman Chan over at Maximum PC put together a great article around the now new Windows 7.

“Microsoft’s post-Vista Windows experience is more than the obvious Taskbar and user interface updates; there are plenty of hidden features and shortcuts that haven’t been advertised. But fear not: we’ve compiled a list of every known Windows 7 tweak and secret. Follow these 20 tricks to make the most out of this beta and become a Windows 7 power user.”

A few of the topics covered are:

• Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts
• Calibrate Text Rendering and Color
• Better Font Management and a New Graceful Font
• Take Control of UAC
• Arrange Your Taskbar (System Tray, Too)
• Accelerate your Start Menu

Click Here to get 20 Windows 7 Tweaks & Tips…

With Windows 2000 Professional becoming close to ‘end of life’ (March 2010) it is about time you go and talk to your Head Hancho(s) about UPGRADING (probably their least favorite word…unless it is for him/her). Not to worry since Frugal IT has got your back with some money saving tips.

If you hate reading here is this article in a nutshell:

1. Buy New Energy-Efficient UPS Units
2. Use Free Patch Management tools like MSUS
3. Buying in Group Pools and get Volume Discounts
4. Research Before Purchasing & make sure you don’t buy more than you actually need
5. Before checking out online, Pick up the phone and negotiate!
6. Don’t be shy to ask for a volume discount even if you are only buying 5 units
7. Ask a sales representative what is available in “B” stock (returned unopened items)

1. Upgrading uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) to newer energy-efficient units can cut energy use and save money. When considering an upgrade, instead of adding to an old system, it’s best to un-install the old and buy a completely new system because the components in UPS – especially the batteries – do have limited life.
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2. Keeping systems up to date will help organizations, large and small, save money. If you’re operating a small office, use free tools like Microsoft’s Software Update Services (SUS) patch management. In an environment with more than a dozen machines, purchase patch management software, preferably one that provides security updates.
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3. Industry consortium and buying groups pool their resources together to set up purchasing agreements with vendors. Companies can save a lot of money buy finding a way to buy as a group. Buying as a group in this fashion will give you the opportunity to realize group and volume discounts.
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4. It is critical for businesses to do their research before purchasing IT solutions. Many companies are simply unaware of what their needs are, thus locking themselves into larger contracts than they need. Not only will doing your research save money in the long-term, but it allows companies to have more flexibility and the ability to understand how to use the technology (and contract) to their advantage. Finally, if businesses simply don’t have the resources to do your ‘homework,’ engage with vendors to help evaluate your options – many vendors, like CDW provide experts who act as free consultants.
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5. We all know that the internet makes it more convenient to shop, but when purchasing IT solutions, it’s better to pick up the phone. When companies purchase online, they run the risk of resigning themselves to paying the price listed on the Web site, thus relinquishing their negotiation leverage. If you negotiate with an actual human being there is always wiggle room in pricing. Also, forming a solid relationship with this person will help with future purchasing negotiations.
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6. Purchasing hardware and solutions in volume can decrease the overall price per unit, and often there are manufacturing incentives. It’s not simply those businesses that purchase hundreds or thousands of units that only reap the benefits, either. Sometimes just buying five units helps bring the price down. Don’t be afraid to ask.
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7. Almost all resellers have a secondary stock (a “B” stock) of equipment that has been returned for various reasons. The vast majority of this merchandise has been returned unopened and most vendors have a way to evaluate the equipment to ensure that it is in perfect working order. Returns are harder to sell – so resellers will often give very good deals to get rid of their “B” stock. Ask a sales representative what is available in “B” stock.