Fix errors relating to swdsvc.exe and pctstray.exe
Posted on September 13, 2008 at 5:29 am
Is a process called swdsvc.exe eating up all your memory or hogging up your CPU? Or what about annoying pop-ups with pctsTray.exe and some random error? These are errors usually related to Spyware Doctor from PCTools, which is a pretty good anti-spyware program.
If you are getting popup error messages in Windows related to pctstray.exe, you should first try to uninstall Spyware Doctor and make sure your computer is running normally. Sometimes there are viruses that use that process name, but have no relation to Spyware Doctor!
» Filed Under Computer Tips | Leave a Comment
How to change default picture viewer in Windows
Posted on September 12, 2008 at 5:39 am
By default, when I double-click on a picture in Windows, it is opened with Microsoft Picture and Fax Viewer! That’s nice, but I would rather it open with a different photo viewing program, such as Photoshop, GIMP, etc.
If this problem annoys you also, there is a simple way to change the default photo display program in Windows to the application of your choice! Actually, there are two ways to go about it.
Step 1: Open the Control Panel and click on Switch to Classic View at the top left. Then click on the Folder Options icon.
» Filed Under Windows XP | 1 Comment
How to fix iTunes usbaapl64.sys blue screen of death in Vista
Posted on September 12, 2008 at 5:12 am
Did you just upgrade your iTunes to version 8 and have your Vista computer crap out with the blue screen of death and a usbaapl64.sys error? If so, then you are one of many that are having this very annoying problem.
I got this message after I restarted my computer and had several devices connected via USB. Apparently, certain devices connected to your computer will cause the blue screen of death! The main perpetrators for this error are HP drivers (which I hate to death) and Logitech drivers.
» Filed Under Computer Tips | 1 Comment
Change or spoof a MAC address in Windows
Posted on September 11, 2008 at 5:43 am
Every network interface card (NIC) has a unique MAC Address (Media Access Control address). This applies to all types of network cards, including Ethernet cards and WiFi cards. The MAC Address is a six-byte number or 12-digit hexadecimal number number that is used to uniquely identify a host on an Ethernet network.
An example of a MAC address is 1F-2E-3D-4C-5B-6A and it falls into the Layer 2 networking protocol of the OSI model. In today’s networks, a MAC address is converted to a Layer 3 protocol address, such as an IP address, by ARP, or Address Resolution Protocol. Read my post on how to find your MAC address if you don’t know it.
» Filed Under Computer Tips | 23 Comments
Bulk convert Word Excel 2003 documents to Office 2007
Posted on September 11, 2008 at 5:22 am
Do you have a bunch of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents that you need to convert from Office 2003 to Office 2007? Looking for an Office 2003 to 2007 file converter? I recently had to do this as my company moved from Office 2003 to the new Office 2007 format. Instead of opening each file individually and saving it in the new format or using an online file conversion tool, there’s a cool program that will bulk convert your Office 2003 files to Office 2007 format.
» Filed Under MS Office Tips | 4 Comments
How to turn on auto-complete in the command prompt
Posted on September 10, 2008 at 5:37 am
Do you use the command prompt on a daily basis? If you do, then this tip is definitely for you! I recently found out that there is a way to turn on auto-complete for the command prompt via a simple registry hack. So that means if you are typing in a long path, simply type in the first few letters and then press TAB to auto-complete.
For example, if I am typing in C:\Documents and Settings\, I would just need to type in C:\Doc and then press the TAB key.
» Filed Under Computer Tips | 4 Comments
