Creating a personalized font from your own handwriting…

FontCapture is a web based (cloud app) that walks you through a (4)-four step process of creating a font style in your very own handwriting. You will need a fine point marker, printer, scanner, an internet connection and a little computer know-how to make this work.

The FontCapture web site indicates it is a (4)-four step process; however, I found it is actually to be a (6)-six step process from the point of completing the template to actually getting the font style on your PC.

Personally, if you follow all of the steps and take your time completing the template, the end result is very good.  Below is a sample of the results I managed to get.

Step 1: Download and print the the template

Step 2: Complete the template in your own handwriting

Step 3: Scan the template ( >200 dpi) – Save as a PNG file

Step 4: Upload the saved PNG file to FontCapture

Step 5: Preview and Download the converted font file

Step 6: Locate and Copy the downloaded font to your Windows font directory.

Note: If you experience any problems copying the font file to your Windows font directory, I encourage you to follow these “easy” step-by-step instructions on:

“How To Add A Custom Font To Your PC” [ at Tech-for Everyone ]

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Defragmentation the Smart and Lazy Way

I have found, from personal experience, that most people do not take the time to perform routine computer maintenance and will resort to paying someone to do it when there PC is crawling at a snail’s pace.

One of the most important components to maintaining your PC is to perform a disk defragmentation, at least once a month. When files are written to your hard disk they are typically not written as one unit, as you would think. Instead a file can be broken up to fill the empty spaces that are available on the disk; and, as a result the file(s) are not of one unit, but scattered about. In the end a noticeable degradation in the load time of files and programs occur and additional disk space is allocated to store the file pieces that ultimately affects the performance of the computer. When you run your defragmentation utility, the defragger will ultimately move the file pieces closer together and contiguously (the pieces are adjacent to one another and will appear to be connected).

There are numerous defraggers out there that are more powerful than others (from a technical standpoint) that offer a variety of defragmentation methods; however, you  have to be savvy enough to understand those methods and what you ultimately want to achieve. Again, the everyday computer user does not understand the various methods and really do not care. They just want their PC to run efficiently with minimal fuss and intervention.

A solution that I recently have been testing (and have been impressed with) is a FREE program called Smart Defrag by IObit.com. I call it the lazy man’s defragger.  Why? Well, you simply install it, select the drive(s) you desire to defrag, select Auto Defrag, and the program does the rest.

When you are not using your computer (and it goes idle) Smart Defrag automatically, in the background (unseen to you), commences defragging the drive you selected. If you feel that Smart Defrag is causing an interference, which I did not personally experience, there are slider settings that you can adjust under Auto Defrag. For example I used the default settings where Smart Defrag will pause when my resource usage exceeds 20 percent. I also have Auto Defrag set to engage defragmentation after 5 minutes of the computer being idle. The first time you use Smart Defrag, I suggest you do a manual defrag first to get everything in good shape. After that, Smart Defrag will do the rest for you.

Smart Defrag is Windows® Vista™, XP, 2000. and Windows® 7 READY!

Key Benefits (from the developer, IOBit)

Extremely Easy to Use

Install it and forget it. This powerful, free defragmenter works continuously, automatically and quietly in the background on your PC. Its intuitive interface makes Smart Defrag the ideal utility for complete computer dummies.

Exceptionally Efficient Defragmentation

Smart Defrag has the world’s fastest defragmenting engine. It’s been specially designed for modern, large hard drives, so it eliminates long waiting times.

Optimize Disk Performance

Smart Defrag doesn’t just use simple defragmentation. It also streamlines your file system, places the frequently used files and directories into the fastest area of the disk, enabling your computer to run at top speed with the most stability.

Always-on to Work Automatically

Smart Defrag works automatically and quietly in the background, so it continually and constantly keeps your computer fragment-free.

Data Safe and Reliability Guaranteed

Smart Defrag uses the commercial-level standard to move data and does not damage any file in your disk. Besides, unlike other “Automated” Defragmenters, Smart Defrag does NOT constantly perform analysis and defragment, which does damage your hard drive and shorten its life. Smart Defrag has a “Safe Intelligence” technology that can assure the health of your disk by deciding When and How to start defragmentation.

Free Defragmenter Forever

Smart Defrag is 100% freeware. Download, use, and update it absolutely free for your personal computers, business or enterprise servers –– it won’t cost you a penny.

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When Windows 7 Will Not Boot

Did you know that Windows 7 contains an utility to create a “System Repair Disc”? I highly recommend that you take the time to create this disc, in the chance your Windows 7  becomes broken or will not boot.

The  System Repair Disc is an option designed to help users “fix or repair” Windows 7 without resorting to a complete re-install or resorting to your system recovery software. The System Repair Disc is a bootable disc, that provides accessible options for using System Restore, Complete PC Backup, Automated System Repair, Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool and a Command-line Prompt for manual advanced recovery.

The easiest method to initate the process to create the “System Repair Disc”, is to click on “Start“, go to the “Run” dialog, type: recdisc, and hit “Enter“.  The following dialog box will appear prompting you for a  blank CD or DVD disc.  Once the CD or DVD has been created, label the disc, and store it in a safe place. This simple process may save you a whole lot of headaches later.

If for some reason you are unable to create the “System Repair Disc” from your Windows 7 PC, you can download and create a bootable copy of the System Repair Disc at NeoSmart.

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My Windows Vista to Windows 7 Upgrade Experience

I had purchased the upgrade version of Windows 7 Home Premium back in June when it was offered for $49.99; however, the delivery did not occur until the much anticipated October 22nd release date. Sure enough, I had an email in my Window’s Live account, on that date, informing me that I could download my copy of Windows 7.

I opted to download the 32 bit version in an ISO format. The download file was approximately 2.5 GB’s that I burned to a DVD. The first thing I did, prior to making this install, was to make sure that all of my “important” files were properly backed up. Once I had an updated backup, my Product key in hand and the install DVD created, I was ready to rock and roll.  I turned off or exited everything in the Windows system tray to prevent anything from possibly running in the background that could disrupt or interfere with the install routine.

Now, what I was about to do, goes against everything that a good tech will tell you when it comes to an operating system upgrade. I opted to perform a direct upgrade from Vista to Windows 7, instead of a clean install.

Now, this is a big deal on my PC, due to the fact that I am a customization, configuration and organization geek freak. I initiated the install process, by launching the Setup file on the DVD, at 11:15 PM.  By 11:30 PM, Windows 7 was already begging for an online update to continue the installation. I downloaded the update; however, the install would not proceed and reached a point that it was going to reboot; or I thought it was. I know patience is required during an OS install, so I waited (hard drive light “on” at full throttle), and I waited AND Nothing! I force the reboot and had to start back over from scratch. Whatever file that was downloaded, during the update, was the medicine that the Windows 7 install needed. By this time, it is 11:40 PM and I am finally in the actual Windows 7 install mode.

To make a long, long story short; between 11:40 PM to 1:45 AM (over 2 hours), the Windows 7 install ran full throttle and meticulously setup my PC for the Windows 7 environment. The only intervention on my part during this process was entering the product key at the end of the install routine (nearly 2.5 hours later).  Whatever you do, make sure you have that product key.

In the end, Windows 7 was completely setup on my PC and guess what?  Everything was there and it worked.  No device errors, software all accounted for and working, etc…  Was one of the easiest upgrades from one OS version to another that I have ever experienced; however, it was the longest (over 2.5 hours).

If you are planning to do a direct upgrade make sure you are prepared and have a lot of patience; especially if you are new to this.

Just when you think the upgrade (install) process is hanging, just wait and watch the hard drive indicator light and the onscreen prompts.  It will happen, but it is like birthing a baby… If you don’t have this kind of patience, and your PC is a mess anyway, then do like any good tech would do; perform a clean installation.

Reflected are some Windows 7 Resources that may be helpful to you if you are considering the upgrade:

Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7

Upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7

Windows 7 Home Page

Step-by-Step: Windows 7 Upgrade and Migration

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Using the Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

With the Windows 7 release on the horizon (October 22nd) many of you may be deciding whether to upgrade or not. If you are a Windows Vista user and you are not sure if your system is ready to run Windows 7, I suggest you download, install and run the Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. What I find puzzling about  the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is that it is still in beta. I would have thought that Microsoft would have already had this utility finalized and ready to go; especially when the Windows 7 release date is closing in.  Maybe it will come out of beta as the release date nears.

I tested the Upgrade Advisor on my Vista PC and it ran fine and ultimately gave me the Ok to upgrade. Personally, if you are using Windows Vista, I would stay with Windows Vista; especially now that the operating system has become much more stable with the Service Pack releases. Windows XP users can give this a try if you like; but, according to the Microsoft web site [ here ] ,they are advising XP users to experience Windows 7 on a new PC.  I find that hard to believe, especially when I have been reading that Windows 7 will run on many XP boxes.  Bottom-line, make sure you do your homework. If you do consider taking the upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7, I encourage you to follow the steps that are posted on the Microsoft website [ Link ] .

From my experience with operating system upgrades, something will mostly likely will give you a gray hair or two.  Upgrading the memory in your PC is always a plus in this type of scenario.

Prior to running the upgrade advisor, it is important that you plug in any USB devices (or other devices), such as external hard drives, scanners, printers, etc… that you are currently using with your Windows PC.

Here is what the upgrade advisor may tell you:

You’ll get a report telling you if your PC can run Windows 7 and if there are any known compatibility issues. If an issue can be resolved, you’ll get suggestions for next steps. For example, it may let you know that you need an updated driver for your printer and where to get it.

Just download, install, and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta. You’ll get a report telling you if your PC can run Windows 7 and if there are any known compatibility issues. If an issue can be resolved, you’ll get suggestions for next steps. For example, it may let you know that you need an updated driver for your printer and where to get it.

Reflected below are the Windows 7 – Minimum System Requirements (per the Microsoft Web site).  I have found from past experience, it is best to double (and even triple) their minimum requirements to get a half decent computing experience.  The computer may run with the specs they have reflected; however, it will most likely be the slowest gun in town.

If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here’s what it takes:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• Internet access (fees may apply)

Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware

For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required

Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware

HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7

DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive

BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2

BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive

Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on

Music and sound require audio output

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How to backup and filter files using your Gmail account…

The blog “AKS-Feel The Change” recently featured an article [ Link ] about a really neat utility called “Backup To Email”. This utility enables you to backup files to just about any email account, including Gmail. To point out here, Backup To Email is not a full featured backup program designed to backup your whole computer. It is designed to supplement the backup routines that you should already have in place.

I use Backup To Email, to backup and store project files that I am currently working on or other files that are important to me. For example, while drafting this article, I sent a backup copy to my Gmail account using Backup To Email. This is added insurance that if disaster strikes (computer crashes), my project files are backed up off site. If I think the file(s) I am backing up are sensitive in nature, I will often encrypt the file prior to uploading it to my Gmail account. The program I use for encryption purposes is, Drag’n’Crypt Ultra.

Nearly everyone these days has a Gmail account with approximately 7 GB’s of space. If you want to maximize the usage of that space, here is a neat way to use the Backup to Email program with your Gmail account to filter out (separate) the backup files from your regular email. The reason I lean toward using Gmail is that I can open the majority of my backup files right inside my Gmail (using Google Docs). Utlimately, If you are going to backup a lot of files, you could also setup a separate Gmail account to strictly store files.

To make this all happen, you must have Backup To Email installed and configured to recognize your Gmail account. This may look more difficult than it is, but it really easy to do and in the end your backup files are automatically separated from your regular email that you receive in your inbox.

• Log into your Gmail account and click on Settings at the top right corner.
• Click on Labels
• At the bottom, type in the word “Files” where it says Create a new label
• Click on Create (the Files label should show up)
• Next, Click on Filters (at the top)
• Click on Create a new filter
• In the From box, type Me
• In the Subject box type BackupToEmail (all one word)
• Click on Next Step
• Put a Check Mark next to Skip the Inbox
• Put a Check Mark next to Apply the Label and select Files from the drop down box
• Click on Create Filter and you are done.
• Test to see if the filter is working by backing up a file using Backup To Email.  If it is not working properly, recheck the filter settings.

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Instantly see the fonts installed on your computer…

Have you ever wondered how many fonts are installed on your PC and what they look like? To get an instant snapshot of the fonts loaded on your PC,  Click “SEE MY FONTS” below. You will be redirected to a website that will magically reflect the fonts that are currently on your system.  After the page loads, you will see at the very bottom, how many fonts are installed on your PC.  You can also experiment with the various font types by typing any word(s) at the very top of the page and by selecting any of the font styles.

Since fonts are the topic, I did some exploring around to find additional font information that may be helpful.

Fonts in Windows

How to install or remove a font in Windows

How to install fonts without slowing down the computer

How Many Windows Fonts is Too Many
and What Can I Do About It?

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