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MAK Outlook Tools Launch

We just recently launched an addin for Microsoft Outlook® desktop that has two main features right now.

The first one warns you and can stop sending e-mails where you have accidentally put your mailing list in the To or Cc field instead of the Bcc field.
When you have more than a certain number of recipients (user definable) in the To and Cc fields you get a pop up asking you if you are sure to send it after you press the send button.
This way you can catch it when you pasted the list in the Cc instead of the Bcc field.

The second one allows you attach files to received e-mails just like you do on sent e-mails.
This is great if you want to attach PDF invoices you downloaded through a link in the e-mail, PDFs of payment receipts or contracts or just a document with notes you made for yourself (for example on a follow up phone call) that you want to keep with the e-mail.

So go to http://makbiz.link/MAK_Outlook_Tools and check it out. It may be useful and help you avoid embarrassment or even legal issues.

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KeePass Password Manager

If you have been reading my post about password managers you know that we use KeePass for our own company, but recommend others for general use.

This is because KeePass, to be used fully, does require a lot more work to be set up. I did get questions about it and helped a friend recently to get started, so I decided to put the basics in a post here.
Now – this is not a step-by-step guide with pretty visuals. This is just a list of thoughts/steps to get you started in the right direction. If this seems daunting to you and you don’t have a friend (or trusted employee) to help you get it set up please re-consider using one of the cloud solutions.

So – here we go:
Continue reading “KeePass Password Manager”

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Software can’t install because of another pending install

Sometimes when trying to install software you get an error message similar to “…another software installation is in progress or, the computer has a restart pending. Either complete the installation process, or, restart the computer and …”.

The problem you may be having though is that no other software installation is in progress. You already restarted (several times), but the message just doesn’t go away.

What now?

Most times it is a setting or two left over in the registry that either just won’t process or just doesn’t get cleared.

Microsoft has a nice info at KB2723674 – Easy fix 50865 – it is listed for server client connector installs, but it does work in other instences as well.

Follow the link for the fix that does it for you or just follow their manual instruction which I have copied here:

Continue reading “Software can’t install because of another pending install”

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Managing the Start screen in Windows 8.1

Microsoft has a nice little page about how to do some basic arranging of items on the Start Screen at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows-8/start-screen-tutorial – it talks about basic pinning, seeing all apps and how to create, name and move groups.

To rename or change the icon of a pinned item you can follow the instructions on http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/31552-start-screen-tiles-change-icon-name-windows-8-a.html.

Click here for the short version

Right click on the tile you want to rename.

Left click on “open file location”

The file’s shortcut will appear in Windows Explorer.

Click on the text to change the name, or right-click it and click “rename.”

The new name will apply to the tile as well as the file.

To change the icon right-click it and select “properties” and change the icon

To get some more items pinned than the apps that create shortcuts and folders you need some extra help.

It can be done manually one by one or you can install a registry setting that will allow you to pin pretty much everything from your file explorer.

The manual way is nicely described at http://www.askvg.com/start-screen-pinner-freeware-to-pin-files-folders-and-program-shortcuts-to-windows-8-start-screen/ as Method 1. Methods 2 and 3 on that page don’t seem to work for Windows 8.1.

Click here for the short version

1. First of all right-click on the file which you want to pin to Start Screen and select “Create shortcut” option to create a shortcut of the file.

2. Now copy and paste following text in RUN dialog box and press Enter:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\

It’ll open the classic “Start Menu” folder which is still used to store Start Screen shortcuts similar to previous Windows versions.

3. Now cut the file shortcut which you created in step 1 and paste it in “Start Menu” folder which you opened in step 2.

4. Now go to Start Screen and press “Ctrl+Tab” keys together to show “All Apps” page.

5. Here you’ll see the file shortcut which you created earlier. Right-click on the file shortcut and click on “Pin to Start” option.

That’s it. It’ll immediately pin the file shortcut to Start Screen.

NOTE: If the shortcut doesn’t appear in “All Apps” screen, try to move the shortcut from “Start Menu” folder to “Start Menu\Programs” folder.

At http://winaero.com/blog/how-to-add-the-pin-to-start-screen-menu-item-to-all-files-in-windows-8/ is a description of a registry file to have the “Pin to Start” available for almost any item.

Registry file contents:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\*] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\*\shellex] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen] @="{470C0EBD-5D73-4d58-9CED-E91E22E23282}" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\AllFileSystemObjects] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\AllFileSystemObjects\shellex] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\AllFileSystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\AllFileSystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen] @="{470C0EBD-5D73-4d58-9CED-E91E22E23282}"

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A Quick Calculator

What do you do if you need a calculator when working on the computer? 

Try to find one in the office?
Run through endless menus to find the Windows calculator?
Maybe you even know you can just start typing “calc” in the Start menu searchbox of Windows 7? Or just type it on the Modern Interface start screen of Windows 8.
How about pinning it to your Start Menu or Taskbar in Windows 7 or 8? No room for a calculator you say?

If you can spare a minute, you can have Windows’ very own calculator pop-up within seconds (and other programs you want to use this technique with).

First, navigate or show by typing (see above) the Calculator in the Start Menu/Screen.
For Windows 8 you now have to right-click the tile and on the bottom click on “Open file location”.
For all Windows locations you now RIGHT-click the Calculator icon/shortcut and select “Properties”.
In the pop-up window, go to the box besides “Shortcut key:” and press “CTRL”, “ALT” and the “c” key all at once.
Now you should see “Ctrl + Alt + c” in the box.
Now click “OK” and possibly acknowledge the Administrator warning.

From now on when you hit “Ctrl + Alt + c”, the calculator pops up. You can set it to “Standard” or “Scientific” under “View” and it will remember the settings.

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Windows 7 Explorer Taskbar Icon – Change Open To Target

In Windows 7 you have the Explorer icon in the taskbar which opens by default in your libraries.
While that may be convenient for some, it certainly isn’t for everyone.
Head over to SevenForums.com for a very nice decription on how to change the location the Explorer window opens on with many options listed to select in addition to the standard Windows paths you can use.

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Attribute Changer

Attribute Changer is a shell extension integrating into your Windows Explorer 32 bit and 64 bit that not only allows you to change the read-only, system, hidden, archive, compress and index attributes but also allows you to change the file dates and exif image dates as well which is great if you forgot to set the correct date and time on your camera since it can bulk change the dates/times by a specific offset, not just to specific times!

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English Keyboard Types French

Every once in a while it seems to happen to many people that your keyboard “acts funky” and doesn’t let you type characters like \][/   and some others and it spits out french characters instead.
This happens if you accidentally switch the keyboard to French.
Hold the CTRL and SHIFT keys down together to switch between French and English. Sometimes it takes two or three tries to switch.