Let’s face it, there are tons of websites with all the same information. You can Google what your looking for, an usually find an vast array of information pertaining to what your seeking. However, doesn’t it make you feel warm and fuzzy when someone else has experienced the same issues which you are trying to fix?

Since my purchase of the iPhone, I have been faced with many new and exciting challenges in the iTunes world. I was not much of an iTunes user prior to my iPhone.

iPhone Playlist

My most recent endeaver was wanting to have a play list on my iPhone which was enjoyable for my daily car ride. One day I plugged in my iPhone full of music, (which my son had graciously set up for me due to time constraints on my end) and found the music choices were not of my taste. I wanted to experience something that would make my butt want to jump out of my seat and start dancing on the side of the road. I wanted something that was going to be up lifting on a bad day. I wanted to at least feel as if I could sing the words to a song. None of this existed on my iPhone. So, the end result was - my 16 Gb iPhone was being neglected.

Unleash the Beast!

Why did I purchase this machine if I wasn’t going to utilize it to its full capacity? Its not like me to let technology pass me by, without me trying to break it at least once! So, this past weekend, I planed to take matters into my own hands and get the iPhone up and running under my direction.

Finding the right “Video Converter”

First order of business was to find a video converter. As stated earlier, I found information on Google pertaining to the procedure. As apposed to reinventing the wheel, I would like to give a link to the site SimpleHelp.net which has an awesome Tutorial and free product download on how install and use the program “MediaCoder” for your iPhone video conversion needs.

After your video has been converted

Add the “mp4″ version of the file to your iTunes folder
File -> Add File To Library

Select YOUR iPhone within iTunes.
Select the “TV” tab located below the top Menu Bar.
Scroll down past “TV SHOWS” to locate “MOVIES.”
Put a Checkmark in the “Sync Movies” box (or only checkmark your desired choices).
Sync your iPhone

Wella… Your the proud owner of a wonderful iPhone with super cool videos.

In case you were wondering, I also changed the music on my iPhone. So, if you see a strange women dancing on the side of the road - good chance it might be me.

Please leave a comment, if this was helpful to you.
Thanks

Tags: Mac, iphone by Chris Hebert
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I am sure other PC users have fallen into my footsteps before. Late one evening I decided to clean up unused programs on my PC. I hastily decided to cancel my “uninstall” choice before it was finished. Bad move!

Programs installed on a PC contain  ”.dll” files (dynamically linked library; a library linked to an executable program). Without getting to geeky, lets just say they can be unfriendly if uninstalled incorrectly.

Incomplete “Uninstall”

After I cancelled the “uninstall” program choice, I noticed the selected program no longer existed within my “Add/Remove” program listing. Therefore I was 100% positive my selected program had been successfully uninstalled, even though I cancelled the process before it was complete. I then decided to call it a night and shut off my computer (something I don’t usually do).

When I started my computer the next morning, I received the following error message:

Windows cannot find ‘C:\Program’ make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again

I quickly returned to my “Add/Remove Programs” listing to verify my uninstall from the prior evening. Sure enough, the program was not listed. This meant the program did not exist any longer on my PC. Well, this is partially true. Unfortunately for me there were some little buggers lurking around somewhere which Windows did not like.

How to Fix PC Error and Clean Registry

After much research on my error message, I ran across a wonderful program. “CCleaner” is a freeware program which removes unused files from your system. It contains a registry cleaner and will remove tracks from Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera. In addition, this wonderful free program can create a registry back-up before cleaning it.

During my online research, I ran across an individual making reference to the product name. The “Crap Cleaner.” I am unsure if this is the name intended for the product, but I can swear by its performance.

The product takes less than a minute to complete. CCleaner contains NO SPYWARE or ADWARE!

CCleaner Saves the Day!

Another feature of CCleaner is its ability to be used as a privacy tool because, CCleaner erases all Internet History from your machine. Although this is a wonderful feature, and deleting our Internet History should be a common practice; do not forget, any passwords which were saved in your history will no longer be available to you once this program is used. You will have to re-enter previously saved passwords, and/or login information to websites which you may have chosen to “Remember Me” from previous login’s. This is a small price to pay when your computer is spitting error messages at you. Trust me.

PC Runs Faster

After installing and running the program, I rebooted my computer (a common practice after an install/uninstall). Upon restarting my computer, the error message had been corrected and has never reappeared.

www.cnet.com

www.cnet.com is one of my favorite secure download sites. If you wish to try this product, search “CCleaner” on your own, and enjoy a faster running PC. Quite possibly an error free one as well.

Tags: Computing, Network Security, Operating System, PC by Chris Hebert
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Since my conversion to the other side (Apple), I have found myself steadily trying to prepare my Mac G5 to run with similar software as my PC. I do not wish to use Apple’s dual boot “Boot Camp” program, when I have an office already set up with a PC and a Mac. I can easily slide my chair from one computer to the other, depending on my task at hand. The Mac is starting to dominate my life, however there are small details which still require my attention on a PC.

One puzzling feature which consumed my life for 3 days straight was the inability to copy/burn a Mac .dmg file from my PC onto a DVD. I researched this missing link on Google, and many other forums. Nothing worked as it should have. One individual posted, “Nero” would do the trick. Each and every time I would try to open the .dmg file to copy it within the burning software, my “.dmg” file either could not be seen by the software or the program gave me an unhappy error. Believe you me, I was more unhappy than the program was.

Help is on the way…

My failed attempts landed me on a discussion between two individuals. This is where I stumbled upon a great program called “TransMac.” TransMac allows Windows Vista/XP/2003/and 2000 to access/view Mac CD/DVDs .dmg and sparseimage files. TransMac has a built in copy/burn feature to create Mac CD/DVDs on your PC. This program also supports HFS, HFS+, and HFSX volumes (Mac OS). Lastly, it can format disks for use on a Mac from your PC.

TransMac

Finally, after days of dead ends and headaches I found a program that would work. Upon first opening the TransMac program, it initializes and scans available drives. Once the program is open, your main hard drive will not be an option in the disc drives. Do not be alarmed!

TransMac is very straight forward with the toolbar and navigation. To copy/burn a CD/DVD simply select:

1. Tools
2. Burn CD/DVD
3. Select your CD/DVD drive
4. Select the location on your computer where the file is located that you wish to copy “Disk/ISO image file to write”
5. Select “OK”

Test your newly created CD/DVD on your Mac.

Happy burning!

Tags: Computing, Mac, OS by Chris Hebert
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Mac or PC

I have had a Mac G5 computer sitting at my house since 2005. My husband used it for his media business for only one year. After his project ended, the Mac sat in a corner very lonely and unused.

Recently I decided to up my skill-set of graphic design to a higher level by enrolling in a local community college. Here I met some wonderful individuals of all backgrounds. My instructor has a vast amount of knowledge in many areas within graphic design, and I thank him for his patients with my many questions.

Back to School

During my quest to learn Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator better, I decided to dust off my husband’s Mac G5. Using the Mac at home made the transition to and from school much easier. I found myself using the wrong fingers and keystrokes using a Mac at school and a PC at home.

Since I am a curious geek chick, I enjoy breaking and exploring computers as much as possible. Sometimes I get myself into a pickle, and other times I feel well accomplished by my success to push the envelope and conquer the situation between machine and computer geek.

The Basics Can Drive You NUTS

Recently, I felt intimidated using a Mac. I wasn’t familiar with how to install software, eject a USB device, delete a program, or burn a CD/DVD. I lacked the basics. I always understood the cosmetic appearance between a PC and a Mac were 100% opposite. Browser open/close are on the right in a PC environment and on the left in a Mac environment. However, beyond navigational purposes I was quite lost.

Prior to these college courses, Adobe lived on my PC. Anything which had to be done within web design or graphic design was completed on my lovely PC. Yes I was a die hard PC user, I must admit. In addition, I guess one could say my recent purchase of an iPhone helped me to evolve to a Mac user.

Conquer This Baby!

Along the way of learning how to set up my Mac to resemble the comfort zone environment on my PC, I had a great deal of road blocks. My lack of knowledge could even be frustrating at times. This only made me dig deeper into to the situation to “conquer.” If you are a computer geek, you can understand this gut wrenching notion of feeling helpless to a hunk of metal.

During my quest to dust off a wonderful piece of machinery, I have learned a great deal of programs available to the Mac world. Needless to say, I am the proud owner of my husband’s Mac G5 and would love to own a Mac Book Pro in the near future! Hint Hint!!!

Tags: Computing, Mac, Misc, OS, PC by Chris Hebert
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