Pe r s ona l Tutor

Your

Supplement to CHIP November 2008

Create
Video
Slide
Shows
Define your own Optimize
functions in your system’s
Microsoft Excel performance

Animate your
Images
Emulate your
optical drives
Manage tasks
efficiently Thinking beyond text
Dr. Know In Detail PC Doctor
Google Chrome, Zero-ink printing Troubleshooting
OLED, Beta Versions mechanism revealed! USB problems
CREATE FREE
RINGTONES ONLINE
Also available in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, UAE
FEATURE

Thinking beyond the text ..........................................................4

Create video slideshows ..........................................................8

Optimize your PC .................................................................... 12

AT ONE GLANCE

Making ringtones online for free!.......................................... 16

HANDS ON

Tips & Tricks ...........................................................................18

Create your own functions!....................................................26

Manage tasks efficiently ........................................................32

Create your own animation ....................................................35

Create simulated drives.........................................................38

Manage your Downloads ........................................................42

SPECIALS

Dr. Know .................................................................................45

Help! My USB device is not detected! ...................................46

Visual Glossary.......................................................................48

Portable and ink-free printing ...............................................50

EDITOR WRITERS HEAD OFFICE

Brian Pereira Gareth Mankoo, Dolwin Fernandes, Intelligent Computing CHIP,
editor@chip.in Kamakshi Venugopal, Craig Fonseca TBW Publishing & Media Pvt. Ltd.
`A’ Wing, Ruby House, 2nd Floor,
ASSISTANT EDITOR - TECHNICAL DESIGN J.K. Sawant Marg, Dadar (W),
Jamshed Avari Jagdish Limbachiya, Brijesh Gajjar, Mumbai - 400 028. INDIA
jamshed.avari@chip.in Sachin Pandit, Hemali Limbachiya, Phone: (91 22) 4030 2323
Yogesh Naik Fax: (91 22) 4030 2707
GROUP PHOTO EDITOR & CREATIVE HEAD
E-mail: feedback@chip-india.com
Shiresh R Karrale
 EDITORIAL

Editorial
Editorial
This month’s CHIP Plus has a lot to offer especially on some of the
most prominent and innovative programs. We start off with a feature
story on Windows Movie Maker. Learn how to create a collage of
images and save them as slideshows in different video formats.
We then continue with a feature story that can help you thwart
and eliminate all windows errors. Keep your system healthy and
error free with the awesome features and tools in TuneUp Utilities
2008.
This months AOG section exhibits a website which can be used to
create or edit your favorite ringtones. We show you how to use the
most helpful tools on this website that can help you compose or edit
your own ringtones absolutely free.
We move ahead with easy-to-do workshops useful for all types of
users. Simplify the use of Excel by creating your own functions and
then use them when required. If you’re on a tight and busy schedule,
you ought to go through the Windows Vista workshop where we
show you how to manage all your system related tasks efficiently.
If you’re annoyed with the prompts given by Windows to insert a
CD or DVD every time you start a game or application, turn to page
38 where we show you how to create simulations of your optical
drives and discs by means of images using Fantom CD emulator.
We furtherm ove on with the Specials section. Get to know the
secrets behind the all new portable and ink-free printer introduced
by ZINK. Get an in-depth view of this awe inspiring mechanism
along with its pros and cons in this month’s InDetail. PC Doc brings
you multiple solutions that can help you troubleshoot all your USB
related problems. And last but not the least, if you’re confused by
computer jargon, refer to the Visual Glossary for an easy initiation to
the world of technology.

Team CHIP
feedback@chip.in
FEATURE X APPLICATION 4 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Hemali Limbachiya
Thinking beyond the text
With the constant pressure of communicating the right idea through written
words, an appropriate tone is the need of the hour. Among a plethora of free
fonts and system fonts to select from, which one would fit the bill for your
written communications? BY KAMAKSHI VENUGOPAL

W
hen it comes to interpersonal
conversations, body language
and gestures have an avid
and essential role to play. Although
they are complimentary to spoken
words, they construct the mood,
meaning and context of the content
used.
In a similar way, the art of
selecting the apt typeface plays an
equally important role in setting the
mood for online, printed or written
communication. As the medium
changes, so does the usage of relevant
typefaces.
Handwriting analysis reveals
one's vibes and mannerisms as
prevalent during the creation of the
document. Similarly, the font face,
style, size, color, underline, and
borders determine the essence of your
communication.
The right font depends on three
major factors, the target audience,
the matter or text content and the
anatomy of the font itself. Also one has
to be careful while selecting the font
style and font color. They also have a
very strong impact on the mood of the
document.
Understanding the
anatomy of a font
While the term typefaces and fonts are
interchangeable, they are technically
not the same. A font is a family
of characters that follow a single
typeface. Hence, fonts can be refered
to as a single typeface along with every
kind of variation which can be applied
to it. Thus for example “Calibri” or
“Verdana” qualify as fonts. Fonts with
specifications such as “Calibri, Bold,
pt 10” constitute a typeface. A typeface
has a set of attributes such as style,
point size, font face etc. Thus typefaces
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 5
The baseline is where a line of text rests. X-height is the distance between
baseline and top line of lower case letters.
provide a more detailed and to the
point in description, whereas fonts
cover a much broader ground.
The best way to pick a font depends
on the legibility and the readability of
the text. You can choose any font from
the three major font-families, namely,
serif fonts, sans-serif fonts or script
fonts. As a general notion, serif fonts
enhance the readability of content in
print.
Serif fonts are those fonts which
have a short decorative line at the
start or finish of a stroke in a letter.
Sans serif fonts are generally fonts
used on the web. The word ‘sans’ is
of French origin, meaning, ‘without’.
Thus, sans-serif fonts do not have a
decorative stroke, and have a very
smooth structure.
Script fonts are also known as
contemporary or decorative fonts and
offer very little readability or legibility.
Such fonts are best used for invitations
or greeting cards.
Let us look at some of the fonts
which you can use as an option for your
online communication:
SERIF FONTS: As explained before,
serif fonts have a decorative stroke at
the beginning or at the end of a
character. Serif fonts are best suited
for the print medium, as they tend to
be abrupt on the screen because of
their stroke. Listed below are the
most desirable serif fonts available
for different occasions.
Baskerville: Baskerville is not a
system font, but can be downloaded
from the Internet for personal use.
Although this font is used quiet
extensively, the x-height of the font
makes it appear a bit hazy. It is
however a good font which can be used
Serif fonts have decorative strokes at the beginning and end of alphabets.
Here they are highlighted for your reference.
for headlines.
Book Antiqua: Book Antigua is one of
the cleanest fonts and can to used for
body text for reports spanning multiple
pages. This typeface is very legible and
readable with smaller or lower font
sizes.
Bookman Old Style: Just like Book
Antigua, Bookman Old Style is a
very good font for text books and big
reports. Since this font has a round
look, it is readable and good for
numbers or people who are dyslexic.
Cambria: Cambria is a new font
available with Windows Vista and
the Office 2007 package. Cambria
has features similar to Times New
Roman, but scores a point over it due
to better character spacing between
consecutive characters.
Courier New: The Courier comes
under the monospace font family.
It can be used to depict any type
of computing codes, technical or
other instructions, examples and
illustrations.
Garamond: Garamond is a great
font for mail based communications
which need to be eventually printed
and stored. Such documents include
memos, circulars, leave notes,
notices, etc.
Georgia: Like Garamond, Georgia
is a very ideal font for web-based
communication meant to be printed.
Additionally, it is very clear and is ideal
for numbers.
Minion: Minion is not a system font but
can be downloaded from the Internet.
Although Minion is an extensively used
serif font, you need to be careful while
justifying text.
Times: Times and Times New Roman
appear to be similar, but they do have a
APPLICATION W FEATURE
minor difference. The difference is that
characters appear to be placed closer
to each other in comparison to Times
New Roman. Not a smart choice for
high text kerning.
Times New Roman: Although many
argue about the legibility of this
font, no one can deny the fact that it
serves as the default selection for
older versions of Microsoft products.
The text doesn’t go down too well for
online communication. But since the
print medium offers higher resolution,
it does not appear blurred or hazy.
SANS SERIF FONTS: As described earlier,
sans serif fonts depict free flowing
characters. Sans serif fonts are best
suited for the web, but can be used as
headline fonts for the print medium.
Listed below are the most used sans
serif fonts available for different
occasions.
Arial: Arial is the most classic sans
serif font available. Agreeable with
almost any website design, it is also
used as the default font by most of the
web browsers.
Arial Black: Arial Black is a denser
version of Arial. It is best suited for
headings and section breaks. Using
this font for the body text of your web
page may not be a wise decision.
Calibri: Calibri is a new default font
for Windows Vista and the Office 2007
package. Calibri is quite a soothing font
to be read online. It is quite readable
even with a negative kerning.
Franklin Gothic Medium: Franklin
Gothic is a slightly dark font, which can
be used for captions. It is very clear
and is ideal for numbers.
Helvetica: This is a very good font
for people with dyslexia or learning
disability. A substitute to Arial, this
FEATURE X APPLICATION 6 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Unlike serifs, sans serif fonts are free of any decorative strokes. They are very Kerning refers to the space between two characters irrespective of the
smooth and hence are used online. alignment or spaces. It is set as 0, + or - numeric values.

font stretches well without appearing
disintegrated. It is very clear and is
ideal for numbers.
Lucida Sans: A good font which can be
used for headings in your web page,
Lucida Sans appears to be slightly
larger than other fonts having a similar
font size. Not advisable for image
captions.
Microsoft Sans Serif: Microsoft Sans
serif is an excellent font for body text
of a web page.
Tahoma: Tahoma is a complimentary
font for Verdana. Not all systems have
Tahoma installed, but it can be easily
downloaded and installed on your
computer.
9Trebuchet MS: This font can be used
for tutorials and explanation based
content. A very effective font for
forums and community websites.
10Verdana: A good font for sending
mails. The Verdana font was actually
invented for web based content. An
excellent typeface which can be used
in any part of your web page.
DECORATIVE FONTS: Decorative fonts
are also known as invitation card or
greeting card fonts. They are used to
improve the aesthetic value of your
images but they offer little or no clarity
while reading.
Stylish fonts: Most of these fonts, also
referred to as fantasy fonts, are used
in fl ash based greeting cards or post
cards. Examples: Forte, Monotype
Corsiva, Vivaldi.
Script book fonts: This font family
is best used for children books or
creative work for kids. Examples:
Brush Script, Lucida Handwriting,
Comic sans.
All Caps Fonts: This font family
displays all characters in upper case,
irrespective of whether [Caps Lock] is
on or not.
Since all caps text is regarded as
abusive and insulting for online
communication, avoid using such fonts
for body texts. Example: Bremen,
Algerian.
Drop Cap Fonts: These fonts are
perfect for drop cap letters in
newsletters, novels or story books.
The drop cap feature in most of these
fonts is available only for letters in
the upper case. Example: Anglo text,
Gothic Flourish.
View the font before
finalizing
It is always advisable to identify an
appropriate font for your text. One
way to achieve this is to first type
text and apply every font available on
your computer. This can be both time
consuming and wasteful. Instead,
you can use various font viewer
applications that can make it easy to
pick the right font to fit the occasion.
Two such applications are “The Font
Thing” and “Font Viewer”. Let us take a
look at these applications in detail.
THE FONT THING: The Font Thing is an
excellent application to view multiple
fonts. To make it more effective, you
need to use it in a particular way. Just
follow the instructions below.
} Finalize the fonts that you require.
Decide which font suits your need
based on the classification listed
above.
} This application is free to
dowwnload. Visit “http://www.
webmasterfree.com/The_Font_Thing_
d7491.html” and click “Download
Now”. Save the “tfti.zip” file. Unzip the
contents and double-click the “Setup.

Notice how characters and numbers appear on particular typefaces. You can You can view fonts in a selective fashion by clicking on an appropriate sub-
choose a font based on this criteria. category found on the base of the application.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 7
Click the “Multiple” tab to view an array of selected fonts. It is wise to use the
“Quick Fox” line to ascertain apt typefaces.
exe” file to complete the installation.
} Click the “TFT” icon to start the
application and to view the fonts of
your choice.
} Presuming that the fonts finalized
are decorative in nature, click “None”
appearing on the base tray to clear out
selected fonts.
} Next, click the “Multiple” tab
on the top to view an array of selected
fonts.
} By default, the text in the text box is
“The quick brown fox jumps over the
lazy dog”. Add the same text in upper
case to check how all the alphabets
look.
} Click on all the fonts you need to
compare by clicking the font name
while holding down the [Ctrl] key.
} On the slider below, increase the
font size to “11”. This makes it easier to
view the text.
} Now you can compare and decide
which font you want to use. You can
You can save selected fonts in a *.fv file. Click “Load” to re-load the saved selection in the application
window that appears.
You can change the font color and properties to view how the typefaces can
suit your document.
also check the character map by
clicking the “Characters” tab.
FONT VIEWER: Although the “Font
Viewer” application is just like the
previous application, it is easier to load
because it provides an all in one view
for all fonts and font variation. To use
the application, carry out the following
steps:
} Visit “http://www.fontviewer.net/”
and click “Download Now” to download
the applictaion.
} Double-click the setup file to install
the application on your computer.
} In the “Text to Display” textbox, type
the text “The quick brown fox jumps
over the lazy dog”.
} Click the “Go” button to view all the
fonts on your system in the text type
above.
} Click on a variation to load it in the
“Font Selection” panel. You can also
click the “Save” and subsequently load
the saved selection to view it later.
APPLICATION W FEATURE
PICKING THE BEST FONT
} Keep Headline fonts larger than
the body text, but not larger than 18
points.
} Use a maximum of three to four
fonts in your document, unless your
requirements are otherwise.
} It is always safe to use a serif font
for body text and a sans serif font for
headings.
} Headline text having a contrast
color makes the document more
effective.
} Never use a decorative or script
font for body text in documents or
mail communication.
} Colors have a very strong impact
on how a particular message is
received. Thus, it is safe to use
neutral colors like black.
} Try using complimentary fonts.
Don't use similar looking typefaces
such as two scripts or two sans
serifs when using multiple fonts.
} Either use all caps character for
headlines, or make the font face
bold. If using all caps, use a sans
serif font.
} Don't type body text in all bold
or all caps characters. Don't
change the font style very often in
your document, unless absolutely
necessary. Many users do not prefer
italicized text as it reduces text
clarity and readability.
} Make sure the character spacing
or "Kerning" is adjusted properly.
FEATURE X APPLICATION 8 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Sachin Pandit
Create video slideshows
Even though most people use different versions of Windows, very few have
discovered the presence of a full fledged audio/video editor in their systems.
This little surprise is called Windows Movie Maker and it is available with all
recent Windows. Let's discover some of the most beneficial features provided by
Windows Movie Maker. BY GARETH MANKOO

W
indows Movie Maker can be
found in "Start | Programs".
The software provides
support to multiple audio, video and
image formats. Here we will create a
brief movie using some images as an
example. On launching Windows Movie
Maker you will come accross the
various modules of the player.
The bottom portion of the player
comprises of the Storyboard grid
which will later accomodate your
audio, image and video files for editing.
The left panel consists of shortcuts
to different movie editing effects and
tips. Using these shortcuts helps you
save considerable amount of time.
On the left, we have the Preview
Player. This player is capable of
playing back the clip from the selected
point on the Storyboard. In the heart of
the Movie Maker window lies the most
essential part, called the "Collections"
segment. This includes all the media
you have availible for editing. It serves
as a basket that can hold all the media
content that you wish to edit or add
to your final movie. If by any chance,
Windows Media Maker doesn't display
these Collections, you can view it by
clicking "View | Collections" or click
the "Collections" button on the toolbar.
Make sure all the media files that
you add to the Collections are of a
supported format.
Importing Media for editing
To add any media for editing you
need to add it to the Collections list.
Only the files that are present in the
Collections folder can be edited.
Click "File | Import into Collections".
The files will appear in a tiled format
in your Collections list. Clicking on
each of the images displays a preview
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 9 APPLICATION W FEATURE

Click the “Multiple” tab to view an array of selected fonts. It is wise to use the The images in the “Collections” folder can be added to the Storyboard by
“Quick Fox” line to ascertain apt typefaces. dragging them to the Timeline section.

of the same in the preview player
on the right. Click and drag each of
the images into the Storyboard. The
image files will be enqueued in the
Moviemaker Storyboard.
There are two different viewing
modes for editing with Windows Movie
Maker namely, Storyboard view and
Timeline view.
Click "Show Storyboard" to view the
Storyboard. (Clicking "Show Timeline"
will once again switch the view to the
Timeline mode).
Add images to the
slideshow
ADDING VIDEO TRANSITIONS: Once
in the Storyboard mode, the images
will appear as larger tiles with small
rectangular boxes in between them.
These boxes accomodate various
transition effects between images.
Transition effects cause a patterned
flow between two image transitions.
Rather than just flipping over from one
image to another, many users prefer a
transition effect like Dissolve or Fade
Out in which the first image fades into
the second.
Transitions are frequently used by
those who use Microsoft PowerPoint.
The transition, in this case, occurs
between slides rather than images.
Click "Tools | Video Transitions".
The different slide transition effects
offered by Windows Movie Maker are
displayed in a list.
Select individual effects that you
would like to add during the transition
of images. Selecting the right kind
of transition effect is important and
subjective, depending upon what
message the image is meant to convey.
The entire effort put into adding these
transitions between images goes in
vain if the wrong effect is selected.
A preview of the entire clip created
so far can be viewed in the preview
player. Click "Show Timeline" to switch
to the Timeline mode. Drag the slider
to the start of the file on the Timeline
scale and click the "Play" button in the
preview player.
ADDING VIDEO EFFECTS: Besides
styling up the image transitions in your
slideshows Windows Movie Maker adds
another interesting feature that allows
you to set the mood for your slideshows
with the help of some cool effects.
These are primarily video effects but
can be added to images as well. Select
an appropriate Video Effect and drag
it to the image tiles in the Storyboard.
The little blank boxes at the left bottom
of the images in the Storyboard will
now show a blue star. This indicates
that the effect has been applied for that
particular image.
These effects should be selected
based on the theme of the image. For
instance: the "Sepia Tone" effect will
suit an image that indicates a memory.

Trainsition effects can be applied to the slideshow by dragging them to the “Video Effects” can be applied to individual images by dragging them over the
small rectangles that lie between the thumbnails. respective images.
FEATURE X APPLICATION 10 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Place the mouse pointer at the end of the audio track till it appears as a blue arrow. Click and drag this arrow inward till it is parallel to the end of the list of
enqueued images. The above image displays how the timeline appears before and after cropping the audio file.

The "Ease In" effect comes in handy
when you want to help the viewer to
focus on the central part of the image.
This effect gradually zooms into the
central portion of the image.
REDUCING INDIVIDUAL IMAGE DISPLAY
TIME: The time-limit of each image
appearing in the slideshow may differ
from your expectations. Click "Show
Timeline". Place your mouse pointer
between the image whose display time
you wish to reduce and the subsequent
image. The pointer will change into a
a red, bidirectional arrow. Drag this
arrow inward, toward the left of the
image whose display time you wish
to reduce. This can be done on all
images in the Storyboard, including
the last one.
Add background audio
The prime objective of creating a
slideshow is to breathe life into your
static images. Opening them in an
image viewer and pressing the next
button to browse through them isn't
exactly exciting.
Memories are meant to be
preserved with a bit more love
and care and that's why we turn
to solutions like those provided by
software like Windows Movie Maker.
Now that your images are well
formatted in a single video file it's
time to add audio to the slideshow as
background music.
For this, you will have to add
the appropriate audio files into the
Collections folder. Click "File | Import
into Collections" and add the song(s)
that you want from the dialog box.
The song file will be displayed among
other images in the Collection folder.
Click "Show Timeline" to switch to the
Timeline mode if the Storyboard view
is on.
Click the newly added audio track
and drag it down to the Timeline.
The audio track will be added below
the collage of images that form the
Timeline.
ADJUSTING AUDIO TRACKS: The
duration of the audio track can be
adjusted according to the length of
the movie. Simply place your mouse
pointer at the far end of the audio file
in the Timeline till it appears as a red
bidirectional arrow. Click and drag this
arrow inward, till it is parallel with the
end of the list of enqueued images.
You can add multiple audio tracks to
the Timeline which can be adjusted
using this technique.
Text Credits
It is always a good practice to add
some text to a slideshow so that it
indicates what the content in the
images is all about. Credits can also
be used to acknowledge those involved
in the making of the video. Windows
Movie Maker gives you a choice of

Rolling credits are commonly used at the end of a video. Enter the subtitles on the left column and the names in the right column. A preview of the same will be
visible in the preview player.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 11 APPLICATION W FEATURE

Click “Tools | Titles and Credits". Select the position in the file where you wish to place the credits. The next window offers a choice of various Title Animation
styles. The Preview Player displays the applied effect.

Click "File | Save Movie File". In the dialog box that opens click "My Computer" “Video Effects” can be applied to individual images by dragging them over the
and then "Next". respective images.

different credit styles, by means of
which, you can add more meaning to
your slideshows.
Click "Tools | Titles and Credits".
Select a point in the video clip where
you want the credits to be displayed
and fill in the grid with the appropriate
credits.
NOTE: The left column in the grid
indicates the subtitle, while the right
column is for the main credit name.
Once you are done filling the credits
grid, click "Done, add title to movie".
It will be added at the position that
you had selected for it in the Timeline.
i.e. either at the end of the file, the
beginning or somewhere in between it.
Save your files as a video
The process of saving your file as a
video isn't as cumbersome as one
would expect it to be. In fact it is a
straight forward technique. Here we
will save the slideshow of images as
a WMV file so that it can be played on
most media players.
Click "File | Save Movie File". In
the dialog box that opens up click "My
Computer" and then "Next". Enter the
name of the file and the location where
you want to save it and click "Next".
The next dialog box will show you the
estimated size of the created file along
with other details of it. Click the "Next"
button.
The conversion process
commences. During this process your
image files and the included audio
file(s) will combine to form a single
video file. This will be in the standard
WMV format and can be played by
Windows Media Player.

EDITING VIDEOS USING WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER

The main function of Windows
Movie Maker is to create movies
by appending two or more video
files, though it also provides other
facilities. Editing images by adding
effects is one of the many features
of the software. Videos can be
appended to one another using the
various available effects provided in
the 'Video Effects' section. Windows
Movie Maker also allows you to add
credits at the end of the video. The
audio level of the video files can be
controlled and edited separately.
Background audio can also be added
to a regular video using the same
techniques shown above. The final
video file can be saved in various
sizes depending upon the file format
and a few other specifications. The
advantage of using Windows Movie
Maker for video editing is that it
is freely availible with Windows
operating systems.
FEATURE X APPLICATION 12 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Sachin Pandit
Optimize your PC
At some point of time, your systems performance might deteriorate. The main
cause behind this may be your registry or the systems configuration settings.
Using TuneUp Utilities, we show you how to thwart and eradicate this common
system problem. BY DOLWIN FERNANDES

What's in TuneUp utilities

W
ith the continuous availability
of innovative software, one
would generally tend to
uninstall an older or outdated version
of the software at some time. The
removal of software from time to time
may tend to disrupt the registry thus
leaving behind unwanted registry keys
which affects system performance.
You might also be unaware of the
numerous temporary files that may
accumulate in your system due to
web browsing or other activities, thus
occupying more disk space. Moreover,
your system might even have some
unwanted Windows features installed,
thus adding to your woes. Avoiding
these system problems is quite a pain
staking process especially if you're a
novice user. If you ever opted for a 'One
click' solution to all these exasperating
problems, you've got to get your hands
on 'TuneUp Utilities 2008'. Apart from
its 'One click maintenance' option, it's
loaded with a range of innovative tools
that's bound to boost up your system
performance and keep it free from all
types of erros. You can download this
application from the website “www.
tune-up.com”.
2008?
The default setting in Windows usually
tends to slow down your system.
These settings can hence be tweaked
by expert users to boost system
performance. But this becomes
difficult for a novice user. With TuneUp
Utilities, you're just a few clicks away
from completely optimizing your PC.
The TuneUp Drive Defragmentor
checks for and fixes redundant errors
in the registry, thus accelerating
your system startup. The TuneUp
Optimizer module consists of a set
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 13 APPLICATION W FEATURE

Select your connection type from the “Connection” drop-down box and click Select appropriate options from the “Visual effects” and “Use of the
"Next" to optimize your Internet connection. computer”drop-downs to optimize your system configuration.

of wizards that optimizes and boosts
your system as well as your Internet
connection. The Registry Defrag
module eradicates all registry fl aws
and creates a new registry structure
altogether, hence optimizing your
system by reducing fragments and
recovering unused memory space.
Using the TuneUp System
Optimizer
The TuneUp system Optimizer
consists of a set of tools that help
you thoroughly optimize your system
as well as your Internet settings. By
using the optimization wizards you can
easily manage and use your system
more efficiently. For instance, you can
optimize the speed of your Internet
connection by using the 'Accelerate
downloads and Internet surfing
wizard'. To do so:
} Run TuneUp Utilities 2008 and click
the "TuneUp System Optimizer" link.
} Now click the "Accelerate downloads
and Internet surfing" link.
} On the next screen choose your
connection type from the "Connection"
drop-down list and click "Next".
TuneUp Utilities will now analyze the
TCP/IP and browser settings with
relevance to your connection type.
} Click "Next" to optimize your
settings. Once done, click" Finish".
} You would probably require a system
reboot for changes to take effect.
In the same way you can even
optimize your system configuration as
per your requirement. Whether you're
a hardcore gamer or a workaholic,
TuneUp Utilities allows you to
configure and optimize your system
as per your requirement with just a
few clicks. To optimize your system
configuration:
} Run TuneUp Utilities and click the
"TuneUp System Optimizer" link in the
"Increase Performance" tab.
} Click the "Optimize the configuration
of your computer" link.
} Select an appropriate option from
the "Visual effects" and "Use of the
computer" drop-down list and click
"Next". TuneUp Utilities will now scan
your system and recommend specific
settings as per your input.
} Click "Next" and reboot your system
for changes to take effect.
Optimizng your system as
per TuneUp's System guide
TuneUp Utilities also acts as a system
guide by directing you on several
optimization tips. Your system's
wallpaper may require additional
resources or some administrator
settings may pose as a security
threat. You can even be notified
about important system or software
updates. To use this utility, run TuneUp
Utilities and click the "TuneUp System
Optimizer" link in the "Increase

This wizard helps you find and rectify Windows errors. Once the errors are You can add prgrams to the startup using the TuneUp StartUp manager. Click
displayed, simply select the check box besides the error you want to fix. the "Plan new program start" link and borwse for the appropriate program.
FEATURE X APPLICATION 14 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Using the TuneUp Undelete wizard, you can recover files that have been To stop particular files from being executed at startup, simply select the
permanently deleted. check box next to the program and click “Delete”.

Performance" tab. Click the "Optimize
the configuration of your computer"
link. Now click the "System Advisor"
link to view optimization suggestions.
Defragmentation using the
TuneUp Drive Defrag
At a point of time, the data on your
drive may tend to scatter. As a result,
there would be a delay in program
execution. The TuneUp Drive Defrag
utility scans for and arranges data that
has been scattered on the drive thus
increasing your system performance
tremendously. You can also view the
drive usage map in real time during
the defragmentation process. To use
the Defragmentor, click the "TuneUp
Drive Defrag" link in the "Increase
Performance" tab. In the next screen,
select appropriate drives which have
to be defragged and click "Next".
Your drives will now be analyzed and
fragmented automatically.
Using TuneUp Repair
wizard
Certain Windows problems occur
from time to time. Your system's icons
may have been wrongly displayed
or the Recycle Bin icon might have
disappeared. These frequent errors
might prove to disrupt your daily work
routine. By using the TuneUp Repair
wizard, you can thus overcome these
errors as well as certain display
issues. To use the Repair Wizard, click
on the "Solve Problems" tab and then
select the "TuneUp Repair” link. All
Windows related problems appear on
the next screen. Select appropriate
check boxes as required and click
"Next" and then "Finish".
Recovering deleted files
with TuneUp Undelete
You may have accidentally deleted
an important work file permanently.
You don’t have backup or a previous
version of the file might be too old. In
this case the TuneUp Undelete tool
comes in handy. With this tool, you
can possibly recover a deleted file and
save a lot of your valuable work and
time. To use this utility simply click on
the "Solve Problems" tab and select
the "TuneUp Undelete" link. Select the
drive from which the file or folder was
deleted and click "Next". In the next
screen, enter the name of the file or
folder in the "Search criteria" text box
and click "Next". Select the file and
click "Restore". Once done, click "OK".
Accelerate Windows
startup
In Windows, many applications tend to
execute automatically during startup.
These applications that run during
startup are the applications you
frequently use. In addition to these
applications, there are also unwanted
and malicious programs that execute

TuneUp's Disk Doctor can remove Windows errors and keep your drives error To find errors in reigstry and delete unwanted files, simply click the “1-click
free. Simply select appropriate drives and follow the simple instructions. Maintainance” from the “Increase performance” tab.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 15 APPLICATION W FEATURE

Click the “Correct problems” button to eradicate all Windows errors. Once The TuneUp Drive Defrag arranges all scattered data on your system. Select
done, click “Close”. the drives to be defragged and click “Next”.

unknowingly during startup. These
programs can be simply removed
by deleting the application's icon
from the Startup folder in the Start
menu. But in the case of a malicious
program, the applications are directly
added to the registry, thus making
them unnoticeable. Thus disabling
applications from the TuneUp StartUp
manager could be adequate since it
deletes entries from anywhere within
the system.
To use the StartUp manager, run
TuneUp Utilities and click the "TuneUp
StartUp Manager" link. On the next
screen, simply select an unknown
application and click "Delete".
Eliminate file system
errors
While working with Windows, many
files are read and written continuously.
Due to this, over time errors occur
which may lead to permanent data
loss, annoying error messages and
much more. These system errors can
thus be prevented by checking for file
system errors using the Tune-Up's Disk
Doctor. To do so, click on the "Solve
Problems" tab and select the "TuneUp
Disk Doctor" link. Select the drives to
be scanned and then click "Next". For a
normal file analysis, click the "Normal
analysis" radio button. For a thorough
file system check, click the "Thorough
analysis" radio button and click "Next".
All selected drives will now be free
from all errors.
Using the TuneUp Registry
Defrag
Whenever a new program or hardware
is installed, it registers itself in the
registry, thus creating a new key and a
value. The more programs you install,
the size of the registry would increase
thus making Windows slower. This
problem can be resolved by using the
TuneUp Registry Defrag. This tool can
solely consolidate your registry and
make it smaller, thus allowing windows
to run more efficiently. To use this tool,
click the "TuneUp Registry Defrag" link
and click "Next". Once your registry is
defragged, you'll be able to view your
registry details along with a graph.
One click maintainance
The best feature embedded in
TuneUp Utilities is the "1-click system
optimization" option. This function
performs a set of tasks that can free up
disk space, eliminate invalid keys from
the registry and optimize your hard disk
for better system performance. To use
the function simply run TuneUp Utilities
and click the "1-click maintenance" link
at the bottom of the window. After a few
seconds, TuneUp Utilities will display
all errors in the next window. Simply
click the "Correct" button to remove
these errors

Click on a particular problem to view and its details on the right pane. Change To restore changes made by TuneUp Utilities, select appropriate changes and
appropriate settings as required. click the “Undo changes” button.
AT ONE GLANCE X WEB 16 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

A great advantage of using Makeownringtone.com to edit

ringtones is that it supports multiple audio formats. The
supported formats include MP3, AAC, OGG, MP4, MMF,
etc. The first step is to upload an audio file for editing.
Click the "Upload" button that can be found below the
timeline. In the dialog box that appears, select the file
that you would like to upload. Once the track is uploaded it
will appear in the timeline as a waveform.
Click “Play” to play the track from the beginning. A part
of the audio file can be selected by clicking on a particular
part of the waveform. You will see two handles that mark
the start and the end of the selection. These handles
can be moved to adjust the length of the selected region.
You can play the selected part of the song by clicking the
“Selected” button.
Before you download the ringtone make sure that you
have selected the right format and the best possible
BitRate. Click the “Make a Ringtone” button to create the
ringtone. The file can be downloaded to your computer,
sent to your cell phone or can be directly mailed to you.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 17 WEB W AT ONE GLANCE

Customizing your favorite ringtones normally involves downloading a third party application to edit and
crop audio files. This can be painstaking, time-consuming and even expensive. Makeownringtone.com is an
online ringtone editing tool that simplifies the process of audio editing by means of easy-to-use tools and a
basic user interface. BY GARETH MANKOO

EASY MODE: This mode, as the name

suggests, caters to basic audio editing needs

of a user. This includes “Normalization”,
a feature that amplifies the sound in the
audio file and at the same time makes sure
that there isn’t any unwanted audio. You can
apply the “Fade” effect to the beginning, end
or both of the song you uploaded.

ADVANCED MODE: The Advanced Mode

enhances the audio editing feature. Follow

the same procedure as the “Fade” effect to
apply the “No Silence” effect. The “Bass”
and “Treble” effects can be applied to the
file using the dropdown box and by adjusting
the Frequency. “Reversing” inverts the
uploaded audio file.

EXPERT MODE: For additional effects to be

added to your track click on the “Expert
Mode” tab. “Pad” adds a silence break to the
ends of the song. You can reject frequency
bands to a certain level using “Band-
Reject”. “Chorus”, “Echo” and “Reverb”
effects can be added to any part of the audio
track. Using the other effects available in
this mode requires some expertise and
knowledge of sound signals, their behavior
and also the repurcussions of changing
these settings.

HANDS ON X TIPS & TICKS
Windows Vista
1 Reduce partition size
In previous versions of windows,
during setup, you could allocate a
limited amount of space for every
drive. Once done, it would be inevitable
to reduce the size of any partition if
required. But in windows Vista, this
can be feasibly done. Unlike previous
windows versions, Vista allows you to
reduce the disk space of a particular
drive as and when required. To do so:
Right-click the “My Computer”
desktop icon and select “Manage”.
On the right pane, click “Disk
Management”.
Now right-click on a particular drive
and select the “Shrink Volume” option
from the context menu.
Right-click on a particular drive and click on “Shrink” to reduce the partition size.
Tips & Tricks
18 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008
TIPS &
TRICKS
Enter the amount of space to be
reduced in the respective box.
Once done, click “Shrink”.
2 Pin folders to Start menu
Windows Vista allows you to pin
your favorite or most frequently
used applications to the Start menu.
This gives you instant access to
applications you frequently use. Since
this becomes void in case of folders,
we show you how to pin folders to the
Start menu.
To do so:
Click “Start” and type “regedit” in
the “Search” box.
Browse to the “HKEY_
CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\
ContextMenuHandlers” key.
1 Select “Allow Assistance
Once there, right-click on the right
pane and click on “New|Key”.
Type in “{a2a9545d-a0c2-42b4-
9708-a0b2badd77c8}” and press
[Enter].
Once done, close the registry editor
and restart the computer for changes
to take effect.
3 Turn on Remote Desktop
In Vista, the Remote Desktop
connection feature is disabled by
default. If you need to access your PC
from another system or vice versa, you
can easily enable this feature.
To do so:
Right-click the “My Computer”
desktop icon and click “Properties”.
On the left pane, click the “Remote
Settings” link.
connections to this computer”.
To allow connections from any
windows version, click the “Allow
connections from computers running
any version of Remote Desktop” radio
button.
Once done, click “OK”.
4 Hide Icon Text
In windows, you might probably not
want to know the name of common
icons. For example, familiar icons like
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 19
To insert an additional clock, simply select “Show this clock” and click on a particular time zone.
My Computer, Internet Explorer and
Recycle bin need not have text below
them to know what they actually do.
Most windows users are used to these
icons and hence can eradicate the text
below if not required. To do so:
Right-click on an icon, for example,
“My Computer”.
Seelect the “Rename” option.
Make sure “Num Lock” is activated.
Now simply hold the [Alt] key while
simultaneously entering the value
“255” from the keypad.
5 Include additional clocks
In previous versions of windows, one
could view only one clock at a time.
But in Vista, there has been a major
advancement towards this feature. By
just placing your mouse pointer over
the clock, you can additionally view
two more clocks of different time zone
thus helping you to keep track of time
around the world. To do so:
Right-click on the System Clock and
select the “Adjust Date/Time” option.
Click the “Additional Clocks” tab.
Select “Show this clock”.
Now, click on an appropriate time
zone from the “Select time zone” drop
down box.
Enter a description for the clock in
the “Enter display name” text box. The
second clock is now activated.
To activate the third clock, follow
steps 3 to 5 and click “OK”.
5 To enable or disable a particular
6 Activating Vista features
Windows Vista comes with a variety
of features that can be enabled
or disabled by the administrator.
Some of these inbuilt features which
may not be required by the user
are disabled so as improve overall
system performance. But if you find it
necessary to activate these features,
follow the steps below:
Click on “Start|Control Panel”.
Double-click the “Programs and
Features” icon.
On the left pane, click the “Turn
Windows features on or off” link.
The “Windows Features” dialog box
appears with a list a activated as well
as deactivated features.
A selected checkbox next to a
feature indicates that the feature is
Once you’ve captured the screenshot, click on “File|Save As” to save the file.
TIPS & TRICKS W HANDS ON
currently enabled.
feature, simply select or clear the
respective checkboxes.
Once done, click “OK”.
7 Capture screenshots
Previous versions of windows allowed
a user to capture screen shots by
hitting the [PrtScrn] key. This was
quiet disquieting as it had limited
options to further manipulate the
image. To overcome this problem,
Windows Vista has introduced the
Snipping Tool.
Using this tool, one can easily
capture screenshots of the desired
window, entire screen or by a
particular selection within the screen.
Moreover, this tool comes absolutely
free with Windows Vista. To use the
Snipping tool:
On the desktop, click
“Start|Accessories|Snipping Tool”.
The “Snipping tool window” appears.
Click on the “New” drop down
arrow and select an appropriate
option. For example to take a
screenshot of a particular window,
select the “Window Snip” option.
Now simply place the cursor over a
particular window and select it.
The screen shot will now appear in
the editing window.
To save the file, select the “Save
As” option from the “File” menu.
7
HANDS ON X TIPS & TICKS
Select an appropriate option from the “Line spacing” drop-down box.
8 Check system stability
If you think your system is running
well for a long time without any fl aws,
you probably might have to take a look
at it again. There might be several
errors which may cause inevitable
damage later. These problems should
thus be rectified. Windows Vista has a
prominent feature that can analyze and
check the stability of your system . To
check your system stability:
Click “Start” and type “reliability” in
the “Search” box. The “Reliability and
Performance” dialog box appears.
Select “Reliability Monitor” from
the left pane. You would see a system
stability chart.
Double-click the red crosses to view
further details. You can now rectify all
system errors.
Word 2003
9 Adding Sound Files
Do you find your text documents plain
and boring? If you are the type that
likes to give your documents a push
towards multimedia, Word allows you
to liven up your documents by inserting
sound files in your document. Here is
how you can do it:
Position the cursor where you want
the sound to be inserted.
Choose the “Object” option from the
“Insert” menu.
20 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008
11
The “Object” dialog box is now
displayed.
Select the “Create from File” tab.
Click “Browse” and use the dialog
box to locate a sound file stored on
your computer that you want included
in your document.
Click “OK”.
An icon that looks like a speaker is
inserted in your document. You can
listen to your sound file by simply
double-clicking the speaker icon.
NOTE: Apart from sound you can also
add media like videos and images, by
following the same steps as above.
10 Change
fonts
page number
If you have tried everything to make
your document look different, chances
are you have not tried to change
the font style and size of the page
numbers. Word allows you to do this in
a few simple steps. Here is how you go
about it:
Choose “Styles and Formatting”
from the “Format” menu.
In the task pane on the right side of
the screen, choose “All Styles” from
the “Show” list.
From the “Pick Formatting to Apply”
list locate “Page Numbers”.
You could either right click on it or
click the drop down menu provided.
Click “Modify”. The “Modify Style”
dialog box appears.
Make the desired changes.
Click “OK”.
Check the “Add to template”
checkbox, if you want the modified
style to be added to the template.
NOTE: If you don’t check this box, the
modified style will affect only the
document you are working on.
Once done, click “OK”.
Your document will now have a new
look as defined.
11 Double spacing text
If you feel that your text is cramped
up, and want to space it out, or if you
just want to make your text stand out,
double spacing your text will help you
do just that.
Word allows you to add extra spaces
between paragraphs and lines. You
can do so by simply following the steps
given below.
Select the portion of the document
that you want double-spaced.
NOTE: To select the entire document,
choose “Select All” from the “Edit”
menu or press the key combination
[Ctrl] + [A].
Choose “Paragraph” from the
“Format” menu.
Click the “Indents and Spacing” tab,
then select a line spacing setting from
the “Spacing” list.
Click “OK”.
NOTE: You can change both the
leading and trailing spaces as well
as the space between the lines of the
required paragraph.
12 Creating an Index
If you have a large document,
creating an index could be really
helpful in locating information within
the document. An index lists all
the important points and topics in
your document under one orderly
alphabetical list. Hence, Word provides
you with an easy to use index maker.
Select appropriate text that would
be marked as an index entry.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 21
Select text from the document to mark it as an index entry.
Choose “Index and Tables” from the
“Insert” menu, then click the “Index”
tab, or press [Alt] + [Shift] + [X].
In the “Mark Index Entry” dialog box
you can add additional information like
a subentry or a cross-reference.
Click “Mark” to add the entry to
the index.
NOTE: The dialog box remains open
which allows you to scroll through the
document and add one entry at a time.
Place the cursor on the last page of
the document (or the page where you
want to place your index), then open
the “Index” dialog box.
You can choose a “Format” from the
list that suits your document.
Click “OK” to create the index.
NOTE: If any changes are made after the
index is created, you will have to follow
Steps 5 and 6 to refresh the changes
that you recently made.
Check the “Fit Text” box in the Cell Options dialog box.
12
13 Fitting Text into a Cell
If you have finished editing your Word
document, and then need to add
some more text in a table, your entire
formatting may go hay wired. Word has
a way for you to add and format the
text in the tables without disturbing
the formatting done in the rest of the
document, by compressing the text in
the table and keeping the size of the
tables the same. Here is how you go
about it:
Select the cell or cells from the
table that want to add text in.
Choose “Table Properties” from the
“Table” menu. The “Table Properties”
dialog box is displayed.
Click the “Cell” tab to select it.
Click the “Options” button. Word
will display the “Cell Options” dialog.
13
You can drag the Wrap Points and change the shape of the text wrap box.
TIPS & TRICKS W HANDS ON
Check the “Fit Text” check box.
Click “OK” to close the “Cell
Options” dialog box.
Click “OK” to close the “Table
Properties” dialog box.
Word 2007
14 Custom Text Wrapping
Even though Word provides you with
a way to wrap text around an image,
you may need to add some text over
your image or leave some extra blank
space near it. Word allows you to do
so by altering the ‘Wrap Points’ of the
image. These are small black boxes.
Each of the wrap points is
connected with a small dashed red
line. The box made by the red dashed
line defines where the text will
appear in and around the image. It
is possible to change the position of
these anchors by simply dragging
them. Here is how you do it:
Insert your picture as you normally
would, and make sure it is selected.
Click the “Format” tab.
Click the “Text Wrapping” tool
appearing in the “Arrange” group. A
drop down menu of wrapping options
appears.
Choose the “Edit Wrap Points”
option. Word displays the wrap points
around the picture.
Move existing wrap points by
clicking and dragging them to a new
position.
14
HANDS ON X TIPS & TICKS
By default, Excel 2007 stores 17 recent files. You can change this setting as per your requirements.
Add new wrap points by holding
down the [Ctrl] key as you click on
the dashed red line at the position
where you want a wrap point. You can
then drag the new wrap point to the
desired position.
Remove an existing wrap point by
holding down the [Ctrl] key as you
click on the wrap point.
When done adjusting wrap points,
click anywhere outside the picture.
The wrap points disappear, and your
text follows the texture you defined
when you edited the points.
Excel 2007
15 Removing
files
dead recent
You might require accessing certain
file repeatedly, while dealing with
certain projects in your everyday
work. You can view a list of recent
spreadsheets in the “Recent
Documents” panel appearing in the
“Office Button” menu list. There might
be certain files which lead you to ‘Dead
Links’, because you changed the file
path or deleted the specific file. These
file continue to appear in the “Recent
Documents” panel. To delete these file,
just carry out the following steps:
Start “Excel 2007” and click the
“Office button”.
Click the “Excel Options” button.
In the “Excel Options” dialog box
that appears, select the “Advanced”
22 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008
15
option, appearing on the left panel of
the “Excel Options” dialog box.
Scroll down, till you reach the
“Display” section.
In the “Show this number of Recent
Documents” option, click on the up/
down arrows to set the numerical
value to “0”.
Alternatively, you can manually type
the value in the text box. You can key in
any number ranging from “0” to “50”
Click “OK”.
Your “Recent Documents” list will be
cleared.
To start a new list, carry out the
following steps:
Click the “Office Button” and then
the “Excel Options” button.
Select the “Advanced” option, and
go back to the “Show this number of
Recent Documents” option under the
“Display” section.
Using the 1904 date system, you can display negative time values with relative ease.
Set a value as per your requirement
and click “OK” to save the settings
This will however remove all the
files on the list, including the ones you
require and the ones you had pinned.
To avoid this you need to use a bit of
caution. Use this trick listed below to
avoid loosing existing file paths:
For the files that are existing and
essential, check the tack pin mark
appearing near the filename in the
“Recent Documents” list.
Count the number of pinned files in
the list.
While setting the “Show this
number of Recent Documents” option
numerical value, type the number as
per your count in Step 2.
Click “OK” to complete.
You can check the tack pin option
to unpin the file from the “Recent
Documents” list.
16 Displaying
values
negative time
While calculating difference in
your worksheet, you may require
subtracting two time values. If you
try subtracting a time elapsed earlier
from a recent time, you will not be
displayed with a negative value as
expected.
Instead, Excel displays to you
a series of hash symbols (#). This
generally happens because Excel,
for Windows users by default uses
16
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 23
By using a base number, you can identify a total though the base number.
the 1900 date system. You can fix this
unwanted problem.
Start “Excel 2007” and click the
“Office button”.
Click the “Excel Options” button.
In the “Excel Options” dialog box
that appears, select the “Advanced”
option, on the left panel.
Scroll down till you reach the “When
calculating this workbook:” section.
Check the “Use 1904 date system”
option.
Click “OK” to save the changes.
Your time will now be displayed
along with a minus (-) sign. The 1904
date system is used as the default date
system for MAC users of Excel.
If you do not wish to change the
default date system for Excel your
machine, you can convert the value
into a text equivalent. To do so carry
out the following steps:
Presume cell B2 has the earlier time
and cell A2 a recently lapsed time.
Go to the destination cell where the
difference should appear.
Type the formula as “ =IF(B2-A2<0,
“-” & TEXT(ABS(B2-A2),”hh:mm”),
B2-A2)”
As per this formula, you are using
three functions, that is, IF(), TEXT() and
the ABS() function.
The IF condition checks whether the
resultant value is a negative number
or not.
If the function returns a true value
the ABS() function converts the value
to a positive number and we affix a
17
minus (-) symbol to signify the negative
value.
The TEXT() function, converts the
result to a text value.
The “&” is used to concatenate two
text values.
If the IF() function returns false,
the difference of the two values will be
displayed as it is.
Excel 2003 / 2007
17 Displaying
a base
numbers with
You might have Excel sheets which
deal with mutliple units clubbed as
one. If you deal with a number of items,
you can figure out how many multiples
you need to order on the basis of a
single base number, with the help of
this simple trick. To do so just carry
Through the “Select Data Source” dialog box, you can add, edit or remove data series from your charts.
TIPS & TRICKS W HANDS ON
out the following steps:
Type the heading in cell B1.
Type the original / total value in
“Row B” from cell B2 onwards.
In cell C2, type the formula as,
“=INT(B2/15) & “-” & RIGHT(“00” &
MOD(B2,15),2)”.
In this formula, the INT() function
returns the integer part of the division
value. The MOD() function returns the
remainder value, the RIGHT() function
picks two of the right most values, and
this value is then concatenated with
the “.” sign appearing after the integer
value. The result will appear as “12.09”
NOTE: This result cannot be used as a
value for mathematical functions. It is
for reference only.
18 Rearranging data series
While working with series in charts,
Excel creates a default order in which
the series would appear, depending
on the structure of the selection. You
can change the underlying structure
or else manually format the chart. To
manually affect the changes, carry out
the following steps:
Select the data, and go to the
“Insert” tab.
Create a chart as per your
requirement.
Right-click anywhere inside the
chart.
In the context menu, select the
“Select Data…” option.
18
HANDS ON X TIPS & TICKS
Enter names of friends you want to deny certain profile views. Once the names are selected click “Okay”.
In the “Select Data Source” dialog
box, click on the series you want to
move.
With the help of the Up and Down
Arrow buttons, move the series to the
desired position.
Click “OK” to save.
Facebook
19 Monitor your privacy
Facebook is a social networking site
whose user base has grown to such
an extent that it connects just about
everyone. This means that it’s no
longer a place for your friends and
loved ones to catch up but a network
that links you to your colleagues as
well. This can pose as a problem for
those who want to segregate their
private lifestyle from their official
one. For instance, if your boss has
just added you in Facebook, there is a
chance that he will have a glimpse of
your holiday pictures that you would
rather not show him.
Owing to this fact, Facebook
has come up with a strong privacy
protection scheme. This gives limited
access to those who you wish to keep
away from viewing your personal
collection of photos and your profile as
a whole.
You can provide individual viewing
preferences for each of your contacts
to avoid a common, complete view for
of your profile for all contacts.
24 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008
Log into your Facebook account.
Once you are directed to your
homepage, scroll down to the bottom
and click on “Privacy”. This can be
found at the bottom, right-hand side
corner of the page.
Facebook will display the list
of “Principles” that explain how it
secures your privacy and at the same
time allows you to share maximum
information with your contacts, over
the internet. Go through these rules
carefully.
Click “Click here to go to Privacy
Settings” once you are done reading
the rules, principles, etc.
Click “Profile”.
Click the “Profile” dropdown box
and select the names of those contacts
who you want to share your profile
with and who you want to withhold
Select the “Use Small Icons“ check box from the “Customize Toolbar” dialog box.
information from.
Click the “Basic Info” dropdown box
and then on “Customize”.
Select the privacy options by
clicking the appropriate radio buttons.
Enter the name of friends who you
do not wish to share your personal
information with by entering their
names in the textbox provided below.
The names of these contacts will be
listed above the textbox. To remove
names from this list simply click the
cross sign.
Click “OK”.
The same procedure should be
followed to change the privacy settings
of videos, pictures, wall posts, etc.
Once done, click “OK” to save the
changes.
Doing this can enable you to freely
upload as many videos and images as
you would please without worrying
about someone unauthorized viewing
it. It can also keep your profile safe
from those who pose as a threat to
your privacy such as hackers and other
information thieves.
Firefox 3
20 Smaller back button
Many users find the large “Back”
button in Firefox 3 as odd and
unnecessary. Unlike most other
popular browsers, the back button, in
this case, is keyhole shaped. The back
20
19
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 25
GTalk smileys include the classic smileys, the round ones and the square shaped smileys.
button alone causes the height of the
toolbar to increase.
Mozilla has made a provision to
resize this oversized button. One can
make it the same size as the forward
button by following some simple steps.
Launch Firefox 3 and navigate to
“View | Toolbars”.
Click “Customize”.
Check the “Use small icons”
checkbox.
Click “Done”.
The Back button will reduce in size
and take the same size as the Forward
button. You will also notice that the
toolbar is comparatively smaller in size
since the button doesn’t take up all the
extra space that it occupied.
Google Talk
21 Use hidden smileys
GTalk has its own list of available
smileys. Using most of them is simple
since they have the same codes as
their Yahoo! Messenger and MSN
Messenger counterparts. GTalk
smileys have an added dimension to
the way they express your emotions.
They are available in three different
styles, Classic, Round and Square.
However, the code remains the same
for each type. The problem is that most
of these aren’t available in the popup
that display the smileys.
The table above displays the list
of available smileys with the GTalk.
21
This includes both, the hidden smileys
and the one that are displayed in the
pop-up.
Firefox 3
22 Advanced color profile
By default, Firefox 3 doesn’t display
images at their best possible quality. In
fact, it reduces the quality of images so
that the page loads faster with lesser
CPU utilization. Loading images with
the best possible quality hampers the
performance of Firefox by 10-15%.
However, if you are a graphic
designer or if you need the displayed
image to be of the best possible quality
then follow these simple steps to
activate the Color Management.
Type “about:config” in the address
bar and hit the [Enter] button.
Enter the search string and double click on the value that is displayed as “false” to make it “true”.
TIPS & TRICKS W HANDS ON
In the search textbox type in the
following line of text: “gfx.color_
management.enabled”.
By default it will display the Value
as “false”. Double-click on it to change
the value to “True” and enable high-
definition color effects.
To undo this effect simply follow
the same steps and double-click on
the Preference Name to disable color
management.
Facebook
23 Create profile badges
Facebook helps you create Badges.
Badges help you share your Facebook
information on other sites and get
updated automatically. These are
customizable and can be created using
templates as well.
Go to your Facebook homepage
Click “Create a Profile Badge”.
Click “Create Badge”.
Select the “Layout” radio buttons,
stating you want vertical or horizontal
alignment.
Select the list of items from the
dropdown box.
Click “Save”.
Your Facebook Badge will be saved
with the HTML code to add this Badge
directly. Simply copy the code from
your Badge page and paste it in the
source code of your webpage. The
Badge will be added there and will be
updated automatically.
22
 HANDS ON X WORKSHOP 26 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Create your own

functions!
Have you ever tried working with extremely
Hemali Limbachiya

complicated and nested functions, only to find

yourself lost halfway through? One way to over
come this is to create your own hassle-free
functions! BY KAMAKSHI VENUGOPAL
REFERENCE STEP 1: Counting cells with fill colors
WHAT ARE MACROS Background fill colors help you to summarize your worksheets effectively and enable you to highlight
AND USER-DEFINED key points in your data. If there are many cells in your worksheet with similar fill colors, you might
FUNCTIONS? want to count cells based on them. Although there is no built-in function to achieve this task, you can
A macro is a recording of create a formula for your reference. To do so, just carry out these following steps:
actions performed to
achieve a particular task.
By creating and saving a Using sample cells
macro, you can automate
Excel for recurring tasks.
With macros, you can
automate formatting
1 Open the target
workbook. 4 In the drop-down
menu, click
"Yellow".
changes, create charts
and also create user
defined functions to make
Alternatively, you
calculations easier.
User-defined 2 Select all the
cells containing
negative values.
can use the "Format
| Format Cells"
functions are typically option. In the
Visual Basic for "Format Cells"
Applications (VBA) dialog box, click the
program codes, which
evaluate complex
3 On the
Formatting
toolbar, click the
"Patterns" tab. Click
"Yellow" under the
conditions and loops "Fill Color" icon. "Fill Color" section.
which cannot be done
otherwise using Excel.
Thus these programs
provide Excel with
flexibility and expand 5 Now you need to
create a formula
to count the number
6 To create the
formula, go to
"Tools | Macro |
their working and
calculation capacity. of cells with a yellow Visual Basic Editor".
fill color. You need to
create a Visual Basic Alternatively, you
or VB code to can use the [Alt] +
evaluate this [F11] short key to
formula. activate the Visual
Basic Editor.

7 Under the
"Project1-
VBAProject" panel,
8 In the contextual
menu that
appears, click
right-click the "Insert | Module".
"VBAProject(Book1)"
option.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 27 WORKSHOP W HANDS ON

TIP
9 Next, we create
a formula
named
MAKING USER-
"CountYellow()".
DEFINED FUNCTIONS
Copy the contents GLOBALLY AVAILABLE
given below without
any changes.

Function CountYellow(CellRange As Range)

Dim iCount As Integer
Application.Volatile
iCount = 0
For Each cell In CellRange
If cell.Interior.ColorIndex = 6 Then
iCount = iCount + 1 When you create a user
End If defined function for a
Next cell workbook, you will not be
CountYellow = iCount
able to use it outside the
End Function
workbook you created it
in. If you need to make
10 The
"ColorIndex"
of the color Yellow
11 To use this
function, go these user-defined
to cell N6, and type functions global, you can
according to VBA is “=Co orYellow do so using this simple
"6". You can play (A3:M37)", where
around with this tip. Just follow the steps
"A3:M37" is the cell
value to create more range where you mentioned below:
functions with want the count of Collate all your user-
different fill colors. shaded cells. 1 defined functions in a
single Excel file.
Search for a folder
2 named “XLSTART”.
NOTE: This folder
can be found under
“C:\Documents and
Settings\<User_Name>\
Application Data\
STEP 2: Calculating the sum of absolute values Microsoft\Excel\ “ in your
If you wish to calculate sum of numbers ignoring the minus sign, Excel does not have any predefined computer.
function that you can use. You can create a complicated nest of formulas and functions, or you can Save the file as
simplify the task by creating a function of your own. Just carry out the following steps: 3 “personal.xls” in the
“XLSTART” folder.
1 Open the target
workbook. 4 Press [Enter] at
the end of the
previous function
To check whether the
functions are available,

2 Go to "Tools |
Macro | Visual
Basic Editor".
and start typing the
formula named
"SumAbs()".
carry out the following
steps:
Go to “Insert |

3 Since we have
already created 5 Copy the
contents for the
1 Function…”.
In the “Insert
a module, we just
need to type the
formula.
formula "SumAbs()"
given next without
any changes.
2 Function” dialog box,
click “User Defined”
in the “Or select a
Function SumAbs(CellRange As Range) As Double
Total = 0 category:” drop-down list.
You will see all the
On Error GoTo Done
For Each element In CellRange
Total = Total + Abs(element)
We will use the
same workbook
3 functions you created
in the “Select a function:”
Next element throughout this
Done: workshop. A single list box.
SumAbs = Total module can contain
End Function multiple functions.
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP 28 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

TIP
USING MACROS IN 6 To use this
function, go to
cell N2, and type
8 Drag the formula
to consecutive
cells using the fill
EXCEL 2007 the heading as handle.
You can use macros in any "Absolute Totals".
version of Excel from
Excel 97 onwards. If you 9 To check if the
function is
working properly,
wish to use macros in notice the difference
Excel 2007, you require
using the “Developer” tab.
7 In cell N3 type
"=SumAbs
(A3:L3) ".
in values between
Row M and Row N.
By default, this tab is
hidden in Excel 2007. To
active the “Developer” STEP 3: Displaying weekday names
tab, carry out the Although Excel has functions to display weekdays with the help of the Weekday() function, it only shows
following steps: you a numerical equivalent of the day in the week. If you require displaying weekdays as per their
Start weekday names, you can customize Excel to do just that. Just carry out the following steps:
1 Excel 2007

2 Click the “Office

Button”.
1 Go to "Tools |
Macro | Visual
Basic Editor".
3 Press [Enter] at
the end of the
previous function
Click the “Excel and start typing the
3 Options” button.
Select the “Popular”
formula named
"WeekDayName()".

4 option on the left

pane. 4 Copy the
contents for the
Check the “Show 2 Since we have
already created formula
5 Developer tab in the
Ribbon” option.
a module, we just
need to type the
"WeekDayName()"
given next without
formula. any changes.
Click “OK” to save the
6 changes.
The “Developer”
Function WeekDayName(dDate As Date)
Dim DayNumber As Integer

7 tab appears on the

application window
DayNumber = Weekday(dDate, vbSunday)
Select Case DayNumber
Case 1
without restarting the WeekDayName = "Sunday"
Case 2
application. WeekDayName = "Monday"
Case 3
WeekDayName = "Tuesday"
Case 4
WeekDayName = "Wednesday"
Case 5
WeekDayName = "Thursday"
Case 6
WeekDayName = "Friday"
Case 7
WeekDayName = "Saturday"
End Select
End Function

5 To use this
function, type
"Date" in cell A1.
8 In cell B2 type
"=WeekDay
Name (A2) ".

6 Type date
values in cells
A2:A12.

7
B1.
Type "Weekday
Name" in cell
9 Type date values
in cells A2:A12.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 29 WORKSHOP W HANDS ON

STEP 4: Calculating the number of weekdays in a month TIP

Excel has an excellent function called NetworkDays() which helps you calculate the number of ADDING CELL STYLE
weekdays in a particular period. What if you need to find out the number of Wednesdays that occur in a ON THE QUICK
particular month? Although you can write a complicated and nested formula, you might either get lost ACCESS TOOLBAR
halfway through or you may not be able to estimate the accuracy of the result. You can create a function If you use cell styles
of your own to keep it simple. To do so, just carry out the following steps: often and find it annoying
or difficult to navigate
back and forth to the
1 Go to "Tools |
Macro | Visual
Basic Editor".
3 Press [Enter] at
the end of the
previous function
‘Home’ tab, you can create
short cuts by adding the
and start typing the menu to the Quick Access
formula named
Toolbar. To do so, carry
”NumberOf
Weekdays()”. out the following steps:
Go to the
1 ‘Home’ tab.
Right-click on the cell

2 Since we have
already created
4 Copy the
contents for the
formula “NumberOf
2 style to add the cell
style gallery on the ‘Quick
a module, we just Weekdays()" given Access Toolbar’.
need to type the next without any
Click on the ‘Add
formula.

Function NumberOfWeekdays(dDate As Date,

changes.
3 Gallery to Quick
Access Toolbar’ option.
iWeekDay As Integer) The cell style gallery
Dim dLoop As Date
If iWeekDay < 1 Or iWeekDay > 7 Then
4 will be added to the
‘Quick Access Toolbar’.
NumberOfWeekdays = CVErr(xlErrNum)
Exit Function To add the entire
End If ‘Styles’ group to the
NumberOfWeekdays = 0
‘Quick Access Toolbar’,
dLoop = DateSerial(Year(dDate),
Month(dDate), 1) carry out the following
Do While Month(dLoop) = Month(dDate) steps:
If WeekDay(dLoop) = iWeekDay Then _ Go to the
NumberOfWeekdays =
NumberOfWeekdays + 1
1 ‘Home’ tab.
Click on the ‘Cell
Loop
dLoop = dLoop + 1

End Function
2 Styles’ located under
the ‘Styles’ group.
Right-click on any

5 To use and
understand how 8 In cell B2, type
the formula as
3 white space in the cell
style grid.
this function works, "=Weekday(A2)".
Click on the ‘Add
type "Week" in cell
A1. 4 Group to Quick Access
Toolbar’ option.
The ‘Styles’ group will
5 be added to the ‘Quick
Access Toolbar’.

6 Type date
values in cells
A2:A8.

9 Drag the
formula up to

7 Type "Weekday"
in cell B1.
cells B8 using a fill
handle.
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP 30 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

TIP
CREATING SHORTCUT 10 Type
"Weekday
Name" in cell C1.
11 In cell C2,
type the
formula as
KEYS FOR MACROS "=WeekdayName
(A2)"

You can create keyboard

shortcuts to run your
macros, instead of
juggling back and forth to
the macros tool bar to
execute each macro. To do
so, carry out the following
steps:
Go to “Tools | Macro |
12 Drag the formula up to cells C8 using a fill handle to
copy the same to the remaining cells.

1 Record New Macro…”

In the “Record Macro”
2 dialog box, type an
appropriate macro name
13 Type
"Number of 15 Drag the
formula up
Weekdays" in cell to cell D8 using the
under the “Macro name:” D1. fill handle.
textbox.
In the “Shortcut
3 key:” box, type any
character from your
keyboard that you want
to assign as the shortcut
key.
To use capital letters,
4 either use [Shift], or
keep the [Caps Lock] on.
To make the macro
16 You will find
the number

5 global, select
the “Personal Macro
14 In cell D2
type
of weekdays that
appear in the
specified month
"=NumberOf
Workbook” option under Weekdays (A2, B2) ". appear in Row D.
the “Store macro in:”
drop-down list.
Click “OK” to continue
6 creating the macro.
17 To confirm
the result, 18 In cell D10,
type the
type "Total days in formula as
the month of "=SUM(D2:D8)". The
September" in cell result will be 30,
A10. which is the number
of days in the month
of September.
 NOVEMBER
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O EMB
EMB
MBER
BER 2 000 8 | INT
E R 200
2008 INTELLIGENT
IN
INTELL
NT ELL
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GE NT
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COMPUT
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OM
MPPU
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UT NG CH
CHIP
IP
P PL
PLU
PLUS
LLU
US S
SUPP
SUPPLEMENT
UP
UPP
PP LEM ENT | 311
LEMENT HOP W HANDS
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ANDS ON
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Yes! I would like to subscribe to CHIP for 1 Year 3 Years (PLEASE FILL THE FORM IN CAPITAL LETTERS)
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 HANDS ON X WORKSHOP 32 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Manage tasks
efficiently
Hemali Limbachiya

Are you on a tight schedule? Do you tend to

leave out important tasks? If so, then Vista’s
Task Scheduler might come in handy.
BY DOLWIN FERNANDES

TIP STEP 1: Create a Basic task

ABOUT THE TASK Windows Vista has an inbuilt feature known as the task scheduler. This feature enables you to execute
SCHEDULER a program, send an e-mail, play a particular music file or even turn off your system automatically at
The Task Scheduler in the given date and time. We shall now see how to create a basic task.
Windows Vista is a helpful
feature that allows the
user to launch certain
event at a particular time.
This feature enables you
to run tasks periodically
1 Click on "Start|
Control Panel |
Administrative
2 Now, from the
"Action" menu,
select the "Create
which can be useful for
Tools| Task Basic Task" option.
system administrators.
Scheduler".
The Task Scheduler can
also wake the machine if
in ‘Sleep’ mode to run
important tasks. Other
than simply executing a
program, the task
scheduler can also send
an e-mail automatically at
a given date and time or
display a normal reminder
message. Hence suing
this feature can make the
system a full fledged
automated ad-hoc
machine.

3 Now, in the
"Name" text box,
enter an appropriate
5 Once done, click
"Next".

for your task.

4 Enter
appropriate
description
regarding your task
in the "Description"
box.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 33 WORKSHOP W HANDS ON

TIP
6 Click on a
particular radio
button. For example
Using the Tasks
Scheduler, you can DELETE A TASK
trigger a particular
"Daily" and click If your task is not a
event daily, weekly,
"Next" monthly, one time, recurring one, you might
when the computer no longer need it. Hence
starts, when you log the task can be deleted.
on or when a
This can also save a small
specific event is
logged amount of disk space. To
delete a task:
Run the Task
1 Scheduler and click on
“Task Scheduler Library”.
7 In the next
8 Click
Click on an
screen, click on
an appropriate
radio button. For
"Next".
2 appropriate task and
select the “Delete” option
example "Start a
from the “Action” menu.
program".
A confirmation dialog box
will appear.
Click “Yes” to confirm
3 the deletion.
To delete a
4 non- recurring
automatically, click on
9 Now, click on
"Browse" and 10 On the next
screen, you
“Actions|Properties”.
Go to the “Settings”
select the program
to be executed and
click "Next"
will be able to view
a detailed summary
of your task. Once
5 tab.
Select the “If the task
done, click "Finish".
6 is not scheduled to
run again, delete it after”
check box and click on
“Immediate” from the
drop-down box.
Once done,
7 click “OK”.

STEP 2: Manage a scheduled task

At a particular point of time, you might want to modify a particular task that executes daily. Modifying a
task allows you to change its execution time, waken the computer from sleep mode if a particular task
is to be executed and much more. To do so:

1 Run the Task

Scheduler and
click on "Task
2 Click on an
appropriate task
and select the
Scheduler Library". "Properties" option
from the "Action"
menu.
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP 34 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

TIP
DISPLAY RUNNING 3 To change the
execution date
and time of a
5 Modify
appropriate
parameters in the
TASK next screen as
particular task,
click on the required and click
"Triggers" tab. "OK"

4 Select the task

and click the
"Edit" button.

Most computers probably tend to go to the ‘Sleep’ state if idle for a specific period of time. This may
prevent a particular task from executing if scheduled. To thwart this problem follow the steps below:

The task scheduler allows

6 Run the Task
Scheduler and
click on "Task
8 Click on the
"Conditions" tab.

you to keep a track of all Scheduler Library".

running tasks in your
system. You can get a
detailed view of currently
running tasks, the time 7 Click on an
appropriate task
when the task started
executing, the amount of
and select the
"Properties" option
from the "Action"
9 Select the "Wake
the computer to
run this task" check
time elapsed and the menu. box and click "OK".
purpose of each of these
tasks. Moreover you can
even terminate a STEP 3: Import or export a task
particular process if not It may be a pain staking process to schedule another task with the same configuration on another
required. To do so: machine. Hence to thwart this problem, you can use the ‘Export’ option replicate the task on another
Click on “Start” and
1 type “Task Scheduler”
in the “Search Box”.
Vista machine. To do so:

2 Click on “Display
All Running Tasks”
1 Run the Task
Scheduler and
select an
4 Now transfer
the file to
another computer
located in the “Actions” appropriate task. via a flash drive or
pane. All running tasks any secondary
storage device.
will appear.
2 Select the
"Export" option
from the "Actions"
menu.

3 Give the file an

appropriate
name and save it
anywhere on your
system.
5 Now run 'Task
Scheduler' on
the other machine.

6 Select the
"Import Task"
option from the
7 Browse for and
open the
appropriate file.
"Action" menu.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 35 WORKSHOP W HANDS ON

Create your own

animation
We are often fascinated by the animated

Hemali Limbachiya
characters shown in movies or in videos. But
have you thought that you can also create
an animation? Yes, you can do it using the
software called CrazyTalk! And it’s simple!
STEP 1: Creating a simple project TIP
Using CrazyTalk you can animate humans, cartoons, and animal faces and also add voice to it. To do all EXPORTING
this, follow the steps: ANIMATION TP A CELL
PHONE

1 Click on the
"Model" tab. 3 The "Open"
dialog box
opens. Select the
desired file and then
click on "Open".

Using CrazyTalk, you can

export any animated video
you have created into a
mobile phone. But you will
need to do the output
settings. Here’s how to do
2 Click on the icon
which has a
girl's face in the left
this:
Click on the “Custom”
pane to import an
image. 1 tab in the right pane.
Double click on
2 “Project”.
Select the project
4 The "Image
Processing"
dialog box opens.
5 Then click
"OK". 3 which you want to
export by clicking on it.
Click on the "Crop Click on the “Output”
Image" icon in the
toolbar in the left to
4 tab.
Click on the “Mobile”
crop the relevant
part of the image. 5 tab.
Select the desired
6 format from the drop
down list.
Specify the “Output
7 Size”, “Frame Rate”,
“Video Quality”, and
“Audio Quality”.
Then, click on
8 “Export”.
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
TIP
RECORDING YOUR
OWN SOUND
You can use CrazyTalk to
record your own voice and
incorporate it with your
animation. To record a
sound clip, follow these
steps:
GClick on the sound
1 recording icon (small
red circle) in the bottom
pane.
Choose the sound
2 device from the drop
down list.
Adjust the
3 “Volume”.
Then click on
4 “Record”.
5 To listen to the sound
clip recorded, click on
“Play”.
36 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008
6 The "Auto Fit
Anchor Points"
dialog box opens.
8 Then click on
"Process".
7 Drag the feature
points, "1", "2",
"3", and "4"
If you want to revert
any changes, you
respectively using can click on the
the image on the undo arrow present
right side as a in the toolbar in the
reference. left pane.
STEP 2: Animating an image
After you are done creating a simple animation, you can modify it and add more features to it. To do
this, perform the following steps
1 To change the
eyes, pupil, or
sclera (white part of
2 Click on the
"Eye" tab.
the eyes), click the
"Advance Facial
Settings" button.
3 You can choose
the appropriate
eye color for your
You can either character from a list
individually define
settings for pupil
and the whites by
of eyes in the box by
selecting a
particular eye.
selecting the
options "Pupil" or
"The Whites". You
can also define
4 Click and drag
the pointer in
the pane to adjust
settings to both "Brightness",
pupils and eyes by "Contrast", "Hue",
clicking on "Both". and "Saturation".
5 To increase or
decrease the
density of teeth, you
7 Adjust the color
settings as per
your wished.
can drag the pointer
to the left or right.
You can either
individually define
settings for pupil
You can also define and the whites by
settings for the lips selecting the
of the character and options "Pupil" or
the mouth. "The Whites". You
can also define
settings to both
pupils and eyes by
clicking on "Both".
6 To increase the
length of the
teeth, you can drag
the pointer to the
right side. 8 Then, click
"OK".
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 37 WORKSHOP W HANDS ON

TIP
9 To make your
character speak
in your words, click
12 To adjust the
volume, drag
the pointers to the
CHANGING
on the "Script" tab. right or left.
PREFERENCES

10 In the lower
pane click
on the "T" symbol.
You can also choose
any script from a set
of scripts displayed
on the right side.

11
area".
Add the text
in the "text
13 Then click
"OK".

Every program you work

STEP 3: Adding different emotions on has some predefined
Using CrazyTalk, you can apply a set of very realistic and predefined emotions to your character. To settings. If you want
animate you character to display different sets of emotions, follow these steps: to change the default
settings of CrazyTalk, you

1 Click on the
"Script" tab. 3 Click on the
desired emotive
from the list.
can do that by performing
the following steps:
Setting the Hotkey:
Click on the
1 “Hammer” icon,

2 Click on the
"Emotives" tab. 4 Then click the
"Play" button.
present in the toolbar.
Specify the

Choosing a predefined character

2 “Temporary” folder.
Set the “Workspace
3 Image Size”.
1 Click on the
"Script" tab. 4 Then select a
character by
double clicking on 4 Specify the “Enable
Undo” option.
the image. Then click on “OK”.

2 Click on the
"Template" tab
5 The default settings
will be changed.
in the right pane.

3 From the list of

models, select
one type from 5 You can then
customize the
"Animal", character by clicking
"Cartoon", "Doll", on "Advance Facial
or "Human". Settings".

Recording your own audio

1 Click on the
"Script" tab. 3 Browse for the
.wav or .mp3 file.

2 Click on the
"Import Wav
File" icon to import
a .wav or an .mp3
file. 4 Then click the
"Play" button.
 HANDS ON X WORKSHOP 38 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Create simulated
drives
Famtom isn’t a real physical drive but a
Hemali Limbachiya

software simulation of one that can function

just as well. It does the job of simulating a
CD drive, creating images and burning discs.
BY GARETH MANKOO

TIP STEP 1: Downloading and installing

USE MULTIPLE The trial version of Fantom CD emulator is available for download at “http://www.downloadbumk.info/
FORMATS Fantom-CD-121-Build-1960_download-12102.html”. It is available as a Free Trial version and a Pro
version. We will use the Free version in this workshop.

1 Visit the link

provided above. 3 Click "Download
Now".

Besides the MDS file

format Fantom also
supports additional disc
image formats. Files with
these extension will be
associated with Fantom’s
context menu. The
procedure to add these
files to the list of Fantom
supported formats is
simple. 2 Once you are on
the download
page, click
Click
1 “File | Options”.
Click “Shell Integrate”
"Download Link 1".

2 tab.
Check the extensions
3 that you wish to add
to the list. ISO image
4 Double-Click the
downloaded file. 6 Click "Finish"
once you are
done with the
installation
formats are the most procedure.
popularly used one and
it will be of great help if
a software like Fantom
could read such formats.
Click
4 “OK”.
Additional formats
5 Follow the
installation
procedure. Select
the "Complete"
can be added as well by installation radio
enlisting them in the text button when
box at the base. provided with the
option.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 39 WORKSHOP W HANDS ON

TIP
7 Click "Start | All
Programs |
Fantom CD |
9 Click "OK" on
the splash DISC READ ERRORS
Fantom CD".
screen that appears. DURING IMAGE
MAKING
Disk read errors are
common during the Image
making process as well as

8 The trial version

of the
application will
the copy process. These
errors are enlisted in the
initialize.
list that provides with
information on the status
of the drive. They are
marked in yellow in case
STEP 2: Create and load images of single block errors and
The content from some discs cannot be copied to the hard drive. These contain files that have to be in red if the disc reading is
played directly in a CD format. Putting the CD in the drive every time you want to run the canceled altogether.
application is cumbersome. Fantom comes to the rescue in such situations by providing with a These errors mostly
capability of creating images of your discs. occur because of
scratched CDs. If such an

1 Insert a disc,
whose image
you wish to create,
2 Click "Image
Making Wizard"
on the left pane.
error occurs there isn’t
much you can do besides
into your drive. simple ignoring it. Click
the check box that’s
beside “Skip Reading
Errors”. If this doesn’t
solve the problem and
if Fantom still nags you

3 On the Image
Making Wizard,
select the
4 Click
"Next".
with the disk reading error
messages then it means
appropriate drive that your disc is damaged
name that contains and cannot be copied or
your CD/DVD.
simulated. Avoid inserting
The "Separate
Image file every" heavily damaged discs for
drop down list will the safety of your drive.
allow you to create Another reason
new image files
why such errors may
after regular
intervals. The occur is your discs
sessions will be being encrypted with a
enlisted in the list protection scheme check
box.
the check box next to
“Skip Reading Errors”

5 Select the
location where
you wish to save the
7 Check if the
space that your
and “RAW Mode + Sub-
Channel Information”.
image file will
image files. occupy is sufficient This should solve your
and click "Start". problem for good.

6 Type in the
name of the file.
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP 40 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

TIP The image creation

FINDING AN IMAGE process will
commence. The
8 Click "Finish" on
completion. A
shortcut to the newly
progress of the
created image will
same, along with
appear in Fantom
the errors (if any)
and the drive will
can be monitored on
eject the disc.
the list box.

If you had made an image

file and had stored it
somewhere on your hard
drive then looking for it
9 Right-click the
shortcut of the
device and on the
The next step is to
load the image into
your simulated drive
using the Windows search context menu click that has been
"Mount on device | created by Fantom.
tool may be irksome and
<The name of the
time consuming as well. simulated drive>".
Fantom’s “Image Finder
If the your system
Wizard” makes it easy to
and your disc has an
look for image files since auto run then it will
the search is narrowed start up immediately
down to only those file on loading.
extensions that the
software supports.
Click “View | Image 10 To unload
the image
The image will be
loaded and will be
1 File Finder” or click on
the icon that’s available
right-click the drive
that has a loaded
displayed in the
bottom section of the
image and in the Fantom window.
on the left pane, context menu click
Select the location "Un-mount Image".
2 where you want to
look for the file.
Check/Uncheck the
3 formats that you do
not wish to look for.
When the files that
4 are found are enlisted,
right-click on the name
STEP 3: Configure new drives
Fantom offers you with simulated drives that do not really exist. It provides with a capability to increase
the number of the drives to a certain limit. This can help you load more images at a time.
and click “Add files to
Fantom CD”.

5 A shortcut to the
selected file(s) will
1 Click "File |
Options". 3 Select the
number of
Fantom drives using
appear in the main window the provided option.
of the software.

2 By default, the
"General" tab
will be selected. If
not, then click on it.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 41 WORKSHOP W HANDS ON

STEP 4: Burn discs TIP

Once the image is saved on your hard drive as a MDS file it can be written as a new CD on a fresh disc. COPY WIZARD
Fantom provides with a simplified, yet hassle-free disc burning facility. It is common for disc
burning utilities to have a

1 Insert a blank
disc into your
drive.
2 Click "Image
Burning
Wizard".
copying facility for discs.
One may wonder what the
difference between the
Image Making Wizard and
the Copy Wizard is. The
Copy Wizard doesn’t only
make an image of the disc
but also burns it onto a
fresh, black one.
Click “Copy Wizard”
1 on the left pane.
Click “Next” after
2 selecting a location to
save your file.

3 Select the
image file that
you wish to burn by
4 Click
"Next".
3 Click “Start” to
commence the image
clicking "Browse". creation.
Once the copying is
4 completed the image
burning dialog box will
open up.
Remove the old disc
5 and place a blank on
in the drive.
Select the write speed
6 as “Maximum” and
click “Next”.
Click “Start” to start

Fantom is capable of doing a quick search for MDF files in

7 burning the image on
your disc.
your system using the "Image Finder Wizard". Refer to the
respective side-bar reference on the same for more
information.

5 Select the write

speed as
"Maximum" for best
6 Make sure that
the "Write"
check box is
performance. checked.

7 Click
"Start".
 HANDS ON X WORKSHOP
Sachin Pandit
REFERENCE
WHAT IS
FRESHDOWNLOAD?
Fresh Download is a full
fledged download
manager that can resume
your file downloads
efficiently. Though the
software is free, it allows
you to download any file
type and provides
features that any other
paid download manager
would have. The
Scheduling feature allows
file download scheduling
as and when required.
Thus files can be
downloaded in absence of
the user. Fresh download
also has an amazing
feature wherein the
system shuts down
automatically once
scheduled downloads are
completed. The best part
about this software being
free is that it has no
banners or ads and is
completely virus and
spyware free.
42 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008
Manage your
downloads
If you have an internet connection that tends
to get disconnected quite often, you may have
trouble downloading large files. In this case,
Fresh Download can come in handy.
BY DOLWIN FERNANDES
STEP 1: Download and install
Fresh Download is a freeware and can be downloaded from the internet. Though it’s free, it is
embedded with features that any paid download manager would have. You can download Fresh
Download from the link website http://www.freshdevices.com/
1 Click the
"Download Free"
tab and browse for
3 Click the "I
accept the
agreement" radio
an appropriate button and click
location to save the "Next".
file.
2 Once
downloading is
4 On the next
screen, click on
"Browse" and select
complete, double- an appropriate
click the setup file location to install the
and click "Next". application.
5 For easy access
to the
application, select
6 Click "Install"
and then
"Finish".
the "Create a
desktop icon" check
box and click "Next".
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 43 WORKSHOP W HANDS ON

STEP 2: Download a file TIP

If you have an internet connection that tends to get disconnected every minute, it becomes a tedious INTEGRATING AN
task to download large files from the internet since a slight connection problem may disrupt the ANTI-VIRUS
download process. But using ‘Fresh Download’ you can resume the download process from the point it
was disrupted.

1 Click on "File|
Add new URL". 2 In the "URL"
text box, enter
the appropriate link.
For Example www.
download.com/file.
exe

Nowadays the internet is

the main source for virus
intrusions. A downloaded
file may not necessarily
be the file you actually
wanted. Hence Fresh
3 In the "Save as"
text box, enter
the path where the
5 To download the
file later, click
"OK".
download allows anti-
virus integration, using
download file would
which, the downloaded
be saved or click the
"Change" button to file would be scanned
browse for an before execution. To
appropriate integrate an anti-virus
location.
with Fresh Download:
Run Fresh Download
1 and select the
“FreshDownload Options”
4 Once done, click
the "Download
now" button.
option from the “View”
menu.
Click on the
2 “Download
Integration of Browsers Completion” tab and
Fresh Download can also integrate itself with Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla and other internet select the “Virus
browsers, thus allowing you to download a file using Fresh Download the moment the download link is Checking” check box.
In the “Virus scanner”
clicked. To do so:
3 text box, specify the
path to the .exe file. For
You can also click example “avg.exe”.
6 Select the
"FreshDownload the “Options” button
Once done
options" option from
the "View" menu.
placed on the Tool
bar for easy and
quick access to the
4 click “OK”.

"FreshDownload
Options" dialog box.
HANDS ON X WORKSHOP 44 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

TIP
EXCLUDING 7
tab.
Click the
"Integration" 8 Select
appropriate
check boxes as
WEBSITES
required.

9 Once done, click

"OK".

Fresh download allows

you automatically block STEP 3: Managing file downloads
downloads from websites. Other than just resuming downloads, you can even schedule them as and when required. Scheduling
Using this, one can downloads can helpful since the download process starts automatically in the absence of the user, thus
prevent the intrusion of a making appropriate use of the bandwidth. To do so:
virus, spyware or any file
that can cause damage to
your system. You can set
one out of three rules to
1 Run Fresh
download and
select an
2 From the
"Download"
menu, select the
each entry. To do so: appropriate entry. "Schedule" option.
Run FreshDownload
1 and select the
“FreshDownload options”
from the “View” menu.
Now click on the
2 “Excluded Site” tab.
Enter the name of
3 the website in the
text box.
Select an appropriate
4 rule from the drop-
down list.
Once done,
5 click “OK”.
Click on “Remove” to
3 Select
appropriate 5 Once done, click
"OK".

6 remove an entry.
You can also modify
parameters in the
"" dialog box.

7 a website’s rule
by simply clicking the
“Edit” tab and specifying
appropriate parameters.

4 To re-download
the file after
completion, select
the "Redownload if
6 Make sure the
"Shutdown When
Done" option is
completed" selected from the
checkbox. "Tools" menu.
 Visual Glossary

NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 45 VISUAL GLOSSARY W SPECIALS

Visual
Glossary
Confused by computer jargon? Not any longer! Just refer to the visual glossary for an easy initiation into the
world of technology. BY KAMAKSHI VENUGOPAL

The Blue Screen of Death or BSoD is an error screen displayed

by an operating system (mainly Windows) when it encounters

B
a critical system error causing a system shutdown to prevent
further damage. Blue screens may appear for a variety of
errors which include poorly structured device drivers,
malfunctioning hardware, incompatible DLLs, physical faults
such as SMPS issues, overheating of components, hard disk
not properly connected, or malfunctioning buses and ports.
The term "Blue Screen of Death" was originally associated
with the operating system OS/2. When a Blue Screen of Death appears on your
screen, it is advisable to turn-off your system, check your
CPU cabinet for loose cables or devices, and reboot. Blue Screen of Death

E
EDGE is an acronym for Enhanced Data

D
A digital signature is an encoded
signage which is used instead of an rates for GSM Evolution. It is also
actual handwritten signature. It referred to as EGPRS or Enhanced
provides authenticity and security to GPRS. EDGE is a digital mobile phone
a message in an online document. A technology which enables faster and
message can be any kind of data; an more reliable data transfer. Although
electronic mail, a contract, an online this technology is a part of the 3G
form, etc. You can also add a digital signature to definition, it is classified as a 2.75G technology. EDGE is
messages encoded with protocols that are more compatible with GSM networks since 2003. EDGE benefits
complicated. Digital signatures are mainly useful for especially for users who work
programs on the Internet which transfers data local with data applications requiring
machines, requiring high speed, like multimedia
to confirm its identity programs. Unlike the 3G
to any third party evolution, which requires an
concerned. entire network by itself, EGDE is
a technology which is used as an
addendum to mobile networks

Digital Signatures using the GSM technology.

EDGE
SPECIALS X VISUAL GLOSSARY 46 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Podcasts are similar to radio transmissions, but they are

P
digital media frequencies distributed over the Internet to
portable media players or a computer system, with the help
of syndicate feeds. Podcasts may be media files either in the
audio or video formats. The term Podcasts was first coined
by Apple, as they were initially used to broadcast feeds on an
iPod. Since Podcasts can now relayed on a computer system
as well with the help of feed readers like Atom and RSS feeds, the term
Podcasts was redefined by some as "Personal On Demand broadCASTS".
The most predominant player in the Podcasting
arena is the "Apple iTunes" player. Podcasts

R
RAR is a file format which creates file

archives to support efficient data transfer.
RAR files support data compression, file
recovery and file spanning. RAR stands
for Roshal Archive, named after the
Russian software engineer Eugene
Roshal. It is currently licensed under Win.
RAR GmbH. A RAR file uses the .rar file
extension for data
archives and the .rev file
extension for recovery
archives.
V
VoIP is an acronym for Voice over
Internet Protocol. With the help of VoIP
services, the voice of a person can be
transmitted into digital signals to be
transported over the internet. VoIP
enables you to make calls directly
from a computer through special VoIP
enabled applications or chat
applications, or VoIP enabled phones.
To use VoIP services, you would require a high-speed
internet connection to transfer data packets. While some
VoIP service providers charge for calls which are made out
of a particular calling area, others may charge a flat rate on
the basis of pulse or talk time.

RAR VoIP

T
Telecom: 3G stands for the third generation
of mobile phone standards and technology
as released by the International Mobile
Telecommunications programme (IMT-
2000). The 3G technologies will allow
various network operators to provide
more advanced services and better
networking capabilities. The 3G technology
will be able to support various hi-end features like VoIP
services, video calls, and hi-speed broadband. Unlike the
Wi-Fi technology which primarily supports only data
transmission, the implementation of the 3G technologies
would incorporate high-speed internet access and video
telephony to
Telecom: 3G cellular networks
using this
technology technology.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 47
Dr. Know
What is a Beta
version?
The term beta version was first used
by IBM for their early hardware tests,
where the tests were done to check
whether the hardware performed all of
the specified functions. The word beta
comes from the second alphabet in the
Greek language. When a product is in
development, it goes through several
stages. The first stage, or the alpha
stage is when the product is tested
within the company and any problems
are fixed at the company.
A product is usually given a beta
version tag, when it is released either
free or at a reduced price to limited
users. It has all the features but is
not yet ready for release or sale. The
WHAT IS THE HYPE BEHIND GOOGLE CHROME?
Google Chrome is an open source,
free to use browser developed
and released by Google. A beta
version is released and is available
as a download for public use.
The main aim of Google Chrome
is to provide its users with security,
speed and stability. The browser
was built from scratch by a team
from Denmark using code from
26 different libraries of Google
as well as from third parties
such as Netscape and Mozilla
Firefox. Google also redefines
the look of the browser with a few
simple yet effective changes. Tabs
appear on top of the address bar,
instead of the traditional tabs that
can be seen in Firefox, the tabs
Get to know what the all new Google Chrome
has to offer. Learn what a beta version really
is and who wins in the battle between OLEDs
and LCD displays. BY CRAIG FONSECA
product usually still has a few bugs
in them. The company may collect
feedback from the users at this time
about the product, what they would
like changed, and details of any bugs
discovered by the users before the
product is finally released.
There are two types of beta
versions, a closed beta version, where
the product is given to a selected few
to use and test, where the company
may directly contact the user for
feedback, and an open beta version,
when the product is open for general
public use, where feedback is usually
got through e-mail or a forum on the
company’s website.
There is no specified time period for
a product to be in the beta stage. The
appear on the top of the window
and above the address bar.
Chrome also introduces the
‘Omnibox’ which acts as the address
bar as well as a search bar. Apart
from this, it introduces new features
like ‘Incognito’ surfing, where
the user can surf the net without
storing anything in the Web History.
Another very useful feature is
the ‘Sandbox’ or isolated tabs, in
which, if a tab stops responding,
only the tab can be closed and not
the entire browser. The default
home page of the browser acts
as ‘speed dial’ by displaying
thumbnails of the nine last visited
web pages. It also displays your
recent searches and bookmarks.
DR. KNOW W SPECIALS
beta stage may last from a few weeks
to a few years. Some products don’t
even make it out of the beta stage.
How does OLED beat
LCD?
OLED or ‘Organic Light Emitting
Diode’ is the next step in display
technology. OLED technology was
first developed by the Eastman Kodak
Company using techniques which
proved to be more effective and
cost-effective than other methods.
A typical OLED display is composed
of thin films of organic molecules,
which emit different color light when
an electric current is passed through
it. OLED displays produce brighter
and sharper images while consuming
less energy than the current LED and
LCD displays. With a faster refresh
rate than LCD’s, OLED displays
are able to produce more natural
moving image than today’s LCDs.
Currently OLED displays can be
seen as smaller displays in devices
like digital cameras and PDAs but
are slowly but surely making their
way into the home theatre arena
with huge displays. These displays
support the latest HD technology.
Using OLED technology, it is
possible to make displays that are
as thin as a sheet of paper and can
be rolled. With such technology,
it is possible to integrate displays
in places like clothing, and
electronic news papers which you
can carry around with you and
roll it like a real news paper.
SPECIALS X PC DOCTOR
Help! My USB device
is not detected!
Since the use of USB flash drives has increased, the
number of problems caused because of compatibility
issues of these devices has also taken toll on users.
These problems are often because of outdated
drivers or other software related issues. Here we
will tackle both, hardware and software problems
related to USB devices. BY GARETH MANKOO
Vista displays USB
2.0 drive as USB 1.1
After upgrading the operating system
of my PC Windows XP to Windows
Vista premium everything seems to
be working correctly except for my
USB ports. They are now showing as
USB 1.1 instead of USB 2.0, which is
what they were before the upgrade.
Is there any solution to this problem?
SOLUTION: Yes, there is a solution to
this problem. One possible cause may
be your system doesn’t recognize the
USB ports correctly. Right-click My
Computer and click “Properties” in
the context menu. Click “Hardware”
and in that the “Device Manager”
button. Scroll down to the part of the
tree that expands to the “Universal
Serial Bus controllers”. If each of the
Click the dropdown box that’s beside “Safely Remove Hardware” and select “Always show”. Click “OK” to
save the changes.
48 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008
USB controllers are marked with a
question mark (?) then right-click on
each of them individually and in the
context menu click “Update Driver”.
To update the driver it is important
to have the latest driver software.
Most manufacturers provide you with
a disc containing the Motherboard
drivers. If you don’t have the drivers
with you, do a little looking around
and get to know the brand name
and exact model number of your
Motherboard. The drivers of the
Motherboard should be available
for download at the companies web
site. Download the drivers and install
them into your PC. On detecting
the correct Motherboard drivers,
Microsoft Vista will display your
drivers as USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1.
Safely Remove
Hardware icon is
not displayed
I have been using Microsoft Windows
XP for sometime now and back-up
my data on a fl ash drive. Lately, on
inserting the fl ash drive, i do not
see the notification button on my
taskbar. This makes it impossible
for me to unplug my device safely.
I have been told that it is not a good
practice to directly unplug a USB
device from the computer and hence
I do not know what to do now.
SOLUTION: This is a common problem
among most fl ash drive users.
However, there are many solutions
to this problem. The taskbar can
be set to hide inactive icons. Check
to see if your device is concealed
among the hidden icons. You can
do so by clicking on the arrow near
the clock that can be found on the
bottom, right corner of the screen.
If the icon is there then you need to
unhide it to avoid future scares of this
nature. To do this,
Right-click on the taskbar
and click “Properties”.
Uncheck the “Hide inactive
icons” check box.
Click “OK”.
If the icon isn’t to be found, even
after clicking on the arrow then you
can invoke the dialog box by clicking
on “Start | Run”. Enter the following
line of text “RUNDLL32 SHELL32.
NOVEMBER 2008 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | 49
DLL,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll”
and hit the [Enter] key. The dialog
box will open on your screen. Though
this will serve your purpose, it isn’t
a permanent solution. It is better
to have the icon pop up every time
rather than type in this line of text
in the command prompt each time.
Here’s how to enforce its presence:
Click “Start | Control Panel”.
Double-click on “Taskbar
and Start Menu Properties”.
Click “Customize”.
Select “Always Show” from the
drop down list that corresponds
to “Safely Remove Hardware”.
Click “OK”.
The “Safely Remove Hardware” icon
will now be displayed permanently
on the taskbar. The problem of
the missing icon is often solved by
a simple reboot of the computer.
However, it is best to follow these
steps rather than unplug your device
directly and risk data loss and
corruption of the device altogether.
Operating system
doesn’t support
USB 1.1
I have a new expensive USB device
that uses USB 1.1 but for some reason
it is not detected on my Windows
98 operating system. Does this OS
support USB 1.1 in the first place? If
not, then will upgrading to Windows
XP solve the problem for me?
Click the “Policies” tab and make sure that the “Enable write caching on the disk” checkbox is checked.
Once done click “OK” and reboot the system.
The list of USB controllers can be found in the “Device Manager” dialog box. Right-click on a controller to
view its Properties.
SOLUTION: No, Windows 98 does not
support USB 1.1. It works perfectly
fine for USB 1.0 devices though. Now
that you have already purchased
the fl ash drive and are ready to
upgrade to a newer operating system,
Windows XP would be a good solution.
However, as far as supporting a USB
1.1 device is concerned, you will need
to install Windows XP with Service
Pack 1. Also make sure that the
settings in the Device Manager are
configured to accommodate the latest,
correct drivers for your USB port.
USB device not
recognized by OS
My USB drive when plugged into
my computer causes the sound
alert to go off but does not get
PC DOCTOR W SPECIALS
recognized by Microsoft Vista.
However, if I reboot my machine
the device gets recognized. It is
painstaking since I need to reboot my
machine every time. Please help.
SOLUTION: This is a common problem in
systems that have corrupted system
files in them. Click the “Start” menu
and type “Device Manager” in the
search field to open up the Device
Manager. Navigate to the portion of
the dialog box that has all your USB
controllers enlisted. Right-click
on all of them and delete them.
Reboot Windows Vista. When
Vista reboots it will detect the
missing USB controllers and will
add the devices automatically.
This will take care of the problem
if file corruption is the cause.
Another means of troubleshooting
a problem of this nature is to enable
Write Caching.
Reboot your computer so
that the drive gets detected.
Click “My Computer”
Right-click on the external drive.
Click “Properties”.
Click “Properties” under
the “Hardware” tab.
Click “Change settings”.
In the next dialog box
click the “Policies” tab.
Check the “Enable write
caching on the disk” checkbox.
Once done, click “OK”
Reboot the system.
SPECIALS X IN DETAIL 50 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008

Portable and ink-free printing

With major advancements in technology, stationary printing might become
obsolete. Zink imaging has invented a portable printer that prints digital
photographs without the use of a cartridge, thus simplifying the printing
process and allowing you to print digital photographs anytime and anywhere.
Read on to get an in-depth detail of this awesome technology. BY DOLWIN FERNANDES

Z
ero ink printing or ZINK
in short is a technology
that has been researched
and developed by ZINK Imaging.
Pioneered by a group of scientists
this awe inspiring technology
provides an easy and convenient
alternative to bulky printers and ink
cartridges while maintaining high
quality printing.

Mechanism of Zero ink

printing
ZINK uses a special paper with
embedded dye crystals known as
‘Amorphocromic’ crystals which
stimulates into different colors on
heating. These crystals respond
differently to heat impulses of varying
duration and intensities, due to which
they take on different colors.
This paper is typically made up of
fi ve layers. The first layer which is
known as the ‘Base layer’ consists of
an adhesive substance in which these
crystals are placed. The second layer
is known as the ‘Cyan Imaging layer’
which when affected low temperature
releases a cyan dye that is formed into
the image. The third layer, which is
the ‘Magenta imaging layer’ releases
a magenta dye but only when heated
at a medium temperature. The ‘Yellow
imaging layer’ which is the fourth
layer tends to release a yellow dye
when heated at a high temperature.
And last but not the least comes the
‘Overcoat layer’ which protects the
image from any sort of damage once it
has been printed.
Outcome of Zero ink
printing
The prints obtained from ZINK
printers can produce millions of colors
with accuracy. Though this technology
is new, it’s known to give out vibrant
and clean prints that are waterproof,
durable and heatproof. The major
advantage of using this printer is
that it’s pocket sized and portable. It
has also proved to be eco-friendly as
the paper is recyclable and doesn’t
contain any toxic type substance.

A cross section view showing five layers of the Zink paper. The mechansim of The crystals known as ‘’ which is embedded in the base layer produces an
zero ink prinitng lies between these layers. image when heated.
Quick Tip - Outlook 2003
CODE MAILS WITH COLORS
You may be getting many mails in your mail box daily. Although some of
them may be spam mails or forwarded mails, there are certain mails which
are necessary to be read. While some may be marked as critical and others
may not, how can you ensure that mails from specific recipients catch your
attention? Read on to find out how to achieve this task… BY KAMAKSHI VENUGOPAL

Start Outlook 2003. Since the colors are

applicable only to a particular folder, click
the required folder under the “Mails”
panel. Select a mail sent previously by
the sender whose mails you want to color
code. Go to “Tools | Organize” to organize
your folder. The “Ways to Organize
<folder_name>” panel appears above
the folder contents.

Check the “Using Colors” option. In

“Color messages”, select “from” in the
first dropdown list. The name appears
automatically in the text box since we
clicked on the sender’s mail before.
Select a color from the second dropdown
list. Click the “Apply Color” button. You
can also find out if the mail is marked
only to you. Select a color under the
“Show messages sent only to me in”
dropdown list. Click the “Turn on”
button.

Write in to us at:
kamakshi.venugopal@infomediaindia.com brijesh.gajjar@infomediaindia.com
gareth.mankoo@infomediaindia.com hemali.gandhi@infomediaindia.com
dolwin.fernandes@infomediaindia.com feedback@chip-india.com
52 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP PLUS SUPPLEMENT | NOVEMBER 2008 RNI Registration No. MAHENG/2003/12687