Export Bookmarks in Firefox

It's a good idea to export your bookmarks (Favorites) from time to time so that you can import them later in case you change your browser or reinstall Windows.

Exporting your bookmarks is actually quite easy and this tutorial will have you exporting and saving your bookmarks for later retrieval in less than five minutes.

First, open Firefox, of course. Next, click the Bookmarks button in the Menu Bar at the top, then select Organise Bookmarks (It may be spelt "Organize" if you've installed Firefox with the default US English):

The Library window will open. Select "Import and Backup":

Select "Export HTML":

This is important because it saves your bookmarks in a format that can be used by another browser in case you decide to switch browsers.

When you click on "Export HTML", the familiar Save window will open:

Navigate to a drive other than C: if you have one and click Save. You can change the name of the file if you wish but leave the file type as HTML.

There, you're done!

Your bookmarks have been saved as an HTML file that can be imported into Firefox in case you reinstall Windows or if you switch to a different browser. The next tutorial will tackle importing an HTML bookmarks file into Firefox.

Convert VCD to MPG

This is so easy, I can't believe it's true. If you have any trouble converting with the method I suggest below, PLEASE comment and let me know that it doesn't work.

So someone gives you a VCD and you want to save the movie to your hard disk. Here's how you do it:

1. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the MPEGAV folder on the VCD
2. In that folder, you will find from one to several files that are named AVSEQ01 to 0 whatever, with the extension ".dat"
3. Copy and paste all those files into a folder on your hard disk
4. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to that folder, select the first file and hit F2, the function key
5. Change the .dat extension to .mpeg
6. Repeat for every .dat file you copied from the MPEGAV folder.

The files work perfectly in Windows Media Player and most film editors.

Reset your Yamaha keyboard

If you bought a Yamaha (musical) keyboard and messed with it so it doesn't do what it's been doing from the start (mine stopped playing the one-key chords), here's how to reset it to the factory default:

• Switch it off
• Keep the rightmost white key (the highest C) depressed
• Switch it on again, holding the C depressed for about ten seconds.

Your keyboard will revert to factory settings. Works for most Yamaha keyboards.

Don't do this if you've saved songs, settings, etc. This technique is purely to return your Yamaha keyboard to the state it was in when you bought it.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for www.deeplysimple.net

If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at deepakmorris@gmail.com.

At www.deeplysimple.net, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.deeplysimple.net and how it is used.

Log Files
Like many other Web sites, www.deeplysimple.net makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons
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These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.deeplysimple.net send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

www.deeplysimple.net has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.deeplysimple.net's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.

More cool things about Firefox; Spellcheck!

I recently discovered a little-known feature of the Firefox Browser, Spellcheck or Spell Check. You may already have come across this feature in your word processing software, where it checks spellings as you type and underlines words that it thinks you've spelt incorrectly.

However, although the spellcheck function is active by default when you install the latest version of Firefox, it doesn't always work. So, if you're typing a post in Facebook, say, it won't underline the spelling mistakes and you're likely to post something like, "I was teling my freind the other day..." and Firefox spellcheck won't catch those errors.

Here's what you do to fix this:

First, check if spellcheck is on. To do that, in Firefox, go to Tools--> Options.

The following dialogue box will open:

Click the, "Advanced" tab and make sure "Check my spelling as I type" (outlined in red in the image) is selected.

If it isn't, select it, restart Firefox and make a blog post or post to Facebook and check if you're getting those red, squiggly underlines that indicate spelling mistakes.

If, "Check my spelling as I type" is selected, and spellcheck still isn't working, you need to install a dictionary from the Firefox Add-ons page.




Go to the Dictionary Add-ons page at Mozilla.

Select the dictionary you want to add. I selected English (UK) because that's the language with which I'm most comfortable. You can browse through the 14 pages of dictionary add-on links and select the one you want.

Click the, "Add to Firefox" button corresponding to the dictionary you want.

Firefox will ask if you're sure you want to install that add-on. Click "Install Now" in the dialogue box.

Wait till it installs. Firefox will say that it needs to re-start for the add-on to work. Either re-start Firefox immediately or later.

Either way, after you re-start Firefox, spellcheck will work.

However, spellcheck works only for text input (blog posts, posts on Facebook, etc.) It doesn't work for form input. If I type "depakmorris" instead of "deepakmorris" when I log into Gmail, for example, it doesn't indicate that I've made a mistake.

I'll tackle this in another post, once I've conducted sufficient research.

For now, this post should enable you to spellcheck your posts on Facebook, blogger, etc., if you're using Firefox (if you aren't, why aren't you?)

Deepak

IMPORTANT! If you get a mail saying your account has to be verified

There's a phishing scam doing the rounds, especially on Yahoo!, that sends you a very official-looking email that says your account needs to be verified and will be deleted unless you verify it. It asks you to reply with your username, password, physical address, etc.

Rule number one and only: NO mail provider asks for your password. Not if it is a legitimate service provider. Yahoo!, Rediffmail, Gmail or other mail providers will never ask for your password.

I forwarded the one I got to the anti-phishing section of Yahoo! Customer Care (phishing@cc.yahoo-inc.com) and received a reply, a snippet of which I quote below:

"Any unsolicited message asking for your Yahoo! ID and
password, security key, or other sensitive information is part of a scam to gain unauthorized access to your account."

So never give out your password, no matter how official the mail demanding it looks, even if it appears to come from your mail service provider. Check with your provider using the Help button and searching for "phishing", which is what this kind of scam is called.

Backup and Restore your System - III: Using the Rescue Disk to restore your System

While Part I of this 3-part tutorial told you how to create a "mirror" image of your System Disk or Sytem Drive and Part II told you how to create the Rescue Disk that you need to restore your system, this part tells you how to use the Rescue Disk to restore your system.

You may want to print this sub-tutorial and store it safely because you won't have access to files on your hard disk or the Internet while restoring your system.

First of all, you need to make sure that your CD-ROM Drive is the Primary Boot Disk. This involves tinkering with the CMOS settings of your computer and can be a bit tricky. You can check this article from computercompanion.com for an explanation of the CMOS and BIOS.

Now, the problem is that there is no standard way to enter the CMOS and change the settings. Different computers have different ways to do this so I'm going to give a general description of how it's done.

First, figure out how to enter CMOS Setup:

To do this, restart your computer and READ all those messages that flash on the screen. The bottom of the screen tells you what key to hit to enter Setup. This may be called "CMOS Setup", "BIOS Setup" or just "Setup".

If you have good reflexes, you can hit that key at that point and carry on from there. I'm presuming you've printed this sub-tutorial and can therefore read what to do next when you're in CMOS Setup.

In most cases, especially newer computers with better processing capabilities, you won't be able to hit the key fast enough, though. If so, don't panic. Restart the computer over and over again until you're sure which key will take you to BIOS Setup (or CMOS Setup, or Setup). Then restart your computer one more time and repeatedly hit that key once your screen goes black. Don't keep it pressed, hit it repeatedly.

You should be presented with a screen that's primarily blue or blue and grey, with text in white.

Congratulations! You're in CMOS / BIOS Setup!

Next, Examine / Change the Boot Sequence:

Look for a tab or option that says, "Boot". Use the ARROW keys (or + / - keys on some computers) on your keyboard to go to that tab / option and hit Enter. The mouse doesn't work in CMOS Setup.

When you're in the Boot tab / screen, look for an option that says, "Boot Sequence" or "Boot Order" or anything that indicates the order in which the computer will examine drives in order to start.

If that option isn't the one highlighted, use the arrow keys to go up, down, left or right to highlight it and hit Enter.

You'll be shown the Boot Order or Boot Sequence, which is the sequence in which the computer looks for bootable drives. Make sure your CD-ROM Drive is the first. The screen should have instructions on changing the boot order, usually on the bottom right of the screen.

Once you've set the CD-ROM Drive as the Primary Boot Disk or Device, save the settings and exit. The screen should have instructions on how to do this. It's usually the F10 key.

Now for actually using the Rescue Disk!

This is actually the easiest part of the whole exercise. Just insert your Rescue CD, restart the computer (you may need to use the physical restart button if your system has crashed completely) and follow instructions as they appear.

Here's what will happen:

• Your computer will start
  
• The Restore Wizard will start. Click Next
• You'll be taken to the "Locate image" screen. Navigate to wherever you've stored the image file you created in Part I
• Click Next. You'll be asked which Partition you want to Restore. This is usually C: or C Drive. To cut it short, it's the drive you backed up in Part I. Click the check box next to that Drive / Partition to select it
  
• You'll be asked to choose the Partition again. JUST CLICK "Next" without changing anything
• You'll be asked to select the New Partition Type. Make sure "Active" is selected and click "Next"
• You'll be asked if you want to verify the image file you created. Select "Yes"
• You'll then be asked if you want to verify the file system integrity at reboot. Select "No" if you want your computer to restart more quickly after the Restore is done
• Click "Finish" on the next screen. The check (if selected) and restoration process will start. It took about an hour for my computer, which has all kinds of programs installed. It might take less for yours, or more. There are no benchmarks for this. For gosh sake don't lose patience and hit "Cancel". If you do, you might have to start the whole reboot--> restore process all over again
• You'll get a dialog box that the Partition image has been successfully restored. Click OK
• You'll be presented with another dialog box that offers you two choices, "Back" and "Cancel". Click, "Cancel". I know that this last step is confusing but click, "Cancel". Your computer will restart and your familiar desktop will soon stare you in the face.

That's it. You've successfully cut days of work to a couple of hours. You don't have to reinstall your software or Anti-virus or anything. Your system (computer) is back to where it was when you backed it up.

Deepak