Leo Laporte
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For more Leo and friends all week long, listen to the
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Saturday, 10 February 2007
- Show Audio
- 11a-Noon
- Noon-1p
- Terry - Moving files in Windows Media Center to TiVo or iPod/Colors not matching from screen to printer
- Diana - Installing a sound card
- Carl - Computer for dummies
- Lee - Using an old hard drive in a new computer
- Jeff - Uninstall files taking tons of space/Backing up non-Windows apps/Cable to move video from camcorder to PC
- Steve - Moving cassettes to CDs
- 1-2p
Show Audio
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Edited Audio | |
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Posted one week after broadcast… | |
11a-Noon
Q Scott - Ubuntu on older computers/Skype
He wants to know minimum requirements for Ubuntu. Linux can be configured to run on anything. There is a version of Ubuntu called Xubuntu that has incredibly low system requirements. Tux CDs is a great way to sort through the numerous versions of Linux.
Q Jerry - Video switcher to take on vacation
He wants to take multiple cameras to hook up to a machine in order to switch between the cameras like a TV station. Wirecast will do exactly this.
Q Missy - Quickbooks for the Mac
There is a Quickbooks for the Mac, but it is not the contractor version. You can, however, run Parallels on an Intel Mac (like the iMac). On Parallels, run Windows XP or Vista as a virtual machine. The virtual machine is simply a large file. You can make a backup of the original virtual machine and replace the one you’re using if it gets infected with a virus or spyware.
Q Guy - 64 bit operating system
Stop right now! There is no point in running 64 bit right now. It will break most of your compatibility.
Q AJ - Mic and input audio devices stopped working
He opened Skype and an error popped up saying something else was using the device, and then it all stopped. The chipset may have failed or another program may really be grabbing the device. You can look at the log files and see if there’s something grabbing it.
Noon-1p
Q Terry - Moving files in Windows Media Center to TiVo or iPod/Colors not matching from screen to printer
The easiest way to do this is to use something called the analog loophole. The Videora iPod Converter may be what you’re looking for.
Q Diana - Installing a sound card
She wanted to take the sound card from an older computer to her current PC. You don’t have a need for a dedicated card. In fact, the sound quality of motherboard devices sound just as good. If you insist, you’ll need the drivers for the new sound card that’s all.
A Mac is the way to go for simple home users. Look at the 20-inch iMac. Leo thinks this is the best choice for someone who simply wants to get something done.
Q Lee - Using an old hard drive in a new computer
His old computer died, so he put the hard drive in it into a new computer. It should boot just fine. Make sure the jumpers are set up correctly. You can also put the drive into an external enclosure. You have to take ownership of those files. Microsoft has a tutorial to help you with that.
Q Jeff - Uninstall files taking tons of space/Backing up non-Windows apps/Cable to move video from camcorder to PC
You can remove them without any harm. They are uninstall logs for the various files that you had installed.
Q Steve - Moving cassettes to CDs
There are a number of standalone devices now that will burn a CD from a tape. The Crosley Songwriter CD Recorder is a bit expensive, but will do the job. You can use a computer if you’d like to remove hiss and such.
1–2p
Q Greg - Creating a ringtone website
He wants to make a site to sell ringtones in order to learn about building websites. If you manually build it, you’ll have complete creative control on it. All a ringtone site is, is a site that has 2 buttons to listen and download. The first thing to do is to create a “wireframe.” Functionality first, then design. Jakob Nielsen has written a couple great books about designing websites: Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed and Designing Web Usability.
Q James - Strange noise coming out of the computer
He was on MySpace and had iTunes on at the same time. It sounds like a radio station is giving you interference because your speakers are probably not grounded. Try calling the radio station and they’ll give you some suggestions. Also, get some cabling that is more shielded and try to figure out where the interference is coming from.
Q Joe - (Photo) Printer/Scanner (with capability for slides) combination
If you want to read reviews, look at PC Magazine. For photo quality, you want to look at inkjet printers. The Canon Pixma MP960 is the best bet for you. You can’t go too wrong with Canon in general. In terms of standalone devices, he is looking at the Epson Perfection 4490, but for the standalone printer, still go with a Canon: the Pixma MP600.
Q Shane - Making a website look better
His site, SJ TechZone, needs a web makeover. There are numerous CMS systems, like the insanely simple but versatile Wordpress. Take a look at Joomla which has a vast majority of templates that are customizeable.
Q Taylor - Using a computer to automatically send voice messages over phone/Emailing yourself encrypted emails
There are numerous ways to do this depending on how geeky you want to get. Sites like OneCallNow can do this, but will charge you. There are also open source PBX systems. TrixBox is an elaborate open source phone system that you can use an old computer to run.
