Christmas this year is on a Sunday and so many will take at least the Friday and following Monday off – some much more. New Years also falls on a Sunday and I know some places will be shut down all the time in between those two holidays. If you’re one of the lucky ones and your office will be closed for an extended period of time this season, how do you let your customers and friends know?

There is a way to tell Outlook to automatically reply to any email while you are away, with a scripted message where you can say when you will be away and when you are back. You don’t need Exchange or any special service, you just need to make sure your computer is kept on.

Create Out-Of-Office Message

Here’s our article on creating an Outlook Out-Of-Office message.

 
Once you implemented Outlook’s Out-Of-Office capability you won’t have to check your email while you are away. Outlook will send the automated response and you can review all your email once you return.

Out Of Office Tips & Fun

• - If your customer or friend base is international avoid using numbers for dates. Eg: “I will be back 12/1/2012″ is the month first or the date? Type the full date instead.
• - Don’t use abbreviations. Not everyone knows that OOO or OOF means “out of office”. Take the time to write out everything in full
• - Don’t refer to internal projects or information that is not pubic to all. There is no way to tell Outlook to leave a specific message to a specific email sender.
• - If there is someone they can contact in your place while you are gone, let them know. Eg. “If you have an urgent request please contact XXXXXX at 123-456-7890″.
• - Want some fun Out-of-office replies? Try these, or these!

Take time this holiday season and relax, drive safe, and refresh yourself for the coming year!

Here’s the 6.9Mb download file that comes with the instructions at XDA Developers.

 
You start by enabling USB debugging, downloading an Android APK. Then it’s just a few clicks to root the Nook, using the NookandZergy.zip download (above). Once rooted you can follow on by installing the Android Market using the same method as is used for the Kindle Fire.

The Nook Tablet has a faster CPU and twice the internal memory than the Kindle Fire
, plus a Micro-SD card slot. You can review the full spec’s at our Nook Tablet page. At $249 it is more expensive than the $199 Kindle Fire but the extra capabilities make up for that, and now that it is rooted it makes for a nice 7 inch Android tablet.

Or, you can now purchase the NOOK Color eBook for $207.99 from Amazon which can be fully rooted using Auto Nooter and an SD card.

 
I don’t have a Nook Tablet or Nook Color and have not tried these roots myself. If you have any questions you should direct them to the forums in the links.

I had a customer with an Excel spreadsheet saved in the Excel 97 format. They opened it up in Excel 2007 and copied the contents to a new spreadsheet – and the date within the date cell changed by four years!

This anomaly has to do with Excel Date Codes.

 
There’s a little known feature of Excel to format dates two ways:

• 1900 Date System
• 1904 Date System

In the 1900 date system, the first day that is supported is January 1, 1900. When you enter a date, the date is converted into a serial number that represents the number of elapsed days since January 1, 1900

In the 1904 date system, the first day that is supported is January 1, 1904. When you enter a date, the date is converted into a serial number that represents the number of elapsed days since January 1, 1904.

Here’s the problem

If you bring a spreadsheet that was formatted in a version of Excel where the 1900 Date System was used, and put that data in an Excel spreadsheet using the 1904 Date System then the Excel date code is interpreted differently.

For example: July 5, 1998 will show as 35981 in the 1900 Date System and 34519 in the 1904 Date System.

How to change the Excel Date System in Excel 2007 and 2010

• - Open or switch to the workbook
• - Click the File menu, select Options
• - Click Advanced and scroll down to the When Calculating this Workbook
• - Check or uncheck the Using 1904 Date System option

Here’s an article that shows you how to correct these shifted dates in the new spreadsheet if you need to.

 
 
[Sources]

• Microsoft KB214330

Here’s how to fix the profile registry key

• - Open up the registry editor: press the Start key and type regedit. You’ll see it turn up in the menu, click on it or press enter.
• - Browse to the following register folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
• - The folders under that will be all numbers, you may have to drag the windows divider to the right to see the full numbers.
• - Chances are you will see two sets of number that are the same, except one has “.bak” at the end. That’s the one you want.
• - Rename the one that has no extension and add “.old” to the end of it.
• - Now rename the .bak one and remove the “.bak”.
• - Logout
• - Log back in

You should no longer received the temporary profile error message.

Note: If you do, then you have more serious issues and your first step now should be to backup whatever you can. If possible login to this computer with a different administrator account and then browse to the User folder for your login and copy the Desktop, Favorites, Documents, AppData, and any other folders you need.

Time to call a technician

Try this

Go to the Windows Computer Manager and select the Disk Manager. Does the drive show as a GPT Protected Partition? That’s your problem.

What is a GPT Partition?

A GTP disk is a disk using the GUID Partition Table (GPT) Scheme rather than the MBR scheme. You can run into this if the disk was created in Windows XP x64 edition, Windows Server 2003 (64-bit), Windows Server 2003 SP1 (all versions), Windows Vista, or Windows 7 – and you are trying to read this GPT disk on a Windows XP or earlier system.

Fix the GPT Partition

***IMPORTANT*** FOLLOWING THESE STEPS WILL ERASE ALL DATA FROM THE DISK!

• From the Disk Manager, note the disk number, shown on the left
• Open a Command Window. From the command prompt, type diskpart and press Enter. You will now see a prompt starting with DISKPART>
• Type select disk {disknumber} (for example: select disk 1, or select disk 2) then press Enter.
• You will see a message appears saying that the disk is selected.
• Now, type clean then press Enter. This will remove the drive’s partition and signature (this disk is now empty, all data is gone)
• Go back to the Drive Manager, right-click on the drive and initialize it, partition it if you wish, and format it

Find more Tech tips and fixes at FCI Technology Blog

This disk will still be readable by Windows Vista and Windows 7, however it is now also readable by Windows XP and earlier. If you know you will be using external USB drives across multiple platforms you may wish to prepare that drive on a Windows XP machine to ensure compatibility.

 
That colored egg is your twitter profile picture and it’s what you get by default.

How to add your own Twitter Profile Picture

 
Login to your Twitter account and click the Profile link at the top of the page.

Click the Edit your Profile link

 
This takes you to your Settings page and you should be on the Profile tab. You’ll see your current picture at the top, and a button to Choose File – this is where you choose a new picture.

 
Before you click that button, notice that your Twitter Profile Picture is square. You’ll need a picture that will look right in a square box. Browse other Twitter profiles to see what people use for pictures and to get an idea of the type of picture you want.

Ready? Ok, click that button and select your picture from your computer.

 
Now click the Save button at the bottom of your Twitter Profile page – you’re done!

Picture doesn’t look right or you want a different picture? Just follow the steps again to replace the current Twitter Profile Picture.

Easy instructions that show you how to Twitter. You already know what Twitter is, and you want to get up to speed quickly. Here we go, let’s jump right in and learn how to twitter!

Setup your Twitter Account

In order to use Twitter you must have an account set up. If you haven’t already got one, go to their website at: www.twitter.com and enter your full name, email address, and password.

On the next page, select a username to use and you’re done! (remember this username is what people will see when they review your tweets. Make it something pertinent and unique to you or your company)

Following Others

Twitter, as you know, allows you to send messages – 140 characters maximum including spaces, to the Twitter information network. You can also follow other twitterers, read their tweets and keep up to date on what they are doing.
Let’s start with Following. Following other people will give you an idea of what people say and how people use Twitter.
At the top of your twitter page you’ll see a search box. Enter a word of something you are interested in.

For instance, type in coffee and press Enter. The results will turn up below for any tweet using the word Coffee. If you scroll down the list you’ll also see that some tweets have links that you can click on and will take to you a website page.
You’ll also notice on the right-hand side a selection of people who have the word coffee in their name. These people on the right have a little “follow” link. Click on that link and you will now see all the tweets from that person in your twitter stream when you login to Twitter. Here’s an example of the “follow” link:

Back to the left-hand side, if you click on the highlighted name of any of the tweets they appear on the right-hand side with a big Follow button. Go ahead and review their tweets over the past little while and if you like them – follow them.
In order to see people’s tweets you will need to login to twitter, much like other social web sites, or use some desktop or smartphone based Twitter utility software. These tweets will not come to your email.

Your Twitter Home Page

Ok, now that we know how to follow (and following others is a great way to get Twitter people to follow you) let’s write some tweets!

Lets start by reviewing your Twitter Home Page. On the top Twitter bar, click Home. You’ll now see the “What’s Happening?” Twitter box where you can enter your tweet.

Take a look around. On the right shows how many tweets you’ve done, how many people you are following, and how many are following you. If you’re using Twitter for business then these numbers are probably important. More followers means more people exposed to your business on Twitter.

Hashtags / Trends

You’ll also see some suggestions of who to follow, and below that a list of trending words on Twitter. See how they have a hashtag (#) at the front? You can search hashtag words for a significant news word or event and then all tweets regarding that subject will appear. In this way Twitter becomes a news source that’s very close to live. Make sure you include the hashtag when you search. For example:

Tweeting

Click in the text box to start typing and you’ll see the number 140 appear at the bottom right of the box. As you type this number will decrease to zero, after which it will show negative numbers (too much text!) and that text will be truncated.
You can include links to your website, blog, etc but keep in mind that with Twitter you only have so many characters. I suggest using a link shortener like Bit.ly to keep your links as short as possible. For example: http://bit.ly/h2twit is a bit.ly link that points to this blog page. It’s 19 characters compared to 49 characters for the full length version!

Tweeting by Smartphone

If you have a smartphone you can also use the Twitter application for it and tweet wherever you are. You can also see tweets from others you are following. If the GPS is turned on with your phone then your tweets will also show your location. This might be good if you want to tweet your friends to tell them where you are.

This Twitter Download link will take you to the Twitter download page where you can select the app for your phone. There are other apps out there as well, produced by third-party companies. Apps exist for the iPhone, Android phones, the iPad, the Blackberry, and the Windows Phone 7.

Twitter Shortcuts

Twitter also has some Shortcuts you can use on this page. Click anywhere outside the text box and enter one of these letter combinations:
“sp” = Search Photos
“sv” = Search Videos
“n” = New Tweet
“r” = Reply to Tweet
“m” = Send a Direct Message

Change Your Twitter profile

Now that you understand how to Twiter. Let’s customize what people see about you. If you’re a new user then your icon for your account will be an egg – not a good thing. Here’s how to change your twitter page preferences:

Click your username at the top right and select Settings

Here you can change your account username, change your password, set your email notifications, etc. We want to click on the Profile tab.

Here you can upload a picture of yourself so that people recognize you – or your dog, or cat, or whatever.

You can even get more fancy by going to the Design tab and playing with the settings there. If this is for business you’ll probably want to upload a personalized background, like we did for our company: FCI Twitter Page

Twitter’s help for customizing your background page

Link to your Twitter Page

You may want to point people (by email, web link, etc) to you Home page on Twitter so that they can see you tweets. Your twitter page link would be www.twitter.com/{your username}. For example the home page for this FCI Tech Blog is: www.twitter.com/technicalguy (go ahead and Follow us). Try it and you’ll see that it takes you directly to our tweets.
You can use this web link in your emails or on your website to promote your tweets and give people another way to stay in touch with you.

Link to a Tweet

You can also link to one of your specific tweets. If you highlight a tweet on the left, you’ll see how old the tweet is (2 minutes ago, 22 hours ago, etc) Click on this timestamp and the tweet will appear all by itself. You can then copy/paste that URL from your browser to email, website, whatever you like!

Other Twitter Links:

Hungry for more Twitter details? Here’s links to other websites that have more information.

- Send this page as a tweet to your Twitter followers: Read this page!
- Learn more about Twitter with a book from Amazon: The Twitter Book
- Twitter’s Help Page
- Article: 50 Ideas on using Twitter for Business
- Article: How to use Bit.ly to shorten links in Twitter (video)
- Article: Customize your Twitter background

Twitter Tools:

- Tweetdeck works with Android and iPhone, plus has a nice desktop utility. It allows you to follow threads and submit updates to multiple twitter accounts plus Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Google Buzz and Foursquare.
- Twaitter allows you to schedule tweets at designated times. You can repeat that tweet every week or month automatically.
- Twitpic lets you easily add Photos or Videos to your Twitter stream.

[Update: Microsoft now advises using the Windows Recovery Console, however many security experts still advise a complete re-install for a rootkit removal]

“If your system does get infected with Trojan:Win32/Popureb.E, we advise you to fix the MBR and then use a recovery CD to restore your system to a pre-infected state,” – Chun Feng,  Engineer, Microsoft Malware Protection Center.

Why do I have to reinstall?

Rootkits are bad. They actually replace fundamental and critical files in your operating system with copies. The copies will have the same name and function, just with a little extra code included to do their dirty work. Many antivirus programs can detect them (make sure you virus definitions are kept up-to-date!) but due to the fact that the original file is now gone, you need to put back the original file. This means copying it back from the installation CD or your Windows CD/DVD. It’s not going to be as easy as running a scan and clicking “yes” to clean infected files.

Here’s some details to tell you what is going on – based on Mr Feng’s quote above:

What is “MBR” and “Recovery CD”?

MBR - the MBR is the Master Boot Record. Think of the MBR as the starting point on your hard disk. When you turn on your computer everything else comes after the MBR. The problem is that Popureb overwrites this MBR with its own code – thereby perfectly hiding itself from anything else that follows.

Recovery CD – A Recovery CD/DVD is a disk that will return your computer to factory settings. Most computers these days do not come with any included disks. Instead you must create the disks from the computer. Based on my experience I can tell you that most people never burn these disks, even though they are prompted to do so for the first few weeks after purchasing their computer (have you?). We do this automatically for our clients and if you haven’t done one DO IT NOW – although if you already have a rootkit trojan it is too late, you’ll copy the trojan with the Recovery CD. If this is the case your only option now is to obtain replacement recovery CD’s directly from the manufacturer.

How to know if you have a Rootkit

It can be difficult to know you have a Rootkit Trojan, since the whole point of putting there is to hide it from you. What you may notice though is overall slowness of your system. You may also detect slowness when accessing the Internet, due to increased traffic coming to and from your computer. You may also see popups on your desktop, or notice software failures or software not working like it used to. Most virus protection programs will search for rootkits and some have rootkit removal features built in.

If you want to did deeper and have some technical experience on the “back end” of computers and operating systems, here’s some of the preliminary evaluation steps you might take.  However if you suspect you have a rootkit trojan then it’s probably best to skip right to the removal steps.

• Run “netstat -an” from a Windows command prompt and look for connections to external points that don’t match what you would expect.
• Use the Windows Task Manager Performance tab; are you using more memory or cpu power than you should be?
• Use the Windows Task Manager Networking tab: is there more traffic that you expect?
• Use the Windows Task Manager Processes tab: is there anything unusual or unrecognized there?

How to remove a Rootkit Trojan

Rootkit Trojans are especially difficult to detect, since they have full control and, even if detected by an antivirus program, can be cumbersome to remove. Often a rebuild it required just to be absolutely sure your rootkit is gone.

Here’s steps to take:

• Backup files, pictures, music, databases, everything
• Backup Outlook, Thunderbird, or whatever you are using for email. Copy the whole folder where your Outlook pst file is stored.
• Backup your browser favorites or bookmarks
• Make sure to include your Desktop as part of your backup
• Gather disks and licenses for all software installed.
  • If you don’t know the licenses, try a utility like Keyfinder to retrieve the licenses you have.
• Once you have disks and licenses and are sure you have everything from your computer that you need, put in your Recovery CD and reboot.
• Once recovery is complete, reinstall all your programs, then copy back all your data and other files.

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Yes, Rootkits are a pain and removing a rootkit using this process may take you 3-4 hours or more to complete, however it must be done in order to eliminate this major security breach.
Have you had to deal with and/or remove a Rootkit Trojan? Tell us your experiences.

If you have books or documents in the PDF format, maybe from an online collection or from work, there is a really easy way to convert these so that you can read PDF files on your Kindle (versions 1 and 2). They will appear on your book menu and can be read just like any other Kindle ebook.

 

The Amazon Kindle 3 will read PDF’s, but none of the previous version will. For these older versions PDF’s must be converted (see below). The Kindle definitely has the clearest screen and is currently the closest to actually reading a book. If you haven’t already got one, it’s worth getting a Kindle and converting your PDF files.

How to read PDF books and articles on your Kindle

Can you read PDF on a Kind? Yes on version 3, but all previous versions require the PDF file to be converted to a format that Kindle does recognize (you convert PDF to MOBI). There’s probably a few ways to do it, but here’s what I’ve found to be the most simple way.

To Start – Download Calibre

Calibre is an ebook management software program, install it on your computer where you want to connect your Kindle. Calibre works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. I ran in on Windows 7 without any problems. It will automatically recognize your Kindle when you plug it in and will handle the necessary conversion when you add a PDFto your Kindle.
[Calibre will also let you read ePUB books. Find out how at: How to read ePubs on your Kindle]

Installing Calibre is as simple as downloading it and running the setup program, accept the license, click install.

The last setup screen, shown below, offers you the option to run Calibre right away. Leave it checked and Calibre will start up.

There is no real need to configure anything further. Click Add Books to add your PDF’s to the Calibre management system. Browse to the folder where the books are located and select the books you want, then add them.

Now connect your Kindle device. Once it is recognized you will see a new icon at the top of Calibre called Send to Device. Click to highlight the PDF’s you wish to send to your Kindle and click this button.

You will be prompted to Auto-convert the file(s), just click Yes.

You will notice in the bottom-right corner of Calibre it will tell you the status of the jobs being performed. When the number is back to zero you can disconnect your Kindle.

You’re done!

It really is that easy and now you can read PDF books and documents on your Kindle. These books will be backed up as the Kindle is backed up.

The Kindle

There are three Kindle models and the new 6 inch model is the most popular right now. There is a Kindle 3G 6 inch display with 3G capabilities to download books and articles wherever you are. There is a Kindle Wi-Fi 6 inch display with WIFI connectivity that will connect at your home or coffee shop or other location with a Wireless connection. And there is a Kindle DX 9.7 inch display with 3G capabilities.

We personally went with the Kindle Wi-Fi version since we couldn’t think of a good reason we’d need to download books while out.

Other items for the Kindle

Did you know Amazon now sells more ebooks than regular books? Find other accessories for your Kindle, from Amazon:

What is the PDF format?

PDF is an open standard for document exchange, created by Adobe in 1993. Here’s the full details from Wikipedia if you’re interested.

Why PDF?

Many online books, white papers, articles, and work documents are in the PDF format. Copying these PDF’s to your Kindle will let you review documents or catch up on your reading while waiting in an airport, bus terminal, or even your local coffee shop. Conversion is quick and easy, as shown, and now you can maximize your effective time.

Enjoy!

Other Kindle Articles

• Amazon Kindle eBooks now available in Libraries
• Amazon Kindle Tablet
• How to read ePub books on your Kindle
• Amazon for Students

Yes, you can read an ePub book on your Amazon Kindle, but you must convert it first (see below). The Kindle definitely has the clearest screen and is currently the closest to actually reading a book. If you haven’t already got one, it’s worth getting a Kindle and converting the EPUB book files.

How to read EPub books on your Kindle

Can the Kindle read EPubs? Well, technically no, you have to convert the EPub file to a format that Kindle does recognize (MOBI) first. There’s probably a few ways to do it, but here’s what I’ve found to be the most simple way.

To Start – Download Calibre

Calibre is an ebook management software program. Install it on your computer where you want to connect your Kindle. Calibre works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. I ran in on Windows 7 without any problems. It will automatically recognize your Kindle when you plug it in and will handle the necessary conversion when you add a EPub to your Kindle.
[Calibre also converts PDFs, find out how at: How to read PDF's on your Kindle]

Installing Calibre is as simple as downloading it and running the setup program, accepting the license, and then clicking install.

The last setup screen, shown below, offers you the option to run Calibre right away. Leave it checked and Calibre will start up.

There is no real need to configure anything further. Click Add Books to add your EPub books to the Calibre management system. Browse to the folder where the books are located and select the books you want, then add them.

Now connect your Kindle device. Once it is recognized you will see a new icon at the top of Calibre called Send to Device. Click to highlight the EPub books you wish to send to your Kindle and click this button.

You will be prompted to Auto-convert the file(s), just click Yes.

You will notice in the bottom-right corner of Calibre it will tell you the status of the jobs being performed. When the number is back to zero you can disconnect your Kindle.

You’re done!

It really is that easy and now you can read EPub books on your Kindle. These books will be backed up as the Kindle is backed up.

Search for other Kindle Books from Amazon

Here’s quick links to today’s Book Best Sellers and Kindle Best Sellers .
Use the box below to search for other eBooks to read on your Kindle. Type the title, author, or subject in the search box below or click any book and go from there.

ATTENTION – Do Not Use Hamster Free eBook Converter

If you have been searching for eBook converters you may have come across HamsterSoft which has a product called Hamster Free eBook Converter (HFEC). This product illegally uses the Calibre conversion engine as part of their product and should not be downloaded or used!

Don’t have a Kindle?

Here are the models that are currently available from Amazon:

• - Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers $79.00
• - Kindle Touch, Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers $99.00
• - Kindle Touch 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers $149.00
• - Kindle Keyboard, Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers $99.00
• - Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers $139.00
• - Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi $199.00

We personally went with the Kindle Keyboard (this was before the Touch came out) since we couldn’t think of a good reason we’d need to download books while out.

What is the Epub format?

EPub is a free and open e-book standard. Here’s an interesting fact you may not know; EPub files are very much like web pages and can actually be edited with a web page editor. Here’s the full details from Wikipedia if you’re interested.

Why EPub?

If you don’t have an existing EPub book collection is there any reason to think about EPubs? There might be.
As a free open source format it will be used by many independent publishers that won’t be on the Amazon site. Google Books has quite a few available EPUB books. Depending on where you source your books you may find cheaper or free books in the EPub format that you want to add to your collection. Also, if you happen to be using different eReaders throughout your home or business then EPub is a publishing standard.

Other Places for Epub Books

Look for EPub books at: Google Books, eBooks.com, and Mobile Read

Don’t exclude EPub’s just because they aren’t a Kindle standard. Read EPub books on your Kindle as you would any other format. Enjoy reading!

Other Kindle Articles

• The new Amazon Kindle Fire
• Amazon Kindle eBooks now available in Libraries
• How to Read PDF’s on your Kindle
• Amazon Kindle Tablet
• Amazon for Students