HOUR 3:
Tech News & Commentary
Jim in Idaho, listening on 1260 KLBI called and asked us: “I have a Vista machine and I also have loaded several versions of Linux on it. I am having some trouble and want to uninstall Vista versions and am having trouble doing that. I want to clear up my machine and only have one OS on it”
If you want to get rid of Vista and keep only Linux you’re going to have to reclaim the partitions of your drive that Vista is currently taking up. If you’ve installed several Linux distributions you probably know this already, but operating systems are like spoiled children and they don’t like to share, so when you install them you usually have to split your hard drive into different “chunks” so that each can have part of the drive to claim as it’s own, each “chunk” is called a partition.
This creates a problem when you want to uninstall an OS, you delete it and then notice “huh, OS #2 didn’t get any more disk space”, that’s because you took OS #1’s space but never told OS #2 that it can have it. To do that you need to re-partition your hard drive and from Linux you can do that using a program called gparted, it comes with most distributions.
Gparted or the Gnome Partition Editor lets you create, delete, copy, check, resize and move partitions. It has a fairly user-friendly (for linux) user interface that will show you the list of partitions available and that should let you delete the Vista partition by selecting it and clicking delete.
Now this doesn’t mean Linux automatically gets the space you’ve just freed, instead it will become “unallocated free space” but if the partitions were right next to each other gparted will also let you resize the Linux partition to now include the newly emptied space.
Partitioning a drive is not the safest thing in the world to do so, eventhough things rarely go wrong, backup all your data because if something does go wrong you may lose it.
Also, keep in mind that there is a chance the partitioning software won’t be able to allocate the free space to the partition and if that’s the case you’ll need for reformat the whole hard drive and install your Linux distribution from scratch, if you have geeky friends that use Linux odds are that they’ll be very familiar with this procedure.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
“Into
Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
Group discussion: Facebook redesigned your profile. What do you think of the new layout?
Eddie in Akron, OH listening on XM Radio asked: “I was looking for a program that would automatically edit something I’m writing that would put the punctuation in the right spots and the correct spelling. Wondering if there’s a program for that and also an app for the iPhone 4.”
There are programs that to an extent, though they’re not exactly flawless, but they’re usually paid. If you have a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, check the settings, most of them do both spell and grammar checking, if you don’t but have broadband we think that an online grammar checker might be the best solution, it will do the same job but you won’t have to pay for it.
The downside of an online grammar checker is that, unlike the kind of checkers you get with office suites, it will only correct prewritten text, meaning you won’t be corrected in real time as you are typing.
That is not necessarily a bad thing since the grammar checker has no way of knowing what you’re typing next and might make mistakes and correct itself a little too often, but if this is functionality you want you may need to look into either general grammar checkers or paid word processors.
Now, about the iPhone, there are several spell checkers, some like “Dr. Email” aimed at specific tasks and others like “Spell Check” that are more generic, but when it comes to grammar checker the only one we have been able to find is “Dr. Email”.
One thing to remember is that spell and grammar checkers on iPhone will not alter Apple’s default behavior, you will not have a spell checker or grammar checker in every app you use, you will have to open the specific spell or grammar checking app and type in there, then copy the text and paste wherever you want to use it.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Sharen in Columbia, MO listens on KFRU 1400: “Dave, we have a metal pole barn. When we are in the building we cannot receive calls on our cell phones. Is there a solution to this problem?”
To solve a problem like this you’re going to need a wireless booster. What these devices do is take a weak signal, boost it and repeat it so that it’s strong enough to reach a phone, as long as these devices can get a signal they’ll repeat it.
Depending on the barn or building that’s blocking the signal you’ll have a few different options, if you happen to have big enough windows you may be able to use something like Wi-Ex’s zBoost Metro that just attaches to a window, plugs into a power source and just works, however a Metro needs to be hung a certain distance away from metal to work properly and in the case of a typical barn you probably won’t have huge panoramic windows all over the place, so you’ll most likely need to install a solution such as Wi-Ex’s zBoost SoHo.
A booster like the SoHo will include an antenna that needs to be attached to the outside of the building so it can get a good, solid signal, then you’ll have to run a cable indoors and plug it into the main unit that will be repeating the signal, this installation is a little more involved, but in a locations such as a metal pole barn it will probably be the only choice that has a chance of working.
We should mention that Wi-Ex is a sponsor and you can get similar products from other manufacturers such as Wilson Electronics’ 841262 signal booster, but we haven’t had the chance to test them firsthand so far. The Metro’s suggested retail price is $299, the SoHo’s $399 but both can be found for considerably less online (for example, here and here) and the Wilson Electronics’ 841262 can be found online for about $450.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Guest in this hour:
Dave Barker , Product Manager – TrueCare
TrueCare provides Internet monitoring services. Their premier product is a social media monitoring service that automatically tracks a child’s use of social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter for inappropriate content.
David in Pittsboro, North Carolina called and asked us the following question: “I have MS Office 2003 I wish to export that file to Thunderbird or Google contacts and I’m having difficulty exporting it. Would appreciate any tips you may have.”
If you’re using Thunderbird, there’s actually very little you have to do, as that program will import your Outlook contacts directly. This is assuming that Outlook and Thunderbird are installed on the same computer.
Start Thunderbird. Open the Address Book. From the Tools menu, choose Import. Select Address Book and click Next. Highlight Outlook and click Next. That should add an address book to Thunderbird called “Contacts” that contains your Outlook contacts. Now, to go between machines, or import to Google Contacts, what you’ll want to do is export your contacts folder to a comma separated values file, or CSV file, which you can then import into either Thunderbird or Google Contacts.
Start Outlook and pull down the File menu. Choose Import and Export. Highlight Export to a File and click Next. Highlight Comma Separated Values (Windows) and click Next. The next window shows you a list of all your folders in Outlook. Highlight the Contacts folder and click Next. Outlook will prompt you to enter a file name. Give it a name that makes sense to you, like “Exported Contacts,” to make it easy to find the file later.
In Thunderbird, you open the Address Book and select Import from the Tools menu. Select Address Book and click Next. Select Text File and click Next. Navigate to the file you exported, and click to import it.
In Google Contacts, it’s just about as easy. Browse to Gmail and click Contacts in the left hand column. In Contacts, click on the More Actions button. Choose Import on that menu and you will be prompted for the file to import. Navigate to the file you exported from Outlook and click to upload it.
That’s all there is to it! Pretty simple stuff.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Ski asked: “I just have a question about online backup. I have a friend who has Mozy and he loves it. Is that brand just as good as the Carbonite product?”
Carbonite and Mozy are the two most popular and widely used online backup services right now. They dominate this market because they both are easy to use and very inexpensive. It doesn’t matter if you have a few files to backup or several thousand, Carbonite offers one, two, and three year subscriptions, Mozy offers a month-to-month plan and one and two year subscriptions.
If you have 30GB of data that needs to be backed up initially, it will take roughly the same amount of time using either one of these providers because of the constraints of upload speeds of most Internet connections. Carbonite takes the slight edge over Mozy because of its simple interface. Mozy has more advanced settings within its interface which may satisfy computer geeks but it seems to be overwhelming for some home users.
As for security, both of these online backup service providers use advanced technology to ensure that your files are encrypted on your computer before they are uploaded to their secured servers. The best thing to do is to try both services to see which one works best for you and to decide which one you like the best. Carbonite backup offers a free 15-day trial than you can choose $54.95 per year or $99.95 for 2 years, Mozy it’s free up to 2GB, has a month-to-month option that costs $4.95/month and $54.45 for a year for unlimited space.
Some of Rob’s “Mac friends” have tried Mozy and they’ve been happy with their service. Mozy is a reliable company just like Carbonite. Dave and Chris Graveline have used Carbonite before and haven’t had any issues with it.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Facebook friend Stacy from Miami, Fl asked us: “I have a question for the iPhone genius. I’m going on a western cruise in 2 weeks. I’m going to Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel. Will I have frequency? I’ll die if I am disconnected from the world for a week. LOL!”
You should have signal. The iPhone is a GSM phone, which works with advanced cell phone networks around the world. However, it will cost you for roaming. Last year, Rob went on a cruise to Cozumel and he had signal there.
Texting is the cheapest way to stay in touch with family back home. It’s free to receive and only 50 cents to reply/send messages, including picture messages. That’s what Rob usually does when he’s traveling internationally. Another option is to sign up for a discounted international roaming plan from AT&T. For example, when in Germany, without a roaming plan, a call is about $2 a minute, with a plan, I think it’s $1.50 a minute. It’s small discount, but it can help. Also, this can be prorated. So, consider activating it the day before you head out and then cancel as soon as you get back. Of course, take advantage of Wi-Fi! You can Skype, Facebook and Tweet for free.
VERY IMPORTANT: Turn “Data Roaming” OFF. You can do that under Settings > Network > “Data Roaming”. International Data Roaming is ridiculously expensive!! It’s usually about $20 a megabyte on a cruise!!!
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
If you have any questions about any of this week’s show info, please email us here.
Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza
Tech Holiday Gifts Part 2
We’re getting closer to the most wonderful time of the year! And this week, we continue our quest for best gifts for techies on your list. Rob Almanza joins us next with Part 2 of our “Into Tomorrow” holiday report.
— By Rob Almanza, “Into Tomorrow” Correspondent
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Balanzza: Digital Luggage Scales – not only for weighing your holiday packages, but this can be your best way to save on baggage fees BEFORE you get to the airport by checking the weight of your luggage.
CTA Products: Several Cloth Addictions – The microfiber cloth that cleans ANY screen: iPads, Phones and Monitors. Take your screens to a whole new level of clarity!
Honestech: Copies of Audio Recorder 2.0 Deluxe – Software to convert your analog music into digital formats including MP3s and audio CDs. Save those great musical memories.