Check for New Emails of Multiple Gmail Accounts from Desktop

If you maintain multiple email accounts and want to quickly check for new mail without any logins, Gmailnotifier would be immensely useful. It can give sound and tray notifications at your desktop when you receive new emails at your Gmail or Google apps account.

This little utility can check up to 5 Gmail or Google apps account for new emails and if you have a new mail, it gives you desktop alerts. The alerts include pop up notifications as well as a custom sound alert.

You can read email headers and the body of the message right from the Gmail notifier window itself. Other features include : Deleting a message, marking it as read etc.

The only thing : You can’t reply to an email using Gmail notifier.

Gmailnotifier works with Windows Xp, Vista and Windows 7.

There can be some typical cases of email management from desktop in case you have multiple email accounts :

1. I have multiple Gmail and google Apps account. How do i get new mail notifications from desktop ?

A :  Use the Gmailnotifier tool to get instant desktop notifications of newer emails.

2. I want to get new mail notifications as Rss Feeds ( e.g Google reader, Feeddemon). Is that Possible ?

A : Yes, you can get email notifications as Rss feeds in your preferred news reader. 

3. I want to get desktop alerts for newer mails and want to reply to a message without opening the browser. I don’t like using Outlook or Thunderbird or any other email clients. Is there any alternative ?

A : Try Digsby. It is way more than just email. You get desktop notifications of new mails and can reply to a message from desktop itself. It also includes IM, Facebook, Twitter etc. Read the detailed guide on using digsby.

4. I use Google talk all day long and want to get Email notifications for Multiple email accounts.

A : You always have Google talk IM running and wished if that can act for newer mail notifications for multiple email accounts. To do that, you need to link multiple Gmail or Google apps accounts and receive all the emails in one email account. Now sign in to Google talk with this email account and you can receive desktop notifications of multiple email accounts.

5. I want a complete desktop tool for managing multiple email accounts. What’s the best tool available ?

A : If you want a complete desktop tool to manage multiple email accounts and also want to read emails while you are offline, useMicrosoft outlook and add all your Gmail or google apps accounts.

Which desktop tools you use to get desktop notifications of newer mails? Reply us

How to Change Folder BackGround in Windows Vista and Windows7

By default, the Windows Explorer does not allow you to change the background of a folder with an image of your choice. But here are two ways using which you can set an image as folder background in Windows.

Set an Image as Folder Background Using Windows7 Folder BackGround Changer – Windows7

The Windows7 Folder Background changer lets you set any image as the folder background in Windows7. Following are the steps involved :

1. Download Folder background changer. The Application is portable, thus requires no installation and can be run from a removable drive.

2. Once the download is complete, extract the content of the folder and double click the W7BC1.1 folder to launch the application.

3. Next, select the location of the folder and click “Change Background image”. This will open a small explorer windows where you can simply select an image file or a wallpaper and set it as the folder background. Sweet!

If the change is not visible instantly, hit F5 or refresh the Windows explorer. You can also choose the text color, so that the content of the folder is easily readable. All the subfolders can also be chosen to display the same wallpaper or image as folder background.

The program is compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows and runs

Change Folder Background in Windows Vista

When Microsoft released Windows XP, it didnt included much of the features of Windows 98. The ability to customize the folder background with an image was not possible in Windows XP , Windows Vista by default. However, you can use Vista Folder Background changer to set an image or a wallpaper as a folder background in Windows Vista. Following are the steps involved:

1. Download Ave’s Vista Background changer.

2. Extract the content of the download and you will see two folders – 32 bit and 64 bit. If your Operating system is in 32 bit, open the 32bit folder and double click the install.bat file. This will add a new tab under folder properties which will allow you to set an image as folder background in Vista.

Now right click any folder, choose properties and go to the folder background tab

Click “Set image” button and select the image for the folder background. Nest hit Apply and you are done.

Registry Trick to Set an Image as Folder Background in Windows

If both the above method fails and you are unable to set an image as folder background, the following registry trick will be useful. Carefully follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Open Command prompt by typing cmd in the search box.

2. Now let us assume that you want to set an image as foler background to the folder E:/Test. Type the following command in the command prompt window:

attrib +s D:\Setup

3. Now create a new notepad file and paste the following code:

[ExtShellFolderViews]

{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC} = {BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}

[{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]

Attributes=1

IconArea_Image=path_of_the_wallpaper

IconArea_Text=0×00000000

4. Save the file as “Desktop.ini” (including quotes) in the same folder whose background is to be changed. It’s done, refresh the folder and you will see the folder background changed.

How To Share Internet Over Wireless In Windows 7 and Vista

Some days back Amit and me faced quite a problem sharing Internet via wireless. We got caught due to some unknown anomalies due to different OS we used.(I use Windows 7 while Amit is still on Windows Vista). Hence we had to figure out a way toconvert one of our laptops into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Now that we had fixed it properly here is a detailed documentation of the steps that helped us troubleshoot the problem.

Windows 7 and Vista has a very easy to use Network Configuring Wizard. Follow the steps as mentioned below to create a wireless connection over which you can share Internet Connection with other computers on the same network.

There are two main steps

1. Configuring the Wireless Network in the host(one that has/shares the internet connection).

2. Connecting the Client(one that uses the shared Internet from Host) to the wireless network.

Configuring the Wireless Network in the Host Computer

Share Internet Connection Via Wireless in Windows 7

1. Open “Network And Sharing Center”. Go to Control Panel > View Network Status And Tasks.

2. Move down in the window and click on the “Setup a new connection or network”.

3. Scroll down and you will get an option “Set up a wireless ad-hoc (computer-to-computer) network”. Select it and press Next. In the next window proceed pressing Next.

4. Now name your new network anything that seems meaningful to you. Choose the “Security Type” as WEP and put a password for the network. Do not forget to select the bottommost checkbox that says, “Save this network”.

5(i). Wait as the network is set up. As the network is created proceed by clicking the Close button.

5(ii). You will be asked to assign the newly created network a location type. I have made it Public for easy access.

6. Open the Network And Sharing Center again. In the left pane click the Change adapter settings.

7. The resulting window will have all the networks on your PC listed. Choose the network which you use to connect the Internet. Right click on it and select Properties.

8. Go to the “Sharing” (last) tab and then check the option “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection”. In the “Home Networking Connection”  dropdown select “Wireless Network Connection”.

9. In order to configure the ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) Settings, click the “Settings” button and then select all the options and press Ok.

10. Well that’s all, you can now connect to the internet and share the internet connection over the wireless network.

Share Internet Connection Via Wireless in Vista

1. Open “Network And Sharing Center”. Go to Control Panel > View Network Status And Tasks.

2. Click on the “Setup a new connection or network” in the left pane.

3. Follow steps 3, 4 and 5 as mentioned in the previous section.

4. Open the Network And Sharing Center again. In the left pane click the “Manage Network Connections”.

5. Now follow the steps 7 – 10 as detailed above in the Windows 7 section.

Connecting the Client with Host

For Windows 7

1. Turn on your Wireless. Click on the Network icon in the Windows notification area and connect to the available Wireless network.

2. You will need to enter the password that was assigned to the network.

For Windows Vista

1. Turn on your Wireless.

2. Right click on the network icon the notification area and select “Connect to a network”.

3. Click on the Wireless network and press Connect. That’s all. You can now browse the internet. You will need to enter the password that was assigned to the network.

FOOTNOTE : I personally use Lenovo Ideapad Y330. If you own a Lenovo here are some simple troubleshoots that may help you set up your Wireless Network

1. The Broadcom Wireless Drivers that are supplied with the model may cause some anomalies like no options for ad-hoc connection is there in the New connection Wizard. To solve this, you can try the Intel Wireless Drivers which can be found here atLenovo Driver Download page.

2. It may happen that the Wireless gets turned off and hence you are unable to set up a Wireless network. Try the Function key (fn) + F5 to turn it on.

3. If you are unable to configure a Wireless network even after using all the above mentioned techniques, there is also a possibility that you may need to turn on the Wireless from your BIOS(if there’s a option for it). If you are not good at configuring BIOS, look out for some helping hand.

That is all for now, if you are still experiencing problems feel free to ask via comments. And if the problem gets solved, a thank you note will surely be appreciated :).

Display Custom Text On Windows 7 Logon Screen

Here are two ways to display custom messages on your Windows 7 logon screen.

Method 1 : Show Custom Messages Using Windows Logon Notifier

This method involves using a free tool named Windows Logon Notifier. Any user can try this because installing a freeware is perhaps the easiest way to deal with a problem (or to create one). Download Windows Logon Notifier and start it.

As you can see in the screenshot above, there are two places where you can add two custom messages. Enter your message, press the Add Message button and you are done. Do it on your own and reboot PC to see the changes.

Method 2 : Show Custom Messages by Editing Registry

Now this is a tricky part which can also help you display custom messages on logon screen without the use of any 3rd-party tool. As this process is going to involve editing registry we recommend you to backup Windows registry first.

1. Open Registry Editor. To do that first open Run (press Win Key + R) and then type regedit in it and hit Enter.

2. Now go to

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
HKLM stands for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

3. In the right pane you will see two entries “legalnoticecaption” and “legalnoticetext“.

4. Double click the each of them and type in your message header and message body. Restart your system to see the changes.

Here is yet another logon screen trick which you can use to change your logon screen to Vista Logon screen in Windows XP.

DriveLocker: Hide Any Hard Drive Partition on Your Computer

I have partitioned my hard drive into 2 parts: C and D. C, as is normally, is dedicated for installation files and such. My D drive is dedicated to songs and all types of personal files. Since I often have friends over who use my computer, I was looking for a way to hide my personal drive from them. I need a way to hide my D drive. And that way was excellently provided by DriveLocker.

DriveLocker is a wonderful program for Windows computers that hides any hard drive partition of your choice. Through the images and description below, you will see how it works.

First of all, you will need to download the program’s ZIP archive that is only 23KB large. Then you will need to extract the executable within this archive. Opening this EXE file will run the program, no installation will be required. This is what the program looked like on my computer:

Initially both drives will be unchecked. This means that I can view both my drives listed under “My Computer”.

To hide my D drive, I selected the corresponding drive in the DriveLocker program and clicked on the “Apply” button.

The result of this was exactly what I wanted. My D drive was hidden when the “My Computer” folder was opened.

You can see that the D drive is absent from the Folder view on the side as well. This completes the hiding the process.

To make the hard drive reappear, simply unselect the D drive in the program, click on the “Apply” button and reboot your computer.

Note that by hiding a drive through DriveLocker, you are simply hiding it and not locking it. In other words, when my D drive was hidden it was still accessible by other programs. It only appeared to be absent to the average computer users. This is a major advantage as it does not disrupt the performance of programs that need files stored in the D drive.

[Download DriveLocker]

Quick PDF to Manage your PDF Files in a Better Way

PDF files are always been an important part of everybody’s life. There are many PDF managing tools available, but most of them are unable to give their best shot. Here comes Quick PDF, a superb tool that lets you manage your PDF files in every possible ways. It basically works from within Windows Explorer. It’s a handy tool that allows you to do more with your PDF files than just look at them.

Key Features

• Preview PDF files.
• Convert almost any image to and from PDF
• Edit Attachments (Attach, Remove, Edit).
• Edit PDF layout and magnification.
• Edit PDF properties (Title, Author, Subject and Keywords).
• Edit document restrictions.
• Extract bookmarks to a text file.
• Extract formfields and form field data.
• Extract CSV formatted text with data.
• Extract embedded images to disk.
• Split/Merge selected PDF files.

Once Quick PDF is installed, it will appear in the Windows context menu. Just right-click on a PDF to access Quick PDF Tools. You can preview the file without opening a separate PDF viewer, edit the file’s metadata, convert it to an image or text document, edit bookmarks, extract text and images, add passwords, and more. You can access all these features from the comfort of the shell menu from your Windows Explorer.

You can edit custom metadata, add and edit attachments, add and remove JavaScript. It comes with an online Help file that provides complete description of the program’s capabilities. Quick PDF is available in free and professional editions. Quick PDF is compatible with Windows 2K / XP / 2003 / Vista / 7.

Download Quick PDF

How to Use the Excel VLOOKUP Function for a Range of Unknown Size

If these are the only products we will ever stock, or if the catalogue only grows very occasionally, then that is ok. We can edit the sheets and formulas as and when required. But what if we are adding new products often?

Thankfully there is a smart way that we can still use VLOOKUP but with a dynamic range. How do we do that? Read on…

VLOOKUP with Named Ranges

Ordinarily when we use VLOOKUP we specify a precise range, such as =VLOOKUP(A2,A2:C10,3) where the range is from A2 to C10. Obviously if we were to add a new product we would need to make it C11 and so on, every time our product list changed.

The first step in simplifying this is to instead use a “named range”. So rather than A2:C10 we would use the name “product”.

Select the area of cells that you wish to name and click Define Name in the Name Manager.

Then supply the name you wish to use, checking that the range is correct.

This approach now transforms our VLOOKUP to look like VLOOKUP(A2,Product,3) etc. Changing the range then would be simply done centrally in the Name Manager.

Dynamic Named Ranges

We don’t want to have to keep going into Name Manager though. Ideally we want it to “self correct” and just work. The good news is a solution does exist.

When we create the named range, instead of a straight forward range, instead we use a formula.

=OFFSET(‘Product List’!$A$1,1,0,COUNTA(‘Product List’!$A:$A)-1,3)
The OFFSET function asks for a row count, but we can even dynamically supply this by using the COUNTA function. Any time we add products this count will increase, giving us our dynamic range.

Summary

A standard VLOOKUP is a great way to speed up your data entry but requires you to edit your formulas or at least the named ranges. Making your named ranges dynamic by using a formula to select the range allows you to focus purely on the data entry, leaving Excel to worry about where your lookups are pointing.

Google Docs Viewer Now Supports More File Formats

Some good news for Google Docs users and especially designers and developers who use Google docs for creating and managing office documents from the cloud.

Google Docs has just rolled out support for more file types which means, now you can use a lot of other file formats along with the existing inventory of files supported in Google Docs viewer. Quite some days back, the Google Docs team added support for videos along with polishing the interface and preview layout of Google Docs viewer.

With the introduction of newer file formats in Google Docs, the user has more control on the file types and which compatible formats he wants to save or upload the documents.

Example: Earlier the Office 2010 formats weren’t supported so you had to convert the office document, spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation to an older format and then upload it to Google Docs. Otherwise, Google Docs will itself convert the document to a compatible format and would store it online.

But now that the newer formats are in place, there is no need to convert the Google Docs document to an earlier format. A huge advantage for designers and architects, who use a lot of Adobe illustrator files, AutoCAD drawings – all these files can be synced with your Google Docs account, thanks to Google Docs sync tools

The newer file formats that have been included in Google Docs viewer are:

• .XLS and .XLSX –Microsoft Excel
• .PPTX – compatible format for Presentations created in Microsoft Office 2010
• .PAGES- Apple Pages
• .DXF – Autodesk and AutoCAD file formats
• .SVG – Scalable vector graphics
• .TTF – True Type
• .XPS – XML paper specification
• .EPS, .PS – PostScript file formats
• .AI – Adobe illustrator files

In additional to supporting almost all of the office document formats (DOC, PPTX, XLS and XLSX), Google Docs has added quick viewing facilities to document and image file types. For example: If you open a new Gmail message that contains an attachment, simply click the “View” link to preview the document in Google Docs viewer.

Setup Internet TV Streaming On Windows Media Center

Did you know that you can use Windows Media Center to stream Internet TV straight to your computer?

Windows Media Center is not just a fancy version of Windows Media Player. It’s actually an entertainment powerhouse, offering you everything from sports scores to free games. But one feature you might not know about is its slick Internet TV interface, a one-stop shop or close to it for all your favorite streaming services. With a built-in Netflix interface, and access to programming from Fox News, PBS, the Smithsonian, and much more, the only thing Windows Media Center is really missing is Hulu integration, though that can be easily fixed.

Setting up the Internet TV service is simple (and free!). Just follow these steps:

1) Open Windows Media Center. Scroll down to TV and click “Internet TV.”

2) Once you’ve read and agreed to the Terms of Service, click “Install.”

3) Windows Media Center will begin automatically downloading the Streaming Internet TV add-on. Wait for the download to complete.

4) Welcome to the main interface. The top row shows the featured content. At this time, most of the prime time programming comes courtesy of CBS. You can scroll down (or click the lowermost row) to see more options, like Channels, Top TV, Top Rated Movies From Netflix, News Headlines, and more.

5) If you have a Netflix account, you’ll want to set it up to communicate with Windows Media Center. Click on Netflix in the channel row. This will open the Netflix window. Enter the information you use to sign into your Netflix account. At any time, click on the blue back arrow in the upper right hand corner to get to the previous stream.

6) That’s just about it! You’re almost ready to watch a movie or television. Just click on the TV show or movie of your choice. A list of episodes will come up. Pick the episode you want to watch.

7) A box will pop up showing you a synopsis of the episode you’ve selected. Just click “Play.”

8) If you’re prompted to update Flash, follow the on-screen instructions to do so. And then… your show will begin!

And that’s it! It’s that simple. In fact, it’s even simpler. If you know how to read and click buttons, you should have no problem setting up and using Windows Media Center. If you have a TV-Tuner card, you can even use the program to watch live network TV.

And that’s how you use Windows Media Center to watch Internet TV. Enjoy!

Download Megamind Writer – An Advance CD/DVD Burning App

Megamind Writer is a nice CD/DVD burning app. It lets you back up  files or create your own music. It uses some strong technology to save your files from corruption. It involves a strong writing engine with an array of burning features and options. It has a well navigable interface and you can easily select and activate the aforementioned options.

• Easily control and manipulate rewriteable and multi-session disks.
• Create audio and mixed CDs.
• Record disk images and photos.
• Copy from CD to CD or DVD to DVD.
• Store large amounts of data on dual-layer DVDs.
• Control and manipulate rewriteable and multi-session disks.
• It can read and save all audio data regardless of format.
• It saves and encodes all audio and data disks.
• Able to burn disc images (ISO and BIN/CUE).
• Ensures scanning for errors of specified tracks.
• Scans the SCSI/IDE bus for devices and saves info about their capabilities.

Megamind writer is a nice CD/DVD burner that you can use for free. The designers have specially designed this tool that can meet its customers demand. Downloading and taking advantage of Megamind Writer’s array of options is something wanted by every users. This free tool is compatible with all Windows versions. You can free download Megamind Writer from here.