What can adding more RAM do for you?
RAM acts as a fast memory cache for system processes. Having more memory allows more programs to run simultaneously without having to access the slower virtual memory on the hard drive. Because DDR2 memory for laptops and desktops has become so cheap, adding more gives you the biggest bang compared to other hardware upgrades. Given that both Windows Vista and Windows 7 are particularly memory hungry, 2 GB of RAM is the sweet spot for most users, however if you are multitasking with resource intensive applications (i.e. Photoshop, Video Editing), consider getting more. (Note 1/2/10: I should mention that a 32-bit system won’t be able to utilize 4GB of RAM to its entirety.) With as little as $25 of RAM making a noticeable increase in performance, it’s a great way to stretch the life of a computer. Of course, upgrading your hardware is second to basic computer maintenance. Neglecting to disk defrag, optimize your start-up processes, update your drivers, and keep your registry clean will have a substantial impact on computer performance which adding more RAM won’t solve. Since the latter are all free, it would be wise to do some much-needed maintenance before deciding if you really need to upgrade.

Choosing the right RAM

• Speed – the clock speed, referred to by either the standard name or module name
• Capacity – the total size of the memory modules on the DIMM
• Pin count – the number of pins and their configuration
• Voltage – the voltage required to achieve the rated clock speed
• Timing - the refresh rate of the clock cycles, which the CAS latency is dependent upon

Using the improper RAM can not only lead to boot issues, but also cause costly damage to other components. For example, Intel i7 users should be aware of the dangers of using out of spec RAM since factory overvolted RAM above 1.65V fries CPUs. The first step in buying any piece of technology is to do some research and RAM is no different. Start by checking the manufacturer’s website for the specifications of the memory used in your computer. If you’re building a computer, you’ll need to check the respective manufacturer sites for both your motherboard and processor. Most manufacturers will have a list of tested compatible RAM by manufacturer and model. Using models from this list will guarantee compatibility, but the specified modules are often difficult to obtain and are not always the most cost-effective solution. From my experience, RAM with the correct size and speed will likely be compatible as the other factors often fall into place. However, it’s better to not make that assumption unless you’ve exhausted other ways of confirming what’s compatible.

I’ll use a few year old Sony Vaio PCG-7L1L laptop as an example. After a quick search on Sony’s Vaio support site I dug up the original advertised specs listing a 512 MB stick of DDR2-533, with a corresponding module name of PC2-4200. I was hoping to find if any higher speed 667 MHz or 800 MHz memory was supported to no avail, suggesting that any faster memory used would be downclocked to 533 MHz regardless of the rated speed. If manuals and online resources don’t prove helpful, another easy way to find out what’s compatible is to just pull out a stick of RAM and look at it.

Sony’s online specs also list a maximum supported RAM of 2 GB. At this point, I checked to see if the latest BIOS version enables 2 GB DIMM support. It didn’t, but we know we can use up to two 1 GB sticks and given its age, anything more than this would be overkill regardless.

Using matched memory, two identical sticks of the same make and model (including speed and size), is ideal. There’s no doubt that 1.5 GB of unmatched RAM is faster than the current 512 MBs, but two matched sticks of 512 MBs may actually perform similarly. In a future article, we’ll test how much of a performance hit is taken by using unmatched memory. It should be even more significant if we use a machine that benefits from dual channel memory, as dual channel will be disabled when using unmatched memory. I’ve been told mixing speeds is worse than mixing sizes to avoid adverse performance issues, but I don’t have any data to support that. The computer should boot regardless since the faster DIMMs downclock to the speed of the slowest.

Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t list any tested compatible memory, so at this point I can search the web to see what others are having success with or just wing it, by which I mean use your best judgment from what you know and what you can find. To put any worry to rest, I’ve had very few problems when using RAM of the proper speed and size. In the case of this Sony Vaio, there are plenty of 1 GB DDR2-533 options found online with free shipping for $25.

Recap:

• RAM in a computer acts like your brain’s short-term memory–it’s fast, small and ephemeral.
• Adding more RAM is a low-cost upgrade for a significant boost in performance.
• Basic computer maintenance is free and should take precedence to any hardware upgrades.
• Choose the right RAM based on the compatible speed and capacity for your computer.

Links: Get RAM on Amazon

Let’s admit it, Windows 7 has a pretty good looking login window. However, that won’t stop tweaks from figuring out ways to modify it. The setup usually requires messing with the system registry and messing with system files. Fortunately, Tweaks.com created an awesome little tool to solve the problem. You don’t even need to install it. Just download and run. So here’s what you do:

Program Method:

1. Download: ‘Logon Changer‘ (242K)
2. Launch the application
3. Click ‘Change Logon Screen’
4. Browse to the image you want
5. A preview of the logon screen appears

And that’s it. It’s that easy. The tool automatically re-sizes and makes the image you provided look right. There’s no further hacks needed. If you ever want to revert back to the original image provided by Microsoft, just launch the Tweaks.com program again. There’s a one-click “Revert to Default Logon Screen” button. Press it and everything should be back to normal. Enjoy!

Links: Tweaks.com Post

Things Needed:

• Download & Install VirtualBox (Free)
• Download & Unzip the Chrome OS image (via GDGT.com)

Update: Looks like GDGT posted a image for VirtualBox as well. However it doesn’t seem to work. Just stick to the VMWare .vmdk file for use with VirtualBox as I did. Otherwise it just loads a black screen.

That’s pretty much it. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask below!

Links: Watch This in HD on Vimeo.com

• Snap Right: WIN Key + Right
• Snap Left: WIN Key + Left

Fortunately after digging through the “internets,” I found a solution workaround. To move an active window to the left or right half of the center divider, just hit the WIN Key + Right or WIN Key + Left. Repeatedly pressing through either combo continually moves the window to all the possible snap positions. You can also add the SHIFT key as another modifier to have it jump to the same position on the next display. I’m definitely not a fan of having to do this and would have definitely preferred a visual method, but it’s the best option at the moment. It’s a lot better than manually resizing windows…

Microsoft, if you’re listening, please make a small tweak or two for Service Pack 1.

However it’s 2009 and we live in a digital world. I realized I haven’t had to manually set a clock back or ahead for at least a year or two now. Everything I use from my computers to mobile phones all get their time from a centralized source. They all adjust themselves automatically. Even cheap standalone alarm clocks that are available that cost under $15 now sync up with the atomic clock in Colorado.

So my question to guys: “Do you still have clocks that need to be adjusted?”
Let us know by voting in our Twitter Poll and by leaving a comment below!

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Things you’ll need:

• SSH Server Access
• SSH Client

If you need an SSH Client, on Windows machines I recommend PuTTY. It’s less than 1MB and doesn’t even need installation. If you are on Linux or Macintosh, you are fortunate enough to have a Terminal built right in. Now connect to your web server and login. Then browse to the folder of the domain you wish to install Movable Type. For the rest, just watch the video below!

The Code From Video:
wget http://skattertech.com/media/2009/09/mtinstall.sh
chmod 700 mtinstall.sh
./mtinstall.sh

That’s just about it. Movable Type should have been installed to the proper location. Just follow wizard Movable Type provides in the web interface to configure your database settings. Once complete, you should be setup and ready to blog with Movable Type!

Links: MovableType.org | Official Install Steps
Video: Watch on Vimeo

This will work great for those using Media Temple as their host, since they don’t have a 1-Click App for Movable Type.

Hardware + Software Requirements:

• Laptop with a VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort output
• A Monitor with a VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort input
• One cable to connect them together
• Running Windows 7, with proper drivers

Getting Setup:

1. Connect the monitor to your laptop
2. Right Click on the desktop and select Screen Resolution
3. Choose “Extend these displays” found under “Multiple Displays”

For most, that should be about it. Just hit Apply and everything should be setup. But for instance say you have physically positioned your laptop and monitor above or below each other. You’ll have to make a few changes. Click Identify to figure out which monitor is which. Then drag the display icons into the proper position as they are located physically on your desk. If you would like the start menu to be located on a different display, click on the display you want and check the “Make this my main display” box. Hit Apply again and all should be working! Give it a shot, just try dragging a window from one display to another.

If you have any questions or just want to say thanks, feel free to leave a comment!

Related: Setup Multiple Monitors in Vista

Things you’ll need:

• SSH Server Access
• SSH Client

If you need an SSH Client, on Windows machines I recommend PuTTY. It’s less than 1MB and doesn’t even need to be installed. If you are on Linux or Macintosh, you are fortunate enough to have a Terminal built right in. Now connect to your web server, login, and watch the video for the rest!

The Code From Video:
wget http://skattertech.com/media/2009/09/wpinstall.sh
chmod 700 wpinstall.sh
./wpinstall.sh

Notice: The script location has been changed, use the one mentioned above. Not the one in the video.

That’s just about it. WordPress should have been installed into the directory you executed the command in. Then just follow the instructions WordPress provides in the web interface to configure your database’s username and password. Finally you should be prompted to pick a name for your Blog!

Links: WordPress.org | Official Install Steps
Video: Watch on Vimeo

Notice: Be warned, if you end up accidentally making an error which causes you to loose or damage the data on your server, we will not be held responsible. Use the steps provided here at your own risk. This was created for convince, but misuse can potentially cause issues. If you don’t know how to deal with SSH, we recommend using official instructions to be safe.

2009 is the year for the launch of two new next generation operating systems: Apple’s OS X Snow Leopard and Microsoft’s Windows 7. Just as with every prior version of both those operating systems, they come with a set new stunning backgrounds. If you aren’t willing to spend the cash to upgrade or can’t afford to do so in these difficult times, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to enjoy these new wallpapers. So as a treat, our readers can download the entire set of backdrops included with both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard in full high resolution glory!

The download includes 31 Windows 7 Backgrounds plus two bonus ones we’ve thrown in all at a 1920×1200 resolution. And it also includes 35 Snow Leopard Backgrounds, all at a whopping 2560×1600 resolution. So what are you waiting for? Download a copy and let us know which set you like best!

Download:
next-gen-wallpapers.zip (~79.8 MB)
Note: Download only contains JPG images, we never distribute spyware/malware/adware.

Pre-Order: Snow Leopard | Windows 7

Modifying Vista’s Shortcut Icon Overlay:

1. Download ‘shortcut-icon-changer.zip‘ and Extract it
2. Close all unnecessary applications except this page
3. Copy ‘Arrow.ico’ into the ‘C:\Windows\’ folder
4. Double-click on ’shortcut-icon-changer.reg’
5. Say ‘Yes’ to accept the changes being made

The setup is now complete, to see the new icon in action you can either reboot your machine or end and restart the “explorer.exe” process in the Windows Task Manager. If you wish to use another ‘.ico’ icon overlay instead of the one provided, just rename it to Arrow.ico and place it in the ‘C:\Windows\’ folder.

Download: shortcut-icon-changer.zip

Notice: Keep in mind that we only provide tweaks that are safe. If something provided here was to result in damaging your machine, we are not responsible. If you need help or have any questions, just leave us a comment below. We’d be glad to help!

Before picking a background to use, you’ll need to know the total resolution of your two displays. So for example if you have two 1280×800 displays and they are sitting besides each other, the total resolution would be 2560 x 800. You would then have to find an image of that resolution to make it fit correctly. If you’ve already got an image, skip to the setup procedure. If not, a great place to look for large backgrounds is InterfaceLift. This website offers tons of free high resolution wallpapers for just about every setup. Since we are looking for wallpapers for dual displays, head on over to the dual monitors section and select the resolution of your setup to filter the results. Browse through the gallery, pick some wallpapers you like, and save them to your computer.

Setup Dual Screen Walpaper:

1. Right-click on desktop & click Personalize
2. Open the Desktop Background settings
3. Browse to & select the background you want
4. Choose ‘Tile’ under positioning settings

If all goes well, your dual screen wallpaper should span across your first display onto the second!

Some problems you may encounter are if you have different sized resolutions on each of your displays. One solution for that would be to pick an image larger in height and width than the larger of your two displays. Doing so should ensure that the image stretches across your entire viewing area. There are also some applications which will allow further customizations, for example choosing different images for each display. This tutorial covers the simplest method to getting this done without any extra software. We welcome all tips and suggestions so please let us know if you have any other cools tweaks or tips. And as always if you have any problems please leave a comment and someone will assist you!

Some Small Requirements:

• Decent Laptop with VGA or HDMI output
• A monitor with VGA or HDMI input
• A VGA or HDMI cable to connect both together

Getting To The Settings:

1. Connect your laptop to your external monitor
2. Right Click on your desktop and select Personalize
3. Open the Display settings window (at the bottom)

Next arrange the two monitors to the setup you have. Monitor 1 would be your laptop’s display and Monitor 2 is your additional display. So, for example, if your laptop is on the left and the monitor is on the right, drag the two boxes around so that Monitor 1 is on the left and Monitor 2 is on the right.

Extending The Display:

1. Select Monitor 2 in the visual or from the drop-down menu
2. Check the box besides “Extend the desktop onto this monitor”
3. Just hit Apply. The screen should flash and you are done!

You should now be able to drag a window, this web page for example, from one screen onto another. If you would like to move your Start Menu onto the other display, just drag it onto the other screen. (Right-click and unlock the Taskbar first!) Also note that sometimes Vista messes up the resolutions, so if one of the windows looks horribly wrong go back to the Display Settings and manually drag the bar to the correct resolutions for each monitor. If your machine is using either the NVIDIA or ATI control panel, I suggest using that to configure your setup instead of using the default Vista Display Settings.

If you have any problems, questions, or suggestions feel free to express them below!

Related Article: Setup Multiple Monitors In XP

For United States residents only – In case you already haven’t done so or your clocks have not updated themselves, be sure to move your clocks 1 hour ahead. Most automated devices including cell phones, computers, and atomic clocks should have made the change at 2:00 a.m. local time. The clocks will fall back an hour on November 2nd. My Vista Laptop, XP Laptop, and my Cell Phone changed automatically at 2:00 a.m., however for some reason I had reset my Oregon Scientific atomic clock.

“In 2008, daylight time begins on March 9 and ends on November 2. In 2009, daylight time begins on March 8 and ends on November 1. – US NAVY”

Links: U.S. NAVY

I’m sure most of you geeks out there have run into the issue of trying to help someone download a torrent at some point. To save you folks some time, I suggest using BitLet to send torrent files to people who don’t have BitTorrent clients installed. If you haven’t heard of BitLet, it’s a simple web-based client which will allow download torrent files right from your browser without the need to install additional software. As long as the downloader has a fairly recent version of Java installed, there shouldn’t be any issues. The service is completely free but is still in beta an “experimental” project. I tested the service a few times and it functioned as advertised without any hiccups.

So to help out your client-less friends, tell them to paste the .torrent URL of the file they are trying to download into the box on BitLet.org. And if you’ve already got the .torrent link and are attempting to help them download it, just use the formula below (without the brackets).

http://www.bitlet.org/?torrent=[URL To .torrent File]

BitLet should launch a new window and the file should begin downloading after a destination of where to save the file is chosen. Overall BitLet is a great little tool to help downloading torrents for dummies. It also comes in handy if you are trying to download a file on a machine that doesn’t allow installing new applications. To make this even easier BitLet has a neat little set of bookmarklets on their site so you don’t even need to deal with copy and pasting. And on another note, if you are looking for a lightweight yet powerful BitTorrent Client checkout uTorrent (personal favorite!).

Link: BitLet.org | Bookmarklet

Just about every new laptop purchased today is bundled with a built-in web cam. It’s a great accessory for video conferencing, but there are also plenty of other useful things to do with them. This tutorial will demonstrate how to turn just about any web camera into a security camera which will capture any movement it sees using motion technology. No extra components or tools required!

What’s Needed:

• Windows XP or Vista Computer
• A USB or built-in Camera
• Java Runtime Environment 6 +
• Windows Media Player 9 +

Quick Install Process:
1) Download yawcam.zip and unzip it
2) Click on yawcam.exe and install it
3) Start Menu -> Start up Yawcam

Note: If you have a USB camera, plug it in before starting up yawcam. If yawcam says “No Device Selected”, go to Settings -> Device -> Change to -> [select your camera]. If you are able to view your camera in the Yawcam Preview window, proceed to the next step.

Setup Motion Detection:
1) Go to Window -> Motion Detection (a new window should appear)
2) Blue lines should appear when you move your hand past the camera.
3) Click on the Actions tab and un-check Play Sound.
4) Select Settings… for Save file and Activate Image array.
5) Finally hit the enable button to begin monitoring!

Note: If you see a lot of static or in the motion detection window, go to the Motion Detection window -> Settings Tab -> Detection Level -> Select Auto detect. Step away from the camera and make sure nothing in it’s line of view is moving while it is adjusting.

At this point any movement past the camera should be captured and will be displayed under the Motion Events list. A date & time stamp along with the percentage of movement detected will be provided with each captured frame. If you would like to save higher quality images into a folder, enable the Save file option found under the Action tab in the Motion Detection window. Optionally, you can ask Yawcam to automatically upload each captured image to an FTP server or email it to yourself.

Yawcam unfortunately can not capture video clips at this time. There are however some paid applications which support that feature. This isn’t exactly the BEST security camera technology, but it is definitely a good start. It is also neat to actually make use of your web cam if your laptop has one built in. The best part of all of this may just the fact that Yawcam is completely free and that it only takes a few minutes to setup. Yawcam does support plenty of advance features, however we will not go through setting those up. Just for example, you can quite easily broadcast and stream your camera to any computer with an internet connection or even play scary sounds when your machine detects motion. Anyways if you know of any better apps or have questions, please reply in the comments or visit our forums.

Download: yawcam.zip
Links: YawCam.com

If you use either Mozilla Firefox or Thunderbird, you have most likely never backed up your browser’s settings and bookmarks or your email client’s accounts and messages. This is because neither client includes a built in backup function and the majority of users don’t wast time trying to figure out how to do so. Although browser backup consists mainly of bookmarks and isn’t as important, archiving your important emails is. The solution, MozBackup, a freeware application which allows backing up and restoring “bookmarks, mail, contacts, history, extensions, and cache” from Thunderbird and Firefox.

Backup Instructions:

1. Download MozBackup and Install It (windows only)
2. Close all Applications, especially Firefox and Thunderbird
3. Run MozBackup and select either Firefox or Thunderbird
4. Select a profile (normally is called ‘default’)
5. Pick a place to save the backup file and press ‘Next’
6. Enter a password when prompted if backing up emails
7. Choose the items you wish to backup and hit ‘Next’
8. After a few moments, you backup should be Complete!

We suggest moving the file over to a CD, DVD, flash drive, or another hard drive. If your desktop or laptop is physically damaged, those backup files will be not accessible if they are still on your primary HDD. When restoring proceed through the instructions provided above in the same order, except choose the “Restore” option when selecting the application in Step 3.

Download: MozBackup | Link: More Information (screenshots)

Have you ever gotten a call and don’t recognize the number? Well with Sullr, getting information on that number couldn’t have been easier. Just enter the area code plus the 7-digit number and the caller’s name or business along with an address and map will be instantly provided. Free reverse phone number lookup services, such as this one, do already exist, however none are clean, Web 2.0 powered, and ajaxified like Sullr. In addition Sullr’s works from just about any mobile phone, just visit ‘wap.sullr.com‘ and get the same results.

At this time Sullr’s beta Web 2.0 service only works in Argentina, Belgium, France, Italy and the USA but they are working to add support for more countries. Just bookmark it and it’s sure come in handy!

Update: Spain and Luxembourg have just been added!

Links: Sullr.com
Related: Do Not Call

While LCD displays are getting larger and larger on portable devices, it is only getting easier and easier to scratch and damage them. We recently picked up a Sony DSC-T100 Digital Camera, which had one of the largest displays we had seen. While we were on the search for a screen protector, Proporta just happened to launch their new “Universal Screen Overlay” and they were kind enough to provide us a few samples.

Applying the screen protector was quite easy. We just took a few measurements and cut the screen overlay to the right size. We then cleaned up the dust and fingerprints on the LCD display using the included cloth. The screen overlay stuck right on and luckily there were no air bubbles. It has been about a month since we first applied the screen overlay and we’ve been quite impressed. The protector never fell off, slid, or even budget for that matter. The only problem we had was that the display was harder to see especially in sunlight. And despite the fact that the camera was handled roughly, being thrown in different backpacks, and placed in pockets it managed to protect the display a 100%!

As we had never purchased a screen protector for our previous gadgets, which usually got scratched up quickly, we definitely thing buying one is a good investment now that we’ve seen how well these work. Proporta offers screen overlays for just about any product including iPods (video/nano) and Sony PSPs. The universal screen overlays are available from Proporta’s website and costs $9.95. As a bonus if you use the code “skattertech” during checkout you will receive a 10% discount!

Buy: Proporta Univeral – Screen Overlay
Overlays for: iPhone | PSP | iPod Video | Nano
Coupon Code: “skattertech” (no quotes)

For United States residents only – Due to Daylight Saving Time, be sure to set all your clocks ahead an hour tonight. This year daylight saving time will begin on March 11, which is three weeks earlier than last year’s, and end five days later than last year on November 4th.

Most Windows XP / Vista and Macintosh OS X computers should not be an issue. Both Microsoft and Apple have released special daylight saving time patches. Just to be safe be sure to run either the Windows Update or the Apple Updater to retrieve the fix. Cell phones will automatically jump to the proper time at around 2:00AM, when they receive the new time from the cell phone towers as long as the service provider don’t run into any problems. Atomic clocks will automatically update themselves. Other devices such as TiVos should be patched in time, since most companies are taking this new daylight saving time issue seriously.

Links: U.S. NAVY

For those WordPress users that already do not know, Microsoft’s new Word 2007 now supports publishing posts to blogs powered by services such as WordPress, TypePad, Blogger, and Live Spaces. It doesn’t exactly support every feature most blogging admin panels include, but is still a decent editor. I recommend using it to write out the text, spell check, and save the post as a draft. Then, once complete, login to your admin panel to format everything and finally publish.

If own Word 2007 and don’t plan to use it to blog, I recommend trying it since it’s extremely easy to setup. Just follow this tutorial and you should be able to start publishing articles within 2-3 minutes.

(Note: Tutorial is specific to WordPress. Click on thumbnails for larger pics)

MS Word 2007 Setup Procedure:
1) Open a Microsoft Word Document

2) Hit the new Office Button Then select Publish -> Blog
3) If prompted to register, select “Register Now”

4) Choose WordPress from the dropdown and hit “Next”

5) Enter your exact WP blog URL followed by “/xmlrpc.php”
6) Then enter your WP username and password and press OK

Once complete, you should receive a “Account registration successful.” in a few seconds. You may now enter a Post Title, Insert Categories you have previously created and write your article. When ready you may either directly publish it or save it as a draft for later from the dropdown. Word 07 also allows editing recent documents you have published by using the “Open Existing” button. If you need any help or having problems, you are welcome to ask questions in the comments.

Links: WordPress | Microsoft Word