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Windows 8 for only $15? YES!…(maybe)

I heard that this was coming, had been watching for it, and (as of yet) haven’t seen it…but, I found the info:

BEFORE YOU PURCHASE A NEW COMPUTER, check to see if you can upgrade to Windows 8 for about 15-bucks.

“…The Windows Upgrade Offer provides consumers who buy an eligible Windows 7 PC the option to purchase a downloadable upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for an estimated retail price of just $14.99 (U.S.)…

“This program…is available for consumers buying new Windows 7 PCs that are preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate and include a matching and valid OEM Certificate of Authenticity. The Windows 7 PC must be purchased new during the eligibility period June 2, 2012–Jan. 31, 2013, and redeemed before the program expiration at the end of February 2013…”

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I have been using Windows 8, and feel the need to warn you that I believe some will LOVE the new interface…and for others, it can interfere with productivity. As much as you can, be sure you are ready to be committed to Windows 8 before you install it.

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Review: “C6 Screen Cleaners”

So…I get an e-mail message…

“…The new carbon-based cleaning system won’t damage your expensive glass and revolutionizes the way people clean their lenses…”

Yeah. Whatever.

It arrived…and I am…impressed!

The Carson Optical “C6 Screen Cleaners” press release states: “…The dry compound bonds with the oils left behind by your skin, then simply wipes away leaving a sparkling clean surface.” I also received a pack of two of the CS-50. They look like USB flash drives that you can put on lanyards, but the pad is retractable into the casing.

I always carry clean handkerchiefs…in Arizona, you sweat (a lot). I also use them to clean my reading glasses, and sunglasses. And, I’ve been satisfied with using them to clean glass-like surfaces and screens. OK. Let me see how good this thing is…gone! I used one and ALL of the greasy, streaky, smudgy stuff on the touchscreen of my phone was gone! It’s clean…it’s clear…I’m shocked.

CS-50 – Screen Cleaners, 2-pack. Cleaning system for tablets & smart phones

(The CS-60 is designed to be used with tablet computers…at the time of this writing, I cannot find it on their website.)

The CS-10, CS-20, and CS-40 are similar to the shape and sizes of markers. CS-30, CS-70, and CS-80 are packages of disposable cleaners….the CS-70 also includes a brush for use with camera and binocular lenses.

Yep…this stuff works.  You might want to get a couple and keep in your pocket, purse, or bag…

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ONE DAY ONLY: PCmover to be Given Away for Free

{from their press release}

BELLEVUE, Wash. May 14, 2012 – Laplink Software, Inc. today announced that it will celebrate its 29th year of business by giving away PCmover® Windows® 7 Upgrade Assistant™ for free for one day only – tomorrow, May 15th.

Just visit www.laplink.com and claim your free copy of PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant. No gimmicks and no strings attached…

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Slice and dice MP3s really nice!

I’m impressed…and that’s not easy to do, ’cause I tend to want too much.

A press release was sent to me about the MP3 Toolkit:

“…a free and powerful Windows app includes MP3 converter, CD ripper, tag editor, MP3 cutter, MP3 merger and MP3 recorder for users who want to handle MP3 files easier.

“You can use MP3 Toolkit to convert audio…fix tag information, rip Audio CD, record sound or merge audio pieces to a complete MP3 file.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah…I’ll install it and check it out…one day.

That day did come…it was at 5 A.M. that day (finding free time ain’t easy with my schedules)…

“MP3 Recorder is designed to…record any sound from the microphone to standard MP3 format without any limitation on length. Also it’s possible to record streaming audio provided that the sound card supports sound mixing…select sample rate, bitrate and channels…”

“CD to MP3 Ripper…choose bitrate, maximal VBR bitrate, encoding quality…rip the audio from CD to MP3, WMA, APE or WAV…”

“MP3 Converter…MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, FLAC, AC3, AAC or AMR…customize other settings such as bitrate, rate, audio channel…It can also extract the audio stream from popular video formats like MP4, FLV, AVI, etc.”

“MP3 Merger…select files in MP3, WAVE, FLAC or OGG, specify the output settings such as bitrate, rate, audio channel…offers a batch mode that enables merging multiple files in the fully unattended manner…”

“MP3 Cutter…It also has the ability to cut a part of music from a video file, or a movie.”

“MP3 Tag Editor…It supports all ID3v1 and ID3v2 versions. Also, the editor will allow you to edit album photos and lyrics.”

I’ve been looking for something like this: I want to record audio “letters” or “diaries”, stitch them together…and then send the file (or files).

(Some of the formats that are) Supported are…

MP3 Toolkit Input Audio/Video Formats:
AAC, AC3, AMR, ASF, APE, AVI, FLAC, FLV, MP4, M4V, M4P, MOV, M4A, MP3, MPG, MTV, OGG, RM, WAV, SWF, WMV, WMA

MP3 Toolkit Output Audio Formats:
MP3, AC3, AAC (Apple Audio), OGG, AMR, WMA, FLAC, APE, WAV, MPG (Audio)

MP3 Toolkit is compatible with Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, 2003, VISTA and 7…and Windows 8.

http://www.mp3toolkit.com/

 

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Paragon Virtualization Manager 12 Professional

Here are some explanations and examples of what “virtualization” is, and can be…

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…Virtualization software — programs that allow you to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single computer…Using virtualization software, you can run multiple operating systems on one physical machine. The technology is now mainstream enough that it is a built-in feature in Windows 7 Professional (and above) and in Windows Server 2008 R2…

Virtualization software runs like any other application. To get started, you power up your computer, load the virtualization program, and install an operating system from its install CD, DVD, or .iso file. In virtualization parlance, the main operating system is called the “host” operating system, and the secondary operating systems the “guest” operating system. Once the virtualization software is running, each subsequent operating system you install on your PC will act like a new computer…

…virtualization software is not for everyone. There is a learning curve in both conceptualizing how virtual machines will function in your network and organization, as well as managing them reliably and cost-effectively…

http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page4826.cfm

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Not all VM software is created equal
An array of virtualization programs are available, and the one(s) you need depends on exactly what you need to do…

…For relatively simple server virtualization scenarios, you can use the free VMWare Server.

…the more virtual machines you want to run simultaneously, the more hardware resources you’ll need on that machine. Each running VM and its guest OS and applications will use RAM and processor cycles, so you’ll need large amounts of memory and one or more fast processors to be able to allocate the proper resources to each VM.

To run multiple resource-hungry servers on one machine, you’ll need a machine with hardware that’s capable of supporting multiple processors and large amounts of RAM and you must be running a host OS that can handle these.

64 bits are better than 32
For server virtualization, consider deploying a 64-bit host operating system. 64-bit processors support a larger memory address space, and Windows 64-bit operating systems support much larger amounts of RAM (and in some cases, more processors) than their 32-bit counterparts…

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-things-you-should-know-about-virtualization/309

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And there is a listing in Wikipedia…

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I felt I needed to give some basic information first, before I inform you that…

Paragon Virtualization Manager 12 Professional is now available!

“…Connect a virtual disk as if it were an ordinary physical disk and open up all physical-disk functionality in a virtual environment. Use a read-only mode or a special read/write mode that creates a snapshot and applies all changes after the snapshot was made to test all configurations without destroying your virtual source drive.

“Virtualization Manager 12 Professional is compatible with products of all popular modern virtualization software providers, such as Microsoft, VMware and Oracle, and supports major virtual machines, including Oracle Virtual Box 4, Microsoft Virtual PC, VMware™ Workstation and VMware™ Fusion.”

Take a deep breath…there are a lot of features in it:
• Migrate a Windows-based computer to a virtual environment…Physical-to-Virtual (P2V), and/or Virtual-to-Physical-to-Virtual (V2P)
• Migrate from a 2TB+ physical drive to a smaller virtual drive
• Migrate from one virtual environment to another (V2V)
• Migrate a Windows-based computer to a different hardware platform (P2P)
• Restore a physical system from Paragon’s backup to a virtual environment (P2V Restore)
• Create a virtual disk with a simple wizard (Create VD)
• Recover OS startup ability after system migration to different hardware or unsuccessful virtualization by a third-party tool (P2P and P2V Adjust)
• Exchange data between a physical environment and a virtual one, or between a virtual disk and its snapshots
• Accomplish virtual drive partitioning (create, format, delete, move, resize, etc.)
• Resume any operation with a virtual volume in case of disconnection or any other unexpected situation.
• Merge volumes on a virtual drive to consolidate disk space, from two volumes on the virtual drive into one single, larger volume
• Supports major virtual machines, including Oracle Virtual Box 4, Microsoft Virtual PC, VMware™ Workstation and VMware™ Fusion

“…Use a read-only mode or a special read/write mode that creates a snapshot and applies all changes after the snapshot was made to test all configurations without destroying your virtual source drive.”

The website for the product is http://www.paragon-software.com/home/vm-professional/