How to determine the Google PageRank of websites

The term 'PageRank', as the name suggests, refers to the rank that Google uses to determine the importance of the webpage. However, you will be amused to know that the word ‘Page’ is actually derived from the name of Google’s co-founder Larry Page, who developed the algorithm that is actually used to determine the rank of a webpage. The mathematical procedure is explained on Wikipedia page http:// bit.ly/9GTDKt. The Google PageRank is expressed as a numeric value between 0 and 10. If you wish to check the PageRank of a particular site, then there are a number of web services that you can use, such as PRChecker (http://bit.ly/Lt5g). Navigate to the site, enter the domain name of the site you want to check in the provided box and click on "Check PR". PRChecker will then show you the PageRank of the site. PageRank is determined by the number of links that lead to the page. With the number of web pages growing exponentially, there are hardly any sites with a PageRank of 10.

How to protect your sensitive data from malicious apps in Facebook

Those who friends with you on Facebook have access to some of your data, as do the apps they use. You can restrict this to apps used by friends by tweaking certain security settings. Log into your Facebook account, click on "Settings" and select "Privacy Settings". You will see the "Apps" category to the left; click on it. Here you will find several options, but click on ‘Edit’ next to ‘Apps others use’. Here you will see all the information that can be accessed by apps your friends use. This includes information like your bio, birthday, status updates, photos, links, activities and much more. If the box next to any of these categories is checked, then it means that the information is available to that app. Uncheck the box if you do not wish to share this information and confirm with "Save changes".

How to take a backup of your tweets

If you tweet frequently, then you may want to have a backup of all your tweets. You don’t have to depend on external tools for this, as Twitter now lets you archive your tweets. To do so, click on the cog symbol and go to "Settings". Here, at the bottom you will see the option "Request your archive". When the file is ready, you will be sent an email with a link to download the .zip fi le. The time taken will depend on the number of tweets you have. When you click on the link received via email, you will have to log into your account to download the "tweets.zip" fi le.
Once you unzip the file, you will see several files and folders, to view your archived tweets, double click on the "index. html" file. You will now be able to see all your tweets. For easy navigation, these are displayed according to the month and year they were posted on. You can now easily browse through all your tweets and also search through them. Also, if you wish to retweet or reply to a tweet, you can click on the same, and you will be directed to your account.

How to update fields in large sized documents in MS word 2007/2010

In larger documents, in addition to the table of contents, you may also use an index and cross references that refer back to the chapter and/or page number they link to. Before you forward such a document or convert it to PDF, you might wish to ensure that all references also contain the correct values. You can right-click on each field or directory and then manually update the links with the "Update fields" context command. This may work for a table of contents, but is not feasible for numerous cross-references. It would be quicker to select the entire text with the key combination [Ctrl]+[A] and then update the fields using F9. But even this method is imperfect because it does not include fields in areas like headers and footers.

 

Now instead of manually adjusting all sections, you can use a trick for the same. First, go to "File | Options" and select the "Display" option to the left.

 

Then, open "Print options" and activate the setting "Update fields before printing" and confirm your
changes with "OK". Now, using the "File | Print" command, open the print preview. That will be enough to refresh the field contents. You do not need to actually print the document; click "Cancel" on the print dialogue box. Now save the text.

How to copy formatting across documents easily in MS office

In some cases, you may need to copy just the formatting to another document, not the content. In Word and PowerPoint, you can do this easily with the key combination [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[C] for copying, and [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[V] for pasting the formatting. These shortcuts also work in Outlook because Word serves as its default text editor. Or, you have to use the menu bar.
First click in the section which has the desired formatting and then, in the menu bar, click on the "Format Painter" button. This button will be represented by a paint brush symbol in the "Clipboard" section. Now, in the document, click in the paragraph to apply the formatting. If you want to copy the format to several elements, double-click on the Format Painter button. The paint brush symbol will now remain in place at the mouse pointer until you quit the mode by pressing the [Esc] key. This is somewhat more difficult to do in Excel. The convenient key combinations don't work here, although you can also execute the relevant command through the menu bar using the keyboard and a series of access keys. To do this, copy the cells with the output format using the key combination [Ctrl]+[C]. Then, in the "Start" button at the top, click on "Clipboard" under the "Insert" option. Now, select the first symbol in the "More insert options" section. You can also carry out this process using the keyboard by consequently pressing the keys [Alt], [R], [V] and [R].

How to write write emails faster with the help of templates in MS Outlook

In order to create a template in Outlook, first begin writing an email. Before sending it, use the option "File | Save as". In the following dialogue box, change the file type to "Outlook template". The target folder automatically changes to template folder. Now, enter the name for the new template and click on "Save". You can now send your mail if required. In the future, you can write new emails much faster on the basis of such pre-defined templates. However, opening a template will need you to go deep into the menus. Click "File", then "New" and then "Choose Form". Here you will find some internal templates ready to be selected. In the "Look In" drop-down box, choose "User Templates in the File System". You will find the OFT files you had created stored here, and can open these by selecting "Open". Their contents can be supplemented or changed as required before you send the mail.

Increase the number of apps you can select in the Windows Store in Windows 8

The Windows Store has quite a large number of apps, you'll find that some tools you might have heard of aren't available. That is because you only see apps that are meant for India by default and the apps for the rest of the world are hidden. In order to have all the apps on display, open the store and click on "Settings" in the Charms bar that'll open when you hover the mouse on the right-side margin. Select "Settings" once again in the new menu and then set the slide switch for "Find apps faster in the preferred language" to "No".
You can now return to the store. The search results will come up with a greater number of apps in the future.

How to mask out information on the lock screen in Windows 8

Windows 8 can display information from some apps in the form of individually configurable notifications on the lock screen. But that may not be desirable if your system is used by more than one person. However, you can set the notifications to be invisible to some users and even prevent them from changing the settings for the same by adding a few entries to the Windows registry.
To do this, switch to Desktop view and use the key combination [Windows]+[R]. Then, type in "regedit", press the [Enter] key and confirm the user account control dialogue box with "Yes" . Once the registry editor opens, navigate to the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System", click in the right-hand section of the window and create a new entry by clicking "Edit | New | DWORDValue". Name the new entry "DisableLockScreenAppNotifications" and double-click on it to open it for editing. Change the value to "1" and confirm that with "OK". Now close the registry editor and restart the system. There will be no more notifications displayed on the lock screen. If you wish to activate notifications again, set the registry value for the same entry to "0".

How to make a shortcut for the "All apps" overview in Windows 8

The "All apps" overview is easyway for looking up specific apps. However, you must first get there, and that involves first triggering the Charms bar to the right and then opening the search field. Instead, you can directly carry out the operation with a single link. You can create such a shortcut
in the Desktop view.

First, switch to Desktop view and right-click on an empty spot and select the context command "New | Link". Now enter in the special Shell call in the dialogue box: "%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{2559a1f8-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}".

 

Click on "Other" and enter "All apps" as the name, and then click on "Done". The new link will work immediately. If you want, you can also assign an icon to it. To do this, right-click on it and select the context command "Properties". Now click on the "Change icon" button and select a suitable one. You can even add icons from another file if you want to. Finally, rightclick on the link once more. Now select the context command "Attach to start". This option will let you position the symbol as a small tile in the Start screen. Now you can reach the overview and the quick start menu for the apps quickly by just clicking or touching on the new shortcut. Moreover, you can also use the context command "Attach to taskbar" to enable direct access to the All apps menu even from the Desktop view.

How to avoid loss of data during parallel operation

You are advised to exercise caution while installing Windows 8 on a system with another operating system. Windows 8's new hybrid Standby mode (Hybrid Boot) really reduces the amount of time needed to boot the system, but in the process it makes changes that are not compatible with other operating systems. These settings may even prevent the other operating systems from booting.

Those who install Windows 8 on a hard drive that already has an operating system installed are safe. The set-up wizard detects the OS and automatically deactivates the Hybrid Boot. It is riskier to install Windows 8 on a separate hard drive and access other hard drives for data exchange. If an operating system does not exist on the second drive, Windows 8 also uses this drive for the hybrid Standby mode. So if you access the drive later with an older Windows system, it will recognise these changes in the file system and try to carry out a lengthy repair. Sometimes this may lead to loss of data.

Those who wish to install Windows 8 on a computer with several hard drives and operating systems should first take a backup of their data. Then, install the system on the same hard disk as the other OS or remove all other hard drives, execute the installation and then manually deactivate the Hybrid Boot. Only after that should you reconnect other hard drives and allow Windows 8 to access it. To switch off Hybrid Boot, open the Control Panel and click on "Hardware and Sound" and then on "Power options". Now select the link "Select what should happen after pressing the power switches".
The next dialogue box will show another link "Some settings are not available at present", which you must also click on. Now, you will be able to view the configuration options for "Shut down".

Here, deactivate the option "Activate Quick start" and confirm the changes with "OK". This ensures that the idle state remains in effect, but the PC always shuts down completely when you switch it off.
You can also make complete shut downs with the command "shutdown.exe /s /t ". However, this might be too risky for dual boot systems.

How to close apps easily and quickly after you're done working with them in Windows 8

Windows 8 gives you many options for closing apps, but the quickest way to do it is by clicking on the app's upper margin and dragging it down to the bottom of the screen. However, the app won't close if you end the motion too early or let go of the mouse button. It would be more efficient if you could drag the app till the center of the screen instead. This leaves less room for mistakes and you can close apps quicker. By means of an additional entry in the registry, you can define how far an app needs to be dragged so it closes.
To open the registry editor, switch to desktop view and press the key combination [Windows]+[R]. Now key in "regedit", press the [Enter] key and confirm the user account control dialogue box with "Yes". Once the registry editor opens, navigate to the key "HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell" and create a new key by clicking "Edit | New | Key".
Type in the term “Switcher” in the new box and press the [Enter] key. In case the key is already present, skip the previous step and open it. Now, click in the right hand window section and create the entry "MouseCloseThreshold" with "Edit | New | DWORD-Value". Double-click on it to open it for editing. In the following dialogue box, change the base to "Decimal" and A value of zero means that the function is completely deactivated, while "1" defines the default lower image margin and "1000" defines the upper margin. Enter "500" to get a sensible, mean value or use a somewhat higher value. Confirm the changes with "OK".
Also recreate the DWORD value "TouchCloseThreshold" and assign a suitable value to the function. This defines the behaviour of the function in touch operation. Close the registry after you're done and restart the system.

How to place images from Flickr or Picasa as your screensaver in Windows XP/Vista/7

Your screensaver can display many images, but if you want to personalize it a bit, you can use your Flickr or Picasa albums as a screensaver. Flickr offers an RSS feed with photos, but to integrate it with Windows, you need a suitable screensaver that uses data from an RSS feed. For this, you can use Google Photos Screensaver, which you can download with Picasa.

CAUTION: While installing Picasa, remember to deactivate all unnecessary settings or the viewer if you do not want to use it. After the installation, navigate to "C:\windows\system32" and look for the file "gphotos.scr". Create a backup copy of this file in another location. If you do not want to use Picasa, you can uninstall the program. Once you're done, copy the backup fi le "gphotos.scr" to the system folder once more.
To set up the screensaver, click on "Appearance and Personalization" in the control panel and then on "Change screensaver" in the "Personalization" section. Now, select "Google screensaver" from the drop-down box and click on "Settings". Here, click on the "Configure" button to activate sources for the screensaver, including "Picasa", "Photos from specific folders on my computer", or "Photos from public websites". You can specify the sources for each option with the "Configure" button. To set your Flickr images, click on "Photos from public websites" and then on "Configure". Now enter the URL for the Flickr feed in the "Other photo feed sources" box and click on "Add".
After a short test, the entry will appear in the list and inform you of whether it can access Flickr. You can add and activate several feeds to add different sources. Confirm the changes with "OK". Lastly, set the visual effects, the time each image should be displayed for and choose to display captions. Close the dialogue by clicking on the "OK" button.

NOTE: The feeds load only 20 images and stores them temporarily on your machine. To get new images again, you must empty the Cache folder in your user profi le regularly. To do this, open the user profi le in Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder "AppData\Local\ Google\GBScreensaver\imgcache". Delete the existing JPG fi les so that new ones are automatically loaded.

How to pass on the same IP addresses from an older device to a new one

Whenever you replace a device in your network with a new model, you usually have to change the configurations in all the other devices so that they work properly in tandem again. But you don't really have to go through all that trouble. You can choose not to change the configurations of the other devices in your network by assigning the new device the IP address of the previous device. But it's often the case that your router registers the IP address of the old device and does not give you an option in the configuration menu to reset this. In order to solve the problem, make sure that the old device is no longer connected to the network.
Now go to the network settings of the new device and ensure that this device is connected to your home network. Now deactivate the option “DHCP” or “Get network address automatically” in the menu of the new network device. Now enter the desired IP address as a static IP address and restart the device. Verify in the router menu whether the device is visible with the IP address you entered. If
your router offers the option, check the option to “always allocate the same IP address to this device”. Subsequently, go to the network menu of the new device and switch on the DHCP. The router shall henceforth allocate the desired address to your network device and you will not need to change the configuration of the other devices in the network.

How to remove drivers successfully from the Windows system

If you repeatedly get errors while installing your new  scanner, printer, or other devices, you might need to delete the drivers of the old device from Device Manager, and start the process all over again. Windows only shows active devices in the device manager, and to remove the drivers of the old printer or scanner, you must connect the device again to the PC. If this is not possible, the invisible devices will stay hidden. To delete the drivers, press [Pause|Break] when holding down the [Windows] button. This will throw up the System Properties window. Click “Advanced” in the window and then on “Environment variables”. Now click “New”. In the next Window, type “devmgr_show_nonpresent_Device” next to “Variable name” and type the number “1” in the field next to “Variable value”. Close the window, click the OK button on the System Properties window and  restart the computer. Once the computer restarts, press [Pause|Break] when holding the [Windows] button again. In the next Window, click “Hardware” and then on “Device manager”. In the following window, go to “View” and activate “Show hidden devices”. Now the devices that are not connected will appear, but the rogue drivers are still installed. Right-click on the concerned device in the Device Manager and uninstall it along with its drivers.

How to troubleshoot memory sticks not appearing as drives

Sometimes USB stick will blink when inserted into a USB drive on the PC and appear as a removable drive in the My Computer folder, but Windows reports that the drive is not inserted and does not assign any character or drive label to it. This is mostly due to the drive having a corrupted file system. First verify whether the file system can be read on the stick. If you are sure that the drive was not used earlier in a Linux or Apple computer, then you can assume that a partition has not been created on the stick or the existing partition has been damaged. Your computer may also consider the USB stick as a removable hard disk. You must therefore ensure that all partitions on the stick are properly formatted and the partition table is intact. Open the Windows disk management utility by right-clicking on “My computer” and selecting “Manage”. Now click on ‘Disk Management’ and check whether the USB stick appears as a formatted partition or whether it is accessible. You could have accidentally deleted the partition tables on the stick or the partition tables were damaged.
Right-click on any unallocated space on the flash drive and select the option "New partition" to create a partition on the stick. Any data available on the stick will now be deleted and the wizard will begin
formatting the disk. If you have special requirements such as a specific cluster size, you can format the drive manually.

How use Windows 8’s built-in resources to replace the system disk safely

Windows 8 may sometimes report that your primary hard drive or system disk is problematic and it must be replaced. But you may not notice anything wrong with your computer, and probably won't feel like reinstalling Windows as well as all your applications just to get rid of the error. But don't fret: Windows 8 can manage disk removal—as opposed to Windows Vista and Windows 7—on its own. Open the Control Panel, go to “Maintenance” and select “Save complete computer”. Windows will now ask you which hard disk must be saved where. You have the option to burn all your data onto DVDs. However, a standard 50GB Windows installation would occupy 12 DVD blanks. However, you can use a second, internal hard disk to back-up your system. Make sure the target disk drive is a basic data carrier. Dynamic disk drives are rejected by Windows and must be converted in the Disk Management section to basic. Before the backup process, make sure that the disk has enough free space and that it is formatted in the NTFS file system. The backup process doesn't take long: our 60GB Windows 8 installation was copied onto an external disk in less than half an hour via USB 2.0. The PC must be shut down before you replace the defective drive. Afterwards, restart the computer and insert the Windows 8 installation DVD. After booting, the Windows 8 installation routine will begin. Now select “Repair options” instead of “Installation”. Click “Next” and the wizard will lead you through the steps to successfully repair your computer.

How to explore the vicinity using the Facebook application

Facebook app also help up as a travel guide. If you want to seek out good restaurants or hotels in your vicinity, use the ‘Nearby’ feature. To do so, click on the Menu icon on the left. Here you will see the ‘Nearby’ option; clicking on it will show you nearby places. For the feature to function, the app will need to access your current location, so ensure ‘Location Access’ is enabled; you can change the same from Settings.
When you click on ‘Nearby’, the app will list the places nearby along with a map. You can click on a listed business to get more details, such as the distance, timings and recommendations. You can
even filter this listing depending on the type of business. To do so, click on the ‘Places Nearby’ that you will see on the map. If you want to browse for places in another area, then you can easily do so by selecting the area on the map.

How to get the statistics for your Facebook profile using WolframAlpha

WolframAlpha, the computational knowledge engine, offers an analysis tool that evaluates your Facebook profile. If you are interested in analyzing your Facebook profile, then go to www. wolframalpha.com/facebook and click on “Get your Report”. You will have to log-in to Facebook, and authorise “Wolfram Connection” and allow WolframAlpha to access your profile.
Next, you will be asked to enter a password for Wolfram ID and create an account. You can now access the portal with your own search field, and use the browser-like functions. After a while, WolframAlpha will produce a comprehensive statistical analysis of your Facebook profile. You will find information like your activities, favourite shares, frequently used apps and lots more. It will also analyse your network of friends and display friends as per age, gender, place, and even the types of connections.

How to Email Tweets to your friends

Here's an interesting way. You can actually send Tweets to those not on Twitter. To do so, log-in to Twitter, go to the tweet you want to share with others and hover your mouse over it. You will see the additional options Reply, Retweet and Expand. Click on ‘More’ and you will see the options ‘Email Tweet’ and ‘Embed Tweet’. The email option is also available for other people's tweets on your stream.
You can email the tweet to whomever you want, and there is also an option to add comments in the message box. The recipients will see your Twitter handle, and you can choose to include your email address so that the recipients can reply via email. On the Twitter mobile app, first open the desired tweet and then click on options to view additional functions. You will find the ‘Mail Tweet’ option here.

How to save your ‘safe sender’ list in MS Outlook

Whenever you need to re-install Outlook, the list of safe senders you created in the older version will not be included in the PST file. As a result, you will have to re-create the safe sender list again, which can be a tedious task.
When you create a PST file to transfer your data to the new Outlook, the safe sender list will not be included by default. You will have to transfer this information separately; this can be done by exporting the data to a text file. To do so, click on ‘Tools’, then select ‘Options’. Here, under the ‘Preferences’ tab, you will see the ‘Email’ option. Now select the ‘Junk Email’ option and select the second tab, ‘Safe Senders’. You will see all the email addresses that you have added to the ‘Safe Sender’ list. Select them and click on the option ‘Export to file’ and save it as a text file. When you re-install Outlook, you will have to follow the same steps, but instead of ‘Export to file’, you will need to select the ‘Import from file’ option.

How to rotate pie diagram to a desired position in MS Excel

The structure of a pie chart depends on the pie chart style that you have selected and is rendered automatically. The data is represented in a clockwise direction. However, it is possible to change the direction of the pie chart. To do so, select the data in the pie chart and then right click on it. You will see an option called ‘Format Data Series’. Click on it and select ‘Series Option’. To change the direction of the pie chart, specify the degree of rotation in the ‘Angle of first Slice’ box. Depending on the degree of rotation you specify, Excel will rotate the pie chart.

How to customise keyboard shortcuts in Word 2007-10

If you work in Word frequently, then it makes sense to customise certain functions that you use frequently. Having a keyboard shortcut will save you a lot of time. While it’s true that Word already has keyboard shortcuts for some common tasks, they may be too complicated. You can customise these shortcuts too.
For instance, if you are working on a whitepaper and need to add references, then you can create a keyboard shortcut for it. Click on the Office button, and then click on ‘Word Options’. Here you will find the ‘Customize’ tab on the left. Now click on the Customise button next to ‘Keyboard Shortcuts” at the bottom.
The new dialogue box will have the main commands on the left, from here select the tab your command resides in. You will now see all the functions you can assign to the command. Once you select the function, if there is an existing command then the same will be visible in the left box at the bottom. On the right you can add the new custom command and click on ‘Assign’ to designate it.

How to restart router with new IP address

If a website refuses to let you download files, you can try changing your IP address. If your router supports UPnP (Universal plug and play), use the freeware “Router reconnect” to switch your IP. This software saves you from having to restart the router every time you want to reset your IP address. Get the utility from here: http:// goo.gl/JrrOG. Extract the package, type “cmd” in the search field of the Start menu and open the command prompt. Navigate to where you extracted the utility and run “Router reconnect.exe”. Check the output messages. If the program is compatible with your router, you’ll see an indication to the identified router. Then you can set up the connection and even program a fi le to facilitate reconnections.
NOTE: Router Reconnect is not compatible with all routers. Instead of the router restarting, the tool may deactivate the LAN, making connecting to the Internet impossible. If this happens, click on “Network and Internet” in the Control Panel, and then go to “Network and release center”. Follow the link “Change adapter settings” and click the disconnected LAN connection with right mouse button and select the option “Activate”. You can now connect to the Internet again, but you won't be able to install the tool.

How to set up Windows file sharing in a few simple steps

The process of setting up Windows file sharing can be simplified with a step-by-step wizard. To run the wizard, type 'shrpubw' in the Windows 'Run...' dialogue box and press [Enter] to execute it. Click 'Next', navigate with 'Search' to the desired path, 'Open' it, and again click 'Next'.
Now you can change the 'Share name' and 'Description'. In the next step, quickly define all intended permissions such as 'All users have write-protected access'. On the other hand, to make individual exceptions, select 'Edit permissions' and then click 'User defined'. Then make the desired detailed settings and confirm these with 'OK'. After clicking 'Complete', you will see a summary of the shared folders' permissions for you to double-check them.
In order to remove a share, use the context menu of the folder. Use the 'Sharing' option and disable the options you see in the dialogue box.

How to pin important or frequently used documents and folders to the taskbar in Windows 7-8

I am sure you know you can easily place shortcuts for applications via the context menu on the taskbar, but did you know you can do the same for your frequently used documents and files too? A free application called Taskbar Pinner will let you do this in a jiffy.
Download the software from this link: http://goo.gl/3iHZc. Unpack the ZIP archive to a folder and then navigate to it. You don't need to install the tool to run it. Start the application and it'll give you a few options. For documents, select 'Pin a file', navigate to the desired file and click on the 'Open' button.
This will attach this file to the taskbar. You can remove it whenever you want from the normal Windows context menu. The option 'Pin a folder' will pin a folder to the taskbar and the 'Pin a library' option pins an entire library to the taskbar for quick access. The 'Pin a shell location' option lets you pin system dialogues such as 'Tasks', 'Energy options', 'Recycle bin' or 'Disk Management'. Activate the desired elements with the checkboxes and click 'Pin items' to pin them to the taskbar.

How to block access to Windows Store for specific users in windows 8

The Windows Store allow you download apps for Windows 8 either for free or for a pre-specified sum. But if you don't want other users to install any apps due to security reasons, or want to prevent the purchase option, you can completely block access to the Windows Store for a user account by simply adding an entry to the Windows Registry.
To do this, change to Desktop view and press [Windows]+[R]. Then enter ‘regedit”, press the [Enter] button and confirm the User Access Control dialogue with “Yes”. Navigate to the key “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsStore”.
If the entry doesn't exist, create it. Click in the right pane of the registry and create the new entry 'Remove Windows Store' by clicking on 'Process | New | DWORD value'.
Now open the new entry by double-clicking on it, change the value to '1' and press the 'OK' button. Close the registry editor and restart the computer. In order to restore access to the Windows Store, change this entry's value in the registry editor to '0' or simply delete the entry.