0 Using Your Digital Camera Flash Memory Stick To Store and Transfer Files From One PC To Another in Emergency

This tip is to help my friends who sometimes don’t have secondary storage devices/media or network access to transfer files from one PC to another. In such cases, they can use their normal digital camera with flash memory stick and USB connectivity to transfer files from one computer to another remote computer.

People often think that the digital camera flash memory is only meant for transferring photo files from their camera to their PC/laptops. No! The flash memory stick of the digital camera is like a normal USB disk and can be used to store and transfer files (non photo format) from one computer to another.

More specific details of the scenario follow:

One of my friend came to me as Internet access at his office wasn’t working and he wanted to download files from my Internet connected PC and then carry them on his CD to the office.

After downloading the files, his CD didn’t get recognized even after formatting etc. on my Windows Vista Business PC. It had happened earlier also that the CD’s burnt at my DVD writer weren’t recognized at his Windows XP PC. I didn’t have a USB drive and neither did he and moreover, He didn’t have a laptop or some other way of carrying the files. He wanted to desperately carry the files from my PC today only and there didn’t seem to be any easy method of carrying those small sized files to his remote Windows XP PC (with USB port).

I got an idea. I attached my Sony CyberShot DSC-P100 digital camera with my PC – Dell Vostro 400 USB port, powered ON the camera, it got detected as a removable drive with F:. Now I made a folder on the Digital camera flash memory stick drive (shown as F: on my PC) and transferred the small sized files from my PC to the camera flash memory. My camera had a total of 255 MB flash memory capacity and the files to be copied from my PC for my friend were only of 156 KB.

After copying was over, I closed the digital camera drive window (F:), left clicked on its USB icon on the right bottom taskbar and then clicked on Safely remove Sony DSC – Drive(F:). Got the standard “Safe To Remove Hardware Message”.

I powered off the Sony Digital DSC -P100 camera and gave it with the camera to PC USB attachment cable to my friend. He took it and attached the CyberShot camera to his office Windows XP PC with USB port and was able to copy his files from the camera flash disk to his PC without any issues.

So, the moral of this post is that in case of emergency, you can use your digital camera flash memory stick to store and transfer files from one computer to another. This can be a useful method where the file transfer methods such as network (LAN), Internet, CD, DVD and normal USB disk are not working/not available.

As usual, some screenshots relevant to this post are given:

Hope that you would like this post of mine.

Let me know your comments on the idea of using Digital camera flash memory stick for storing and transferring computer files from one PC to another PC.

Cheers!

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0 How To Solve xvidcore.dll Not Found Error In Microsoft Windows Vista EnvironmentComing directly to the topic of this post, It’s on solving the error m

Coming directly to the topic of this post, It’s on solving the error message “xvidcore.dll not found” appearing on Microsoft Windows Vista PC. I am writing the solution to this problem as it occured on my Dell Vostro 400 PC loaded with Vista OS and I solved it. Thought of sharing as it may help you in saving some of your time.

Some particulars of this “xvidcore.dll” not found error:

The error “xvidcore.dll not found” was popping up when I was exploring a folder with video file/s (any format – .avi, .mpeg and .flv). When the video files were more, the error kept popping up again and again. Quite annoying as I had to click on OK multiple times to close these popups. I had no problem in playing any of these video files with video players.

Now, this xvidcore.dll error started popping up suddenly and it was not appearing from the day I started using my PC, i.e., more than one and half years back. I am still wondering why it started bothering me as I never installed anything relevant to xvid (Codec – Code/Decode Or Compressor/Decompressor for video files) on my PC. May be it was in built into some other application.

I searched for xvidcore.dll using the Windows Vista Search feature (including the search for hidden files) but as expected it couldn’t be found. The search window showing xvidcore.dll not found on my Vista PC is shown next:

I did a google search for the error “xvidcore.dll not found error” and found that I need to install Xvid codec from xvid.org. I downloaded Xvid-1.2.1 codec for Windows Vista from:
http://www.koepi.info/Xvid-1.2.1-04122008.exe
(Explanation to some of you who are wondering about the URL change from xvid.org to koepi.info. Clicking on “Xvid for Windows” hyperlink at the URL: http://www.xvid.org/Downloads.15.0.html leads to the URL – http://www.koepi.info/xvid.html with page having Download link for Xvid 1.2.1 codec).
I downloaded the xvid codec setup file and installed it choosing the Windows XP compatibility mode as shown below:

After successful installation of Xvid codec, I once again explored the folder with the video files and wow there was no popup of “xvidcore.dll not found” error. Oh! what a relief from the “xvidcore.dll not found” bugging popups. Well, I searched again for “xvidcore.dll” on my computer and found that the file was now happily there along with some other files relevant to xvid in the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
The screenshots shows the start of installation of xvid, its finish and location of xvidcore.dll file as found by Vista Search after xvid codec installation:



Now, if you too are facing the error of “xvidcore.dll not found” (sorry for repeating it numerous times), then you can use the procedure in this post to save your time.

Let me know if I explained the steps well and did this post was of any use to you.

So bye to “xvidcore.dll not found” error message and welcome to your comments!

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0 How to be almost sure of not uploading or downloading virus infected files?

Computer viruses are designed to cause damage to your computer data. So you mustn’t be downloading files that are virus infected. In business or personal communication, it is very embarrassing if the receiver tells you that your files are virus infected.

Yes, I hear you saying that come on, I use an antivirus. How can the files be infected as I update my antivirus and scan all my files on computer regularly. I know almost all of the online and offline PC’s have antivirus protection on. Let me be very clear with you, even if you are using an antivirus, whatever it’s name be, there is no 100% guarantee that it will detect 100% viruses. Sad but true! If you believe that your antivirus is 100% completely taking care of known and unknown viruses, then it’s wrong!

While, you can use two antiviruses – one on your regular hard disk and one working from a bootable disk/CD/DVD etc. as and when required, there are still chances that you might be sending or downloading an infected file.

The solution is to use a scanner that has the power of detecting all the viruses. What if it combines more than 38 virus scan engines from different companies. Wouldn’t it be great! At least you would be almost sure that you are not going to send or have received an infected file.

Virustotal.com is an online site that lets you upload up to 10MB file for getting it scanned from 38 virus scan engines of different companies developing antiviruses. Yes it’s true, after uploading the file to be scanned, you get a report in few minutes depend on the traffic at the site) and thus you can be dead sure about a file infection or clean status. You can send the file from your browser interface or even by email.

The address of virustotal is:

http://www.virustotal.com

I got idea of writing this post after one of my friend (first) using Mcafee antivirus sent a file to another friend (second) who was using Symantec’s Norton antivirus and the second friend found the file infected.

My first friend’s Mcafee antivirus was updated and he had scanned the whole computer including the file to be sent. He hadn’t got any virus alerts in any of the files on his PC. It was the second friend’s antivirus that reported the file as infected. So, I advised my first friend to scan the files being sent or being downloaded, from now onwards through – virustotal.com.

While there are numerous advantages of virustotal – Scanning power of 38 virus scanning engines, free, online availability at any hour and simple usage etc., it has certain limitations also, these are:

- It requires an Internet connection to upload the file and get it scanned for viruses.
- It can only scan 10 MB of a single file and not files above 10 MB.
- There is no guarantee that a file detected as clean by 38 virus scanners is not infected.
- It only detects viruses and doesn’t clean.
- Sometimes there can be delay in uploading the file and getting the results, depending on the traffic.

According to me, virustotal.com is a free and highly useful site that can save you from embarrassment of sending an infected file or using one that causes damage yours highly useful data. It doesn’t take too long to get the results (few minutes most of the times) and the chances of file being infected after it has been declared to be clean by 38 virus scanners is almost nil. What do you say?

So, next time you are sending or receiving a file to/from a known or unknown person, don’t forget to scan it through virustotal.com

Do you know of an offline virus scanner that combines power of 38 virus scanners? Yes, then let me know so that I can scan all my computer files not from a single virus scanner but from 38 virus scanners.

Waiting for your open comments and views.

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0 How To Disable Dr. Watson Error

To disable Dr. Watson

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug
NOTE: Steps three and four are optional, but they necessary if you want to restore the default use of Dr. Watson.
3. Click the AeDebug key, and then click Export Registry File on the Registry menu.
4. Enter a name and location for the saved registry file, and then click Save.
5. Delete the AeDebug key.

Registry entries for debugger programs are located in the AeDebug key in Windows. The Dr. Watson program is installed by default in Windows, and is configured to run when an application error occurs (with a data value of 1 for the Auto value). The default values are:
Value Name = Auto
Type = String (REG_SZ)
Data Value = 1 or 0. (Default is 1)
Value Name = Debugger
Type = String (REG_SZ)
Data Value = drwtsn32 -p %ld -e %ld -g

NOTE: This data value (drwtsn32 -p %ld -e %ld -g) is specific to Dr. Watson. Alternative debuggers will have their own values and parameters.

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0 Windwos 8 Concept Video

Windwos 8 is the next generation Operating system by Microsoft to give the PC users ultimate computer experience.Although Windows 7 isn’t released until 22nd October 2009, attention is already turning to it’s replacement Windows 8 which will is expected in 2011/12Microsoft has changed its approach to naming operating systems (e.g XP, Vista) and is using an internal numbering system and the next Windows operating system, Windows 7, is the 7th release. Hence the replacement for Windows 7 is expected to be called Windows 8.
Here is one exclusive video of windows 8.This is not actual video of the OS.This is a concept video.But i am sure you can love it.

Copenhagen User Experience from Copenhagen Concept on Vimeo.

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