LANcom Technology Blog

Microsoft has decided to delay the release of XP SP3 which was due to become available on Windows Update on the 29^th and to be added to automatic updates in June. This delay is due to a compatibility issue between XP SP3 and Microsoft Dynamics RMS.

Microsoft says it is currently developing a filter to prevent those running Microsoft Dynamics RMS being offered XP SP3 by the update service, and once this is in place XP SP3 will be available to everyone else.

To read more about XP SP3 click here.

To read more about the delay of XP SP3 from Computer World click here.

Update: XP SP3 was released on the 6th of May and is now available for download from Windows Update

If your desktop is getting crowded with shortcut icons you may want to add them to a toolbar on the side of your desktop like the one in the picture. This is really easy to do.

1. Create a new folder on your desktop by right clicking and going New, and then Folder
2. Now drag and drop the shortcut icons that you would like to appear in the toolbar, into this new folder
3. Now drag this folder off the right side of your screen.
4. The items that you placed in the folder will now appear on a toolbar running down the right of your screen. By right clicking on this new toolbar you will be able to change the way this toolbar is displayed in a number of ways, for example if you right click and go to View you will be able to choose between small or large icons. If you right click and select the Auto-Hide option the toolbar will only be visible when you move your mouse over the very left of your screen.

iGoogle allows you to personalise the Google homepage so that at a glance you can see all the things your interested in on the net. When you have an iGoogle page, and are logged in with your free Google account, going to the Google site will bring up your iGoogle page.

You design your own iGoogle page by selecting one of the many themes and choosing what gadgets you would like displayed on the page. The regular Google search box will always appear at the top but underneath that you are able to add things like:

• A Wikipedia Search box
• A quick weather report from anywhere in the world
• News headings
• A to-do list
• A preview of your Gmail inbox
• Currency converter
• Youtube search box
• Joke of the day

There are literally hundreds on Gadgets to choose from and once you have selected the gadgets you want you can easily move them around the page into an order that suits you. Here is an example of an iGoogle page.

To learn more about iGoogle click here.

Windows XP SP3, the third and final pack of updates for the 7 year old operating system, will soon be released. According to reports XP SP3 is set to become available for download from Windows Update on the 29^th of April, and will be added to automatic updates in June.

According to Microsoft, XP SP3 will ‘combine all previously released performance, security, and stability updates and also provide a limited number of new and enhanced functionalities’.

Performance testing software developers, Devil Mountain Software, have called XP SP3 a ‘must-have’ update for the majority of users. They tested XP SP3 against the older XP SP2 and found SP3 to be 10% faster at running the Microsoft Office 2007 Suite.

To read more about Devil Mountain Software test results click here

To read more about the release of XP SP3 from ComputerWorld click here.

Update: Microsoft has decided to delay the release of XP SP3 due to compatibility issues between XP SP3 and Microsoft Dynamics RMS. For more information click here.

We are happy to announce that we have just whipped up a brand new website called the LANcom Library.

The LANcom Library site is designed to provide easy access for everyone to all of LANcom’s free information reports. Titles of our current reports on the site include: Introduction to internet based marketing, Remote working for you business, Things to know when buying a server, How does your computer support measure up, The LANcom Timesaver, and The internal IT guy VS LANcom 770.

Our smaller reports can be downloaded completely from this site. For our larger reports you can read the first few pages and if you like what you see all you need to do is drop us an email and we will send one out to you.

So if you think you might be interested in some of these you can visit the LANcom Library site at library.lancom.co.nz/LANcomLibrary

Ever wondered what it would be like to live on Mars? Well this April 1st Google, in association with Virgin, answered that question with Project Virgle.

According to the site Project Virgle will create a permanent human colony of Mars starting in 2014. You can even apply online to be a Virgle pioneer.

Click here to visit the very entertaining Virgle site.

If you’re using XP and want to make opening the folders that you use most often as simple and fast as possible then you can create your own shortcut keystroke to open them. Then no matter what windows you already have opened you can use your shortcut keystroke and open your selected folder.

To do this:

1. Go to Start/ All Programs/ Accessories and then click Windows Explorer
2. Locate the file you would like to create a shortcut to, right click it and then go to Send To and click Desktop.
3. Now go to your desktop and find the shortcut icon to your selected file, right click it, and select Properties.
4. Under the Shortcut tab go to the Shortcut key box and enter a letter that you would like to use to open this file. Windows will automatically add Ctrl +Alt to the front of this letter.
5. Click OK
6. To test your shortcut hold down Ctrl and Alt and press your selected letter and you selected folder will open.

To see a version of this tip including pictures click here

Wouldn’t it be great if when your laptop went flat your laptop bag could charge it for you, using only sunlight?

Well now it can, because Voltaic Systems is about to release their first solar powered laptop bag. This bag, called the Voltaic Generator, uses high efficiency solar cells to charge a battery pack within the bag. Then your laptop can be plugged into the bag and charged from there.

The bag requires about 8 hours of sunlight to be able to charge up a typical laptop to full charge, but it can also be plugged into the wall and charged from there if its not a sunny day.

Other features of this bag include:

• The ability to charge your cell phone or other hand held electronics
• An indicator light within the handle that shows when the solar panels are generating a charge
• The shell is made from 100% recycle soda bottles
• You can choose from four different colours: Silver, orange, green and charcoal

The Voltaic Generator is due for release sometime this month; to read more about it click here.