Miscellaneous tips for your PC

Rip to MP3
To change the format used by Windows Media Player, click the small down-pointing arrow alongside the Rip tab, then choose Format followed by MP3. While here, improve the quality by pointing to Bit Rate and choosing 320kbps.

Easier cutting in Audacity
There are four different ways of showing the audio in the third section down: Waveform (the default view), Waveform (dB), Spectrum, Pitch (EAC). Waveform (dB) is sometimes clearer when making cuts.

Remove shrunken labels
Paper labels on CDs and DVDs can dry out and shrink, which distort the disc such that it won’t play. Removing the label may help. Soak the disc in water to weaken the adhesive and then gently wipe any label remnants.

Create virtual CDs
Install ISODisk, launch it then insert a commercial disk, click the ‘Create ISO Image from CD-ROM’ tab and click the disk icon. Give the image file a name and click on Save. Copy the image file to a USB memory key and transfer to a laptop or netbook. Install and run ISODisk on this computer. Click on the open icon next to a drive letter that isn’t in use, select the ISO image and click on Open.

Selective synchronisation in Dropbox
Right-click on the Dropbox icon in the Notification Area and choose Preferences. Click the Advanced tab followed by Selective Sync. Click Switch to Advanced view and then remove ticks from any folders that shouldn’t be synchronised.

 

Dust-busting notebooks
Cleaning dust from a laptop can boost performance and extend its life. With the notebook off, use a compressed air can to blow dust away from the fan (through the grille).

Select ringer device in Skype
Click on the Tools menu and choose Options. Click on the Audio settings button, open the Ringing menu and select the PC’s speakers, rather than the headset.

Find your PC’s online address
To see your computer’s internet address, click Start, choose Run, type command and press Enter. Now type ipconfig and press Enter – the address will be near the top. If connected to a home network, this may not be the IP address as seen by the rest of the world. To see this, visit the Whatismyip webpage: all the computers on your network will show the same address at this site.

Improve colour in photos
Download and install free image editor Gimp, then click the Colors menu and choose Levels. Use the graph that appears to adjust the colours, or read the comprehensive guide click here.

Add captions in Picasa
Find and double-click an image then click on the small bar underneath: the ‘Make a caption!’ entry disappears and you’re now able to type your own.