They are not 'positive hits' but generic (see your antivirus user guide for an explanation of this classification type), and all from obscure sources. Because none of the established security labs flag this, it is safe to assume the file is non malicious but everyone is free to choose otherwise if they so wish. MC - Site Manager.
It's good to check files before installing them.
The cursor sets are hosted in several different places. Not all are .exe files. Usually they are an .inf files with the cursors, that's what you see when the file is unzipped, so I wouldn't discount all the cursor sets for that reason.
If you are interested in the cursor set, this looks like the same one, with no .exe file: Transparent Chrome Glass Set Cursor
I usually test files at more than one site like VirusTotal and run it through the malware program on my system. There's a set of cursors that I've been using for over ten years. The file that's on the site now and the file I downloaded years ago are the same. VirusTotal throws up two flags on the file. I wrote those cursors up in an article here, and many people downloaded them and used them. I know there's no malware in that program.
If I wanted to write up those cursors today, I couldn't do it, because VirusTotal threw up two false positives, and we here at Gizmo's Freeware don't post anything that VirusTotal tags as possibly containing malware. VirusTotal throws false positives at times. I would guess the same is true for similar sites. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I know it is an old thread, but the five that came up positive were NOT positives from unknown virus engines. They came up on some of the mainstream virus engines. I usually disregard positives from the lesser known scanner engines. I have had to clean the computers for a company that I worked for due to ransomware. That was not fun and it was VERY time consuming. I do not wish to do it on my personal computer. Thank God that I had a daily backup available that I had set up for the company that were out of reach from the ransomware. Although I was making my living as a mechanic, I did take care of the computers for them.
February 17, 2013, 8 new sites added, 1 site removed as dead link, 1 site removed for bad WOT rating and all other links checked and working.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
Thanks
Steve
March 17, 2013, 34 new sites added, one dead link removed and all links checked and working.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
Thanks
Steve
April 19, 2013, 26 new sites added, one dead link removed and all links here checked and working.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
Thanks
Steve
November 11, 2013, 38 new sites added, 6 dead sites removed and 4 links fixed.
All links here checked and working.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
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Steve
Ambling Books will close as of 2-25-16 and you can download till then. Most of their free books are the classics such as Sherlock Holmes and H G Wells classics. There's something for everyone. Haven' had a chance to check out the sale books, but will so that this weekend. Site is safe according to WOT...I'll miss them.
The website above was great, I use JW.org till now but recently I use this you can also check it, it's new anyway Tech audio site list tons of audio and guides.
Depends on your mindset, conscience and/or what you might have used it to register for. So, either panic, run for the hills or just laugh it off. :) MC - Site Manager
And this is why I friggin hate it when websites demand you make an account to do even the most basic things like downloading forum post attachments for something you'll only ever need once and after that you never have to be on that site again. I once got fed up with it and asked a moderator to delete my account when I was done and he went "but why would I do that? Just forget you have it". That's like how startssl wants you to pay up before they'll revoke your ssl cert. All this sort of nonsense is getting really annoying.
As an aside, I had to dig out my Gizmo password to post this. Gizmo wouldn't let me log in, because there was no account with my name. So I tried to recreate the account, but I couldn't use my name, because it was already used.
Just tried it with a couple of email addresses that I never use. For one of them I got the following:
Oh no — pwned!
Not pwned on any breached sites, but found 1 paste. A "paste" is information that has been published to a publicly facing website designed to share content, usually anonymously. Often these are indicators of a data breach so review the paste and determine if your account has been compromised then take appropriate action such as changing passwords. Pastes are often removed shortly after having been posted. Read more on the pastes page.
The paste is dated last October.
I clicked the paste title which links to this page http://pastebin.com/ZwUh4tcG, where I was told that the paste had been removed.
I found myself pwnd at three sites I never use any more, so now I can do what I should have done a long time ago and delete the accounts.
I know what you mean, but only the Ashley Madison account requires registration, and the rationale for that sis discussed here: http://www.troyhunt.com/2015/07/heres-how-im-going-to-handle-ashley.html
And of course, the people who are most affected by that problem are the ones who will use the same password for as many sites as possible - if one random forum site is hacked, that login information could potentially be tried on numerous websites and might work there too.
I'm baffled why www.rgbstock.com wasn't included in the list of stock photo resources. It has more than 100,000 images available, all of them high quality.
I think you'd have to ask the author of the article that question. :)
Maybe they don't know about it, or maybe they didn't include it because you have to register to download the images at that site?
Great list Jojo, here are two I like: http://www.iorise.com/
It aggregates the wallpapers from bing's sites (China, France, Canada, Brasil, Germany and Worldwide). They usually post three images, two with the bing logo (one on English, one in the language the wallpaper was taken from, and one with no logo) and lately have been posting an addition size of 1080x 1920, good for mobile phones.
And this one: https://www.bing.com/gallery/
Showcases images featured on the bing US home page for the last five years.
Good suggestions Rhiannon. The two are now added to the list. I've removed a few outdated links and added a few more places recommended by site visitors.
National Geographic has a great collection. Go to
http://national-geographic-wallpapers.en.lo4d.com/download
to get a program ngdl.exe that will let you download many years worth of wallpapers
Could be. The only other thing I can think of is that they didn't want to pay to keep the site hosted along with the images even if they weren't adding to it, so they deleted everything and implemented a redirect.
There are probably other scenarios, I have minimal working knowledge of that kind of thing, mostly through the domains I own that are hosted. There's usually a monthly hosting fee and yearly domain name renewal with most web hosting companies and domain registrars - though most website hosting companies are also domain registrars these days.
I recently ran across this website that serves a similar function, but sometimes it's offline, like now. At the moment there's a 502 Bad Gateway error. Worth checking back for though. http://www.todayshomepage.com/
The Bing Image Gallery disappeared one day. All that's available anymore is the background image of the day. You can scroll back to see previous images but I think there's a limit on how many days you can track back.
This is a trend that is becoming more popular among museums and libraries with each passing year and with the favorable reception from the public I expect we will see more collections being offered as it's a win/win situation for all involved.
I agree that this is an excellent resource but take note that only low-res images are available for free. You have to pay to download high-res versions.
OK, you go to "visualize the public collection" (http://publicdomain.nypl.org/pd-visualization/) and it should load (finally) a huge thumbnail of all the thousands of scans. You can sort by genre, collection, or color. Pick one and you get a bigger thumbnail, all the info on it, and several resolution download selections. The "all download options" might have 6 different sizes. "Larger" is 2560 pixels, plenty big for me even after zooming in, and it's 6 or 8 megabytes.
April 8, 2013, 8 new sites added. All links checked and working.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
Thanks
Steve
July 11, 2013, 17 new sites added and 5 dead links removed (2 links fixed). All links here checked and working.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
Thanks
Steve
December 2, 2013, 6 new sites added and 1 duplicate link removed (2 links fixed). All links here checked and working. There are 172 sites listed now.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
Thanks
Steve
I am guessing that there is no such thing, but with your vast knowledge of the subject, is there such a thing as a free Spanish Comics (tebeos) downloading site?
Hi Rhiannon,
Thanks for your research on finding those gems which are really useful! Such as the recent "How to reinstall Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 and keep your data and programs intact." That was WONDERFUL!
This particular one, however, would be more accurately titled "15 Ways to Show Your Friends That You Are a True Geek." The article contains examples of 15 obscure commands, which the author expects readers to memorize. This is supposed to be the quick and easy way to use your computer.
We have readers with a wide range of experience and interest here at Gizmo's. Advanced users, many of us who know enough to get around, those who are new to computers, and people who have less time, experience or interest in computers.
I would find things that are interesting to everyone all the time if I figure out how. :) :) :)
I think the article's usefulness depends in part on how you use your computer or if you want tricks or tips so that it's faster and easier.
In the mouse/keyboard spectrum I lean towards the keyboard because it's so much faster and easier, not just for the more technical commands, but for things most of us probably do every day.
I use the Run box to open or run all kind of things, everything from the Word to Calculator to my email program to the Font folder. I use it to open Notepad, Wordpad, Services, change the Mouse speed and pointers and so on. I use it to open the User folder because Windows has the habit of periodically hiding the App Data folder.
There's a browse button using the Start menu access to find things as well.
It's much easier to for me to navigate that way than using a mouse and going through the Start menu. If it's not on the taskbar or the desktop (which I access using the Windows Key + D) then I usually use the run command.
The Windows Key + X is another way to access some Windows functions, like the command prompt.
There are some terms that need to be memorized, but most aren't that far off the names of what you want to use. For example, Control Panel is control. Calculator is calc. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hi Rhiannon,
I agree with you: keeping fingers on the keyboard is much faster than moving back and forth to the mouse/touchpad.
However, if we're looking for speed and ease of use, I don't know of anything better than "Windows key"-letter. (I am using, of course, Classic Shell, not the Modern/whatever-it's-called-now interface.)
My top fifteen programs, they are only two keys away. For instance, Microsoft Word is "Windows key"-M.
As for the other hundred and some programs on this computer, they take, at the most, five keys away (they are organized in sub-menus, according to category: utilities, business apps, media, internet, etc.)
If I used Control Panel or Services on a regular basis, it would be a simple thing to add them to the two-key list.
Still, the main point of my original comment was the author expecting people to remember obscure commands like "devmgmt.msc" and "control.exe appwiz.cpl." Not my idea of intuitive, or quick and easy.
Thanks for the shortcuts! Another: Win-R . (i.e. Run and a single period, or full-stop) gets Windows Explorer opened to the user's home folder.
BTW, some of these commands are more easily available from the Windows Search bar -- press Win key and type part of the name, e.g. "devmg" to open Device Manager, or "rege" for Regedit,instead of needing to enter the full application's name.
Thanks for the new shortcut, I usually Windows Key + R .. (two periods). One period is more specific.
I tend to use the Search Bar and the Run box interchangably. The thing I like about the ssearch bar is it will offer up several options if they are available.
Repeating Windows Key + R . (one period), or repeating Windows Key + R .. (two periods), only allows one instance of File Explorer. With both (one and two periods), the most you can open up are two instances of File Explorer.
However, repeating Windows Key + E always opens up a new instance of File Explorer, probably as many instances as you press the shortcut keys. Through View > Options in File Explorer, it can be set whether opening it to Quick Access or This PC. My choice is Quick Access.
I like shortcut keys that are easy to remember, like Windows Key + E, which means Windows E-xplorer, now known as File E-xplorer. :)
Interesting bunch of comments.
I've often thought that saying the word "control" was faster than pushing one or two keys. While I believe using the keyboard is faster by far than pointing and clicking, I still spend 99% of my time with the mouse in my clutch. The learning curve to actually totally navigate and perform by the keyboard alone is steep. I can't jump columns or to different areas of a page, give up, grab my mouse and finish what I'm trying to do.
Vocal control would be fast with the right s/ware. I use Dragon but I don't consider it a really good solution for "Controlling" s/ware. (for lack of the correct terminology) Is there something besides dictation type apps or has anything been written?
Maybe I should go back to my porn searching and not worry about it?
I'm not aware of any software that would allow the functions of a mouse and keyboard to be carried out through voice commands. Someone here may know if anything were available.
I'm not one of those people who can navigate everything via keyboard, though I tend towards keyboard for a lot of things - for example I use the space bar to scroll down web pages instead of the page up key or a mouse. I use Tab to change fields instead of using the mouse.
Highlighting, changing windows, dialog boxes and buttons I use the mouse, unless it's a dialog box with a yes or no option - then I use the arrow keys to highlight the one I want and press enter to select it. I think I'm a mishmash of both. :)
I agree with you on the comments, often they are the most interesting and informative part of the page.
Good stuff here. In the "15 Tools" article, the 14th utility is ESET System Inspector, but the link takes you to the 15th item which is a Microsoft Debug Diagnostic utility. You will need to google for the ESET utility in order to find it.
Once again you've added some really helpful utilities. Your website is the first one I go to when I have computer problems and in need of a particular free program.
Thanks for all your good work!
All of the applications, with the exception of the wonderful Malwarebytes, where way over this average user's capability. Probably easy for most IT Pros.
April 3, 2013, 6 new sites added. All links checked and working.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
Thanks
Steve
October 14, 2013, 5 new sites added, 1 dead link removed and 1 link fixed. All links here checked and working.
I use LinkChecker to check page links and no longer visit each site individually to reconfirm. So, if you find a site that is not as it should be, then please post here in the comments.
If you know of a site to be added to this listing, please post here in the comments.
If you are the owner of a site that you would like added to this listing, it is better to contact me through the site (click on mr6n8).
Also, no site that has an orange or red rating from WOT (Web of Trust) may be added to this listing, per site rules. So please check the WOT rating before posting.
Thanks
Steve
This downloaded and installed without fuss - no stealth toolbars or other nasties and a perfectly functional activation procedure.
If you already have photo retouching tools and the know-how to use them, this won't add much to your arsenal. It rather resembles some of the quick editing effects apps available on Android, but on a larger scale.
After about 10 minutes of experimenting with one of the supplied test images the PC (W7 4GB memory) slowed to a crawl and finally stopped, requiring a reboot and suggesting memory issues. The filters did not appear in the filters menu of Photoshop Elements as I expected and I couldn't see any very good reason to invest the time required to find out why not.
It is a little slow but it is working. Using as a stand-alone. Has many different effects and retouching tools and its easy to use. The program is large, 264 MB and it did install without any issues. Will have to experiment for awhile to see how it works. I see that Zootsocket had problems slowing his PC to a crawl. I'm using Wins 7-64 with 6 GB memory. Will be back to update.....
I'm back with update ..... tried on a few photos and it works like a charm with no bogging or slowing down my computer at all. It applies the selected affects just a tiny bit slow but nothing really to worry about. Maybe a 1/2 a second or less to apply selected effect but that's not unusual with photo editing software. Memory usage is around 33 % running other software and using FireFox at the same time so I know that I can use without any issues. The effects are really useful and with so many it get's a little time consuming to decide which ones to use but that's not a problem. Thanks Gizmo's Freeware for the tip on this excellent tool and the free license key. Keep up the good work....
All the sites listed above are for Windows, so are mostly useless for me.
I first go to the forum maintained by the Linux distro I'm using, or its derivative (e.g., Mint, Ubuntu). If I have a problem, a thousand others have had it too and a hundred have figured out the answer.
If I can't, there's a lot of small Linux forums but I find the best way of finding the topic is searching for it, making sure I use "linux" as one of the search terms.
A number of the sites given in the article's list have threads for Linux and Macs. Just as one example, Tom's Hardware has a forum, "Linux/Free BSD", with over 33 thousand posts.
For those with some tech knowledge you can't beat StackOverflow. You have to register to post or comment but there's help on nearly any aspect of coding, often too much. It's easy to get overwhelmed with info unless you really narrow down your search.
Make Use Of is a great site with lots of articles on...everything, but heavy on the computer help. You have to search for the Linux stuff, but there's plenty of it.
I have used many of these sites over the years - both receiving and giving help. One of the truths that all of these sites have in common, is that there are a hardcore group of people, usually with the highest number of "Thanks" or "Kudos"; find these people and seek out their advice. It'll save you a lot of time and frustration.
I have used Protonic whenever needed over the years and have always been satisfied. Very friendly, courteous and they provide timely replies to your issue.
My usual problem solving or info gathering technique is to search for my issue in Bing and scroll the search results, opening new tabs for sites I trust to be useful.
You don't have to be a member to participate in a forum or ask Leo a question, but book purchasers and newsletter subscribers get a higher priority in getting their questions answered.
This is a list of the most recently posted comments on the site sorted so that the most recent comments appear first.
You can however sort the list on Article title by clicking on the column heading. To see actual comments click the + sign.
It's good to check files before installing them.
The cursor sets are hosted in several different places. Not all are .exe files. Usually they are an .inf files with the cursors, that's what you see when the file is unzipped, so I wouldn't discount all the cursor sets for that reason.
If you are interested in the cursor set, this looks like the same one, with no .exe file:
Transparent Chrome Glass Set Cursor
I usually test files at more than one site like VirusTotal and run it through the malware program on my system. There's a set of cursors that I've been using for over ten years. The file that's on the site now and the file I downloaded years ago are the same. VirusTotal throws up two flags on the file. I wrote those cursors up in an article here, and many people downloaded them and used them. I know there's no malware in that program.
If I wanted to write up those cursors today, I couldn't do it, because VirusTotal threw up two false positives, and we here at Gizmo's Freeware don't post anything that VirusTotal tags as possibly containing malware. VirusTotal throws false positives at times. I would guess the same is true for similar sites. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Exactly. :)
Thanks, that's what I ran into when I went to install them and was going to run the file as ADMIN next and post results here. Now I don't have to. :)
I know it is an old thread, but the five that came up positive were NOT positives from unknown virus engines. They came up on some of the mainstream virus engines. I usually disregard positives from the lesser known scanner engines. I have had to clean the computers for a company that I worked for due to ransomware. That was not fun and it was VERY time consuming. I do not wish to do it on my personal computer. Thank God that I had a daily backup available that I had set up for the company that were out of reach from the ransomware. Although I was making my living as a mechanic, I did take care of the computers for them.
Ambling Books will close as of 2-25-16 and you can download till then. Most of their free books are the classics such as Sherlock Holmes and H G Wells classics. There's something for everyone. Haven' had a chance to check out the sale books, but will so that this weekend. Site is safe according to WOT...I'll miss them.
every website i looked up didn't have Uncle Tom's Cabin by : Harriet Beecher Stowe
The website above was great, I use JW.org till now but recently I use this you can also check it, it's new anyway Tech audio site list tons of audio and guides.
What would be really great is if someone could show us how to run though the list
You will find it under the API menu> Who is using it
Ruby Gem or
checkpwnedemails
That way we could check a list of email addresses, I know I would like to check the people at the club I service
It does have a domain checker which looks good though for people that take care of work emails
What is an email user do if his/her account has been pwned?
Change the password on your other accounts if you have used the same password on other sites.
How serious it is say if your name is in the Ashley Madison depends on your public profile.
And this is why I friggin hate it when websites demand you make an account to do even the most basic things like downloading forum post attachments for something you'll only ever need once and after that you never have to be on that site again. I once got fed up with it and asked a moderator to delete my account when I was done and he went "but why would I do that? Just forget you have it". That's like how startssl wants you to pay up before they'll revoke your ssl cert. All this sort of nonsense is getting really annoying.
Just how safe is it to register at this site??
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."
Excellent information. And if you are lucky enough to be on this list what should one do to protect themselves from being hacked or exploited?
Thanks.
Change your password.
As an aside, I had to dig out my Gizmo password to post this. Gizmo wouldn't let me log in, because there was no account with my name. So I tried to recreate the account, but I couldn't use my name, because it was already used.
And this is why people use throwaway emails.
Just tried it with a couple of email addresses that I never use. For one of them I got the following:
Oh no — pwned!
Not pwned on any breached sites, but found 1 paste. A "paste" is information that has been published to a publicly facing website designed to share content, usually anonymously. Often these are indicators of a data breach so review the paste and determine if your account has been compromised then take appropriate action such as changing passwords. Pastes are often removed shortly after having been posted. Read more on the pastes page.
The paste is dated last October.
I clicked the paste title which links to this page http://pastebin.com/ZwUh4tcG, where I was told that the paste had been removed.
I found myself pwnd at three sites I never use any more, so now I can do what I should have done a long time ago and delete the accounts.
Read their FAQ at https://haveibeenpwned.com/FAQs and then decide for yourself.
I know what you mean, but only the Ashley Madison account requires registration, and the rationale for that sis discussed here: http://www.troyhunt.com/2015/07/heres-how-im-going-to-handle-ashley.html
And of course, the people who are most affected by that problem are the ones who will use the same password for as many sites as possible - if one random forum site is hacked, that login information could potentially be tried on numerous websites and might work there too.
I'm baffled why www.rgbstock.com wasn't included in the list of stock photo resources. It has more than 100,000 images available, all of them high quality.
I think you'd have to ask the author of the article that question. :)
Maybe they don't know about it, or maybe they didn't include it because you have to register to download the images at that site?
Great list Jojo, here are two I like:
http://www.iorise.com/
It aggregates the wallpapers from bing's sites (China, France, Canada, Brasil, Germany and Worldwide). They usually post three images, two with the bing logo (one on English, one in the language the wallpaper was taken from, and one with no logo) and lately have been posting an addition size of 1080x 1920, good for mobile phones.
And this one:
https://www.bing.com/gallery/
Showcases images featured on the bing US home page for the last five years.
National Geographic has a great collection. Go to
http://national-geographic-wallpapers.en.lo4d.com/download
to get a program ngdl.exe that will let you download many years worth of wallpapers
Weird.
www.iorise.com forwards me to a Wikipedia page.
The redirect is odd. The last few times I visited, there was a thank you message that said the site was shutting down. You can see it here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170427081731/http://www.iorise.com:80/
Perhaps it was easier for them to do a redirect than to cancel the account?
Could be. The only other thing I can think of is that they didn't want to pay to keep the site hosted along with the images even if they weren't adding to it, so they deleted everything and implemented a redirect.
There are probably other scenarios, I have minimal working knowledge of that kind of thing, mostly through the domains I own that are hosted. There's usually a monthly hosting fee and yearly domain name renewal with most web hosting companies and domain registrars - though most website hosting companies are also domain registrars these days.
I recently ran across this website that serves a similar function, but sometimes it's offline, like now. At the moment there's a 502 Bad Gateway error. Worth checking back for though.
http://www.todayshomepage.com/
The Bing Image Gallery disappeared one day. All that's available anymore is the background image of the day. You can scroll back to see previous images but I think there's a limit on how many days you can track back.
This is a trend that is becoming more popular among museums and libraries with each passing year and with the favorable reception from the public I expect we will see more collections being offered as it's a win/win situation for all involved.
Huge collection, nice find Rob.
I don't see any hi-res though, all my test downloads were 72dpi and max size 760px. Did I miss something?
I agree that this is an excellent resource but take note that only low-res images are available for free. You have to pay to download high-res versions.
I downloaded humungous sized ones for free. You can order prints though.
Be nice if there was some sort of front end for search.
(Yeah, yeah - i want jam on it...)
Really? Could you share an example link please? Or is there some menu or button option we're missing?
Thanks.
OK, you go to "visualize the public collection" (http://publicdomain.nypl.org/pd-visualization/) and it should load (finally) a huge thumbnail of all the thousands of scans. You can sort by genre, collection, or color. Pick one and you get a bigger thumbnail, all the info on it, and several resolution download selections. The "all download options" might have 6 different sizes. "Larger" is 2560 pixels, plenty big for me even after zooming in, and it's 6 or 8 megabytes.
Nice one, I ended up with a 14MB TIFF. Thanks :)
It's time to have fun!
Thank you, Jojo! :-)
I am guessing that there is no such thing, but with your vast knowledge of the subject, is there such a thing as a free Spanish Comics (tebeos) downloading site?
Any useful alternatives out there?
A very useful article. Thank you.
I'm happy you like it. :)
Hi Rhiannon,
Thanks for your research on finding those gems which are really useful! Such as the recent "How to reinstall Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 and keep your data and programs intact." That was WONDERFUL!
This particular one, however, would be more accurately titled "15 Ways to Show Your Friends That You Are a True Geek." The article contains examples of 15 obscure commands, which the author expects readers to memorize. This is supposed to be the quick and easy way to use your computer.
Thanks for your feedback. :)
We have readers with a wide range of experience and interest here at Gizmo's. Advanced users, many of us who know enough to get around, those who are new to computers, and people who have less time, experience or interest in computers.
I would find things that are interesting to everyone all the time if I figure out how. :) :) :)
I think the article's usefulness depends in part on how you use your computer or if you want tricks or tips so that it's faster and easier.
In the mouse/keyboard spectrum I lean towards the keyboard because it's so much faster and easier, not just for the more technical commands, but for things most of us probably do every day.
I use the Run box to open or run all kind of things, everything from the Word to Calculator to my email program to the Font folder. I use it to open Notepad, Wordpad, Services, change the Mouse speed and pointers and so on. I use it to open the User folder because Windows has the habit of periodically hiding the App Data folder.
There's a browse button using the Start menu access to find things as well.
It's much easier to for me to navigate that way than using a mouse and going through the Start menu. If it's not on the taskbar or the desktop (which I access using the Windows Key + D) then I usually use the run command.
The Windows Key + X is another way to access some Windows functions, like the command prompt.
There are some terms that need to be memorized, but most aren't that far off the names of what you want to use. For example, Control Panel is control. Calculator is calc. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hi Rhiannon,
I agree with you: keeping fingers on the keyboard is much faster than moving back and forth to the mouse/touchpad.
However, if we're looking for speed and ease of use, I don't know of anything better than "Windows key"-letter. (I am using, of course, Classic Shell, not the Modern/whatever-it's-called-now interface.)
My top fifteen programs, they are only two keys away. For instance, Microsoft Word is "Windows key"-M.
As for the other hundred and some programs on this computer, they take, at the most, five keys away (they are organized in sub-menus, according to category: utilities, business apps, media, internet, etc.)
If I used Control Panel or Services on a regular basis, it would be a simple thing to add them to the two-key list.
Still, the main point of my original comment was the author expecting people to remember obscure commands like "devmgmt.msc" and "control.exe appwiz.cpl." Not my idea of intuitive, or quick and easy.
Thanks for the shortcuts! Another: Win-R . (i.e. Run and a single period, or full-stop) gets Windows Explorer opened to the user's home folder.
BTW, some of these commands are more easily available from the Windows Search bar -- press Win key and type part of the name, e.g. "devmg" to open Device Manager, or "rege" for Regedit,instead of needing to enter the full application's name.
Thanks for the new shortcut, I usually Windows Key + R .. (two periods). One period is more specific.
I tend to use the Search Bar and the Run box interchangably. The thing I like about the ssearch bar is it will offer up several options if they are available.
I'm also fond of the Windows Key + X menu. :)
I understand your point. :)
I find Win-E the quickest way to get into Windows Explorer, where I prefer to start at "This PC".
Nice, thanks. :)
Repeating Windows Key + R . (one period), or repeating Windows Key + R .. (two periods), only allows one instance of File Explorer. With both (one and two periods), the most you can open up are two instances of File Explorer.
However, repeating Windows Key + E always opens up a new instance of File Explorer, probably as many instances as you press the shortcut keys. Through View > Options in File Explorer, it can be set whether opening it to Quick Access or This PC. My choice is Quick Access.
I like shortcut keys that are easy to remember, like Windows Key + E, which means Windows E-xplorer, now known as File E-xplorer. :)
Interesting bunch of comments.
I've often thought that saying the word "control" was faster than pushing one or two keys. While I believe using the keyboard is faster by far than pointing and clicking, I still spend 99% of my time with the mouse in my clutch. The learning curve to actually totally navigate and perform by the keyboard alone is steep. I can't jump columns or to different areas of a page, give up, grab my mouse and finish what I'm trying to do.
Vocal control would be fast with the right s/ware. I use Dragon but I don't consider it a really good solution for "Controlling" s/ware. (for lack of the correct terminology) Is there something besides dictation type apps or has anything been written?
Maybe I should go back to my porn searching and not worry about it?
michael_clyde
BTW - thanks to everyone for all the KB s/cuts.
I'm not aware of any software that would allow the functions of a mouse and keyboard to be carried out through voice commands. Someone here may know if anything were available.
I'm not one of those people who can navigate everything via keyboard, though I tend towards keyboard for a lot of things - for example I use the space bar to scroll down web pages instead of the page up key or a mouse. I use Tab to change fields instead of using the mouse.
Highlighting, changing windows, dialog boxes and buttons I use the mouse, unless it's a dialog box with a yes or no option - then I use the arrow keys to highlight the one I want and press enter to select it. I think I'm a mishmash of both. :)
I agree with you on the comments, often they are the most interesting and informative part of the page.
Good stuff here. In the "15 Tools" article, the 14th utility is ESET System Inspector, but the link takes you to the 15th item which is a Microsoft Debug Diagnostic utility. You will need to google for the ESET utility in order to find it.
I've added the link to ESET, thank you. :)
Great stuff. Thanks!
I'm glad you like it. :)
Once again you've added some really helpful utilities. Your website is the first one I go to when I have computer problems and in need of a particular free program.
Thanks for all your good work!
Thank you for your kind words, they are appreciated. :)
All of the applications, with the exception of the wonderful Malwarebytes, where way over this average user's capability. Probably easy for most IT Pros.
We have such a wide variety of readers here. :)
Thanks for the information. This is definitely helpful.
For all the MAC people there is also a MAC version that you can download.
This downloaded and installed without fuss - no stealth toolbars or other nasties and a perfectly functional activation procedure.
If you already have photo retouching tools and the know-how to use them, this won't add much to your arsenal. It rather resembles some of the quick editing effects apps available on Android, but on a larger scale.
After about 10 minutes of experimenting with one of the supplied test images the PC (W7 4GB memory) slowed to a crawl and finally stopped, requiring a reboot and suggesting memory issues. The filters did not appear in the filters menu of Photoshop Elements as I expected and I couldn't see any very good reason to invest the time required to find out why not.
The programme uninstalled cleanly with Revo.
It is a little slow but it is working. Using as a stand-alone. Has many different effects and retouching tools and its easy to use. The program is large, 264 MB and it did install without any issues. Will have to experiment for awhile to see how it works. I see that Zootsocket had problems slowing his PC to a crawl. I'm using Wins 7-64 with 6 GB memory. Will be back to update.....
I'm back with update ..... tried on a few photos and it works like a charm with no bogging or slowing down my computer at all. It applies the selected affects just a tiny bit slow but nothing really to worry about. Maybe a 1/2 a second or less to apply selected effect but that's not unusual with photo editing software. Memory usage is around 33 % running other software and using FireFox at the same time so I know that I can use without any issues. The effects are really useful and with so many it get's a little time consuming to decide which ones to use but that's not a problem. Thanks Gizmo's Freeware for the tip on this excellent tool and the free license key. Keep up the good work....
All the sites listed above are for Windows, so are mostly useless for me.
I first go to the forum maintained by the Linux distro I'm using, or its derivative (e.g., Mint, Ubuntu). If I have a problem, a thousand others have had it too and a hundred have figured out the answer.
If I can't, there's a lot of small Linux forums but I find the best way of finding the topic is searching for it, making sure I use "linux" as one of the search terms.
I am looking for DotTech by Ashraf. Loving that help.
For those with some tech knowledge you can't beat StackOverflow. You have to register to post or comment but there's help on nearly any aspect of coding, often too much. It's easy to get overwhelmed with info unless you really narrow down your search.
Another good site is www.computerhope.com , that site has helped me solve issues many times, great staff as well....
Make Use Of is a great site with lots of articles on...everything, but heavy on the computer help. You have to search for the Linux stuff, but there's plenty of it.
http://www.makeuseof.com/
I have used many of these sites over the years - both receiving and giving help. One of the truths that all of these sites have in common, is that there are a hardcore group of people, usually with the highest number of "Thanks" or "Kudos"; find these people and seek out their advice. It'll save you a lot of time and frustration.
Their site is DoTech.Org .
dottech.org, actually
I have used Protonic whenever needed over the years and have always been satisfied. Very friendly, courteous and they provide timely replies to your issue.
Very good list Vic--I haven't used CNet or Neowin, but have found good info and discussion in all the others. Others I find good:
How-To Geek
http://www.howtogeek.com/
ExtremeTech
http://www.extremetech.com/category/computing
Tom's Guides [sister of Tom’s Hardware & Tom’s Games]
http://www.tomsguide.com/
For building a PC:
Logical Increments
http://www.logicalincrements.com/
and especially, the excellent
PCPartPicker
http://pcpartpicker.com/
My usual problem solving or info gathering technique is to search for my issue in Bing and scroll the search results, opening new tabs for sites I trust to be useful.
Here's a very useful site. Leo explains things in a way almost anyone can understand:
askleo.com
You don't have to be a member to participate in a forum or ask Leo a question, but book purchasers and newsletter subscribers get a higher priority in getting their questions answered.
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