VPN connections (virtual private networks) are wonderful. I use one to connect to work several times per week. I can do all sorts of handy things: surf the network, grab files, print to my office. But one annoyance has been bugging me for a good while now, and I’ve just been putting up with it. Seemingly at random moments, the VPN connection box would just pop up for no reason.

I finally got tired of clicking the cancel button, and decided to figure out just what was causing this problem. Turns, out that Internet Explorer was the culprit, even though I only use Firefox.

VPN Popping up and Internet Explorer

Like I said, even though I don’t use Internet Explorer, it was still causing the VPN connection box to pop up. Internet Explorer was considering the VPN connection as a default connection. It’s no wonder that this was giving me trouble since IE is also so tightly weaved into the operating system. It also explains why I was seeing this even though I only use Firefox.

To keep the vpn connection box from popping up, all you have to do is open up Internet Explorer, click Tool > Options and then click on the Connections tab.

On the Connections tab, select the VPN connection listed under “Dial-up and VPN Connections” and click the remove button. Yeah, that screen is from Internet Explorer 6. If you’re using IE7 (you poor thing!) I imagine the process would be similar. Just find the Options window and look for connections setting.

Anyway, I recently needed to generate a list of every folder and file that is in a particular directory. Windows XP doesn’t offer a way to do this and I’m not aware that Vista does either. So, to DOS I turned once again to make this list. It only required typing one little command and, when it was done, I had a nice little text file that presented my list in a fully expanded tree.

How to List Every File and Folder in a Directory with Tree

To create such a list for yourself, follow these simple instructions:

1. Click Start > Run (or press Windows key + R) to open the Run dialog box.
2. In the Run dialog box, type ‘cmd’ (without the quotes) and click OK. A black window with a command prompt will appear.
3. At the prompt, type the following:
   
   tree "c:\targetdirectory" > "c:\mydirectorytree.txt" /A /F


Note: Replace ‘targetdirectory’ with the directory from which you want to make your list. Replace ‘mydirectorytree.txt’ with the directory in which you want to save the list, as well as the file name you wish to use for your text file.

4. Click the Enter key.
5. The prompt will move down to the next line, giving the false appearance that nothing happened. You should find your text file in the directory you indicated. Now you can archive the list, or print it out, or do anything you might do to a text file.

This might seem a little foreign if you’ve never or rarely used a DOS prompt. Just practice with a couple of directories and I think you’ll get the hang of it.

DOS Command: Tree

Let’s break this down just a bit further to make sure you understand. Here’s the example I used just a moment ago:

tree "c:\targetdirectory" > "c:\mydirectorytree.txt" /A /F

Starting from the left:

• tree – This indicates that we are executing the tree command, which can list all folders, subfolders, and ever file in those folders. This list is in the form of a directory tree, which is used to show how the folders are organized.
• "c:\targetdirectory" – This indicates which folder you want to use as the starting point for your tree list. It can be any folder or even just a drive letter (such as c:\ Be careful with listing entire drives, it can take a while and can create a fairly massive text file).
• > (the ‘greater than’ symbol) – The ‘Greater Than’ symbol allows us to take the results of the command, which is everything to the left of the symbol, and place it into a file.
• "c:\mydirectorytree.txt" – Since we’re putting our list into a text file with the ‘Greater Than’ symbol, we have to include a place for it to be stored. You can use any drive or directory available to you, just be sure to remember where you’ve put it!
• /A – This is called a “switch.” You can think of a switch as an extra feature that can be turned on or off. Each command has their own set of switches and, even though the switches look the same among different commands, they most often do different things. This particular switch changes the character set that’s used to draw the “tree” (the lines that indicate a change in hierarchy). You can experiment with not using this switch by removing it from the command all together to see what you prefer.
• /F – This switch lists all files that are within the folders and subfolders. If you wish to just see folders and not the files within them, leave this switch out.

That’s all there is to it. This can be especially handy for web developers who have just been given a new site to manage. Network Admins can use this for more sneaky reasons, such as discovering the existence of questionable files. If you can think of some other handy way to use this powerful DOS command, leave a comment!

If you’d like to learn about a similar but more powerful command, you should check out the DOS Command XCOPY.

On my Windows XP machine had a folder that contained over 500 sub-directories. I needed to copy the directory structure without copying the files contained in these directories. After a good bit of searching on my own, I turned to my good friend Jared who pointed me to the XCOPY command.

XCOPY is short for Extended Copy and is the big brother to the copy command found in MS-DOS. It provides many more options for copying multiple files and directories from one drive to another or across a network. Adding certain characters will allow you modify your copy command.

How to copy directory structure without copying files

• Go to Start and choose Run
• In the Run dialog box, type: cmd
• In the command window, use the following syntax.

XCOPY "C:\Existing Folder" "D:\New Copy" /t /e

Upon pressing Enter, I receive the message: “Does C:\Existing Folder specify a file name or directory name on the target (F=file, D=directory)?”

In my instance, I hit D for directory. (If you’re trying to copy file(s) to a file, then you would choose F here). Because of the number of sub-directories, it took a few moments for the process to complete, then I was given a new command line where I typed exit to close the command window.

Below are a few attributes you can append to your XCOPY command to suit your copying needs. For a full range of attributes, check out the Microsoft TechNet site.

• /t Copies directory structure without copying files. Excludes empty directories. Include /e to copy emtpy directories.
• /e Copies directory structure, including empty ones. Same as /s /e. Can be used to modify /t.
• /d :mm-dd-yyyy Copies files changed on or after date provided. If you don’t specify a date, only files from your Source directory that are newer than your Destination directory will be copied, allowing you to update only the files that have been changed.
• /exclude: filename1 [+filename2] [+filename3] Specifies which files to exclude depending on the string you enter. You can also specify a directory name (\zip\) or file type (.zip) to exclude files in that directory or of that file type.
• /f Displays filenames of source and destination while copying.
• /h Copies hidden files and system files which XCOPY does not do by default.
• /u Copies only the files from source that already exist in destination.

The phrase, you may have guessed, is some variant of “My computer is slow.” Just typing those words makes me fidget in my chair.

At first, I reasoned that people think there’s a universal fix for slowness. Later, I thought that, by saying something is slow, people believe they have uncovered the identifying symptom of their problem. Really, when people tell me about their slow computers, they are just asking for help. “My computer is slow” has become to mean, “I don’t understand what’s happening. Please Help!”

I think people cling to this phrase because they don’t want to seem as ignorant as they are. There’s nothing wrong with ignorance unless you choose to remain ignorant!

Besides, I can sympathize with wanting to seem proficient. I have no doubt my brother-in-law cringes when I try to explain what may be going wrong with my car. I rarely completely understand what is happening mechanically, so I usually resort to using commonly vague words like, “sluggish,” or “it sounds like…”.

Don’t be so vague

Since there are so many different tasks that a computer can do, saying a computer is slow is far too vague to be helpful. Instead, refer to what aspect of your computer seems slow. If you notice the slowness when you were online, mention this first. It could be that your internet connection is sluggish or the website you were visiting was under unusually high demand. In either case, your computer wasn’t responsible. Now, do you see why this bugs me?

Whenever you call your office’s help desk or your tech-savvy nephew, be prepared to describe your issues with detail. Also, be prepared to answer a few questions too. Us tech guys love to ask questions; they’re usually the quickest way to find the root of the problem (and the more you can tell us up front, the fewer questions we’ll have to ask!).

Slow or Unresponsive?

Let’s talk about one last thing: slowness. No one can determine if something is slow unless a comparison can be made. We tend to say things are slow when something doesn’t happen as quickly as we’re accustomed too. Some computers may do things more slowly than another, but there are often times when the word “slow” should be replaced by the word “unresponsive.”

Let’s refer back to the internet issue again. Sometimes, a web server may have so many requests at once that it takes it longer than usual to process yours (like a really long line at the DMV). An average user may only consider that they clicked a link and have had to wait longer than normal to get to a web page. In this case, the web server is unresponsive; neither your computer or internet connection is “slow”.

If you’ve ever wondered why there are 4 copies of Outlook open on your screen, please read on!

The Different Kinds of Mouse Clicks

Depending on the type of mouse you are using, there are about 5 different types of clicks.

• Left-Click
• Right-Click
• Middle-Click (if you have a wheel mouse)
• Double-Click
• Click and Drag

I’m sure these sound obvious enough, but the important thing to know is what they do and when they should be used. Each type of click has their own special purpose!

Mouse Clicks Explained

Left-clicking is simply clicking the left mouse button one time. This is probably the most common type of click. You should left-click to highlight a folder or file, to navigate a program’s menu, to follow a link on a web page, or to click a button. Sure, a double click would work in most of these instances, but you would be wasting a click and running the risk of telling the computer to do something twice. A good example of this is the Quick Launch toolbar (located on the task bar next to your Start button). These icons only need a single left-click.

Right-clicking is clicking the right mouse button one time. If you right-click on a file or folder, you are presented with a menu of common actions such as Open, Copy, Paste, and Properties. Viewing the properties of a file or folder is how you can learn about the size, location, and creation date (and more). In a web browser, you can right-click on links to save their “target” (what they link to) to your computer, view the location and file size of images, not to mention the ever-useful Copy and Paste.

Middle-clicking is clicking the mouse’s scroll wheel down. Lots of people don’t know you can do this! The best application of middle-clicking is doing so in a web browser (Firefox or Internet Explorer). If you middle-click in a web page, a circle with two arrows will show up. If you move your mouse up or down after middle-clicking, the page will scroll accordingly. The farther up or down you move your mouse the faster it will scroll! Once you’re done scrolling, middle-click again.

Some programs, such as Firefox, use the middle-click as a way to control tabs. Middle-clicking on a link will open the linked page in a separate tab. Middle-clicking a tab will close it.

Double-clicking is quickly clicking the left mouse button two times. Double-clicking is most often used to open a file, folder, or application. Double-clicking in an application has a variety of effects depending on which application is being used. Double clicking on text in most applications will highlight that word, for example.

Click and dragging is left clicking once but holding the button down while you move the mouse. This is useful for highlighting several objects (or words) at once. A related maneuver, called the Drag and Drop, is much like the click and drag. Once you have highlighted a file or group of words, you can then left-click and hold on the highlighted items, and then move your mouse (drag) to a different area on your screen. In Windows, the Drag and Drop is a quick way to move and organize files. In a word processor, you can easily reformat your document by rearranging entire paragraphs.

Keep in mind that performing this Optimization can result in reduction of resolution and compressing certain file components. This is not recommended for files that are bound for press.

1. Save As
Before we get to the Optimizer, let’s first open your existing PDF file and look at the file size (File > Properties, or Ctrl/Cmd D). In the Description tab, look in the Advanced section and take note of the current file size. Now, do a simple Save As (File > Save As…, or Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S) for the file. Examining the file size again may show a significant decrease; the Save As option will often remove unneeded components from the file without degrading the output quality.

2. Audit Space Usage
Now we can open the PDF Optimizer by going to Advanced > PDF Optimizer… The first thing you’ll want to do is click on the “Audit space usage…” button in the top right corner of the menu. This will give you a breakdown of the contents in your PDF and how much space they’re taking up. Images will typically be the items that are taking up the most amount of space.

3. Images
Hit OK to get back to the PDF Optimizer menu and make sure that Images is the option selected on the left. Here you can define the resolution that you want all images converted to. Use the following settings:

• Color Images: Bicubic Downsampling to 100ppi for images above 100ppi.
• Grayscale Images: Bicubic Downsampling to 100ppi for images above 100ppi.
• Grayscale Images: Bicubic Downsampling to 300ppi for images above 300ppi.

The image Compression that you use will determine the amount of tonal loss your file will experience. To retain the most image data, change the Compression setting to “ZIP” compression (this works great for black and white images, as well as grayscale). Using “JPEG” will give you the most substantial compression, further reducing the file size. Choosing Medium Quality can often be used for viewing on screen while High or Maximum will work better if you intend to print to a consumer printer.

In Acrobat 9, you can check the option to “Optimize images only if there is a reduction in size” box if you want to retain the existing quality of your images if the compression will not result any file size reduction.

4. Fonts
In any PDF, you want to make sure your font files are preserved. Click on the Fonts selection to the left of the Optimizer and check the “Do not unembed any font” box (Acrobat 9 only). For Acrobat 8, simply make sure that all fonts listed are under the “Embedded fonts” box.

5. Transparency
The Transparency option may be beneficial if you have a considerable amount of transparent objects within the file. Simply check the box beside the Transparency option and choose “High Resolution,” as this keeps the Optimizer from converting your text to outlines, but doesn’t override the settings in the Images dialog.

6. Discard Objects
Next we’ll visit the Discard Objects menu. Items such as JavaScript actions, form fields and components, and alternate images can add on unnecessary file size to your PDF. Simply select the objects from the list that you wish to discard. The two selections that I would not recommend discarding are “Convert smooth lines to curves” and “Discard bookmarks.” The former would result in unexpected alterations to any lines in the PDF, and bookmarks take up very little space but can be helpful when browsing the document.

7. Discard User Data
The Discard User Data option is very similar to Discard Objects. You can manually go in and check which data you won’t need. Be sure to reference “Audit space usage” to make sure this data is worth removing. If it’s taking up a very small amount of space, then it might be safer to leave it.

8. Clean Up
The final option, Clean Up, allows you to go through and select document contents which can be removed or compressed. The very last option, “Optimize the PDF for fast web view” is the one you need to make sure is checked. This sets up the document so that when it’s being viewed on the web, the file is loaded one page at a time instead of loading all at once. This means your readers can be viewing the first page while the rest of the document is still loading.

9. Document Compatibility
In the upper right-hand corner of the PDF Optimizer menu, the document compatibility should be set to “Acrobat 5.0 and later.”

10. Finish Up
Now that you’ve got a good setup for the PDF Optimizer, click on the “Save” button in the top left corner to save the settings for future use. Now click OK to apply the Optimizer settings and save the file to your computer. Open the newly created PDF and go to File > Properties to view the changes in file size.

Extra Credit: Convert CMYK Images to RGB
For files that will be used on the web, you want to make sure the color profile of the images is RGB. With the file open, go to Advanced > Print Production > Convert Colors. The dialog box for this conversion varies between versions, but the main idea is to convert any and all CMYK (U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2) images to sRGB IEC61966-2.1. Lastly, check the option to Embed the color profile for optimum compatibility.

Remote Desktop Connection is a utility that comes with Windows XP. It allows a user to connect to another computer remotely via a network connection or the Internet. When connecting from within a local network (like in an office environment), you can use the Computer Name to connect to another computer. If you are connecting to another computer via the Internet, you must know that computer’s public IP address.

Anyone can use Remote Desktop Connection regardless if they have Windows XP Home or Windows XP Pro. However, if you are using Windows XP Home, you must have updated to at least Service Pack 2 for this option to be available. Also note that you can only connect to a computer that is running Windows XP Pro. It is impossible to connect to a computer running Windows XP Home with Remote Desktop Connection.

To clarify, you may initiate a remote connection from either Windows XP Home or Windows XP Pro. However, the computer you’re connecting to must be running XP Pro (or Windows Server 2003).

1. Click Start
2. Click All Programs
3. Navigate through Accessories > Communications > Remote Desktop Connection

If you do not see Remote Desktop Connection under the Communications menu, you probably need to run Windows Update to get the latest updates for your computer.

If Remote Desktop Connection is available to you, you may click it to open the connection window. Also, if you feel that you may need to use Remote Desktop Connection very often, you can right-click it and choose Send to > Desktop to create a shortcut on your Desktop.

To start a remote connection:

1. Open Remote Desktop Connection
2. Enter the IP address or Computer Name in the Computer: field.
3. Click the Connect button.
4. Enter the Login information for the remote computer (user name and password) and click OK.
5. A new window will open that displays the remote computer’s desktop.

** Note: If another user happened to be logged into the computer your are remotely connecting to, they may be locked out of the computer until you end the remote session.

Once connected, you may use your mouse and keyboard to control the remote computer. You can open and use any programs that are installed on the remote computer, make system changes, etc. The only things that don’t work well are programs that depend on rapid screen refreshes, like watching a video or playing a video game (sorry, gamers!).

If you were not able to initiate a remote connection, check the following:

1. Double check the Computer Name or IP address. A typo will prevent you from connecting.
2. Make sure your connection to the network or Internet is working.
3. Ensure that the computer you are attempting to connect to allows remote connections.

If you are still unable to connect, it is possible that a power outage or a lapse in Internet connectivity at the remote site is preventing you from connecting.

When you wish to end the remote connection, you may do one of two things: Disconnect or Log Off. Disconnecting will allow you to leave programs running once your have ended your remote session. If you Log off, all programs will be closed and the account you signed into will be logged out.

To Disconnect, simply click the X in the top-right corner of the screen or click Start > Disconnect (the later is recommended). To Log off, click Start > Log Off.

Happy remoting!

You can assign a keyboard shortcut to anything shortcut on your Desktop or Start Menu. Once you’ve assigned a shortcut, all you have to do is press the key combination you defined to open that particular shortcut. In this post, I’ll explain how to set up your own keyboard shortcuts and how they can be helpful.

Before you start assigned shortcuts to every single icon on your desktop, take a few moments to consider which programs or shortcuts you use most often. For example, I have to remote into different computers and computers several times a day. Instead of navigating through the Start menu each time, I assigned the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + M to the Remote Desktop Connection shortcut. Now all I have to do is press those three keys on my keyboard (at the same time) to get my remote session started.

Here’s how to set up your own keyboard shortcut. First, right-click on the shortcut (either on your Desktop on in the Start menu) that you wish to make a keyboard shortcut for and choose Properties from the menu.

Next, look for the text field next to Shortcut Key (it probably says “None” at the moment) in the Properties window,. Click inside this text field and simply type the letter of the alphabet you want to associate with this shortcut. I try to use a letter that I will easily remember, like W for Word or A for Acrobat. In this case, I had already used R for something, so I used M (reMote). You’ll see the text box change to Ctrl + Alt + whatever letter you chose. Click OK when you’re ready to try it out.

Now, to invoke the keyboard shortcut, simply press all three of the assigned keys at the same time. The easiest way for me to do this is to press and hold the Ctrl and Alt keys (the ones on the left side of the keyboard) with my left hand and then tap the assigned letter with my other hand. However, if you want to be super efficient, you can assign a letter that is close enough to reach with your left hand. This way you don’t even need to take your hand off the mouse! (Of course, if you’re left handed, just reverse this).

I hope you find this helpful. Remember, you don’t have to limit this to program shortcut. This can be used for shortcuts to folders as well. And one last trick, you can quadruple the number of possible shortcuts by holding some combination of the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys when assigning the shortcut letter!

• If you’re interested in lighting for photography, head over to ProPhotoLife.com and check out their video on beautiful portraits with just one light. Then you can take things a step further and dive into the classic three light portrait.
• Fans of Canon will be happy to hear about the announcement of the Speedlite 430ex II. No release date yet that I’m aware of.
• Speaking of flashes, if you’re interested in ring flashes, you may want way to head over to Dave Cross’s blog and see his Ray Flash ring flash review.
• If you’ve got your hands on a copy of The Moment it Clicks, by Joe McNally, you should totally pimp it. Though I must admit I didn’t put in the sweat and labor that Syl at Pixsylated.com did…I just took the advice in the comments; I went to Staples and paid them $7 to do it for me!
• Lastly, Zack over at Zarias.com is doing a series on white seemless. Some good tips there on getting a nice clean white background.

• Love to read? Learn how to get away with reading at work. I was blown away when I first saw this website.
• The latest release candidate for Firefox 3 hit the web yesterday. Head over to the Mozilla site to learn what’s new and how to check it out for yourself.
• Steve Bass over at PC World posted an article explaining a few ways to make Vista and XP work the way you want them to. Some handy tips are presented there.
• Want to build your own machine on the cheap? Wired.com has an article on how to build a $150 linux machine (minus the keyboard, mouse, and monitor). They’ve even listed and linked to all the places they found their bargain-priced parts.
• And finally, be a green geek and help out your local farmers by heading over to the Farmer’s Market Search hosted by the USDA. There you will find a current listing of farmers markets throughout the United States.