Windows 8: upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit system

By Martin Brinkmann on October 27, 2012 - Tags:Backup, Windows 8, Windows tips

You need to be very careful when you want to upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 8. Microsoft, for whatever reason, decided to make things complicated. If you run the Upgrade Advisor to buy a copy of Windows 8 online, you will always get the version of Windows 8 that is corresponding to the currently installed version of the operating system. So, if you are running the Upgrade Assistant on a 32-bit version you will end up with a 32-bit Windows 8 version, while running it on a 64-bit version of Windows will result in a 64-bit version of Windows 8.

That's not a problem if you do not want to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit during the upgrade, but if you do, you will notice that you can't do that at all. If you are unlucky, you will notice once the system is up and running after the installation.

Can I upgrade a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 8?

Yes, but you can't do this using Upgrade Assistant. If your PC has a 64-bit capable processor (CPU) but is currently running a 32-bit version of Windows, you can install a 64-bit version of Windows 8, but you'll need to buy Windows 8 as a DVD.

In short: you can't use the Upgrade Assistant to upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 8.

It won't work if you run the installation directly using the Upgrade Assistant, and it won't work if you select to burn the operating system to DVD or copy it on an USB Flash Drive instead.

If you have the option, you can run the Upgrade Assistant on a 64-bit version of Windows and burn the contents to DVD or copy it on a flash drive. If you do not have the option available to you, you need to buy a 64-bit retail upgrade copy of Windows 8 instead or select the backup media add-on option during the purchase which also includes two discs. The retail copy includes two discs, one for 32-bit and one for 64-bit.

I'm not sure why Microsoft is making it that difficult for customers who try to upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit during the upgrade. It certainly would not be a problem for the company to add an advanced configuration to the Upgrade Assistant that can be used to pick the version of Windows you want to upgrade to.

Microsoft notes that you can't keep any files, settings or software programs when you upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit.

X-Ray 2.0 VirusTotal frontend with a batch of extra features

By Martin Brinkmann on October 28, 2012 - Tags:antivirus, Portable software, Windows software

If you are in the business of downloading and testing lots of different applications, you better make sure that the programs that you run on your PC are clean and not infected with some nasty malware. If you have the resources, you could build a PC only for testing and nothing else, but if you are on your own, you probably have to find a different solution that is not as expensive or time consuming. Sandboxing comes to mind as one of the most effective options. Still, you need to scan the program if you write about it as it may provide you with information that you need to communicate to your readers who may not all run sandboxing software or up to date antivirus software that protects their data from malware.

The main service that I use to test a file for traces of malware is VirusTotal which scans the file using more than 40 different antivirus engines from respected companies such as Avast, AVG, Symantec, Dr. Web or Microsoft.

The service is great for single-file verifications, but not so great if you have a number of files that you want to check. That's were programs like the official VirusTotal Uploader or Raymond's X-Raycome into play.

X-Ray 2.0 has just been released by Raymond. The program is a frontend for VirusTotal that offers additional features on top of the functionality that VirusTotal provides. It has three core features:

• Get a files most recent VirusTotal report if available. This submits the file hash only to VirusTotal to see if it is in the database. If it is, it will retrieve the latest scan report and display it in the X-Ray interface.
• Send files to VirusTotal. This submits all files that you have selected to VirusTotal for a scan.
• Send suspicious files to antivirus companies for analysis. You can use the program to submit a suspicious file, for instance one where VirusTotal returned malware hits, to antivirus companies as a sample. Software authors can use the program to quickly submit their files to companies that detected false positives for instance.

The new version features several improvements, most prominently full support for VirusTotal's API 2.0, support for automatic captach recognition services, proxy support, and a right-click send to option to use the program from within Windows Explorer.

The software could use some form of automation. When you drag and drop multiple files into the interface or use the add suspicious files button to do so, you will notice that the files won't get submitted automatically. You need to click on the get report or send to buttons for each file individually to get reports. It would be handy if you could click a button only once, or configure the program to use a default action automatically when files are added, to improve the usability.

It also appears that you need to click on the get report button after you have submitted a file that is unknown to VirusTotal to get the report. The analysis is not automatically displayed in the program window.

X-Ray 2.0 regardless of that is a well designed program that aids you in the verification of files using VirusTotal's online scanning service. Software authors in addition can use it to submit their programs for testing to various antivirus companies. The application is compatible with all recent 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

The program displays a number of options on start which may be confusing at first. There is for instance a right click editor and a simple right click editor, and it is not really clear what the difference is between the two tools. Here is a quick rundown of all tools and the functionality they make available: Right Click Tweaker - This tool enables you to add new commands to the Windows Explorer context menu. From opening an administrative command prompt over printing a file list, taking ownership or copying the selected contents to the clipboard. My Computer Manager - Enables you to add files or folders to the My Computer context menu. Right Click Shortcuts Creator - You can use this tool to add file or folder shortcuts to the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer. All shortcuts are placed into the root folder automatically. Right Click Cascading Menu Creator - Does the same as the Right Click Shortcuts Creator, only that you place the file or folder shortcuts into subfolders which may improve visibility if you plan to add several shortcuts to the menu. Right Click Editor - Displays all existing file types and their associated actions. You can add, remove or edit actions here Right Click Editor IE - You can edit Internet Explorer's context menu here. Send To Manager - Add or remove devices, folders or services in the Send To folder. New Menu Editor - Add or remove files that you can create when you select the New option in Windows Explorer. Simple Right Click Editor - Displays context menu commands and their actions. You can use it to remove actions from the menu. Right Click Enhancer offers an incredible set of features for Windows users who want to manage Windows Explorer context menu entries. From removing entries that are not used to optimize the context menu to adding shortcuts to often used programs or commands, it is all there and not difficult to use. Enjoyed the article?

Manage Context Menu items with Right Click Enhancer

By Martin Brinkmann on October 29, 2012 - Tags:Windows Explorer, Windows software

If you install lots of software on your system you may have noticed that the Windows Explorer right-click context menu has grown considerable in size ever since you started to install software on your computer. Many applications add their own items to the context menu which help you run specific features faster. You can for instance send a selected file directly to your virus scanner for testing, or load selected media files with your favorite media player.

It quickly becomes a problem once items are added that you do not use at all. The result is a cluttered context menu that is displaying too many items and slowing you down as a consequence.

Right Click Enhancer is a free portable software program for the Windows operating system that makes available a set of tools to tame the context menu. The program not only lets you remove items with ease, it also enables you to add useful items or program shortcuts to the context menu.

Right Click Enhancer

The program displays a number of options on start which may be confusing at first. There is for instance a right click editor and a simple right click editor, and it is not really clear what the difference is between the two tools. Here is a quick rundown of all tools and the functionality they make available:

• Right Click Tweaker - This tool enables you to add new commands to the Windows Explorer context menu. From opening an administrative command prompt over printing a file list, taking ownership or copying the selected contents to the clipboard.
• My Computer Manager - Enables you to add files or folders to the My Computer context menu.
• Right Click Shortcuts Creator - You can use this tool to add file or folder shortcuts to the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer. All shortcuts are placed into the root folder automatically.
• Right Click Cascading Menu Creator -  Does the same as the Right Click Shortcuts Creator, only that you place the file or folder shortcuts into subfolders which may improve visibility if you plan to add several shortcuts to the menu.
• Right Click Editor - Displays all existing file types and their associated actions. You can add, remove or edit actions here
• Right Click Editor IE - You can edit Internet Explorer's context menu here.
• Send To Manager -  Add or remove devices, folders or services in the Send To folder.
• New Menu Editor - Add or remove files that you can create when you select the New option in Windows Explorer.
• Simple Right Click Editor - Displays context menu commands and their actions. You can use it to remove actions from the menu.

Right Click Enhancer offers an incredible set of features for Windows users who want to manage Windows Explorer context menu entries. From removing entries that are not used to optimize the context menu to adding shortcuts to often used programs or commands, it is all there and not difficult to use.

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Automatically upload Android screenshots to the Internet

By Martin Brinkmann on October 11, 2012 - TAGS: None

I'm planning to increase the Android coverage here on the blog using my new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 smartphone that I have just received. One of the things that is really essential for that is the creation of good looking screenshots. Most Android devices for some time now support the creation of screenshots. On my phone, I just have to press the Lock and Home button at the same time to create a new screenshot of what is being displayed on the screen at that point in time. It takes between 1-2 seconds of pressing the buttons before the screenshot is being taken, likely to avoid accidental screenshots being taken.

Taking the screenshot is however only part of the process, as the image needs to be transferred from the phone to the Internet or web server. Here is one option on how to upload screenshots that you take with your Android phone to the Internet.

Android to Dropbox

If you are a Dropbox user you can download Dropbox for Android to link your smartphone with a Dropbox account. You need to sign in to Dropbox once to establish the connection. A wizard is displayed afterwards that walks you through the initial configuration.  If you have a limited bandwidth available or pay for your bandwidth, you may want to enable Wi-Fi only uploads to avoid additional costs. You can furthermore select to upload existing photos or videos.

Once setup, all screenshots that you take using the phone are automatically uploaded to the Camera Uploads folder of your Dropbox account. It is alternatively possible to disable automatic uploads and upload photos manually instead only. To do that open the settings of the app and tap on turn off camera upload

You can then access the screenshots either on a computer if the Dropbox client is running on it that synchronizes the files with the computer, or by opening the Dropbox site on the Internet where the screenshots are also available.

Semi-automatic options

I first thought that the Instant Upload feature of the Google+ app did the very same thing, upload screenshots and photos that you take to the social networking site. It appears though as if the feature is limited to photos that you take, while screenshots are not uploaded automatically to the social networking site.

You can still upload photos to Google+ or Google Picasa from the gallery of the phone, but that is a manual process which may work if you only do that every now and then. If you need to upload photos regularly, you are probably better off using Dropbox for that.

Are there other apps or built-in features that you can recommend to upload Android screenshots to the Internet? Let me know in the comments.

Vizio Unveils New Windows 8 All-in-one Touch PC’s

By Alan Buckingham on October 11, 2012 - Tags:pc, Windows 8

As we continue to march towards the big Windows 8 launch on October 26th, more and more manufacturers are showing off their hardware for the new operating system.  So far we have seen a lot of tablets from makers like Lenovo and Asus, and an even larger number of convertible notebook computers that are very tablet-like.  Now Vizio, who became famous for their low-price, high-quality TV's are getting into the game.  Vizio isn't entirely new to the business, they released a line of computers earlier this year and, more recently, a Google TV set-top box.  Now they unveiled a line of touch-screen Windows 8 all-in-one computers.

Vizio is one of the few manufacturers to get their devices officially certified by Microsoft (known as the Microsoft Signature computers), meaning their design meets the Redmond company's standards and that they don't install frivolous software such as trial versions of anti-virus and the like.  A Vizio computer comes with a completely stock version of Windows.

The new Vizio All-in-One Touch will come in two different sizes - a 24 inch and a 27 inch.  Both computers come with a high-definition 1920 x 1080 touch display, 2.1 surround sound with subwoofer, Intel Core processor (the i5), NVIDIA graphics, 6 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SATA drive.  In addition, the 27 inch model also contains an SSD for the operating system.   The 27 also offers a model that features a Core i7 processor with 8 GB of RAM.  Fianlly, there is a low-end 24 inch, although the tech specs listed seem to indicate that it's not much different from it's big brother.

The 24 inch models will be priced at $899 and $1249, while the two 27's are listed for $1219 and $1539 respectively.  All four are currently listed as "Coming soon" and pre-orders are not yet available.  They are listed now on the Vizio Store, along with several new Windows 8 notebook computers that are on the way.  Vizio hasn't said, but we assume they will go live on launch day, October 26th.

Ashampoo UnInstaller 5 review

By Martin Brinkmann on October 12, 2012 - Tags:Giveaways, Windows software

Windows' Uninstall a Program dialog is a basic control panel applet that enables you to remove previously installed software or Windows updates from the operating system. It is one of those programs that has not seen improvements in a very long time. The core issue that many users have with it is that it is not very thorough when it comes to the uninstallation of programs.

It is quite common that leftovers remain on the system that waste disk space, may make it harder for you to find and manage stuff on the system, and sometimes even cause issues that go beyond that.

Ashampoo Uninstaller 5 is a commercial software remover for the Windows operating system. The program ships with two main features when it comes to uninstalling software, and a set of additional tools that are offered on top of that.

Installation monitoring is probably the most interesting feature of the program. The uninstaller can create a detailed log of changes made to the system during the installation of software. Note that you need to enable the monitoring first on the overview page.

Once you have enabled the monitoring of application installations, you will notice a few things when you install new programs on your system. You will first notice that an onscreen toolbar is displayed by Ashampoo Uninstaller whenever you do that. It displays the elapsed time, the file writes and the Registry modifications made by the installer.

You will also get a system tray notification when the installation completes that displays stats about the process. The installation is then displayed in the program window under recent installations, and in the log files tab of the window as well. When you switch to that menu, you will notice that you can display all system modifications a selected program made to the Windows system during installation. This is not only quite useful for troubleshooting purposes, but may also be handy if you want to make sure that the installation did not tamper with any important system files or data.

A simple example where this can help is the installation of toolbars or other adware during software installations as it reveals where the toolbar has made its mark on the system. There is however no option to delete select files or Registry keys only, which means that you need to do that manually on the system after all. File and Registry changes can be imported and exported in the log files view, which may be useful for safe keeping or further analysis.

The uninstaller itself displays the list of installed programs on the system. To uninstall a program, select it from the list and hit the uninstall button afterwards. You can only select one program at a time that you want to uninstall. It would have been useful if you could queue up uninstallations to save some time. As it stands now, you can only select on uninstallation at a time. A search form is available to filter installations, useful if you are looking for a particular program and do not want to browse the full catalog. You can furthermore filter installations by logged, unlogged, corrupt or incorrectly installed.

The group feature is quite interesting. You can create groups and assign applications to them. These groups become available in the filter list improving the manageability of the listing. You can for instance create a test software group and move all applications that you test into it. This way, you always have an overview of programs that you have installed for testing purposes so that you can easily uninstall them again or move them to the list of regular applications. An option to hide select applications or groups from the listing would have been a nice addition though to make sure you do not accidentally delete the wrong application.

A click on uninstall triggers a new window where you can select whether you want to run the original uninstaller that shipped with the program. The option to scan for leftover files, folders and Registry keys is enabled by default, and if available, a silent uninstallation is selected that surpresses dialogs. Ashampoo Uninstaller will run a scan for leftover files after the uninstallation completes to make sure that no data of the program remains on the system.

The program uses a list of setup file names that it automatically recognizes as installers. You can add or remove entries in the settings to suite your own needs. Here you also find the ignore list that lists file names that won't be monitored and the security list, which limits the monitored setups to the processes listed within.

As mentioned earlier, Ashampoo has integrated a set of system tools into the uninstaller. The tools are described below:

• Drive Cleaner - Scans for temporary files and offers to delete them
• Registry Optimizer - Scans for problems in the Windows Registry
• Internet Cleaner - just like the Drive Cleaner, only for Internet browsers.
• Defrag 3 - A file defragmentation program (with SSD warning)
• Service Manager - Manage Windows Services using the program, with community ratings
• Startup Tuner - Manage Windows start up items, also with community ratings
• Font Manager - Preview and delete fonts
• System Restore Manager - Create or delete System restore points, or restore a previously created point.
• File Wiper - Delete files and folders securely
• Undeleter - A file recovery tool to recovery previously deleted files
• Link Checker - Scan for and fix invalid shortcuts
• Duplicate Finder - Find duplicate files on the system

The good

• Installation monitoring, including manual monitoring
• Scanning for left overs after uninstallations complete
• Blacklisting and whitelisting of processes

The bad

• An option to queue multiple uninstallations is missing
• It would be useful to have an option to delete select files or Registry keys of a logged installation, for instance to remove a toolbar that was installed as part of an installation
• No option to disable the system tray popup that appears after installations
• File wiper not integrated with uninstaller

Verdict

Ashampoo Uninstaller is a useful program for Windows users who want to have full control over software installations and uninstallations on their system. The program shines when it comes to the uninstallation of logged applications as it is very thorough in this regard. It could use a few features here and there though that will make it more usable.

The integration of additional system tools is a nice add-on, but nothing that is really related to the program's core functionality. Ashampoo could change this in the future, for instance by combining features offered by the system tools with the uninstaller. The file wiping is just one example where this may come in handy.

Giveaway

Ashampoo gave us ten Uninstaller 5 licenses for a giveaway. If you are interested in the program, leave a comment below to be included in the drawing of winners. It would be nice if you would comment on your current uninstallation routine.

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Change Firefox preferences from the Developer Toolbar

By Martin Brinkmann on October 10, 2012 - Tags:Firefox Tips

If you want to change advanced Firefox preferences you have two core options to do so. You can enter about:config in the address bar, confirm that you will be careful and edit away, or edit the prefs.js file located in your user profile directory manually instead when the browser is not running on the system.

Ken Saunders just informed me that there is a third option which I think is pretty cool. You can change preferences from the Firefox Developer Toolbar instead. This works well if you know the preference name and value that you want to set, and not so well if you do not.

The process itself however is faster and easier than that of the methods mentioned above. Let me explain how you would go about it.

You can open the Firefox Developer Toolbar with the Shift-F2 shortcut. This opens a small toolbar at the bottom of the page. It contains an input console as well as links to various tools that Mozilla integrated into the browser. All we need is the console.

The basic command to change a Firefox preference using the toolbar is the following: pref set name value

The command pref set browser.tabs.onTop false will move the tabs below the address bar in the browser. It is really easy to use, and if you just want to browse a bit, you can do that by using the auto-complete feature here. Once you have entered pref set here you will see a list of suggested preferences that you can edit. When you start typing in characters, Firefox will automatically match what you type with the preferences, so that you only see matching preference suggestions here. When you find the one you are looking for, select it with a left mouse click or the up and down keys on the keyboard and enter to select. Some preference become active immediately, while others may require you to restart the browser before they do.

If you are a fast typer, of have copied the preference name before, you can speed up the editing of preferences in the browser significantly. Just hit shift-F2, enter pref set, paste in the preference name with Ctrl-V, and enter the value afterwards. You need to press enter to send the command to the browser. The first time you do that, you will a warning message that editing preferences can be dangerous. Just accept the warning, and you won't see the message again.

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Convert Documents to PDF Format Online

By Alan Buckingham on October 10, 2012 - Tags:PDF

PDF, or portable document format, was invented about 20 years ago by software giant Adobe and it quickly became their signature product.  Then Flash and Photoshop came along and the PDF was released to open source.  Now PDF has been built into third-party apps from Foxit, Nitro, Sumatra and even Microsoft Word.  In fact, you can even convert files to the format right online without having to even install any sort of software on your computer.  A new site called PDFconv will do everything you want for free and without any download required.

The site is ad-supported so expect to see those while using it, but they aren't intrusive and it beats the heck out of paying for a service or software.  It also supports multiple formats, including JPG, BMP, DOC, TXT, HTML, GIF, RTF and about fifty others.  This opens things up, allowing users to convert, not just basic text documents, but presentations, spreadsheets, images and more, into PDF files.

To get started, simply browse to http://pdfconv.com/ and click the "Browse" button, then navigate to the file you want to convert to a PDF document.  Click "OK" and the file will immediately begin uploading to to the PDFconv web app.

Once you have uploaded your files (you can do up to five files at a time) you can click the "Convert files to PDF" link and the process will begin.  Depending on the file size and the amount of files you added, this could take a few seconds or a few minutes, but the processor does work fairly quickly in the tests I carried out (image files seemed to take more time than text).

When the process completes you will be prompted to right-click the file and choose the "save" option to get your new PDF document onto your computer.

The web app is free, but it does have some reasonable limitations.  It can only convert five files at a time and there is a file size limit of 25 MB.  Neither of those should be deal-breakers for the vast majority of users.  It was quick and efficient, and best of all, it was free.  For those who don't need to process a lot files then this online solution should work fine.  If you find yourself doing this daily, then you may want to consider a desktop solution.

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How to save old Office formats in Google Docs

By Martin Brinkmann on October 10, 2012 - Tags:google docs, Microsoft Office

Google recently implemented a change on Google Docs that removed download and export options for older Microsoft Office formats. It is not clear why the change has been implemented, but the result is quite problematic. All documents that you have uploaded in doc, ppt or xls formats cannot be downloaded anymore in those formats. The download as option only displays the new Office formats docx, xlsx and pptx, as well as unrelated formats such as pdf or Open Document formats.

Even Google's file synchronization service Google Drive is not synchronizing the original documents with computer system's it is installed on. All you get are links pointing to Google Docs where the documents need to be accessed.

There is however a way left to download those old Office document formats from Google Docs. It may not be pretty, but it is the only option that you have if you want to download the documents in their original format.

Open the document on Google Docs that you want to download in an old Office format. Click on File > Email as attachment afterwards. This opens a small overlay with a form asking you to add at least one recipient. What it also makes available is an attach as pulldown menu that you can use to change the output format that is sent as an attachment. If you select Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint here, the document will be made available in its original format.

What you basically do is send yourself an email with the document attached to it. This not only works for original Microsoft Office documents, but also other document formats that you have uploaded to Google Docs. Some formats on the other hand, like docx documents, it is not working as you can only attach them in their original format.

The workaround can be useful if you need to create a local copy of an Office document that is hosted on Google Docs in its original Office format. You can also attach multiple documents at once to an email. This is done by selecting the documents in the main document listing on Google Drive and then More > Share > Email as attachment. Note that the option is grayed out if you mix formats. (via Technixupdate)

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Nitro PDF Reader 3.0 available for download

By Martin Brinkmann on October 10, 2012 - Tags:PDF, Windows software

Nitro PDF Reader 3.0 has just been released and is now available for download on the official website. The program is a popular Adobe Reader alternative that is offering more features than just the ability to display pdf documents in the program window. Besides that, it ships with options to create pdf from hundreds of input formats, to collaborate with other users, and to use the application's quick sign feature to sign pdf documents. Nitro Reader ships with a set of tools, like extracting images, converting documents to text, or adding text and contents to existing pdf documents that set it apart from pure reader apps such as Sumatra.

Nitro PDF Reader 3.0 is a major release. Existing users can use the built-in update checker to check for that update manually if the application does not do so automatically. To do that, you need to click on Help > Check for Updates. If you are running into troubles updating from a previous version of Nitro PDf Reader to the latest, you may want to give the Nitro PDF Readercleanup tool a go which removes the program forcefully from the system. You can then install the new version of the program after the necessary reboot.

So what is new in Nitro Reader 3.0?

The following four features are new additions that have been added to this version of the program:

• Type Text Smart Alignment provides dynamic visual guides to accurately align typed text in reference to other text, form fields, annotations, images, shapes, and other page elements
• Auto Recovery automatically restores open PDF files, unsaved document changes, as well as viewstates and document focus after Nitro has terminated unexpectedly.
• Scanned Document Detection shows a notification when the PDF file opened is image-based, or scanned.
• Autonomy WorkSite Integration for enterprise deployments of Nitro Reader 3 enables PDF files to be opened from and saved to a WorkSite repository (digital signatures not currently supported)

Below are enhancements that the development team has made to various existing features of Nitro Reader:

• Japanese and Simplified Chinese support for Asian text across all Nitro Reader 3's PDF tools
• Scripting Object Model (SOM) support when filling out static XFA forms
• Web Browser Plugin supports hyperlinks with hashtags that link to a PDF page
• Smaller files sizes when adding text annotations
• General rendering and performance enhancement across many areas of Nitro Reader 3

All users will benefit from general performance and rendering enhancements, while the remaining features only benefit part of the user base. The auto recovery feature sounds fine, especially if you are working with a lot of pdf documents on a regular basis.

The web installer ships without toolbar offers, something that has started to get a bit out of control on today's Internet. What's not so great is that there is no sign of a full installer on the Nitro Reader website, and some users may object to the dependency on Microsoft's Net Framework 2.0 (even though it is included in all recent versions of Windows).

Nitro Reader is definitely one of the better programs when it comes to doing more with pdf documents than just accessing them.

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