Transfer OE Address Book To Vista

Reader Asks How To Move Their Address Book To A New Laptop

Q: I purchased a new laptop that has Vista Home Premium. I want to move the addresses stored in Outlook Express on my old machine to the new one, but there isn't Outlook Express on Vista, there's something called Mail. How can I move my contacts to the new laptop?

A: Outlook Express is no more. It has been "upgraded" and renamed to "Mail" in Vista, but fear not -- it's still basically the same. What you need to do is make a copy of the .WAB file on you old machine, and then "Import" it on the new machine.

1) In the Search tool (Start >Search) search for "Files and folders", and enter "*.wab" (no quotes) in the "What to search for" textbox.
(Or, navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local settings\App Data\Identities\{a string of numbers}\Microsoft\Outlook Express)

2) Drag the .wab file from the results window to your portable media -- floppy disc, thumb drive. This will copy the file. (or.. you can attach the file to an e-mail, and e-mail it to yourself.)

3) Take the thumb drive/floppy to your new machine and plug it in.

4) Now launch (fancy talk for "open") Windows Mail.

Click on "File", then "Import", and then "Windows Contacts".

You will be prompted for what to import, and simply point the wizard to your portable media, and then click on the .wab file.

That's it. You're done. Now your old Address Book is installed on your new computer.

Today's free download: Speakonia is a freeware utility that reads text out loud. Speakonia comes with about 20 voices (all with strong robotic accents) and lets you quickly change the reading speed and pitch. Speakonia can save text in WAV files for playback when you're driving or jogging, but unfortunately it can't save sound files in the MP3 format. The program interface is clear and straightforward; you simply select text in any document and press Ctrl C to read it aloud. Decent performance and free price make it a reasonable choice for the vision-impaired or people who'd rather do their reading with their ears than their eyes.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Sidebars and Gadgets Explained

Understanding the Windows Vista Sidebar

A little while ago, Rick Robinette posted a great article on his site, What's On My PC..., that I think some of my readers will appreciate. It is sort of an 'ABC's In A Nutshell' about Vista's (and Windows 7) sidebar and desktop gadgets. Here's an excerpt--

"If you are a Vista user and you do not know what the sidebar is, it is an area, usually inhabiting the right edge of your desktop that contains gadgets (such as a clock, picture viewer, calendar, etc…).  What most people do not know is that you can install, add and remove gadgets from the sidebar and you can also drag gadgets from the sidebar and place them anywhere on your desktop; thus, making the sidebar an useful feature.

To assist you with Understanding the Sidebar
I have compiled the following, easy-to-follow tutorial.."

To visit his site and read the article, please click here. These gadgets are fun and informative, and I think you'll be glad you did. (I was going to discuss this in my next A Tech's First Impression of Windows 7 article, but he's done a much better job than I would have.)

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Firefox Tips and Shortcuts

Whether you’re a beginning, intermediate or advanced user, these shortcuts and suggestions will help you get the most out of Firefox 3.

After a recent update to my Firefox web browser, an unusual thing happened. Upon restart, instead of open to the standard "You've just upgraded Firefox!" page, (uh.. yeah. I know. I'm the guy who launched it. Duh.) it opened to a "Tips & Tricks" page.

This page has 5 tips each in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced "levels". I sort of hate to confess, but I found a few I didn't know in each one.

There are tips on shortcuts, bookmarks, plug-ins, downloading, and more. Some are Firefox 3 specific, but most are generic.

It will only take you a few minutes to look over, and if you use Firefox, I believe you'll be glad you did. Click here to visit the Firefox 3 Tips & Tricks page.

Today's free download: Firefox 3 "There are literally thousands of totally free ways to customize your Firefox to fit exactly what you like to do online."

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Do Not Want That Update? How To Stop A Nag

IE 8 is an "Important" Update, Yes, But I Don't Want It

Sometimes we need to tell Windows Update to stop prompting us to install a particular Update.

When Microsoft has released important and/or critical Updates (aka "patches") for us, Windows has various ways of letting us know, including a System Tray icon.

I am a big fan of Updates. I (almost) always install them the moment I become aware of them. I use Secunia's Personal Software Inspector to keep an eye on all my installed programs' update state.. and I recommend you do too. Updates are 'good' and you want them.

Tip of the day: Manage Windows Updates prompts.
Currently, Microsoft Update is annoying me be continuously nagging me that there are Updates available. And when I click on the icon to see just what these updates are...

.. and I see that there is just one Update Microsoft wants me to install (the others only rate "optional") -- Internet Explorer 8.
Now, I understand why Microsoft wants us to be using a more secure browser (and I understand why it's considered "important") and I will upgrade from IE7 on most of my machines -- but not all. Not yet.

So I right-click on the Update I don't want to be nagged about and then click on "Hide update".

That's it. I'm done. Windows Update will no longer prompt me to install this 'hidden' update. At a later date, to see Updates that I've hidden, I just click on "Show hidden updates". I can undo my change.

Note: This technique can be used on troublesome Updates that cause incompatibility issues such as BSOD. If a Windows Update install causes you trouble, and you need to uninstall it, the "Hide" tip won't help you (it's too late). Please refer to the 3rd answer in this article, IE’s Menu bar, Taskbar icons, and bad Updates*, to see how to remove Updates.
After you get that Update uninstalled, use the Hide feature to prevent Windows Update from re-Installing it on you.

Today's free link: Panda Cloud Antivirus - Free Cloud Protection
Panda Security has launched a brand new type of antivirus, and Security blogger Bill Mullins has this excellent write up.
"FREE, antivirus thin-client service for consumers which is able to process and block malware more efficiently than locally installed signature-based products."

Today's free download: Adeona is the first Open Source system for tracking the location of your lost or stolen laptop that does not rely on a proprietary, central service. This means that you can install Adeona on your laptop and go.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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