Change from AHCI to IDE

Change from AHCI to IDE Mode after Installation
Instruction:
 
•Exit all Windows-based programs.
•Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
•Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
•If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
•Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Pciide
•In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
•In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
•On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
•Restart your computer
•Go to BIOS and enable IDE, Save & Reboot
•Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.

Alternatively
 Just download this Reg File and double-click to implement IDE on your Windows-based computer.
 Just remember to do the BIOS switch as well when you reboot.



When you're done, follow these instructions to go back to AHCI mode:

Quote:
Change from IDE to AHCI Mode after Installation
Information: AHCI stand for Advance Host Controller Interface. AHCI is a hardware mechanism that allows software to communicate with Serial ATA (SATA) devices (such as host bus adapters) that are designed to offer features not offered by Parallel ATA (PATA) controllers, such as: •Hot-Plugging
•Native Command Queuing (NCQ) -might improve computer/system/hard disk responsiveness, especially in multi-tasking environment
 You can read more about AHCI mode HERE
Instruction: There is one way to fix this, although you need to have knowledge of registry editing.
 The detailed steps from Microsoft website are as follows:
•Exit all Windows-based programs.
•Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
•Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
•If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
•Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\msahci
•In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.

•In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.

•On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
•Restart your computer
•Go to BIOS and enable AHCI, Save & Reboot
•Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.

Alternatively
 Just download this Reg File and double-click to implement AHCI on your Windows-based computer.
 Just remember to do the BIOS switch as well when you reboot.

Bluetooth Pairing of Apple Keyboard or Mouse with Windows PC

You may find that it is very difficult to achieve pairing of an Apple keyboard, mouse or trackpad.
First make sure they are not already paired with another device .
You can unpair them or switch off Bluetooth on the other devices.
I found that the mouse was easily paired using Control Panel _Hardware & Sound _Devices & Printers_Add a Device  (Windows 7)
Ensure that you select pairing in Windows  first then switch the mouse or keyboard on.
They only seem to try to connect for a very short period of time.
The keyboard will ask for a pairing code which again has to be entered fairly quickly and remember to press the ENTER key. If successful the notification bar will report adding device.
If they don't show up or the keyboard fails to present a pairing code option check again that it is not currently paired with another device.
Compared to Logitech Wireless Unifying mouse and keyboard it is very difficult.
I am fed up of having to constantly pair up devices over and over again.
My preference is for a wired mouse and keyboard every time.

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Has your Music Library disappeared from iTunes

After spending weeks during the Winter copying music CD's onto my iMac having decided to go entirely digital on the Cloud and getting rid of my CD collection to the charity shop...Disaster.
I switched on my Mac and went into the library and there was only one recent purchase showing from the iTunes store.
About 35 GB of music had just gone. Not to worry I had the trusty old iMac Time Machine App to get it all back. Going back a couple of days there it all was so I just clicked "Restore" and there was evidence that the files were being copied back.
On completion still no library. With panic setting in I tried it all again but same result.
The third time I went back in the Time Machine I noticed that the iTunes Media Library had moved in the Folder Structure.
I had recently installed a Synology NAS DS214Play as my own Network Server, ("Build your own Cloud"). Not fully understanding the Synology Apps I had selected one that controls your ITunes Library but couldn't seem to get it to work.
It was this that had moved the iTunes location as below.

Notice it is under the Main Folder ....USER(your user name)_Music-iTunes-ITunes Media-Music-then the tracks are listed.
This did not populate the Library in iTunes

This is how it should look. Just Drag the Music Folder from Column 2 into Column 1 on to the Music symbol and the tree structure is correct again.

 

 

I am not sure why the Time Machine restore didn't do that but instantly your Library re-appears

I hope this helps someone who has the same problem

 

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Change the Default Save Folder for Windows 7 Libraries to Something Else (Like Your Dropbox)

Have you ever noticed that when you save a file into a Windows 7 library through the common “Save As” dialog, that it ends up in just one of the folders that make up that library? Here’s how to customize the default save location for any library.

As an example, if you were to save a Word document using the Save As dialog, it would end up in your My Documents folder by default. But what if you would prefer that the files get saved somewhere else? Like one of your Dropbox folders, for instance?

Changing Default Save Location: Method 1

You can simply click the “Includes 3 locations” in the Open/Save dialog to make your way into the quick properties window.

From here, you can easily add or remove library locations, and if you right-click on one of them, you can choose “Set as default save location”. Useful!

Changing Default Save Location: Method 2

You can also head in Windows Explorer down to the Libraries section, right-click on any of the libraries, and choose Properties.

This will take you into the extended library properties window, where you can add or remove locations, and click the Set save location to set the default.

You’ll note in the screenshots above that I’ve included my Dropbox documents folder—this is a really great way to include your Dropbox folders in the default libraries, and set the default location as your Dropbox instead of the regular folders.

Note: while we used Documents library as the example here, this should work for all libraries.

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Create a Bootable USB Windows 7 Installation Stick

The Microsoft Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool will create a bootable USB Stick minimum size 4 GB.
Unfortunately it only works on an ISO image purchased through the Microsoft Store,
If you have a situation like me where you have bought Windows 7 on a DVD and you want to install it on a Intel NUC which doesn't have a DVD drive this is what you do.

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Procedure

Open a cmd (DOS Box) with administrator privileges. Start_Run_type cmd_ENTER
Insert your 4 GB USB Drive.
Do the following and  Press ENTER after each line below watching for conformation)
Type DISKPART
LIST DISK (carefully look for the capacity of the USB Drive or you could wipe your hard drive)
SELECT DISK n (where n is the Disk number of the USB )
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1 (this is partition 1 on DISK n)
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS  QUICK (this could take 30 minutes  without quick)
on completion of format
ASSIGN
EXIT.

Keep the cmd window open
Insert the Windows 7/Vista DVD and note down the drive letter of the DVD drive.
Assuming DVD drive is D: and the USB drive is G:.
Navigate to the directory where bootsect is found.
D:
cd d:\boot

Use the bootsect to make the USB Drive bootable. This updates the drive with BOOTMGR compatible code and prepares it to boot Windows 7/Vista.

BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 G:

Close the Command Prompt windows.

 Your USB Key is now ready to add the Installation files

You can now put in your Windows Install DVD into the Drive). If it Autostarts cancel and the OPEN in Explorer. (My Computer)
Open another Window in My Computer for the USB Drive
Go back to the DVD drive and select all the files showing. Select ALL and COPY
Go to the USB drive and PASTE
Wait about 30 minutes again and EXIT.

Ensure the BIOS is set for USB booting.
With the USB drive still in place, RESTART the PC (press the Boot Options F10 or F12 usually, to SELECT USB Booting)
The Drive should now enable the Windows logo to start up and then the Install Options.

Other ways of doing it

http://m.wikihow.com/Create-a-Bootable-Windows-7-or-Vista-USB-Drive

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What is the point of using an iTunes Server on a NAS such as Synology DS214Play

Trying to set Up a Synology DS214Play NAS Server. I clicked on a few bundled appplications including iTunes server. My Network is about 4Pc's plus an iMac.
The iMac is my Master Station for Music. All CD's are imported on it and iTunes Store Purchases.
When I came to set up the Synology Cloud Station which syncs Music, Video, Photos between networked devices on the iMac I noticed lots of activity and the Music Sync Folder filling up.
Next day switching on the iMac and going to iTunes all the library of 26GB of music had gone together with playlists.
I was able to go into the Time Machine App and restore back to yesterday and the music started reloading but still did not appear in iTunes.
I then found that "Music" had moved from the normal position in Finder to User and the iTunes Folder structure was there.
Moving the "Music " folder back to the previous position in Finder reinstated my Library in iTunes

Alternative methods for sorting out the iTunes library were found.

In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.Alternatively, depending on exactly when and why the library went missing, there may be a more recent .tmp file in the main iTunes folder that can be renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to a recent state  See iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.When you get it all working make a backup

 Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device

 

I've noticed more of these missing library posts of late and a common factor to most since I started asking is AVG Anti-Virus. It seems in some cases it might be at least part of the reason why the library file disappears. Try excluding the iTunes folder from any AV scanning process.

I do query the point of having iTunes on the Server.
Response from a Forum
You experience is almost exactly the same as mine and you are asking the exact same question. And as you may have already gathered from this thread, there appears to be o point whatsoever in the iTunes server. The approach I have taken is to change the setting in iTunes on my laptop to point directly to the folder on my NAS drive where I store all my music. Note that this is different to just adding a folder to the library. By doing this it means that the iTunes folder where iTunes stores it's database, apps, music, videos, etc will be on the NAS instead of on my local PC.
However, to access your music and videos on apple devices through the native apps you still need to synchronise via iTunes so it will copy the files to your device. This of course means that you cannot access all your music/videos from your iPad/iPhone if you have a large volume of media as it will not all fit.
The only way to access all your media from your ipad/iPhone is to use non-Apple apps. For example my NAS drive comes with an app that plays music and will access it all directly from the NAS. And I'm sure here are a number of third party apps that will do the same.
So basically, my advice to you is to ignore the iTunes server, it is a complete waste and I feel sorry for the developers who built it, and third party companies such as those selling these NAS drives should stop using it as a marketing tool for their own products as it also reflects badly on them (in my opinion anyway).

 

 

External Links to open a New tab

Internal vs. External Links

With Grateful thanks to Marianne......

Links that take users to another page on the same website are internal links. Internal links should never open in new browser tabs, but rather the same tab the user is on. Opening new tabs of the same website is redundant and confusing for users. If it’s the same website but a different page, the site’s navigation menu is still visible to users. They can simply use the menu to navigate back or elsewhere if they need. Keeping users in the same tab also helps them better understand the navigation flow of your site. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to open new tabs if the links take users to the same website.

External links, however, should open in new tabs. These links take users to a different website. Many designers make the mistake of opening external links in the same tab. There are many problems with this that designers need to know about, you are left with no return if you close the external link page. To retain an open tab back to your site use the

All you have to do is add "target=_blank" right after the URL to which you are linking. This opens a brand new tab and a new window. To get back to your site, all your visitor has to do is click the tab with your site open.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, "I can use that all the time!" If you use this code on every single one of your links that simply links to another page in your site, then the visitor will wind up having several of your site's pages open in several different tabs and windows.

While you might think that's a great way to allow an easy means for your visitors to go back to already visited pages, your visitors might view that as an extreme annoyance. If each of your links opens a new window that means your visitor will have to close each of those new windows. The annoyance factor on that alone could drive the visitor away from your site forever.

If you are concerned that your visitor is a web newbie and they aren't sure about the Back button, then by all means make sure that you have links on your page so that the visitor can easily find their way back to where they were. Once upon a time, many sites relied on breadcrumb trails so that a visitor could visually see, and click, back to where they were.

This practice died off due to many questions on the trails purpose and how they worked. The best practice is to ensure that you have clear and obvious links along either the top of the page or running along the left side of the page. That way, the visitor does not need the Back button, you don't need an unintentionally confusing breadcrumb path and you most certainly do not need to use "target=_blank" for each and every link.

Use "target=_blank" judiciously and only for links that take your visitor to other sites. 

Open a Page in a New Window

To have a link in which, when a viewer presses it, will open a page in a new window, you need to listen to this:
Insert something like this: within < and> of course. I can't type that here as it will convert the coding to the link only as open google in a new page. what you want is target=_blank.

A HREF="http://www.google.com/" TARGET="_blank">Open Google in a New Window

And look at what happens:
Open Google in a New Window
You see?

Back-Button Fatigue
When you open external links in the same tab, you create back-button fatigue for users. Every time the user goes to an external website they have to hit the back button to go back to your website. If they decide to click the links on the other website, they have to hit the back button even more times to get back to your site. This is a lot of unnecessary work for users.
Opening an external link in a new tab allows users to explore the other site as much as they want without having to hit the back button again and again to go back to your site. All they need to do is click the tab your site is on. There’s no excessive back-button pressing or long wait times.