I’ve had my laptop, an HP Compaq CQ40-340TU, for almost 3 years now and, to be quite honest, it’s been mostly problematic using this after the first 8-10 months. It’s supposed to run on Windows Vista, but it was running too slowly so I had to downgrade the operating system to XP SP 3 (which is why I didn’t bring it in for repair.. plus this was purchased in Cebu ). I even wrote a tutorial on how to slipstream the SATA drivers and how to complete the whole downgrade process on my other blog. Since I was only using compatible drivers, eventually, everything else started failing.

I’ve long wanted to throw this one out or sell this. However, when I decided to restore this back into shape a couple of weeks ago, it actually cooperated and worked almost seamlessly. ALMOST. I had ONE tiny little problem – the F1 key got stuck.

Yeah, it’ll open up tens to hundreds windows of the Help Center. Since I disabled most of the Startup applications here, including Help Center because I don’t think anyone actually still uses it, it only opened up multiple instances of dialogue windows. It pissed me off bad enough that I had to finally resort to disabling it for good.

No, it’s not that there’s anything wrong with the hinges of the F1 key. I had to remove it completely and tried all sorts of things to disable it physically from being pressed, but it didn’t work. What sucks is it will slow down the whole bootup because it’ll continuously give the command to open my computer’s system information window. So, I searched for a way to tweak the registry to disable the F1 key completely and found a solution to my problem – Key Tweak.

Key Tweak actually works by editing the registry so you can map the keys or to reassign them. I’ve tried to do the registry editing manually to no avail. I tried 2 other applications before this, and they didn’t work as effectively.

So, how do you use this to disable any key on your keyboard? Read on.

Disclaimer: Please make sure you backup your registry before doing this. I cannot be blamed for any damage this software may cause on your computer. It worked for me and I sure hope it’ll work for you too.

Who Should Use Key Tweak?

Why would anyone use this program to disable keys? It can be for some various reasons:

• You got one or more keys that are stuck.
• Some of your keys are no longer functioning properly.
• You hate accidentally pressing function keys when playing games, etc.
• You want to assign / remap different tasks on the function keys or your any other key.
• You have a persistently problematic laptop like mine.
• You want to play a prank on someone else.

Key Tweak will edit this registry entry for you:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout

Again, I suggest you backup your registry first before continuing to the step-by-step procedures.

(more…)

I was checking and updating my WordPress blogs earlier when I saw this message that ShoutMix free chat box is “currently” unavailable.

I clicked on the link and I was directed to this page where Snecx Tan, the owner and creator of the chat box service ShoutMix, shared, through an open letter, that they can no longer continue the free service because it is no longer sustainable.

They said they’ve tried everything and wouldn’t want to impose popup ads like their competitors (they could only mean CBox, right? ). This was actually the main reason why I switched from cBox to ShoutMix – no annoying popup ads.

Most of the bloggers I know have a chat box on their sidebars where they get to quickly respond to their blogs’ visitors. I find it a convenient way for those who are not familiar with the commenting system to send me messages (though I would prefer they use the contact page since there’s a form they can use and my email address is also posted there).

Now, upon searching for an alternative for ShoutMix, the closest I got was cBox. I’m not willing to shell out $0.99 per month for a chat box I don’t really use as often as my email. But, if you’re one of those who use it a lot, then I recommend you upgrade.

Alternative Chat Box Plugin for WordPress Users

For WordPress users like me, there’s actually a cool plugin you can setup on your sidebar and it’ll be your very own chatbox. It uses your commenting system, but it will be setup as a sidebar widget. It’s WP Wall.

I used it on a client’s site. I liked the fact that I can completely change how it looks. I implemented it as a message wall and it’s now displayed on the main contents part of one of the pages on their site instead of the sidebar. Here’s how it looks like:

Oh, how I love WordPress!

You can fully customize CSS file wp-wall.css to your liking. Plus, it’s updated real-time, meaning you don’t have to refresh the page to see the new messages. You can see IP address of the poster, the time they posted the comment on your dashboard so you can easily moderate them too. Cool, eh? These options were for premium or pro plans on ShoutMix so it’s great that they’re available for free from WP Wall.

I’ll be setting this up on my other blogs (Update: I just implemented this at the footer section of this blog). I wish I can find something like this on my Blogger blog.

Found any alternative for ShoutMix you’d like to share with me? Feel free to leave the links in the comments section.

ShoutMix should remove the misleading message that the free plan is “currently unavailable” since they’re no longer offering it for free. It should read “free plan is no longer offered”.

I have already blogged about why you should switch to Windows Live Writer for your offline and even online blogging editing needs. I also posted a guide on how to setup Windows Live Writer. Now, let me share with you a couple of the errors you might encounter while using this awesome blog post editor.

I have been using WLW for over a year now and I’ve encountered a couple of errors that I managed to fix myself and with a little help of Google. One of the worst problems I experienced was getting this Error 501 whenever I edit the font style.

This error came as a surprise since I didn’t change anything with my internet options. I can’t really remember if I installed something that should mess with the settings, but for some reason, I started getting this error.

(more…)

I hope my previous post about Windows Live Writer has convinced you to switch to this offline blog post editor. It’s my MOST important tool in blogging and has been truly helpful in making me want to write more.

Since I’ve been vocal about how much I love WLW, people have asked me to write a guide on how to set it up. I’ve put that off long enough so here’s a tutorial on how to setup Windows Live Writer for your blogging needs. This is part 2 of my series of posts on WLW, by the way. Stay tuned for the rest.

Requirements:

• WLW, obviously, only works for Windows operating systems (XP, 7 and Vista).
• A WordPress or Blogger blog. At least this tutorial is a guide for both platforms.
• An internet connection is needed for the initial setup. After which, you can start writing offline.
• Since WLW isn’t really a memory-hogging program, you don’t need a kick-ass computer to install and use it.
• If you are a WordPress user, make sure you have enabled XML-RPC publishing in your settings. Once logged in on your WordPress blog, go to Settings –> Writing –> Scroll down to Remote Publishing and then check “Enable the WordPress, Movable Type, MetaWeblog and Blogger XML-RPC publishing protocols.” as shown below:

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Below are the download links again for Windows Live Writer.

• For Windows XP users
• For Windows 7 and Vista users

(more…)

For the past 5 years, I’ve always been in front of the computer because of work and, yes, Facebook . Since majority of my jobs now are online or done on my laptop, I wanted to make sure I maximize my time and that I’m as productive as can be. So, to increase my efficiency, I searched high and low for programs that can help me perform tasks more quickly. One of those applications is Unlocker. I seriously can’t live without this file management app.

I know almost all Windows users out there have encountered any or all of these error messages:

When moving a file or folder that I recently accessed, I get this error, especially when I’ve got too many applications running in the background. Unlocker makes it easy for me to get rid of this error without having to restart or close Explorer.

I get this error when I’m using “Safely Remove” feature on my external hard drive with multiple programs running. Again, Unlocker helps me rid of this error.

Unlocker is a light file management software. Best of all, you can download and use this for FREE.

It’s very powerful and completely useful for Windows users like me. It can help you deal with other errors like the following:

• “The source or destination file may be in use.”
• “Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.”
• “Cannot delete file: Access is denied.”

Once installed, you can right-click on a file or folder, or even the whole drive, to unlock it.

(more…)