Storing Techtips

[Paleo Pete]

Thanks Mosaic, I like 'em too...I knew about the printing in DOS because I've done it with my XT and a Dot Matrix printer many times. (Desk Jet & Laser Jet work fine too in DOS.) I always install mouse drivers into autoexec.bat so I have it, even though I use keyboard as much as mouse in DOS.

I posted this tip in another forum, but thought it might be useful for the purposes of folks interested in this thread, so I'll put it here too:

I use notepad a lot, so I drop an icon on the quick launch bar for it. Here's how I do it:
Open a Notepad file, save it (empty) as notes.txt, in My Documents. Then create a shortcut, drag and drop it onto the quick launch bar. Leave the original shortcut in My Documents.

Now you have quick access to notepad without going all the way through the start menu. One click and it's open. Save any files you create or copy & paste with a different name, so the notes.txt file is always empty when you open it.

Limerick: I know Notepad has a 64K limit, but didn't know cardfile did...never used it...



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How come the gene pool has no lifeguard?

[Paleo Pete]

Thanks mosaic, sounds good. I never put anything but the necessities on my desktop, I use the start menu for everything, except the programs I use a whole lot. anything I need I put on the quick launch bar, then I don't have to shrink 4 windows to access it. Plus I don't like a cluttered desktop. Think I have 9 icons right now...never have had more than about 12 or so.



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How come the gene pool has no lifeguard?

[PCSolutions]

Rmbox turned me on to AZZCard
I like it a LOT!
Its well worth the $12 registration!
I think its slick!
Thank You rmbox! Theres always a better way to do things!

[NorthernBloke]

Simple...

a simple indexed book, a scrappy ring binder, and an over used laptop with the best database you'll ever witness (4th dimension), put to its least beneficial use.

I also scramble useful info up, shovel it into my mind, spit out the good bits, and make an arse out of the leftovers.

[rmbox]

You're welcome PCSolutions.

I agree that it's well worth the small amount of money that they are asking.
I started using it when the 1.6 was the newest version.
I've been planning to upgrade to the newer much slicker 2.2.

I hope you got a chance to download the other proggie.
You may not use it a lot, but when needed, it can be a real time saver when placed in the SendTo.

.

[Vernon Frazee]

Personally, I use Netscape Mail (i.e., simply mail the page to yourself) because its Search feature works so well. I can also access the raw-text files that Netscape stores them in using my favorite DOS-based utilities (like LIST, KWS, type|find etc.). There are currently 232 files full of all kinds of Tips in 72 directories totaling 505,346,388 bytes on my main system. A bit more, maybe another 100MB worth, is also available on other systems on my network. I've been gathering/maintaining this type of info since way back in '84 or so. Used to print everything out too but slowly learned that not only was it a heck of a lot cheaper, it was much faster to have a computer search for something than it was for me to try and find it by visually browsing through literally reams of paper.

[PCSolutions]

I was just curious about others store offline techtips & info
I have gotten great input
Thank you all
Every one!
I think that the best thing is maybe the brain
Unfortunately the human mind forgets things.
Especially the really obscure things
I think this is a really good topic for further technical discusssion.
I posted it in the DOS forum because I thought of it & its a good topic
Thank you all yery much!
Very good ideas & input. That is the purpose of this forum!

[meddjay]

This is how it went for me:
- Got the computer, got it up and running some 5 hours later
- Got on the internet
- Started having problems with computer and the internet
- Called tech support, oops can't call tech support...on line
- Turn off computer, call tech support
- Tech talks to me like I have two phone lines or two computers or something...geez!
- Turn computer back on, try fix suggested, doesn't work, turn off computer, call tech support again, get different tech have to explain problem again
- Turn off computer, oops I mean turn off phone, no wait, hang up phone, turn on computer, try fix....
- Get pissed, get frustrated, imagine what computer would look like as it smashed up against the wall, hmmmm new art form!?
- Don't wait for computer to power down, turn it off at switch (well, it's ALREADY BROKEN...GEEZ)go to bed.
- Call phone company next day, get another line.
- Go to library, all computer books ever written anywhere, in the world, on the problem you are having, are all checked out by the some kid in your neighborhood. And of course they won't tell you who it is (the privacy thing ya know)
-Try a thrift store....Yeah, RIGHT!
- Go to bookstore, see price tags, wonder if anyone would notice the big square lump under shirt.
- Picture pops into head of new roommate "Bubba", walk out door.
- Twelve year old friend of my twelve year old daughter, fixes my computer in 10.7 seconds flat ("oh, so you say that is a NEW world record...and any moron could do it?")
-You "kind of sort of" forget to move the bike parked strategically behind your SUV! ("Oops, oh I AM terribly sorry, and after you were so nice to help me fix my computer!")

I did try at one time, to print out all the tech tips I had been recieving and put them in a nice new shiny notebook. All cross-referenced and catergorized, stayed up all night doing that one. Went to find them and they were gone, vanished. Did the dog eat them?, Was I that tired I couldn't remember what I did with them? Did they get thrown out in the recycle bin with all the other paper? So now I use a voice activated recorder, I have different tapes with different OS's etc on them etc., so now I just pop in tape and there are all my tips about whatever I am working on. I got a phone call from that 12 year olds mom, she wanted to tell me how proud she was of her kid, who got extra credit in computer class for handing in a whole notebook on computer tech tips...imagine that!

[mrbreaker]

This one is made to order. You store your text and links in a outline format. Steve Gibson uses and recommends it. Tight code (427k).
I've been using it for an hour,looks promising.
Its called Vault.
You can get the shareware version here: http://www.personalmicrocosms.com/html/32bit.html

Has a search feature, beats searching through a pile on your desk.

mrbreaker