Flowing Fix: Quickly share a large file via your browser

At some point in time, you might find you need to transfer a large file. There are numerous file-sharing services (Dropbox, Google Drive, Box.com, Amazon Drive, etc.) however if you need to quickly send a file without uploading it to a central server first, File Pizza delivers.

File Pizza is a peer-to-peer file transfer via browser (nothing needs to be installed and it just works), the only caveat is since the transfer is directly between sender and receiver (no middle server for the file to be uploaded to), both sender and receiver need to be online at the same time. It is very convenient for one-off file shares, not for a persistent link that people can download at any time.

File Pizza (your files delivered)
https://file.pizza/



More details via the https://github.com/kern/filepizza website:
"Using WebRTC, FilePizza eliminates the initial upload step required by other web-based file sharing services. When senders initialize a transfer, they receive a "tempalink" they can distribute to recipients. Upon visiting this link, recipients' browsers connect directly to the sender’s browser and may begin downloading the selected file. Because data is never stored in an intermediary server, the transfer is fast, private, and secure."

Flowing Fix: How to quickly mirror your data to a second hard drive

Robust File Copy (or Robocopy)  is a command-line command to replicate directories. It is a standard feature in Windows since Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

To help us use  the "robocopy" command more readily we create simple batch files

1) In Windows, open Notepad and enter the following information into the new text file:


set log=C:\tmp\LogName.log
set opts=/NP /XJ /R:0 /COPY:DAT /E /LOG+:%log% /TEE
del /F /Q %log%
robocopy "C:\yourSourceFolder" "F:\yourDestinationFolder" %opts%

Note: "C:\yourSourceFolder"  and "F:\yourDestinationFolder" should be replaced with your source and destination folders. 

2) Then, save this text file and change the extension to ".bat" to create a DOS batch file.

3) To run, just double click on the .bat file

About the batch file you just created:

First line: defines the name and location to store the log file.

Second line: sets the options required to mirror the data 

     /NP -  turns off the progress of copying of the copying operation

     /XJ  -  excludes junction points (important for user folders on Windows 7, etc.)

     /R:0  -  sets the retries for failed copies to zero

     /COPY:DAT  -  Specifies the file properties to be copied, DAT is Data, Attributes, and Time stamps

     /E  -  Copies subdirectories (including empty directories)

     /LOG+:  -  Writes the status output to the log file (appends the output to the existing log file)

     /TEE  -  Writes the status output to the console window, as well as to the log file.

Third line: deletes the log file before running.

Fourth line: executes "robocopy" to copy the data from "C:\yourSourceFolder" to "F:\yourDestinationFolder" using the options provide on line two of the batch file.

For more information about robocopy and list of options refer to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc733145(v=ws.10).aspx

Help! My Access Database Is Locked!

When a Microsoft Access database is opened, the database engine (known as the JET engine) creates a lock file aka the LDB file.  These LDB files are a known format and contain information about who has opened the database.  This can be useful in certain situations.

Let's say that you use ArcGIS, which can use Access databases for the backend.  You opened the database using ArcGIS and you want to make some changes to the schema.  But ArcGIS won't let you because the schema is locked.  Help!  What can you do?  Enter the LDB File Viewer program.  Simply open the program, drag a LDB file onto the programs window, and it will tell you which computer has the database locked.

Get it!

For completeness sake, the source code is in C# and is as follows:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;

namespace AccessLockFileViewer
{
  public partial class AccessLockFileViewer : Form
  {
    public AccessLockFileViewer(string[] files)
    {
      InitializeComponent();
      if (files != null && files.Length > 0)
      {
        this.textBox1.Text = ParseFile(files[0]);
      }
    }

    private void Form1_DragDrop(object sender, DragEventArgs e)
    {
      if (e.Data.GetDataPresent(DataFormats.FileDrop))
      {
        string[] files = (string[])(e.Data.GetData(DataFormats.FileDrop));
        foreach (var file in files)
        {
          string text = ParseFile(file);
          this.textBox1.Text += text;
        }
      }
    }

    string ParseFile(string file)
    {
      /*
       *  For each person who opens a shared database, the Jet database engine writes an
       *  entry in the .ldb file of the database. The size of each .ldb entry is 64 bytes.
       *  The first 32 bytes contain the computer name (such as JohnDoe). The second
       *  32 bytes contain the security name (such as Admin). The maximum number of
       *  concurrent users that the Jet database engine supports is 255. Therefore, the
       *  .ldb file size is never larger than 16 kilobytes.
       */
      using (var stream = new FileStream(file, FileMode.Open))
      {
        BinaryReader reader = new BinaryReader(stream);
        string text = "";
        for (int i = 0; i < reader.BaseStream.Length; i += 64)
        {
          byte[] bin = reader.ReadBytes(32);
          StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
          for (int b = 0; b < 32; b++)
          {
            if (bin[b] == 0)
            {
              break;
            }
            sb.Append((char)bin[b]);
          }
          string user = sb.ToString();


          bin = reader.ReadBytes(32);
          sb = new StringBuilder();
          for (int b = 0; b < 32; b++)
          {
            if (bin[b] == 0)
            {
              break;
            }
            sb.Append((char)bin[b]);
          }
          text += sb.ToString() + "@" + user + "\r\n";
        }
        stream.Close();

        return text;
      }
    }

    private void Form1_DragEnter(object sender, DragEventArgs e)
    {
      if (e.Data.GetDataPresent(DataFormats.FileDrop))
      {
        e.Effect = DragDropEffects.Copy;
      }
      else
      {
        e.Effect = DragDropEffects.None;
      }
    }

    #region Windows Forms Code

    /// 

    /// Required designer variable.
    /// 
    private System.ComponentModel.IContainer components = null;

    /// 

    /// Clean up any resources being used.
    /// 
    /// true if managed resources should be disposed; otherwise, false.
    protected override void Dispose(bool disposing)
    {
      if (disposing && (components != null))
      {
        components.Dispose();
      }
      base.Dispose(disposing);
    }

    #region Windows Form Designer generated code

    /// 

    /// Required method for Designer support - do not modify
    /// the contents of this method with the code editor.
    /// 
    private void InitializeComponent()
    {
      this.textBox1 = new System.Windows.Forms.TextBox();
      this.SuspendLayout();
      // 
      // textBox1
      // 
      this.textBox1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(13, 13);
      this.textBox1.Multiline = true;
      this.textBox1.Name = "textBox1";
      this.textBox1.ReadOnly = true;
      this.textBox1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(290, 202);
      this.textBox1.TabIndex = 0;
      // 
      // AccessLockFileViewer
      // 
      this.AllowDrop = true;
      this.AutoScaleDimensions = new System.Drawing.SizeF(6F, 13F);
      this.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font;
      this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(317, 230);
      this.Controls.Add(this.textBox1);
      this.Name = "AccessLockFileViewer";
      this.Text = "LDB File Viewer";
      this.DragDrop += new System.Windows.Forms.DragEventHandler(this.Form1_DragDrop);
      this.DragEnter += new System.Windows.Forms.DragEventHandler(this.Form1_DragEnter);
      this.ResumeLayout(false);
      this.PerformLayout();

    }

    #endregion

    private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox textBox1;

    #endregion

  }

  static class Program
  {
    /// 

    /// The main entry point for the application.
    /// 
    [STAThread]
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      Application.EnableVisualStyles();
      Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);
      Application.Run(new AccessLockFileViewer(args));
    }
  }
}

Flowing Fix: Accessing the Library folder on Mac OS 10.7+

On Mac OS X (10.7) the "Library" folder is no longer in the dropdown list of the "Go" menu in Finder.  To enable view the "Library" folder in the list:
hold down the Alt key while view at the dropdown listing in the "Go" menu, the folder should appear in the list.

for more information refer to
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20111103174815203

Flowing Fix: Web based services to help schedule meetings and resources

Doodle (web based)   http://doodle.com/:
Web based scheduling service that lets you ( and others) easily schedule appointments.  Integrates with existing digital calendars ( iCal, Outlook, Google, etc.) and allows users to select best times for meetings.

WhenIsGood (web based) http://whenisgood.net/ :
Another option for quick determining what meeting time is good for everyone.

YouCanBook.Me (web based) http://youcanbook.me/ :
Free version of the service allows you to link to one of your calendars (e.g., a Google Calendar) and allows users to schedule resources.  The service has numerous ways to customize the interface as well as auto-responses reminders to those that signed up and the host.  We use it to allow student to reserve survey equipment during the semester. It works wonderfully.

(all of the above site are Freemium based, i.e., the services are provided free of charge, but a premium is charged for the more advanced features)

Flowing Fix: Repair and Rebuild the iPhoto Library

If iPhoto has been acting up on you, you might need to rebuild the library.  To get to the the rebuild menu, press and hold the Command and Option keys when clicking the iPhoto icon to launch the application.

For more details of which options to select, refer to this website:
http://cybernetnews.com/repair-restore-rebuild-iphoto-library/

iBackup: backup select files and folders

iBackup (Mac OS X only) http://www.grapefruit.ch/iBackup/downloads.html
Although Mac OS X has Time machine for general computer backups, sometimes you just want to select certain file and folder to backup to another location.

Oops, I didn't save my Excel or Word file

On Windows:
Ever forget to save an Excel file, exit Excel, and then press "No" to the Save prompt?  Here's what you can do to recover your file if that happens (this is for Office 2010).

Open Excel, go to File, then click on Options.  Click on the Save section, and find the AutoRecover file location and copy it (this method will only work if you have the "Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving" option checked).  Open Windows Explorer, paste that in.  Any autosaved versions of your file will be listed there.

On Mac:
(via http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/recovering-autorecover-files-in-word-for-mac-2011.html )

Recovering AutoRecover Files in Word for Mac 2011

By Geetesh Bajaj and James Gordon

If your power goes out or your computer malfunctions when working on an Word for Mac 2011 document, all you have to do is open the application again. Word 2011 for Mac looks for and opens any AutoRecover files for the document(s) that you were working on when an unexpected crash occurred. Your document opens with “Recovered” appended to the filename. Choose File→Save As from the menu bar to restore the original filename and location.

Word for Mac can recover files that were open because, by default, Word autosaves your document every ten minutes while you’re working on it. If you want, you can change the save time interval within the AutoRecover setting as follows:

1. Choose Word→Preferences→Save from the menu bar.
   Word’s Save preferences are displayed.
   
2. Change the number of minutes in the Save AutoRecover Info Every: [X] Minutes setting.
   The default is 10 minutes. Entering a lower number saves more often, but you may notice Word is more sluggish when it saves so often. Entering a higher number may make Word perform better, but you may lose more changes if a power outage or computer crash occurs.
   You can deselect this check box if you don’t want Word to save an AutoRecover file. You might do this for extremely large documents that take a long time to save. Of course, if you experience a power outage or computer crash, you will lose all your changes since the last time you manually saved the file.
   You don’t need to select the Always Create Backup Copy check box. With AutoRecover and Time Machine, the bases are covered. The option is there only for backward compatibility.
3. Click OK when you're finished.

Rarely, Word might not automatically display the AutoRecover file for the document(s) you were working on the next time you open Word. In that case, do the following in Word to open the AutoRecover file:

1. Choose File→Open from the menu bar.
2. Type AutoRecover or type a keyword or phrase in the Spotlight Search box in the top-right corner of the Open dialog.
3. Double-click the most recently saved AutoRecover file, or select the file and click Open. If you did a keyword or phrase search, use the Last Opened information to help you choose a likely file to open.
   If the file you want is grayed-out, choose All Files in the Enable pop-up menu, which allows you to open any file type.

You can also use Mac OS X Time Machine to recover any file that you’ve saved at least once. When you use Word for Mac, it’s nearly impossible to lose more than a few minutes’ worth of work thanks to AutoRecover and Time Machine.

Picasa by Google

Picasa: (http://picasa.google.com/ )
Organize, edit, and share your photos.  Many powerful features like face detection, GPS tagging, Google Earth connectivity, and more.

Additional resource to learn how to use it

http://geeksontour.tv/learning-library/picasa/

iPackr Previews and Unzips Archives on OS X [File Compression]

iPackr Previews and Unzips Archives on OS X [File Compression]:

Mac only: iPackr is a free Mac app that, unlike many other unarchivers for OS X, gives you the option to preview and manually extract the files in an archive. More »

Flowing Fix (via Google help forms): Resetting a form in Google docs

via 

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Docs/thread?tid=2f493804c067249c&hl=en

Popular answer by ahab

luxtitan,

I theory there is a way to reset the number of submits used by the summary back to 0, but you should first test it on a copy
of your spreadsheet!

Very Important! Make sure when doing so the sheet the submits should go to is the leftmost of your sheets!

So use the following steps:

0) Move the sheet that should receive the form submits to the far left of your sheets, select this sheet and go to the Form tab.

Important: Should you omit this step the form may become reconnected to the wrong sheet!

1) Open the form editor, this will show the current form. Leave the form editor open!
2) Go back to the spreadheet and delete the form (Form->Delete form), wait a little bit and check in the spreadsheet the form menu item now reads plain Form , i.e without any counter after Form.
3) Go back to the form editor which you left open, edit one of the questions, but make no changes to it, just click Done.
4) Still in the Form editor, click on Save; in the spreadsheet on the Form menu check it says now Form (0).

5) Close the Form editor

This is an unofficial workaround and you should use it at your own risk and always try and test the method on a copy of your spreadsheet; I tried this and got it working in IE6 Win XP, but other browsers / versions / operation systems may give a different result.

Note: the above method may also be used the make the form reassociate to the sheet; as a result the questions and the headers in the submits receiving sheet will have the same order and they way the submits go to the columns will be re-eastablised; questions submitted by the form should now go to the appropriate columns as indicated by the headers.

IMHO the Google Docs spreadsheets team should make this an option in the Form menu; if possible without the need to make the submits receiving sheet the leftmost one in the spreadsheet while doing the reset.

Flowing Fix (via http://www.tuaw.com): How to find the Library folder in OS X Lion?

The flowing is from http://www.tuaw.com

Mac 101: Easily show the user Library folder in Lion:



More Mac 101, tips and tricks for novice Mac users.


Those of you who've explored your Finder a little bit in OS X 10.6 or prior might have noticed a folder in your user folder called "Library." The Library folder houses all sorts of files needed to keep your user account running smoothly. Many of these files are created automatically by apps on your Mac -- like preferences and settings on how you want a certain app to look or run. Other files inside the Library folder include screen savers and widgets and, well, a ton of things you'll never need to worry about but are pretty much essential to having a healthy Mac.


In OS X 10.7 Lion Apple decided to hide the user's Library folder (although not the root Library folder on the top level of the hard drive). The primary reason Apple did this is so users couldn't easily go into the folder and delete important files needed by apps or OS X itself. This became all the more important after Apple introduced the Mac App Store. Files inside the Library folder allow you to delete an app, then re-download it at a later date while retaining all the settings it had the last time it was on your Mac.


If you want to see the contents of the Library folder, there are actually several ways to do it; for simplicity's sake, we're going to show you the easiest, non-techie way, courtesy of the folks at CreativeBits:

1. 
   In the Finder, select the Go menu from the menu bar at the top of your screen. You'll notice a list of folders across your system such as Desktop, Downloads, Home, etc.


2. 
   While the Go menu is displayed, hold down the option key on your keyboard. Like magic, the Library folder will appear between the Home and Computer folders. Click on it to open a Finder window displaying all of the files inside your Library folder.

Again, if you're not too familiar with the contents of the Library folder it's best to leave what's in there alone. However, it doesn't hurt to explore the folder and see how some essential files are arranged and stored on your system.

Mac 101: Easily show the user Library folder in Lion originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bulk Renamer

Bulk Renamer (MS Windows Only):
http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Main_Intro.php

This is another file renamer.  I like this one a lot because it does things that other renamers don't.  At least that's what I remember when I was searching for renamers.

NameChanger

NameChanger (Mac OS X):  http://www.mrrsoftware.com/MRRSoftware/NameChanger.html
Free software designed to help batch renaming of file and folders quickly and with ease.  Among various renaming options, the software supports regular expressions, mismatched files types, and formatting changes.

Lupas Rename 2000

Lupas Rename 2000 (MS Windows): http://rename.lupasfreeware.org/lupasrename.php
Simple and powerful program to help rename file and folders.  In addition to being free, the software is just a simple ".exe" that does not require installation, so it is small and extremely portable.  Perhaps one of the programs that should be handy on a USB drive.

SyncToy

SyncToy (MS Windows only) http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=15155 :
Easy to use program to backup files