Running a business for yourself means you have to be inventive and always on the lookout for a new and better way to get things done.

Innovation junkies, take note: the Internet has a lot to offer. From invoicing to marketing, these are tools that freelancers need to know about.

The Freelancer’s Toolset: 100 Web Apps for Everything You Will Possibly Need : Codswallop

I often need to type characters that aren’t on the keyboard, like ½ ÷ © ¥ or ¢.




On Mac, they’re done with the [option] key, but not always intuitive. For example: © is [option]-G and £ is [option]-3. I never did memorize all of these combinations, but there’s a nice cheat sheet of Mac accent codes, here.




On Windows, it’s horrible. You need a separate numeric keypad on your keyboard, then you use the [Alt] key plus a 4-digit unicode number to create the character. For example: © is [Alt]-0169 and £ is [Alt]-0163. See Windows alt codes, here.




On Linux, though, they have the most brilliant intuitive way of doing this:




You pick a key on your keyboard you don’t use much, like [Insert], [CapsLock], or [menu], and make it the “compose key”.




Then to make any character, you just hit the compose key, then type the two obvious keys that, when combined, make up the character.




For example:




* To get ©, just type c then o (Get it? It’s like drawing. The letter c, then a circle.)


* To get £, just type L then - (like L with a line through it.)


* To get ¥, just type Y then =


* ¢ is c then |


* ÷ is - then :


* ½ is 1 then 2


* ñ is n then ~






It’s like drawing with your keyboard!

Linux Compose Key | Derek Sivers

Windows XP is designed to be compatible with the broadest possible amount of hardware and software. As a result, more operating system services than necessary are started or modules you don’t need are loaded.
This can lead to problems; in extreme cases, installation can take hours, lots of unwanted and sometimes useless programs and services are installed and the user interface is optimised simply to look pretty. All this can be to the detriment of system performance and reliability.

If you’ve installed Windows XP a couple of times, you’ll be familiar with the amount of time you need to spend customising it to your requirements – installing up-to-date drivers and getting rid of unnecessary ballast, with the aim of creating a fast, slim and secure operating system from the resource-gobbling monster that is the default Windows XP.

Nlite to the rescueOne easy way to get to the root of the problem is to use the freeware program Nlite to create a made-to-measure Windows XP installation CD. The biggest benefit of this is the almost endless configuration options this procedure offers.

Whether you are talking about integrating service packs, hotfixes and drivers, removing unwanted components or adding Registry tweaks, you can use this remarkable little program to create your own personalised XP installation CD.

The software, which is just 1.37MB in size, is available on the Nlite website. We used version 1 Beta 6 and, despite its beta status, it gave us no problems.

The program has since moved to Release Candidate 5 status. The program is only free for non-commercial personal use.

The big benefit of this free software is its modular construction: you don’t have to perform all the XP modifications shown in this feature in the sequence shown.

You can use the program’s main menu to decide exactly which XP components you want to include on your personalised installation CD and which to leave out.

This makes it possible, for example, to make updated Windows XP CDs that include hotfixes, altered system settings, or with unwanted XP components left out.

You do need about three hours and a bit of patience to use this utility effectively. Whatever you do, make sure after creating your Mini XP CD you take time to test it.

To test your customised CD, use an empty partition or separate hard disk to reduce the risk of losing your data. Alternatively, it’s an ideal use for software like Microsoft Virtual PC or Vmware Workstation.
You can use virtual PCs created with these utilities to carry out a risk-free installation of the Nlite-modified XP version. You don’t even have to burn a CD or DVD, as both Virtual PC and VMware can use ISO image files directly to install the OS.

Whichever route you take, you’ll need a valid Windows XP licence key, and the installation will still be subject to the Microsoft licensing and product activation requirements.

Feature: Improve Windows XP and boost performance - Personal Computer World

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You're probably familiar with the popular proprietary commercial package Norton Ghost®, and its OpenSource counterpart, Partition Image. The problem with these software packages is that it takes a lot of time to massively clone systems to many computers. You've probably also heard of Symantec's solution to this problem, Symantec Ghost Corporate Edition® with multicasting. Well, now there is an OpenSource clone system (OCS) solution called Clonezilla with unicasting and multicasting!

Clonezilla, based on DRBL, partclone, Partition Image, ntfsclone and udpcast, allows you to do bare metal backup and recovery. Two types of Clonezilla are available, Clonezilla live and Clonezilla SE (server edition). Clonezilla live is suitable for single machine backup and restore. While Clonezilla SE is for massive deployment, it can clone many (40 plus!) computers simultaneously. Clonezilla saves and restores only used blocks in the harddisk. This increases the clone efficiency. At the NCHC's Classroom C, Clonezilla SE was used to clone 41 computers simultaneously. It took only about 10 minutes to clone a 5.6 GBytes system image to all 41 computers via multicasting!

Clonezilla

Copywhiz was formerly known as 'Piky Basket'.

Copywhiz enhances your file copy experience in Windows. It offers more flexibility when copying files by letting you choose which type of files to copy & which to ignore.

With its popular collect & paste-at-once feature, Copywhiz lets you pick files from different folders and paste them all together.

Highlights

Download (Free Trial) | Features

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• 
  

  Gain Control

  Copywhiz allows you to copy only new or modified files or copy files based on file name or extension. You have the complete control.
• 
  

  Save Time

  Copywhiz lets you collect files from different folders and paste them all together. Saves time & effort.
• 
  

  Play Safe

  When a duplicate file is found, Copywhiz allows you to replace the existing file if it is older or rename the file before copying the new file.
• 
  

  Operate Hands-Free

  Use Copywhiz command line options to automate file copy tasks. Copy files to multiple computers or multiple folders in a single click.

• 
  

  Enjoy Convenience

  Use Copywhiz right from within Windows Explorer. Also supports other file managers like Total Commander, xplorer2 , Directory Opus (dopus), RecentX, XYPlorer & ExplorerXP.
• 
  

  Be Right The First Time

  Review list of files that will actually be copied. Ensure that no important file is left behind & no unnecessary file is copied.
• 
  

  Stay Relaxed

  Copywhiz lets you retry or skip a file on error. It does not stop abruptly if a file is in use or if the disk is full.
• 
  

  Save The Effort

  Wish to copy the same set of files again? Just save the list in Copywhiz & re-use it in future.

Copywhiz (Piky Basket): Efficient ways of copying files on Windows (7/Vista/XP) - Copywhiz: Flexible file copy program for Windows 7/Vista/XP

I just posted about how one can attain a 90 day trial of Windows 7 Enterprise to see if you really want to purchase Win7 or not. In the post I mentioned to install Windows 7 Enterprise you will need to put the .ISO you download on a DVD or on a bootable USB. Now I figure I should explain how to create a bootable USB.
For the longest time trying to install Windows from a USB was a pain. You had to do this, do that, blah, blah. However recently freeware programs have been created to help make this task easier. Today I am going to tell you about two of such programs.

How to: install Windows (any version from XP to Win7) from a USB/flash drive | dotTech

One of the main reasons why you would want to collect installed drivers is if you don’t have the Driver CD that came with the computer or they are unavailable online. This comes in quite handy if you purchase a computer and want to backup the initial set of drivers. It can be quite difficulty for example to find drivers for hardware installed in a notebook if the operating system has to be setup again. Luckily Double Driver can now lend you a hand with that and save you a lot of time.

Double Driver is a very simple and useful tool which not only allows you to view all the drivers installed on your system but also allows you to backup, restore, save and print all chosen drivers.

Double Driver analyzes your system and lists the most important driver details such as version, date, provider, etc. All drivers that are found can easily be backed up the application and easily restored at a later point in one go.

Double Driver is freeware. Feel free to use and give this program to anyone you know. Your donation or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Download Double Driver

Double Driver - backup and restore installed drivers

Ultimate List of Free Windows Vista Software & Resources from Microsoft
WINDOWS VISTA GOODIES

Ultimate List of Free Windows Vista Software & Resources from Microsoft
The Road to Know Where

Replaces: Microsoft PowerPoint

Sliderocket is a fully functional presentation web app that allows you to create, manage, edit, and share presentations on the fly. It offers many of the same features present in PowerPoint and then some. Sliderocket is an awesome tool and if you want to read more about it, take a look at our in-depth review of Sliderocket.

Online Presentation Software | Free PowerPoint Online | Web Presentation | SlideRocket: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"