M.A.S. Electronics' Blog

When you need to save disk space, backup data or send files back and forth to others quickly and efficiently, the best way is through file compression. You can use the ZIP archive utility which is baked right into the Windows operating system to get the job done. However, the ZIP file format is fairly limited in compression capability and is lacking in extra options. If you are looking for a power user style replacement that can support multiple archive…

Read More Read More

If you’re looking to audit your PCs, you need to have the right tools to handle this task. If you’re in a very small company, with one or two PCs, gathering this information isn’t a challenge to your schedule. If, however, you’re looking at 10 or more machines to be audited, you’ll want to have a hand in the process of collecting this data. Five apps 1. Belarc Advisor Belarc Advisor is often considered the go-to tool for auditing/profiling a…

Read More Read More

In most situations, a network router’s normal purpose is to facilitate in connecting computers together to form a network, either for internal use or for granting access to the World Wide Web. Admittedly, if you actually want to do anything interesting with the hardware, most routers have fairly basic firmware that limits the hardware’s full potential. DD-WRT Product Information Title: DD-WRT Company: NewMedia-NET GmbH Product URL: http://dd-wrt.com Price: Free I had an old Linksys WRT54G and tried the DD-WRT, which…

Read More Read More

As you know, the Start menu in Windows not only provided you with a way to launch your application but also a way to shut down your computer. For example, in Windows 7 there is a Shut down as well as a pop-up menu that displays six other related options: Switch user, Log off, Lock, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate. In Windows 8, these options are spread out between the Power Charm and the context menu associated with your user picture…

Read More Read More

If you’re supporting a small organization with an even smaller budget, consider one of these free software management solutions. Poor planning is the root of most project failures and interestingly, the smaller the project, the less scrutiny the plan gets! If you’re managing projects, execution will benefit from tight tracking. Unfortunately, proprietary software is usually expensive or ransomed via subscription fees. If you’re supporting a small organization with an even smaller budget, consider one of these free software management solutions….

Read More Read More

Chances are good that you already know that if you have multiple windows in a certain application open at the same time; you can hover over the icon on the taskbar and use the Live Thumbnails feature to see each window. However, there’s another quicker way to switch between windows of a specific application – all you have to do is hold down [Ctrl] key as you click on the icon. Let’s take a closer look. As you know, with…

Read More Read More

If you are a serious browser/user of the web, you know Mozilla Firefox is tops when it comes to remaining secure. But even Firefox is not perfect. There are always ways to improve the already outstanding security in the open source browser with add-ons. The Firefox add-on library is massive and includes nearly any additional feature you could want. Included in the library is an ever-growing number of security add-ons. For those that do not want to wade through the…

Read More Read More

There are plenty of reasons you might want/need to put together a DVD. Sure, you might want to put together that family DVD to send to everyone at Christmas time – but there are also training videos, marketing materials, and even products. But without the right software, creating those DVDs would be an exercise in futility. For those on a tight-as-nails budget, I have found five free DVD authoring tools that are not only spot on for your spending limit,…

Read More Read More

With a quick registry edit and the right type of font, you can add to the font list on the Command Prompt’s Font tab. This technique will work in Windows XP, 7, and 8. Let’s take a closer look. Many of you noticed that the Font tab on the Command Prompt Properties dialog box, shown in Figure A, contains two TrueType fonts. Figure A The Command Prompt’s Font list contains two TrueType fonts. Understanding the Fonts To begin with, it…

Read More Read More

If you’ve used the Windows operating system, chances are you’ve had to use the built-in Task Manager. If applications refuse to close or you need to troubleshoot why your machine has slowed to a crawl, you need the Task Manager. For some, the default does just fine. For others, the default client isn’t powerful enough or doesn’t offer the necessary options to really take control of a machine. Fortunately, for the power users, there are options available that not only…

Read More Read More