30/12/2012

Firefox - Right Click Menu Flickers

I am using Firefox 17.0.1. My second monitor an AOC 1950W was replaced after developing a fault. Immediately I discovered a problem when using Firefox. Right clicking on a web-page resulted in the Right Click Menu flickering and disappearing making it difficult if not impossible to select a menu item. There was no problem on the main display. Using Chrome on this display there was no problem.

I checked settings were correct and that drivers were up-to-date to no avail. A Google search for "firefox right click menu flickers" produced the following suggestion:-
Try to disable hardware acceleration.
  • Tools > Options > Advanced > General > Browsing: "Use hardware acceleration when available" .
If disabling hardware acceleration works then check if there is an update available for your graphics display driver.
Untick box and restart Firefox, this solved the problem.

14/12/2012

Ripping (Backing Up) DVD's and CD's

Due to the minefield of legislation covering the copying of propriety media such as DVD's and CD's one has to tread carefully when offering advice in this area. But given the damage that grand and not so grand kids can wreak on DVD's and the like "Backing Up" is no bad idea. I work on the misguided principle that providing such copies are for my own use and I have no intention of passing them on or off for gain or otherwise I feel my actions are justified or at least defensible. There are also occasions that I wish to send copies of my own work to various places and people as part of my art practice and studies so a "How To" reminder is in order. For those of a nervous disposition you ay want to read about the The Digital Millennium Copyright Act - DMCA!  This information is available via the website Doom9.net the guy who runs this very succinct site about all things "Ripping" obviously knows his subject and conveniently brings all the info together in one place, so that's the place to go for more info.


As I "Back Up" DVD's and CD's so infrequently I can never remember what I did last time I did it so I decided on a Blog Post to remind me.

I have tried DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink, they both seem to do the ripping just fine. If you have problems with encryption or copyright protection then DVD Decrypter is probably the best choice. You can find Guides on how to use this software on Doom9.

The Death of Microsoft Live Mesh

Re Blogged from ghacks.net
Anyone here still using Windows Live Mesh? The service allowed you to synchronize data between multiple PCs years before Microsoft made the switch to SkyDrive as its main synchronization and data hosting service. Microsoft today announced that Windows Live Mesh will be discontinued on February 13, 2013 as a consequence of that shift towards SkyDrive. Part of what made Windows Live Mesh great on Windows and Mac OS X has already been worked into SkyDrive, Microsoft calls that the DNA of Mesh that has been brought over.

04/12/2012

How to Open PNG Images in Picasa

Picasa doesn’t automatically include Portable Network Graphics (PNG) images by default. You can however view PNG images in your Picasa photo library and open them in Picasa for editing from the Picasa Photo Viewer application. You can also set PNG images to always open in Picasa Photo Viewer. It just needs a change to the <Preferences>.

How to Open PNG Images in Picasa
  1. Open Picasa.
  2. Click the Tools menu in Picasa and select Options.
  3. Click the File Types tab at the top of the Options window.
  4. Enable PNG image support by clicking the PNG check box and clicking “OK.”
  5. Click the Tools menu and select Configure Photo Viewer.
  6. Click the PNG check box in the Photo Viewer Configuration window to open all PNGs in the Picasa Photo Viewer by default, if desired, and click “OK.”
If Picasa does not update missing PNG files automatically, add PNG files to your Picasa library by clicking the File menu and selecting Add File to Picasa or Add Folder to Picasa. Picasa also automatically adds to your library PNG images in folders it’s already watching.

Adapted from a post on eHow.com