Daily Cup of Tech

If I ever lost my USB drive, I’d be screwed! I have so much data and information on the drive that I don’t know what I would do. Fortunately, I have a very comprehensive USB drive system that works to protect me from such problems (see Zen and the Art of the USB Drive).

But, what about the rest of you? What have you done to ensure that your lost USB drive finds its way home? If the answer is nothing, I have just the article for you. Have Your Lost USB Drive Ask For Help gives you complete instructions and scripts to make your USB drive ask for help when some good Samaritan finds it.

Now go and tell your USB drive how much it means to you.

See you tomorrow,

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Sometimes, I even astound myself with how lazy I can be. Combine that with a really bad sense of logic and you get a pretty cool network management script.

I didn’t want to be bothered with having to talk users through finding their IP address so that I could remote control their computer. So, I wrote a script and a front end GUI that would track users, computers, and their IP addresses. Now, when I want to remote control a user’s computer, I simply need to run my new program, select a couple of options and I magically have everything I need to take over their computer.

I go through the entire process in more detail in Tracking Users, IP’s, and Computers. In the article, not only do I explain how the program works, I also give you all the configuration files, source code, and compiled programs so that you can put this program to work on your network.

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One of the things that has always annoyed me about writing scripts or applications is the fact that you have to think of and code everything. At the core of my being, I am lazy. I’d rather not do something than do it.

This is why I love the concept of UDF’s in AutoIt. With a UDF, I can take code that I’ve already written (or, even better, that someone else has already written) and immediately incorporate it into my new script with just a few lines of code!

There are about twenty excellent UDF’s that come with AutoIt but people are constantly writing new ones and making them available. In AutoIt UDF’s; A Lot of Power in One Line, I have compiled (no pun intended) a list of thirty excellent UDF’s so that you can be lazy like Wimpy but still look like Neo.

Later,

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If you’ve been curious about scripting but never felt like you could just jump in and learn it, this may be your opportunity. I am planning a number of articles about AutoIt, the freeware scripting language. I hope to post a large archive of scripts and tutorials that will allow you to become proficient at this language.

But, everything needs a beginning and this is the beginning of that archive. I have writing an article entitled Installing AutoIt. It is a step by step guide which will walk you through the entire process. It may be a bit basic for some of you that are more computer savvy but for the absolute beginner, it is a must.

Also, don’t forget this week’s poll. I really want to hear what you think.

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Everyone has secrets. From the most average Joe to the most corrupt politician, we all have at least one skeleton in the closet that we want to keep private. Or, maybe there is some personal information that is just nobody’s business but your own. Either way, it is important to keep this information under lock and key.

So, I have a couple of things for you to look at today. The first is your opportunity to have your say. On the right hand side of your screen near the bottom of the page you should see this week’s poll. I want to find out what Windows open source/freeware software everyone is using to keep these secrets private. Add your two cents worth and then watch to see how your responses match up with the other readers.

The second thing I have done is write an article on Installing TrueCrypt, my encryption software of choice. It is a very basic step by step installation of the software but I am also planning other articles about TrueCrypt in the future.

Until tomorrow, stay secure.

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