The digital age is a dream come true for hoarders and collectors. No matter how much digital data or information you amass, it won’t take up a lot of space. This means you don’t have to control your primal instinct to search and collect, you can give rein to it.

Sometimes, however, there are technical obstacles. If you’re looking for a way to downloadYouTube videos and view them in Windows Media Player, read on. This article will explain how to best extract YouTube videos and subsequently enjoy them on Windows Media Player.

How It Works

YouTube streams content using flash video technology. The respective file format is .flv. To download and view a YouTube video, you basically have three options:

1. Download and playback the video in .flv file format.
2. Download and playback in an alternative file format.
3. Download the .flv file and convert it to another file format for playback.

This article is mainly concerned with how to view YouTube videos in Windows Media Player, regardless of how you obtained the files and what file format they are in. Hence, we can neglect the third option.

Best Download Options For YouTube Videos

To limit the confusion, I have selected only two tools. One is a website, the other a program. Both work flawlessly. You should go with the second one, VDownloader, if you want to download multiple videos in parallel.

Kiss YouTube

Kiss YouTube is a straight forward way to download YouTube videos because you do not need to install any software. In addition, Kiss YouTube can download YouTube videos in three different file formats: 3GP, FLV, and MP4. Paired with ease of use, that’s plenty of great features for an online service.

You can either copy and paste the URL of the YouTube video into the respective field on the Kiss YouTube homepage (see screenshot below); OR you can rename the YouTube URL, adding the word ‘kiss’ between ‘www.’ and ‘youtube.com/…’.

In both cases you will be directed to a page that lets you select your download format.

To proceed, click the download link of your preferred file format.

VDownloader

This is a software option, which is more convenient if you want to download multiple videos or wish to download from more sources than just YouTube. Attention! The installation comes with lots of extra software options and adware, all of which you can opt out of. Be sure to carefully screen all your options and go with a custom installation to opt out of the Ask toolbar and homepage.

Once you have completed the installation, VDownloader is a great tool. As soon as you copy a URL, it is pasted into the program’s > Video URL field. Next select your preferred > Output Formatand hit the > Download button. While your first video is already downloading, you can proceed to add the next one.

The available output formats include .flv (no conversion), .avi, .mpeg, .mp3 (audio), and several more.

VDownloader was also reviewed by Karl in this article: VDownloader – Really Easy Video Downloader Software. Also check out Simon’s article on How To Easily Download YouTube High Definition Videos.

How To View Various Video File Formats In Windows Media Player

Now that you have downloaded your videos, here comes the tricky part. Per default, Windows Media Player only recognizes a limited amount of file formats, the standard video file format being .wmv. However, none of the options above download YouTube videos in that format. So what can you do?

You need to download and install codecs so that Windows Media Player can read all those file types. Don’t sweat, it’s a quick and easy three-step-program:

1. Go to Codec Guide and download any of the K-Lite Codec Packs, the basic one is sufficient.
2. Install the downloaded K-Lite Codec Pack.
3. Enjoy downloaded videos in Windows Media Player.

That’s it.

Also check out the following YouTube-related articles on MakeUseOf:

• 3 Free Ways To Download YouTube Movies To Your iPhone (& Other Mobile Phones) by Jeffry
• 3 Sites to Download YouTube Videos as MP3 Files by Tim Lenahan
• 10 Youtube URL Tricks You Should Know About by Varun

Conclusion

If you’re now wondering, why you would want to use Windows Media Player in the first place, I congratulate you. The answer is, I don’t know. Fact is, it’s much easier to download a media player that naturally supports all these file formats. Obviously, you will save yourself the hassle of installing codecs and trying to make it work with WMP. If you can live without WMP and would prefer an easy option, I highly recommend VLC Media Player.

Here are some more MakeUseOf recommendations:

• Top 5 Free Media Players For Windows by Will
• Kantaris – A Great New Media Player Based On VLC by Simon
• Splayer – A Portable Play-All Media Player for Windows by Jessica

This is the time to fess up! Do you download YouTube videos to your computer and in case you do, what is your reason? Do you mind sharing how many gigabytes the YouTube videos take up on your hard drive?

VIA MAKEUSEOF

They slow your computer down, they ask for your money annually and they rate no better than various free products when compared by AV-comparitives.org. If you have an ongoing relationship with Norton or McAfee, it’s time to break up. Happily, both companies provide free software for doing just that.

Most people who have Norton or McAfee found the software on their computer when they bought it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s important to get a working anti-virus onto a new computer as quickly as possible – but the default software on your computer isn’t necessarily the best. Just ask any former IE user who today uses Google Chrome or Firefox.

Removing Norton and McAfee’s products has a tendency to leave a lot of crap behind, even if you go through the proper channels offered in your control panel. Both companies acknowledge this, and both offer removal tools for the complete uninstallation. If you’re looking to learn how to remove Norton or McAfee and replace them with something free and effective, you’ve found the right article.

Before you do anything you should probably disconnect from the Internet. Leaving a Windows computer connected to the web without protection can be dangerous. That’s why I recommend you read through the guide, download what you need to download and then follow the steps below.

Getting Started

Both Norton and McAfee recommend that you remove your program through the control panel before running their tools. I’ve found that simply running the tool is enough, but if you like playing by the rules you might as well do this first.

• Click your start button, then click “Control Panel“. Click “Add or Remove Programs” if you run XP, or “Uninstall a Program” if you’re using Vista/7. Find the program(s) you need to remove, then uninstall it!

• This may take a while, or in some cases may fail completely. Don’t panic; we’re only halfway through the process.

Completely Remove Norton

Are you a soon-to-be-ex-Norton-user? Congratulations! What you need now is the Norton Removal tool. The best product Norton offers, this program will completely remove all Norton-related software from your computer (including shortcuts and annoying toolbars).

Click here to download the Norton removal tool, then run the executable. You’ll see something that looks like this:

Follow the on-screen directions, mostly clicking “next“, to rid yourself forever of all Norton leftovers. You may have to prove you’re human by typing a few lines of text, but for the most part this is painless. Best of all: when you’re done there’s no sign left on your computer of Norton’s existence.

Completely Remove McAfee

If you’re trying to remove McAfee you’re going to need a different piece of software: the McAfee Cleanup Tool. This program will remove everything to do with McAfee from your computer, and is by far the best product they offer. It does exactly what it says it will do.

Go ahead and click here to download the McAfee removal tool. Run this executable and it will take care of the rest!

Install Something Better

Looking for a better piece of anti-virus software? I myself really love Microsoft Security Essentials, for three reasons: first, it offers great protection; second, it features a really clean and simple user interface; third, it will never ever ask you for money.

But read the comments below and you’ll quickly discover not everyone agrees with me. Check out their recommendations, and be sure to check out our list of the top ten free anti-virus programs if you still need ideas.

Can anyone offer links to tools for completely removing other annoying bits of software?  If so, please share them below.

Article By MAKEUSEOF

It is a well known fact that a high percentage of identity thefts are done by family, friends (I use this word loosely) and acquaintances.  We’ve all heard the cases where someone who the victim knows gets a hold of their personal information somehow and wreaks havoc with their credit.  This can be done several ways including getting a hold of credit card offers (or other personal mail), snooping in purses or wallets, and even snooping on the victim’s computer.

A lot of those incidents can be avoided simply by taking care of your personal items.  Computers are no exception.

There are ways how to tell if someone has been on your computer and to keep prying eyes away from your computer in your home.  You can secure it with a USB drive, Windows logon password, or even a BIOS password.  You can also lock programs and even word documents.  However, as with most security attempts, there’s usually a way around them.  Security is basically a deterrent and the more work you make for a snoop, the less likely you are to become a victim.

OK, so you’ve taken precautions, to the best of your ability, to keep snooping people off your home computer but for some reason you believe someone’s been on there anyhow.  Did you know there are ways to tell if someone’s been on there and, to an extent, what they’ve been up to?  Your job of snooping on this snoop can be either difficult or easy, depending on how well they cover their tracks.  Let’s go through some methods of snooping on a snoop.

Check Recent Items Opened

Depending on your Windows version, you have a menu item named something similar to “Recent Items.”  This is a quick and easy way to tell what files have been opened recently.  Be aware that if the snoop has his head on straight, he could clear this.  However, if it’s cleared, you know someone has been on there, too.

Check Recently Modified Files

You can search for recently modified files in the advanced search window.  Just set the location to search (all hard drives might be a good start) and the date you want to search back to.

Make sure you set it to search for “Date modified.”

Check Which Programs Have Been Opened Recently

Some Windows versions give you a list of recently used programs as soon as you click on the Start button (meant to make them more accessible).

You can also use the Event Viewer for some recent activity, including programs opened and the last time the computer was booted up.  Go to the start menu and click “Run” and type “eventvwr.msc” and click “OK.”

For more help figuring out how to use the Event Viewer, check out this article by Saikat which explains how to use it to solve Windows problems.  It’ll help you get a handle on the viewer which will help you in finding out what a snoop could have been up to.

Check Internet Browsing Histories

What browsers do you have on your computer?  Check them all for Internet activity to see if someone’s been going online with it.  In Firefox, there is a History menu item.

In Google Chrome you click on the picture of the wrench at the top-right corner of the screen and click History in the dropdown menu.

In Internet Explorer, click the yellow star and choose the History tab.

Many snoops are smart enough to clear the browsing history.  Nowadays on some browsers they can choose which history to delete or go completely incognito and browse privately altogether.  It is for these reasons that this method will work only for the careless snoop.

Install Tracking Software

If you are wondering if there is an ongoing problem, install tracking software.  Varun mentions visikid in an article about parental control software.  You can also use other software such as K9 Web Protection to see a log of internet activity and even turn off the internet during specified times.  Then there is the infamous keylogger (which often gets a bad rap because hackers often use them for gathering information) for keeping up with snoops on your personal computer.

So if you are suspecting that a visitor (or even a current resident) of your home is snooping and you are fearing something bad (like your ID being stolen) is going to happen, now you have 5 routes to take to make sure nothing wrong is going on.  This way you can curtail it before the bad stuff happens.

via MakeUseOf

Take a moment and think about all of the sensitive data kept on your computer.  Account passwords, addresses, phone numbers, access to bank accounts and other financial services, and maybe even your social security number.  Almost every aspect of your identity is kept on this little machine.  Now imagine you want a new one.  So, you go out and buy a shiny new laptop.  What do you do with the old one?  Just toss it, right?

Wrong!  If you just throw out your old computer, all of that personal information is still available to any tech-savvy thief.  Merely deleting a file in the traditional fashion will not truly “delete” it.  With a few techniques, a file sent to the recycle bin and emptied can be recovered if the deletion was recent enough.

So how can you erase a hard drive completely?  Well, there a few techniques that anyone can employ to protect their identity.

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that the following software and techniques will ERASE your hard drive and you will not be able to get your data back.  That’s the whole point.

Formatting

Most people’s first instinct would be to just reformat their drive to get rid of data.  But there are all sorts of formatting that can be done.

First, you can perform what is called a high level format.  Sometimes, this is referred to as a quick format.  This method is not secure seeing as it only erases the boot sector and partition table, thus leaving all of the other files intact and accessible through purpose built software.

There is also low level formatting, referred to officially as “disk reinitialization.”  This process goes through your disk and sets values to zero and will erase a hard drive completely.

For more advanced users, you can also change the number of passes that the format goes through.  The more passes, the more secure it will be because the format goes through the disk the specified number of times and writes over the information with junk.

As you would expect, more passes take more time, but more passes means your data is better scrambled and harder to recover.

This process sounds like it would do the trick, but there are some catches.  If you use a different file system than the one used to originally format the disk, or if you have multiple partitions, not all of your data will be thoroughly erased.

Thus, formatting the disk is not the preferable way to really, securely erase your data.  Instead, there are some freeware tools you can use to make sure your information is gone.

If you do want to go the reformat route, MakeUseOf already has some good articles on how to do that here and here.  You may have to use your OS disk, or software that came with your drive to perform the format you want.

Darik’s Boot And Nuke

If you checked out Varun’s article linked above, you’ll notice he mentions Darik’s Boot and Nuke.  Let’s take a closer look at that tool.

DBAN, as it is shortened, is a nice little application that lets you completely erase your data.  You can download it for Intel/AMD machines and Apple Power Mac machines by clicking “Downloads” at the top of the home page.  You should see the following.

Download the ISO for your system and burn it to a disk.  Next, pop the disk into your hard drive and boot from it.  This may require you to press F12 at the BIOS screen (the first screen you see when your computer boots up) and choose to boot from your CD/DVD drive.  After the CD boots up, you should see the following.

Hit Enter and the program should boot a few things up before settling on the next screen.

Hit Space when the arrow is pointing at the disk you want to wipe and hit F10 to start the process.  The process will start and you should see something like this.

Let it run through the whole process and you should get a screen letting you know the process was successful.

DBAN is easy and performs well.  There are other options to get rid of your data for good.

Get Physical

The absolute best way to make sure your data is completely gone is to just destroy the drive.  Clearly, this is only an option if you are going to dispose of the drive afterwards.

There are a few ways to go about this.  You could get some high powered magnets and wipe the drive a few times with them.  This scrambles all the data that is written magnetically on the disk.

Another option is to wail on the drive a few times with a hammer.  Please remember to wear proper safety accessories such as safety glasses when using tools.

Finally, you can always take the drive apart to make sure the disk gets completely demolished.  To do this though, you will probably need a special T9 torx screwdriver.  Or, you can try to simply pry the thing apart, but please, as before, use proper safety measures.

On top of making sure you completely sure your information is gone, this can work out to be a good stress reliever.

Now you have the tools to make sure your identity is safe if you want to get rid of an old hard drive.  Know of any other tools or methods?  Let us know in the comments below.

[itk-eticker]via MakeUseOf[/itk-eticker]

This article was copied from MakeUseof because I felt it was useful to you. All credits, except for all the extra work I did, selecting, copying, pasting and slight editing, go to them.

If you (like most of MUO readers, I suppose) receive and send quite a few emails daily, you should be using Gmail for two simple reasons: it’s free and feature-rich.

One of the best Gmail features is the ability to create and use customized Gmail filters. We’ve seen a lot of possible uses of Gmail filters already including creating an automatic email response and setting up Gmail SMS alerts. But most often, filters are used to enhance productivity and here are three examples to show you how.

1. Maintain To-Do Lists

You can send yourself email messages and store them in a separate folder until the task is completed:

Step 1: Create a label to store the task reminders.

• Go: Settings -> Labels
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page, put the label name – TO-DO in our case – and click “Create”

Step 2: Create a filter for these messages:

• Go: Settings -> Filters
• Create the following filter:
  • From:me
  • To:me
  • Subject:TO-DO
• Click “Next step” and there:
  • check “Skip the inbox” (you don’t want them to get stuck in your inbox);
  • check “Star it” (you will be able to remove the star after the task is competed);
  • Apply label “TO-DO”

Now whenever you want to remember to do anything, send yourself a message with the task details and don’t forget to include “TO DO” in the email subject:

2. Send Reminders to Others

This one is particularly useful if you have a few people (freelancers, partners, writers, etc) you manage. You can send reminders all of them automatically.

There are two possible options to do that:

Option #1
Follow all the steps in tip 1 above but:

• Instead of filtering messages with TO-DO, filter those that have “reminder” in the subject;
• Instead of storing the messages in the TO-DO folder, forward them to the person you manage:

(Note: you will have to create a separate filter for each person you manage, there is no way to list two or more recipient addresses in that step as far as I know):

Option #2
You can set up email reminders in services like RememberTheMilk and then automatically forward them to the people you manage.

• First set up reminders within the time management service you are using – with RememberTheMilk this looks as follows:

  

• Then create a Gmail filter to forward the reminder to the person you manage (just like in the above step but set up the search parameters accordingly i.e. the forwarded messages should be sent from the time management tool you are using):

  

3. Filter Google Calendar Events

You can organize your Google Calendar reminders more effectively by setting them up to go straight to your EVENTS folder.

Step 1: Create a label to store your events:

• Go: Settings -> Labels
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page, put the label name – EVENTS in our case – and click “Create”

Step 2: Create a filter to organize your events: set up all messages from “calendar-notification@google.com” to you to go straight to your EVENTS folder:

original article

MakeUseOf has featured here regularly and today they emailed to mention the launch of MakeUseOf Answers. A place were you ask any techie question and get an answer from their dedicated readership.

This is a great feature, one I know I will make use of…   see what I did there..

Its also one you should spread the word on. Here is how they explained it in the email and a very short step by step follows so you can get stuck in. Try and think of the hardest question possible…

During the past couple of months we have been working hard behind the scenes to craft a new useful service for MakeUseOf.com. And now we are finally ready to launch it!

Enter MakeUseOf Answers.

Long story short, here you can easily ask all your computer/internet questions and get answers from MakeUseOf authors and other readers like you. With over 150.000 people visiting the website daily we are pretty much sure that you will have a right answer without waiting for too long.

So next time your computer giving you problems, a movie isn’t playing, a document isn’t opening, a printer isn’t working, program isn’t starting and etc etc just ask it on MakeUseOf Answers.

So how does it work?

Step One – Click for larger image Ask your question by clicking on the button	Step Two – Click for larger image Fill in the Details and Submit	Step Three – Click for larger image Follow the page as the answers come to it.

Of course you can help out over there too!!

You can always ask questions here as well.

Have you forgotten a password or username that you have stored in an application a long time ago? If you need this very information for another application, browser or for use on a different computer; you have to find a way to either reset or change it first.

However, it’s much easier to simply recover the forgotten password, along with the username and other stored information. This article shows how you can recover passwords from you browser, instant messenger, eMail, and Word or Excel documents. It goes without saying that I have deleted my own user name and password information from the screenshots seen below. The password recovery tool, however, did work flawlessly.

A known issue of many of the following password recovery tools is that antivirus programs detect them as a Trojan/Virus. This is a false alert.

Disclaimer: The following tools are not meant to be used in any illegal way. You shall not recover or crack passwords from applications, profiles, or accounts that are not yours.

Browser

• PasswordFoxThis tool effortlessly recovers all user names and passwords stored in Firefox. PasswordFox reveals passwords stored in the default profile. Clicking on the folder icon, you can select any user profile from which passwords shall be extracted. The results can be stored in a text file.

  

  If you need to recover the Firefox master password, try FireMaster.

• ChromePassChromePass is a password recovery tool that reveals usernames and passwords stored in Chrome, Google’s internet browser.

  

• IE PassViewThis utility shows usernames and passwords stored by Internet Explorer. Using this tool, you can also delete passwords you no longer need.

  

Instant Messengers

• MessenPassMessenPass revovers passwords from the following Instant Messengers: AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Digsby, GAIM/Pidgin, Google Talk, Messenger, ICQ, Miranda, MSN Messenger, MySpace IM, PaltalkScene, Trillian Windows Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger.

  It works only for passwords stored under the currently logged in local computer user.

  

  Do you know of a free tool or way to recover a forgotten Skype password?

eMail

• Mail PassViewMail PassView can recover passwords stored in the following applications: Eudora, Gmail (if stored in Gmail Notifier, Google Desktop, or Google Talk), Group Mail Free, Hotmail / MSN mail (if stored in a MSN / Windows / Live Messenger program), IncrediMail, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Netscape, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail, Yahoo! Mail (if saved in a Yahoo! Messenger application).

  

Word / Excel

• Free Word / Excel PasswordThis password recovery tools can crack Word or Excel passwords. It requires Microsoft .NET Framework in order to be installed successfully. There are two possible approaches: dictionary recovery or brute force recovery. The latter is limited to eight characters, in other words, longer passwords can not be cracked.

  The utility comes with a text file containing the standard English dictionary, which is stored in the program directory. You can use any other dictionary text file.

  

Simon introduced Ophcrack – A Password Hack Tool to Crack Almost Any Windows Password. Guy has previously revealed How To View Passwords Hidden Behind Asterisk Characters. Saikat showed you How To Recover Lost Gmail Password With A SMS Message.

And in case you have forgotten your Windows Administrator password, there are several ways to recover or reset it. Karl shows you how to Recover Your Windows XP Administrator Password With The Installation Disk, T.J. found 3 Ways to Reset Forgotten Windows Administrator Password, and Jack has 5 Tips to Reset The Administrator Password in Windows XP. Finally, Varun explains How To Reset Any Linux Password.

This article was copied from MakeUseOf

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They did an article recently on finding online libraries and maybe the better ones. Worth a read if your a bookworm. Catch it here – MUO – Library Article

Or this one made me smile – Find What Happens To Your Email and Social Networking Accounts When You Die?

Finally another great feature of the site, is their How To section. They are all in PDF’s and written really well.  Here are some examples:

• The Ultimate Guide To Your Windows Mobile Phone [PDF]
• How To Build A Great Media Center For Your Home [PDF]
• A Computer Geek’s Smart Productivity Guide [PDF]
• The Easy Guide To Computer Networks [PDF]
• Finally, A Newbie’s Getting Started Guide to Linux [PDF]
• The Big Book of BitTorrent: The Torrent Guide for Everyone
• An Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop [Free PDF]

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