Videos

Busy IT professionals know that every little shortcut is important. Simple hacks help you customize your tools to fit your work habits–saving you valuable time. Bill Detwiler shows you a quick Windows XP Registry hack that adds the Copy To and Move To commands to your Explorer context menu. Once you’ve watched this IT Dojo video, you can find a link to the original TechRepublic article and print the tip from our IT Dojo Blog.

The TR community that has been enjoying the NCAA basketball tournament should certainly enjoy this episode of TROLOV — that’s TR Out Loud on Video. Aside from a little March Madness, TROLOV also covers the weekly highlights at TechRepublic, including the top discussions and members on the boards.

To listen to this week’s TR Out Loud as just an audio file, download the mp3.

Fujitsu’s PalmSecure palm vein authentication technology can help you harden your high-security locations. At CES 2009, Bill Detwiler saw a demonstration of an access control system that combines the PalmSecure scanner and a keypad.

Fujitsu’s PalmSecure technology offers several advantages over other biometric security devices, like fingerprint scanners. But those advantages don’t come cheap. At CES 2009, Bill Detwiler saw a demonstration of a PalmSecure-enable mouse being used to access Windows.

Just like Windows and Linux, the Cisco IOS has its own list of commands to manipulate files, and it’s critical for Cisco network administrators to be very familiar with them. Bill Detwiler goes over some basic Cisco file commands and shows you how they can help you keep your network running smoothly. Once you’ve watched this video, you can find a link to the original TechRepublic article and print the tip from TechRepublic’s IT Dojo Blog.

In this episode of TROLOV — that’s TR Out Loud on Video — find out about the TechRepublic Community Event in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 26th, 2009. We want our members to come help us celebrate TechRepublic’s 10-year anniversary!

To listen to this week’s TR Out Loud as just an audio file, download the mp3.

People love to sue businesses, and since so much evidence is now created or stored on computers, lawsuits invariably require the involvement of IT. Thus, here are the most important legal terms that all IT leaders need to know.

Business lunches can be a valuable business tool. Unfortunately, you might be surprised at some of the stories about disastrous lunch meetings. Here are suggestions for how to keep your lunch meetings useful, productive, and professional.

One of the hottest trends in business software is the concept of service oriented architecture (SOA). This episode of Sanity Savers for IT executives looks at some of the important SOA fundamentals and examines the benefits of implementing it.

Running unnecessary Windows XP services can increase your vulnerability to exploits that might use those services as attack vectors. Disabling unnecessary services can be an important step in securing Windows XP. However, the typical Windows XP system has more than 80 services. Knowing which ones you can safely turn off can be tricky.

In this IT Dojo video, Bill Detwiler, Head Technology Editor, shows you how to disable Windows XP services and discusses the following five services that you may want to disable:

• Simple File Sharing
• SSDP Discovery Service
• Universal Plug and Play Device Host
• Telnet
• Windows Messenger Service

The five services Bill mentions in this video are just the beginning. You can download our complete list of Windows XP services that can be disabled from the IT Dojo blog. This reference sheet lists each Windows XP service, describes each service’s function, specifies whether you can safely disable the service, and outlines the ramifications of doing so.

Booting Windows XP from a USB Flash drive gives you great IT support tool. For example, you can make a troubleshooting toolkit for booting and analyzing seemingly dead PCs. Or you could always have your favorite support applications at your fingertips.

In this IT Dojo video, Bill Detwiler, TechRepublic’s Head Technology Editor, explains the process and pitfalls of creating a bootable Windows XP USB flash drive. You’ll learn how to configure a computer’s BIOS to boot from a USB drive, how to download and use the free software to create a bootable drive, and how to installed Windows XP on the drive.

Once you’ve watched this IT Dojo video, you can read the original TechRepublic article, walk through the process in a screenshot gallery, and download a PDF version of the tip from our IT Dojo blog.

So you want to be a computer support technician. Or perhaps you are one already, but you can’t decide whether you’re just having a bad week or you’re really not cut out for the job. In this IT Dojo video, Bill Detwiler discusses several signs that you may not be cut out for IT support. Once you’ve watched this IT Dojo video, you can find a link to the original TechRepublic article and print the tip from our IT Dojo Blog.

Navigating without a mouse is a forgotten skill among many users and even some support techs. But when Dr. Engelbart’s venerable rodent is ill or absent, the keyboard can be your only option. Also, using the keyboard can be faster than the mouse if you know the right key combinations. Bill Detwiler shows you some of the best keyboard shortcuts for Windows Vista. Once you’ve watched this IT Dojo video, you can find a link to the original TechRepublic article and print the tip from our IT Dojo Blog.

Short of adding more RAM, there are a few things you can do to help a sluggish Windows Vista system run faster. Bill Detwiler shows you how to find and evaluate startup programs that you might want to shut down in order to get better performance from Vista. Once you’ve watched this IT Dojo video, you can find a link to the original TechRepublic article and print the tip from our IT Dojo Blog.

It’s another lucky Friday the 13th at TechRepublic, and TR Out Loud on Video (TROLOV) is back again with your weekly dose of highlights on the site, including the top discussions and members on the forums.

To listen to this week’s TR Out Loud as just an audio file, download the mp3.

Leadership and management are opposing disciplines. Sometimes the demand is for more vision and inspiration from leader, while other times it’s for more measurement and control from managers. But the reality is that the two disciplines cannot work apart. This episode of Sanity Savers for IT executives looks at five ways that leadership and management roles complement and depend on each other.

Even though support techs often try their best to communicate honestly and clearly, sometimes they fall back on a few handy excuses or stalling tactics. Bill Detwiler takes a lighthearted look at some of the things you might hear from tech support staff and translates what they really mean. Once you’ve watched this IT Dojo video, you can find a link to the original TechRepublic article and print the tip from our IT Dojo Blog.

This episode of TROLOV — that’s TR Out Loud on Video — highlights the weekly happenings at TechRepublic, including the top discussions and members on the boards.

To listen to this week’s TR Out Loud as just an audio file, download the mp3.