I’m going to show you how to backup to Windows Live SkyDrive, but this time, for free and it actually works, but still with some of the limitations(The 50MB limit, and a 9 subfolder limit). Here’s what you need:

1. Microsoft Office 2010 (You can get the beta for free here)
2. A Windows Live ID
3. GoodSync(Or any other backup utility that works with Mapped Drives)
4. Windows 7

SkyDrive

Go to http://skydrive.live.com, and sign in.

Click the “Create Folder” link on the top left.

Type in “Backup,” or whatever you want your backup folder to be called, and make sure that your privacy setting is set to “Just Me.” Click “Next,” and then on the next page, click “Cancel.” You won’t be doing anything else on SkyDrive for now.

Linking ID’s

Before you do anything else, you need to link Windows 7 with your Windows Live ID. To do this, go to the start menu, and click your account picture.

Click “Link Online IDs” in the sidebar, and then click “Add Online Provider.”

This should open up your default browser to the Online IDs page at Microsoft. Click you Operating System bits(32 or 64) download button, then click “Save”, and then after downloading, either click it, or push “Run.” If you need help telling which bit-version you have, click “Am I running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows?” link.

Follow the Installation process, and then click finish.

Go back to the User Accounts window, if you’re not already returned there. You should see a Windows Live section in the list now. Click “Link Online ID,” and then enter your Windows Live ID information. Click “Sign In.” You’re done with that section. Now, we’re off to Office.

Office

If you don’t have Microsoft Office 2010, you can get the beta version for free here.

Open up any Office application(You can use any application to do this, but for this example, I’m going to use Word.)

Click ‘File,” then click “Save and Send”(or “Share” if you have the beta version). Click “Save to Web”(or Save to SkyDrive in the beta version).

Click the “Sign In” button, and if you need to, enter your Windows Live information.

Office should think for a little bit, then it should show you all of your SkyDrive folders. Scroll down and click the “Save As” button. A window should pop up.

In the window, select the address bar, and then copy the address by clicking it, selecting all of it, right-clicking it, and clicking “Copy”. Then click cancel. You just needed the address.

Windows Explorer

Now you need to go to “Computer”. You can do this by clicking on the Start button, and clicking “Computer”. In the window that opens, click “Map Network Drive”.

A window should open up. Right-click the textbox, and click “Paste.” Change “\whatever” (In the first picture, “\whatever” is \Pictures) to “\Backup”, or whatever you named the folder back in step 1. If you want, you can change the drive letter, but you don’t have to. Click “Finish”.

It should start thinking. It may ask you for your Windows Live ID information. Give it to them.

It might take a little while, but it should open up a new window. That’s your SkyDrive Backup folder.

GoodSync

Now it’s time for the good stuff. Download GoodSync at www.goodsync.com/download. Click the download button, and then click “Save.” After it’s done downloading, either click it, or click “Run.” Follow the installation steps, and then click “Finish.”

Start up GoodSync. If it’s your first time running it(and we assume it is), it will ask you to name your new backup. Name it something like “SkyDrive Backup,” and then click the “Backup” option. Click “Create”. (If you’re new to GoodSync, you might need to click the “Tutorial” link.)

A new window should pop up, and a balloon should be pointing to a “Browse” button. This is your source folder; the folder you will be backing up. Click “Browse”.

A new window should open. Just browse to the folder you want, click on it, then click OK. In this example, I’m going to back up my “Pictures” folder.

Now a balloon should be pointing to another “Browse” button. This is your destination; the folder where you “Source” will go. So, in this example, “Pictures” is going to my SkyDrive backup drive. Click “Browse.”

Click “My Computer,” and then click your SkyDrive backup drive. It should be under your physical drives, or your other mapped drives. Note: If you don’t want the contents of the “Pictures” folder(or whatever you picked) going into the backup drive, but instead want it going into a sub-directory, click your SkyDrive folder, and then click “Make New Folder,” and name it the name of the folder you wanted to back up. Click “Ok.”

It should now start analyzing your source and destination. It’s now time to set up the automatic backup. Click the “Auto” button.

Now, in the picture below, I’m showing you the settings I use. I want it to sync on GoodSync Start, when the folders connect, and periodically. For periodically, I made it Mac style: It backs up every hour. But you can make it anything you want. if you don’t know what you’re doing, just use the settings I listed below(if you don’t have the fastest internet speed or the computer resources, I would recommend setting the time to over 2 hours). Click “Ok.”

Next, to make the backup more automatic and less noticeable, go to the “Tools” menu, and then click “Program Options.” For these settings, you can also use the settings I’m using. Check “Show GoodSync in the system tray,” “Hide to system try when Main Window is closed,” and “Start GoodSync when Windows starts.” There you go.

You should be ready to automatically backup to Windows Live SkyDrive! Enjoy!

Source: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/totw/skydrive.asp

I know I haven’t posted in a while. I just can’t seem to think of anything groundbreaking I can post.

So, I’m going to do something different. I’m gonna have you guys decide what I should write about, what you would like to see on here, or something you need help figuring out. It could be challenging (e.g. Syncing Windows Live Calendar with iPhone), or it could be basic(e.g. How to copy and paste a file).

Just send your thoughts, challenges, and requests here: clubhouse@nysics.co.cc.

Send me anything you would like me to write about. And if you want, you can ask me to post your name on the article you requested. You know, as a “Thanks to ‘so and so’ for this idea.”

I’ll be waiting. Hopefully, this will get me to post more often and help more people out.

Enjoy! (Once again, this is the email: clubhouse@nysics.co.cc. Or, if for some crazy reason that doesn’t work, post on our Facebook wall.)

What you need:
A Wii with the Web Browser(Free $5.00)
A Windows PC with 512MB of RAM, 100MB of free HDD space, and good processor(I got it working on a netbook)
DSL or higher
PlayOn Media Server(14-day free trial, $40 to buy)
A Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, or Amazon account.

This is a disclaimer: I just want you to know, before you go any farther, this is NOT FREE. I am still trying to find a free solution/alternative, but a lot of people have been asking for this on both Facebook and Twitter. If you know of a free alternative(besides pirating), please let us know in the comments, or DM us on Twitter @NysicsMedia.

Now let’s jump right in!

First, go to the PlayOn website, then click either “Try PlayOn Free!” or “Purchase PlayOn”. If you click purchase, there will be a link to the free trial. They just want to make sure it runs on your computer before you buy it.

Next, assuming you clicked “Try PlayOn Free”, on the next page, scroll down and click “Start Your 14 Day Free Trial Now”.

On the next screen, scroll down, enter your name and email address, then click “Download Free Trial”.

Click “Save” on the next screen(or window that pops up), and wait for the file to download.

After it’s done, click “Run” or “Open”. You may have to click “Allow” or “Yes” if you’re running Windows Vista or Windows 7.

In the installation window, just keep clicking “Next”, accept the Terms and Conditions, and let it install.

When the installation is done, check the “Launch PlayOn” box, and then click “Finish”.

When the window is done loading up, click the “User Accounts” tab, then enter your Netflix(and Hulu, Amazon, or YouTube info if you want…), then click “Test”.

In the window that pops up, click “OK”, then click “OK”. You’re done with the computer part! Now to move onto the Wii…

On the Wii

First, buy the Internet Channel from the Wii Shop Channel if you haven’t already. If you have bought it, open it up, then click “Start”.

When it is done loading, click “Web Address”, then enter playon.tv and push ok.

When the web page loads up, it should show a list of the computers with PlayOn on it. If there is only one computer, it will find it and automatically select it(If it doesn’t for some strange reason, click your computer’s name).

After it’s done connecting to your computer, you will see a list of icons. Click “Netflix”.

You are done! You know have Netflix all set up and working on your Wii!

Hope this helps make the Wii a better media tool. Enjoy!

(If you want to know the technology behind it, click here.)

Error you get for adding networked videos or pictures to Movie Maker

Let’s get started. First, make sure the folder that holds your videos is shared. If it’s not shared, or if your not sure it’s shared, right-click the folder, then click “Properties”

Next, click the “Sharing” tab, then click “Share…”
 

Next, click the drop down arrow, click “Everyone,” then click “Add”

Next, click the “Read” drop down button, click “Read/Write,” then click “Share.”

Hopefully you will get this screen. Click “Done.”

Now it’s time for the fun part: Getting those videos into Movie Maker. What your about to do is going to be really hard, but I’ll try to make it as easy as possible.

First, make sure Movie Maker is closed. Then click the “Start” button, search for “regedit.exe”, then push the “Enter” button on your keyboard. If User Account Control(UAC) pops up, click “OK.”
 

Next, browse to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Live\Movie Maker” by clicking the arrows on the side of the window.
 

Next, click “Movie Maker” on the side of the window if you haven’t already, then right-click any blank spot, and choose “New” > “DWORD Value (your computer type) Value”. If you don’t know what “bit” your computer is, just choose “32”. “64 bit” if you have more than 4GB of RAM.
 

Type in “AllowNetworkFiles” then push “Enter” on the keyboard.

Next, double click the entry you just made, then replace “0” with “1”. Click “OK.”
 

Close the registry editor, then open up Windows Live Movie Maker and try to add a network file. It should work now.

Have fun making movies!

Source: Within Windows

Note: Updated with troubleshooting info.

Things you need:
Microsoft Office Outlook
Outlook Connector
Windows Live Calendar account
Google Calendar account
Calgoo Connect software and a Calgoo account

Outlook

Let’s start on the Outlook side. First, if you don’t have Office Outlook, I’m sorry. You need it for this post. Second, your going to have to set up Outlook before you continue with this post. If it’s not already set up(as in first screen wizard), just continue without eMail support.

Now that your all ready, download the Outlook Connector here. Install, and set it up. You may need to restart Outlook. When Outlook starts up again, it will ask for you Windows Live Calendar(or ID) account details. Enter your account details, then click “OK.”

Now, if you use Outlook as your primary email program, skip this step. Your all done. If not, continue.

Look for the Outlook statusbar icon, right-click on it, then click “Hide when Minimized.”

Calgoo

Now, you need to sign up and download Calgoo connect from http://www.calgoo.com/connect/index.do . After downloading, install it. When your done installing it, open the program(if it doesn’t start up automatically), then click thebutton to set up calendar sharing.

In the window that pops up, select “Sync an Outlook Calendar with a Google Calendar,” then click “Next.”

Name the connector, then click “Next.”

Select your Windows Live Calendar email address, then select the calendar you want to sync with. For this post, I’ll use Sample Calendar. Click “Next.”
(If CalGoo can’t read your Outlook calendars, go here to try to fix the problem)

On the next screen, enter your Google Calendar user details, then click “Next.”

Now, if you don’t want to sync with your current Google calendar, click “Create a new calendar.” If you want to sync with a current calendar, click “Browse my Google calendars.” Select a calendar, and make sure it’s your default calendar, or it wont sync with your mobile phone’s calendar.

Make sure your info is correct, then click “Next.”

Select “Synchronize Now!” then click “Finish.”

The calendars should start syncing. Now, to fine-tune everything, click theicon, then click the “Synchronize” button. Click the “Synchronization frequency” dropdown. If you add stuff to your calendar all the time, select “On demand.” If you don’t add stuff to your calendar all the time, select “1 Hour.”

This next step is optional. Click the “Application” button.

Next, click check/tick the “Start Calgoo Connect automatically when Windows starts” and “Start Calgoo minimized,” then click “Ok.”

Mobile Phone

Go to the Google Sync website to find out how to set up your device.

That’s it! Enjoy!

If you get an error when trying to select your outlook calendars, before loosing hope, try restarting your computer. Restarting clears up and junk left in the system memory, and may fix your problem.

If restarting didn’t work, then try this: Close Microsoft Office Outlook and then run the synchronization setup. It should work now.

If that doesn’t work, go here to get some help: http://www.calgoo.com/connect/howto_vista_users.do (Thanks @ BYlvis)

First, right-click the taskbar, select “Toolbars”, then click “New toolbar”

Next, type(or copy and paste) “%SystemDrive%\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch” into the “Folder” box, then click “Select Folder”

Yay! You now have the Quick Launch bar!

Next, if you want to set the Quick Launch where it’s supposed to be, just unlock the taskbar(right-click the taskbar, then uncheck “Lock the taskbar”), then drag the Quick Launch bar over to the left of the taskbar(or wherever you want it). You can also get rid of the toolbar and button titles by right-clicking the “Quick Launch” text and un-checking the “Text” and “title” check boxes.

The Zune theme for XP now on Windows 7!

Screenshots:

Click the “Start Orb” then right-click “Computer” and click “Properties”.

Next, click “Advanced system settings” in the window that pops up.

Click “Settings” under “Performance”

Then look for the “Show shadows under windows” entry and un-check the box. Click “OK”, then “OK”.

Now there are no more shadows under any window!

Enjoy!

Instead, it puts itself where all of the other icons are, making the taskbar look more cluttered. Here’s how to fix that.

Doesn’t that look a little cluttered and confusing?

First, before you do anything, close down Messenger by mouse-ing over the Messenger icon and pushing the redbutton.

Then, open the start menu and type in “Windows Live Messenger”, then right-click on “Windows Live Messenger”, and click “Properties”.

In the window that pops up, click “Compatibility”, check “Run the program in compatibility mode for:”, click the drop-down box, then click “Windows Vista”. Now you can click “OK”.

Now start Windows Live Messenger by clicking the “Start Orb” then type in “Windows Live Messenger”. Click “Windows Live Messenger”.

Now you can say good-bye to the taskbar icon! The icon is back in the system tray where it should be.

Enjoy!
P.S. This technique can also

be used for Windows Live Mail and other applications that used to have their icons appear in the system tray.

Finally, a way to backup to Windows Live Skydrive! Here’s what you need:

_ A Windows Live Skydrive Account
_ Gladinet (Read my post on how to install and configure it)
_ Comodo BackUp
_ At least 10GB’s of free temporary storage(I’m barely surviving 8GB’s of free storage)
_ DSL or higher(I’m using DSL, and it stinks. Dialup users: forget it.)

Now that Skydrive has 25GB’s of storage, you start to wonder why that there isn’t a free backup solution. Well, now there is. After hours of searching and testing, I can now say I have found an almost perfect solution(and yes, I do have a life). Put on your seatbelts. Let’s jump in.

Skydrive

First, if you haven’t already, sign up for a Windows Live Skydrive account(a Windows Live ID). After you’ve signed up/in, create a folder by clicking “Create Folder” in the toolbar on Skydrive’s main screen, and name it “My Backup”. Change the permission settings to “Just Me”, unless if you want other people to get your backed up files.

If Skydrive wants you to upload stuff, click “Cancel”. That’s it for the Skydrive end.

Gladinet

Now it’s time to install Gladinet. Go here to get all of the instructions on how to download, install, and setup Gladinet to work with Skydrive. After you’ve finished reading the instructions and all, let’s move on to Comodo Backup.

Comodo

I’ve search long and hard to find a backup program that would work with Gladinet. I’ve finally found it. Let’s start downloading it.

First, click here to download the file. After the file has been downloaded, run it and follow the setup’s instructions. When the installation is done, restart the computer.

After your computer has restarted, open Comodo(It’s probably on the desktop), and click the button.

In the window that pops up, make a name for your backup, then click “Add Item” then click “Add Folder”.

In the window that pops up, click the icon, then browse to the folder you want to back up, and then click on it. In this post, I’m going to use the “Pictures” folder. After you’ve clicked the folder you want backed up, click “OK”, then “OK”.

Repeat the last two steps to add more folders. When you’re done adding all of the folders you want, click the “Destination” tab, then click the icon. Next, navigate(by clicking all of the arrows on the side) to “Computer”, “Resources [ip address]”, “Windows Live Skydrive”, and then “My Backup”. (Note that I couldn’t show “My Backup” in the picture below because there wasn’t enough room.) Click “OK”.

After you’re done with that, click the “Schedule” tab, then set the time to when you want it to back up your files. I’m going to set my backup to “Selected Day Only”, I checked every other day, and set my time to 4:30PM. Click “OK”, unless if you want to play around with the advanced features.

That’s it! You now have an automatic backup to Skydrive! Note that the first time you backup may take a couple of days, but the backups after that should be faster. Congrats! Enjoy!

Note: To get even MORE storage, either get two Skydrive accounts, or sign up for ADrive with 50GB’s free.