Large hard drives may be plentiful these days, but you can still face storage constraints. You could be coping with a small hard drive provided by your company. Or maybe you’re trying to squeeze some life out of an older hard drive that you aren’t ready to upgrade.

Those splurging on today’s fast solid state drives (SSDs) are pleased with their performance, but must constantly worry about running out of disk space, as SSDs have a lower capacity than traditional drives.

Bottom line: it’s still important to know how to recover some disk space, while retaining the applications that you need. Here’s a checklist of how to proceed.

What’s eating your drive?

You cannot begin to know how to recover hard-drive space until you can get an overview of which files and folders are occupying the most space.

Windows doesn’t give you any built-in tools for seeing, at a glance, just how large some folders are relative to others. Luckily, you can turn to the free FolderSize (http://sourceforge.net/projects/foldersize).

Install this open source program and your Windows Explorer file manager will be enhanced with a ‘folder size’ option in the file and folder display area. Just click on a drive, and right-click one of the column headings in the file pane (name, date modified, type, etc.).

There, in the right-click menu, you’ll see a folder size option. Select it and a new folder size column appears. In it, Windows will calculate and display the total size of the folders on your hard drive. Double-click a folder to drill one level down, activate folder size, and you’ll see the sizes of the subfolders. You can use this tool to quickly hone in on disk-eating files and folders.

Turn off hibernation feature

When Windows is set up to hibernate, it creates a hidden file called Hiberfil.sys that’s large enough to hold the contents of installed memory. That means the file could be big — multiple gigabytes — and therefore consume extra disk space that you might need for other purposes.

To get rid of the file and free up disk space, you’ll need to turn the hibernation feature in Windows off. To do so in Vista or Windows 7, open the Start menu and type ‘power options.’ Select the Power Options entry.

In the resulting Select a Power Plan dialog box, click ‘Change plan settings’ for the currently selected power plan. In the next dialog box, click ‘Change advanced power settings.’

From the Power Option dialog box that appears, expand the Sleep entry, followed by the Hibernate entry, and then change the Hibernate setting to ‘Never.’ Click OK. Windows will delete the Hiberfil.sys, and you should notice considerably more disk space almost immediately.

Delete internet files

The temporary internet files folder can start to overflow with thousands of tiny files, easily sapping multiple gigabytes on your main drive.

It’s easiest to use the Windows Disk Cleanup utility, which is included with every copy of Windows, to delete these. The added benefit is that you can use the tool to delete other types of files as well.

Open the Start menu and type ‘disk cleanup.’ Click the first entry you see, which will start the Disk Cleanup wizard. Select the drive you wish to clean, and in the following dialog box, you’ll be able to select the types of files you want to remove. Temporary internet files will be among them.

Check Recycle Bin

If you find yourself deleting files constantly in an attempt to conserve drive space, but feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle, the problem could be that the Windows Recycle Bin is reserving too much space for keeping track of deleted files. Right-click the Recycle Bin and select Properties to remedy the situation.

In the Recycle Bin Properties dialog box, you can do two important things: determine the maximum amount of disk space per drive that is reserved for tracking deletions and establish whether to have the Recycle Bin active on a particular drive. Adjust or disable the Recycle Bin on a per-drive basis, and you should see and retain more usable disk space.

Segregate files

There are plenty of other ways you can free up disk space. For instance, move your data files to another drive or partition. Segregating your files by type is a wise move anyway, since you’ll then be able to back up just certain types of files with ease. Also, you might want to consider employing Windows’ little-used disk and file compression feature. It’s available only at the drive level.

To use it, right-click your C drive (or another drive, if appropriate) and click Properties from the pop-up menu. On the General tab in the resulting Properties dialog box, select the option labeled ‘Compress this drive to save disk space.’

From that point forward, Windows will use compression techniques to reduce the amount of disk space that files require. The downside will be some extra processing overhead, but on fast machines this should not result in much of a performance hit.

Compress folders

You can also use a free tool such as 7-Zip (http://www.7-zip.org) to compress individual files or folders. This approach to increasing disk space works best when you have a lot of highly compressible files on your drive.

Some types of files, such as those created by standard office applications, are good candidates for file-level compression. Other types such as jpg images, which are already compressed, will not benefit much from additional compression.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of mailVU. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family, there is a new service available that will make it much easier. The service is provided by a site called mailVU ( http://mailVU.com ) and offers a free video email service.

The service is easy to use and makes creating a video simple. You just need to answer a few quick questions, and have a webcam of course. You don’t have to download hefty software or signup for an account! The service is free, and unlike other video sites such as Youtube, your video on mailVU will be private.

You can even set the video to expire at a certain date or after a certain number of views. mailVU works on with most browsers, and your family and friends can even view the video emails on their Smartphone.

How cool is it to be able to send a video email straight to someone’s Iphone or Droid? Let’s be honest, sending regular email is boring! You can now keep in touch on a more personal level by using this free video email service. Try out mailVU for yourself today at http://mailVU.com and see how easy it truly is to send a video email.

IANS

TORONTO: While most people have gut reactions to websites, a group of scientists is developing software that can actually measure those emotions and more.

Aude Dufresne, professor at the University of Montreal (UofM) Department Of Communications, led a team of researchers that are designing a new software to evaluate the biological responses of Internet users.

Simply put, the new software measures everything in web users from body heat to eye movements to facial expressions and analyses how they relate to online activities.

The technology is now being tested at the newly opened Bell User Experience Centre, which is located at the telecom giant’s Nun’s Island campus.

Bell will use the University of Montreal technology to investigate how people react to websites. Such studies will provide companies with facts on how they can improve online experiences.

“With e-commerce and the multiplication of retail websites, it has become crucial for companies to consider the emotions of web users,” says Dufresne, according to an UofM release.

“Our software is the first designed to measure emotions at conscious and preconscious levels, which will give companies a better sense of the likes and dislikes of web users,” the release said.

The much-awaited launch of the Tablet ‘iPad’ has got the online world into a tizzy, discussing and debating whether it’s the next game-changer or not. While the jury is still out on this one, here’s a look back at events leading to Apple’s latest craze…

January 27, 2009 – Apple had sent out an invite to media for an event on Jan 27, 2010 promising a surprise. ‘Come and see our latest creation,’ said the invite. This slight hint was enough to send the Internet into a frenzy.

Tech enthusiasts have christened the product iPad, iSlate or iBook even before the official name was announced. It’s no wonder that Apple, Apple Tablet, iSlate, iTablet were all on the hot trends online.

Apple is known for the secrecy but unlike previous launches of Apple products this time something passed through the net of secrecy. Terry McGraw – chief executive of US publishing company McGraw-Hill in an interview let slip how the Tablet would be based on the iPhone operating system.

Apple has held discussions with potential entertainment and publishing partners thus raising speculations about the product vehement attempt to take on the Kindle. Apple Tablet would surely and sorely challenge Amazon’s Kindle dominance, for it does what the kindle does, plus a lot more.

The iPad is aimed at browsing, emailing, photos, video, music, ebooks and gaming. No wonder game executives too were waiting with bated breadth for the iPad.

Thus with all the hype it’s no wonder that one tweet said, ‘The Apple Tablet comes out today! My technolust is tingling!!!’ while another read, ‘Lets get this thing going already… I’m on my fourth espresso and I can barely hold my credit card steady!’ Apple sure had all the eyes on the iPad.

January 9, 2007 – This time it was Apple’s iPhone that took everybody’s breathe away with its launch. Months prior to its launch the net was abuzz with rumours and speculations about iPhone. And it did live up to the hype. It challenged all existing competition with its innovative functions and sleek design.

23 October, 2001 – Apple launches the iPod, a portable music player which signaled the end of the walkman generation and grew to be the best-selling digital audio player series in history.

23 January, 1984 – Apple unveils the Macintosh, a computer that changed how personal computers looked and worked forever. This revolutionary product gradually transformed into the iMac of today, a sleek machine that dazzled every self confessed geek with its sheer power and capabilities.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/

In a move that will revolutionise motoring, a new generation of computerised dashboard devices that will bring Internet access to the driver’s seat are about to be unveiled.

The Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets, which are being developed by technology companies such as Intel and Google in conjunction with car manufacturers, will allow drivers to compose voice-activated e-mails on the move, call up restaurant reviews as they reach their destination and use 3D maps to navigate while their passengers watch movies.

The devices will go on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

However, motoring organisations have warned the so-called “infotainment” systems will distract drivers and increase the risk of accidents.

Duncan Vernon, from the road safety team at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, acknowledged that sat-nav systems could help motorists, but warned that too much gadgetry was dangerous.

“All drivers have to navigate when they are behind the wheel, and technology such as sat-navs can help drivers do this when used appropriately,” the Scotsman quoted Vernon as saying.

“But there is a serious potential for distraction, and related crashes, resulting from visual display entertainment systems unrelated to and unnecessary for driving. Most of us would be shocked if we saw a driver reading an encyclopaedia or texting behind the wheel, and rightly so. When behind the wheel, a driver’s primary task is to drive,” Vernon added.

Edmund King, AA president, said: “We must accept that technology is evolving and will not go away. But in general terms we think that the internet should be reserved for the cyber-highway rather than cause distractions for drivers on the real highway.”

Neil Greig, director of policy and research for the Institute of Advanced Motoring, said: “The impact of these devices on driving standards has not been sufficiently examined. Therefore it must be a basic requirement that the new interactive technology only works when cars are stationary.” (ANI)

With internet boom and gadgets like iPod, 2000-09 has turned out to be a dizzying period of innovation

While it got off to a rocky start with the overhyped Y2K bug and dotcom bubble, the era dubbed the “Digital Decade” by Microsoft’s Bill Gates has turned out to be a dizzying period of innovation.

“It’s been an amazingly vibrant decade for the internet and for digital things in general,” said John Abell, New York bureau chief of Wired magazine, which has chronicled the technological leaps and bounds of the past 10 years. “People simply don’t exist in a non-digital world at all,” Abell said. “Even grandmothers and Luddites all have tools and devices – even if they don’t realize they are using them – which connect them to a digital world.”

David Pogue, personal technology columnist for the New York Times, points to Apple’s iPod, introduces in 2001, as among the most influential devices of the decade. “It really revolutionized the way music is distributed and marketed,” said Pogue.

Pogue also gives a nod to the GPS navigational unit “which changes the way we drive and also has environmental considerations because millions of people spend less time driving around lost.”

Touchscreen smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone featuring thousands of applications are also high on Pogue’s list. “It’s become a tiny computer in a size and shape no computer’s ever been before – and mobile and connected to the internet all the time,” said Pogue. “That’s a revolutionary set of circumstances.”

What’s more, he added, “It’s only two years old. The iPhone came out two years ago.  Imagine what the iPhone and the Android phones and the palm phones are going to look like in 5years? They are going to be smaller, thinner, much better battery life, many more features, much faster.” “Right now we are looking at the stone age of these phones,” Pogue said. “We think they are modern but they are not.”

Another groundbreaking device high on the lists of technology analysts is Amazon’s kindle electronic reader, which made its appearance in 2007 and has spawned a host of rivals.

The past decade has, of course, also seen seismic shifts in the web with the explosive growth of social networking sites, wireless connectivity and the rise of internet based cloud computing.

Web search and advertising giant Google has become “central to our lives,” said Wired’s Abell. In the late 1990s, Pogue said, “creating a webpage took skill, talent, special software – it was still only for the geeks.”

The internet has become accessible to all in the years since, giving birth to sites such as Wikipedia in 2001, MySpace in 2003, Facebook in 2004, YouTube in 2005 and Twitter in 2006.

San Francisco: Facebook, the world’s No.1 internet social network, took a step towards opening up parts of its site to outsiders on Wednesday by introducing more options for user’s privacy settings.

The changes will make it easier for Facebook’s more than 350 million users to limit who sees their musings, videos, photos and other personal information. But will also give them the opportunity to expose a wider swathe of their information to a broader internet audience.

The move comes as internet search engines like Google and Microsoft are increasingly showing interest in incorporating the growing trove of user-generated content from social media websites into their search results.

“We certainly want to respond to the requests of people to be able to share information in all sorts of different ways,” said Elliot Schrage, Facebook Vice President of Global Communications and public policy.

Schrage said Facebook users will be greeted with a message on Wednesday presenting them with new options to customize privacy settings and directing them to a new simplified overview page of all their personal privacy settings.

The changes will not, in any way, alter Facebook’s policies governing the kind of user information that is shared with adverstisers.

WEB WORLD

Saving that parting email from your first love in your inbox? Well, chances are, after you pass away, your spouse and the entire family will know about the long-held secret.

This is because web email services like hotmail and Gmail do not let users specify what should happen to their massages when they die.

In fact, email services owned by internet giants like Google and Microsoft have a policy of keeping your data after you die and letting your next of kin or the executor of your estate access it. These services can hold tens of thousands of messages.

Accounts with Gmail can hold up to 7GB-or roughly 70,000 emails with a small to medium picture attached to each and they archive the messages you’ve written as well as received.

When it comes to deleting the data, Microsoft’s Hotmail will remove an account if it is inactive for 270 days, while Gmail leaves the responsibility to the next of kin.

Of the top three providers, only yahoo refuses to supply emails to anyone after the users has died. The user’s next of kin can ask for the account to be closed, but cannot gain access to it.

A yahoo spokesperson said the only exception to this rule would be if the users specified otherwise in their will.

Mean while, social-networking site Facebook has recently publicized a feature called memorialisation that lets the family of deceased users keep their profile page online as a virtual tribute.

MySpace, on the other hand, says it addresses the issue of family access to sensitive data on a “case by case basis”.

Cowon D2+

At first look it doesn’t impress with a credit card sized body that’s 0.65-inches thick and minimalistic frills but everything about the build bespeak quality from the finish to the slightly recessed,  2.5-inch touchscreen that is crisp with good colour although the on-screen icons could do with a makeover, support for multiple audio formats including. FLAC and .APE and a load of video formats, SD expansion along with a proprietary AV out and a bundled notepad and flash player tells of a serious feature set. The touchscreen works well although at times a mishit occurred; the menu is well laid out but appears dull; could be better.

In terms of sound quality the D2+ scores big and is easily a cut above most run-of-the-mill PMPs. Music is involving – bass is crisp with a nice hit, but not as deep as some may like. The min-range is a lot of fun and very involving; there is a lot of emotion and weight to female voices in particular and guitar tracks are very involving. Our only complaint though one hardly noticeable by non-discerning users is the lack of control in the top-end and at times the D2+ drove our reference cans to sibilance and extra sparkle in the treble that loses detail. In really complex passages the instruments do get a little congested.

Video playback is good, with crisp output, but really for a video PMP a bigger screen is mandatory and anything with a resolution of above 320 x 240 pixels will not play. The bundled earphones are pretty decent. Battery life is excellent with well over a day of MP3 playback. At Rs. 9,500 for the 8GB version the D2 is a high end PMP but one that does a bit of everything and quite well. Purist audiophiles will find something to nitpick, but it’s good value. Don’t buy it for it’s video component.

Each of the cabinets of the Wisdom Audio L150i tower at about 2 metres in height and are some eight inches in width. The first speaker handles the bass and has six of the 6-inch woofers. The second monster handles the mids and the highs of the range. As awesome as they look, they aren’t meant to be placed in the open, but within walls. The price of each set is around Rs. 7,20,000 ($15,000).