How to convert DVDs to AVI or MPEG video files

WikiHow page on steps for converting a DVD to an AVI file or MPEG file.

AutoGK or DVDx can be used.

AutoGK (Official) Tutorial

For Macs

Handbrake, there's also Instant Handbrake.
Handbrake gives a good interface and multiple format/compression options.

Installing Windows

Tips for Reinstalling Windows:

Download all your drivers and save them to a flash drive or burn them to a CD before you reinstall windows, that way you they'll be handy, and you won't have to go looking for them to have the correct resolution on your screen or to allow your DVD-Burner to function.

Before you install windows and the option appears to create a partition, create an extra partition for your data, so if you ever need to recover data, you'll be able to. This should help speed up the process of reinstalling windows later, since essential drivers and software can be saved to the separate partition.

From my experience, you can create this extra partition now, however you have to wait until windows is installed to format it. Double click on the partition in My Computer and it should prompt you to format it. It's best to format it FAT32, because it's readable by more OSes. A 26 GB partition took about 20 min. to format in FAT32 without the "quick option" on my laptop.

After reinstalling Windows. . . . .
here are some settings you may want to change:

• Show file extensions
• Set automatic updates to download automatically, but select "let me choose when to install them"
• Disable error reporting
  (WindowsKey + Pause), click on Advanced at the bottom and disable the error reporting
• Add the volume icon to the system tray
  
• Remove Windows Media Player from music/video files associations
• Adjust the your scheduled anti-virus scans
• Change the location of the My Documents folder
  (Right-click the My Documents folder, choose Properties, select the Target tab, and click Move to transfer your current My Documents folder and its contents to another location (see Figure 5). To make My Documents point to an existing folder, click Find Target instead of Move.)

Hardware Drivers

Dell Inspiron 6000 Drivers

From the Microsoft Page:
Automatic Driver Updates
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/learnmore/updatingdrivers.mspx

To use the Windows Update Catalog

1.	On the Microsoft Update home page, under Other options click Administrator options.
2.	Under Update multiple operating systems click Windows Update Catalog.
3.	Click Find driver updates for hardware devices.
4.	Click Pick a hardware category, and search for the latest updates to keep your devices working properly

You can search for driver updates to hardware products, organized by kinds of product and then by manufacturers.

You'll see a list of driver types. Select the category you're updating (Sound, Video, Printer, etc.) and a search form will display. Select from the list of manufacturers, choose your operating system, and search for your update. You'll see a list of suggested updates in the search results. Find the one you need, click Add, and click Go to Download Basket. From there, browse for the location where you'd like to download the software and then click Download Now. Finally, install the update.

What if I can't find my driver using the Windows Update Catalog?

A great resource in the gaming community is a Web site called FilePlanet that hosts drivers, trial versions, and hundreds of other gaming resources. Check FilePlanet if Microsoft Update doesn't list your driver. In the Browse menu on the left, under other files, click Drivers. When the Drivers page appears, enter the name of your device in the Search field, or scroll down to browse by category (Sound, Video Cards, DirectX, etc.)

Dust and Noise on Desktop computers

About half of the noise generated by desktop computers can be eliminated by dusting out the inside.

Use Meebo to IM from a Browser

Meebo
Meebo.com
Supports AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, and Yahoo! instant messaging services all from within a browser window. A new feature lets you move your chat windows onto the desktop. Meebo works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.

IM without using or installing an IM client.

From PC Magazine, March 6 2007 issue p.43

Keyboard Shortcuts

Bypass CD or CD-ROM autoplay [SHIFT] while inserting the disc

Delete an item with no undelete [SHIFT][DEL]

Rename an item [F2]

View an item's Properties [ALT][ENTER]

View an item's Properties [ALT][MOUSE R][MOUSE R]

Paste Special (Microsoft Word) [ALT][e][s][u][ENTER]

When browsing through files, start typing the name of a file or folder to find it.
(Works in explorer, open, and save dialog boxes)

Create a new folder [MOUSE R], [W], [F]

Copy a file [CTRL] drag the file

Arrange icons in alphabetical order [ALT]V, [I], [N]

Arrange icons in alphabetical order [MOUSE R], [I], [N]

Arrange icons by size [ALT][V], [I], [S]

Arrange icons by size [MOUSE R], [I], [S]

Arrange icons by type [ALT][V], [I], [T]

Arrange icons by type [MOUSE R], [I], [T]

Convert Fat32 hard drive to NTFS

To convert a volume to NTFS from the command prompt

1.	Open Command Prompt. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2.	In the command prompt window, type: convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs

For example, typing convert D: /fs:ntfs would format drive D: with the ntfs format. You can convert FAT or FAT32 volumes to NTFS with this command.

Important Once you convert a drive or partition to NTFS, you cannot simply convert it back to FAT or FAT32. You will need to reformat the drive or partition which will erase all data, including programs and personal files, on the partition.