Save images embedded on Microsoft Word documents

Mar 23

smachadoWindows No Comments

I got a query from a friend on how to save/extract images embedded on Microsoft Word documents. At first I thought that would be an easy task that I could easily find on a menu or right clicking the image. Well I was wrong.

I oppened up a document and inserted an image. Now the fastest way I could get the image off the file was to right-click on it and select copy and then openning up Microsoft Paint at Start > Programs > Acessories > Paint and copying the image into it using CTRL+V or paste option of edit menu.

Then I could save it as an image file. Problem solved.

Enjoy!

Clean up folders easily using Windows Explorer search feature

Mar 18

smachadoWindows No Comments

Let’s assume the following scenario: you have an hierarchy of 30 folders with 3 levels. On those folders you have documents, text files, zip files, pdf files and audio and picture files all mixed up.

You want for example to easily select all document files and move them to a document dedicated folder. Traversing all hierarchy and moving files manually is time consuming.

You can efficiently do this by using the search functionality on Windows Explorer.

Using Windows Explorer go to the parent folder of the directory structure you want to clean up. Click Search on your toolbar.

The Search Companion column will show up at your left: “What do you want to search for?”.

You can try and play with the search options but for this example let’s say you select All files and folders.

You want to search for documents so let’s enter .doc at the box All or part of the file name and confirm that the Look in drop down box has our parent folder. It’s confirmed so let’s hit the Search button.

All your document files will show up as result of your search. Now you can manipulate them as you usually do on Windows Explorer disregarding they are on different folders.

So we can hit CTRL+A to select them all and then drag them to a target folder making sure SHIFT is pressed while dragging (to move the files instead of copying them) – or using CTRL+C at the selected list and then CTRL+V at the target folder – or using right-click cut at the selected list and right-click paste at the target folder. Use the method you are most used to.

And this should be enough to move all documents stored across folders to one target folder, easily.

You can use the same technique to delete files with certain patterns for example. Just remember that the same operation you can do on files at the same folder you can do to any group of files across your file system in one go.

Have fun!

Windows XP: Mounting disk drives over folders

Mar 07

smachadoWindows No Comments

Following last post on how to change a disk drive letter you can use the same instructions to mount a disk drive into a folder.

After right-clicking your disk device and selecting Change Drive Letter and Paths you can click Add… and then browse to an empty folder that will be your mount point.

So you can for example create a C:\Documents folder on your system disk and mount an external hard drive on it. Or you might create a C:\Program Files 2 directory and mount a different disk.

Then if you use your external disk on any other computer you can mount into the same mount point and refer to your files the same way.

That’s it =)

Have Fun!

Windows XP: change the disk drive letter

Mar 07

smachadoWindows 5 Comments

Recently I had to start installing applications on a removable/external hard disk due to lack of free space on my system/internal hard drive. Installing applications on Windows means registering them with the system, having shortcuts created and so on – they get integrated into the system. This means that the system will need to find files for those applications and it will use the full path for those files. That includes the hard drive letter that Windows assigns to storage devices (hard drives, cd-roms, usb memory cards, etc).

Unfortunately Windows doesn’t consistently assign the same drive letter to the same device and this makes things complicated. Fortunately Windows will only mess around your device letters if you start up your computer after connecting devices that you don’t usually connect. For example I normally connect my usb 3g modem, an usb hub with a keyboard and mouse connected into it and an external disk drive – and I connect them to the same usb ports every time. This makes Windows use the same device letter consistently. But if I connect an ebook reader with a memory card on it that will add 2 storage devices to the system and make Windows change the drive letter configuration.

The temporary solution I found was:

  1. Open Control Panel
  2. Open Administrative Tools (Windows XP Professional)
  3. Open Computer Management
  4. Select Disk Management under Storage
  5. An applet will open. Right-click on the drive you want to modify the drive letter.
  6. Select Change Drive Letter and Paths
  7. Select the drive letter and click Change.
  8. Select the drive letter you want to change to from the drop down list.

That’s it! you made it =)

Have fun!