Category Archives: Tips and Tweaks

How to Retrieve Deleted Gmail Messages and Outlook.com Emails?

Exchanging messages has become so popular today! Whether you use the Facebook Messenger or Twitter, it is all about messages. But still to-date Email is so popular that Microsoft started convert of Hotmail account to Outlook.com. Gmail and Yahoo are still going great guns! But sometimes things can go wrong when you are working with a pc/laptop/smartphone and it necessarily need not be your fault.

Emails can be deleted on purpose or by chance. For example your ex-girlfriend, colleague or enemy can gain access to your Gmail account and delete all your emails. Sometimes hackers can intrude into your email system and create havoc with your data.

How to Retrieve Deleted Gmail Messages?

If you have created regular Gmail backups you can recover deleted Gmail messages right from Gmail’s web interface. But somehow if you are lazy like me and have no mail backups, you can still recover the lost data provided you meet the following two conditions.

Mails have not been deleted from the Gmail trash
Less than 30 days have passed since the deletion

All the deleted Gmail messages will be in “Trash” folder until you manually purge them or for a time period of 30 days. To check whether you Gmail messages are in your “Trash” folder, complete the following:

1. Go To your Gmail account and Sign-in.

2. Locate the “Trash” folder on the left side bar. This generally will be below the “Spam” folder.

3. There is also a short-cut to reach this folder. Type “in:trash” in Gmail search and there you are:

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From the email messages available in the “Trash” folder you can select your wanted mails and move them to “Inbox” or any other folder of your choice. You generally need to click the drop-down menu to reach the “Inbox” or any other folder.

If you haven’t found your deleted Gmail messages here, you can post a support request on the official Gmail forum as a last resort.

How to Restore Deleted Outlook.com Emails?

Just like in Gmail, if you have deleted important emails in your Outlook.com email service you can restore them without any hassle.

How-to:

1. Login to your Outlook.com service.

2. In the left sidebar/pane of the Outlook.com home screen, you will see a “Deleted” folder. It’s just like the “Trash” folder in Gmail.

3. You can do similar tasks as you have done in Gmail “Trash” folder here.

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As you can observe all the deleted messages are stored in this folder. Just select the email you want to un-delete and click the drop-down on “Move to” tab and choose Inbox. Your deleted message will be back in your Inbox.

But there is one more advantage compared to Gmail in Outlook.com. Suppose you have even deleted all the messages in the Deleted folder too, you can still restore them back. This possibility is not available in Gmail. You just have to put a support request in one of the product forms of “Google”.

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Just, click on the “recover deleted messages” present at the bottom on the right side pane of the Deleted folder. Hooray! Outlook.com will try to restore all your deleted messages. Once they are back in your Deleted folder, you just have to move your wanted mails to Inbox as we mentioned before.

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You will see the above message at the bottom of the retrieved deleted messages, once they are restored. “We brought back every message we could. Please move anything you want to keep since the Deleted folder is emptied periodically. …”

As you observed in Gmail and Outlook.com it’s very easy to get back your deleted messages if you are on a high alert. Sometimes they get deleted permanently and the only chance to restore them back is using support forums and sending a request to the Email service.

Guest post by Karri Avinash who is a Microsoft enthusiast with latest tech trendy articles on his blog. He supports his Uncle Palla Ramarao in writing reviews about Windows products like Windows 8, Office 2013, SharePoint 2013 folder Sync, Outlook.com, Windows 7 and Surface tablet. Palla Ramarao, the main writer is a Civil Engineer, Software Engineer and Blogger by part-time.

5 Beneficial Ways to Use the Internet

The Internet is useful for so many different things in modern society that narrowing it down to just five almost seems absurd. However, we could all use a little reminder from time to time of what this incredible innovation is capable of beyond just posting on Facebook and scrolling through page after page of cat memes.

To refresh your memory–and maybe even introduce you to some new concepts–consider the following list of top five beneficial ways you can use the Internet:

1. Make a Phone Call. Forget to pay your bill and need to make an emergency phone call? You can make a call right from your computer with Google Voice. This user-friendly software allows anyone with a Gmail account to call friends and colleagues in the U.S. and Canada absolutely free. Users can also count on exceptionally low rates for calls outside of these regions as well for convenient international calling. Google Voice even offers a video chat option as well. A similar phone calling service is also available through Yahoo! Voice and the popular video chat company Skype.

2. Watch a Movie. From Hulu to Netflix, watching your favorite TV shows and movies is easier than ever with a little help from the Internet. Hulu and similar websites like SurftheChannel allow you to watch and share your favorite shows and movie clips for absolutely free, while Netflix grants members access to thousands of movies and television shows for just pennies per day.

3. Earn a College Degree. Traditional colleges have had a monopoly on higher education for close to 400 years, but the rapid growth of online institutions offers an alternative choice for students all across the country. At an online college, students of all ages and educational backgrounds can complete homework and tests, participate in discussions with other students, study academic material through various technological resources and ultimately, earn a higher degree. For busy parents, life-long learners, and other people, this opportunity is a highly convenient solution.

4. Find a Job. The job market isn’t always kind to the unemployed, which is why every resource must be used to its fullest potential to ensure the best results. The Internet offers a virtual gold mine of outlets for professionals to connect with employers through social media sites like LinkedIn, Blogger and job-hunting sites like Monster.com. In addition to connecting with professionals in your industry through these platforms, job seekers can use the Internet to create an attractive resume, look for advice from other professionals, and keep up with industry news on a minute-to-minute basis.

5. Shop. Who has the time (and patience, for that matter) to head out to the store, wait in traffic, search through aisles and aisles of consumer goods, wait in line, make five impulse buys, and drive all the way back home again? Although shopping in stores does come with the advantage of having the item right away — and dodging shipping fees– the convenience of online shopping often makes it a much better alternative for anything from toiletry items to appliances and clothing.

Because the Internet has grown at a much faster pace than anyone could have anticipated, we often need a refresher course on what the World Wide Web is capable of. With just those five features above, the Internet has enhanced each of our lives in astronomical ways and has the potential for even greater things in the future.

Guest post by Lindsey. Lindsey Harper Mac is a professional writer living in the Indianapolis area. She specializes in writing guest posts covering social media and education on behalf of Colorado Technical University. Currently, Lindsey is completing work on her master’s degree.

How to Prevent Printer Paper Jams In Printer Tray

Are you asking yourself a question? How it is possible for you to easily avoid paper jams on your printer? If you are having HP Officejet 5600 series which is an All-in-One printer, you will be contended to know that it can handle a large number of paper types and sizes. All of these printers are designed in a manner which enables consistent and quiet services with a least amount of maintenance, but often paper gets jammed in the work of creating unwanted delays and leading you to costly servicing. Luckily, there are some exceedingly simple steps that you can take into account to prevent the problem of paper jams.

Instructions To Follow

The instructions are as under;

First and foremost, you are required to remove the printer paper out from its original packing. Later on, insert all the papers that are unused into a re-seal-able, large bag. Make sure you are keeping the bag of unused papers on a flat, hard surface away from extremes of humidity and heat from preventing wrinkles, ripping, bending and curling which can further lead to paper jams.
Secondly, you need to make sure that you have removed only the amount of paper you require for a particular job from the paper bag. You should be taping the paper stack on a hard as well as flat surface so that you can easily align all the edges. Check the papers for curls, bent, wrinkled and ripped edges. Discard and remove any unsatisfactory pages.
You need to make sure that all the papers in the stack are of same type and size. It is important to make use of only those paper types and sizes that are recommended for HP printers. To check which paper type is best for your printer, you can browse through HP’s official portal to get this information.
Ensure that your printer is not currently servicing any of the printing jobs. Remove all kinds of original paper away from the copier glass.
Now, you need to insert the paper stack into the printer’s input tray, short edge forward. Slide the stack ahead until it stops. It is imperative to know that you should not force the paper stack beyond its stopping mark.
Slide the papers inside with in the width dimensions till the time the paper are held snugly in to the input tray, but it should not be done tightly as otherwise it will bend the papers. Furthermore, you need to make sure that the stack does not extend higher as compared to the top of the paper width dimensions.
You should not leave the printer unattended during the operation. Remove the printed pages promptly from the output tray.

Warnings and Tips

The paper may jam within your printer because the papers perhaps are not in the right place when the printer is servicing the cartridges. If you are going to push the papers at this point of time, it may result in a paper jam.

Make sure that papers are not stuck together as this is another reason which leads to the problem of a paper jam.

In addition, you should never print label on such sheets that are more than two years old. This is because the labels might peel off during the servicing leading to a paper jam.

Guest post by Nadine Myrick from Pass Certification looking for pass certification exam assistance? Let’s take benefit of pass certification self-paced Exin Certifications training material and clear your IT certification on first try.

Best Printers And Ink Cartridges for Photography Printing

Your digital camera may take high resolution photos, but unless you have a good printer and the best ink cartridges, your treasured memories could be nothing more than streaky blur on the page. Photo printing depends as much on the printer as it does the ink and paper. You need to choose your printer according to the ink cartridges and ink type. An inkjet photo printer is always going to be the best but how do you know what basic specs to look for?

image credit:Rutger de Moddertukker

Canon PIXMA iP 6700 D Photo Printer

Canon is at the forefront of digital photography so it makes sense that they have produced a photo printer that matches up. The significance of the Canon PIXMA is the print head technology and the use of six ink tanks for high-resolution printing. You can print directly from your PC, camera, a compatible memory card and your camera phone. It has a 3.5-inch LCD screen that lets you edit and enhance your photo right before printing. You can print a 4 x 6 inch glossy photo in 47 seconds and an 8.x 10 in photo in 76 seconds, which make it fast without compromising on quality.

Ink Cartridges: The Canon uses a ChromaLife100 ink system that delivers the ink through 3,072 nozzles that allow for extremely crisp glossy photos at a high resolution. With two high intensity photo ink cartridges and 4 conventional ink cartridges, (CLI-8 photo cyan and CLI-8 photo magenta, CLI-8 black, CLI-8 cyan, CLI-8 magenta, CLI-8 yellow,) you get the highest quality photo shop prints.

Separate ink tanks mean that you save money on printing costs because you can just replace the ones that you need. The Canon range of printers has a permanent ink head instead of the ink head integrated into the cartridge.

Epson Stylus Photo R380 Inkjet Printer

Promising professional quality photos form a home printer, this inkjet printer deliver with 8 specialized inkjet cartridges. You can also print onto CD and DVD covers for extra multimedia capability. The ink cartridges for the Epson Stylus deliver on speed and resolution and the printer comes with built in software that is compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems. The Matte Black and gloss ink optimizers within the ink cartridges make sure that your photo last linger and have less banding than others.

Ink Cartridges: The ink droplet size is less than 4 picoliters allowing for extra fine detail and print quality.

Epson ink technology utilizes Durabrite ultra ink cartridges that are a pigment-based ink. This stops ‘bleeding’ on your page and dries faster because it does not have to be water-soluble. The only drawback to the Epson ink cartridges and printer is that to achieve the best results, you must use original Epson paper.

HP B3850 Photosmart Pro Photo Printer

With an extra black ink cartridge for laser quality documents, this printer is a versatile addition to your home. The HP Vivera ink cartridge technology uses six individual cartridges with extra fine nozzle technology for the best-printed glossy photo that will last for over 25 years in your photo album. HP will let you print a 4 x 6 inch glossy border-less photo in just 26 seconds.

Ink Cartridges: HP has developed an ink cartridge that uses a dye instead of pigment-based inks. This offer superb quality if you need to print high gloss photos. The HP ink cartridge does not dilute the ink to achieve lighter colors, which can affect the durability of glossy photos. The system starts with the lightest shades and slowly darkens as required.

Guest post by Oliver from PrinterInks, online stockists of Canon, Epson and HP ink cartridges, as well as toner and ink cartridges from many other leading brands.

5 Simple Ways to Make Your Computer Faster

There are many reasons for a slow computer. Maybe you have too many programs running at once. Maybe you need to install updates. It might also be that you are using the wrong programs. Whatever your particular case is, here are five simple ways to get your computer back to top speed.

Change your browser – Switch from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Switching browsers is a simple, effective way to speed up your computer. Forget the old go-to, the newer browsers work much more effectively and quickly. They are both free to use and easy to install, so why wait any longer?

Clean up – Clean out your computer. There are tons of free programs that will help you to get your computer really clean, but which one is the best? Well, I’ve found that CCleaner is the quickest and simplest to use program that really gets everything cleaned up. It can also double check your registry once it finishes cleaning, so that is another added benefit.

Defragmenting – Defragmentation of your hard drive regularly is essential. Defragmenting your hard drive used to be so slow that it almost wasn’t worth the effort, but not anymore. With programs like Defraggler, it is now easier than ever to get your computer in order. It will save your computer moments of memory retrieval time, which adds up to real time savings as you go along.

Plugins – Delete unnecessary plugins. When you download new programs, many times they come with voluntary plugins. It is always beneficial to remove them. Most of the time they don’t help you and you do not use them very often, so don’t keep them around. The more plugins you get rid of, the faster your computer will run.

Update – Update regularly. Sometimes computer slowdown is caused by old systems. Make sure you update your computer habitually. Most modern computers update every time they are closed down completely, but if you leave your computer running all the time, then you need to check yourself for updates to the system. Don’t get left in the dust; check on new updates often and keep your computer running fast and safely.

No matter what is slowing your computer down, you can fix it. Just set some time aside to clean up a little and it will pay off big in the long run. Do your research and you are bound to find free programs that work well and do exactly what you need.

This Guest post is by Christine Kane, a graduate of Communication and Journalism. She enjoys writing about a wide variety of subjects including internet providers in my area for different blogs.

10 Geeky and Useful Tools for Bloggers

If you are a geek and a blogger, then you probably already have a tool kit of sorts for your blogging platform. Tools can automate some of the more tedious tasks of blogging and help take your blog to the next level. Here are 10 geeky, blogging tools that work with all platforms and types of blogs:

1. MicroPoll for Easy Online Polls:

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Online polls are fun and popular. Make a poll for the side bar of your blog in a few easy, free steps with MicroPoll. Just sign up for an account, input your poll’s data into their WYSIWYG wizard and MicroPoll returns all the code you need to copy and paste into your blog.

2. W3C Link Checker:

Have you ever just been randomly perusing the content on your large blog to find that one of your most important links is broken? W3C Link Checker is a site wide, web-based checker for dead links that you can schedule to run at regular intervals.

3. PunchTab:

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This one is really cool and can help you build loyal visitors to your blog. PunchTab basically allows you to create a rewards program to your blog. You think up and provide the rewards for returning visitors, higher article views, referring visitors or whatever else and PunchTab generates the interface for your rewards program in widget form to place in the side bar of your blog.

4. Snap:

Snap adds link previews to specified links on your blog. This is advanced blog functionality that is proven to enhance user experience and increase page views.

5. Fast Blog Finder:

Still trying to build traffic to your blog? The experts say commenting on other relevant blogs and leaving a link back to your blog is a great way to promote your site. Fast Blog Finder allows you to search out the most relevant blogs that allow for links in comments, in relation to your blog, and has a CMS for managing all the comments you leave as part of promoting your site on a regular basis.

6. SpringWidgets:

Many cool, free widgets for your blog. They have everything from count down timers to games.

7. Plugoo:

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Allows you to chat with and message your blog visitors using whatever your main messenger application is (GoogleTalk, MSN, Yahoo, etc).

8. SiteTimer:

This web-based application allows you to see how long it takes for your blog to load. If you want your visitors to not be annoyed and possibly hit the back button, your site should load in 4 seconds or less.

9. Pando:

If you use SiteTimer and find that your site is taking too long to load, then check out Pando. It’s a free, easy to use tool that will streamline the load times of large media files (videos, podcasts, flash animations, etc.).

10. CloudFlare:

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Are you a security geek? Then you’ll love CloudFlare. Through some advanced mechanisms, CloudFlare can protect your blog from spammers and malicious web bots. If you get several comments a day on your blog that are obviously left by spammers or bots, then definitely check this tool out – it’s free and web-based.

Guest article by Jessica Drew. Jessica Drew is a freelance writer and frugal shopping enthusiast who writes about a variety of financial topics such as credit cards, student loans and cheap flights.

Five Reasons Your Computer Will Disallow Your Broadband from Working Faster

That your broadband internet connection does not perform well might not be a fault of your internet service provider. Many people enjoy the performance of their broadband internet when they install it newly on their computer but when it begins to get old on the computer, their broadband internet connection will not run faster as it used to again. If you happen to fall into the category of people I just mentioned above, then you are here for a solution to your broadband Internet connection.

In this post, I shall be giving some reasons why your computer will be causing your broadband internet connection to become slow in performance and if any of them applies to you, you can reverse it by following the solution I will be giving along with each reason.

Too many files and applications

Having as much files and programs as one wants on one’s computer shouldn’t be any other person’s burden and nobody should regulate the way you install and download files on your computer. But let me inform you that installing just any program you come across on the internet can cause your computer a whole lot of damage. When you have too many files and programs on your computer, most especially when those files are not needed on your computer, your computer will be slow in performance. The solution to this is to remove all unnecessary files and programs from your computer, and you should only do this if you want your broadband internet to perform well.

Computer infected with viruses

When your computer is infected with a virus or malware, you can’t expect it to perform as it used to do. Viruses can create unwanted files on your computer’s hard disk which will make your computer to become slow in performance.

If you have an antivirus program installed on your computer, run a system virus scan and remove the viruses that are on your computer. If you don’t have an antivirus program on your computer, install one today and scan your computer. Always make sure your antivirus program is up to date.

Fragmentation

Due to daily usage that does give the need for you to delete and replace files on your computer’s hard disk, there is what is called disk fragmentation which will occur as you use your computer. This is when your computer breaks the files into segments and stores them in different positions. This process makes it harder for your computer to read a file, so it then takes long for your computer to load a file. This will make your broadband internet connection slow as well.

To correct this, run disk defragmenter on the hard disk you want to defragment. Restart your computer and you will notice the changes in your computer and broadband internet connection.

Low grade computer

Another major factor that can cause your broadband internet and computer to work slowly is low computer configuration. If your hard disk is very low, you have to increase it for you to enjoy better broadband internet performance. Your RAM should also be pretty high. Install new RAM(s) on your computer to improve its performance speed. When you do this, you will see a great difference in your broadband internet performance.

Regular Updates

Updating the components of the computer regularly is one thing many people always fail to do. It is very important that you update the programs and drivers on your computer for you to get better performance from them. You might need to update your broadband firmware if necessary.

If you follow these tips and you don’t see any changes in your broadband internet’s performance, then the best option for you is to call your internet service provider.

This guest article is written by Paul who writes about how to choose the right internet dongle.

Revive Your PC: How to Optimize a Slow Computer

Are you a not-so-proud owner of a slow computer? Too often our computers slow down to a crawl so that we feel like giving up and just getting a new one. But that’s not the way to go. Most likely it’s still possible to revive your PC without spending a single cent. Here is what you need to do:

1. Fix hard drive errors

Every time your programs crash, your computer freezes up and requires a hard reboot, or there is a power cut, your hard drive may experience errors and create bad sectors. These errors can accumulate over time and slow down your computer. That’s why your should run a tool called Check Disk at least once a month to fix all minor errors and prevent hard drive failure. To run Check Disk, do the following:

1. Click on the Start button and go to (My) Computer

2. Right-click on the hard drive you want to check and go to Properties

3. Go to the Tools tab, navigate to Error-checking and click Check now. Don’t forget to select the Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. Otherwise the tool will simply report problems without fixing them.

4. Click Start to run the tool.

Remember that Check Disk can take quite a while to fix errors. That’s why you need to dedicate about 40 min. for it to do the job.

2. Delete temporary files

Temporary files are created every day when you browse the Web and open files and programs. As a result your computer starts losing out on hard drive space. Lack of free disk space can grind your PC to a halt and make some tasks impossible to process.

You can cleanup temporary files with the help of Windows built-in Disk Cleanup utility. To access it, click on the Start button, go to Programs – Accessories. Launch the Disk Cleanup tool, let it analyze your disk and then let it clean up temporary files and the contents of your Recycle Bin.

3. Defrag and optimize system files placement

Whenever you save a new file or update an existing one, Windows breaks it up into small fragments and fits these fragments into bits of available free space. Over time too many of your files become fragmented, which means that your computer needs more time to find the fragments and open the files. So if your Word documents, photos, and software take ages to open, disk fragmentation might be responsible for that.

Windows has its own defragmentation utility that can be found under Programs – Accessories, but it’s better to use a more advanced program, such as the free Auslogics Disk Defrag, to defragment files, free space, and optimize system files placement. That way you will speed up file access, prevent further fragmentation and make your computer start faster.

Guest post by Andrew Breen. Andrew Breen is the Marketing Director at Auslogics Software. Auslogics makes software to speed up and clean up your slow computer.

5 Tips to Avoid Computer Viruses

The term, “computer virus,” is commonly used to describe anything from spyware, malware, worms, trojans, to actual viruses themselves. While there is some overlap between these types of malicious software, one factor that is uniform across each category is that they are always hostile to your computer system and exist for the sole purpose of creating some level of data loss, intrusion, or unauthorized access to your computer.

Given the expanding role of the internet in our lives and growing concern associated with online privacy and data security, it is essential that every computer and network is safeguarded against computer viruses. While many business and individuals have opted for professional IT support and maintenance for their computer systems, the tips below are some preliminary ways by which everyone can get started on keeping their computer protected to avoid harmful intrusion.

Use Anti-Virus Software

One of the best things you can do to protect your computer is to install the latest anti-virus and internet security software. A good internet security package will include a secure firewall that combines both protection and web freedom. It will allow you to surf the web relatively unhindered while shielding your computer against viruses, worms and trojans. Make sure to update your anti-virus software to stay up to date; schedule regular virus and malware scans; and scan every file you download, install, or transfer to your computer.

Don’t Open Attachments from Untrusted Sources or Download from Suspicious Sites

Another tip is to avoid opening email attachments from untrusted sources or download from unknown sites. While good anti-virus software will catch most viruses, there are always exceptions to the rule. Never be tempted to open executable files from unknown senders or files you have downloaded from suspicious websites. Make sure your email client software (e.g. Outlook or Thunderbird) is not configured to automatically download and open email attachments. If your work necessitates that you open attachments from unknown or new contacts from time to time, always manually download these files to a designated folder and run a comprehensive virus scan before opening the document.

Always Log in on a Standard User Account

Don’t use an administrator account unless necessary. You are given a choice to set up a standard user account or an administrator account the first time you use your computer or install your operating software. For added security in every day use, use a standard user account without administrator privileges. For most operating systems, this means you will not be able to install software or perform other administrator-only tasks without being prompted for a password or confirmation. Using a standard user account gives an extra level of security by bringing your attention to the matter when new software is being installed.

Download Updates and Stay Up To Date

Keep all software, including your operating system, up to date. The major operating systems, such as Windows or Mac OS, have automatic updates. You should check to make sure that other software – office software, media, and internet browsers – have the latest software patches. Make a list of the programs you use most frequently and check their status. Downloads and service packs are usually free or they can be made available on a subscription basis. These updates ensure that your software has no loopholes or bugs that can render your computer vulnerable to hackers and viruses.

Have Your System Assessed by a Professional

One of the best ways to be protected against viruses and other harmful software is to have your system assessed by a professional. It is very common for businesses and corporations to have their network systems checked by business IT support professionals who can test systems for security and vulnerability and make suggestions for improvement. Individuals concerned about their data security and privacy may also opt to have their computer hardware and software formally analysed by security professionals for peace of mind.

Guest article by Harry Raymonds who is a freelance writer specialized in writing articles about IT Support and Business IT Support.

Convert A DV AVI To DVD

Materials Needed: Computer, DV AVI file, DVD burning software, blank DVD

When you record a video with your DV (Digital Video) camera and then transfer it to your PC computer, the resulting file is usually stored as a DV AVI (Audio Video Interweave). AVI was first developed by Microsoft in the early 1990s and has since become a widespread video format. To convert this DV AVI to a DVD, you need DVD burning software. This software converts (called “transcoding”) the DV AVI to a file on the DVD that can be read and played on standard DVD players.

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