|
|
|
|
|||
The reader feedback from the article I wrote on handling Internet downloads was awesome. I thought I'd share these comments with you here on our Web site since there are some very good tips that were sent in by TNPCers. Dan, just read your article about downloading files. I've been using a freeware app for a coupla years now called Filenote. It adds an item to the context menu in explorer. When I download a file, I copy the description of the file to the clipboard, then switch to explorer, and when the file is done, I right-click it and choose filenote. I then paste the description into notepad and save the file. It has the same name as the downloaded file and, if you do it right away, the time-stamp is almost the same if you sort by date. Works like a charm. Enjoy! The Bullgoose hi dan, i use a little program called DSETUPN which i found at tucows. with a right click of your mouse it gives an extension in your dropdown menu which enables you to add a description to you files. in your folders you see directly meaningful information. regards, jack seegers in adddition to the general idea of a downloads folder... with hd's as large as they are now, I tend to set my icq (on Win9x) to point at a folder called downloads at c:\windows\start menu\downloads\ .. which dumps the icq downloads into a folder that I can access via the start menu, subdivided in the case of icq by the sender's name... your general idea could be pointed at said same folder, for the same reason... easy access... or a start menu shortcut could be added to those folders but then you don't get the very nice, quick menuing... Ref. to your issue for Thursday, October 26, 2000 - Vol. 3 No. 22 dealing with '** 04. Tips on Handling Internet Downloads (by Dan Butler) 'I find a very small freeware program 'Filenote' extremely useful for this purpose. The attached description is from the maker of this wonderful utility. Filenote.zip : 200 Kb "FileNote is a little shell extension that allows you to add textual descriptions to your files. It adds one command to the shell context menu of a file object. This command lets you easily edit or create a text file that has the same name as the initial file, but with the extension TXT. For example, if you have a file, MyImage.jpg, you right-click on that file and choose the FileNote command from the context menu. A new text file called MyImage.txt is created and Notepad is opened to edit that text file. If a text file with that name already exists, it will be opened for viewing/editing." I always look forward to receiving 'The TNPC' issues. I read your netletter first when ever it arrives in my inbox even though I usually have other messages as well. So far I have felt no need to discontinue this practice. Every issue has something that I can use. Keep up the good work. Surinder A. Tell me what you think of http://www.surfsaver.com/ ===== Dan, Excellent set of tips for down loading. Can I suggest another? Do you use Filenote? A right click on the newly down loaded file and choose Filenote will give you a .txt file of the same name as the file on which you clicked. Brief notes can be added there to remind you why you did the down load, when (don't forget the F5 date stamp in Notepad) and anything else you fancy. The .txt file sits next to the original down load on the file listing and can have text descriptions added later, once the down load has been tried. Filenote is freeware from www.moonsoftware.com What follows is the description from their web site:- FileNote is a little shell extension that allows you to add textual descriptions to your files. It adds one command to the shell context menu of a file object. This command lets you easily edit or create a text file that has the same name as the initial file, but with the extension TXT. For example, if you have a file, MyImage.jpg, you right-click on that file and choose the FileNote command from the context menu. A new text file called MyImage.txt is created and Notepad is opened to edit that text file. If a text file with that name already exists, it will be opened for viewing/editing. Regards, Hi Dan: I just read your article "Tips on Handling Internet Downloads (by Dan Butler)" from TheNakedPC Newsletter - October 26, 2000 - Vol. 3 No. 22. You had some great ideas--but, of course, you already gave similar advice in Unofficial Guide to PCs. I think you should follow up by mentioning the other piece of advice from UGPC. In the same folder as your download, create a text file with the identical name, but ending .txt. In it, put the name, description, version, when downloaded, & download URL. When you sort views by either name or date, the downloaded file & text file will be right next to each other. I used to have a separate Word document for this, but your method is much easier & faster. Keep up the good work! Hope this helps. Phil R. Hi Dan, Look forward to every issue of TNPC. I download a lot of stuff too and even some files with names like xyz%zup.xnr and who would ever imagine what it was or means...... In comes Annotator by jplachy@compuserve.com --don't have the DL URL handy, tho. With Annotator, which, by the way is a Shell that ran great on Win95, OSR2.5, Win98SE and now on WinMe, adds a tab called Annotation to the Properties screen, where you just type in what it is, where you got it (so you can go back later), what it does, when you DLed it and when you installed it, etc. and can add comments about how it works, etc. -a whole page of things, if you like. Additionally, I put it on a newbies machine so that he could identify any folder, file, program, etc. that had a Properties screen by writing in his personal notes and now he is knowledgeable about what is on his HDD. Annotator, TClockEx, and ATNotes (tiny post-its only as big as the note) are my three "Can't live without them" free mini programs that run on all OS's and are worthy of your attention. Lamoree Dan: I liked your tip for renaming downloads and keeping the original name in parentheses. Wish I'd thought of it. I like to keep my desktop free from clutter, and I also prefer to use the keyboard over the mouse. I have a 'Drawer' where I keep a lot of my shortcuts. Under C:\Windows\Start Menu I added a folder called 'Drawer' where I drop a lot of shortcuts (and other folders with categorized shortcuts, such as "Oracle" with all of my various Oracle instance starters, and "Spreadsheets" with shortcuts to "Expense Report" and others that I use on a periodic basis). Now all I have to do to start a commonly used application is hit the 'Windows' key, then 'down arrow' to drawer, 'right arrow' to open it up, and pick from the list. Works for me. Chris Dan...tnx so very much for the download tip...I'm a newbie/novice...and I'm starting to get into this aspect of the computer. Needless to say...being a novice...this has been a frustrating but necessary experience for me. (I like to download games...and minor shareware) Your article has given me a since of direction that I didn't have before! Tnx Again Hi Dan. I wanted to let you know that I have been using the same process that you use to keep records of your downloads, but I also go 1 step further, in addition to putting the full name I also type in the date I did the download. It helps me find out quicker as to which download is the newest, especially when I have updates that are very general for a program. Nick L. Dan I thought you might be interested in another approach to managing downloaded "stuff". I have a CD-RW drive. I have designated one CD as the place for all my downloads. In my small world, the capacity of a CD is plenty big... I have yet to fill one CD. I have designed a short paper (yes paper!) form to log the download. It has space for the program name - which usually tells what the program does; the date of the down load, the exe or zip actual file name and a space for comments - where I may note the bytes size or any other details. If it's shareware I note how much the program costs and if it has an authorization code. A second part of the form is for the date and time I INSTALL the software - (which may be immediately or several days later than the download date); folder name or location where it is installed, and any other note I think needed. Don't get the idea that this is extensive hand writing of the form info. I get 4 of the forms on a standard size sheet of paper. This method is a little more work than yours (and involves PAPER!) but gives a record outside the computer - of what has been downloaded and installed. I enjoy the newsletter and look forward to each issue. Keep up the good work. Dave E. I like your idea for naming downloads with both the description and the original file name and will be using it from now on. I already use a specific folder named 00downloads with sub-folders named such things as games, util, fonts, music etc. Why the 00? It sorts to the top of the tree and is easy to find. Thanks for the news letter and the tips Leon B. I go one step more for downloads. Put each program in its own folder, along with the URL of the site that you downloaded the program from. I set up the keypad to access Notepad, so that when I save the URL, I have some place to put the URL. Also Notepad access from the keypad comes in handy for saving information when at a web site. Dan -- Great article in TNPC October 26, 2000 - Vol. 3 No. 22. Organizing your Internet downloads and especially remembering what they a few weeks later is indeed a problem for many people. One addition trick I use is a Word doc file for each download. In your example, I would download: GraphPaperPrinter4.21(gpaper).exe In addition, I would create a Word document called GraphPaperPrinter4.21(gpaper).doc into which I would cut and paste the description paragraph from TNPC, the vendor website or wherever else I read about the download. Now, whenever I want to use a download weeks later, I open the associated doc file to refresh my memory on what the program did. This has saved me LOTS of time. Randy K. Re: Your "Tips on Handling Internet Downloads" - October 26, 2000 - Vol. 3 No. 22 Dan, I've used the techniques described in your article for quite some time now, but I've got one other related tip that your readers might find useful. Even with a very descriptive file name, I'll often want more of a reference of what site I found the file on and a more thorough description of the file. The sites that I most often download files from have a download link on a page that is dedicated to that particular file (ZDnet in particular). What I'll do is to save the page where I found the download link using the same name I used to save the downloaded file, i.e.: Downloaded file: GraphPaperPrinter4.21(gpaper).exe Also, before I *ever* execute a download, I *always, ALWAYS* put the file in an empty folder. There's nothing worse than an executable that simply unarchives all 297 files into the folder where the executable is without prompting you for a new location. Dan B. I must introduce you to this wonderful piece of shareware my dad showed me. I am hooked on it. You can install it so that it automatically pops up when you download a file so you can make a note that hooks with the file to tell you what in the world that file does. It has made major changes in my life! Visit the Atlast! File Notes Organiser Web Site at www.filenotes.com. *Ellen* Dan, I have a slightly different technique for tracking my downloaded files. I also have a folder set aside for downloads. But instead of renaming them, I create a text file with the same name and describe the file, its purpose, and where I downloaded it from in the text file. For example, if I download an executable file named "dlx50f.exe", I create a text file called "dlx50f.txt". Then I describe the exe file in the text file. (For expedience, I usually copy an existing *.txt file, edit it, and rename it). The two files are always handily located next to each other in my Explorer window. Karen Neeb HI, Dan! Great information. I've been doing exactly what you have suggested for about six or seven years now. BUT....occasionally, if you rename a file, it won't install unless you rename it with it's exact original file name. Or, if it *does* install, you can't uninstall it using the program's uninstall program because it looks for the original file name to uninstall. It's just like installing in the default folder location. Years ago, and even sometimes now, if you don't install in the default location, you can't uninstall because the uninstaller looks for the program in the default location. All of that doesn't make too much difference to me because I'm one of those people that likes to give heart attacks to others by going in and clearing the registry manually. Time consuming, but it works (And is a totally different and off topic subject, anyway.) Keep up the good work. JIM in North Hollywood. One point you didn't mention was that allot, and I mean ALLOT, of people use some type of download manager such as Gozilla or Download Accelerator (my personal fav) and simply specifying your own default download location in these programs saves allot of hassle! I simply save all to my desktop by setting it as the default download path, then I deal with the file such as installing it or whathaveyou, then delete the downloaded file to save on system clutter! Anything I think I may want to reinstall on this or another PC I simply copy to disc from my desktop, then delete it! Wendy G. Hi== Such a great idea. It is simpler and more reliable than the dowmload programs. Love your Newsletter. Joe B. i have been using a system a lot like yours for a year or so, but i add
a little to it, that might be useful for some. there is a folder on the
c: drive called downloads, with an icon for that on the desktop. when
downloading, oe puts me into the last subdirectory of downloads that i
used - most recent previous dl. go up and create a new directory for
the dl with a name somewhat intelligible. go into that folder and dl the
new file. for exe dl, make a lower directory with the same name and put
the extracted files in that latter one. go there and do whatever,
readme, install, etc. if a zip file, use winzip and it will create that
lowest directory. continue as before. if i save it to use, or install
it, i put the original dl in a storage directory called loaded zips, and
delete unnecessary extracts and folders. if i delete it after trying it
out, i also go to the loaded zips and delete the original dl file. the
loaded zips could be on removable media. Hello, I'm rather a novice to computing but have been using a 'system' for my downloads also. All my downloads go to D:\ in categories. This is easy to do using Gozilla. First I copy the info for the file to Notepad and save in a new folder named after the file and in it's 'category'. Then the file is scheduled to download in the same folder. I have categories like: System, Security, Utilities, Info., Internet, Fonts, Graphics, Misc.- well you get the idea. The reason they are saved to D:\ is because some of these will trash my computer causing me to have to restore from a recently made full system backup by Drive Image. I only try out a beta program after first making a new full system backup and recording it on CDs. I enjoy reading your newsletter. You have some good stuff - keep up the good work! Sincerely, Urban U. |
|||
|
|
|||
TNPC Hot Tips:
|
