A Quick Look at the Self-Installing HP LaserJet P1606dn

Before we get started, we'd like to say that we realize a printer is just a printer to most people. It consumes precious workspace, costs a fortune in supplies, and few geeks would marvel at a copy machine's spec sheet. Along with that it should be made abundantly clear that this write-up is only a quick look at the HP LaserJet P1606dn, or more specifically, one of its key features: Smart Install.
When we covered the launch of HP's self-installing printers back in April, some of you praised the concept while others questioned it -- and rightfully so, "plug and print" is a bold claim. Intrigued, we thought it would be cool to check one out, if only for the novelty factor. It's not a huge hassle to pop in a software disc, but if it can be done automatically, why the heck not, right? On the side this should also avoid the 'bloat' factor omnipresent in today's default installers.
After plugging the HP P1606dn into my Windows 7 Home Premium desktop, I was instantly greeted with Windows' "your device is ready to use" notification -- a half-truth. When I attempted to print a test page from Word, I realized the P1606dn wasn't listed. The printer didn't install. That prompt from Windows was informing me that installation media was mounted and accessible under Computer.
As it turns out, the magic requires autoplay, which is something I generally disable (and I assume I'm not alone there). Without delving into the boring details, I simply couldn't get autoplay to function properly on my primary system (at no fault of the printer). While the installer wouldn't launch on its own, it was listed under Computer and I could have executed it at any point. This alone is a nice touch.
To give the P1606dn a fair shot, I tried attaching it to two other Windows 7 systems. Both times autoplay ran as intended and the installer finished with only a couple prompts. HP simplified the process by making "I accept" the default license agreement option so you can just click "Install." After that, there's a prompt asking if you want to install via USB or network, and then you're good to go.
According to the HP's official product page, this model is also compatible with OS X and Linux, but it wasn't clear whether Smart Install would function properly or at all. The included booklet says the driver CD is required for Macs. For kicks, I tried it on Snow Leopard and Ubuntu 10.4 but neither prompted me for installation and as expected, I didn't see a setup mounted like on Windows.
Although "plug and print" is a tad exaggerated, the P1606dn is still the easiest printer I've ever set up. You literally have to click three or four prompts after connecting the printer to complete a standard installation.

How to Backup your Gmail Account

There are numerous ways to backup your Gmail data and deciding which way to go will largely depend on the level of effort you want to put into it. You could simply setup Gmail to forward all your mails to another email account and call it a day, for instance. But there are also a handful of other options that offer a bit more flexibility and convenience.
Below, we've listed a few of them, so you can choose whichever best suits your needs.
Use a standalone backup program
Gmail Backup is a simple and easy-to-setup free alternative that does exactly what its name says. Upon installation, just type in your credentials and it will begin downloading all your e-mails, backing them up securely, and allowing you to restore them to your account should the unthinkable happen. The program is free and Windows-only. Their website seems to be down due to the increased load in the past few days, but you can download Gmail Backup here from our local mirror.
If you're willing to shell out $20, Gmail Keeper will back up Gmail messages or messages from a Google Apps Mail account as a .zip file to a local disk. It supports multiple accounts and even stores labels associated with each message, while those concerned about privacy can encrypt their mail and password protect it.
Third-party Web service
Backupify is a handy tool that automatically performs scheduled backups for a number of popular online services including Google Apps, Facebook, Twitter and others. You won't have to put too much effort into the whole backup process -- just supply the login credentials of the sites you want backed up and Backupify takes care of the rest. Be aware though that you're essentially moving your info from one cloud to another.
The site offers both free and paid accounts with varying limitations, but given the recent Gmail blunder, Backupify is taking the opportunity to entice new users with a coupon code "savegmail" for a year of free backups with one of their premium plans, so there's really no reason for not giving it a shot.
Use a desktop mail client
This is probably the most common approach and should take just a few minutes to set up. Gmail offers access to all your mail through desktop clients such as Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, and many others. The latter is free and available on all major operating systems, so if you're doing this for the first time and especially if you're only planning to use it for backups rather than as your primary client, then Thunderbird might be the way to go.
For those unfamiliar with the setup process: After signing into Gmail, click the "gear" in the upper-right corner, choose Mail settings, then load the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab. Enable POP for all mail and set Gmail to keep its copy.
You'll then need to setup your desktop mail client to retrieve your emails. Google offers step-by-step instructions for a number of clients and Thunderbird's automatic configuration is usually spot on getting your settings right with just your username and password -- but make sure to use POP instead of IMAP for one-way message transfers.
Messages will be downloaded automatically each time you launch Thunderbird and stored into your profile folder -- which you can back up standalone as well for some added security. It's pretty straightforward, but for those who prefer to use the web-based Gmail interface, remembering to run Thunderbird or whatever desktop email client every once in a while might be more work than they're willing to deal with.

How To: Check If Someone Is Using Your Wi-Fi

There are many reasons why you'd want to check if an unauthorized Third party is using your wireless network. It may be that you're experiencing a slower than normal Internet connection or you simply don't want anyone getting a free ride while you pay the bill. Of course, there are also security implications if this person can somehow access files on your network, and even legal implications if he uses your connection for piracy or other illicit activities.
Whatever the case it's better to stay on the safe side. Many of you may have already taken some basic precautions when setting up your wireless network and know your way around troubleshooting these issues. This brief guide is aimed mostly at novice users in need a hand to find out if, indeed, their Wi-Fi is being stolen.

Check the devices associated with your router

The first thing you need to do is login to your router's administrative console by typing its IP address directly into the browser address bar -- typically 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 depending on which router you have. If you don't know your router's default address check out this guide or simply go to the command prompt (Start > Run/Search for cmd) and enter ipconfig. The address you need should be next to Default Gateway under your Local Area Connection.
Alternatively, if you are on a Mac, you can find the default address by going to Network under System Preferences. It should be listed right next to "Router:" if you are using Ethernet, or by clicking on "Advanced…" and heading to the "TCP/IP" tab if you are using Wi-Fi. Next, point your browser to that address and enter your login details -- if you haven't changed the default settings it should be a combination of "admin" and "password" or blank fields. Here's a default username and password list (PDF) you might find useful, but we recommend you change this afterwards.
Once inside your router's administrative console look for a section related to connected devices or wireless status. In my old DIR-655 from D-Link it's available under Status > Wireless but you'll find it as "Attached Devices" in Netgear routers, under DHCP Clients Table on Linksys routers, "Device List" if you are using the Tomato firmware, and so on.

DHCP client list examples on D-Link and Linksys routers. This should provide a table with the IP, MAC address and other details of every device currently connected to the router. Check that list against your gear to find any intruders. You can find out the MAC/IP address of your computers by going to the Command Prompt again and entering 'ipconfig /all'. The MAC address will be shown as the physical address. I'll let you figure it out for mobile devices like smartphones and media players since I can't possibly list all options.

Taking action

The best and simplest solution is to set up a strong password using WPA2 or WPA -- WEP is very easy to crack so avoid that if possible. There are some other methods you can use to beef up security, like switching off the SSID broadcast (which prevents it from advertising the name of your network to nearby Wi-Fi devices) or setup a filter for allowed or blocked devices by MAC address. It won't stop the most determined intruder but it will slow him down.
That should be more than enough for most users but if you need to actually track down who's been breaking into your network it's possible to pinpoint his physical location using a tool called MoocherHunter. You'll need to burn a Live CD to boot your laptop with and walk around to track down unauthorized wireless clients. According to the program's description, it detects traffic sent across the network and can find the source within 2 meters accuracy.
Needless to say, we're not suggesting you take matters into your own hands, but it might come in handy if someone is getting you in trouble with authorities using your network for illegal purposes -- or simply to have a cool story to tell.

Bonus: Profit by setting up a paid Wi-Fi hotspot

If it doesn't bother you to have someone piggybacking on your connection you might as well get something in return, right? Chillifire is a good third-party firmware alternative if you want to run a public hotspot, as it allows you to offer for-pay or free Internet access points from your consumer router. Alternatively, you can get a Fonera router, which gives you free roaming at Fon Spots worldwide in return for sharing a little bit of your WiFi at home.

Windows 8: How to Bypass Metro and Boot Directly to the Desktop Interface

When Windows 7 starts, you hit a login screen (assuming it's enabled) and then you're brought straight to the desktop.
When Windows 8 starts, it displays a lock screen that you have to move out of the way before entering your credentials, and then you have to dismiss the Metro interface before accessing the desktop. Like I said, I'm cool with Metro, but I have no desire to see a full-screen Start Menu when I log into my PC.
Hopefully the retail version of Windows 8 will make it a little easier to force Metro into the background, but it's entirely possible to do this on the prerelease builds if you have five minutes to spare. Likewise, it's easy to disable the lock screen and have Windows automatically log you in for hassle-free reboots.

Boot to the Windows 8 desktop instead of Metro

As noted, there doesn't appear to be any baked-in solution to disabling Metro when booting Windows 8 -- or at least, we haven't found it. However, you can configure a simple script to run every time you log in. You can save yourself a few steps by downloading the batch we've created for you, or simply copy the text below into Notepad and save it as a .bat file (any name will do -- only the extension matters):

_echo off
C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}
end_

Once you have the script, store it somewhere you don't mind it being forever. With the script stored, you need to create a new task to run it at log in. You can do this directly through the Windows Task Scheduler or by attaching it to the Windows Logon event in the Event Viewer. We'll walk you through the second one, for no particular reason:

• Search for Windows' Event Viewer in Metro's settings (it appears as "View event logs").
• Click Windows Logs > Application in the left column to get a list of events in the center.
• Scroll through the list until you see an information event with the source "Winlogon."
• Right click the Winlogon entry and choose "attach task to this event" to schedule a task.
• Name your task anything you want and click next three times to choose your script.

After the script is configured to run, you won't have to manually dismiss the Metro interface anymore. It's worth noting that you will still see Metro briefly as the script takes a second or two to kick in, but at least it'll show itself to the door. If anyone finds a quicker-acting solution, feel free to share it.

Disabling the Windows 8 lock screen to log in faster

This one's less involved. Fire up the Group Policy Editor (search for gpedit.msc via Metro) and head to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control Panel\Personalization. Once you're there, double click "Do not display the lock screen" and enable the policy. The lock screen should be disabled.

Automatically log in to your Windows 8 account

Naturally, you don't want to do this on a notebook or any other machine outside of a secure area -- including your home if you have mischievous siblings or roommates -- but it'll make the log in process that much quicker. Search for netplwiz via Metro and uncheck "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer." Provide your credentials and your account will load automatically.

How to Change the Start Screen Background in Windows 8

Windows 8’s new Start screen has been hotly debated since the operating system launched in preview mode earlier this year. Acknowledged by some as a bold step into the tablet market, and criticized by many others who prefer the familiar desktop experience, the new 'Modern UI Style' home is here to stay. But beyond not offering a way to bypass this screen (not without the help of third-party utilities), surprisingly Microsoft is also limiting your options when it comes to customizing the Start screen's appearance. You can choose from a couple color schemes and 10 stock background images, but that's about it.
We've seen some workarounds before but they require firing up the HEX editor to modify system files, and you are still limited to 256-color background images in a handful of specific sizes. That’s more work than most people are probably willing to bother with and as you can imagine the results are not quite optimal.
Enter Decor8. Stardock’s latest Windows 8 customization app removes this limitation by giving users the ability to pick any picture they want, regardless of size or color range, as the Start screen background.

The program is pretty straightforward to use. Upon launching Decor8, you’ll be presented with a set of background images to choose from, including the start screen and desktop background images that Windows 8 ships with and also a set of wallpapers that Stardock ships with the app. You get the usual fill, fit, tile and center options available in the classic desktop, and the program will automatically create a color scheme to match each of your background images -- or you can manually customize the color scheme if you’re so inclined.
You can add folders to the program to use your own photos and images as background. There’s also the option to select multiple background images by holding down the Ctrl key, and have them rotate on a set time interval, as well as the option to fade background images against the start screen color for a subtle effect.

Sadly, Decor8 is not free. Stardock offers a free 30-day trial but otherwise asks a modest $4.99 for the app. It’s a little unnerving to pay for such basic functionality but if you wish to customize the Windows 8 Start screen beyond what Microsoft offers this is the easiest-to-use tool we’ve found. It does one thing and it does it well.

Photos: Lucky Igbinedion's daughter, Ehi, gets engaged

One of the daughters of former Edo state Governor, Lucky Igbinedion, Ehi Annanel Igbinedion, got engaged recently. The excited young lady took to instagram to share the good news with a picture of her beautiful ring. Congrats to Ehi and her fiance...

New Music: B-Raiz - Find A Way ft Shale + Video Trailer

KKTBM artist B-Raiz ,Born Aniekan Ekong now better known as Black Raiz (B-raiz ). B-raiz is a Nigerian rapper currently based in South Africa, born in Warri , Delta State, Nigeria.

His love for rapping began at an early age of 11 and he started recording songs at an early age of 16. this has slowly helped him build his fan base around the southern regions of Nigeria where he grew up not failing to craft a distinct flow and a very dope delivery with each song. Continue...

The rapper is  ready to win over new hearts and conquer new shores with his music, he dropped a video for his 'P Fizzy' produced song titled 'DREAMS' late last year and went further to announce he had begun work on his first ever EP project titled 'Lights, Camera & Hustle'.

 The EP features collaborations with Artists from both South Africa and Nigeria and is set to drop before the end of the year . This is his first single off the project, it's titled "Find A Way" it features South African female singer/songwriter 'Shale' and was produced by 'Knife Beat'.

It's a hip hop tune with Shale on the hook, listen to B-raiz drop fierce bars over a vibrant hip hop beat which has the proper qualities to go viral. This song portrays his good qualities as a young aspiring rapper that could be able to create a path in the Nigerian Hip Hop scene if consistent .

 

Chris Brown to Ray Rice: 'I've been down that road'

Sometimes you wonder why Rihanna was so obsessed with this guy, then you see pics like (minus the cigarette) and you kinda understand. He can be fine sometimes sha.

Anyway, to the story. Days after NFL player Ray Rice was fired by his club, Baltomore Ravens, after a leaked video showed him assaulting his then-fiancée (and now wife) Janay Rice, Chris Brown, who received 5 years probation in 2009 after assaulting Rihanna, has spoken out about the consequences and triggers of domestic violence in an interview with MTV News. Continue...

Speaking with Sway about anger, domestic violence and what's he's learnt, Chris Brown said;

"I think it’s all about the choices you make. With me, I deal with a lot of anger issues from my past – not knowing how to express myself verbally and, at the same time, not knowing how to cope with my emotions and deal with them and understand what they are. Help is great. I still talk to my therapist twice a week. It helps me...if I'm frustrated, if I'm dealing with something, to vent, to say what I'm going through so I can hear from an actual clinical person. Who tells you, 'This is how you should react,’ or 'it’s good to feel this way because feelings, emotions, and energy are supposed to come and go. It’s not supposed to stay there; you’re not supposed to keep it inside because it’ll bottle up and you’ll become a monster."

 "Dealing with my anger issues, understanding myself, the life I've been through and where I'm headed and where I want to be, it's really helped me to really focus.

"For somebody going through that situation or anybody dealing with it, it's all about the choices you make and how you control your anger

"To Ray, or anybody else — because I’m not better than the next man — I can just say I’ve been down that road. I deal with situations and I’ve made my mistakes too, but it’s all about how you push forward and how you control yourself.

Photos: Genevive Nnaji, Funke Akindele and others run for breast cancer awareness

Genevieve Nnaji, Funke Akindele, Osas Ighodaro, Lynxxx and several other celebs join the Genevieve Pink Ball Foundation breast cancer awareness run holding this morning. The stars will run from Lekki to Ikoyi and back to Lekki for the Run Walk Cycle event. See more photos after the cut...

 

In this pics: Fade Ogunro, Michelle Dede, Zainab Balogun, Kayla Honiwo, and Jumai Shaba

Photo: Rapist almost lynched in LAUTECH

In recent times, the crime rate at Ogbomoso, Oyo State has become inordinately high. And this is more so the case in areas where the student populace of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Akure (LAUTECH) reside.

With reports of theft, burglary, assault and rape, among other vices on the rise, the students of the institution residing at Adenike area again rose to an uproar on September 6, as one of the notorious armed robbers-cum-rapist was finally caught in the act. Continue...



Minimal violence ensued as the intended victims called the Students’ Union leadership and handed the criminal over to them. The Speaker of the Students Representative Council, Olalekan Salami, alongside other members of the House, took the criminal in the Unions’ bus, but unfortunately, on their way to the Police Station, the bus was involved in a mysterious accident, leaving a severe injury on Olalekan and 14 other persons in the bus with the exception of the criminal, Segun (last name withheld).

This accident further enraged the already pensive students as they promptly descended on the thief, stripped him naked and beat him severely. The police, prior to this time had already been summoned, so the students’ protest was halted at Orita Naira, where the Police Force demanded that the criminal be released to them.

The Students’ Union President, Areo Ajibola and the student leader, Bolarinwa Sheriffdeen, reacting on behalf of the entire students, refused to release him. The school authorities’ representatives present at the scene; Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Timothy Adebayo, Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr Tunde Olabiyisi and Deputy Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr Ishola, aided in calming down the students.

 After much deliberations among the police force, the school authorities, the student leaders and the aggrieved town people, Segun was released on the agreement that he would be taken to Souns’ palace.
However, a police barricade at Iyana Owode, obstructed and redirected the protestants from their initial destination to the Ogbomoso Police Station.

Upon arrival at the police station, only Segun, Professor Adebayo, Dr Olabiyisi, Dr Ishola, Areo, Sheriffdeen, and two National Union of Campus Journalists members were allowed entrance into the police grounds.

After a lengthy meeting, the Area Commander and the District Police Officer assured the student leaders of justice and maximum security for the school and the town as a whole henceforth.

YQ releases new single ‘Tear Rubber' under new record label - Cadilly

Multiple award-winning Nigerian artiste, YQ makes his long awaited bounce-back to the zenith of the music stage with the release of a hit-single titled ‘Tear Rubber’(Eru Ni).

Having been on a low-key on the music scene re-strategizing; YQ returns to the forefront with this absolute banger and dance floor filler. He recently signed a lucrative deal with fast rising record label, Cadilly Entertainment; his fans planted seeds of love welcoming him back and this is the first fruit of Harvest to those ever loving fans and music lovers. Continue...

 

The highly talented singer who is often referred to as the ‘Hook Master’ displayed his rare singing talents and lyrical depth on this joint, accompanied by lush percussion drums, glorious synths and catchy backing harmonies from multiple hit-making producer, FLIPTYCE, over which he delivers his sweet and infectious vocal tones, lyrics and flow.

Connect with YQ via Instagram/Twitter: @iam_YQ @cadillybaby

Download "Tear Rubber" (Eru Ni) below and get yourself to the nearest
dance floor with this one! #TearRubber #EruNi

Download via Soundcloud ~ http://bit.ly/WScTyv

Download via CADILLY site ~ www.cadilly.com/freebies

Soldiers kill 150 Boko Haram members during attack on Konduga

At least 150 Boko Haram members were killed yesterday September 12th after the Nigerian Military repeled after an attempted attack by the sect members on Konduga, a village said to be about 35 kilometres from Maiduguri in Borno State, in the early hours of yesterday.

According to a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by Col. T. Antigha of the Army Public Relations, the battle with sect members lasted three hour and four soldiers were injured during the attack. 

"At about 5.30 am today (Friday), Boko Haram terrorists launched a massive attack on Konduga town, about 35 kilometres from Maiduguri. After about three hours of fierce fighting, Nigerian troops routed the Boko Haram fighting force of over a hundred terrorists. Further to the staggering loss of men, Boko Haram also suffered extensive losses in equipment. Four Nigerian soldiers were wounded in action. The entire area is still being combed for terrorists who may have escaped with bullet wounds. Morale of troops remains very high.” the statement reads. Continue...

The Nigerian Army also said that photographs taken from the scene of the attack will be circulated once they finish processing them.

According to a military source at the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, three Hilux vans and one other Buffalo vehicle with mounted anti-aircraft guns, three general purpose machine guns and over 30 AK 47 rifles were recovered from the terrorists.

Photo: Three Nigerians deported for e-Shopping fraud in India

Three Nigerians, Oladapo Obasoto Olatunbosun alias Richard (32), Dickson M Dickson (29) and Abiodun Oluwagbemiga Oyekunle alias Jerie (33), all pictured above, are currently on their way back to Nigeria this morning after they were indicted in an e-shopping fraud in India, where they've lived for several years.

According to an Indian police report, the three young men had been previously arrested for indulging in cheating and online fraud in Chennai, India in 2011 and were recently arrested with an Hyundai Santro car, two LED TVs, 6 mobile phones, 3 cameras,3 watches, 7 imported perfumes, 3 laptops, 1 Ipod and 32 pairs of shoes, which they had purchased through fraudulent online shopping. Continue..

They were given their flights by the Special Tahsildar (Refugee) on Friday and this morning they took the 9.30 am flight from the International airport at Meenambakkam in India to Dubai. From Dubai, they will take a transit flight to Nigeria. They are expected to land around 6 pm Nigerian time

Two others Nigerian, Paul Osagie Cyrill and Okechukwa are also to be deported on September 22 after being involved in cheating cases in Chennai.

Photo: Zeus the world's tallest dog dies just before his 6th birthday

The World's tallest dog has died just days before his 6th birthday. Zeus was 3ft 6 inches tall at the shoulder and when he stood on his back legs was an incredible 7ft 4in high. He weighed 11 stone.

The giant Great Dane, who was named the world's tallest living dog in the 2012 Guinness World Records, died on September 3rd. He lived in Michigan, US, with his owners before his passing.

MDA 8: 10 Families Edge Closer to N14M

After an intense battle laden with excitement and suspense, 10 out of the 13 families that were selected from different regions to take part in the grand auditions have been admitted into the famed Maltina Dance All (MDA) Academy. These 10 families face the prospect of going home with a whopping 10 million naira grand prize as well as the highly coveted title of Nigeria’s number one dancing family. The first and second runners-up will take home N3million & N1million respectively.

  

The grand auditions for the Maltina Dance All Season 8, tagged “Rhythm of Happiness,” kicked-off with a bang as the Williams family (Port-Harcourt) hit the dance floor with an impressive performance which set the tone for the evening much to the delight of the audience. Second on stage was the Odigie family (Abuja), followed by the families of; Oladapo (Lagos), Maisamari, (Abuja), Utere, (Port-Harcourt), Unaka (Abuja), Awokoya (Lagos), Uzodinma (Port-Harcourt), Abunwa (Lagos), Dide (Port-Harcourt), Nwaeze (Lagos), Ezekiel (Abuja) and the Leonard family (Abuja) respectively.

The highpoint of the event was the announcement of the results. The tension amongst the families was palpable as the judges read out the results after a very painstaking selection process.

The 10 families that made the cut are; Oladapo (Lagos), Maisamari, (Abuja), Utere, (Port-Harcourt), Unaka (Abuja), Uzodinma (Port-Harcourt), Dide (Port-Harcourt), Nwaeze (Lagos), Leonard (Abuja), Odigie (Abuja) and Williams (Port-Harcourt). The families of; Awokoya (Lagos), Abunwa (Lagos) and Ezekiel (Abuja) did not make it into the academy.

The selection of these 10 families into the MDA Academy represents a huge step in their quest to win the 10 million naira grand prize.

It would be recalled that the preparation for the MDA8 kicked off with an electrifying performance by the Maltina all-stars’ team which comprised past participants of the show, while host OsasIghodaro alongside popular comedians, GbengaAdeyinka and Lafup introduced the “Rhythm of Happiness Dance” (ROHD) to the audience that were held spellbound by the vitality and creativity which has set the show apart from others.

 

 

The MDA 8, which currently airs on AIT (7-8pm) daily, Silverbird TV (9-10 pm) and Ebony Live TV (7pm) weekdays and (8.30pm) weekends, promises to be the most exciting competition ever. The grand finale would be live on AIT and Africa Magic channels on DSTV. Viewers who miss any edition can still catch all the action on YouTube, Facebook and the Maltina Website.