4 different ways to share a printer or photocopier on a network

At work or at home it could be useful to share one printer with several devices (tablet, notebook, smartphone, PC) both to save money and to gain more efficiency.

To connect a printer to the local network, in order to print with the LAN (Local Area Network) connected PCs, there are several options, depending both on the printer’s characteristics or on the printer (or all-in-one device) itself, and on the user’s needs.

First of all you have to verify the printer’s characteristics, if it has already an internal network interface controller (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) and if it is predisposed for a LAN connection, or if it has just a USB port  (or an old parallel port). 

Then you have to consider if it is destined to a domestic use (few users that use it occasionally) or to professional purposes (many users that need it always on and ready  to use).

1) If the printer has already a built-in ethernet network controller

Usually  you should just connect it to the network switch or to the router and assign it a free static IP address (such as 192.168.x.y) or you could even use the dynamic IP configuration (DHCP) service, which dynamically and automatically assigns an available address. Generally, every kind of router (included the ADSL one) can give a DHCP service or at least it has to be enabled to function as SERVER DHCP, whereas the printer becomes a CLIENT DHCP.

Then you should install the printer driver related to your printer model on each PC on the network. 

In case of  Wi-Fi connection you should follow the same advices.

2) If you’re not so lucky and you have to use a USB or Parallel connection, then you should directly connect the printer to a  PC on the network (e.g. The network "SERVER") installing the printer driver on it. Then you should share it with all the other PCs and install the driver on them. Here, the printer is available through the SERVER, thus this computer must always be on and working in order to allow the users to print!

Share files and printers in Windows 7

Click the Start button, then Control Panel and open Advanced connection settings. Type network in the search box, click on Network and sharing center, then select  Change advanced connection settings in the left box.

Click the down arrow button to expand the current section.

If printer sharing is off, turn on printer sharing  and click Save changes.

Then you have to share the printer

Click Start and select Printers and devices. Right-click the printer you want to share and click Printer properties.

Click the Share tab and select the control box Share the printer.

3) If you don’t want to set apart  a PC for the printer or to leave always the sharing PC on, you can buy  a print / printer server, in other words a usually small and low energy consuming device, which incorporates an internal network interface card and one or more USB/parallel ports. By this device you can connect one or more printers to its ports and connect it/them to every PC on the network by the LAN. Of course it has to be configured by following the advices by the device’s manufacturer.

4) If you have an ”evolved” ADSL router with a USB port and you can activate it as "printer server" then you can connect the printer to the ADSL router and share it with the whole LAN. Even in this case you don’t need to set a PC apart, it is sufficient to leave the ADSL router on and connected to the LAN switch. For a domestic use, if the ADSL router has more than one Ethernet port, it could also substitute the network switch; it could be even “underused” as printer server and switch (avoiding to use it as a system to access to the internet by ADSL).

For instance, in the ADSL router  "ALICE GATE 2 PLUS WIFI" or "ALICE GATE VOIP 2 PLUS WIFI" you need to access to the router IP address (the default one is 192.168.1.1) by a web browser, type the password (default "admin"), move to the section relative to " USB Port ", activate "USB Printer server" and assign a name to the device. You have to connect the printer to the master USB port of the router. Finally,  you need to add a new device "printer" specifying the pathway, the name of the router (\\alice gate) or the IP address, and the device name on every Windows PC that  is to be connected to the printer. Finally, you have to choose and install the correct driver relative to the printer model used.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

If you use either Windows or LINUX, the sharing of peripheral devices is within everyone’s reach; you have just to remember that the sharing PC (that is physically connected to the printer) may suffer the extra-work due to print spooling. 

On the other hand, true "print servers" (e.g. D-LINK DP-300U with 2 parallel ports and 1 USB) may be very useful in a company, where they need to be H24 available. 

Finally, I would underline that ADSL routers as printer servers  may result in higher efficiency, compatibility and performances if compared to other solutions.

In detail, if you want to share an all-in-one photocopier equipped with one USB only, (e.g.: KONICA Minolta Bizhub 163) you can use an  ADSL ALICE GATE VOIP PLUS WIFI router (Pirelli) configured as printer server, with the further advantage of allowing not only LAN but also WIFI sharing!!! 

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HDD LLF: how to low level format the Hard Disk

HDD Low Level Format is a free software tool ( for personal / home use only ) that allows the Low-Level Format (LLF) of hard disks (and mass storage devices in general).

What is LLF ? 

"Typically this involved subdividing each track on the disk into one or more blocks which would contain the user data and associated control information. Different computers used different block sizes and IBM notably used variable block sizes but the popularity of the IBM PC caused the industry to adopt a standard of 512 user data bytes per block by the middle 1980s. " Source Wikipedia English

HDD- LLF has the following characteristics :

• Supported interfaces: S-ATA (SATA), IDE (E-IDE), SCSI, SAS, USB, FIREWIRE.
• Big drives (LBA-48) are supported.
• Supported Manufacturers: Maxtor, Hitachi, Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, Fujitsu, IBM, Quantum, Western Digital, and almost any other not listed here.
• The program also supports low-level formatting of FLASH cards (SD, MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash) using a card-reader.

HDD- LLF can also work with external drives connected via USB, and Firewire as well as with supports SD , MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash .

There is also an option to quickly delete the partitions and the sector MBR (Master Boot Record) of HDDs .

The utility is available in two versions: can be installed on Windows or directly executed ( portable).

WARNING: After running this low level format tool, the whole disk surface will be erased.

Data restoration is impossible after using this utility!

[LINK] HDD- LLF - Low Level Format Tool

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE :

I used HDD- LLF for low-level format an external drive connected with USB no longer wanted to learn to operate and above who do not " want to be" formatted by Windows. With both Windows XP and Seven, the format utility (which try to format only high-level) returned an error message and did not proceed . With HDD- LLF I managed to break the deadlock and then, through the utility of Windows XP " DISK MANAGEMENT " , I was able to format ( high-level) disk with the NTFS file system and now it works !

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How to access and control a remote PC? Software and services to access a computer remotely

Here some recurrent questions:

• How can I remotely access another computer?
• Is it safe to let someone remotely access my computer?
• How can I remotely control a computer?
• How do I control someone else's computer?
• What is the best way to remote into a computer?

In a company, the 'system administrator' often needs (for maintenance or assistance) the access to one computer (host) or more PC which are physically located far from where he works (e.g. remote servers). 

Some software companies and computer services use Virtual Network Computing (VNC) technology to provide remote tele-assistance to its customers via Internet. 

Moreover, a home user can benefit from 'remote access' as such he can works on his office PC from the comfort of his own home PC (smartworking or tele-working)! 

To fulfill all these tasks there are specific software and services (both free and with fee) suitable for the purpose. 

What are the most suitable services and software to access and control a PC remotely ?

1) Software with remote access via the local area network (LAN)

On Microsoft's Operative Systems Windows XP Professional and latest there is the function "Remote Desktop Connection"   

You must first enable the Windows host PC: e.g. on Windows 7, click on the Windows Start button and select Computer voice with the right button of the mouse, then click the Properties option. In the opening window, click on the item Remote settings. Click the radio button "Allow Remote Assistance connections to the computer and select" either "Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop" (less secure) and "Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication" (more secure). The first is less secure but allows you to receive remote assistance from any version of Windows, the second is more secure but allows you to receive remote assistance only from other computers with Windows 7.

At this point you can remotely control the PC via another PC on the same local area network LAN. You just have to launch the Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Connection client software (start -> all programs -> accessories), enter the name or IP address of the PC you want to control and then the access credentials (username and password). 

There are other VNC softwares free or with fee, for Windows, Linux, Apple   which, once installed on the host PC, allow you to remotely take control of it. Here are some examples: 

• UltraVNC, 
• RealVNC, 
• TightVNC. 
• TigerVNC.

2) Software and Services with remote access via the Internet.  

In essence are websites that offer limited free services or unlimited services with fee that allow you to register an account and assign it to one or more host PC. Usually to "assign" the PC account you need to download and install a special software. Finally, to use the service you have to authenticate via web browser and access to a Remote Desktop Manager page, and you can choose which PC to activate and use it remotely. 

Some of these services are available in:

• LogMeIn,
• GoToMyPC,
• Laplink Everywhere, 
• NTRglobal Free Cloud.  

In other cases it is sufficient to download a software (client / server) to run both on the PC by remote control, and on the PC that you use to log in and control. 

For example, in telecare enough that the customer notifies the operator login code and password shown on your screen when the application software, and from that moment on, the operator can access the client PC and work quietly in remotely to provide the requested assistance. 

With some types of software you can also permanently install the application on the PC (host) and immediately access to the remote PC without typing the password and without the presence of a user for authentication (PC unattended). 

Here are some examples of software:

• TeamViewer,
• CrossLoop,
• Ammyy. 
• Supremo.
• Remote Utilities

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

As a system administrator it is helpful to have more access doors, so you might want to enable Remote Desktop on any PC on the network, and activate a service such as LogMein for access from the outside via the Internet. For those not satisfied and wanting to further access to the PC via a local network, you can also install UltraVNC VNC software and related services on a PC on the LAN.

These softwares and / or remote access services, often have additional features specially designed for tele-working, tele-assistance and for the management and maintenance of computer systems such as some of the following functions: 

• Chat to communicate with the client by exchanging short text messages.
• VOIP function to communicate by voice with the customer.
• File Transfer to copy or synchronize files from your local PC to the remote one (and vice versa).
• Remote Printing to print files from a remote computer to a local printer.
• Remote Management to display the events, and to start and stop the services of the remote PC.
• Sharing the Desktop to show the others what you are viewing on your Desktop.
• the ability to access remotely using your smartphone.
• Optimization features to improve the quality of the connection or the speed of the connection,
• Update function and remote monitoring to keep track of all the hardware and software of the host PC and update the O.S. remotely.
• Remote Desktop Manager that shows all PC remotely available.

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How to migrate Google Apps accounts from one domain to another?

The e-mail domain administrator at some point in the time, may need to migrate a Google Apps account to another account managed with Gooole Apps, in the same domain (eg from pippo@esempio.COM to pluto@esempio.COM), or belonging to a different domain (eg from pippo@esempio.COM  to  pippo@esempio.IT)

There are at least two solutions to solve this problem:

1) use an e-mail client
For example with Thunderbird, you can create links to two accounts (source and destination) by choosing IMAP access. Then you can move all the emails from one account to another working on a folder at a time.
The process can be very long in terms of time (and boring) especially if your internet connection is slow and you have many mails to be move! In addition, calendars, address book, contacts and documents in Google Drive must be migrated by other processes.

2) use a third-party software

Specifically, it is Backupify MIGRATOR for Google Apps that may transfer all safely and automatically: Gmail Messages, Google Drive Docs, Contacts address book and calendars from one account of  Google Apps to another. 

It 'a paid service but to prove you have available 1 FREE migration!

Simply login with domain administrator credentials, and if you must have access to a second domain you must use its administrative account. Then you choose the source account and the destination account, so you begin the process!

[Source Link] Backupify MIGRATOR

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

The advantage of Backupify Migrator is that once you start the process does it all without the need to have your PC switched on or to check their work.

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

How to Print the SMS of BlackBerry?

Who owns a BlackBerry Phone can connect it via USB port (with the appropriate cable) to his PC and can use the Desktop Manager Software supplied to perform the backup of all the data present in his phone directly to his computer.

The result is a single file with the extension .IPD containing: Contacts, SMS, Dialed and Received Calls, etc..

However, they are NOT directly readable or accessible!

To access the individual data you need to use a third party software such as Magic Berry

Magic Berry of Mena Step Innovative Solutions in version 3.5.0 is free, but registration is required at the site (free) to download it.

It can access the information saved in the file Backup.IPD regarding:

• SMS
• Received and Dialled Calls
• Address Book entries
• Agenda
• Activity
• Notes

In addition, for each of these items you can export the data as a .CSV (Comma Separated Value) , readable by Excel / OpenOffice to print them later.

*Upgrade - news from Mena Step's Website:

"MagicBerry Version 3.5.0 can convert between IPD and BBB files (unencrypted, with NO password). It will be very easy to work between BBB files for windows and Mac desktop manager.

Also we have implemented many other features requested by our users such as:

• Searching inside IPD records
• Setting delimiter character
• Exporting media files
• Adding help file as PDF

and still we are working on many others...."

© ALL RIGHTS of Reproduction are Reserved

Send emails with attachment, from the command line, using the default email client

How to send email with attachments in a way programmed and automated by using the default e-mail client software whatever it is (Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, Thunderbird, etc.).?

Essentially there is the need to have a system to compose an email message containing: sender, recipient, title, subject and attachment files and to automatically open the default email client with the message pre-compiled so that the user has to carry only sending.

There are at least a couple of methods:

1. MAILTO

You can use the command mailto with the attachment parameter:

From a command prompt (click Start | Run, then type cmd and press enter) you can launch the default email client through a mailto hyperlink.

Please note that NOT all Email Clients support the parameter for attachments (such as Thunderbird does not accept it).
mailto:me@example.com?Subject=Hi&Body=See+attached+file&Attach="C:\readme.pdf" 

2. SENDTOVB

"Programmatically send emails with attachments using the default email client"

You can use the tool SendToVB, a small free command line utility software that allows you to send email with attachments by a programmed way using the default email client! 

SendToVb is compatible with ALL Client (Thunderbird included). Here is the screen that summarizes the commands and options available:

SendToVB command and options available

You can use the software with Windows command prompt.

The syntax is simple:

SendToVB -files <attachment file1> -body <text of mail> -to <email address> -subject <content>

Example:

SendToVB -file c:\readme.txt -body "Hello here the document for you" -to marc@example.com -subject "Important"

The commands (flags) are:

-files <file1>... <fileN> with which you can send multiple attachments in the same email.
-body <text> which is part of the body of the message enclosed in double quotes (").
-bodytext <bofyfile.txt> that can be used as an alternative to -body when the email must contain a very long message. It allows you to specify the text file that contains the body of the email.
-to <address1>; <address2> with which you can also specify multiple recipients separated by a semicolon (;)
-cc <address1>; <address2> with which one can point in Carbon Copy also multiple recipients separated by a semicolon (;)
-bcc <address1>; <address2> with which one can point in Blind Carbon Copy  even multiple recipients separated by a semicolon (;)
-subject <text> with which you assign the title of the email
-mailto with which to force SendToVB to use the mailto method (instead of the MAPI functions) but that may not work properly when inserting attachments!
All commands (flags) can be abbreviated with the first letter, eg -subject becomes -s

In addition, for those who experience problems with too many parameters and receive the message "command line too long" you can use a second method:

-list <listfile.txt> indicates where the text file that contains a single line with all specified commands to be used for sending mail

SendToVb automatically open your Default Email Client (for example Thunderbird) and compose the email like in Window.

Notes for software developers:

a. Since SendToVB is a small stand-alone tool, it can also be used by third-party software to automate the procedures for sending mail. A hypothetical third-party software written in Visual Basic. NET or C# might contain within it a line of code that calls a shell command within the SendToVB.

For example:

System.Diagnostics.Process.Start ("SendToVB -to you@example.com -file C:\readme.txt");

b. SendToVB is coded in Visual Basic 2005 and requires the installation of .NET Framework 2.0 runtime which is often already installed on new PCs. Internally it automatically uses MAPI functions when it has to send emails with attachments, and use the command mailto to send email without attachments.

Notes from the Author:

• The name "SendToVB", VB stands for Visual Basic 2005 because this software is wrtitten with this .NET language.
• The source are based on work of this two autors
• David M Brooks - "Programmatically adding attachments to emails in C# and VB.NET"
• Larry Steinle - "Split Function that Supports Text Qualifiers"
• SendToVB use automatically MAPI function when the message have attachments and use Mailto when email have NOT attachments.
• SendToVB version1.2 is Freeware.

CHANGELOG:
Version 1.2 - Added -cc and -bcc parameters
Version 1.1 - The First !

[LINK] SendToVB is available here for download 

E-Virus (Part III): I have a PC infected! Now as I clean it?

After confirming the presence of one or more e-virus on your PC,

Study:
E-Virus (part I) How to recognize the symptoms of a E-FLU or if your PC has got an E-Virus? 
E-Virus (Part II): Maybe your PC is infected by an e-virus... how to verify its presence?

... you should read up as much as possible about the characteristics of those viruses that are present (mode of distribution, payload, removal instructions). If you know your enemy it's easier to defeat him! 

In fact, if you know the name of the virus and how it is dangerous, it is possible to find a specific removal tool freely available from software companies like: Symantec, Kaspersky, McAfee, TrendMicro, etc.. 

For example, there are removal tools for the most common viruses such as: Melissa , Bagle , MyDoom, Sasser , Conficker, Zeus, etc.. 

Otherwise, you can use tools to remove general (broad spectrum) such as:

1) McAfee Stinger (freeware),

2) COMBOFIX (freeware), 

3) DrWEB CureIt, 
4) Microsoft Removal Tool (freeware),

5) Microsoft Security Scanner (freeware),
6) Norton Power Eraser (freeware),
7) Kaspersky Antivirus scan (freeware)
8) SuperAntiSpyware (freeware)
9) HitmanPro
10) Norman Malware Cleaner (freeware)
11) Comodo Cleaning Essentials (freeware)

Obviously you can increase the benefits of these products by performing sequentially scanning of the PC by the use of different tools. 

Sometimes however, you might need to do multiple scans with different products but you can not install too many anti-virus simultaneously on the same PC due to speed and compatibility issues. Besides, the sequential installation and removal of different antivirus is a costly and long process, but you can avoid this using free online tools for virus scan and removal offered by some software companies (the only constraint is need to be online to scan).

Here there are some examples of online malware removal tools:

1) TRENDMICRO HouseCall

2) BITDEFENDER Online Scanner Free

3) F-SECURE Online Scanner
4) Microsoft Safety Scanner 
5) ESET Online Scanner

Of course, all these operations are feasible if the virus has not completely compromised  the access to your PC.

If you can't start the operating system then you can use antivirus software from a CD or bootable USB key (Rescue CD). These systems are typically available as .ISO images and you must create a CD / DVD or install it on bootable USB sticks, so you can operate apart from the operating system (Windows / Linux) that is installed on the infected PC . You have only to carefully verify that the BIOS first boot device is selected to the CD or USB external drive.

Some available tools are:

1) Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10

2) Bitdefender Rescue CD

3) AVG Rescue CD
4) F-Secure Rescue CD
5) Micosoft Windows Defender Offline [32/64bit] CD
6) Avira AntiVir Rescue System CD
7) Dr.Web LiveCD
8) G Data BootCD

9) COMODO Rescue Disk CD
Once you start the CD you can scan the hard drive and require the deletion / correction of the infected files.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

I have often used some of these tools along with excellent results. In particular ComboFix has been decisive with the most "insidious" viruses. 

Regarding the now infamous "worm" Conficker - Downadup, I can indicate the presence of specific free removal tools from almost all antivirus manufacturers. Among these however Bitdefender provides also a free removal tool that works on the whole LAN and not only on the individual PC ( Network Downadup Removal Tool ). 

Sometimes even after the virus removal, the operating system is "unstable" because it is partly damaged by the virus itself. In these cases a viable technique, apart from the total re-installation of the O.S., is to go back the System Restore a few days before the virus infection (feature available from Windows XP ).

FreeNAS - How to create a network drive free

FreeNAS is a free Linux distribution (specifically is FreeBSD) with which you can transform an old PC into a network drive. For the numerous security features available to you this is more properly a Network Attached Storage (NAS) so it can be used in business.

http://freenas.org/

FreeNAS supports the following file systems NTFS (using NTFS-3G), Ext2, Ext3, ZFS, FAT16, FAT32, UFS and UFS2. Are possible installations with iSCSI and RAID.
The advantage you have with this distribution (in addition to giving a second life to older PCs) is the ease of expansion of hardware features. For example, you can easily increase the capacity of the disks (by adding new hard disk on your PC) or speed of access to the LAN (replacing the 100 Mbit network card with a 1000-Mbit or more), or simply the ease of maintenance (if something fails it is easy to replace it, as they are all standard components and cheap).
Currently the version 8 is coming out. That promises further improvements! As soon as possible I will try to test it!

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: 

For years I use different PCs with different configurations transformed into FreeNAS, never having encountered any particular problems (in versions 6 and 7). In some cases they are "virtualized" or are virtual PCs (VMware FreeNAS).

See also: NAS4Free: the heir of FreeNAS 0.7, an Open Source Network Disk

How to connect 2 PCs at the same monitor or display

There are at least two methods:

The first method of course is to use a graphic display that has 2 video inputs (2 VGA, 2 DVI ,or 1 DVI and 1 VGA).
Take the example of a display that has both VGA and DVI input, and the two computers have graphics cards with different outputs (the first PC with VGA output, the second PC with DVI output).
You can then connect the 2 cables (VGA and DVI) for 2 PCs simultaneously with the same monitor. Then you press the button that changes the "display source" (VGA or DVI) depending on the PC you want to use (see).
Of course this does not solve the problem of having to use double keyboards  and double mouse!

The second method involves the use of a Switch KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse), a device that connects a keyboard, a mouse and only a single display, but which has the double output cables ( or triple, etc..) tha connect the PCs to be controlled. The PCs should not be too far apart as the cables are quite short!

They are marketed both mechanical and electronic KVM switch, with different features (VGA, DVI, PS2 or USB keyboard, etc..) also KVM Switch exist for more than two PCs.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
In the first case, the test was done for example with a Samsung SyncMaster 2243WM that has one entry VGA and one DVI, and it works!

In the second case currently I use a KVM switch (mechanical) that allows the use of one keyboard (PS2), one mouse (PS2) and a single display (VGA) connected to 2 PCs.

E-Virus (part I) How to recognize the symptoms of a E-FLU or if your PC has got an E-VIRUS?

E-FLU (Electronic Fluence) and / or E-VIRUS (Electronic Virus) gather all the endless series of softwares that infect the PC by self-replicating and / or consuming its resources (i.e.: malwares, trojan horses, backdoors, spywares, rootkits, dialers, worms, viruses, etc.). 

HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS? 

1) The PC is unexpectedly slow: suddenly the speed of execution of any application, even the most banal, it slows down quite sharply. In parallel we see that the hard drive is still active (the LED is constantly lit). The feedback of the mouse or of the keyboard could be slowed. 

2) Problems with the browser: the browser's home page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, etc..) has changed and is pointing to illegal Web sites, or, by opening the browser many pop-up windows appear and replicate indefinitely. 

3) Internet is too slow: suddenly, surfing the Internet has slowed down. 

4) The PC is inoperable: The computer starts but stops immediately with messages like "missing operating system" or "could not find command.com". The PC frequently restarts randomly and unexpectedly. 

5) Modified files: Some files, especially those with the extension. ".exe", ".com", ".dll" have been changed and are larger than usual. The hard drive space has been significantly reduced and / or many new files with unlikely names (such as: yutuewyt.dll, 823746.dll, wuyetur.dll) have appeared. 

6) The antivirus is down: The antivirus will not start functioning as usual and you can not re-install it or install a different one. In some cases you can not even reach the website of the leading antivirus vendors. 

7) New Softwares: new softwares that you have never installed, appear on your desktop or on the tray bar. 

These symptoms, taken individually, do not give you the certainty of the presence of an e-virus in your PC, but they can instill you doubts. Of course, if the symptoms are more than one, the probability of being in presence of an e-virus increases.

More inside: E-Virus (Part II): Maybe your PC is infected by an e-virus... how to verify its presence?

Versione Italiana di questo articolo:
 "E-virus (parte I): Come riconoscere i sintomi di un E-INFLUENZA ovvero quando il nostro PC si è preso un E-VIRUS?"