Tile Icon Fix

While I was trying to sort out a connection issue today I accidentally started MSN messenger. For some reason that one act changed the icon for a file type when viewing a folder in “tiles” and “icons”. Unfortunately the effect was on .htm files. These files before this showed a lovely Firefox icon, as they should. After said dreaded event these icons showed the icon for Internet Explorer. I can’t stand IE and I felt ill. It immediately became my mission to fix it.

The file associations were not screwed up, double click the icon and Firefox opened the page. I also checked the settings for the Folder options and selected icon for file types, nope all good there. But the damn icon stayed the same. I started searching and everything I found related to the associations and the Folder options that I had already checked.

By this point in time I was willing to change the view to “details”, which displayed the correct icon (go figure). But then that would mean working a bit different and I did not want to do that. I have my download directory as “Tiles” or “Icons” because I can then quickly see what type a file is and what is in it. I have a lot of images for web pages and such and this is the quickest way of identifying them for me. Plus the problem just plain irked me.

Then I found this gem of advice and it highlights something about XP that I did not know and I found my fix.

If you go to the desktop, right click and go to properties and go to the following menu:

→ Appearance → Effects

Select the check box for “Use Large Icons” then click apply. Now go back and change it back by unselecting the check box and then apply again. After this my icons were restored. So what the heck did that do?

Well apparently this “clears the cache” from where and how has me stuffed. But it worked. So I am just passing that on, just don’t ask me how it works. It supposedly fixes issues with the wrong program opening and other stuff, I can’t verify that though. The icon thing… worked a treat, still has me buggered as to how. I guess it is another example of a screwy Windows thing with an unlikely resolution, what’s new?

Visual Overhaul of Learn Firefox

I suggest Firefox at any opportunity that I get and I actually know a few people that have just started using it. Sometimes starting out with a new browser can be a bit tricky. Not only that to really take advantage of Firefox you will want to get into a bit of customizing and installing a few extensions. Knowing where to start or a bit of a how to with simple tasks can be hard to find. But there is one site that I know of that fits all this and more, and it just had a bit of a face lift.

I have previously talked about Learn Firefox and recommend it as a good place to start. Being a regular reader of CyberNet I noticed that they announced a redesign of Learn Firefox. So I took a look, Wow! Guys, the new design looks fantastic and very simple to use. Aimed directly at the new user or the experienced tweaker needing some info. You can do a lot worse than Learn Firefox and now it is even easier.

I like the one page navigation from the front, no scrolling (on my screen at any rate ). Plus a lot of time put in designing easy to understand buttons, making site navigation a breeze. Mainly a visual upgrade, but it is just that: an upgrade. All this info was there before, but now it might just be easier to find.

Nice job guys, keep up the good work!

Make Typing URL’s Easier and Be More Productive

So this might be old but I don’t care, I had never heard of it. This hack works in Firefox, IE and Opera and more than likely others as well.

1. Take the name of a website and type it into the address bar
2. Hold control and hit Enter
3. The missing parts of the address are filled in for you

If you happen to need a .org or a .net:

.org = Control + Shift + Enter

.net = Shift + Enter

This does depend on your browser, some experimentation  might be required.

That is if you type a lot of addresses, I am as lazy as crap. I actually type stuff into Google and click the result… how lazy is that! Should start doing this though.

Source: Daily Cup of Tech

20 Must Have’s for Firefox :: Streamline your Development

There are heaps of these type posts, “50 best…”, “10 must have’s for Firefox” etc… you know what I mean. But this post stood out in that these types of posts usually have the same old stuff that everyone has seen before.

This post called “20 must-have Firefox extensions” is a little different in that there are extensions here that I never knew existed. Sure some I have, but then there are others that I have not, it is the “have not’s” that I enjoyed in this post.

“These plug-ins give you souped-up functionality, better look and feel, and streamlined development tasks. And some are just plain cool.”

-  20 must-have Firefox extensions

I think that is the key, these extensions are niche focused, more of these please. We have seen the top 10 too many times, a pleasure to read something with a specific focus.

Check out the post from Computerworld. I am not going to re-blog the article. It is worth reading it for yourself. But there is a nice summary of each extension suggested and easy to drill down what you want out of it.

Learning Firefox; Start Here

I found that I did not have to learn how to use Firefox as such. But since I have discovered the power that you have when tweaked I have learned to manipulate it to what I want. But you have to start somewhere. Learn Firefox is such a place to start and hopefully a destination to have some walk through’s for power tweaking.

I think that Firefox is very intuitive and easy to use. But then that is me. Sometimes people have a hard time doing simple things. True, Firefox does things differently to IE. I use IE as an example because I would argue that a lot of Firefox users come from there. You have to stop thinking that you use Firefox in the same manner. They are chalk and cheese. IE is a steel box, Firefox is plasticine by comparison. So where am I going with this?

Basically, Learn Firefox is a site attached to CyberNet that has been created as a visual “how to” guide to Firefox. They have started simple, for example how to set your homepage, make it your default browser and such. But there are more advanced features that are presented in an easy to follow format that makes it simple to do. Because it is simple, most customisations are very simple. But the functionality of Firefox can be daunting for some people, or they find it difficult to get started. This is an excellent place to get over those initial humps. It is also a great place for people that have used Firefox for a while but want to adapt it to their needs.

Everything is set out as headings and sub-headings. I am sure that most people will find what they are wanting help with very quickly and easily. One thing that I just thought of is that this service is a great way for people that don’t use Firefox to have a look at Firefox see what it can do and how it can be manipulated to what you need and want.

What I would like to see is some tips for power users such as tweaking the about:config page. Installing and using extensions like Greasemonkey and such. I know that it was not until I did these advanced tweaks that Firefox really became a powerful productive tool. Not that it is not that way to start with but I feel that tweaking it my way has made it mine. In actual fact I have tweaked it to the point where I think some users would have difficulty using it! That said they have just got the site up and going and this is the best place to start, basics.

Great job and if you are just starting out with Firefox or are thinking of using it; check out Learn Firefox. For more advanced users; keep an eye on it because I think this has huge potential to be the site to learn and tweak Firefox.

For those advanced users of Firefox check out CyberNet’s Updated Guide On Firefox 2 Tweaks as a great place to start tweaking and making Firefox your own.