Hide and Seek

How often has this happened to you? You're minding you own business, going about your day with your Windows PC, and suddenly Windows Explorer crashes, your screen goes momentarily blank, and when it comes back certain windows don't show up in your taskbar anymore. Those applications and services might not have actually been shut down, but for all intents and purposes, they're inaccessible. Or are they?

Unhider is a free utility that will let you show any program currently running on your Windows system. It works whether you've just recovered from an Explorer crash or not. In fact, it's almost more interesting to run Unhider when your system is working perfectly, since it presents an easy way to see all the programs you're running in the background and eating up RAM if not CPU cycles.

Toys R Us

I'm constantly downloading all kinds of utilities that let me have control over my entire system, such as optimizing my system, cleaning the registry, renaming files, capturing screens, etc. So, I was obviously on hog heaven when I stumbled upon RegToy. It's free and a very powerful utility.

NOTE: The main screen takes about 2 minutes to load...it's very slow as the server seems to be popular. But, once you're on, you can download the program with no problems.

Browsing Around

While I'm still a fan of Internet Explorer, there are more an more options every day for browsers on the PC. PC World has a great review of the main contenders, plus two smaller ones that you may not have heard of.

Keep 'em Coming

Here's a great free web-based utility that makes a lot of sense:

If you're like many people, you have contacts listed over many accounts: Outlook, Yahoo, Hotmail, GMail, etc. Wouldn't it be nice if they were all in one place? That's exactly what Keepm does. The only thing it doesn't do (yet) is to allow you to email them directly from Keepm...but it's still a great way to consolidate all your contacts in one place.

A New Lease on Life

If you travel with a laptop, then you know how critical battery life can be for allowing you to get work done. Here's a great review of how you can extend the battery life on your laptop. I personally get over 7 hours on my Lenovo laptop by following this advice.

Tweak It

Many of you are aware of the Registry, the often-arcane settings that determine who Windows looks and runs. Wouldn't it be nice to tweak the settings but with an easy-to-use interface? Enter Tweak Now!, which does just that and it's a free download to boot.

Email Backup

While I can tell people to backup their data files until I'm blue in the face, I realize that one thing that rarely gets backed up often is email. And, if you think about it, it's the one thing on your personal computers that really needs to be backed up, since most other applications can be reloaded from the CD.

Here's an easy little email backup program called Amic Email Backup that is free to use and works with most email clients.

An Interesting Marriage

I'm always intrigued when I hear about partnerships between companies. In recent news, PracticeWorks has announced that they will be endorsing SikkaSoft products. Both are solid companies but with different business models, so I'm curious to see how it will pan out. I think it will be win-win for both of them.

I Can See Clearly

Traffic. I live in what many would consider to be the worst city for traffic in the USA. Many of you deal with similar problems. While there are plenty of good mapping sites out there, none can handle real-time traffic...until now. Microsoft has released their Clearflow system that covers 72 major metropolitan areas. I've tried it out and it seems to be pretty accurate. Definitely worth a look before you head out the door.

Back Track

If it hasn't happened to you already, it eventually will: you accidentally delete a file, and may not even know about it for days or even months. You emptied out the Recycle Bin many times since then...so what do you do.

One program that I've been playing with is called Pandora File Recovery, and it has been able to find files that I deleted many, many months ago. Now, obviously, the longer it's been since deletion, the less chance of recovery. But, for $0 ($20 for a mobile version), it's worth checking out.

Idly Passing the Day

We all know we should backup daily, but some people don't like to keep their computers on at night. The problem is that backups can really slow you down if you do them in the middle of the day. Enter Idlebackup. It's a free, easy-to-use backup program that only runs when your computer is idle and not doing anything else. You can also set it to shut down the computer when it's done...very cool.

Cut the Fat

Here's a great little tutorial on how to do a lightweight Windows installation. This is perfect if you have an older machine that you want to install XP on but a full install would bog the machine down. Scroll down as there are a few other neat utilities that they mention.

IM Grows Up

Many of you have probably used IM clients like Yahoo Messenger and AOL Messenger in the past. The problem, as I found out, is that those systems are so...well, in the past. Lifehacker did a poll and they identified the Five Best Instant Messengers. These are very cool applications with a ton of features, and all are free.

Dexis Done Right

While I like Dexis' sensor design and comfort, I've never been a huge fan of their PC Card interface. Well, that's no longer a concern as Dexis has just announced their new DEXusb interface. This will be a real nice solution for Dexis offices that want a simpler interface for their sensors.

New Windows

Well, Vista's days may be numbered. Bill Gates recently announced the newest version of Windows, Windows 7, will be out in the next year or so. That's much faster than the usual 3 year cycle and may indicate that Microsoft has given up on Vista.

Google 101

Many of us use Google all the time when doing our searches. However, most of us don't know that Google can do a lot more than what we know. Here's just a small list of Five Things You Didn't Know Google Could Do.

Eee PC Redux

A few weeks ago I blogged about the incredible Asus Eee PC. While the Linux configuration would work well for most people, there's a new Windows version coming as well. Here's a hands-on review of the Windows machine.

Trolling for Answers

I first saw this very slick Troll Software over a year ago and was wondering when they would be releasing it...well,now it's out. It integrates with your existing PMS program. Definitely worth checking out.

Use It or Lose It

With the billions of web sites out there, it's often difficult to find ones that are truly useful. The British Telegraph has posted their list of The 101 Most Useful Websites. Most I've heard about and visited before, but a few were new and quite good. Happy surfing.

Back In the Saddle

Thanks to everyone who has emailed me in the past few days. My hernia surgery seems to have gone ok, although the healing has been a lot slower than I had hoped. I'm not allowed to lift anything over 10 lbs for two months. The good news is that if you've been waiting for me to finish a proposal for your office, I'll have plenty of time over the next week to get it finished! Thanks for your patience.

Free Stuff

I'm always looking for good free software and services on the web, but it makes my life easier when someone does it for me. InfoWorld has posted their Web's Best Free Stuff. There are some real finds in here. It's a long list but worth the time to review.

A Taxing Situation

With taxes due in just a few days, many of you will be luck enough to be seeing a refund. What to with those newfound dollars? Here are the Top 10 Tech Toys to Blow Your Tax Refund On.

Searching High and Low

While I'm not a fan of Windows Vista, one nice feature is the new and improved Search, that can quickly index your Outlook, files, etc. Microsoft has released a preview version of Windows Search 4.0, and the great news is that it now works with XP.

Out of Action

While I've tried to put it off for awhile, I will be undergoing hernia surgery this week. I will be pre-posting blog entries for the next few days, but I may not be able to respond to any comments or questions until the end of the week. Please feel free to contact my office at 866.204.3398 if you need any assistance over the next few days.

The Missing Link

Probably one of the coolest applications I've seen in a long time, ddsWebLink, has now gone live. We have already started offering this our clients, so please contact me if you want pricing. Here's the press release:

DDS Ventures, Inc., a San Diego-based dental services company, today
announced the release of its innovative patient referral and laboratory case
management system, ddsWebLink for dental care providers. This Web-based
system enables dentists, dental specialists and dental laboratory professionals to
more efficiently track, monitor and manage all inbound and outbound patient
referrals and laboratory cases, along with their associated images, documents and
case files, automating what has traditionally been a paper-based process.

“The input of clinicians, laboratory technicians and dental staff members was
integral in the development of this system that strives to replace multiple manual
processes with a single, standardized solution,” said Kelly Frederickson, President
of ddsWebLink. “Our Web-based tool has the ability to process referral inquiries
and laboratory work requests from inception through completion and manage
online all of the collaborative requirements of any given case. ddsWebLink
provides an integrated, secure solution for dental referral partners that is faster,
easier and more convenient than ever before.”

As a Web-based solution hosted in a secure, HIPAA compliant environment
ddsWebLink customers are able to benefit immediately in that they can be live on
the system in just a few short minutes. With collaborative information stored
centrally, dentists and their referral partners can securely access this information
from any computer with Internet access making it easier to communicate with one
another at more convenient times, in a more convenient way.

“We believe that ddsWebLink presents a tremendous advantage over traditional
methods of case collaboration by introducing a standardized means of information
sharing into referral networks. This serves to streamline the collective work
efforts of dental referral partners helping them to better manage the requirements
of multidisciplinary patient cases,” says Ms. Frederickson. “It’s exciting to be
able to offer our customers a comprehensive solution that meets the critical needs
of their everyday workflow demands thereby enabling them to increase operating
efficiency, lower overhead and ultimately produce better, more predictable results
for patients.”

ddsWebLink is currently available for use by dental professionals in all 50 states
and will soon be accessible to our neighbors in Canada and Mexico. For more
information email info@ddsWebLink.com or go to http://www.ddsWebLink.com.
DDS Ventures, Inc. is a privately-held company headquartered in San Diego,
California. The company is committed to helping dental professionals leverage
the value of today’s innovative technologies via its progressive online service
offerings and world-class educational programs.

Forward-looking statements

This press release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements, including but not limited to the following: product development difficulties; market demand and acceptance of products; the impact of changing economic conditions; business conditions in the Internet and dental industries; reliance on third parties, including potential suppliers, partners, licensors, and licensees; the impact of potential competitors and their products; risks concerning future technology; and other factors detailed in this press release. DDS Ventures, Inc. is under no obligation and does
not assume any obligation to revise or update any forward looking statement in this press release in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise in the future.

PhotoShop Express

Photoshop Express is the new online photo service for sharing and editing photos. You get 2 GB of space and a ton of really cool features. You also get your own URL, so sign up now before it's gone!

New Deadline?

I've been warning people for the past few months that come June, you will no longer be able to get a PC with Windows XP on it. Well...not so fast. CNET has an interesting article where they predict this will be extended. We'll have to wait and see, but that would be great news for me.

Shields Up!

Care Credit is offering a new free CD that can help practices grow. Here's the press release:

COSTA MESA, CA., March 2008 — CareCredit, North America’s leading patient payment program is offering a FREE educational audio CD titled “Drop the Shield and Appoint More Patients!” featuring leading experts Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow. Recognized by dental teams for their fun and outrageous training methods, The Madow Brothers operate an education and marketing company dedicated to helping dental professionals become more successful in their practice.

Each time a patient calls a practice to ask questions or schedule an appointment, it is an opportunity to increase production. Yet so many dental teams put up an imaginary “shield” that prevents them from appointing these potential new patients. In this informative audio program, Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow share their insights on how practices can eliminate these “shields” with proven communication techniques that can help the team handle this critical conversation. Using actual recorded telephone calls as examples, the doctors demonstrate the fatal mistakes that many dental teams make on the phone, and what they can do to transform these into opportunities – while minimizing failed appointments.

For over 20 years, CareCredit has been making it easy for patients to get the dentistry they need and want. Today, CareCredit is at work in more than 90,000 practices in North America and is used by over 7 million patients. With innovations like instant online applications and pre-approval, CareCredit is exclusively selected for their members by most state and national dental associations, including ADA Member AdvantageSM, AGD, AAOMS, and AAP, and is also recommended by leading practice management consultants. For more information or to request your complimentary copy of The Madow Brothers’ CD, call CareCredit at 1-800-300-3046 ext. 4519 (if new to CareCredit) or 1-800-859-9975 (if already enrolled) or visit www.carecredit.com.

Free Backup

Here's another nice utility to add to your system: Hinx Backup. While there are a ton of free backup programs out there, very few will allow you to backup to a remote computer over the Internet via FTP, but Hinx can do this. Definitely worth the free download.

Picking Up the Pieces

Disk Defragmentation...probably something you know about but rarely have the time to do. But, a fragmented hard drive can be affecting your overall speed. The Windows defragmenter is...well, to put it kindly, not terribly good. Here's a write-up of another program that does it better and faster.

Sweet as Sugar

Probably the nicest sync service I've ever seen is now in public beta and it's called SugarSync. It will work with your PC, Mac, and mobile phone. Basically, it sends the files to a secure server (which can act as a backup as well), and whenever your computers are online, they sync the latest version of the files. This is great if you want to keep home and office files in sync or if you travel a lot. It's not free, but at plans starting at under $25/year, it's a good value.