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Run CDs From Your Hard Drive!

The Problem:

You have a bunch of programs that require the CD to be in the CD ROM drive in order to run. For example:

You're using your clipart program, but need to dig up CD 8 in order to get the picture you want. Now, where did you put that one?

Or maybe you're looking at your CD ROM encyclopedia and want to cross reference something with your map software. Oops - that's on CD ROM too, so you have to close the encyclopedia program and pop in your map program.

ARRGH! It's so frustrating - and we've all been there.

Wouldn't it be great if you were able to copy your CDs to your computer's hard drive so you always had them? Problem is, the vast majority of CDs have copy protection that forces you to run them from a CD drive - they simply won't work from your hard drive.

But there is a way around that problem :-)

The Solution :-)

This is a must-have piece of software for every computer user. It's called Virtual Drive and it allows you to copy your CDs to your computer's hard drive. I've been using it for awhile now and it's fantastic. (In fact, I refuse to run my CD programs without it anymore!) This is considered by many in the industry to be the best Virtual CD Drive software on the market.

How does it work?

First, it creates a virtual CD ROM drive in your computer. Basically, this software "tricks" your computer into thinking that you have another "real" CD ROM drive installed. Then you can copy your CDs to your hard drive using a simple little wizard program.

Each CD you copy becomes a "virtual CD" you can play in your "virtual CD ROM" drive. Just run the program to manage them. It's super easy.

If you want to access more than one of your copied CDs at a time, don't worry. Virtual CD can create up to 23 virtual drives. You could run 23 CD ROM programs at the same time and never need to swap a CD!

Look at the advantages:

	No more swapping CDs (yeah!)
	High speed access with no spin up delay (Great)
	Access multiple CD programs simultaneously. Very handy!
	Faster game and software access (Runs up to 200X faster than a "real" CD ROM drive! Up to 75% faster access time!)
	Save your "real" CDs from scratches, damage, and theft!
	Listen to music CDs in your "real" drive while accessing CD programs on the virtual one
	Copy music CDs to your hard drive
	Instant access to all your virtual CDs (no hunting for the "real" ones)
	Compress your CD files to save space on your hard drive

Plus, since your virtual CD drive works just like a regular one, there's no learning curve involved. This software is very easy to use and everything is done with a step by step wizard process. You can be using it in a matter of minutes!

This is one that everyone needs. Quit playing the "where's that CD" game and grab this now. This is the current version of the software and your cost is just $12.97 (Free US shipping)! This retails for $39.95, so you save nearly 70%! Check it out:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/virtualdrive-7.htm

Warning - Once you try this, you'll never go back to the old way of using your CDs. Between the speed increase and not having to swap disks all the time, you'll fall in love with it (like I have).

Computers 101

Q:
What is a "program group"?

A:
A program group is actually what it sounds like, a group of programs that are (usually) related. Normally, it's one main program, an uninstall program, and maybe a utility or two.

When you hit your Start button, Programs, all those little icons you see with little sub-menu arrows after them are program groups (the ones without arrows are shortcuts).

The circled items below are program groups.

For the most part, every time you install a new program, you get a new program group. Now that yoiu know what they are, today's tip will help you organize them better.

~ Steve

Have a question for the newsletter? Submit it at the link below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitquestion.htm

Tip of the Day

Start Menu Folders

Are you met by mountains of software in your Programs menu (Start button, Programs)? If so, why not place additional folders in your Start Menu?

You could make categories for your programs with these folders so you don't have to do so much hunting around. For instance, you could have a category for office-type apps, one for games, and one for internet. The possibilities are endless.

Now, before we get too far, a special note for XP users—In order to use this tip under Win XP, you'll need to put your Start Menu into "classic" mode. It doesn't work in any way, shape, or form with the "standard" XP Start menu. To switch, just right-click the Start menu, Properties. Then select the "Classic Start menu" radio button from the resulting screen. Hit OK and you're all set.

Alright, now for how to actually add those little folders. For this example, we'll make a Games folder, but the procedure is identical for any other folder you want to stick on the Start menu.

1. Right-click the Start button, Explore. This should open Windows Explorer with focus on the Start menu.

2. Now, right-click a blank area in the right-hand pane and select New, Folder. Name the folder Games (or whatever you want).

3 Now you need to move your games from the Programs folder into the Games folder. There's a couple ways to do this. XP users will probably find method 2 below is their best bet. XP doesn't seem to show all the program groups in Explorer for some reason.

Method 1- Moving Via Windows Explorer

With Windows Explorer still open from the previous step -

Expand the Programs folder in the left pane (it's in the Start Menu folder) by clicking the little plus sign.

Locate your game program groups (assuming you've installed some games ;-) from that list and drag them to the games folder.

Method 2 - Moving Via the Start Menu

Click your Start button and you should see your new "Games" folder / menu, just sitting there waiting for you to drop some games into it.

To do so, hit your Programs menu, then drag the little icon for the program group you want into the new Games folder. Note that you can't drop the program onto the folder itself (that just adds it to the Start menu), you need to drop it into the sub-menu part.

Grab the group with your mouse:

Then drag & drop to the sub menu:

Note that with either method above, you can drag shortcuts to this folder if you like. If you're a little unsure of this drag & drop thing, head to the link below for a refresher:

http://www.worldstart.com/tips/computer-terms/termdraganddrop.htm

~ Steve

Have an original tip for the newsletter? Submit it below:
http://www.worldstart.com/writers-guidelines/index.htm

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

Pound Puppies

"This site is dedicated to the animal shelters nationwide and the tireless efforts of volunteers everywhere. Through Pound Puppies, I hope to help increase awareness of the plight of abused and unwanted dogs and the importance of spaying and neutering."

That's the manifesto of this site. I love animals, and my dog Braeden is a rescued dog. Actually, all of the animals at my house have been adopted through rescue agencies.

This site has tons of information like: What foods give your pet skin allergies, How to prevent bites, Hip Dysplasia, Socialization.

And much, much more.

I hope you and your pet enjoy this site! Check it out.
http://www.geocities.com/lpeck1/

Oh, one more thing, you may notice the "click here to feed a pet" link to the Animal Rescue Site. It doesn’t cost anything to click, and your click buys a bowl of food for animals in either shelters or sanctuaries. Click the link below if you’d like to help out:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites.woa

You can also find tons of more pet information on this site. Please help out, those animals can’t help themselves.

Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share?
Send it to Amanda at amanda@worldstart.com