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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Dude...I'm getting a Dell. What now?
Ian Halperin, Photographer
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Plano(Dallas) | TX | USA | Posted: 12:29 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> After 10 years as a Mac only guy I am getting a Dell PC and laptop. The PC is a 4600 and the laptop is a Latitude D600. I already have Photoshop and Photo Mechanic but what is the best FTP software? Any other "must have" cool items out there?
Thanks |
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Ed J. Szalajeski, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Yarmouth | ME | USA | Posted: 12:36 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> Ian:
Welcome to Windoze.
If you can deal with Command line, Windows has one built in that can be used from the Command line.
Otherwise WSFTP, CuteFTP work real well. There are demo versions online you can download and test out.
Ed Szalajeski |
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Jerry Laizure, Photographer, Assistant
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Norman | OK | USA | Posted: 12:39 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> Ian
Make sure you keep current on the Microsoft patches. |
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Kyle Coburn, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 12:40 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> A free FTP client I really like is FileZilla.
You also need an AntiVirus, i know dell bundles mcaffe trial, but i recommend you get Norton AV 2004. |
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Ian Halperin, Photographer
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Plano(Dallas) | TX | USA | Posted: 12:40 PM on 09.15.03 |
| ->> Thanks. You coming down for ou-tx? |
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Jock Fistick, Photographer
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Brussels | Belgium | | Posted: 2:11 PM on 09.15.03 |
| ->> I don't want to start a Mac - PC war - just curious why you switched? |
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Hassel Weems, Photographer
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Locust Grove (Atanta) | GA | USA | Posted: 2:11 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> In Internet Explorer, click file > Open and type in your URL (leave off the http:// or ftp://) Check the "Open as Web Folder" box. You will be asked for username and password. The site will open just like a My Computer window, letting you drag and drop files between your computer and the net.
Other than that, try WS_FTP. It is free to try, and not too expensive to buy. |
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Charles Chao, Photographer
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New York | ny | USA | Posted: 2:16 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> try FlashFXP, small, fast, efficient.
but cuteftp,wsftp all works. |
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David Johnson, Photographer
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Social Circle | GA | USA | Posted: 2:18 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> Suggestions.... max out on as much RAM as you can afford. This will greatly help out on the computer's performance, especially with things like Photoshop tasks.
.... invest in a virus protection program and keep the definitions up to date. If you have a broadband connection, have it check for new updates at least once every few days.
.... visit windowsupdate.microsoft.com at least once every couple of weeks to check for new Microsoft Updates. |
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Trent Nelson, Photographer
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Salt Lake City | UT | USA | Posted: 2:26 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> Ian-
One very cool "must-have" item you might want to look at buying to go with your Dell is a Mac.
Only kidding, no need for anyone to go nuts.
-trent |
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Mike McLaughlin, Photographer
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Neptune City | NJ | USA | Posted: 2:30 PM on 09.15.03 |
| ->> Another one lost to the dark side! The universe is in peril ;) |
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Darrell Scattergood, Photographer
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Mountlake Terrace | WA | usa | Posted: 2:32 PM on 09.15.03 |
| ->> Breezebrowser works pretty well. Also, go to one of the aftermarket memory resellers, corsair, or one of the others, and max out your memory on both systems. extra hard drives are also pretty cheep and easy to install. You might try a program called Acdsee. It's good for a quick and dirty file viewer, or quick editing when you don't have time for photoshop. also avalible as a trial version. Wacom makes this killer little graphics tablet with a wireless pen for under $100. usb2 based cf reader, and the pcmcia reader for the laptop. If you've got room, a usb mouse for the laptop, and turn off the touch pad. Sony makes a really good dvd burner that burns both cd and all formats of dvd except the cartridges. you'll need a good cd/dvd writer program for that. I use both the roxio and nero, both work, neither are fantastic. |
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Ian Halperin, Photographer
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Plano(Dallas) | TX | USA | Posted: 2:46 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> Thanks guys. I knew this was the place to ask.
Josh,
I will still be using a Mac for my main work but a Windows unit just made more sense (and cents) at home. My wife uses Windows so she will be able to do more at home. The laptop is a work unit so it will make taking things home easier for me as well. |
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Ian Halperin, Photographer
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Plano(Dallas) | TX | USA | Posted: 2:48 PM on 09.15.03 |
| ->> ALL-I am not giving up my Mac!!! Just adding PCs. |
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Zack Uribe, Photographer
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Santa Clara | CA | USA | Posted: 3:55 PM on 09.15.03 |
| ->> I typically buy my memory(Mac or PC) at crucial.com. |
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Robert E. Hudson Jr, Photographer
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Brian Jackson, Photographer, Student/Intern
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South San Francisco | CA | USA | Posted: 6:36 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> Grab a copy of Partition Magic, split that disk up and install Linux on the other half(I run SuSE 8.2). Dual boot action! For when the windoze side starts acting funny :-)
Here are the Open-Source equivs to what you are looking for: The GIMP (http://www.gimp.org)(Oh, runs on the Win platform as well), GQView (well, that's the one I like. http://gqview.sourceforge.net/) and gFTP (http://www.gftp.org/)
Plus if you really need to run that windoze app, you can always use the Crossover plug-in from CodeWeavers (http://www.codeweavers.com/home/). Our trusty sportsshooter.com code man Jason Burfield just got this and says it works wonderfully. |
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Jerry Laizure, Photographer, Assistant
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Norman | OK | USA | Posted: 6:42 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> Ian
We are indeed coming down for OU-Texas. Are we still working out of that toilet off the ramp or did they put the digital workroom back in service? |
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Jason Orth, Photographer
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Raymond | NE | USA | Posted: 7:39 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> Whenever I get a new PC or update one I get these things:
WSFTP for file transfer.
WinZip as file compression tool.
My favorite viewer is Irfanview (www.irfanview.com). Excellent little file viewer, and has some OK editing tools and a neat thumbnail creator/browser. It will also create slideshows and even play mp3s. It's free and not spyware. I did shoot the guy a donation though.
For media, I'm big on WinAmp (even if it is owned by AOHell).
Other than that, listen when it tells you to update. |
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Micheal Hall, Photographer
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Sacramento | CA | USA | Posted: 8:03 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> I recommend an Explorer replacement software called Directory Opus. Very robust and fast, highly customizeable.
www.dopus.com
I use AceFTP as my FTP program and have found it very useful and easy to use:
http://www.visicommedia.com/aceftp/
Breezebrowser is a good app, but (because Directory Opus has file viewing and such intergrated so well into it), I only open it when I want to losslessy rotate a JPG. BB also has good HTML gallery generation with quite a few templates (which can be altered)
Archive Creator is a great archiving software for generating HTML tables and indexes of directories (or drives) full of image files. It will then break up the contents into CD or DVD sized chunks, which it will burn to disk for you. An index can be put on the first disk, it's own disk or all disks, as you desire. Very handy for backing up files. Handles Canon and Nikon RAW files (possibly more) and all other common image file formats:
www.pictureflow.com
If you are shooting RAW, Capture One. Expensive, but very, very good. Also:
www.pictureflow.com
(It comes in a Mac version as well - and, once purchased, your registration key works on both - but I hear the PC version has more features right now.
I also personally really like WinBatch, a windows automation language, for performing a lot of repetetive tasks. It is very, very functional. I use it for simple things like automatically creating a directory structure for jobs I have shot, to using it's web-based brother (WebBatch) that has the same language and syntax for running on onsite viewing system for my onsite sporting events. It can do a heck of a lot, and I've only scratch the surface of it:
www.winbatch.com
Just a few of my most valued pieces of software (aside from the obvious Adobe products ...)
Regards,
Micheal |
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Jim Davidson, Photographer
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 8:26 PM on 09.15.03 |
->> I just use Windows Explorer for FTP transfers. Make sure the Address Bar is visible. Then type
ftp://(username)@yourftpaddress.com
If you select Remember Password, the FTP directory will become clickable under My Network Places. Works almost like it is a local hard drive. |
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Larry Vaughn, Photographer
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Gainesville | FL | usa | Posted: 9:21 AM on 09.20.03 |
| ->> Stuff it full of ram. I found 2 gigs of ram at Circuit City for $160 after rebates before tax. I got my sister to buy some so I ended up with 4 512 sticks of pc 2700 ddr ram... |
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Simon Lau, Student/Intern, Photographer
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London | | UK | Posted: 11:28 AM on 09.20.03 |
->> I'd switch on the Windows XP Firewall, or at least get a third party program like Zone Alarm.
Otherwise you'll get infected going online. Guess that's Microsofts way of Welcoming you to Windows :)
Obviously virus scanner is good idea too. |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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Amherst | MA | USA | Posted: 11:43 AM on 09.20.03 |
->> Ian:
You got the 3 year you-bust-we-fix-it-at-our-expenses warranty right? That warranty is the primary reason I have a Dell Laptop (in my all Mac set up). Dell has been great about repairs, having met me for repairs onsite at the Olympics, in a hotel in Quebec City following a political riot, Oakland International Airport after the security gaurds broke my power supply on the flight in....new power supply 24hrs later for the flight home, and they met me in NYC on Sept 14 2001 after my computer was experiencing problems related to the heavy dust in the air, having been subjected to the elements of lower Manhattan on Sept 11&12. Dell sent a repair tech to meet who cleaned my computer from the inside out, replacing the RAM and processor.
I could not believe that level of warranty service.
Best computer purchase I have ever made. |
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