1. Go to https://appleid.apple.com/

2. Click on “Find out” link under “Not sure if you have an Apple ID?”

3. Fill out your first name, last name and the email address that you want to use for receiving iCloud verification email.

4. On the next screen, select “Email Authentication” option and click “Next”.

5. Now, go to your Email Inbox and you will find an email from Apple on how to reset the Apple ID password.  Click on the “Reset your Apple ID password” link in the email.

6. You will be shown more than one Apple IDs that are associated with your email address.

7. Now, choose the Apple ID that you would NOT like to use for receiving iCloud verification email and click “Next”.

8. Reset the password for this account by providing a new password.

9. Login to Apple ID by visiting https://appleid.apple.com/ and clicking “Manage your account” link.  Use the Apple ID that you would NOT like to use for receiving iCloud verification email and the password that you had just set.

10. Click on “Edit” link under “Primary Email Address” section, provide a new email address.  Click “Save”.

11. Click Sign Out.

Once you have changed the email address for the Apple ID that you would NOT like to use for receiving iCloud verification email, it’s time to set things right in the Apple ID that you would like to use for iCloud services.  Just log in to your account https://appleid.apple.com/with Apple ID that you would like to use for receiving iCloud verification email.  You should now see the link to resend verification email under your email address.  Click on that link, confirm your email address and you will be all set to use iCloud.

1. Ensure that you have the data plan that allows Internet tethering.  You can simply call up your telecom carrier to confirm this.

2. From the home screen of your iPhone, go to Settings>General>Profiles and have a look at the listed profiles.  If you see any profile by an app listed here just try finding out what that app’s purpose is.  If that app claims to save data usage charges or alters data usage in any way you have found the culprit.  In my case, it was Onavo which had altered my carrier’s data profile.

3. Tap on the concerned profile to go to its details and tap on “Remove” to remove the profile.

Now go to Settings>General>Network and you should find the missing “Personal Hotspot” option back.

If you still find the personal hotspot missing it is likely that the app has altered the network profile and all you need to do is reset network settings.  Just go to  Settings>General>Reset and tap on “Reset Network Settings”.  After the reset, go to Settings>General>Network and make sure that “Enable 3G” and “Cellular Data” options are set to on.

I was able to get the missing personal hotspot back by following the steps outlined above and hope you will also find it useful.

While the PDF files can be easily read using free Adobe Reader application, it becomes a sort of challenge to edit PDF files if the need arises.  To edit PDF files, you need a software like Adobe Acrobat which is fairly expensive and it doesn’t really make sense for everyone to invest in such an expensive software.  In this post, we will cover some of the more economical as well as free tools to edit PDF files.

How to Edit PDF Files

In this post, we will look at several PDF editing tools and try to answer the following questions:

1. How to edit text in a PDF file?
2. How to edit an image in a PDF file?
3. How to merge PDF files and reorder pages in a PDF?
4. How to edit or remove PDF metadata?
5. How to remove restrictions in PDF file or edit password protected PDF files?
6. How to save a web page as PDF?
7. How to convert MS-Office documents such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations separately or combine multiple document formats and convert to PDF?
8. How to convert PDF files to other formats such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, BMP, ePub, TIFF etc.?
9. How to extract images from a PDF?
10. How to extract pages from a PDF?
11. How to fill PDF forms?
12. How to sign PDF documents?

1. Edit text in a PDF file

To edit text in a PDF file, there are two methods.  First method is to convert PDF to Word doc using a conversion software or online service (see point 8), make changes in the word document and then convert the file back to PDF (see point 7).

The other method to edit text in a PDF is to use a software such as Foxit PDF Editor, a commercial product, or PDFedit, an open source software.  Mac users can use PDFpen to edit PDF text.

2. Edit images in a PDF file

Editing an image involves either making changes in the image itself such as resizing, scaling and repositioning images, or replacing the image altogether.  In both these cases, the above mentioned software for editing text in PDF files also provide features to edit images.

3. Merge PDF files and reorder pages in PDF

PDFsam, PDF Split and Merge, is a great free and open source tool to merge two or more PDF documents into one.  With its drag and drop interface, you can easily compose a new PDF document with pages from multiple PDF files.  It also allows you to visually change the order of pages in a PDF file.  PDFsam is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

4. Edit PDF metadata

If you wish to change the properties of a PDF file then you can choose A-PDF Info Changer or BeCyPDFMetaEdit.  Both of these are free tools and also provide command line versions of the software.  PDFtk is an open source tool that works on Mac OS X too along with Windows and Linux and allows you to edit PDF metadata.

5. Edit restricted or password protected PDF files

There can be many legal scenarios that justify editing a restricted file or a password protected file, for example, you may forget the password for one of your own PDF files.  Because there is no password recovery method for PDF files, you will need to use a software to crack the password and remove restrictions from PDF files.  PDF Password Remover from AnyBizSoft or Advanced PDF Password Recovery Professional from ElcomSoft are two good options to remove PDF passwords and PDF file restrictions.

6. Save web page as PDF

If you wish to save a single web page as PDF then PrimoOnline is a free service that you can use.  Just enter the URL of the web page and it will be converted to PDF and emailed to you.  If you have to convert an entire website into multipage PDF document then PDFpenPro is the solution.  It will create a PDF for all pages in the website with clickable links.

7. Convert to PDF or Create PDF from one or multiple documents in different formats

If you wish to convert MS-Office documents to PDF and are using MS-Office 2007 then you will need to download MS-Office Save As PDF Add-in which allows you to save any document in PDF format.  This feature comes by default in Office 2010.  For converting almost any file format in PDF, you can use doPDF which is free PDF printing application.  If you wish to combine multiple documents in a single PDF file then you can use a paid service like Loop Platform or standalone commercial software like VeryPDF or Magic PDF.

8. Convert PDF files to other formats

Zamzar is a free online service that lets you convert PDF files to several formats like doc, txt, rtf, jpg, png, html, ePub etc.

9. Extract images from PDF

PDF Image Extract from SomePDF is a good tool to extract images from a PDF file and save to your disk.

10. Extract pages from PDF

To extract pages from a PDF file, you can use the free PDF split tool by iLovePDF.  It allows you to extract any specific page or a range of pages from a PDF file.

11. Fill PDF forms without Adobe Acrobat

To fill forms in PDF files, you can use FillAnyPDF or PDF Filler.  Both of them are free online services.

12. Sign PDF document

Use PDFescape which is a free online PDF editor that can be used to sign PDF documents.  You will need an image of your signature that you will add to the PDF that need to be signed.  Similarly you can use this service for adding seals, stamps, watermarks etc. to a PDF document.

While we have given you separate tools to do different tasks, a lot of tools provide multiple features to work with and edit PDF files.

The Benefits of Setting Up a Computer Network for Your Office

The benefits of a computer network comes in the form of cost savings.  Suppose you have 5 people working in your office.  Without a network, everyone will need their own printers, scanners, Internet connection and storage memory.  If you set up a computer network connecting all the computers in your office, they can all be connected through one Internet connection, use same printer, scanner and other peripherals, share files between them securely and play music stored on a network attached storage device.

Wired or Wireless Network

Your small business computer network can either be a wired connection or a wireless connection.  Both have their advantages and disadvantages.  For example, wired connections are considered more reliable and secure; however, you will need to deal with the wires.  You may have to spend money on getting the wires hidden properly behind the walls otherwise your office will start looking messy with wires all around and someone’s foot can also get trapped in those wires.  With wired connections, your computers and peripherals will also need to be fixed at one place with mobility limited to the length of the wire being used.

Wireless networks overcome most of the disadvantages of a wired network.  You don’t have to deal with wires and computers and devices can be moved anywhere in the office.   However, wireless networks are not considered as reliable, fast and secure as wired networks.  The problems with wireless networks can also be taken care of with right devices and configurations.  For eg: You can enable Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security for your network that will allow only those with the valid WEP key to connect to the network.

Router and Network Cable

To set up a wired computer network, you will need to purchase a router and network cable.  The choice of router will be dependent upon the compatibility with your computer.  You can find out the routers compatible with your computer by going through its manual.  The network cable also called Ethernet cable or Cat5 cable will be required to connect the router, modem and computers with each other.  The length of wire that you will need will need to be calculated based on the distance between each of the computers and the router.

How to Set Up a Small Business Computer Network

Before we go into the steps of setting up the computer network for your office, we will assume that you have zeroed in on a wired network and that you have an active broadband connection in your office.  The modem provided by your ISP should already be hooked on to the cable or phone jack.

Steps to set up the network:

1. If your computer is currently connected to the Internet, unplug the network cable from your computer and plug it into the Internet, WAN or WLAN port of the router.  If your computer is not connected, take the network cable and plug its one end into the Internet, WAN or WLAN port of the router and the other end into the modem.
2. Switch on the router and wait till it is connected.  An active connection is generally indicated by lights that come on front the router.
3. Connect the router and computer by plugging one end of the network cable into your computer and the other into the router.
4. You computer should now be connected.  Repeat the same steps for all the other computers that you want to add to the network.

The above steps let you share one Internet connection between multiple computers.  Similarly printers and other devices can also be set up for sharing with your small business computer network

The distribution and delivery of PowerPoint presentations has also improved significantly.  Rich PowerPoint presentations can now be delivered through email, packaged on a DVD, converted to videos for viewing on iPods and mobile phones and shared using YouTube.

PowerPoint Supported Video Formats

In this guide, we will look at how you can put videos in PowerPoint presentations and make them more engaging and interesting to the viewer.  You will also learn how to convert PowerPoint presentations to videos.  This guide assumes you are using PowerPoint 2003, 2007 or 2010 Beta.

Insert a video in your PowerPoint presentation – Find out the steps for most widely used versions of PowerPoint – 2003, 2007 and 2010.

Embed YouTube Video in PowerPoint presentation – Liked a video on YouTube that can make your presentation more interesting.  If you are using Office 2010, you can directly embed a YouTube video in PowerPoint presentation or use ZamZar.com to insert a video in presentation.

Want to send presentation through email – Learn how to send a PowerPoint presentation with video by email so that it plays as expected on the recipient’s system.

Finally, convert PowerPoint presentation to video for sharing on YouTube and viewing on iPod, mobile phone or TV.

There are two options to use a YouTube video in PowerPoint presentations depending on which version of PowerPoint you are using.

Embedding a YouTube video in PowerPoint 2010

If you are using PowerPoint 2010, you can follow the steps below to embed a YouTube video in your presentation

• Get the video embed code from YouTube video page
• In PowerPoint Normal view, click the slide in which the video needs to be inserted
• Under “Insert” tab, in the “Media” group, click the arrow under “Video”
• Click “Video from Web Site” and paste the embed code in “Insert Video from Web Site” dialog box
• Click “Insert” and the video will be inserted

Insert a YouTube Video in PowerPoint 2003 or 2007 Presentation

In order to use a YouTube video in PowerPoint 2007 or 2003, you will first need to convert YouTube video to a PowerPoint supported video format and save it to your computer.  You can easily convert YouTube videos to PowerPoint format using ZamZar.com.

Once you have the video in supported format saved on your computer, follow the steps given in - How to Insert a Video in PowerPoint Presentation

Inserting YouTube videos in presentations using ZamZar is a two-step process.  First you will need to convert the YouTube video to WMV or AVI format using ZamZar.  Once that is done, you will need to insert the video in the presentation.

Please follow the steps below to convert a YouTube video using ZamZar so that it can be used in PowerPoint presentation:

• Go to http://www.zamzar.com
• Click “Download Videos” tab
• Enter the URL of the YouTube video in the space given under “Step 1”
• Select wmv or avi within the video formats from the dropdown menu under “Step 2”
• Enter your email address under “Step 3”
• Click “Convert” under “Step 4”
• Zamzar will send you an email on the address that you provided.  Once you receive the email, click on the link given in the email
• Click “Download Now” on the page that opened after clicking the link in email
• The video will then be saved to your computer

After you have saved the video in the desired format on your computer, please read: How to Insert a Video in PowerPoint Presentation

You can also convert videos files in other formats such as MOV (QuickTime), FLV, MP4 etc. using ZamZar and use them in your presentations.  Just upload the video by clicking “Choose File” button under “Convert Files” tab on ZamZar home page.  Select wmv or avi as the file format, provide your email address and click “Convert” and you will get an email with the download link.

Inserting Video in PowerPoint 2003 Presentation

PowerPoint 2003 supports videos in WMV and AVI format.  You need to ensure that your video is in either of these formats.  If your video is in any other format, you will need to first convert the video to WMV or AVI and then put it in the presentation.  Steps for conversion are given in the last section of this guide.

To insert a video:

• Go to the slide in which you wish to insert video
• Go to “Movies and Sounds” in the “Insert” menu and click “Movie from File”
• Select the video in the “Insert Movie” dialog box and click “OK”
• Click “Automatically” if you want the video to play when the slide is displayed or click “When Clicked” if you want the video to play once you click the play button

Inserting Video in PowerPoint 2007 Presentation

The video formats supported by PowerPoint 2007 are ASF, AVI, MPG or MPEG, and WMV.  You will need to convert other types of videos to one of these formats for inserting in 2007.

• In Normal view, click the slide in which the video needs to be inserted
• Under “Insert” tab, in the “Media Clips” group, click the arrow under “Movie”
• Click “Movie from File” and navigate to the video to be inserted.  Double click to select the video

Inserting Video in PowerPoint 2010 Presentation

This version of PowerPoint supports videos in FLV format in addition to the formats supported by PowerPoint 2007.  The steps for inserting a video in PowerPoint 2010 are very similar to that of 2007.

• In Normal view, click the slide in which the video needs to be inserted
• Under “Insert” tab, in the “Media” group, click the arrow under “Video”
• Click “Video from File” and navigate to the video to be inserted.  Double click to select the video

To convert a presentation to a video, you can either use a desktop video editing program such as Windows Movie Maker or an online service like authorstream.com.

To convert a PowerPoint presentation using Windows Movie Maker, first you will have to save all slides as images.  To do this, select “Save As” in your presentation and then select  either PNG or JPEG as the image format.  Click “Every Slide” in the dialog box that appears next.

Open Windows Movie Maker, import all the images (slides that were saved as images) using File>Import into Collections or Ctrl+I.  Switch to Storyboard view and drag all the images to the storyboard.  Now you can add transitions and effects to the slides, set the timing for each slide, preview how the video will look like with transitions and save the project.

If you wish to add audio, select Import audio or music under Movie Tasks and choose the file.  The audio file will now be available in the Collections area.  Right click on the audio file and select Add to Storyboard.  Audio will be added and the view will be switched from Storyboard view to the Timeline view.  You can either repeat the same audio throughout the video or add another audio by importing the file to Collections and adding it to the Timeline.

You will also be able to trim the audio if you wish to exclude some portion of the file.

Now save the project as a movie file using File> Save Movie File.

Now the movie is ready to be burnt on a DVD, uploading to YouTube or watching on iPod or mobile phone.

If you don’t wish to use the desktop program option, you can upload the presentation to authorStream.  Before uploading the presentation, you can add an audio file to the presentation.  See Instructions:

Adding audio to PowerPoint 2003 presentations

Adding audio to PowerPoint 2007 presentations

Use Rehearse Timings in PowerPoint 2007 or Time Slides in PowerPoint 2003 in order to set the duration for each slide.

If you wish to add your own voice to the presentation, you can record voice narration in PowerPoint 2003 and 2007.

Once your presentation is ready to be converted, visit authorstream.com and upload the presentation after signing up for an account.  Your presentation will be converted by authorStream to an MP4 video that you can download and upload to YouTube, save on iPod, burn to a DVD etc.  authorStream also provides embed code for your video that can be used on your blog/website.

Convert Presentation to Video using PowerPoint 2010

PowerPoint 2010 has the conversion facility built into it.  To convert you presentation, please follow the steps below:

• Open the presentation that you wish to convert to video
• In “File” tab, click “Share” and select “Create a Video” under “File Types”
• Select the display size from the dropdown menu
• Choose desired recorded timings and narration settings in the second dropdown.  If you selected not to use the recorded timings and narration, set the time in seconds to be spent on each slide
• Click “Create Video” button and choose the location where you want to save the video

Your presentation will be converted to a WMV video and saved on the selected folder.

But what if you want to email the presentation to someone.  Even if you email the presentation along with the video, the video will not play on the recipient’s computer unless the recipient edits the presentation and insert the video again.

The solution is to create a Package for CD and save it on your computer.  You can then email this package to anyone and the recipient will be able to view the presentation using PowerPoint Viewer 2007.

This option is available in all latest versions of PowerPoint.  Microsoft Office website provides steps to create a CD package for PowerPoint 2003 and PowerPoint 2007.

Create a CD Package in PowerPoint 2010

To crate a CD package in PowerPoint 2010 Beta, please follow these steps:

• Open the presentation for which the CD package needs to be created
• In “File” tab, click “Share” and select “Package Presentation for CD” under “File Types”
• Click “Package Presentation for CD” button
• In the “Package for CD” dialog box, enter the name of package
• Click “Options” and make sure that the “Linked Files” option is checked
• If you wish to set a password for opening and/or modifying the presentations in the CD package, enter the passwords
• Click OK
• Now you are back to “Package for CD” dialog box.
• Click “Copy to Folder” and enter the folder name and select the folder location in the “Copy to Folder” dialog box.
• Click “Yes” in the next dialog box for including linked files in the package
• Click “Close”