How to Change the Date of your Digital Photographs

John Q. Public has just finished importing the videos and pictures from the digital camera to his laptop but realizes that the media files are incorrectly time-stamped.

Maybe the date and time settings of his “point and shoot” camera were set incorrectly or maybe the digital camera was stamping the files with local time though the pictures were being shot in another country with a different time zone. He probably forgot to change the time stamp of the camera before going on vacation.

How does John change the data and time of his pictures?

Most image editing software, Picasa and iPhoto included, allow you corect the data and time of photographs imported from a digital camera or a smartphone. You can import your digital photos in the software and select the ones that need to be fixed.

In the case of Picasa, choose Tools -> Adjust Date & Time and select a new date for your photos. This will change the “Date Picture Taken” field in the EXIF data of you picturs. Similarly, iPhoto users can choose Photos -> Adjust Date & Timeto set the selected photos to a particular date and time.

I however prefer a little-known command line utilitly called ExifTool for such operations since it is much more versatile. To get started, download the ExifTool executable and extract the zip file to your desktop. Now rename the exiftool(-k).exe utility to exiftool.exe and we are all set to adjust the date and time of our photographs.

Unlike the iPhoto or Picasa software that simply set the date and time of a photograph to another time stamp, Exif Tool can “shift” the data and time values associated with a picture. For instance, if your camera’s time was off by 2 hours 30 minutes at the time of capture, you can use ExifTool to shift the time stamp of all your pictures only by that “off” duration.

The sytax is:

exiftool.exe "-DateTimeOriginal+=Y:M:D h:m:s" filename.jpg

For instance, if wish to shift the time of photographs by 5 hours and 30 minutes, the command would be:

exiftool.exe "-DateTimeOriginal+=0:0:0 5:30:0" filename.jpg

And if you wish to perform a negative shift by 1 day, the command would be:

exiftool.exe "-DateTimeOriginal-=0:1:0 0:0:0" filename.jpg

Please refer to this document for the exact syntax and other examples.

exiftool.exe "-AllDates+=Y:M:D h:m:s" filename.jpg

Exif Tool makes a copy of your original photograph before updating the time stamp. The tool is free and available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Download Mac Updates Once and Install on Multiple Computers

Mac OS X updates are huge with the installation files running into several gigabytes. The same is true for Mac apps like iMovie or Microsoft Office that have massive installers. The problem is compounded when you own multiple Mac computers and you need to upgrade them all to the latest OS X update. It will not just take too much time but you may end up consuming your monthly download bandwidth

A simple and obvious workaround to the problem is that you download the installer files on one Mac machine and then transfer the downloaded apps to all your other systems through AirDrop or WiFi. The Apple website says that “Apps [downloaded] from the Mac App Store may be used on any Macs that you own or control for your personal use.” This is however easier said than done.

Install Mac OS X Updates on Multiple Macs

You download a 5 GB Mac OS X installer from the App Store, the machine restarts, your system is upgraded to Mac OS X Yosemite or El Capitan but wait, where has the installer disappeared? Your Mac, in a bid to save space, deletes the original installer automatically after the upgrade and thus you cannot reuse it on other machines.

To get around the problem, after the installer has downloaded, quit the installation routine and do not restart the machine. Go to the ~/Applications folder on your Mac, find the installer file and Option+Drag it to another folder like ~/Downloads to make a copy that will stay even after the machine is restarted.

For minor updates, like OS X 10.10.8 or 10.10.9 updates, Apple releases standalone installers as .dmg files that you can download once and install on multiple machines. The releases are available as incremental updates (containing only changed files) or combo updates (all changed files since the last major release).

A simple Google search for “download mac ox x 10.10. combo” will reveal the direct download links for the .dmg files on the Apple support website.

Install Mac Apps from the App Store

In the case of apps downloaded from the Mac App Store, you’ll find the .app files in your /Applications or /Users/username/Applications folder that you can easily copy to your other Mac machines. Internally though, the App Store downloads the installer as a package file (with a .pkg extension) and this will not reside in the Applications folder but in a separate hidden folder.

You can grab these Installer Package files and install the same Mac app on other machines without having to download it again thus saving data. To get started, open terminal on your Mac and run the following command to know where the App Store has downloaded the installer files:

defaults write com.apple.appstore ShowDebugMenu -bool true

Now open the Mac App Store app and you’ll see a new Debug menu (see screenshot). Click the “Show Download Folder” menu and it will open the location of the download folder inside Finder where the Mac apps are temporarily download. You can find the .pkg files inside one of the sub folders that you copy to your other Mac systems via Airdrop.

[Bonus Tip] If you are upgrading to a new version of Mac OS X, like the upcoming El Capitan, press Cmd+L at the installation screen and it will open the installation log so you know what’s exactly happening behind the scene.

How To Use Samsung Smart View with Your iPhone/iPad

Samsung Smart View is a free application that turns your iPhone or iPad into a remote control for Samsung Smart TVs. In order to use this application, all that is required is that both devices be connected to the same local network. 

Control Your Samsung Smart TV with Your iPhone/iPad

Download Samsung Smart View from the Apple Store: 

Once downloaded, you will be able to change channels and control your television volume from your iPhone. You can even browse through Smart Hub applications and input text via the iPhone's virtual keyboard.

How To Reset a Wii U Console to Factory Settings

In this tutorial, you will learn how to reset your Wii U console to its factory settings. Please note that by doing this, all of your saved games, user profiles, and custom settings will be deleted from the console. 

How To Reset Your Wii U to Original Factory Settings

Start your Wii U and tap on the Settings icon (the wrench) of the Wii U gamepad. The System Settings menu will be displayed. 

Next, go back to the WiiU gamepad and use the left stick to move to the Delete All Content and Settings section. Press A to select. If you have enabled the Parental Control feature, you will be requested to enter your PIN. 

Click on OK, and then tap on Next > Delete Everything to complete the reset.

How To Record Gameplay on the PlayStation 4

The PlayStation 4 comes with a built-in DVR (digital video recorder) feature allowing you to record your gameplay footage and share it with your friends on social networks. This feature is only available within games (you won't be able to record the home screen) and it can record up to 15 minutes of your gameplay. 

How To Record Video on the PS4

Launch your game, and when ready double tap on the Share button of the DualShock4 controller to start the recording. The small video clip icon that appears at the top left corner of your screen indicates that the game is currently being recorded. 

Tap the Share button once more to stop the recording or double tap on the Share button to restart the recording over. 

Once you've hit the Share button, you will be take back to the Share screen > How do you want to share your experience? > Upload Video Clip. Tap on X to Upload the video to Facebook, YouTube or Daily Motion or tap on Square button to save the video to your Gallery > Video Clipsfolder (next to your screenshots). 

Before sharing your video, you should perhaps remove any unwanted sections. This operation can be performed directly from the Share screen: 

Tap on the Options button > Share Settings > Video Clip Settings > Trim. 

Switchable Graphics Cards on Windows 10

Some laptops come equipped with dual graphics cards, namely a high-performance standalone one (also known as a discrete graphics card) to run graphic intensive programs, and an integrated graphics chip built into to the motherboard. 

Integrated graphics cards are usually sufficient when it comes to running your OS (desktop), and performing basic tasks such as web browsing, video playback and document editing. However, in order to run games or graphic-intensive programs such as video editing, 3D animation, and CAD software, it is recommended that you switch to the discrete graphics card. This process is usually done by your operating system, but Windows 10 also allows you to launch program with the graphics card of your choice. 

The actual procedure of changing your graphics card is very easy. Simply right-click on the program shortcut > Run with graphics processor. You may then click on your desired option to designate the correct graphics card: 

How To Set Custom Wake Up Command on the Galaxy S6

S Voice is an intelligent personal assistant built into Samsung's newer range of smartphone products. Among the capabilities of S Voice are the ability to ask questions, control applications, conduct internet searches, and even customize a wake up voice command. 

How To Set Up "Wake Up" on the Samsung S6 Edge 

Go to Apps > S Voice and tap on the Cog icon to open S Voice Settings. Tap on Voice wake-upand enable the function. Next, tap on Set wake-up command, and follow the onscreen instructions to set your voice command. You will be asked to repeat your wake up command a couple of times before it is saved. 

At the end of the procedure you will be brought back to S Voice, indicating that your wake up command should be set and operational. 

Wake Up Command Not Working

If your wake up command is not working, simply go back to the Voice wake-up settings and tap on Listen to wake-up command to check if you are using the right command or not. 

Register a New Wake Up Command

Navigate to the Voice wake-up settings and tap on Delete wake-up command. Repeat the above operation to set your new command. 

N.B. Don't forget to enable the Wake up in secured lock feature in S Voice settings to allow voice wake up when the device is locked.

How To Create a Bootable USB Installer for OS X El Capitan

This procedure explains how to create an installation key for Mac OS X El Capitan using a USB key. This method will work for OS X El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion updates. 

How To Make an El Capitan Install Drive with a USB

El Capitan Information Pages on Apple.com

Before beginning, you may want to familiarize yourself with the upgrade process, and hardware requirements necessary for the El Capitan installation. 

Pre-Requisites for the El Capitan Update

There are several prerequisites necessary for a successful installment of El Capitan. A list of requirements for the compatible models can be found below.

Compatible Macs

MacBook (released early 2015), MacBook (aluminum series released late 2008 - early 2009 or later), 
MacBook Pro (released mid/late 2007 or newer models), 
MacBook Air (released late 2008 or newer models), 
Mac Mini (released early 2009 or newer models), 
Mac (released mid 2007 or newer models), 
Mac Pro (released early 2008 or newer), 
Xserve (released early 2009). 

Requirements

OS X 10.6.8 or later, 2GB of RAM (minimum), 
8GB of storage space, 
Some features require an Apple ID, 
Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; extra charges may apply. 

STEP 1: Download El Capitan

Launch the Apple App Store, and sign-in using your iCloud account. Click on OS X El Capitan >Download to begin the download process. The El Capitan download will utilize about 6GB of space. 

Once the installation package has been downloaded, it will launch automatically. Do not click onContinue. 

You may quit the installation by clicking on the Install OS X menu > Quit Install OS X. Leave the installation package (Install OS X El Capitan) in the Applications folder, and proceed to the next step. 

STEP 2: Prepare the USB Installation

You will need a blank 8GB USB key. Connect the USB key to your Mac and launch the Disk Utilitylocated in Applications > Utilities. Select your USB drive (not its existing partition, but the physical key itself). Click on Partition Layout and select 1 partition. Next, select the Optionbutton, making sure that GUID Partition Table is selected. Click OK. 

Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the default format for the drive. Rename your USB key to something more significant (e.g. elcapitan) and make a note of it somewhere. You will need the exact name for a terminal command in STEP 3. 

Click on Apply > OK. 

STEP 3: Creating the Installation Key

Launch the Terminal application located in Applications > Utilities and type the below command: 

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/e/name_of_USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app --nointeraction 

Replace name_of_USB with the name you have chosen for your USB key. 

Confirm with the Enter key, and type your administrator password when prompted. Let the process unfold until the Terminal window says Done. 

Your OS X El Capitan installation USB key is now ready. 

Updating from OS X Snow Leopard and Leopard

Additional steps are required when updating from Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.x). 

Click on the Apple menu > Update software. Update to Mac OS X 10.6.8 before downloading El Capitan from the App Store. 

Unfortunately, El Capitan will install directly onto your Mac. You will need to download it once more to get the installation package (installer). If you have Leopard (Mac OS 10.5) and would like to upgrade to El Capitan, you must first purchase and install OS X Snow Leopard. 

Remarks

This method creates a USB key called Install OS X El Capitan. The key contains an installer (installation package) named as Install OS X El Capitan. To perform an installation from the USB key, connect it to your Mac and then boot the key while holding the Alt key down. Boot from the USB key and then follow the onscreen procedure to install the new operating system. 

N.B. If at any point the installation procedure seems to stall, just let it be. Despite appearances, the installation procedure is likely just working slowly.

How To Turn Off Shake to Undo on iOS 9

Most built-in apps on iPhones are equipped with the Shake to Undo feature, which allows users to undo text typing by simply shaking their device, and selecting theUndo Typing confirmation box. If you do not want to take advantage of this feature, here's a quick tip to disable the Shake to Undo feature. 

How To Disable the Shake to Undo Feature

Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Shake to Undo. Toggle Shake to Undoto Off. 

N.B. Unless you are running on iOS 9 or using a jailbroken device, the Shake to Undo feature is impossible to turn off. In order to disable the feature, you must be upgraded to the new iOS 9 operating system.

Apple Watch - How To Mute Activity Alerts

The Activity app of the Apple Watch can help you to get healthier by achieving a couple daily fitness goals. Once enabled the app shall display reminders to stand up for at least 1 minute after each hour and burn more calories through exercising. WatchOS2 introduces a new feature which comes in handy on days where you are too busy to keep up with your fitness goals. You can now mute Activity Alerts for duration of 24 hours: 

Open the Apple Watch app installed on the paired iPhone. Go to My Watch >Activity App. Toggle the Mute Reminders for One Day switch On. 

That's it; you won't receive reminders for the rest of the day and this applies to the Progress updates, Stand Reminders, Achievements and Goal Completions alerts.

How to Turn Off Volume Shadow Copy

Volume shadow copy is a feature on all versions of the Microsoft Windows operating systems that allows backup copies of files or folders on a specified volume, either automatically or manually. 

To disable the volume shadow copy, the service has to be stopped. The service can be stopped from the volume shadow copy properties window and Windows administrative tools. 

How To Disable Volume Shadow Copy

What is Volume Shadow Copy?

Volume Shadow Copy, also known as Snapshot Service or VSS is a feature embedded in Windows 2003 and later in all releases of Microsoft Windows. This technology allows you to make manual or automatic backup copies or snapshots of a file or folder on a specific volume. Shadow Copy technology requires the file system to be NTFS. 

Note that once the volume shadow copy is disabled, there is no use for previous versions of a file or folder element. To lighten the properties of a file or folder,you must remove the previous versions tab through changes in the registry. If disk space poses a problem, users can edit the disk space allocated to shadow copies so that you don't have to disable the volume shadow copy. 

Disabling Volume Shadow Copy

Click on Start and type services.mc
 into the search bar. Hit Enter. 

An option for Volume Shadow Copy will appear. Double click on the icon. 

Change the startup type to Manual, and then click on Stop: 

Move to the Recovery tab: 

Set the First failure, Second failure, and Subsequent failures options to Take No Action. 

Press OK to confirm. 

How To Edit the Disk Space Allocated to Shadow Copy

If you do not want to disable shadow copies, and would prefer to customize the maximum disk space allocated to this service, here's a quick tutorial. 

Go to your Start menu, and navigate to All Programs > Accessories. 

Right-click the Command Prompt > Run as administrator. 

Next, type the following command: 
vssadmin resize shadowstorage/On = C: / For = C: / maxsize = 3GB 
. 

Note: 

The / On = C: indicates that the photos will be saved on the C drive. 

The / For = C: indicates that the photographs are those of the C drive. 

The / maxsize = 3GB indicates the size allocated to instant snapshots. In this case, that total is 3GB. 

Confirm by pressing OK. 

Disable Previous Shadow Copy Versions

Now that the service is disabled, all Previous Versions are useless. In order to lighten the menu and properties of elements, it is best to remove it. However, before proceeding with this, it is highly recommended that you back up your registry: 

Open the Registry Editor and locate the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\ 
. 

Create a new key with the name PreviousVersions by going to the Edit menu > New > Key. 

Next, create a new DWORD (32bits) under the latter key by using the name DisableLocalPage. You can do this by going to the Edit menu > New > DWORD (32 bit). 

Double click this value and put 1 in the data fields.