This tutorial will show you how to take a batch of images and rename them, convert them to a different size and/or change their file type.

Why would you want to do this? Well, imagine for example, that you want to create a slide show and the images that you want to include in your slide show are in several different file formats and are of different sizes. You would want to make them uniform and this is where batch conversion can achieve this for you with one command.

Irfanview, a wonderful, “must have”, free program, can do the job for you. If you haven't already got this program installed on your computer, simply download a copy from the Club Intranet at any Club meeting or download it from http://www.irfanview.com/. Be sure to get the plugins as well to get the most out of this terrific program

Open Irfanview and click on the File Menu and select Batch Conversion/Rename...

Now you can select the images you want. You can select them from as many different locations on your computer as you need and add them to the list. Then you can arrange them in the order you require by using the “Move Up” or “Move Down” buttons. You will see a preview of each selected image if you tick the preview option at the bottom left of the dialog box.

Once you have selected all of the images you require for your slide show you will want to select an output folder for your converted images. You should create a new folder for this purpose and then use the “Browse” button to locate it.

Then click on the radio button next to the function you wish to perform…

Batch Conversion

Select the Output Format at bottom left. This works just like Save and Save As. The Options button lets you choose from the various file format specific save options, just like the Save and Save As dialog.

Use the Set advanced options button to apply many special operations to the images during conversion. These options are much like their versions on the Image Menu. The options are: Crop, Resize, Change color depth, Auto adjust colors, Horizontal flip, Vertical flip, Rotate left, Rotate right, Convert to greyscale, Negative, Sharpen, Brightness, Contrast, Gamma correction, Saturation, Color balance, etc.

Hint: for Batch Resize: If you set both, width and height, to e.g. 640 and activate the preserve aspect ratio option, the result image dimensions are: width = max. 640, height = max. 640, proportional.

Batch Rename

You can rename original/input files or you can copy/move original files to output directory and rename the files in the output directory. For renaming, you can generate a name pattern for new names and the starting index for numbers.

Please be very carefully when you use rename and first test your options with dummy files; batch rename can be very powerful = dangerous! Using bad name pattern, combined with options like Move/Rename original/input files and/or Overwrite existing files, you can, under special circumstances, remove all input/original files! Please do not use these options, until you REALLY know what you are doing.

Hint: If you want 3 digits in the new renamed names, you must write 3 x "#" in the pattern! Example: Batch rename settings: Name Pattern: image_### with start index 1 will produce file names "image_001", "image_002", etc.

Click on Name Pattern options to open a dialog for further options for the renaming process.

Check those you want to use, then click OK. To exit without making any selections, click Cancel.

Batch Conversion + Rename

This option combines Batch Conversion with Batch Rename.

Additional useful features, such as adding a coloured canvas behind the image and a text overlay are also available and can be found under Output Format/Advanced button.

All that is left to do now is click “Start”. Very quickly you will find your newly resized and renamed and saved images in your new folder ready to create your slide show.

By Peter Daley

Power surges and voltage spikes come through the telephone line, and mains power during storm activity! (That's why phone companies have warnings in their literature not to use the phone during storms.)

So,
1. If you are going out during the day.
2. Hear a storm coming.
3. Going to bed at night.

You should turn your computer off normally, then unplug the mains power and disconnect the telephone lead from the modem. If you have a TV aerial connected to your computer you should also disconnect it.

( Make sure the power socket is turned off before re-plugging the mains lead back in, when you want to use your computer again.)

There are specialized spike suppressors you can buy for filtering the mains power and telephone line during normal computer use. Don’t rely on spike suppressors during storm activity, they won't do much,  but they can protect your computer from  damage from electrical interference, or by electric motors and faulty electrical equipment. It is important for every computer owner, if they wish to protect their computer from this source of damage, to buy and install a surge/spike suppressor power pack.

You can purchase these devices from your local computer, electrical or hardware store. There are also specialised surge suppressor devices that can be installed in your power meter box to protect the whole house, but even if you have one of these devices installed, you still should have a surge suppressor attached to the wall socket or power board, that connects directly to your computer equipment. This is to protect the computer from in house sources. You can purchase this sort of device from $10 to $150,  obviously the higher the price, the greater the type of protection you will get!

Brown-outs are lower than normal line voltages, causing power starvation to the electrical device. In other words, your computer doesn't get enough power, and this can damage it. Brown-outs are generally transitory, but can last from a few seconds to minutes. You can buy specialized power supplies that monitor the line voltage fluctuations, and when the power goes off, or has a serious fluctuation, the power supply kicks in and supplies power to the computer via a  battery backup system. These are called UPS or Uninterrupted power supplies. This sort of device is more expensive, and is generally used by larger businesses,  corporations and government departments, to protect their important computers, and computer systems from damage.

© Peter Daley 2009

By Peter Daley

If your computer locks up what should you do? (A computer lock up is when nothing seems to be responding.)

If you turn your Windows computer off like a TV set, with the power switch,  you can damage it! This is was most people do when they get a lock up. You should always try a warm boot. I know some of you would like to give it angry boot sometimes

This does not mean give the computer a boot! It means to restart the computer using the techniques 1 to 4 below. This gives the computer a chance to restart without powering off. This is much easier on the computer.

1. Hold down the Alt and Ctrl keyboard keys at the same time, and then briefly press the Delete key.

A ‘Windows Task Manager’ will pop up, under the "Applications" tab it will list all the programs that are active, plus indicate which program is causing the problem, by a statement beside the program stating that this program is ‘not responding. Note:In Windows Vista you will need to click on the Task Manager Item in the Window that appears after clicking Alt /Ctrl /Del.

2. Highlight the offending program by left mouse clicking it, and then click the ‘End Task’ button.

You may have to repeat procedures 1 & 2 three or four times before you can actually shut down the offending program causing the lock up. When the offending program does shut down it will usually free the system of its confusion and it should return to normal operation.

3. If this does not fix the problem, click the "Shut down" menu item in the pop up ‘Windows Task Manager’, opened by procedure 1 above.

4. If all of this fails, push the reset button, (a small push button near the computer power switch), on the front of your computer tower. On a laptop hold down the power button for a few seconds until it powers off.

If your computer does not have a reset button you have to turn the computer off using the power switch on the computer or laptop by holding it down for a few seconds. Only do this as a last resort!

If you turn the computer completely off, wait at least 30 to 60 seconds before turning it back on!

Only turn it off at the wall switch while the computer running, if all the above procedures fail.

© Peter Daley 2009