Computer Mania

Speed Up Your Computer

2010-10-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

Speed Up Your Computer

This step-by-step guide will walk you through some simple steps to speeding up a computer. The following tasks are going to be the highest impact tasks that you can try. Hopefully your PC will be brought back up to a normal speed after finishing these steps.

1) Remove Viruses - The most common reason for a slow computer is a virus. The first thing you will want to do is remove any viruses that may be infecting your computer. Read More About Removing Viruses

2) Remove Spyware - The next most common reason for a slow computer is spyware or malware. You will want to run a spyware check and remove any spyware that the spyware program finds. Read More About Removing Spyware

NOTE: We have reviewed many virus/spyware removal applications. You can check out our recommendations on our Recommended Computer Software page.

3) Clean Your Registry - Your registry can become cluttered over time. This clutter can slow down your computer a bit. Run a registry cleaner to fix any issues. Read More About Cleaning Your Registry

4) Free Up Disk Space - If your computer is low on disk space, freeing up disk space can help speed up your PC. Freeing up disk space will also help out with step 5, defragging. Read More About Freeing Up Disk Space

5) Defragment - This will help your hard drive run much more efficiently. If you haven't defragmented in awhile, we would recommend running the defrag multiple times. Read More About Defragmenting

6) Disable Windows Indexing Service - The Windows Indexing Service is always running in the backround on your PC and can slow your PC down a bit. Disabling this can give a small speed boost. Read More About Disabling Windows Indexing Service

7) Optimizing Windows Startup Programs - When Windows starts up it automatically loads a number of programs, many of which you may not need all the time and can be started when needed. Read More About Optimizing Windows Startup Programs

8) Disable Unnecessary Services - ADVANCED - Services are programs that are continuously running in the background of Windows and are doing different tasks that Windows needs done. There are a lot of these services and they can use a lot of resources. The good news is that a lot of these services are expendable and can be turned off without any problems. This is an ADVANCED TASK. Read More About Disabling Unnecessary Services

9) Clean your Computer - The inside of a computer tower can get dusty over time. This dust will cause the fans will cause the cooling equipment to not work as well as when you first bought the computer. This excess heat can slow a computer. Read More About Cleaning your Computer

10) Upgrading Memory - If the computer is still slow, then you may have to upgrade or buy a new computer. A memory upgrade is the only upgrade we recommend for the novice to intermediate computer user. It is inexpensive and can make a HUGE difference if your computer is low on memory.

WINDOWS XP Speed Tweak

2009-11-15T23:14:00.000-08:00

First of all, this tweak only apply to those who only have one HDD on their primary IDE channel (nothing else on device 0 or 1) and a CD-ROM and/or DVD-ROM on the secondary IDE channel. Each time you boot Windows XP, there's an updated file called NTOSBOOT-*.pf who appears in your prefetch directory (%SystemRoot%Prefetch) and there's no need to erease any other files as the new prefetch option in XP really improves loading time of installed programs. We only want WindowsXP to boot faster and not decrease its performance. Thanks to Rod Cahoon (for the prefetch automation process...with a minor change of mine) and Zeb for the IDE Channel tweak as those two tricks, coupled together with a little modification, result in an EXTREMELY fast bootup:
1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:windowsprefetch tosboot-*.* /q" (without the
quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double
click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click
"Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device 0 or 1 that doesn't have
'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.WindowsXP should now boot REALLY faster.

What is WinSxS Folder and How to clean it?

2009-11-15T23:01:00.000-08:00

The folder contains thousands of files and occupies Gigabytes of space.
Info about this folder
The folder called WinSxS stands for Windows Side-by-Side and is used to store versions of Windows components that are built to reduce configuration problems with Dynamic Link Libraries (DLL Hell). Multiple versions of components are stored in this folder.
In short this folder usually does not contain any useful data contents of which may be deleted to reclaim the occupied huge space.
However cleaning this is not easy if the folder does not get clean up by executing a disk cleanup then you might have to format the system to get the used space.

Solution to “This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer”

2009-07-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

“This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator”.

Cause of the problem:

The problem is confirmed to be caused due to change in the default web browser or the Internet Explorer.

Steps to fix the problem:

You can try following solutions and see which one fix it for you.

Solution 1:

• Go to Control Panel -> Add Remove Programs, click on Set Program Access and Defaults.

• Open up the configuration whichever is selected and change the default web browser to something else.

Solution 2:

• If you use older versions of IE then upgrade it to the latest one.

Solution 3:

The problem can be caused due to the corrupt or damaged key HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Classes\htmlfile\shell\open\command.

So just download this file, unzip it and double click to extract the registry.

Solution 4:

• Open registry editor and search (Ctrl + F) for the value nocontrolpanel.
• Change its value from 1 to 0.

Hide a Drive or Partition with TweakUI in Windows

2009-06-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

The advantage of hiding a disk drive is that this method not only hide your data but also make it invisible to those who are a threat to your secret files. You can prevent the unauthorized access to your data.
The method is best to use when you have lot of data to protect then what you can do is just copy the data in a drive and hide the complete drive instead of hiding those individually.
Drive can be made by using TweakUI
1. So just download it and click on the + sign on the left of My Computer to visit the Drives section.
2. All drives would get listed there, uncheck the one you want to hide and click OK.

3. That’s it; your drive will get hidden.

You can see my hidden E drive above.

However I checked that if you enter the drive name in the Run Box you can still open it.

Add Open in New Window Option to Right Click Context Menu of Folders and Drives

2009-06-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

What you do to open a drive or a folder in a new window? I guess open My Computer again and open the required drive/folder there. But with this trick you can add the option “Open in New Window” to the right click menu of the drive or a folder in Windows.

XP has this feature by default (pressing Ctrl or Shift while double clicking a drive or folder opens in new window) but this is not supported now in latest versions of Windows like Vista and Seven.
Steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Run box
2. Now navigate to the key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell.
3. Right click on Shell and select New -> Key and name it as Open in New Window (the name is one which will appear in right click menu).
4. Now again right click on Open in New Window key and create its sub key with the name command.
5. On the right side, double click Default and enter value explorer %1.

6. Open in new Window option will come in right click menu of folder but to make it appear on drive as well create the same keys with same value but on HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell.
7. If you want to undo, then just delete the keys created by us.

Solution for Invalid Boot.ini Loading from C:\Windows Error

2009-05-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

If while booting the computer in normal mode, you see this error message saying that “Invalid Boot.ini, loading from C:\Windows” then here is the solution to fix this error.

The error comes up while booting but after this the system boots normally as if there is no problem.

Cause of the error

The problem is caused due to missing or corrupted boot.ini file which is usually located in the C drive.

Solution

We can solve the problem by providing the same boot.ini file with correct properties.

1. Right click on My Computer -> Advanced -> Startup and Recovery, click Settings.

2. Now click on Edit button besides the line reading “To edit the startup options file manually, click Edit”.

3. This will open the boot.ini file but if it isn’t there then click OK to create a new.

4. Now copy and paste the following code in it

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Microsoft Windows XP Professional” /fastdetect

5. Click save and exit.

6. A new file boot.ini will be created in the C drive, now we need to give it system attributes.

7. Open command prompt (type cmd in Run box).

8. Type the following command

attrib C:\boot.ini +s +h

and press Enter.

9. The problem is fixed.

So just restart the computer to see the problem gone.

Enable or Disable Safe Mode Easily

2009-05-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

If you have a disabled Safe Mode because of some virus activity or just want to enable or disable it for some added security then here are the steps to do so.

One of our readers was troubled by the disabled safe mode due to some virus activity, if it is the same case with you, then I am sure the post will help you.

Steps to enable or disable Safe Mode:

Just download this free and small application called Safemode.exe (Enable/Disable SafeMode) that can either disable or enable the Safe Mode for you with just one click.

The software is tested by me and was found to be working great. After I clicked on Disable Safe Mode option, my computer started rebooting whenever I tried to enter into Safe Mode. I restored it back when I clicked the Enable Safe Mode button.

Features:

• Small and free.
• Single click use.
• Password protect the software to limit its use to specific people.

Download Enable/Disable SafeMode

Change Default Drive Icon of USB Pen Drive

2009-04-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

simple and easy trick that will bring life to the icon you see whenever you insert your drive.

The trick is very easy and you can put any pic of yours to the icon of your drive.
What you need
• USB drive
• Icon image file in .ico format (you can either download or create your own using this software)
How to make
1. Insert your USB Pen Drive and open it.
2. Create a Notepad file in it and write in the following values as shown below
3. Here Label is the name of the drive and Icon refers to the name of your icon file.
4. Save it and then rename it to “autorun.inf”.
5. Ensure that autorun and ico files are present in the drive all time (you may also hide them).
The drive will show the new icon when you insert it the next time. So tell me how you liked the trick.

Steps to Install .msi files in Linux

2009-04-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

MSI files are the popular Microsoft Installer Files used in Windows today to execute and install a program. These files do the same work as other exe files in Windows.
Msi files are mostly setups of applications and Windows can install these files but what if you want to install these files in Ubuntu or Linux?
Wine is a great way to install Windows Installer files in Linux but the only problem with this is that it normally opens exe files only. So here is how to install msi file with Wine in Linux.
Install msi file in Linux
• Open the terminal
• Type in the following command
msiexec /i installer.msi
where installer.msi is the name of your msi file.
That’s it msi file will be opened now in Linux.

Create an ISO Image from a CD/DVD

2009-04-16T00:46:00.000-07:00

One big advantage of using ISO image file for CD/DVD is, the image file contains all files/folders and the structure of the CD/DVD, including the hidden sectors, for example, the boot sectors. Some CD/DVD are "bootable", which means you can use the CD/DVD to startup your pc and run some installations or utility. With this kind of CD/DVD, when you view the contents in Windows, you won't see the bootable portion. And when you make a copy of the CD/DVD using the normal method for files, the bootable sectors will NOT be included. However, the Image method will take care of that.

The general way to make copy of a CD/DVD with hidden contents (i.e. boot sectors) is:

(1) Create an ISO image of the CD and store it in local hard drive, then
(2) Burn the image back to a blank CD/DVD.

The steps of burning an ISO image to CD/DVD are different depending on which tool you use. However, the following key points should be the same:

Insert the CD/DVD which you want to create the image from.
Open the burning tool.
Select the save ISO/image option.
Browse to the destination location to save the ISO/image file.
Execute the image capture.

Detailed Steps

If you have not installed a burning program, you can download free CD/DVD burner and install it. Make sure you reboot after the installation.

Insert the CD/DVD with contents, which you want to create the image from.
Open the Free Easy CD DVD Burner program.
Click on the "Copy CD/DVD" button on the top.
Under the "Action" menu on the left, click the "Copy on your hard disc" link. (Note that if this link is not selectable, then you might have no (or invalid/blank) CD/DVD in your drive.)
The window "Save your disc as..." opens, browse to the location where you want to save the ISO file. Enter the name of ISO file as you wish to save in the box "File name:" then click "Save".
The main screen of Free Easy CD/DVD Burner program comes back with the burning process started.
When the process completed, the message "Image Writing Completed!" displayed.
Note that this ISO file can be burned back to the CD/DVD only with the ISO option. Burning this ISO file to CD/DVD using the data file method will not extract the files and folders to CD/DVD.

Boot Windows from Pen Drive or USB Flash Drive

2009-03-05T23:32:00.000-08:00

We all know how to boot from Bootable CDs but we don’t usually know that we can make our Pen Drives also known as USB Flash Drives and Thumb Drives to boot. Learn "How to Boot from Pen Drive”.

To Boot from USB Drives we need first need to make it Bootable, this is how we can do it:

You need to download a small application called MakeBootable that easily makes the drive bootable. It is very easy and comes with the procedure guide.

Things you need to consider before Booting from Pen Drive:

1. The PC should support booting from USB Device (check this in the BIOS menu).

2. The USB Drive must also support booting.

So Boot from USB Drives and let the CDs become history.

Encrypt USB Data Easily Using True Crypt

2009-03-05T23:27:00.000-08:00

Want to transfer some secret information or files from ne computer to another using USB Pen Drive? Or got some important file that needs privacy? Solution is True Crypt.

If you also carry useful data daily from one place to another and are worried that what will happen if the USB drive gets lost, then this utility is for you. Even if your pen drive containing this secret information is lost, you can sit back and relax as the data can not be read by anyone who finds it.

True Crypt is an Open-Source software that can be used to create encrypted folders on the USB drives or the hard drives. Thus its major advantage is that you can install it on the USB Drive itself and use it as a portable application. However you just need the Administrator privileges for this.

Steps to use the software:

• Download the tool True Crypt, and run the setup.

• It will ask to install or extract, click on Extract and select USB drive as the target.

• Run truecrypt.exe on the USB drive, and create a folder first to store all the encrypted files.

• To do that click on “Create Volume” in the main interface and select the option to create an encrypted file container (as shown)

• Browse to the USB device and select a random filename that should be used as the container say abc.txt, abc.avi or anything. Any name or any extension.

• Now select an encryption algorithm, I would suggest AES and a Hash Algorithm like SJA-512

• Choose a password, longer the better.

• Move the mouse around to create random information and click the format button in the end.

• Encryption is complete.

• In order to use the data, you just need to mount the container we just created. This is done by running the trucrypt.exe again from the USB and then browsing to the encrypted container just created.

• You will be asked for the password as shown below.

Happy encrypting!!

Find out the Processes that are Delaying Windows Startup

2009-03-05T23:24:00.000-08:00

Almost every one of us is frustrated at the Windows taking a long time to boot the computer. There is nothing much we can do about it but see it taking a little longer at the startup than the last time.

Ever wondered what Windows actually does while booting? There are many processes that are to be started at the booting but which process actually takes the maximum time?

BootLog XP is a Windows Boot Analyzer that analyzes the computer at the next boot and tells us which process is taking what time to load at the startup, thus enabling us to see the actual time taken by each startup process (as shown below).

So what you have to do is just download this tool called BootLog XP and run it in your PC. Click on the “Test at Next Boot” button and restart your computer.

Note: Reboot will take a bit longer than usual as in this case BootLog XP is working in background, so don’t panic.

After the startup you will be presented with a detailed report of the analysis made of the Windows Boot procedure with time of each process being listed in front of it (as shown).

It will also display the total time taken to boot the system. The only limitation of this tool is that it comes under 30 day trial but this is enough to test our system. So remove all those unwanted processes taking much time.

Download BootLog XP

Analyze Windows System Files with Windows File Analyzer

2009-03-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

There are many system files and folders created by Windows at various places. Many of these are strange looking and we don’t know what they are doing in the system. But here is a quick info that allows us to analyze various system files created by Windows.

If the files like Thumbs.db and Index.dat have always confused you then this post is surely for you.Windows file analyzer is portable file analysis software that can analyze all those system files that are confusing you.

Not only the above listed files, it can easily analyze index.dat, prefetch, thumbs.db , shortcuts and recycle bins on every drive and give you the related information.

This Windows File Analyzer software will analyze the system files and report the results back in a table. Say if you are analyzing Thumbs.db, then the table will show the thumbnails of the pictures.

The advantage of this tool is that it doesn’t require installation, is portable, works on all Windows Operating System and the reports can be saved for further inspection.

Tutorial: Speeding Up your Windows XP

2009-02-02T01:07:00.000-08:00

Hello Guys!

I have wrote this tutorial for all of you using Microsoft Windows XP version of Operating System.
This tutorial helps in speeding up your system significantly.

Before you begin using this tutorial, kindly follow these tips:

Follow every instructions very carefully.
Make a back-up copy of your hard disks, in case you do anything wrong.
Make a system restore point. In case you do anything wrong, you can just restore your PC to earlier settings.
Before editing the registry, backup the registry first.
Most changes take place after you reboot your PC.

OK...Lets Begin

1. Convert Your Hard Drive to NTFS

If your drive is using FAT16 or FAT32, you can gain performance by converting it to NTFS.

Click on the Start
Click Run
Type cmd
Enter
Type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS
Enter

Follow the instructions and your drive will be converted to NTFS.

NOTE: NTFS drives can only be accessed by Windows 2000/NT/XP and Vista. Older versions of Windows are only compatible with FAT, FAT16 and FAT32.

2. Remove Malware from your System

Spyware comes bundled with a lot of free software found on the Internet. It can slow your machine down to a crawl. Download and install Spybot Search & Destroy, start your computer in Safe Mode and give your machine a full scan for spyware.

3. Disable Indexing Services

Indexing Services is a small little program that uses large amounts of RAM and can often make a computer endlessly loud and noisy. This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists. If you don’t search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary.

To disable do the following:

Click Start
Click Settings
Click Control Panel
Double-click Add/Remove Programs
Click the Add/Remove Window Components
Uncheck the Indexing services
Click Next
Click OK

4. Reduce Visual Effects

Reduce Windows XP can look good ...but displaying all the visual items can waste system resources.

Click Start
Right click My Computer
Go to the Advanced tab in the Performance area
Click Settings
Choose "Adjust for best performance"

If you still want to keep the look of Windows XP, you can leave the last 3 check boxes selected. It is recommended that you do uncheck these boxes when installing a big or graphics heavy program (like the Adobe programs). Sometimes unchecking these will help rendering pictures, movies or listening music.

5. Speedup Folder Browsing

You may have noticed that everytime you open my computer to browse folders that there is a slight delay. This is because Windows XP automatically searches for network files and printers everytime you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and to increase browsing significantly:

Open My Computer
Click on Tools menu
Click on Folder Options
Click on the View tab
Uncheck the Automatically search for network folders and printers check box
Click Apply
Click Ok
Reboot your computer

6.Improve Swapfile Performance

It basically makes sure that your PC uses every last drop of memory (faster than swap file) before it starts using the swap file.

Click Start
Click Run
Type msconfig
Enter
Click on the System.ini tab
Expand the 386enh tab by clicking on the plus sign
Click on new
In the blank box type ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1
Press Enter
Restart your PC for the changes to take effect

7. Remove the Desktop Picture

Your desktop background consumes a fair amount of memory and can slow the loading time of your system. Removing it will improve performance.

Right click on Desktop and select Properties
Select the Desktop tab
In the Background window select None
Click Ok

8. Optimise Display Settings

Windows XP can look sexy but displaying all the visual items can waste system resources. To optimise:

Click Start
Click Settings
Click Control Panel
Double-click System
Click Advanced tab
In the Performance tab click Settings
Leave only the following ticked

Show shadows under menus
Show shadows under mouse pointer
Show translucent selection rectangle
Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
Use visual styles on windows and buttons

9. Optimise Your Pagefile

If you give your pagefile a fixed size it saves the operating system from needing to resize the page file.

Right click on My Computer and select Properties
Select the Advanced tab
Under Performance choose the Settings button
Select the Advanced tab again and under Virtual Memory select Change
Highlight the drive containing your page file and make the initial Size of the file the same as the Maximum Size of the file.

Windows XP sizes the page file to about 1.5X the amount of actual physical memory by default. While this is good for systems with smaller amounts of memory (under 512MB) it is unlikely that a typical XP desktop system will ever need 1.5 X 512MB or more of virtual memory. If you have less than 512MB of memory, leave the page file at its default size. If you have 512MB or more, change the ratio to 1:1 page file size to physical memory size.

10. Remove Fonts for Speed

Fonts, especially TrueType fonts, use quite a bit of system resources. For optimal performance, trim your fonts down to just those that you need to use on a daily basis and fonts that applications may require.

Open Control Panel
Open Fonts folder

Move fonts you don’t need to a temporary directory (e.g. C:\FONTBACKUP) just in case you need or want to bring a few of them back. The more fonts you uninstall, the more system resources you will gain.

11. Disable Services

Click Start
Click Run
Type services.msc
Enter

To turn off a service, double-click on it and select Disabled under Startup type.
For normal use, disable the following services:

Alerter
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
ClipBook
Computer Browser
Error Reporting Service
Help and Support
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
Network DDE
Network DDE DSDM
Performance Logs and Alerts
Portable Media Serial Number
QOS RSVP
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Registry
Secondary Logon
Server
Smart Card
Smart Card Helper
SSDP Discovery Service
System restore Service
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
WebClient
Windows time
Wireless Zero Configuration
WMI Performance Adapter

Before disabling any services, read the description. You might need it for proper functioning of your system.

12. Remove Unwanted Programs from Startup

Click Start
Click Run
Type msconfig
Enter
Click on the Startup tab
Uncheck any programs you dont want Windows to load at startup

Please be careful what you remove from here.If you don’t know what a particular program is do a Google search on the name of the process and then decide whether to keep it or not.

13. Remove Widgets and Background

Different third party widgets and visual styles like for Vista like look and feel make your system slow. If you remove such packages you system will perform better on CPU and memory intensive tasks. Selecting default and no wallpaper as background also gives better performance than that of "high quality" wallpapers.

14. Enable Direct Memory Access (DMA)

Right Click My Computer
Select properties
Select the Hardware tab
Click the Device Manager button
Double click IDE/ATAPI controllers
Keep on checking if DMA is enabled for each, you have to double click each option
Click Advanced Settings tab. The tab may or may not be available for each option. It is only available in Primary and Secondary Channels.
Set the transfer mode to "DMA if Available" both for Device 1 and 0
Perform the same operation for other items in the list, if applicable.

15. Defragmentation

Defrag your disk drives twice a month for faster data access.

Click Start
All Programs
Accessories
System Tools
Disk Defragmenter
Select a drive and click ‘Defragment’

This will start the defragmentation process.

16. Update Windows

I recommend that you use Windows XP Service Pack 3, and update your computer using Windows Update to resolve known security and stability problems. This will give you a stable operating system that has been built to handle your system resources best. Also, make sure all your device drivers are up-to-date.

17. Disable Fast User Switching

Click Start
Click Run
Type control userpasswords
Enter
In the User Accounts window, click on Change the way users log on or off
Make sure the Use the Welcome screen option is ticked
Uncheck Use Fast User Switching
Click on Apply Options
Close the window

Few Registry Tweaks

18. Make Menus Load Faster

Click Start
Click Run
Type regedit
Enter
Find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Select MenuShowDelay
Right click and select Modify
Reduce the number to around 20, but not too less
Close Registry Editor

19 Improve Boot Times

Click Start
Click Run
Type regedit
Enter
FindHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction
Select Enable from the list on the right
Right click on it and select Modify
Change the value to Y to enable
Enter
Close Registry Editor

20. Improve Shutdown Speed

This tweak reduces the time XP waits before automatically closing any running programs when you give it the command to shutdown.

Click Start
Click Run
Type regedit
Enter
Find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Right click WaitToKillAppTimeout & Select Modify
Change the value to 1000
Enter
Right click HungAppTimeout and Select Modify
Change the value to 1000
Enter
FindHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control
Right click WaitToKillServiceTimeout and select Modify
Change the value to 1000
Enter
Close Registry Editor

Please Note: The above tutorial is tested by me and it works with Genuine version of Microsoft Windows XP. Kindly follow the above TIPS, before anything might go wrong with your PC. This is just a tutorial for educational purposes. I take no responsibility on the outcome of your PC.

FREE AUDIO EDITOR

2009-02-02T00:49:00.000-08:00

Audacity:

Audacity is an open source audio editing software which works on almost all operating systems including Linux, Mac, windows etc.

Features:
*Can record from microphones or any other source.
*Easy to edit interface, hence making it easy to combine or split audio files.
*Job gets performed at a quick pace.
*Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
*Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
Here u go for Download : :Click Here:

KISS Wave MP3 Editor :

This software has a great look and is also simple to use.

Features:
* Digitize your old tapes and records, save them to your hard drive: allowing you to burn to CD.
* Record your voice and add special effects (like echo and fade).
* Delete the annoying applause at the end of a song that was recorded live.
* Apply audio filtering or effects to a music file in order to make it sound better.
* Record your voice and overlay it on top of background music.
* Record a music lesson and learn from the playback.
* Amplify a song that's been recorded too quietly.
* Fade out the end of a song.
* capable of recording from any source your computer supports (microphone, speaker output, line-in, etc.)
* Graphic waveform window allows you to see a visual display of your audio and zoom in or out.
* Cut-and-paste editing of your audio in the waveform window
* Edits and records both stereo and single-channel audio
* number of special effects/ filters like Amplify, Delay, Fade, Flanger, Invert, Normalize, Reverb, Silence, Stretch, Vibrato,
* Low Pass, High Pass, Low Shelf, High Shelve, and many more...
* oAmplification and automatic volume normalization
* Ability to mix sounds -- you can overlay your voice on top of music, for example
* Effects can be applied to both channels of stereo audio, or each channel separately.
* Record INTERNET Radio broadcasts with amazing ease!
* Chop MP3 albums or large files into separate files
* Convert files to most any format and/ or value.
Here u go for Download ::Click Here:

WavePad Sound Editor

This audio editing software is a full featured professional sound editor for Windows or Mac. It lets you make and edit music, voice and other audio recordings. When editing audio files you can cut, copy and paste parts of recordings and, if required, add effects like echo, amplification and noise reduction. WavePad works as a wav editor or mp3 editor but it also supports a number of other file formats including vox, gsm, real audio, au, aif, flac, ogg and more.

Features

* Sound editing functions include cut, copy, paste, delete, insert, silence, autotrim and more.
* Audio effects include, amplify, normalize, equaliser, envelope, reverb, echo, reverse, sample rate conversion and more.
* Supports a number of file formats including wav (multiple codecs), mp3, vox, gsm, real audio, au, aif, flac, ogg and many more.
* Batch processing supports up to 32000 files allowing you to apply effects and/or convert your files as a single function.
* Tools include spectral analysis (FFT) and speech synthesis (text-to-speech).
* Recorder supports autotrim and voice activated recording and more.
* Audio restoration features including noise reduction and click pop removal.
* Supports rates from 6000 to 96000Hz, stereo or mono, 8, 16, 24 or 32 bits.
* Includes its own CD ripper with 'ultrafast 'rip mode and cddb music database lookup.
* Works directly with MixPad multi-track audio mixing software.
* Links directly to the Express Burn CD Recorder to burn your sound files to CD.
* Easy to use interface will get you started editing in just minutes.
Here u go for Download ::Click Here:

Expstudio Audio Editor

This powerful free tool allows you edit your audio files like editing text files, display a waveform window of an audio file and apply zooming, record new audio file from a microphone, VCR, cassette player or another input device, visually edit an audio file (cut, copy, delete silence, paste from file, mix, mix from file); apply different effects (Amplify, Delay, Equalizer, Fade, Flanger, Invert, Normalize, Noise, Breath reduce, Reverse, MultiTapDelay, Silence, FX effects (Convert voices: Female to male, male to female, Chipmunk and Zeus). The following audio formats are supported: WAV PCM, compressed WAV (ADPCM, GSM, DSP, A-LAW, U-LAW, ALF2 and others), MP2, MP3 (MPEG Layer-3), VOX (Dialogic ADPCM), WMA (Windows Media Audio), RAW(PCM, A-LAW, U-LAW), CDA (Audio CD Tracks), OGG (Ogg Vorbis), G.721, G.723, G.726
Here u go for Download ::Click Here:

Shuangs Audio Editor

Shuangs Audio Editor is a free audio editor tool. It can accurately split WAV, MP3 and WMA files, and you can also design specially good effects for audio files, such as setting volume, fading in and fading out. Version 2.1 includes changed method of saving files.
Here u go for Download ::Click Here:

How to use Windows Update Properly

2009-01-27T00:34:00.000-08:00

If you want to save your files to your hard drive, so after a format you dont have to download them all again, here's How:

- Logon to Windows Update

- Choose Windows Update Catalogue (left hand pane)

- Choose Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems (right hand pane)

- Choose your version and language then Search

- Choose one the following:

- Critical Updates and Service Packs
- Service Packs and Recommended Downloads
- Multi-Language Features (0)

- Once chosen simply click on what you want to download and then back at the top click Review Download Basket

- You are taken to the next page where at the top you can specify where the downloads are to be saved.

- Click Download now. Each patch will make a directory under the root of the folder you saved them to.
Once finished you need to go to where you saved the file (s) to and then simply install all your patches.

""How to change the Admin password using the user account?""

2009-01-27T00:28:00.000-08:00

Hi friends it is now easy to change the admin password using the user acount for this just open ur command prompt

type " net user "
it will give the all the users
then type " net user administrator * "
(Administrator is default admin for all the computer systems having the very strong password)

then it will give you
"type a new password for this user"
type in the password and press enter
(Note :- the password which youll be typing will be invisible plz type correctly as it not visible and then reenter and press enter)

yupee

then log off and loging using the admin username as
Administrator
and the given password
and youll be loging in with admin rights.

(Please do not use this on your office PC it can creat a mess with Admin users)

The easiest and best way to block Ads, Pop-ups and Fake virus warnings

2009-01-27T00:26:00.000-08:00

Block Adservers

If you wanna remove those nasty ads from the pages which waste lot of time and bandwidth then here is something for you I belive it will help you a lot

The hosts file

Probably the most common way people block ads like this is with something called the "hosts file". The hosts file is a simple list of hostnames and their corresponding IP addresses, which your computer looks at every time you try and contact a previously unknown hostname. If it finds an entry for the computer you're trying to reach, it sets the IP address for that computer to be whatever's in the hosts file.

127.0.0.1 is a special IP address which, to a computer, always means that computer. Any time a machine sends a network request to 127.0.0.1, it is talking to itself. This is very useful when it comes to blocking ads, because all we have to do is specify the IP address of any ad server to be 127.0.0.1. And to do that, all we have to do is edit the hosts file. What will happen then is something like this:

1. you visit a web page
2. the web page contains a banner ad stored on the server "ads.example.com"
3. your computer says "ads.example.com? never heard of it. wait a second, let's see if I've got the number on me..."
4. your computer finds its hosts file and checks to see if ads.example.com is listed
5. it finds the hostname, which points to 127.0.0.1
6. "great", says the computer, and sends off a request to 127.0.0.1 for the banner ad that's supposed to be on the page
7. "oh", says the computer, and fails to show anything because it just sent a request to itself for a banner ad

Where's my hosts file?

* Windows 95 / 98 / ME: C:\Windows (I think)
* Windows NT: C:\WinNT\hosts
* Windows 2000: C:\WinNT\system32\drivers\etc\
* Windows XP: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
* FreeBSD / Linux / Mac OS X / Unixish operating systems: /etc/hosts
* Mac OS: i hate macs

The format of the hosts file is very simple - IP address, whitespace, then a list of hostnames. However, you don't need to know anything about the format if you don't want to as you can just view the list hosts file.

Of course, that's not the only way to use the list, but it's probably the most simple for most people.

Here's the link to download the host file with instructions
http://rapidshare.com/files/134940819/hosts_August_2008.rar.html

Boot Winxp Fast

2009-01-27T00:21:00.000-08:00

Follow the following steps :

1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.

How to convert AVI to 3GP, MPEG to 3GP with the 3GP Converter?

2009-01-19T23:36:00.000-08:00

What is 3GP?

3GP is the MPEG4 based video format used mostly in mobile terminals, such as mobile phones. This file format is designed for 3rd generation mobile devices.

3GPP is defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project and 3GPP is defined by 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2. They are the worldwide standards for the creation, delivery and playback of multimedia over 3rd generation. These standards seek to provide uniform delivery of rich multimedia over newly evolved, broadband mobile networks (3rd generation networks) to the latest multimedia-enabled wireless devices, such as cell phones.

The 3GP Converter can convert AVI to 3GP, convert MPEG to 3GP, and convert WMV to 3GP. It supports convert 3GP video file to other popular video formats like 3GP to AVI, 3GP to DivX, 3GP to MPEG. Also, the 3GP Converter can convert audio-only 3GP files to MP3, WAV and vice versa.
Now let’s focus on how to convert video files to 3GP with the 3GP Converter.

Step 1 :

The first step you need to do is load the video file. Press “ADD” button in the main interface or in the File menu to add the video file you want to convert. Note: press Ctrl to select multiple files.

Step 2 :

By highlighting the loaded file, the file info including the audio and video codec will be showed the middle area of the window.

Step 3 :

Now it is to start selecting output format. In “Profile” drop down list box, all supported output formats are listed, you can select any of them. Tip: different files are allowed to select different output formats.

Step 4 :

If only need to convert a clip or set special parameter, double-click corresponding setup in right column to set. Tip: different files are allowed to set different output parameter.

Step 5 :

Finally, select the path where the file will be saved, click “Encode” button to convert.

System Requirements

Operating system: Windows 98/Me/NT4/2000/XP
Hardware Requirements:
* Intel Pentium II 350MHz or above, or any Athlon
* 64 MB RAM or above

Registry Cleaner: Protection for Your PC

2009-01-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

Your personal computer saves all the processes that are happening within it. The operating system has its own log of these programs running, and changes that are happening within it. What is a registry cleaner? First you must understand what a registry is. A registry is an applet within your compendium pack of an operating system. Within the term itself ¡°registry¡± registers the processes that take place. It also takes note of the automatic processes that are happening in your PC and are running in the background. Think of the registry as a big notebook of your PC¡¯s to-do list and it logs everything into it.

Why a registry cleaner important? Registry cleaners are important because it protects your PC from other processes that are not considered viruses, but can be harmful to your PC. Is your computer slowing down without your knowledge? Are you having errors that are not distinguished by your anti-virus program? Your PC might be affected by applications that are running without your knowledge. Registry cleaners are a must!

Your PC might be inflicted by Adwares, Spywares and Spambots. In addition, your registry might be littered with logs that commands your PC to execute these files. A registry cleaner is needed to clean some of these programs. Registry cleaners detect errors in your PC. Registry cleaners help your PC function properly and registry cleaners detect errors, and deletes and/or fixes them. For your PC to function in its optimum performance, you must have a registry cleaner. The basic programs that your PC should have in order to function properly should be: anti-virus software, firewall, anti-spam, and a good registry cleaner.

When your PC suddenly has a mind of its own, it might have caught a Spyware, or an Adware from the internet. Spywares and adwares are small programs that download themselves from the internet to your PC. They affect your PC¡¯s registry and a registry cleaner can possibly fix the errors that they cause. Spywares monitor your PC¡¯s activity?the programs running, registry information, websites visited. Adwares are annoying pop-ups and spam mails. Registry cleaners often block these from proliferating in your PC. These programs are not considered virus by your anti-virus, but it tinkers your PC¡¯s registry, and sometimes cause errors.

A registry cleaner fixes ¡°bugs¡± or errors that are inherent in your PC. If you don¡¯t have a registry cleaner, your PC will function at a slower rate. Also, without a registry cleaner, a PC will be inflicted with many annoying programs that run on the background. A registry cleaner scans, identifies and fixes the bugs that are contained in your operating system¡¯s registry. Some of the bugs in your PC are actually from other programs that you have installed. Sometimes, your PC is running programs that are non-existent anymore. Installation and uninstallation processes also affect your PC¡¯s performance. Registry cleaners also deal with these errors. Sometimes, files are corrupted when you uninstall. Some PC¡¯s even restart on their own, behaving erratically and uncontrollable. If you have these problems, you need a registry cleaner.

Registry cleaners are softwares. You can download free registry cleaners in the internet. But it is advisable to buy a licensed registry cleaner because it offers better technical support. Crashes are inevitable without registry cleaners. Losing all your data, or having a corrupted program is a nightmare, so be wise, have a registry cleaner!Your personal computer saves all the processes that are happening within it. The operating system has its own log of these programs running, and changes that are happening within it. What is a registry cleaner? First you must understand what a registry is. A registry is an applet within your compendium pack of an operating system. Within the term itself ¡°registry¡± registers the processes that take place. It also takes note of the automatic processes that are happening in your PC and are running in the background. Think of the registry as a big notebook of your PC¡¯s to-do list and it logs everything into it.

Why a registry cleaner important? Registry cleaners are important because it protects your PC from other processes that are not considered viruses, but can be harmful to your PC. Is your computer slowing down without your knowledge? Are you having errors that are not distinguished by your anti-virus program? Your PC might be affected by applications that are running without your knowledge. Registry cleaners are a must!

Your PC might be inflicted by Adwares, Spywares and Spambots. In addition, your registry might be littered with logs that commands your PC to execute these files. A registry cleaner is needed to clean some of these programs. Registry cleaners detect errors in your PC. Registry cleaners help your PC function properly and registry cleaners detect errors, and deletes and/or fixes them. For your PC to function in its optimum performance, you must have a registry cleaner. The basic programs that your PC should have in order to function properly should be: anti-virus software, firewall, anti-spam, and a good registry cleaner.

When your PC suddenly has a mind of its own, it might have caught a Spyware, or an Adware from the internet. Spywares and adwares are small programs that download themselves from the internet to your PC. They affect your PC¡¯s registry and a registry cleaner can possibly fix the errors that they cause. Spywares monitor your PC¡¯s activity?the programs running, registry information, websites visited. Adwares are annoying pop-ups and spam mails. Registry cleaners often block these from proliferating in your PC. These programs are not considered virus by your anti-virus, but it tinkers your PC¡¯s registry, and sometimes cause errors.

A registry cleaner fixes ¡°bugs¡± or errors that are inherent in your PC. If you don¡¯t have a registry cleaner, your PC will function at a slower rate. Also, without a registry cleaner, a PC will be inflicted with many annoying programs that run on the background. A registry cleaner scans, identifies and fixes the bugs that are contained in your operating system¡¯s registry. Some of the bugs in your PC are actually from other programs that you have installed. Sometimes, your PC is running programs that are non-existent anymore. Installation and uninstallation processes also affect your PC¡¯s performance. Registry cleaners also deal with these errors. Sometimes, files are corrupted when you uninstall. Some PC¡¯s even restart on their own, behaving erratically and uncontrollable. If you have these problems, you need a registry cleaner.

Registry cleaners are softwares. You can download free registry cleaners in the internet. But it is advisable to buy a licensed registry cleaner because it offers better technical support. Crashes are inevitable without registry cleaners. Losing all your data, or having a corrupted program is a nightmare, so be wise, have a registry cleaner!Your personal computer saves all the processes that are happening within it. The operating system has its own log of these programs running, and changes that are happening within it. What is a registry cleaner? First you must understand what a registry is. A registry is an applet within your compendium pack of an operating system. Within the term itself ¡°registry¡± registers the processes that take place. It also takes note of the automatic processes that are happening in your PC and are running in the background. Think of the registry as a big notebook of your PC¡¯s to-do list and it logs everything into it.

Why a registry cleaner important? Registry cleaners are important because it protects your PC from other processes that are not considered viruses, but can be harmful to your PC. Is your computer slowing down without your knowledge? Are you having errors that are not distinguished by your anti-virus program? Your PC might be affected by applications that are running without your knowledge. Registry cleaners are a must!

Your PC might be inflicted by Adwares, Spywares and Spambots. In addition, your registry might be littered with logs that commands your PC to execute these files. A registry cleaner is needed to clean some of these programs. Registry cleaners detect errors in your PC. Registry cleaners help your PC function properly and registry cleaners detect errors, and deletes and/or fixes them. For your PC to function in its optimum performance, you must have a registry cleaner. The basic programs that your PC should have in order to function properly should be: anti-virus software, firewall, anti-spam, and a good registry cleaner.

When your PC suddenly has a mind of its own, it might have caught a Spyware, or an Adware from the internet. Spywares and adwares are small programs that download themselves from the internet to your PC. They affect your PC¡¯s registry and a registry cleaner can possibly fix the errors that they cause. Spywares monitor your PC¡¯s activity?the programs running, registry information, websites visited. Adwares are annoying pop-ups and spam mails. Registry cleaners often block these from proliferating in your PC. These programs are not considered virus by your anti-virus, but it tinkers your PC¡¯s registry, and sometimes cause errors.

A registry cleaner fixes ¡°bugs¡± or errors that are inherent in your PC. If you don¡¯t have a registry cleaner, your PC will function at a slower rate. Also, without a registry cleaner, a PC will be inflicted with many annoying programs that run on the background. A registry cleaner scans, identifies and fixes the bugs that are contained in your operating system¡¯s registry. Some of the bugs in your PC are actually from other programs that you have installed. Sometimes, your PC is running programs that are non-existent anymore. Installation and uninstallation processes also affect your PC¡¯s performance. Registry cleaners also deal with these errors. Sometimes, files are corrupted when you uninstall. Some PC¡¯s even restart on their own, behaving erratically and uncontrollable. If you have these problems, you need a registry cleaner.

Registry cleaners are softwares. You can download free registry cleaners in the internet. But it is advisable to buy a licensed registry cleaner because it offers better technical support. Crashes are inevitable without registry cleaners. Losing all your data, or having a corrupted program is a nightmare, so be wise, have a registry cleaner!

Hacks to Beat Rapidshare Download Limits and Waiting Time

2009-01-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

Rapidshare has been an excellent tool for sharing large files. Recently users have discovered ways of bypassing the download limits and skipping the waiting time. Here are a description of these methods.R
apidshare traces the users ip address to limit each user to a certain amount of downloading per day. To get around this, you need to show the rapidshare server a different IP address.

Here are some methods for doing this:

1. Short-Out the JavaScript:

1. Goto the page you want to download
2. Select

FREE

button
3. In the address bar

put the following:

javascript:alert(c=0)

4. Click

5. Click

to the pop-up box
6. Enter the captcha
7. Download Your File

2. Request a new IP address from your ISP server.

Here’s how to do it in windows:
1. Click

Start

2. Click

run

3. In the run box type

cmd.exe

and click

4. When the command prompt

opens type the following.

ENTER

after each new line.

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
exit

5. Erase your cookies in whatever browser you are using.
6. Try the rapidshare download again.

Frequently you will be assigned a new IP address when this happens. Sometime you will, sometimes you will not. If you are on a fixed IP address, this method will not work. To be honest, I do not know how to do this in linux/unix/etc. If this works for you, you may want to save the above commands into a batch file, and just run it when you need it.

3. Use a proxy with SwitchProxy and Firefox:

Download and install Firefox

if you have not already
2.

Download and install SwitchProxy

Google for free proxies

4. When you hit your download limit, clean your cookies and change your proxy

4. Use an anonymous service:

Running your system through the

tor

network should in theory work; however, it is difficult to use and setup. Plus, you allow others to run their evil deeds through your system as well by using this system.

Anonymizer 2005

is inexpensive, easy to use, but not free. Other pay services would likely work as well.

5. You can use a bookmarklet to stop your wait times:

1. Open IE
2.

Right Click On This Link

3. Select

Add to Favorites

4. Select

Yes

to the warning that the bookmark may be unsafe.
5. Name it “RapidShare No Wait”
6. Click on the

Links

folder (if you want to display it in your IE toolbar)
7. Click

8. You may need to close and reopen IE to see it
9. Goto rapidshare and click the bookmarklet when you are forced to wait

Steps to Transfer Files Using Bluesoleil and Bluetooth

2009-01-11T23:04:00.000-08:00

Bluesoleil is the most popular Bluetooth device driver used by many of us today to sync our computer with our mobile phones using the Bluetooth technology. It can create a small network between our cell phone and our PC that enables us to transfer any file between our PC and the mobile phone.

But there are many of us who are facing difficulties in using this program, as was with one of our readers. So here goes the list of steps that will make the things easier to use this application.

Steps:

From computer to phone:
1. It is assumed that you have installed some version of Bluesoleil in your computer (if not then get that from here). Start the Bluesoleil application.

2. Start the Bluetooth service on your computer (use a Bluetooth Dongle if there is no Bluetooth by default).

3. Also start the Bluetooth services on your phone.

4. Now double click on the Orange ball in the center of the main Bluesoleil page, your phone should get listed here.

5. Also add this computer on your Bluetooth device list on your phone (use a password for reliable transfer).

6. Now double click the phone on the Bluesoleil page, when you notice the icons on the top you will see that the ones that will work for your phone will highlight.

7. Double click the file transfer icon that will open a new window, drag and drop any item (compatible with your phone) to this window which will ultimately show up in your phone.

From phone to computer:

After you follow the first 6 steps, perform these
7. To send the file you want to transfer via Bluetooth, click on “send via” (or something like that).

8. The files would automatically show up in the Bluetooth folder in the My Documents on the PC.

Alternatively, you could use Windows default Bluetooth service which is also easy to use (run “fsquirt” command in the run box and just follow the instructions).

What is WiFi?

2009-01-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

The internet revolution has brought a lot of things to the table when we think about the types of technology that many people use today. From broadband connections to WiFi services all the way to WiFi-enabled cell phones, there is certainly a plethora of information and hardware devices that are on the market today that weren't here just five or ten years ago! Needless to say, WiFi is here to stay and there's nothing anyone can do about it! It has definitely improved a lot of lives throughout the years that it's been introduced.

But what exactly is WiFi and why are people using it more than before? To answer the question of what WiFi really is one must understand how it works. The simplest way to explain how WiFi works is to ask someone to imagine a pair of walkie-talkies that are communicating with each other. The WiFi capable devices, like laptops, communicated with authenticated WiFi main stations by a series of walkie-talkie communications: one sends the other a signal while the signal is transferred back to the main station.

There are many uses for WiFi technology in our world. First and foremost, WiFi connections are a good way for everyone to have an internet connection whenever they want. Millions of consumers in the United States have already added WiFi capable devices and WiFi connections in their homes because it is not only less expensive to have and to manufacture, but it also gives them a faster and better internet connection than dial-up did only several years ago.

Secondly, WiFi is a technology that is meant for people on the go. The WiFi services that we are so accustomed to allow individuals to connect their wireless devices, such as laptops and pocket pc handhelds, to any other WiFi or wireless network that they come in contact with. However, the networks that are securely protected with a password, such as those of colleges and universities, are not able to be connected to by just anyone. But if there is no password that's attached to a WiFi network then anyone is free to connect, disconnect, and re-connect to the WiFi internet network any time of the day that they want.

The reason that WiFi technology is great for anyone who travels frequently and even daily is because WiFi allows business men and women to literally take their work with them when they go on business trips. With WiFi connections instead of dial-up connections there are employees who are still able to keep in touch with their companies while on business travel purposes without having to deal with a corded phone or a pager.

College students and just anyone looking for a faster connection also find WiFi devices real convenient. College and university students are able to connect their laptops to wireless networks any time of the day so that they are able to stay in contact with professors and to upload their course work. Furthermore, universities and colleges across America and the world have jumped on the WiFi bandwagon in order to make life easier for their faculty, staff, and students!

Anyone searching for a WiFi network to connect to does not have far to travel. There are many places that receive WiFi connections today, but tomorrow and years down the road there will definitely be a lot more!

Tricks for removing infection from PC

2009-01-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

What to Do If Your Computer Is Infected

Sometimes even an experienced user will not realise that a computer is infected with a virus. This is because viruses can hide among regular files, or camoflage themselves as standard files. This section contains a detailed discussion of the symptoms of virus infection, how to recover data after a virus attack and how to prevent data from being corrupted by malware.

Symptoms of infection

There are a number of symptoms which indicate that your computer has been infected. If you notice "strange things" happening to your computer, namely:

unexpected messages or images are suddenly displayed
unusual sounds or music played at random
your CD-ROM drive mysteriously opens and closes
programs suddenly start on your computer
you receive notification from your firewall that some applications have attempted to connect to the Internet, although you did not initiate this, then it is very likely that your computer has been infected by a virus

Additionally, there are some typical symptoms which indicate that your computer has been infected via email:

your friends mention that they have received messages from your address which you know you did not send
your mailbox contains a lot of messages without a sender's e-mail address or message header

These problems, however, may not be caused by viruses. For example, infected messages that are supposedly coming from your address can actually be sent from a different computer.

There is a range of secondary symptoms which indicate that your computer may be infected:

your computer freezes frequently or encounters errors
your computer slows down when programs are started
the operating system is unable to load
files and folders have been deleted or their content has changed
your hard drive is accessed too often (the light on your main unit flashes rapidly)
Microsoft Internet Explorer freezes or functions erratically e.g. you cannot close the application window

90% of the time the symptoms listed above indicate a hardware or software problem. Although such symptoms are unlikely to be caused by a virus, you should use your antivirus software to scan your computer fully.

What you should do if you notice symptoms of infection

If you notice that your computer is functioning erratically

Don't panic! This golden rule may prevent the loss of important data stored in your computer and help you avoid unnecessary stress.
Disconnect your computer from the Internet.
If your computer is connected to a Local Area Network, disconnect it.
If the computer cannot boot from the hard drive (error at startup), try to start the system in Safe Mode or from the Windows boot disk
Before taking any action, back up all critical data to an external drive (a floppy disk, CD, flash memory, etc.).
Install antivirus software if you do not have it installed.
Download the latest updates for your antivirus database. If possible, do not use the infected computer to download updates, but use a friend's computer, or a computer at your office, an Internet cafe, etc. This is important because if you are connected to the Internet, a virus can send important information to third parties or may try to send itself to all email addresses in your address book. You may also be able to obtain updates for your antivirus software on CD-ROM from the software vendors or authorized dealers.
Perform a full system scan.

If no viruses are found during a scan

If no viruses are found during the scan and the symptoms that alarmed you are classifed, you probably have no reason to worry. Check all hardware and software installed in your computer. Download Windows patches using Windows Update. Deinstall all unlicensed software from your computer and clean your hard drives of any junk files.

If viruses are found during a scan

A good antivirus solution will notify you if viruses are found during a scan, and offer several options for dealing with infected objects.

In the vast majority of cases, personal computers are infected by worms, Trojan programs, or viruses. In most cases, lost data can be successfully recovered.

A good antivirus solution will provide the option to disinfect for infected objects, quarantine possibly infected objects and delete worms and Trojans. A report will provide the names of the malicious software discovered on your computer.
In some cases, you may need a special utility to recover data that have been corrupted. Visit your antivirus software vendor's site, and search for information about the virus, Trojan or worm which has infected your computer. Download any special utilities if these are available.
If your computer has been infected by viruses that exploit Microsoft Outlook Express vulnerabilities, you can fully clean your computer by disinfecting all infected objects, and then scanning and disinfecting the mail client's databases. This ensures that the malicious programs cannot be reactivated when messages which were infected prior to scanning are re-opened. You should also download and install security patches for Microsoft Outlook Express.
Unfortunately, some viruses cannot be removed from infected objects. Some of these viruses may corrupt information on your computer when infecting, and it may not be possible to restore this information. If a virus cannot be removed from a file, the file should be deleted.

If your computer has suffered a severe virus attack

Some viruses and Trojans can cause severe damage to your computer:

If you cannot boot from your hard drive (error at startup), try to boot from the Windows rescue disk. If the system can not recognize your hard drive, the virus has damaged the disk partition table. In this case, try to recover the partition table using scandisk, a standard Windows program. If this does not help, contact a computer data recovery service. Your computer vendor should be able to provide contact details for such services.

If you have a disk management utility installed, some of your logical drives may be unavailable when you boot from the rescue disk. In this case, you should disinfect all accessible drives, reboot from the system hard drive and disinfect the remaining logical drives.

Recover corrupted files and applications using backup copies after you have scanned the drive containing this data.

Diagnosing the problem using standard Windows tools

Although this is not recommended unless you are an experience user, you may wish to:

check the integrity of the file system on your hard drive (using CHKDSK program) and repair file system errors. If there are a large number of errors, you must backup the most important files to removable storage media before fixing the errors
scan your computer after booting from the Windows rescue disk
use other standard Windows tools, for example, the scandisk utility

Solution to fix the USB Drive not recognized problem

2009-01-03T00:25:00.000-08:00

USBs have surely made our lives simpler and convenient. We like plugging our pen drives, flash drives and other external devices in USB ports but there is a strange problem that happens sometimes that when we insert our USB drive into the USB port we get an error message saying “USB Drive Not Recognized”.

The error message reads “One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. For assistance in solving this problem, click this message”. If we open the My Computer we will notice that even our drive has not been detected.

The first thing that will come to our mind is that we should try uninstall and then reinstall the USB drivers but here is the simpler solution and yes no need to edit the registry or try something in the Device Manager.

Solution for the problem:

1. The solution is just to “Turn off the computer and unplug it from the power supply” (Unplugging is necessary as today even after turning the system off, the motherboard continues to get power).

2. Let the system remain off for about a minute.

3. Restart the system and wait for it to boot completely before inserting the drive again again.

That’s it the problem will not appear again.

Useful tip to Hide drives and Partitions

2009-01-03T00:21:00.000-08:00

You can hide your system partitions or drives from other users. This tip is very useful if different type of users are using same computer then you can safe your important drives with this trick from any illegal action. You can use windows XP TweakUI utility or registry editor to hide drives. To work with windows XP TweakUI go to Run and type tweakui then press enter. A small TweakUI interface will open with options to uncheck drives that you want hidden. Click OK to finish it.

You can also use registry editor to edit the computer registry to turn off the display of drives, but be careful to work with computer registry.

Follow the given steps to hide computer drives:

*

First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.
*

Here locate the location to:

HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows

\ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer

*

Here right click on right side of Registry editor panel and add new DWORD then put its value 3FFFFFF.
*

Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Fix the problem of USB Pen Drive not getting detected

2009-01-03T00:16:00.000-08:00

Some of our viewers wanted to know how they can solve the problem of USB Drives likePen Drives not getting detected in the computer. This is a common problem nowadays and is a nuisance in case of need.

This problem can be of two types as listed below, so just figure it out and apply the correct fix:

Problem 1: Pen Drive does not get detected at all.

Problem 2: Pen Drive gets detected but doesn’t show up in the My Computer.

Let’s see the possible solutions to these problems:

Fix to Problem 1:

•    First of all check if the pen drive is working all fine by plugging it in some other PC. If it works well there then it means that the drive is not faulty.
•    Then run “devmgmt.msc” in cmd and click on the plus sign before “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” and update the drivers by uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers.
•    But if the Pen Drive comes up faulty then just get it replaced.

Fix to Problem 2:

This problem is caused when Windows fails to assign a new drive letter to the Portable Drive inserted for the first time.

•    Open Run, type “compmgmt.msc” and hit enter.
•    Now click “Disk Management” on the let side.
•    On the right side, right click on your USB Drive that appears in the disk management window and click change drive letter and paths.
•    Assign a new drive letter to the USB Drive which is not assigned to any other drive.
•    Now the Pen Drive will get displayed in My Computer.

This fix can also useful for people who just wish to change the drive letter of their USB Drive.

Tips to recover scratched CD's

2009-01-03T00:14:00.000-08:00

1. Spread a cloth on a flat surface and place the CD on it.
2. Then, hold the disc with one hand, use the other to wipe the polish into the affected area with a soft cloth.
3. Wait for it to dry and buff using short, brisk strokes along the scratch, not across it.
4. A cloth sold to wipe spectacles or camera lenses will work super m8's.
5. When you can no longersee the scratch,, wash the disc with water and let it dry before playing. Intersting isnt it? Try it right now
I have used toothpaste with good effects before Ive also used car paint cutting compound on deeper scratches. It does leave lots of smaller scratches (as it is a cutting compound after all) but it will remove the worst scratches in most cases.
ya u r gng to b surely befinited by this Operation

* Fingermarks/prints cause 43% of disc problems!
* General wear & tear causes 25% of disc problems!
* Player-related issues cause 15% of disc problems!
* Remaining Others

Add Your Name (or) Application to right click Of My Computer

2009-01-03T00:10:00.000-08:00

To write your name on right click application

please follow the steps.

1.Copy/Paste the following code in Notepad And then Save it as .reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Registry Editor]
@="Your Name Or Name of the Application"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Registry Editor\command]
@="Location Of The Application"

2.Now edit it and then Type your name In

Eg:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Registry Editor]
@="VAIBHAV"

3. If u want to get any application, once you click Your name or name of application
Then , Type the location Of the application Which u want to open In:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Registry Editor\command]
@="Location Of The Application"

For eg.C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\messenger.exe
Thats It finally save it And then Run it .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To add Application Control Panel

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Control Panel\command]
@="rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL"

To add Application Add/Remove

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Add/Remove\command]
@="control appwiz.cpl"

To add Application Reboot

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\[Reboot]\command]
@="shutdown -r -f -t 5"

To add Application Shutdown

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\[Shutdown]\command]
@="shutdown -s -f -t 5"

Steps to Reduce Counter Strike Latency or Ping

2009-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

One of the most popular online games Counter Strike or CS also has some problems related to it. Almost one out of two people playing this game is troubled by the problem of facing a high ping or uneven latency. The high latency makes thegame lag so badly that it becomes very difficult to play.

In spite of having good configuration of the PC and a high speed internet connection the gamers come across this strange problem. This is a major problem of CS players around the world and of one of our readers. The reasons for this problem can differ person to person and there is no fix solution to the problem but I have listed here various solutions that may solve your problem.

Steps to try:

1. Since there is no definite solution to the problem, the first and the foremost thing you should do is to change your ISP. Yes, it happens that if you are getting high latency/ping in the game, changing the Internet Service Provider will solve your problem.

2. Though it would be difficult to know, but having the same ISP as of the server will greatly reduce the ping while playing the game.

3. Do delete all the temporary stuffs of the system like caches, temporary files to free up the system’s resources. To perform the disk cleanup, right click on the drive and click on Properties, then click on Disk Cleanup button below.

4. If you are facing uneven (quite high latency one moment and quite low the other) then it is sure a virus/spyware infection. Run a good updated Anti Virus scan to clean the system.

5. Strange but true, Hardware used for playing also plays an important role in reducing the ping.

6. It would be better if you run least number of programs in the background so that the game can utilize all the bandwidth of the internet solely.

7. CFGs used in the game are also important while reducing the ping. Usually servers have their own CFGs but it is an important factor.

8. Then there are various server and client rates like cl_cmdrate andcl_updaterate. Generally the lower values of these rates are preferred but these are different for different systems. Default values are cl_cmdrate 101 and cl_updaterate 101.

So how many of you found the above info helpful?

Steps to Backup Registry using regedit

2008-12-15T00:47:00.000-08:00

We all like installing new software and applications without knowing what harm it can do to the registry in our system. A registry is a central storage for all computer configuration data.

Why should we backup our registry?
Microsoft Windows stores its configura

tion information in a database called the registry. It’s where programs get information from. In a single statement, one little mistake in your registry can stop Windows from loading at startup. Therefore to protect the PC from getting crashed, we need to have a backup of our registry and restore it at the time of need.
For the users that have a useful information on the system, it is advisable to not only take the backup of the data but also of the registry once a week.
How to Backup the registry?
Taking the backup of the complete registry is not a difficult task and takes just about 10 seconds for the whole procedure.
Steps:
1. Open Run and type “regedit” to open the registry editor.
2. To backup the full registry, then click the root key to close all the child subkeys.
3. Click on the File tab and then click on Export.
4. In the Save box, type the name and choose the location to save the registry as a .reg file.
That is it, the exported registry will appear on the system which will be about 10-100 MB size depending upon the data in the system.
How to Restore the backup registry?
If you find any error in the system registry or just wish to restore to the safe backed up registry, then
• Double Click on it. A dialog box will open that will ask you if you are sure you wish to add the data to your registry.
• The registry will be restored within seconds.
So don’t be afraid now if you make any errors in the system registry.

Steps to make or record Counter Strike Demos

2008-12-15T00:34:00.000-08:00

Want to record your own demo? Yes you can easily record the demos of how you play; this can be much beneficial if you want to remove the problems and improve as a better player or just to show off your best shots after making a movie.
We can make the demo easily while playing and without using any software or application. The demos are recorded in .dem extensions and takes optimum space.
Steps:
• At the point you want to start recording your demo, bring up the console.
• Type “record XXX.dem” in the console, where XXX is the name of the dem file.
• The recording will start instantly and will not interfere while playing.
• When you are through with the recording, then just type “stop” in the console to stop recording.
• The recorded demos will appear by default in either the “cstrike” folder or the “czero” folder (depending upon which version you are playing) in the installed game’s directory.
• To view the recorded demos just type “viewdemo XXX.dem” or “playdemo XXX.dem”, among which the command viewdemo is better as it allows fast forwarding etc.

Surf Orkut Anonymously

2008-12-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

Want to see your friend’s profile or any other person’s profile on Orkut but do not want to get noticed? You can easily do that using the Privacy settings of Orkut.
During all those years of surfing Orkut, I found that we can surf the Orkut anonymously without becoming the other person’s profile visitor by turning our Profile Visitor option to “hide”. The big advantage of this setting is that it does not take time and starts instantly.
Steps:
1. Click on Settings option of your account.
2. Now go to Privacy tab.
3. Click on “hide profile visits” button inside “profile visitors” option.
Now you can start surfing the Orkut anonymously without leaving any traces of your visit to other person’s profile.

Removing Pen Drive Viruses

2008-12-05T23:12:00.000-08:00

Where does the virus comes from?

The virus may had come from a friend's computer or a net cafe you visited recently. Most of these viruses which spread themselves through removal storage media are at first loaded in the system itself. These viruses infect your removable storage drives as soon as you plug them in. Some of these create applications which have icons exactly similar to your folders. So, people often mistakenly double click them. This loads the virus in their system memory as well. Viruses may set themselves to autorun as soon as you plug in your removable device by which they are capable of infecting it and spreading further. I have mentioned a series of steps below which will help you prevent and remove viruses from your system and pen drives or whichever removable devices you have.

1. Remove them from the memory first

You need to find yourself a good antivirus scanner for this. I strongly recommend the ones below:

a) ZoneAlarm from ZoneLabs
b) AVG(Free)
c) Avira Antivirus(Free)

Most often these viruses get updated more quickly than anti viruses do, so we can use some other tools which can aid us in removing them from memory. With these tools, you can manually kill the viruses from the current running processes.

a) HijackThis
b) Gmer

If you are wondering which processes to kill, I would suggest you look out for this ones:

# 1.exe	# logon.exe	# slsk.exe
# actalert.exe	# lsas.exe	# sms.exe
# adm4005.exe	# lsass32.exe	# smsss.exe
# a.exe	# lssas.exe	# soproc.exe
# aq3hel~1.exe	# ma.exe	# spollsv.exe
# arupld32.exe	# matcli.exe	# spooler.exe
# asm.exe	# mediagateway.exe	# spool.exe
# asmonitor.exe	# mfc71.dll	# spools.exe
# backweb.exe	# microsoft.exe	# spoolsrv.exe
# bargains.exe	# mm.exe	# spoolsvc.exe
# basfipm.exe	# mmm.exe	# sqlserver.exe
# belt.exe	# mousedrv.exe	# sr.exe
# bil.exe	# mrtstub.exe	# sservice.exe
# bmupdate.exe	# msbb.exe	# ssk.exe
# bpk.exe	# msblast.exe	# start.exe
# cdaengine0500	# msmgs.exe	# susp.exe
# cds.exe	# msmsg.exe	# svch0st.exe
# cfmon.exe	# mspmspv.exe	# svchosts.exe
# check.exe	# mssearchnet.exe	# svchot.exe
# cmesys.exe	# mtask.exe	# svhost.exe
# cmrss.exe	# mwsoemon.exe	# svshost.exe
# crss.exe	# nail.exe	# sychost.exe
# crsss.exe	# navapp.exe	# sysmonitor.exe
# cryptfg.exe	# netmon.exe	# syspools.exe
# csrrs.exe	# netsurf.exe	# system32.exe
# ctfmon32.exe	# netsvc.exe	# sysupd.exe
# dcomcfg.exe	# nls.exe	# taskbar.exe
# ddcman.exe	# nsvsvc.exe	# taskmon.exe
# desktop.exe	# ntosa32.exe	# tbon.exe
# dfrgsrv.exe	# nvcpl.exe	# tbps.exe
# dinst.exe	# nvsc32.exe	# tool.exe
# dlhost.exe	# optimize.exe	# udcpas.exe
# dssagent.exe	# p2p networking.exe	# udcsdr.exe
# dw.exe	# p2pnetworking.exe	# umxfwhlp.exe
# exec.exe	# picsvr.exe	# updater.exe
# exp.exe	# plscd.exe	# updmgr.exe
# explore.exe	# pmmnt.exe	# vsnpstd2.exe
# explorere.exe	# pmmon.exe	# wauclt.exe
# fc.exe	# pmsngr.exe	# wdfmrg.exe
# fph.exe	# pmsnrr.exe	# wfdmgr.exe
# fservice.exe	# poker.exe	# whagent.exe
# gmt.exe	# powerreg	# whsurvey.exe
# gui.exe	# powerreg scheduler.exe	# win32.exe
# hbtv.exe	# pro.exe	# win.com
# hnm_svc.exe	# resetservice.exe	# winctlad.exe
# ibm00001.exe	# rk.exe	# winlogin.exe
# iexplorer.exe	# rlvknlg.exe	# winmain.exe
# install.exe	# rundl32.exe	# winnt.exe
# inst.exe	# sacc.exe	# winotify.dll
# isamini.exe	# sais.exe	# winshost.exe
# isamntr.exe	# sass.exe	# winstall.exe
# isamonitor.exe	# scchost.exe	# winsys2.exe
# isass.exe	# schedulingagent	# winsys.exe
# istsvc.exe	# scrss.exe	# winupdate.exe
# kernel32.exe	# scvhost.exe	# winupdates.exe
# keygen.exe	# senslogn.exe	# wsys.exe
# lass.exe	# servic.exe	# wtoolsa.exe
# license_manager.exe	# shmgrate.exe	# wupdt.exe
# lockx.exe		# xhrmy.exe
		# zango.exe

If you do not find these, at least I would assume you are a bit safe and your system isn't infected.

2.) Disable autorun

To disable autorun in Windows XP:
a) Open run dialog (Windows Key + R), type gpedit.msc and press enter
b) Under computer configuration, double click administrative templates and then click system.
c) On the right pane, find Turn off Autoplay and double click it
d) Click on enabled radio button and below it select All drives. Finally, press ok

To disable autorun in Windows Vista:
a) Open control panel and double click on AutoPlay
b) Uncheck the Use Autoplay for all media and devices option
c) Click save and close the window

3) Opening the drive

First open up my computer, goto Tools menu, click folder options, click the view tab and under it click the show hidden files and folder radio button.
To open the drive, don't double click it, just goto to address bar of my computer (alt+d), type the drive letter followed by a colon like I: and press enter. Find the file autorun.inf. Right click it and open it with notepad. Find the line open= and remember which filename is written after the open=. Close notepad and delete autorun.inf and the file you found written after open=. Assuming you are still in I: or whichever drive it is for you, press F3 at the window. This will bring up the search window. Find *.exe files and delete all those files that are listed in the search results which have a icon similar to the folder icon.

4) Extra measures

To be sure that the virus doesn't get executed, scan your pen drive or other removable storage device with an anti virus software. Just remember to have a good anti virus program running always and keep it updated. You can also use a nice software calledWinPatrol which will alert you whenever a new program is added to start with windows. This way you can prevent viruses to start automatically when windows start.

Fix the Problem Ejecting USB Mass Storage Device error

2008-12-05T22:59:00.000-08:00

This must have happened to each of us many times that when we click the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in the system tray to remove hardware, we get an error message saying “The device ‘Generic Volume’ cannot be stopped right now. Try stopping the device again later”.

The only reason for this problem is that the pen drive is still in use and some data is either being read from it or being written into it. That means some process is using the drive but we do not know what the processes are that are accessing the drive.

Steps to fix the problem:

1. End the processes that are using the USB drive:

Download and install this software called as Unlocker, now open My Computer, right click on your USB drive icon, click on Unlocker.

Now click on Unlock All to kill all the processes using the Drive. Now the drive should get safely removed.

2. Clean the system infected by viruses:

If the first step fails that means the process that is accessing the pen drive is a virus for sure. So to clean the system just scan the computer with a good updated Anti Virus and delete the viruses that are found. The problem would certainly get solved.

10 Steps to prevent Fake antivirus

2008-11-27T22:42:00.000-08:00

1. Use Firefox as your browser rather than Internet Explorer.

2. Keep your computer updated with the latest antivirus and anti-spyware software, and be sure to use a good firewall.

3. Never open an email attachment unless you are POSITIVE about the source.

4. Do NOT click on any pop-up that advertises anti-virus or anti-spyware software, especially a program promising to provide every feature known to mankind. (Also remember: the fakes often mimic well-known brands such as Grisoft AVG, Norton and McAfee.)

5. If a virus alert appears on your screen, do NOT touch it. Don't use your mouse to eliminate or scan for viruses, and DON'T use your mouse to close the window. Instead, hit control + alt + delete to view a list of programs currently running. Delete the "rogue" from the list of running programs, and call your computer maker's phone or online tech support service to learn if you can safely use your computer.

6. Do not download freeware or shareware unless you know it's from a reputable source.

7. Avoid questionable websites. Some sites may automatically download malicious software onto your computer.

8. Reset your current security settings to a higher level.

9. Although fake software may closely resemble the real thing, it's rarely an exact match. Look for suspicious discrepancies.

10. Check out this list of rogue/fake anti-virus and anti-spyware products.

List of rogue / fake antivirus / anti spyware products

Advanced Cleaner[3]
AlfaCleaner
AntiSpyCheck 2.1
AntiSpyStorm
AntiSpywareBot [4]
AntiSpywareExpert
AntiSpywareMaster
AntiSpywareSuite
AntiSpyware 2008 XP
Antivermins
Antivirgear
Antivirus 2008
Antivirus 2009
AntiVirus Gold [5]
Antivirus Master
Antivirus XP 2008 [6]
Awola 6.0
Brave Sentry
BestsellerAntivirus
Cleanator
ContraVirus
Doctor Antivirus
DriveCleaner [7]
Disk Knight
EasySpywareCleaner
Errorsafe
free-viruscan.com
IE Antivirus
IEDefender
InfeStop
KVMSecure
MacSweeper
MalCrush 3.7
MalwareCore
MalwareAlarm
Malware Bell 3.2
Microsoft AntiVirus
PCSecureSystem [8]
PC Antispy [9]
PC Clean Pro [10]
PC SpeedScan Pro
PestTrap [11]
Perfect Cleaner
PAL Spyware Remover
PCPrivacytool
PC-Antispyware
PSGuard
SecurePCCleaner
Security toolbar 7.1
SpyAxe [12]
Spy Away
SpyCrush
Spydawn [13]
SpyGuarder
SpyHeal
Spylocked [14]
SpySheriff [15]
SpySpotter
Spyware Cleaner
Spyware Quake [16]
Spyware Stormer
SpywareStrike
Spy-Rid
SpyWiper
System Live Protect [17]
SystemDoctor
TrustedAntivirus
TheSpyBot
UltimateCleaner
VirusHeat
Virus Isolator
VirusProtectPro
VirusRanger
Vista Antivirus 2008
WinAntiVirus Pro 2006
WinFixer [18]
WinSpywareProtect
WorldAntiSpy
XP Antivirus
XoftSpySE
Zinaps 2008

Microsoft Word Metadata Scrubber

2008-11-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

Metadata in Word documents can reveal information that the creator of the document had no intention to distribute. This ranges from information about the author to comments and a unique identifying ID. It can lead to all kind of privacy leaks. Microsoft even recommends to distribute documents in paper form only on their website.

Doc Scrubber is a Microsoft Word metadata scrubber which can be used to analyze and scrub Word documents. The software program is compatible with Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000 or Windows XP. It has been designed with simplicity in mind. It basically is managed by the two buttons Analyze and Scrub.

Analyze lets the user analyze one specific Word document to see if and which information it reveals in the metadata. The Scrub button is where the real action takes place. It can be used to scrub a single document, all Word documents in a folder or selected documents of folder.

By default a new document will be created after the scrubbing with the metadata removed which is another option that can be changed in the program’s settings. The user is given the choice to remove only the metadata that he selects.

iPod Accessories For Fitness Freaks

2008-11-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

Music is regarded as the great motivation tool for loosing fat, its impossible to not see an iPod when you go to a gym. An iPod is almost everywhere. But that’s just one job an iPod or a Mac, if it is played with the right applications vis-à-vis fitness, it can act as a personal trainer, dietitian and trail guide aswell. Let’s see whats more it has stored for you.

Nike + iPod

Nike + iPod system is one accessory for you which works with compatible video iPods like the iPod nano and iPod touch. Nike + iPod have a software that runs on the iPod, a sensor compatible Nike shoe is slipped into shoes and connected with a receiver unit at the base of the iPod (built-in receiver is must like the latest iPod touch).

The software helps users keep an account of distance, speed, calories burned, and the time elapsed in workout, all of them can be synced via your Mac to nikeplus.com. Besides this, it allows users choose or set goals for workouts in terms of time, distance, or calories to burn. The “PowerSong” is a unique feature that allows users to program a kick in when they need instant stimulus for exercise.

In the gym, even cardio machines are connected with Nike + iPod, delivering similar information tracking and motivation features as on the cardio machine’s consoles.

Obviously all equipments donot requires Nike + iPod, although some newer machines connect and charge video iPods, allowing users listen and view content on larger, built-in console screens.

Downloadable Workouts

There are downloadable programs available online for rock solid abs, stronger arms, glutes to run on an iPod both for Men’s and Women’s workouts. Some are free and some are chargeable starting at US$9.99. The workouts feature audio that directs you what to do and videos show the live demonstration of exercises.

Organisation like Podfitness.com and iTrain, take the iPod workouts even beyond with features like fitness profiles, goals and customization that can be done online which creates custom or recommended fitness workout downloads.

Apple’s App Store

Apple’s App Store comes to as an icing on cake for iPod touch and iPhone owners. The Healthcare & Fitness section boasts 225 third-party applications that can be downloaded to iPod touch or iPhone. Some of the apps are specially customized for doctors or healthcare professionals focussing on healthy eating, exercise, Body Mass Index (BMI) calculators.

The iPump is like a personal trainer on iPod which is reasonably cheap at $2.99. it is Total Body app that stores 80 male and female exercise videos demonstrating proper form including an audio coaching. It can be customised for multi-week progressive workout plans, and intensity features covering reps, sets, and rest intervals during each of the workouts.

MyNetDiary is an Online Diet Log helping the health nuts keeping track total calories consumed and total calories burned. Recommends Exercises to achieve an ideal BMI based on height of the person.
aSleep is a programmable timer that runs relaxing sounds like ocean waves, rain, instruments, scuba breathing and keyboard typing to sooth the listener for rest.

A virtual jump rope application of iPhone or iPod touch accelerometer when switched on, the listener starts jumping as if the iPhone or iPod touch is skipping rope handle. The Jump Rope app counts the number of jumps during a session, as well as the time spent per skips.

Tangible Accessories Talking about accessories there are dozens of ipod cases and belt clips already selling in market set to protect iPods and iPhones against shocks from spilling on ground or sweat. The versatile arm band style of case is targeted specifically at exercisers. The nekFIT is a sunglass shaped is yet another accessory that ties up with an iPod and mounts it on a person’s shoulders at the base of their neck. These ipod accessories are very terrific that helps in keeping out the iPod and ear bud cord off the way while exercising.

Basics Of Dual-Core Process Computer

2008-11-26T23:48:00.000-08:00

The computer has been one of the most amazing and fruitful discoveries man has ever made. It has revolutionized the way man does his things. The way he eats, drinks, sleeps and even thinks. And computer itself has evolved over the years. From the Eniac I to the hand-held palmtops in executives` hands today, computer has changed with the technology. And it has changed our lives too.

The latest addition to this revolution of technical upgrading of computers is the dual-core processor technology. It refers to the CPU (Central Processing Unit- the brains of the computer) that possesses two independent and complete execution cores for each of its two processors. The concerned CPU contains two combined processors along with their cache memories and their respective controllers integrated into a singular circuit (commonly known as a silicon chip).
The dual-core process computer is suited to multitasking and handling miscellaneous tasks (often unrelated to each other). Because its CPU has two completely independent execution cores and both have independent interfaces to the front bus, it has excellent capacity to execute several programs and tasks simultaneously. Similarly, dual-core process computers may have more processor cores which is actually named as a multi-core process computer. These are highly efficient machines to conduct intensive tasks of computing or program execution at the same instance of time.

The Pentium dual-core process computer is the most preferred brand of computer in the market. It has x86-architectured microprocessors integrated onto its circuit. The 32-bit Yonah processors are a base for mobile computers while the 64-bit Allendale processors are maintained for the desktop computers. Both have absolutely different architecture as far as microprocessor technical build is concerned.

By early 2007, Intel decided to launch dual-core process computers in the field of notebooks or laptops too. This was a very important and vital decision as there were no other rivals in this phase if the market of computer architecture. Intel had only decided to launch the dual-core process computer system applying to notebooks on the behest of notebook or laptop manufacturers. The first processors to appear in notebooks using the dual-core process computer technology were the Pentium T2060, T2080 and a 32-bit Pentium M based on the Yonah core with a 1 MB L2 cache, instead of the usual 2MB cache memory.

Intel had forced a return of the Pentium brand to the market arena on 2006 with a host of low-cost single core Conroe-L core architecture processors with a 1 MB cache. These were numbered `1` to distinguish them from dual core process computer cores that had been labeled with the digit `2`.

More recently, on June 3, 2007, Intel released desktop dual-core processors from the Pentium brand. They were named as E2140 and E2160. September 2007 saw the late release of a better and updated model named E2180. These processors support the Intel64 extensions, because of their Allendale derived Core architecture. The power of these dual-core process computers was very imminent as most companies` demands exceeded supply over these multi-processor machines.

Dual-core process computer systems have taken over the world of computing today. As of its multi-tasking ability, it has gained world-wide acclaim due to its efficient, quick and yet superior quality program execution and task completion abilities. Heavier programs and complex games may be run with these dual-core process computer systems at the regular pace of conventional single-core processor systems did with light programs on the execution chart.

The age of computers had begun a long time back. But the age of sleek and efficient computing with the help of razor-edge technology has just begun with the dual-core process computer systems.

Convert .vp6 to .avi

2008-11-16T23:37:00.000-08:00

Vp6 is a popular format used by the EA Games with which they include various movies in the game, though we can only watch the movies while playing the games. It often happens (at least to me) that we wish to see those videos again and again but the only way to do that is to play
that part of the game each time.
Yeah, I know how it feels as I also enjoy playing various games. Now it was when I wanted to have that little snippet from one of my favorite games NFS Most Wanted which pushed me to find out “how I can convert vp6 to avi”.
The best possible way available to convert it is by using software called “NFSC vp6 Player”. The software comes free and clean which can be downloaded from here.
Advantages of NFSC vp6 Player
1. Unbelievable video quality and that too exactly similar to the one packed inside the game.
2. The final video after conversion is small in size.
3. It is free to download.
4. The software can be used unlimited times.
Disadvantages of NFSC vp6 Player
1. Well this is the only disadvantage, the software can’t sync sound with video however we can easily put the sound file along with the video using other applications like Windows Movie Maker.

Solution to remove Write Protection from USB Pen Drive

2008-11-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

This seems to be the problem of most of us these days and some of our readers who wanted to know the methods how they can remove the Write Protected error from their USB drives like Pen Drives and memory cards.

What is Write Protected error and why it happens?
In the Write Protected error, we can’t write or copy any data in our flash drives and even can’t format the drive.
There are many reasons that cause this problem, let’s see solutions of them.
Solutions:
• First of all try to locate a small switch (if any, that you may have not noticed) at some place on the drive or memory card reader. This is the prime reason for this error. If there is one, switch it to the other side to turn the protection off.
• Yes I know this problem is also occurring these days without this switch but not to worry. Just download this helpful software from here and run it to execute a “low-level format” on the drive. This software is quite handy and may take few attempts to actually remove the error.
• The problem can also be caused by some virus activity so just get it scanned by some updated good anti virus which may solve your problem.
• BUT if none of the methods listed above solves your problem then your pen drive might have gone corrupted, so just get it replaced.
Hope any of the methods listed above solves your problem.

Remove Newfolder.exe Virus easily

2008-11-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

Now that we know the difference between virus, worm and Trojan lets get on the work to detect and remove some common viruses. This tutorial will help you remove the Newfolder.exe virus from your computer and let it breath free.

Removal through Tool:
Run the following tool in safe mode and the virus cleaned in seconds, yes it is that easy.
Download Tool
Manual removal:
1. Find out all the locations of the “newfolder.exe” virus.

2. Open the task manager and end the newfolder.exe process running in background.

3. Open cmd and then type “dir /a XXX” where XXX is the name of the folder where the virus is.

4. Then type “cd XXX”.

5. Delete the file by typing “del name_of_file”.

6. Then remove the whole folder by typing “rmdir /s XXX”.

7. The virus has been removed just see the task manager once again and end the newfolder.exe process running in the background (if any).

8. Restart the system.

Remove Happy Birthday virus easily

2008-11-16T23:14:00.000-08:00

The Happy Birthday virus is picking up great deal of popularity and is spreading a lot faster as compared to other virus. This virus mostly spreads through E-mails and flash drives like pen drives.
Following are the problems that this virus causes:
1. Disables registry editor, folder options and command prompt.
2. Shows a tool tip near the mouse cursor with the texts ‘Happy Birthday’.
3. Runs a process named either “explorce.exe” or “explorcr.exe” in the background processes that confuses with explorer.exe
4. Operating system shows “NTLDR Missing” problem.
Solution to fix the problem:
1. First of all we need to get our folder options and registry editor .
2. Now kill the process “explorcr.exe” or “explorce.exe” running in background.
3. Now go to Folder options -> tick Show Hidden Files and Folders and uncheck Hide Protected Operating System Files.
4. Delete the exe from “C:\Windows\system32” folder.
5. Also delete the “autorun.inf” file from the root drive.
6. Now to fix NTLDR missing problem, insert XP CD and Copy ‘NTLDR’ from i386\NTLDR to %SystemDrive%
7. Reboot the system.
The problem must have gone.

Steps to Remove regsvr.exe Virus

2008-11-16T23:09:00.000-08:00

There are so many types of computer viruses in this world that removing them and finding a specific solution for each of them is a big ask. One such virus that screwed me is regsvr.exe classified as a W32.Imaut worm.
It has become a daily routine that when I plug my pen drive in my college systems (full of all kinds of viruses), it gets infected by the viruses instantly. Though the Anti Virus I use (Symantec) successfully detects and remove them but I feel that I should discuss the steps to remove regsvr.exe virus.
What the regsvr.exe virus does?
• This worm creates folders and a registry entry to enable its automatic execution at every system startup.
• This worm also creates a scheduled task to enable its automatic execution at a specified date and/or time.
• It also creates Autorun.inf file for its auto execution.
Solution to fix the problem:
1. If the task manager and registry editor is disabled then we need to enable them first.
2. Delete the Autorun.inf file created by the virus.
3. Now type msconfig in the Run dialog and click on startup tab.
4. Look for regsvr and uncheck any options, click OK.
5. Now traverse to control panel -> scheduled tasks, and delete the At1 task that might be listed there.
6. Type regedit in the Run dialog to open the registry editor.
7. Click on Edit -> Find and search for regsvr.exe
8. Just delete all the occurrences of regsvr.exe virus (do not confuse it with regsvr32.exe which is not a virus).
9. Navigate to entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon and modify the entry Shell = “Explorer.exe regsvr.exe” to delete the regsvr.exe from it.
10. Now to actually delete the virus from the system go to system32 folder and delete the regsvr.exe virus file from there (you will need to uncheck the option of “Hide Protected System Files and Folders” in Folder Options to view the virus file).
Reboot the system for changes to take place.

http VS https

2008-11-10T21:17:00.000-08:00

http:// & https://

The main difference between http:// and https:// is, It's all about keeping you secure

HTTP stands for HyperText Transport Protocol, which is just a fancy way of saying it's a protocol (a language, in a manner of speaking) for information to be passed back and forth between web servers and clients.

The important thing is the letter S which makes the difference between HTTP and HTTPS.

The S (big surprise) stands for "Secure".

If you visit a website or webpage, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely begin with the following: http://.

This means that the website is talking to your browser using the regular 'unsecure' language.

In other words, it is possible for someone to "eavesdrop" on your computer's conversation with the website.

If you fill out a form on the website, someone might see the information you send to that site.

This is why you never ever ever enter your credit card number in an http website!

But if the web address begins with https://, that basically means your computer is talking to the website in a secure code that no one can eavesdrop on.

You understand why this is so important, right?

If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you should automatically look to see if the web address begins with https://.

If it doesn't, there's no way you're going to enter sensitive information like a credit card number!

*******

TOP 5 Torrent Search Engines and TOP 30 Torrent Sites

2008-09-20T00:43:00.000-07:00

THE TOP 5 TORRENT SEARCH ENGINES

(1)The Pirate Bay
(This is a fresh and growing Torrent site out of Europe. The user following is also growing quickly as people discover this tremendous database.

(2) Isohunt.com
(Also a free Torrent site, Isohunt.com is fighting off the threat of an MPAA law suit. The site owner is a true libertarian, and is mounting a compelling defense against the MPAA. Read the details at the Isohunt home page. This is an outstanding Torrent site, and P2P users are cheering for its continued success and operations.)

(3) Torrentspy.com
(Currently a free Torrent site, Torrentspy is also an outstanding site for overall size, speed, and user-friendliness.)

(4) MiniNova.org
(Currently a free Torrent site, MiniNova is not a large database yet. But it is a clean and reliable interface with fast access and searching. With time, the membership and database here will grow.)

(5)Bi-Torrent.com
(Also known as “VIP Torrents”, Bi-Torrent.com is a free Torrent site with a spartan look and fast searching format.)

: HERE ARE THE TOP 30 TORRENT SITES

1. New! The Pirate Bay
(Pirate Bay is quickly becoming the favorite torrent search site of millions of P2P downloaders. Like Isohunt, Pirate Bay has an immense database of the latest torrents.)

2. New! Torrentz.com
(special thanks to reader, Jonathan R., for this link)

3. TorrentTyphoon.com
(a unique bittorrent search engine that searches several of the most popular sites. )

4. New! Torr-bott.com

5. TorrentIt.com
(a limited-membership database with high quality service)

6. Yotoshi.com
(one of the more advanced, dead torrent filtering search engines )

7. bittorrent.com
(the official Torrent website by Bram Cohen, the designer of the Python BitTorrent format.)

8. Yotoshi.com
(one of the more advanced, dead torrent filtering search engines )

9. Bitoogle.com
(the 'original' bittorrent search engine)

10. Bi-Torrent.com

11. Torrentmatrix.com
(Urgent: Torrentmatrix requires you to sign up with a free membership to confirm your email identity. The membership will be capped at 100,000 members, and as of June 5, there were 92,000 members. Join today if you wish to participate in this popular forum for Torrent sharing.)

12. MiniNova.org

13. Torrentspy.com

14. TvTorrents.com
(Specializes in television shows)

15. TvTorrents.ws (Under Repair)
(More television shows)

16. HyperTorrent.com

17. Torrentreactor.to
(Torrentreactor is making a comeback from a hijacking and an uncooperative hosting service. They have recently moved to a different server setup and a Tonga country domain outside the USA. Read the the details on their home page.)

18. torrentbox.com

19. btefnet.net (Temporarily Shut Down)
(UPDATE: the Btefnet webmaster has shut down the site voluntarily under threat of civil litigation. While it was running, Btefnet specialized in television shows, and it was a very popular search database while it lasted.)

20. LegalTorrents.com
(As the name implies, this is a database of public-domain content. Thanks to Anand S. for this URL.)

21. BitTorrents.com
(The resurrection of Suprnova.org, which was plagued by hijackers in 2004. This reborn service is a paid subscription at approximately $40USD for each year of unlimited access. If you can afford the price, Bittorrents.com provides a very broad P2P database)

22. BTbot.com

23. Torrentsearch.us

24. Bitoogle.com

25. Throughput.de

26. Bitower.com

27. Thinktorrent.com (Temporarily Down)

28. FileList.org

29. FileMP3.org [url=[/B]

30. TorrentBytes.net

31.torrentportal.com

32. LokiTorrent.com (Temporarily Shutdown)
(In a precedent-setting MPAA civil law suit, Loki has been shut down by court order as of Feb 10, 2005. To add insult to injury, the MPAA has left a trashy saber-rattling message at the lokitorrent home page in an attempt to intimidate other P2P users. P2P users everywhere are mourning the loss of this excellent service, and the MPAA is estranging even more Internet users with its heavy-handed campaign.)

33. Commonbits.com (This new beta search site is dedicated to media on progressive political content: audio, video, photos, reports, transcripts and other files. This is a place for activists to share their message, and for people to learn about other political choices.)

: BEST DESI TORRENT SITES

1) bwtorrent
(the leading desi site right now though basically hindi movies,music,stage shows and regularly posted serials are available.besides hindi,u can get few pakistani stuffs too.u will get the maximum number of seeders among all the desi sites here.very strict about ratio.u can become member only through invitation from other member or donating 10 USD.)

2) tmstorrent
(this site has hindi,tamil,telugu,malayalam movies,musics.seeders r not that many like Bwtorrents but its good.)

3) desitorrents
(probably the pioneer of desi torrent site.along with regular movies,music it hz adult section also which is really rich with desi stuffs )

4) telugutorrents
(only for telugu movies and music.sometimes they release stuffs with subtitle but basically the site is for telugu people.)

5) banglatorrents
(very recently set up site only for bangla movies,music and tv serials.nothing comes with subtitle.so if u donno bangla,dont bother to go there.)

6)MalluTorrents -
(Just starting out. Follows the same format as most of the other desi torrent sites. Could do with an increase in the membership numbers.)

7)TamilTorrents -
(Likewise . Except that its been around longer. Most of the better known releases will be well seeded , even though the overall ratio is quite poor)

8)idesir.com

Recover WIndows XP Password

2008-09-20T00:34:00.000-07:00

Because of the security features built into windows XP, it is virtually impossible to get back into the system without the password.
You have several options to try and get around this problem.

If you have access to another user account with administrator rights, you can use that account to change the password
of the account that is locked out. You can also use the default Administrator account that is built into Windows XP.

First you need to boot the system into Safe Mode.
1.Restart your system.
2.When you see the blue Dell globe or screen, press the ( F8 ) key about 3 times a second.
3.You should get the Windows startup menu. Use the (Up or Down) arrow keys to highlight (SafeMode)
4.Press (Enter) on (Safe Mode), then press (Enter) on (Windows XP).
5.The system should boot to Safe Mode.

Once you are at the Account Log on Screen click on the icon
for the user account with administrator rights, or click on the icon
for the administrators account.
Note: For Home the Administrator account isn't normally shown & in Safe Mode you have to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys twice to show.
For PRO you can do this in normal mode

When the system has booted to the desktop, use the following steps to change the accounts password.
1.Click Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools.
2.Click Computer Management.
3.Double click Local Users and Groups, double click the folder Users.
4.Right click on the account name that is locked out, and click on Set Password.
5.You may get a warning message about changing the password, simply click proceed.
6.Leave the New Password box blank, also leave the Confirm Password box blank.
7.Click OK, and OK again.
8.Then close all Windows, reboot the system and try to log in.

There are also applications that can recover the password for you.
The following companies provide these applications at a cost.
iOpus® Password Recovery XP
LostPassword.com
Asterisk Password Recovery XP
Windows XP / 2000 / NT Key

If the above information does not help in recovering the password, the only option left is to
format the hard drive then reinstall Windows and the system software.

A Search For the Best AntiVirus

2008-09-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

What is the BEST antivirus?

Without a doubt that this question is being asked very frequently and it is a very debatable topic. This question has been asked many a times in this forum. All this while I’ve been telling people that Kaspersky is the BEST, and I think I am wrong. I should be saying Kaspersky is one of the TOP antivirus, not best because many criteria needs to be evaluated and there is no single antivirus brand that performs the best in every area.
According to Anti-Virus Software Review 2008, these criteria should be used to evaluate an Anti-Virus and determine which is the TOP antivirus.
Quote:
# Ease of Use - Exceptional anti-virus software is simple to use, regardless of a person’s computer experience or knowledge of viruses.

# Effective at Identifying Viruses and Worms - The best anti-virus products identify infected files quickly through real-time scanning, searching for viruses in a multitude of sources, including email, instant message applications, web browsing and so on.

# Effective at Cleaning or Isolating Infected Files - Truly capable anti-virus software thoroughly cleans, deletes or quarantines infected files—keeping them from spreading throughout the hard drive or network.

# Activity Reporting - Anti-virus programs should give immediate notification of viruses found by real-time scanners and should provide an easy-to-read report of scan results, including what it found and what it did with infected files.

# Feature Set - A well-rounded feature set allows anti-virus software to provide absolute protection. The best programs are those that offer a wide variety of tools, from basic real-time scanning to more advanced, heuristic scanning and script blocking—when it comes to virus protection, the more options the better.

# Ease of Installation and Setup - Anti-virus programs should be a breeze to install, making it easy to go from installation to initial scan in just a couple clicks of the mouse.# Help Documentation - High-end anti-virus software come with plenty of help, including support via email, online chat or over the telephone. There should also be online resources, such as knowledge bases and FAQs available for quick and convenient help. I can honestly tell you that there is no way for an individual to compare all antivirus simply because lack of resources. We’ll need thousands of virus samples in order to test the effectiveness in detecting and removing virus. The easiest way is to leave it to professionals to do the test and we’ll just have a look at their report to determine which we would choose to use.

Anti-Malware Test Lab use the following methodologies to test an antivirus product.

# Polymorphic virus protection test

# Proactive antivirus protection test

# Antivirus product self-protection test

# Active infections treatment test

# Anti-rootkit test

# Packers support test

From their report,

I can see that Kaspersky is the only brand that didn’t fail or get poor results in any of the test. I am surprised to see that BitDefender performs so badly in all tests.We can’t depend on single report to determine which is the top antivirus. Here’s another popular website

AV-Comparatives
that compare antivirus software.
Every year they will perform On-demand comparative and Retrospective/ProActive Test twice. Products that got the “standard”-level can be understood as products that based on AV-Comparatives tests have a good on-demand detection rate, “advanced” a very good on-demand detection rate and “advanced+” an excellent on-demand detection rate. From their tests report, NOD32 has won AV product of the year twice in a row for year 2006 and 2007. Kaspersky won AV product of the year twice in a row for year 2004 and 2005. Kaspersky did pretty well in year 2006 and 2007 although it did not win AV of the year.Next is antivirus comparison provided by

LightSpeed Systems
They’ve tested 12 antivirus products with 5861 sample viruses. LightSpeed Antivirus scored a 100% in detecting the 5861 virus. I don’t think it’s fair to include LightSpeed Antivirus in the test because they have the virus in hand, definitely they’ll make sure that their antivirus is able to detect the virus. Again, we see that Kaspersky has the second highest percent in detecting 5861 virus. NOD32 didn’t do that well…Another test site we can take a look at is

AV-Test.org
Independent testing body AV-Test.org has released its latest set of results, with a large group of products tested against a number of criteria including proactive detection, spotting and removing active infections, and outbreak response times, as well as simple detection rates. Their latest test report shows that AntiVir, NOD32 and Norton scoring very well in all criteria. Kaspersky only did average in this test.Final website that compares the features in antivirus software is

TopTenREVIEWS

This time we see that
BitDefender takes the first place,
Kaspersky second and
NOD32 third.
If I had to make a decision for myself to use which antivirus, I’d choose Kaspersky because it is able to maintain its top position in all tests except only 1 test that it only performed averagely. I noticed that Avira AntiVir does pretty well in the tests… So, after checking out all 5 reports, which antivirus software do you think is the top antivirus?

99 Windows XP Run Commands

2008-09-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

99 Commands the Winxp Command prompt can run. Here is a list of commands that you can run off from the Run Command prompt in XP:
Go to Start Menu > Run… and type in the command to run
Application = Command
Accessibility Controls = access.cpl
Add Hardware Wizard = hdwwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs = appwiz.cpl
Administrative Tools = control admintools
Automatic Updates = wuaucpl.cpl
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard = fsquirt
Calculator = calc
Certificate Manager = certmgr.msc
Character Map = charmapCheck
Disk Utility = chkdsk
Clipboard Viewer = clipbrd
Command Prompt = cmd
Component Services = dcomcnfg
Computer Management = compmgmt.msc
Date and Time Properties = timedate.cpl
DDE Shares = ddeshare
Device Manager = devmgmt.msc
Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)* = directx.cpl
Direct X Troubleshooter = dxdiag
Disk Cleanup Utility = cleanmgr
Disk Defragment = dfrg.msc
Disk Management = diskmgmt.msc
Disk Partition Manager = diskpart
Display Properties = control desktop/desk.cpl
Dr. Watson System TroubleShooting Utility = drwtsn32Driver
Verifier Utility = verifier
Event Viewer = eventvwr.msc
File Signature Verification Tool = sigverif
Findfast = findfast.cpl
Folders Properties = control folders
Fonts = control fonts
Fonts Folder = fonts
Free Cell Card Game = freecell
Game Controllers = joy.cpl
Group Policy Editor (XP Prof) = gpedit.msc
Hearts Card Game = mshearts
Iexpress Wizard = iexpress
Indexing Service = ciadv.msc
Internet Properties = inetcpl.cpl
IP Configuration = ipconfigJava Control Panel (If Installed) = jpicpl32.cpl
Java Application Cache Viewer (If Installed) = javaws
Keyboard Properties = control keyboard
Local Security Settings = secpol.msc
Local Users and Groups = lusrmgr.msc
Logs You Out Of Windows = logoffMicrosoft
Chat = winchatMinesweeper
Game = winmine
Mouse Properties = control mouse
Mouse Properties = main.cpl
Network Connections = control netconnections
Network Connections = ncpa.cpl
Network Setup Wizard = netsetup.cpl
Notepad = notepadN
view Desktop Manager (If Installed) = nvtuicpl.cpl
Object Packager = packager
ODBC Data Source Administrator = odbccp32.cpl
On Screen Keyboard = osk
Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed) = ac3filter.cpl
Password Properties = password.cpl
Performance Monitor = perfmon.msc
Performance Monitor = perfmon
Phone and Modem Options = telephon.cpl
Power Configuration = powercfg.cpl
Printers and Faxes = control printers
Printers Folder = printersPrivate
Character Editor = eudcedit
Quicktime (If Installed) = QuickTime.cpl
Regional Settings = intl.cpl
Registry Editor = regedit
Registry Editor = regedit32
Remote Desktop = mstsc
Removable Storage = ntmsmgr.msc
Removable Storage Operator Requests = ntmsoprq.msc
Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof) = rsop.msc
Scanners and Cameras = sticpl.cpl
Scheduled Tasks = control schedtasks
Security Center = wscui.cpl
Services = services.msc
Shared Folders = fsmgmt.msc
Shuts Down Windows = shutdown
Sounds and Audio = mmsys.cpl
Spider Solitare Card Game = spider
SQL Client Configuration = cliconfg
System Configuration Editor = sysedit
System Configuration Utility = msconfig
System File Checker Utility = sfc
System Properties = sysdm.cpl
Task Manager = taskmgr
Telnet Client = telnet
User Account Management = nusrmgr.cpl
Utility Manager = utilman
Windows Firewall = firewall.cpl
Windows Magnifier = magnify
Windows Management Infrastructure = wmimgmt.msc
Windows System Security Tool = syskey
Windows Update Launches = wupdmgr
Windows XP Tour Wizard = tourstart
Wordpad = write

Airtel Hack for free internet

2008-08-26T23:37:00.001-07:00

these are all the tricks available !!working too!
It cannot go beyond this!!
This write up will explain to you how to speed up your Airtel Broadband connection / solve other problems regarding connection failures due to closed ports.Although I use Airtel and a Beetel 220 BX modem as my basis for this write up, the same rules can be applied to others as well. So lets get started.
First thing make sure your DSL modem is on. Fire up your browser. Type http://192.168.1.1 as the address with the following Username/Password -
Username : admin Password : password Note : These are case sensitive. Make sure all are typed in lowercase.
Click on Advanced Setup -> NAT in the page that loads.
If you do not see these options try entering http://192.168.1.1/main.html as the address.
Some routers/modems deliberately try to prevent users from accessing these options.
On the NAT virtual servers page click the add button.
Now add the port number that you wish to open up.
You can even open up a range of ports using the add button.

~cheers~

You need a PC or a Laptop and the required connectivity tools ,ie.,Serial/USB cable OR Infrared Device OR Bluetooth dongle
1) Activate Airtel Live! ( It’s FREE so no probs)
2) Create TWO Airtel gprs data accounts (yep TWO) and select theFIRST as the active profile.
3) Connect your mobile to the PC (or Laptop) and install the driver foryour mobile’s modem.
4) Create a new dial-up connection using the NEW CONNECTIONWIZARD as followsConnecting Device : Your mobile’s modemISP Name : Airtel (or anything you like)Phone Number : *99***2# / Try 99***1Username and Password : blank
5) Configure your browser and download manager to use the proxy100.1.200.99 and port 8080.( My advice is to use Opera since youcan browse both wap and regular websites)
6) Connect to the dial-up account. You will be connected at 115.2kbps (but remember, that is a bad joke).
7) Pick up your mobile and try to access any site. You will get “AccessDenied…”(except for Airtel Live!). IT DOES NOT MATTER.Keep the mobile down.
8 ) On the PC ( or Laptop) open your browser, enter any address ,press ENTER and…….WAIT
9) After a few seconds the page will start to load and you have theWHOLE internet at your disposal. ***************************************************************************************************************
Alternate
For All Airtel UsersRequirements:
1. Airtel live (available 4 free)
2. Nokia series60 handset eg 6600,6630,n series,7610,6670 etc
3. Opera browser
4. mobileProcedure: -
1. Go to ur connection settings and make a new internet profile using the default settings of airtel live. name that new profile as nething(for eg masala); change the home page of that profile to nething u like for eg www.google.com.
2. Go to ur Opera browser and set the default connection as AIRTEL LIVE. this is the original settings u received thru airtel.
3. Go to the services(in n6600) and Web(N6630) and change the default profile for connection as masala (newer one).**Note: always make sure that ur access point is airtelfun.com
Apply:-
1. Open Opera and u will see that homepage of Airtel Live is opened. Minimize the application.
2. Now open web using the duplicate Profile and u will see that two gprs connections will work simultaneously and at the web or the services page it will show "Unable to connect" or any error. well thats the signal of ur success.

3. Simply go on the Opera with web on and open any site u want for free. No Charges No nothing.U can also use it through ur computer..........
someone said dis too

The main principle behind this is we hav 2 fool the bsnl techies 2 activate portal and thus get gprs activated / get "G" signal on ur cell as bsnl portal (wap.cellone.in) needs "gprs signal on ur cel (whether gprs is formaly activated/registerd or not (by my method )i dont know)
NORMALLY THEY DONT DO THAT INSPITE OF THE FACT THAT THEY SHOULD ACTIVATE GPRS SIGNAL SERVICE FOR PORTAL!!! AND THEY WILL GIVE U NO OF REASONS---- ---THAT portal is message based , so go to cellone icon in menu and use that sms based portal (what the f**k) ---THAT portal service will be activated when u will activate gprs by filling up form and registering at nearest CCN!! ---THAT ur handset has some problems (if u say that "G" signal is not present) ----etc,etc!!
U HAVE 2 ACTIVATE PORTAL FIRST WHICH IS FREE AND U CAN EAT UP CC'S FOR THIS REASON!! SO WHAT U HAV 2 DO IS--
1) SEND PORTAL to 3733 AND CONFIRMATION SHD COME WITH 5 MIN AT-MAXIMM !! 2) SEND FOR ATLEAST 20-30 TIMES (CAN B ANY MORE THAN THAT) JUST S**K UP THE NETWORK(3733) WITH THESE MESSAGES !!! THAT'S FREE NO!! BOTH ON POST AND PRE!!
3) NOW ALONG ALSO SEND 20-40 SMS AS GPRS TO 3733 (NO OF SMS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL 2 HATE FOR BSNL AND HOW EARLY U WNAN GET UR GPRS ACTIVATED) this is also free both on post and pre!!
4) U WILL GET CONFIRMATION IN BOTH CASES AND MSG TELLS U 2 GET SETTINGS FROM 9400024365, THE NO OF CC!! HERE AT MY PLACE I CAN DIAL 9419024365 ALSO! BOTH R TOLL FREE AND BOTH R LOCATED IN CHANDIGARH!!! (((((((AND SOME OF THE CC'S SAY they cant give such sensitive information that where they r located, as if thay have a 3 rd world of their own! and the other dumbs said that they r in chandigarh!!!!)))))
I WOULD ADVISE ALL FIRST, 2 call them once 2 get the settings!! (most of the times that is incorect but gives u an idea of settings in ur area)) Try and in ur 1 st call only, talk roughly and tell them u r calling 10-20th time just for settings and is that their service!!!
5) Now when u get them save them AND plz post them here!!!
6) now GET ATLEAST 2-3 COMPLAINTS REGISTERED( each after 1 day) THAT UR PORTAL HAS NOT ACTIVATED AND GET THEIR SERIAL NO. and in the end bombard them abt the status of all those complaints !! b4 registering ur complaint they will hesitate much and always say taht they will b sendin new settings which r accurate! but dont belive them and just register complaints!!
7)AFTER THAT, u have 2 only wait until "G" signal is there on ur screen!! LOOK, WHAT I HAVE WRIITEN ABV IS METHOD by which i got activated my "G" service !!! without fillin any form or such and without any money drain!! may be since it bypasses the formal way of registeration, that is why this trick is working !!!!!!!!!!!!