techGALAXY

Security basics for beginners:

2012-01-12T00:20:00.000+05:30

Everyone of us wants a virus/malware free computer that works fast, therefore we install a good anti-virus or purchase a new software for malware removal and pay handsome amount of money for it too. But we forget that only an anti virus is not enough for complete PC security!
Security against hacker also included in this post-

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly; have your windows/ Office CD ready. Windows users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGat and ZoneAlarm offer free versions. If you have windows 7 then the windows firewall is also good enough.

3. Install a free spyware blocker.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows XP, vista, 7 by disabling the Windows Messenger service. Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be k7irtro#2. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.

7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. Or download a free version of any of the Windows recommended anti-virus, i prefer AVG, AVAST, NORTON but you can download any.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get.

9. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."

7 Very useful Google Chrome extensions that you must have

2011-08-15T16:25:00.004+05:30

1. Ad Block plus:

It blocks Banners, pop up advertisements, Youtube advertisements (video ads) etc and is currently the most popular chrome extension...

2. PIG TOOLBOX:

Its a great.... let me say that again... GREAT!!! extension for Bloggers... it saves chromes memory in a lot of ways too... dont wait.... just click on the link and install this extension... you will definitely like it...

3. SMILEY CENTRAL:

Give your Facebook experience a first-class upgrade by saying goodbye to plain text emoticons and getting modern with new, fresh Smileys!

4. SMOOTH GESTURES:

Press right click and use your mouse gestures to control CHROME!!.. by far, one of the best extension that you must use! Its amazing and fun!

5. MAGIC ACTIONS FOR YOUTUBE:

Makes the youtube work simple and fun... control music volume from mouse wheel, AutoHD, cinema mode... etc... DO TRY if you are a youtube addict [ like me ;) ]

6. WEB PAGE SCREENSHOT:

Fast&Simple extension to capture the whole webpage. Even long pages are saved in one image file.
This extension lets you save PNG/JPG image of any webpage.




7. WEB 2 PDF CONVERTER:

The name says it all.... this extension is really a great and handy tool to download and convert a webpage to pdf..

NOTE: Some webpages those require LOGIN, will not be converter by this extension.

Thanks for reading this article, there are thousands of more interesting and useful extension in chrome web store but this list of 7s is the one that i am using and found useful.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below. :)

7 totally useless but interesting twitter apps!

2011-08-07T13:59:00.003+05:30

THREETUNE:

Click on the cookie and it generates a random tweet for you. If you are bored while tweeting then try this app out, but hey, careful, some tweets may be offensive.
TWONVERT:

Write your tweet in the left hand side window and it will automatically be converted to shorthand.! save your time and again its useless but interesting ;)
TWITTERLOO:

This is a funny (and useless) app that is a "must try". Whats in it?? I will let you try that yourself :D
FOAMEE:

Its an online pub for twitter users, you can send a virtual BEER or COFFEE with a tweet. LOL! try it out..
Zzzz:

It’s one of our favorite words in the English language and this visualization app takes advantage of it in an artful way. It searches for tweets containing the words ‘Zzz’ or ‘Zzzz’ and then generates it as shown in the screen above in real time. It’s a simple visualization project and is not intended to put you to sleep :D
TWEET WASTERS:

You simply put twitter username and it shows you how much time that person wastes while tweeting :D
THE PRINT EFFECT:

Enter your twitter username, and it would tell you- HOW MUCH WOULD IT TAKE TO PRINT YOUR ENTIRE TWITTER TIMELINE :)

If you have some time to spare and are quite bored... then do check out all the aforementioned FUNNY but seriously USLESS apps :D

Cool PC pranks to scare the hell out of your friends :D

2011-08-03T19:53:00.001+05:30

Alright, this time i m sharing some funny fake viruses and pranks which can be used to annoy your friends anytime :D

This one will make your CD-DRIVE open and close automatically and will stop only when you restart your system :D --
Save the following in your notepad-

set oWMP = CreateObject("WMPlayer.ocx.7")
Set colCDROMs = oWMP.cdromcollection
do
if colCDROMs.Count >= 1 then
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count - 1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count - 1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
End If
wscript.sleep 100
loop

Now click SAVE AS, select ALL FILES and save it as .vbs. You will notice another new file on the saved location, thats vbs file, open it to start the prank! :D It can get really annoying so do it before you shutdown to try it out, and wait for a friend to open it next and see what happens. Its more annoying than it is scary :P (TIP: you can change the icon of the vbs file to any other icon to make it more interesting )
Fake virus batch file--
copy the following code in notepad and save it as .bat file...

cls
:A
color 0a
cls
@echo off
echo Wscript.Sleep
echo Wscript.Sleep 5000>C:sleep5000.vbs
echo Wscript.Sleep 3000>C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Wscript.Sleep 4000>C:sleep4000.vbs
echo Wscript.Sleep 2000>C:sleep2000.vbs
cd %systemroot%System32
dir
cls
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Deleting Critical System Files…
echo del *.*
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Deletion Successful!
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo:
echo:
echo:
echo Deleting Root Partition…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo del %SYSTEMROOT%
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep4000.vbs
echo Deletion Successful!
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo:
echo:
echo:
echo Creating Directory h4x…
cd C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuPrograms
mkdir h4x
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Directory Creation Successful!
echo:
echo:
echo:
echo Execution Attempt 1…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo cd C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsStartuph4x
echo start hax.exe
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Virus Executed!
echo:
echo:
echo:
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo Disabling Windows Firewall…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo Killing all processes…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo Allowing virus to boot from startup…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo:
echo:
echo Virus has been executed successfully!
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo:
echo Have fun!
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
pause
shutdown -s -t 10 -c “Your computer has committed suicide. Have a nice day.”
Here’s how it will look like once it is launched:

PC will show messages as in the above image, and then initiate a shutdown sequence which can be stopped by entering “shutdown ““a” in the Run command box. It looks bad, but is otherwise completely harmless. :)
EICAR test file:
This is a test file created for the sole purpose of testing an anti-virus software weather its running successfully or not. But this can be used as a prank EMAIL to scare your friends :D This file will make almost all anti-virus programs to warn the user and scare the $#!t out of him :D

HERE'S THE DOWNLOAD LINK OF THE EICAR FILE: DOWNLOAD HERE
FAKE FORMAT PRANK:
this one is one of the best and will definitely give goosebumps to your victim :D
This cool fake virus perfectly simulates the Windows disk-format dialog, and cannot be closed or halted until it’s ran its course. Once it’s done, a message will be displayed informing the user that it was just a joke! DOWNLOAD HERE.
Last but not the least, this is meant for those who really are a bad-ass :D This is kiddish but funny! Ok, its called "YOUR MOUSE IS NOT YOURS ANYMORE :P "
Simply put a tape over the laser sensor of the mouse :D BINGO!!!

techGALAXY's ~ top 5 smartphones.

2011-07-30T14:40:00.001+05:30

Smartphone! Oh God! I want one in my pocket! This is the reaction every non-smartphone user has when he reads about a smartphone on internet or watches one in his friends hands! Yeah, I agree that a smartphone is one of the best thing to have apart from Money, Home, Food and girlfriend :D

With so many smartphone available in the market its a tough job to select which one to buy and which one to leave... the following list will surely help you out and clear all your doubts regarding Top 5 smartphones (according to me).

P.S- these phones are the Big daddies of smartphone generation and thats why these are the costliest of the lot. If you want cheaper smartphones then you can get them easily too but those are not considered in this top 5 list.

Ok, enough introduction, here the list-

1. SAMSUNG GALAXY S II:

Probably the most awaited smartphone of the year, The successor of Samsung galaxy S, Samsung galaxy s II is

the smartest, brightest and most advanced smartphone available in stores right now.

+ points:

With a Super AMOLED touchscreen inhabiting 16M colors, it proves out to be the phone having the best display.
It includes 4.3-inch display, an 8-megapixel very powerful camera and Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, and still is shockingly Slim and argued to be the thinnest smartphone!
It runs on Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) and hence can be filled with millions of apps easily.
Performance wise its one of the fastest, and this speedy performance enhances its already amazing user friendliness.
Despite being a BIG phone, its impossibly light.
Along with Android v2.3 it also has some Samsung Apps which indeed is a good point, because it increases variety of apps!
One more thing i would like to add is that its screen is completely customisable.

- points:

Looks a lot like Apple iphone, but who cares! its The LORD of smartphones!
Battery life is not "great"
Plastic made, still expensive!

Price: ~$789

2. HTC DESIRE HD-
1.5 Gb internal memory and 768MB ram makes it a monster. Surprised? I hope you are not. This beast is way ahead of all its competitors in terms of User interface, features and looks.

+ points:

Runs on Android OS, version 2.2 (Froyo) and is up-gradable to V 2.3

Embedded with 8MP camera, with dual-LED flash, autofocus, 3264x2448 pixels (freaking awesome)

Its CPU has 1 GHz Scorpion processor.

Adobe Flash player 10.1

Supports 3G, wifi, bluetooth.

- points:

Has a reasonable battery life ( not that bad )
Its brightness lacks the thrills of Samsung's super AMOLED screen but still its other features make it a good smartphone.

Price: ~ $560.

3. Apple iphone4-

With HD video recording, a super high-res screen and ridiculously slim dimensions this phone is incredible! and deserves to be in the TOP 3 spots.

+ points:

LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors with Scratch-resistant oleophobic surface, makes it a phone with great display (of course not as good as Galaxy s II )
512Mb RAM, 16/32Gb hard disk!!
5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Runs on iOS 4 the latest version of apple's iphone OS
Its CPU is 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor.
Huge range of APPS available.

- points:

No FM radio ( LOL)
Has some antenna issues with some network providers.... weird (o.O)
No removable memory card slot.
Its priced too high!
Has some Bluetooth connectivity issues too..

Price: ~ $845

4. Nokia N900-

Top 5 and no NOKIA? Not possible! Here's the N900, Nokia's big Daddy in Smartphone tab. It is a powerful mobile device with excellent browsing capabilities and vast customization options.

+Points:

256Mb RAM, 32GB hard disk.
Wonderful camera- 5 MP, 2576x1936 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Dual LED flash.
Runs on Maemo 5 OS.
Skype and GoogleTalk VoIP integration! woohooo
Very fast and multi tasking is easy.
Call quality is awesome.

- Points:

The user interface of the touchscreen is not as good as that of iphone or galaxy 2 II.
Nokia OVI store is way behind android market and apple store, in number of apps.
Not a slim trim phone.

Price: ~$390

5. Sony Ericson Xperia arc-

Probably the best looking phone in the world so far! Stunning display and camera quality, this magnificent gadget will win your heart in a second...

+Points:

Great design, slim-trim and light. .
LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors! WOW display! :D
512MB ram, 320MB storage (internal+ 8GB CARD INCLUDED) expandable upto 32GB
Camera- 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash with Touch focus, image stabilization, geo-tagging, face and smile detection!!! Great HD videos!!
OS- Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) CPU: 1GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon!
Lots of Apps..

- Points:

Not a great battery life.
Slows a down a bit while multi tasking...

Price: ~$619

Convert USB to bootable flashdrive to boot windows XP!

2011-07-27T20:54:00.000+05:30

Step 1: Download the File from the link given below:

Size: 499KB

Name: usb_boot_prep_xp.zip

DOWNLOAD FILE HERE

Password: techrena.net

Step 2: Extract the usb_boot_prep_xp.zip file in your C drive. It will give you two folders named bootsect and usb_prep8. Plug in your USB drive to your computer and put the Windows XP CD also.

Step 3: Go to the usb-prep8 folder and double click usb_prep8.cmd file. Press any key to continue.

Step 4: Now it will open PeToUSB. Format your USB drive using it. Select the options as in the image below. Note that after formatting do not close the PeToUSB or the cmd console.

Step 5: Now open a new cmd console manually (press Start+L, type cmd and enter). And type the following command in the commands prompt. Note that you should type your own USB drive letter instead of ‘h’.

Sl. No.	Command:	Action:
1	cd	Enter
2	cd bootsect	Enter
3	bootsect.exe /nt52 h:	Enter

I had copied the folder in D drive. So the image will be somewhat different with the actual display of your console. Don’t worry copy the folder in your C drive only. Now close this cmd console but not the other one.

Step 6. Close PeToUSB. Now the usb_prep8.cmd console will continue. Select 1 to set the source location. Select the CD ROM containing the XP CD.

Step 7: If you have a drive called T in your computer then check option 2 to change it to any letter which is not present. Otherwise no need to change. Select 3 to set the destination drive. Enter your USB Drive letter as shown below:

Step 8: Now select choice 4 as we don’t have any Tempimage previously. It may ask you to delete the existing tempimage. select Yes.

Step 9: It will ask you to format the T drive. Enter y and it will format your temp drive. Press any key to continue. Now it will start copying the XP files to the tempdrive.

Step 10: After the completion of the file copy process Press any key to continue. Now it will ask you to copy the files to your USB drive or not. Select Yes.

Step 11: During the copy process it will ask whether to change migrate.inf file or not. Is you are using a USB stick then Select Yes. If you are using a USB hard drive then Select No.

Step 12: After the successful completion of copying the files to your USB drive it will ask whether to unmount the Virtual temp drive or not. As you do not need it Select Yes.

Step 13: After the successful completion of the process close the cmd console. Now your pen drive is ready for the installation process.

Step 14: Plug in the USB drive to the computer you want to install XP. While start up make sure that you set the first boot choice as your USB drive. To do this you have to enter to the bios and change the boot order to USB Disk as the first choice. For entering to BIOS press the BIOS setup key while start up. This key is usually seen in the screen in the boot screen. For most of the systems it is DEL key. For HP and Compaq it is F10 etc. Go to the boot configuration tab and change the boot order.

Step 15: While booting up from the USB it will ask you to choose between GUI and TXT mode of setup. Select TXT mode for now.

Step 16: Follow the onscreen instructions. It is same as the usual setup process. In the partition selection screen do not select you USB drive for install. And if you are installing in a new RAW hard disk then your USB Drive will be the C drive. Now first create a new partition and format your HDD using the setup. And again restart the process from step 15 by Quitting the current Install(Press F3). Then you should get your HDD partition as C drive. Continue your installation.

Step 17: Now it will copy a set of files to the hard disk. It usually takes lesser time than a CD ROM installation. After the process it will ask for reboot. Press Enter to reboot immediately.

Step 18: Now while start up select the GUI mode of setup to continue setup.

Now you can continue your usual setup process. Follow the onscreen instructions carefully. After the setup process which usually takes 39 minutes, it will restart. Now boot from your Hard drive not the USB drive. Again use BIOS settings to make this happen.

Congratulations you have successfully installed Windows XP via a USB Drive.

Important:

1. You can copy the contents of your pen drive if you want for future use. To use in future just format your USB drive with FAT, run the commands given in Step 5 and simply copy paste the files you had saved earlier. No need to run the whole process again.

2. While unmounting the Virtual Temp Drive T, it may fail and ask you to try again. Select No. And when it asks you to Force unmount select yes.

3. This Method is for informational purpose only and should not be used for Software Piracy and illegal practices.

4. We are not responsible for any loss or damage resulting from this information.

5. This method will not work if your motherboard or your BIOS does not support USB booting.

How to see the list of PAGES you LIKE / ADMIN in facebook

2011-07-23T19:25:00.000+05:30

This is a simple tutorial for those people who have problem finding the list of pages they LIKE in Facebook. Many friends of mine are confused after the makeover of Facebook- "WHERE IS MY LIST OF LIKED PAGES!!!" Here's the answer----

Goto EDIT MY PROFILE.
Select ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS.
At the bottom, click SHOW OTHER PAGES
Boooozzzziiiinnnngaaaaaa!! This list is the list of your LIKED pages :D

* if you want to check all the pages that you ADMIN, then type FACEBOOK PAGES I ADMIN in the search bar.

Have fun!!!

Chameleon Folder.. amazing software!

2011-07-23T12:56:00.001+05:30

Time is money, and to earn money we need to save time. Time saving is the need of the hour and the software I talking about will save your time definitely.

CHAMELEON FOLDER not only allows you to access your favorite and recent folders from one simple click, but also makes the navigation much MUCH faster...

Here are its basic features and my own personal reviews along with them ( DOWNLOAD link is at the end of the post ) :-

The software is just 1.80MB ( so I recommend you all to atleast try it once... you'll love it. )
After downloading it, you can find its shortcut in the quick launch bar or from the installed location. You can also open it by pressing MIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON (the scroll button) also anywhere in on the screen or you can use the predefined hotkey i.e. [Win key + Z]
You can open it even when you are browsing / surfing on internet by simply pressing the hotkey or middle button! Thats cool!
After you open it you will see an menu like this-
Here you can see all you listed folders starting from the top and then you have OPTIONS tab.
Options tab enables you to select Folders you want to select as shortcuts, preferences and filters (the GUI is simple and you can do all these stuff easily once you install it) Here's how the options window looks like-
It runs on all the versions of Windows, I tested this software on Windows 7 64-bit and it worked fine.
This software is really a time saver, and I recommend everyone to atleast try it once.

DOWNLOAD / BUY HERE ( To get full version for free, download it using torrentz )

Share your experience in the comments section below :)

Colorful Folders in Windows!!

2011-07-21T19:09:00.000+05:30

Bored of YELLOW folders? I am, and I guess you all are too. Today I am going to introduce you to a software I came to know about recently. Before giving you its download link, here are its basic features-

Its just 1.6MB
Its trial version is free for 1 month, its full version will cost you 9.95$ or you can download it for free using torrentz ill-legally :D

Its really useful because you can highlight (give a different color) an important folder and it can be located within a blink of an eye!
You can get colorful folders :D its a treat in itself!

Here is a sample of colorful folders-

* After installing the software, Right Click on the folder you want to highlight, and you will notice a tab FOLDER HIGHLIGHT... use it to proceed, and then Refresh your screen to see the result :)

See this image for help >

DOWNLOAD / BUY NOW!

Hope you found this post useful, share you thoughts in comment section.. Thank you.

WinXP tips and tricks...

2011-07-19T22:43:00.004+05:30

1. Speeding up menus-

Go to Start > Run > Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Locate the key called "MenuShowDelay" and it is probably set to 400.
Change that value to 0.
Reboot your computer.
You should notice a slight increase in the speed of your menus (although its in microseconds :P still its usefull when you are working with several menus at a time. Seriously )

2. Burn quicker-

Win xp has burning software built in which can cause problems sometimes when burning with other programs.
You can turn windows xp burning tool off like this:
Go to "administrative tools" in the control panel.
In the "services" list, disable the "IMAPI CD-Burning COM" service, if its not dissabled.

3. Increase Xp folder settings-

Windows remembers 400 folder settings. When that number is reached some settings aren't retained any longer. You can change this to 8000 by adding this edit to the registry.

a) Copy the following into notepad.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00001f40

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00001f40

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

b) Save the file as folder8000.reg
c) Double click the file to import into your registry.

4. Speed up XP-

Services You Can Disable

There are quite a few services you can disable from starting automatically.
This would be to speed up your boot time and free resources.
They are only suggestions so I suggest you read the description of each one when you run Services
and that you turn them off one at a time.

Some possibilities are:
Alerter
Application Management
Clipbook
Fast UserSwitching
Human Interface Devices
Indexing Service
Messenger
Net Logon
NetMeeting
QOS RSVP
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Registry
Routing & Remote Access
SSDP Discovery Service
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Web Client

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cleaning the Prefetch Directory

WindowsXP has a new feature called Prefetch. This keeps a shortcut to recently used programs.
However it can fill up with old and obsolete programs.

To clean this periodically go to:

Star / Run / Prefetch
Press Ctrl-A to highlight all the shorcuts
Delete them

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not Displaying Logon, Logoff, Startup and Shutdown Status Messages

To turn these off:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionpoliciessystem
If it is not already there, create a DWORD value named DisableStatusMessages
Give it a value of 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clearing the Page File on Shutdown

Click on the Start button
Go to the Control Panel
Administrative Tools
Local Security Policy
Local Policies
Click on Security Options
Right hand menu - right click on "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"
Select "Enable"
Reboot

For regedit users.....
If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory ManagementClearPageFileAtShutdown
Set the value to 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No GUI Boot

If you don't need to see the XP boot logo,

Run MSCONFIG
Click on the BOOT.INI tab
Check the box for /NOGUIBOOT

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting Rid of Unread Email Messages

To remove the Unread Email message by user's login names:

Start Regedit
For a single user: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUnreadMail
For all users: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUnreadMail
Create a DWORD key called MessageExpiryDays
Give it a value of 0

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Decreasing Boot Time

Microsoft has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes to boot to WindowsXP
The program is called BootVis

Uncompress the file.
Run BOOTVIS.EXE
For a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver Delays
This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark
After the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup.
Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line)
Then run Trace / Optimize System
Re-Run the Next Boot + Drive Delays
Note how much the time has decreased
Mine went from approximately 33 to 25 seconds.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increasing Graphics Performance

By default, WindowsXP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, slides etc to menu items.
Most simply slow down their display.

To turn these off selectively:

Right click on the My Computer icon
Select Properties
Click on the Advanced tab
Under Performance, click on the Settings button
To turn them all of, select Adjust for best performance
My preference is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Increasing System Performance

If you have 512 mb or more of memory, you can increase system performance
by having the core system kept in memory.

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory ManagementDisablePagingExecutive
Set the value to be 1
Reboot the computer

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Increasing File System Caching

To increase the amount of memory Windows will locked for I/O operations:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory Management
Edit the key IoPageLockLimit

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

IE9 : the most secure browser!

2011-07-19T21:20:00.003+05:30

According to the latest tests performed by NSS labs (Europe) Internet Explorer 9 proved to be the best browser to offer best protection from Socially Engineering Malware!
The test was performed among the following browsers-

Mozzilla Firefox 4.0
Google Chrome 10.0.648.204
Windows Internet Explorer 8 (build 8.0.7600.16385)
Windows Internet Explorer 9 (build 9.0.8112.16421)
Opera 11.01 Build 1190
Safari 5.0.5(7533.21.1)

NSS Labs revealed in it's FINAL REPORT (pdf) that, "With SmartScreen enabled and Application Reputation disabled, IE9 achieved a unique URL blocking score of 89% and over-time protection rating of 92%. Enabling Application Reputation on top of SmartScreen increased the unique URL block rate of Internet Explorer 9 by 11% (to 100%) at zero hour as well as the over-time protection by 8% (to 100%)."

NSS labs concluded -

Firefox 4 achieved a 13% protection rating, on par with protection offered by Chrome and Safari —86% less protection than Internet Explorer 9 and 77% less than Internet Explorer 8. Firefox exhibited deterioration in protection compared with our Q3 2010 global test that can be attributed to either the implementation of Safe Browsing API v2 or new tactics being used by cybercriminals that Safe Browsing has not yet adapted to. There was a slight 1% improvement between zero-hour protection (16%) and eventual protection at the 19 day mark (17%).

Safari 5 achieved a 13% protection rating on par with Firefox and Chrome converging at a roughly 17% block rate after 19 days. However, Safari presented a notable lag in protection vs. Firefox with zero-hour protection of 11% (vs. Firefox’s 16%).

With a protection rating of 13%, Chrome 10 offered nearly identical protection to Safari and Firefox. Browser Security Comparative Test: Socially-Engineered Malware

Opera 10’s overall blocking rate of 5% was consistently the lowest in the group... SURPRISED? :D

Amazing Facebook tricks you must know!

2011-07-15T22:02:00.000+05:30

1) Add a symbol/smiley to your facebook status!-

The most common thing with a facebook user is his STATUS update (yeah! cant live without it )
having a symbol or a smiley in the status sounds cool... ITS POSSIBLE!!! status with a symbol becomes more impressive and attracts more attention too. Here's what you need to do ( its well tested by me)-
Start with your status... and press alt+(any key from numeric key pad like 1,2,3 etc. ) there are so many combinations available that you can check and and fun with!!
example- press alt+1 and u get a smiley.. u can press 2 numbers too like pressing alt+26 will show an arrow head! awesome!!! what are you waiting for?? go try!!!!!!!! and amaze your buddies... :D

now SHOW ME THE COMPLETE ALT CODE LIST!

2) Check your total status updates you have made so far!!-

ever wondered how many times have you updated your status?? this app shows your stats varying from total status updates to the total word count! SHOW ME THE APP!!!

3) THIS ONE IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!

Turn your status updates into a 3D cloud! like this-

i wont tell you anything just go see yourself and get amazed!! its awesome!!
SHOW ME THE APP!!!

4) Put a dislike button, LOL button and many more buttons in your status update-
Ok guys i'll be frank with this, i havnt tested it yet and there is a possibility that this app is a bump, but if you can spare some time then go CHECK THE APP ANYWAY... and comment below if it works :)

Do try these and leave your experience below :) your comments will be appreciated :)

More Amazing softwares you must check out

2011-07-15T17:58:00.000+05:30

CCleaner-
CCleaner is the number-one tool for cleaning your Windows PC. It protects your privacy online and makes your computer faster and more secure. Easy to use and a small, fast download.
Our PC accumulates several temporary files and traces that are not useful to us. These temporary files and traces slows down the PC along with taking up unwanted disk space. CCleaner is a good tool to get rid of these. Its not free so if you want to buy it click HEREif you want to download it for free then download it via torrentz HERE
Defraggler-this tool is useful to defrag your PC and make it faster. Much better than the inbuilt defragger of the windows. You can buy it HERE and torrent download HERE.
Recuva-
the best tool available today to RECOVER DELETED FILES! Its a big headache if we press Shift+delete on the wrong item by mistake! Recuva ia must use software as it helps us in bad times! :D
BUY RECUVA or FREE TORRENT DOWNLOAD
Miro-
It allows you to convert your PC into a Internet TV. You can use it to watch Internet video channels and play any video file. You can play files from YouTube and more and you can play almost any types of file with it including HD videos. DOWNLOAD FREE
Google Desktop-
It makes your PC search as simple and accurate as the online Google search. Find and launch applications and files with just a few keystrokes. MUST CHECK OUT!!! DOWNLOAD

DIGSBY

2011-07-13T17:56:00.003+05:30

Digsby is the perfect software for you if you are a CHAT addict!!! Call if Gtalk, yahoo, MSN. AIM, Jabber etc.. With digsby you can handle all in one!

FEATURES:

The best part is that it reduces your time to download or use separate clients.!
If this CHAT FUNCTION is not enough, then wooohoo you can update your twitter / facebook / myspace status with this little buddy too!
It also notifies newsfeed and messages from your friends from facebook/twitter etc.
It also acts as an EMAIL notification tools and you can manage all your EMAILs with it too!
Its available fot Windows, Mac, and linux! :D

NOW THATS COOL STUFF ALL IN ONE!!!! Go DIGGING!!!!

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

_leave you comments below if you like this recommendation :)

Must read for TORRENTZ users!

2011-07-12T23:23:00.005+05:30

If u are a regular torrentz user then you must be familiar with the situation when the download gets stuck in between! sometimes at 99% !! its a big pain in the neck!

Whats the cause?
sometimes when we are downloading a particular software/movie etc. we ignore the number of SEEDS available and continue to download, and this proves fatal :D now if that particular torrent file is unique and you are not able to get any other file with more SEEDS then this post is good for you.

Whats the remedy?

Download the torrent file ( but dont start the downloading process just download the torrent!!! )
Go here you will see a window like this-

Upload the .torrent file that you just downloaded.
Now you will see all the related trackers for that torrent file other than the source of your torrent file you downloaded (NOTE: if there are no related trackers, then its useless adding the same tracker)
From the list of new related trackers, select any tracker based upon the seeds or any other tracker of your choice and press re announce (NOTE: dont select a tracker from the same website like vip.thepiratebay.com, public.thepiratebay.com as trackers from same domain name track the same file!)
Now you will get a window (as shown below) showing the re-announced torrent file.. download it and then start actual downloading of the main program.... now you will never let the seeders go to 0

You stuck with some level in your torrent download .. just upload the torrent and download the reannounced torrent and load it again onto your client in which u are downloading the torrent and remember to point to the already available downloading file instead of creating a new one ....

ADVANTAGES-

> seeds never dry up!

> chances of getting stuck are very very less

> old and even dead torrents can be reviewed.

DISADVANTAGES-

> works only for public torrents and not on private torrents.

> Thats the only disadvantage :D

Hope this proves helpful to you. :)

GOOGLE TRANSLATE FUN !!!

2011-07-11T16:42:00.003+05:30

goto google translate, and type the following strings to see google BEATBOX!

Select languages FROM: german TO: german and paste the following text
pv zk pv pv zk pv zk kz zk pv pv pv zk pv zk zk pzk pzk pvzkpkzvpvzk kkkkkk bsch
Select lanuage FROM: chienese TO: chienese and enter the same text above... and listen.
Type:
Will Justin Bieber never hit puberty, Switch from english to Vietnamese , Look at translation now copy and paste translation in box , Switch it to Vietnamese to English
....If you translate this right you should laugh.

Funny GOOGLE tricks.

2011-07-11T16:30:00.001+05:30

Following are some really funny and amazing google tricks--

GOOGLEDYM--
Goto google.com and type "googledym" (without quotes of course) and hit i'm feeling lucky... u will see a new page with various links, check out those links.
GOOGLE LINUX--
type google linux and hit i'm feeling lucky :P ( this is one of a kind )
FIND CHUCK NORRIS--
type "find chuck norris" and hit i'm feeling lucky... read the complete text on the page that appears :D :D
GOOGLE PACMAN--
type google pacman and press i'mfeeling lucky... on the window that appears press INSERT COIN... now enjoy :D
EPIC GOOGLE--
type "epic google" hit i'm feeling lucky and see how the page grows ;)
ANNOYING GOOGLE--
type "annoying google" and see urself :D
GOOGLE SPHERE--
type "google sphere" then search for any object and see its images :O
GOOGLEx4--
go to this website > http://www.googlegooglegooglegoogle.co.uk

New generation Wallpapers for windows 7 and vista!

2011-07-11T02:41:00.004+05:30

The era of STATIC Wallpaper is about to get over with the introduction of DYNAMIC wallpapers.

WHAT ARE DYNAMIC WALLPAPERS?
Dynamic wallpapers are a kind of wallpaper + screen saver program that runs on the desktop of any PC having windows7 or vista as the OS.

WHERE CAN I GET THEM?
U can download the OKOZO DESKTOP software to have access to loads of fun and fascinating dynamic wallpapers.

FEATURES:
There are 6 categories in all ( right now ) in okozo... namely -

Abstract- this category comprises of ABSTRACT wallpapers that cant be customized but give ur desktop a pleasing look :) My personal favorite in this category is THE PARTICLE STORM.
Cartoons- this contains a number of cartoon / funny animated wallpapers.
Clocks- contains a number of animated digital and analog clocks.. USEFUL :)
Galleries-This is the best category according to me because we can customize it by using our own images and adding them to a particular wallpaper and then using them as the dynamic wallpaper :) my favorite in it is the BACKGROUND ROTATOR.
Interactive- this is the funny and best category to pass time with :D it consists of animated wallpapers having different characters ( like insects, hamsters, cars, etc) that respont to our mouse pointer. My personal favorite is the HAMSTER.
Other- this has a list of some other wallpapers which are also pretty cool and my favorite is FALLING LEAVES :)

FALLING LEAVES

HOW CAN I GET THEM?

Goto the website link mentioned at the end of this post ( but 1st read the complete post! ).

Download the OKOZO software from the homepage, you can see a DOWNLOAD tab on top right corner of homepage.

You will need to have the latest updated ADOBE flash player ( dont worry, if you dont have it, then OKOZO will itself ask you to install it, u just have to follow the instructions during installation ).

Once u have the software installed ( u'll get its icon in the system tray), you can download wallpapers by clicking on the WALLPAPERS button in the software. (see image below).

Before downloading, when u click on a wallpaper, u'll be able to see its preview and u can interact with it using your pointer in the window. (cool huh!)

Once you have downloaded the wallpaper double click on it to install it, open the OKOZO software and click on RELOAD tab. You'll get the wallpaper in a few seconds and there you go :)

The wallpapers which can be customized have a CONFIGURE tab also ( see image below ).

To use the selected wallpaper, click APPLY (see image below again :P ) .

Thats all guys, i hope this post was helpful and news to you :)

CLICK HERE TO GET OKOZO

Convert Image to Text... MUST READ!!!

2011-07-10T11:53:00.001+05:30

This article is about converting images containing text (like a print screen of a document containing text) into text. This is really helpful when we have an image containing a lot of text, if we want to edit the text we would have to type the whole damn thing again! Heck of a job!
Here's the thing, converting the image directly to text (which is editable) is not impossible! All we need is to have the image in our PC and internet connection :D
While surfing the net I discovered this website, Free OCR, that allows u to convert your image directly into text. U have to upload the image and enter the Captcha. JOB DONE :)
Try it yourself!---
> hit "print screen" button on this page (this will save an image of this page on your clipboard)
> goto paint and and press ctrl+V (i.e. paste the image of clipboard)
> save the image.
> now u have an image containing text but u cant alter that text..
> goto the website link given below and upload your file... select the language u want to get the result text in ( english, spanish etc.)
> You will get the resultant text in a few seconds :)

here's the link ---- FREE OCR

Rename multiple files at once...

2011-07-09T22:27:00.000+05:30

U must have noticed while transferring images from a digital camera to a computer the names of the images are DC0233 or DS1232 etc... and this gets really annoying while renaming them one by one if the number of images is large (imagine renaming 100 + images! ). This is just 1 example where "multiple file renaming" is helpful but this can be useful elsewhere too where number of files is large but the files belong to a common category ( example: songs of a movie, or episodes of a tv series etc.)
HOW THIS WORKS???

open the folder containing the files to be renamed.
select all files ( or the number of files u want to rename in one go).
Goto FILE ( or press alt+F ) and select Rename.
now enter the name of the files/images/episodes etc. that u want.
now u will see all selected files will have the same name with (1) (2) (3) along with them.

EXAMPLE:

if u rename all the images to - TRIP TO NEW DELHI... then all the images will be renamed to....

TRIP TO NEW DELHI (1)

TRIP TO NEW DELHI(2)

TRIP TO NEW DELHI(3)

and so on....

this is really helpful to organize ur content :)

NINJA FLASHDRIVE!!!!.... MUST READ if u wanna get rid of viruses.!

2011-07-09T21:43:00.003+05:30

We all hate viruses and do everything to get rid of them. We install anti virus Software in our PCs and think our job is done. NO!!! its a very common fact that one of the major source of anti viruses in the PEN DRIVE that we all use daily. A pen drive is the carrier of viruses like autorun.inf , autoruns.inf,auto.exe, autorun.ini, ctfmon.exe, copy.exe, Macromedia_Setup.exe,ntde1ect.com, New Folder.exe, soundmix.exe, svchost.exe etc... and to get rid of these is a very big headache.
A really good remedy to it is to have an anti virus installed in ur pen drive! ( i.e. exclusively for your pen drive).

The tool i m talking about is just 748kb in size and it wont effect ur PCs performance evne by 0.1%. The tool is called NINJA PENDISK.

Its features are-

It can be set to run at startup.

It runs automatically if u enable it in your system tray.

Whenever u connect a pen drive (flash drive) it automatically cleans it up, removing any unwanted files that can be malware.

This is one software u must try atleast once... if u are interested in using it. ( u shud definitely be! its just 748kb Goddam it! Give it a try! ) then click here to install it---->>

CLICK ME TO GET ME :P

NOKIA 700 (ZETA) !!!

2011-07-08T03:31:00.001+05:30

Images of Nokia's latest smartphone Nokia 700 nicknamed ZETA which has not been launched yet got leaked :D :D :D have a look------

Its loaded with 1Ghz processor, a 3.2-inch AMOLED display, NFC connectivity, and a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash. :O

This phone will feature the new updated version of Symbian Belle.

***More interesting facts----

it is expected to be the thinnest nokia smartphone ever :O with thickness almost 10mm...

expected colours of ZETA are- white, black, red, blue...

its candybar type mobile phone.

How to get Serial Number of whatever u need using Google!

2011-07-08T03:16:00.000+05:30

This tutorial is helpful to get the serial key of some software and games etc using google.
* Go to Google.

* In the search field type: "Product name" 94FBR

* Where, "Product Name" is the name of the item you want to find the serial number for.

* And voila - there you go - the serial number you needed. :D

if u dont get a serial key directly then u'll find a list of all websites ( in links ) which have the serial key information of that product... its really useful. :)
try--- PHOTOSHOP 7 94FBR.... FOR ITS SERIALS see example here :)

Rename recycle bin to whatever u want in XP :D

2011-07-08T03:01:00.002+05:30

This procedure is useful in Windows XP only!

> We all know that windows XP does not allow renaming of recycle bin, but by following a simple registry tweak we can rename it to whatever we want like dump, trash, garbage etc.
Here's the procedure-

1. Start > Run > Regedit
2. Press 'Ctrl'+'F' to open find box and type 'Recycle Bin' to search.
3. Change any value data with 'Recycle Bin' to whatever name you want to give it ( ie, like 'Trash Can' or 'Dump' etc).
4. Press F3 to continue searching for 'Recycle Bin' and change wherever you come across 'Recycle Bin' to new its new name.
5. Repeat step 4 until you have finished with searching and changed all values to its new name.
6. Close regedit and hit F5 on desktop to see the new name on screen.
Thats it.... such a simple procedure... have fun!

Note: As a good practice, always backup your registry before changing anything although changing 'Recycle Bin' name is a simple tweak and doesnt affect anything else.
____________________________________________________________________

eyeOS... must read!

2011-07-06T21:39:00.000+05:30

What if all ur pc's hard disk is empty and ur personal stuff like images, music documents etc all stored safe, else where... *BLISS* :)
Alright, i guess u all r familiar with cloud computing concept (if not click me :) now i m going to introduce u all to the world of eyeOS (an online desktop featuring almost all the features of an operating system like linux, windows etc. ONLINE!)
Here's a glance of it.... (its my profile and its the image of my desktop in eyeOS)... >>>>>>>>>>>>

The 1st time when u login u need to create an account for your personal data ( just like in every other website).
After u log in, the 1st screen that appears (just like the image above) is same as the desktop of windows with files arranged on the left hand side..
Various objects present are-
1. Chat - u can chat with the people u have added in ur account just like gtalk ( pretty cool!)
2. Documents- u can upload and save,edit,or create new documents online! (awsm!)... another cool feature about docs is... when u open document , on right u see 3tabs.. INFO, SHARE,ACTIVITY. Share option is too good when it comes to transferring imoprtant documents to ur friends is no time.
here's a picta of documents window >>>>>>>

3. Home- it acts like the MY COMPUTER in eyeOS with all the required programs in it..

4. How to use- it consists of all the tutorials which u must see ( i recommend ).

5. Welcome- displays the welcome page... ( no use :/ )

On the top on the screen... another list of buttons is present which i m dying to share with u! :)

Application-
> it consists of all the apps available in eyeOS like...
Calender, file manager, Calculator, Chat, Notepad i must tell u the GUI (Graphical User Interface) is really good in eyeOS and personally i loved the calculator and calender a lot! (i know all calcu. and calenders are same but i loved them in eyeOS xD)
Files-
> it consists of documents and images that u have uploaded and shared with ur contacts.
People-
> this one is the CHAT part of eyeOS... here u write the username of the person u know and add him to ur contacts and then chat with him, share files, music, images etc.. have fun!
Groups-
just like other Social networking sites... groups act as a Group of people :P

OK.... now these were the buttons present ON the desktop... some other cool features that u can explore easily are-----

the Right click- right clicking on any folder will open a list of commands u can do to it...
right click on the desktop and u can get loads of options to customize the way your eyeOS profile looks and functions :) by choosing SETTINGS...
right clicking on the desktop will also allow u to upload a file, or create a new folder too! just like in windows :D

I hope i explained the basics of eyeOS to u clearly, but still if u feel that u havnt understood some part properly then i wud suggest u to login and try it first yourself and explore the eyeOS world yourself :)

P.S-
>This is the new improved version of eyeOS but the first version was made way back in 2005.
>For more tutorials you can have a look of all the videos listed in the eyeos profile (that u will make)
here's the link to the website----

http://try.eyeos.org