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EQO for Mobile Users

2008-03-28T08:38:00.005+05:30

What is EQO?

EQO is a free application that brings your world to your mobile phone. Chat on the go using MSN, AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, QQ (NEW!), ICQ and Jabber, or call and text anyone in the world at super-low rates. Invite your friends to join your EQO network and you can use EQO to call them at 50% off EQO’s regular calling rate, or send them an EQO Message for free.

NEW! Check out EQO's cool new application on Facebook - EQO vibrator. Send free Vibes to anyone on Facebook, or send Vibes to your EQO freinds and their mobile phone will vibrate.

WHY YOU NEED EQO:

Chat with your IM buddies for FREE from your mobile phone.

EQO is compatible with all major IM services: MSN, AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, QQ (NEW!), ICQ and Jabber!

Talk and text for cheap from your mobile phone.

Call or text from your mobile as much as you want, at some of the lowest rates in the world.

Build a network of EQO friends, keep in touch on the go, and save!

Inviting your friends to join EQO is easy, and you can call other EQO users at 50% off the regular call rate, or send EQO Messages to them for FREE. So, the bigger your EQO network, the better it is.

Send your facebook friends Vibes with EQO Vibrator! Vibes are like pokes, but cooler, and they vibrate!
You can get vibes on your phone too! When you download EQO, your phone will actually vibrate when you get vibed.

check out EQO vibrator now!

1. How to setup EQO on your phone

Learn how to get EQO up and running on your phone.

Once you complete sign-up, EQO sends a text message with a link in it to the mobile number you provided during sign-up, click on the link. Your phone will ask you for permission to access the internet in order to download EQO to your phone – please say yes. EQO will now begin downloading to your phone. (EQO requires access to the internet to place calls, send messages and instant messages – please insure you have a data / internet plan on your phone).

Once downloaded, EQO will prompt you to start the application, and you’ll be asked for permission to allow EQO to access the internet – please say yes – it may take a few moments for EQO to connect.

Once connected, EQO will ask for permission to upload your address book’s contacts – please say yes. EQO will not store or retain your contact’s personal information for any purpose.

You are now ready to use EQO.

2. How to setup your instant messaging account on EQO

EQO supports all your favourite IM networks.

Scroll to the IM tab of EQO on the right.

Select which IM network you’d like to access: AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk, QQ, ICQ or Jabber, and click on it.

Enter the username and password you normally use to access your account and click on “OK”

Your IM account should now appear with “(connecting)” next to your name.

Once connected, all you IM contacts will appear. Click on a contact, and begin messaging.

To setup another IM account, click on “Options”, then “Add IM Account” and repeat process above.

3. Making an EQO Out Call or sending an EQO Out Text Message

Learn how to place calls and send text messages using EQO.

To place an EQO Out call, make sure you are connected to EQO. If you are NOT connected, “Offline” will appear in the top left corner of your screen.

To connect to EQO, choose “Options”, then “Go Online”.

A message displaying “Connecting” will appear in the top left corner of your screen. You will also notice the EQO logo flashing in the right hand corner of your screen.

Once connected, your account balance and the time will display, and the EQO logo will appear solid orange.

To place a call or send a text message, scroll down and click on the person you want to contact, or click on “Dial Number” to dial the number directly. A menu of options will appear.

To place a call, click on “Call” or, to send a message, click on “Send Message”.

23 Ways To Speed Up Windows XP

2008-03-09T06:12:00.001+05:30

Since defragmenting the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.

1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.

6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.
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9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.
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18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.

Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.

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Boot Windows XP Fast

2008-03-09T06:08:00.000+05:30

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' grayed 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.

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11 Fast and Free Security Enhancements

2008-03-09T06:00:00.002+05:30

Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will

protect you against the most common threats.

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly

(_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP 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.

SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm(_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.

3. Install a free spyware blocker.

Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy(_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies and Spyware Terminator(www.spywareterminator.com) is also good too.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP

It can be achieved by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). 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 f8izKro@l( A combination of letters, alphabets and Special
Characters). This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

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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 Anti virus software and keep it up to date.

If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., www.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at www.pandasoftware.com/activescan and http://housecall.trendmicro.com.

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. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security

Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats
quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. 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."

11. Be regular viewers of the following blogs.

It will help you to know about the latest trends in Computer and Secrity fields.

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10 Reasons Why PC's Crash-U must Know!

2008-03-09T04:44:00.002+05:30

Fatal Error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1. Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.
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Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS Settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings
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Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your anti virus software manufacturer.
Some anti virus programmes are McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.
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If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.
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It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

If you need any help more please give it as comments...........

A to Z Useful Windows Run Commands

2008-03-09T04:39:00.001+05:30

Do you use the Run feature in Windows XP?
For most, this feature remains unused (or rarely used). Why is that? Well, First off nearly all of the Run Commands Correspond to a particular Control Panel Item or a Utility, Tool or Task that can be accessed through Windows. There are, however, tools and utilities that I bet you never knew you had that can be accessed through the Run feature. The main reason most people don't use the Run feature is because they don't know the Commands. So, to solve that problem, I decided to put together the following listing, which lists A to Z Run Commands and what they correspond too...
Short Cut to Run- Windows Key + R
Accessibility Controls - access.cpl
Add Hardware Wizard - hdwwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs - appwiz.cpl
Adobe Photoshop (if installed) - photoshop
Administrative Tools - control admintools
Automatic Updates - wuaucpl.cpl
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard - fsquirt
Calculator – calc
Certificate Manager - certmgr.msc
Character Map - charmap
Check 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
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Display Properties - desk.cpl
Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected) - control color
Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility - drwtsn32
Driver 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

Right Click On Web Pages That Don’t Allow Right Clicks

2008-03-04T06:48:00.000+05:30

How you can right-click a webpage (e.g. to save pictures) that usually displays an error like ‘Right-click not allowed’ or ‘Please subscribe to do this action’ when you try to right-click.
In Internet Explorer, click Tools -> Internet Options.
Click on the Security tab of Internet Explorer then click the Restricted Sites zone.
Click the Sites… button and enter the URL of the website you would like to allow right-clicking on (e.g. http://www.clipart.com).
Click the Add button.
Click the OK button on the Restricted Sites dialog box.
Click the OK button on the Internet Options dialog box.
Visit the site and you should now be able to right-click content on the site.
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You may need to reset the security settings for the Restricted Sites tab if the settings have been changed. In the Internet Options dialog box, under the Security tab, click the Restricted sites zone and click Default Level. Then click OK.

How To Recover a Dead Windows Machine

2008-03-04T05:44:00.002+05:30

It’s dead, Jim! How do you bring your Windows PC back from horrid, gory Windows-induced Seppuku?

This process can take up to 48 solid hours of exasperating labor.
Back up your work. The first step in any restore is to back up your data from the hard drive. If your machine runs well enough attempt recovery, then you may be able to plug a USB2 hard disk and back up your files. It will make you feel a lot better to have that backup if the computer hangs halfway through the ‘restore’ and then never boots again. A failing hard drive can work intermittently enough to get the data off maybe once and then die for good.

New User

Sometimes a system that partially boots and/or misbehaves badly, or has a ‘dead’ application that can’t be run anymore can be ‘recovered’ simply by creating a new user account and logging in as that new user. A corrupted registry is the most common culprit for ‘dead’ windows machines, and a large subset of these (potentially) corrupt entries are in your user profile. On Linux machines, often ‘corrupt’ application settings are in a particular user account as well.
Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel->User Accounts.
Create a New Account.
Give it a Name.
Give it ‘Administrator’ privileges. (This sounds bad, and it is bad, but many Windows applications assume they’re ‘Administrator’ (’root’ in Linux) at all times. Reducing privileges can make the computer more secure, but can also disable some of your software.)
Reboot or log out and login as the ‘new’ user.
See if the system is stable.
If the system is stable, you will still have to restore all of the settings you had on the old account, and move the ‘My Documents’ contents from the old account to the new one.
BACK UP YOUR WORK.
You can’t trivially delete and re-use the dead old account. Windows will just try to re-use the same bad data again.
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System Restore on Windows XP
Use System Restore for a shaky computer that still boots but doesn’t work well.
Go to Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore.
Leave the radio button on ‘Restore my computer to an earlier time’.
Click on ‘Next’.
Pick a date before the bad system behaviors began.
Reboot and see if it works better.
If it does not, try again with an earlier restore point.
Go through your documents and files. You’ll discover ‘versioned’ file names of various files that were modified between now and your restore point.
Delete or remove the ‘old’ files and make sure the ‘newest’ or most correct versions of files exist.
Windows XP does not come with a tool to browse the old restore point files to individually recover them, even though that would be super handy.
The Windows XP boot disk does not have a ‘System Restore’ tool to restore Windows to earlier states like this, so your computer must boot to use this method. If the machine does not boot, try one of the methods below to recover your data and your machine.

Boot with Linux
Download and burn a Linux boot disk from your favorite Linux distribution. You may need to use another computer if you have not done this already.
Boot from the Linux CD.
Mount the Windows partition.
Using Linux, back up your data from the damaged partition onto a USB drive, or the network, or burn a CD.
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Use a Third Party Boot Disk
Try ‘UBCD’ (see link below), a free ISO of a self-booting CD image accompanied by a big pile of tools and utilities.
Various hard disk tools like ‘Partition Magic’ or ‘Norton Utilities’ come on a bootable CD that will let you tinker with ‘bad’ drives. It is best to back up any intact data before attempting to ‘recover’ lost data.

Use the Recovery Disk or Recovery Partition
Many manufacturers don’t give you a Windows boot disc anymore instead you get a ‘Recovery Disc’ or a ‘Recovery Partition’ that contains an image of the boot partition in the state hey shipped the machine.
Put the disc in (or boot off the ‘recovery partition’), follow the prompts, and the version of Windows with all the right drivers and all of the default unlicensed bundleware that came with the PC will be restored and ready to go and need licensing (or deletion) again.
This restore will not restore other applications that were installed, downloaded, etc.
This restore will not restore software licenses that you paid for on-line and didn’t keep the receipts and keys to.
This restore will not restore drivers for new hardware you added since you bought your computer.
This restore will usually destory any data on the Windows partition, including including personal information in Documents and Settings, which includes your ‘My Documents’ and anyone else’s ‘My Documents’ on the computer.

Reinstall from a Windows CD
If your computer didn’t ‘System Restore’ or have a ‘Recovery Disc’, but did come with a shiny Windows CD and still has that hologram license (or the license is often stuck on an inside door or on the case) then
Put the CD in the drive and boot from the Windows CD.
Change your BIOS settings to start the computer from the CD.
Install Windows and reboot the fresh install.
Rummage around for the driver CDs and any software CDs you had, and follow the prompts to install each driver CD for the motherboard, monitor, etc. as required.

Remove the Hard Drive
Pull the hard drive out of the dead PC if the computer can’t be made to boot, restore or install its operating system.
If you have one, plug an IDE drive into a USB2 or Firewire hard drive adapter to be plugged into another computer. Nearly external USB2/Firewire hard drive can be opened up and used temporarily in this manner.
If you don’t have an adapter, or your drive is SATA or SCSI, you can plug it into another computer’s available compatible port. Just make sure to configure BIOS so the drive you add doesn’t get booted on the host machine when it starts up, or any ‘infection’ could be spread to it, and Windows tends to throw a nasty fit attempting to ‘detect’ the new computer, and XP wants a new ‘authorization’.
Backup the data from the mounted drive.
If the drive won’t mount (and the host OS definitely can mount the NTFS file system), then try some data recovery software (this may require you to plug the drive into an IDE/SATA/SCSI device directly). If that doesn’t help, the data on the drive may just be lost to you.
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BACK UP YOUR WORK! When the hard disk PHYSICALLY CRASHES, your work is probably lost, no matter what. Even investing thousands of dollars for data recovery might not get much more than file fragments back. Back up early, back up often. An ounce of backup is worth a TON of re-creating things from scratch.
Get some REAL system recovery software, like Norton Ghost (formerly PowerQuest Drive Image), and make hard drive image backups of your own boot drive with ALL of your software and drivers installed. It turns a day-long, maybe even week-long ordeal into a mere 45 minute cuss-fest when ANY version of Windows self-destructs and croaks on you. Especially useful if your living is based on your PC. It also means that you don’t have to “live with” a Windows installation that has gone ’senile’ from all the viral and spyware junk that crawled into it, or got wrecked when you bought a new piece of hardware that installed 100 megs of buggy garbage into the OS to ‘extend it’, instead of a simple device driver.
You really should have backed up the data very routinely on your own, every month or so, or whenever you did “important work”, but almost no normal computer user ever does. Tragic.
If you have system restore, be sure to save everything, and create a new, named checkpoint just before you install a new piece of hardware or a new driver. There will usually be a lot less mess to back out of when you need to.
Save your passwords, registration codes, receipts, etc. When you make logins/passwords, or receive registration codes, record them somewhere safe.
A text file on a cheap little USB thumb drive can be used for saving information like logins, passwords, utility company addresses, online accounts, etc. and whatever other ‘private’ things, like tax records. It can sit in a box, or a safe only to come out when you NEED it, and keep all those private things will be off-line and unavailable to the various frightful things that get into Windows. Anyway, if the computer takes a dump all over you, then all that stuff you lazily and insecurely left on the PC for anyone ELSE to steal will not die with it. Grow a carpal tunnel and type those passwords when you’re prompted. You won’t forget them so much.
Make two partitions when you partition and format a hard disk, or buy a second hard disk. One partition gets Windows and the software installations. One partition gets the data and work files, like the contents of ‘My Documents’. When you need to STOMP the Windows partition, the other data can remain safe and relatively untainted. A second hard disk can even be UNPLUGGED so the Windows install or other system recovery software can’t “accidentally” reformat it “for you”.
To a degree, the ‘two partitions or two drives’ thing applies to Linux and other operating systems. For straight-forward recovery after a little mishap or major disaster, you seriously don’t want OS/programs and your personal documents and work intermixed.
The partition (or separate hard disk) with your data and work files should be formatted ‘FAT32′ and have ‘System Restore’ turned OFF. That way, if you have to mess with or re-format or restore a backup copy of a mangled Windows partition, you don’t have to overwrite all of your current work, and you can get that drive mounted by nearly any other OS.
What drives ‘System Restore’ operate on can be configured from “Start->Settings->Control Panel->System”, then picking the ‘System Restore’ tab.
Nothing you do with the software can really damage modern hardware. However, sometimes things like the CMOS memory can be overwritten, and (if you leave jumpers set the wrong way) even EEPROM BIOS on the motherboard can be stomped.
CMOS is relatively easy to ‘fix’, just go into the BIOS settings for the motherboard and reset it and then set the time and reconfigure it back the way it used to be.
EEPROM BIOS being clobbered, well you’ll have to order a new chip from the manufacturer and swap it out. Some flash-able BIOS chips have a ROM backup that they can always revert to. If not, and it’s soldered to the motherboard, then the motherboard will need to be replaced. If the BIOS can be flashed, find out which jumper (if any) disables flashing the BIOS and make sure that’s disabled, and you should never have this problem.
A USB2 backup drive that’s probably twice as big as the hard drive in your computer can be had dirt cheap. It’s a good investment for backing up data. After the initial, time consuming backup, incremental backups take only a few minutes. Then the backup drive can be unplugged and put away somewhere safe, preferably where the same kinds of physical disasters that kill your computer won’t get it, too.

ONLY when the documents, internet shortcuts, mail, work files, etc. that the user used to have are safely and securely backed up onto another hard drive and/or burned to a CD or DVD, should you attempt to format or reinstall Windows.
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Don’t get carried away. THINK. What’s more important? Booting this irritating, dead box, or the data (contacts, mail, work, documents, media, etc.) that it contains? The DATA is job #1. NOT the computer

Crack Office 2007 activation without a crack

2008-03-04T05:18:00.001+05:30

For those who don't like confronting with Microsoft
For this procedure, you will need
* Office 2007 that requires activation
* A computer able to run Office 2007 (XP or higher required for Office 2007)
* At least 3 minutes of time
Instructions
* Uninstall Office 2007 from your computer if you have it on there right now
* Install Office 2007 IMPORTANT! When installing Office 2007, when it asks for a serial number, just click Continue and with the dialog that pops up, click No. Then continue with your installation.
* Once Office 2007 is installed, you should be able to open Office apps and be prompted for activation. This is normal.
* Close all open Office apps.
* In Windows Explorer, browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE12\Office Setup Controller\Proof.en
* In any plain text editor you want, open Proof.xml
* Find:

Code:

      </Feature> <Feature Id=”SetupXmlFiles” Cost=”1248″>
      <OptionRef Id=”AlwaysInstalled”/>
      </Feature>

* Replace "AlwaysInstalled" to "neverInstalled" (make sure to get the casing right) so that it will look like the this:

Code:

</Feature> <Feature Id=”SetupXmlFiles” Cost=”1248″>
      <OptionRef Id=”neverInstalled”/>
      </Feature>

* Save the XML file.

* That's it! You're done. Next time you open an Office app, it will not rudely ask for a serial number

The Trojan hidden in Monster.com

2008-03-04T05:09:00.002+05:30

The Trojan stealing the data was hidden in a fraudulent advertisement on online job sites like Monster.com

Security researchers have unearthed the single largest cache of stolen identities, thanks in part to a Trojan stealing the data that has been hidden in a fraudulent advertisement on online job sites like Monster.com.

Don Jackson, a researcher with security company SecureWorks, told InformationWeek that he found 12 data caches connected to one group using the latest variance of the Prg Trojan, which also is known as Ntos, Tcp Trojan, Zeus, Infostealer.Monstres and Banker.aam. Several of the 12 found caches contain information on about 4,000 to 6,000 identity theft victims, but one contains about 10,000 and the largest one contains 46,000.

He estimates that between the 12 caches, there probably is information on about 100,000 stolen identities.

“That’s at least four times as large as the largest ones I’ve run across before,” said Jackson. “That tells me they’re using a lot of different methods to do what they do or they’ve found really reliable methods to do it.”

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Jackson calls the identity theft organization behind the caches the “car group” because they’ve named each of the servers storing the information for a different auto manufacturer, like Ford, Mercedes, Chrysler, and French carmaker Bugatti.

The data, which includes bank and credit card account information, Social Security numbers, online payment account usernames and passwords, comes from victims who were all individually infected with the Trojan beginning in early May.

He said the latest variant of the Prg Trojan has been running on fraudulent ads on at least two online job sites. One, he said, is Monster.com. Representatives from Monster did not return a request for an interview.

“The hackers behind this scam are running ads on job sites and are injecting those ads with the Trojan,” said Jackson. “When a user views or clicks on one of the malicious ads, their PC is getting infected and all the information they are entering into their browser, including financial information being entered before it reaches the SSL-protected sites, is being captured and sent off to the hacker’s server in Asia Pacific.”

Jackson said one server is still collecting stolen data and they are seeing 9,000 to 10,000 victims sending information to the server at any one time. When someone clicks on the advertisement, they’re taken to a malicious Web page where their computer is infected with the Prg Trojan.

He said they’ve given information about the caches and the phony ads to the FBI. Jackson also said they tried contacting Monster.com but they haven’t received a response yet.
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“When I first discovered this large cache of data, I couldn’t figure out how the hackers were compromising so many Web sites, and as a result, infecting so many victims,” added Jackson. “However, when I uncovered the Trojan-injected advertisements, it made total sense. These job sites get tons of traffic so it is no wonder that the hackers are having such success.”

The Trojan is designed to exploit several different software flaws, including vulnerabilities — all of which have been patched by the vendors — in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, WinZip and Apple’s QuickTime.

Jackson said they found the caches by writing signatures that detect the Trojan communicating with the hackers’ command server, which sends out instructions to the malware and accepts data from it. Researchers followed the traffic back to several servers. He said some are located in the Russian business network, others are in Hong Kong, and they believe the major cache is on a server in Malaysia.

Different hacker groups are selling a kit that helps malware authors compile new versions of the Prg Trojan. The kit, which sells for about $300 on underground forums and marketplaces, even re-scrambles the code to evade anti-virus detection.

SecureWorks noted that computers infected with the Prg Trojan will have a backdoor proxy server listening for connections on Port 6081. “This port is in not assigned to legitimate services and is not hidden by the rootkit functionality. f port 6081 is open on your computer, you are likely infected with the Prg Trojan,” said Jackson. “If anti-virus is not detecting the infection, then you will need to boot the computer into Safe Mode and run another scan. If that fails, manual removal or reinstalling the operating system may be necessary.”

Assigning a Static IP Address

2008-03-03T19:34:00.000+05:30

To assign a Static IP Address to your network connection follow these steps:

1. Open Network Connections

2. Right click the connection you wish to assign a Static Address to and choose Properties.

3. In the Properties box that comes up select “Internet Protocol TCP/IP” and click the Properties button beneath.

4. In Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties place a dot in “Use the following IP Address“.

5. Enter the IP address you wish to use and OK the change. Click OK on Local Area Connection Properties.

6. Reboot

How To Detect what process is thrashing your hard drive

2008-03-03T19:29:00.002+05:30

Every once in a while you notice that your hard drive is working extra hard for what seems like no reason. A background process has taken your hard drive hostage, forcing it to thrash loudly as it struggles to keep up with the high rate of reads and writes. Your computer responds slowly as the process overloads the physical limitations of your drive. What are you to do?The solution is simple, although a little tricky at times: identify and stop the process that is killing your drive. There are two methods and tools that you can use to identify the process.

Method 1
Click on the Start Button and key in Reliability. Click on the Reliability and Performance Monitor shortcut.
On the main screen click on the Disk section down arrow to see a list of all processes and the files they are writing or reading from your drives.
Click on the Read or Write headings to sort all disk operations to identify which process and file is currently using the disk the most.
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Method 2
Visit Microsoft’s Sysinternals web site and download Process Explorer.
After you have started Process Explorer, click on the View menubar item and then Select Columns.
Click on the Process Performance tab and check:
I/O Reads
I/O Read Bytes
I/O Writes
I/O Write Bytes
Hit OK.
You will now see the new columns listed for each process. To identify what process is killing your hard drive, just look for the process with the highest number of Reads or Bytes

Avoid Compulsory Registration in a Website

2008-03-03T18:58:00.000+05:30

Many websites on internet need you to register to acess the information, like many forums force you to register to have acess to their discussion pages. Below are some techniques that i found to bypass compulsory registrations on websites.

BugMeNot

Bugmenot- Free login Details to bypass compulsory registration

Bugmenot is a groovy website to find and share logins for websites that force you to register. Just fill in the web adress in the search box and Login details will be provided if available for that particular site.
For more information on using Bugmenot, you can see Wikihow Article on using Bugmenot.

Also you can download Bugmenot Firefox Extension to bypass compulsory web registration via Firefox’s right-click context menu.

Google Bot

Most of the websites today get maximum number of visitors from google. So all the websites including ones that require registration, would like to see their content indexed by Google. Therefore as soon as they detect the google bot, they allow it to acess pages that are normally restricted to human users, so if a normal human being visits the website using a web browser, he is politely redirected to the “Please register first” webpage.

There is a cool Firefox Extension called Firefox User Agent Switcher that lets you switch the user agent so that the reg-only website is fooled to think that you are a web spider.

You can download the Firefox user agent switcher extension here . After downloading and installing the extension you have to do the following:-
Goto Tools>>Extensions>>Select User Agent Switcher

Click Options button and select User Agents from the Sidebar.

Then click Add to add new User Agent.

In the description box write “Google Bot” and in the User Agent Box write “Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html)” .

Done. Enjoy ! Bypass Registration on Websites with Google Cache

This trick even work on some websites that usually require paid registration in order to access their content.
Find the exact page that you want in a list of Google search results. For example, if you know there’s a page on RegisteredAccess.com that has some data about turtles that is only accessible to registered users, you can search on google for “site:RegisteredAccess.com turtles”. Once you find the link to this article, you can simple click on “Cached” to see what version Google has.

Working with Username and Password, using net user command

2008-03-03T18:56:00.001+05:30

The following example shows the syntax of the net user command:
net user [username [password | *] [options]] [/domain]
username {password | *} /add [options] [/domain]
username [/delete] [/domain]

You can use the net user command to create and modify user accounts on computers. When you use this command without command-line switches, the user accounts for the computer are listed. The user account information is stored in the user accounts database. This command works only on servers.
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You can use the following parameters with the net user command:• username
Is the name of the user account you want to add, delete, modify, or view. The name of the user account can have as many as 20 characters.
• password
Assigns or changes a password for the user’s account. A password must satisfy the minimum length set with the /minpwlen option of the net accounts command. It can contain as many as 14 characters.
• *
Produces a prompt for the password. The password is not displayed when you type it at a password prompt.
• /domain
Performs the operation on the primary domain controller (PDC) of the current domain. This parameter applies only to computers running Windows NT Workstation that are members of a Windows NT Server domain. By default, Windows NT Server-based computers perform operations on the PDC.
• /add
Adds a user account to the user accounts database.
• /delete
Removes a user account from the user accounts database.

CONVERTING FAT32 to NTFS

2008-03-03T18:52:00.001+05:30

Converting a partition from FAT32 to NTFS can be done by an inbuilt utility in the Windows XP operating system — but it is important to realise that it is a one-way process. You cannot convert back, except possibly by use of Partition Magic 7.01, and that is not always successful. Windows XP has no tool for converting from NTFS to FAT32.

There are a couple of things to do in advance if the conversion is to be efficient. If you do not take these preliminary steps, you are liable to end up with only 512 byte clusters, which is not a good idea.

What happens is that FAT32 partitions formatted by most Windows versions except Windows XP itself (and possibly Windows 2000) have an odd multiple of 2 kilobytes in the “system” sectors before the data area, where the File Allocation Tables themselves and clustering start. Therefore, clusters 4 KB in size are not aligned on 4 KB boundaries, as NTFS will want. CONVERT.EXE, finding it cannot use 4K clusters, gives up and makes the clusters only 512 bytes (one half KB) instead.

It is, therefore, important to realign the partition before conversion, by moving all the data area up to a 4K boundary. (This will absorb odd sectors at the far end which otherwise would not get used). For this, I suggest BootIT NG, from BootitNG.com. This is a shareware program, priced at US$30 but with a 30-day fully functional trial. You may well find it valuable also for its Disk Imaging and Partition Management capabilities.

Download the BOOTITNG.ZIP file to its own folder, extract the contents of the ZIP file, then run BOOTITNG.EXE, which will make a bootable floppy. Boot this floppy. For purposes of Partition Management, there is no need to install the program to hard disk, so click Cancel Install, thus entering Maintenance. Click Partition Work. Highlight the partition you intend to convert. Click Slide, which has an option check box to Align for NTFS only. Click OK. As it has to move almost every sector on the entire partition, this will take a very long time — schedule it for a meal break, or start it to run overnight. (If it finishes quickly, that probably means that the partition was properly aligned already.)

Then restart the computer, boot Windows XP, being sure to logon as an Administrator, and defragment the disk. This ensures that there is, as far as possible, a contiguous area for the NTFS Master File Table. It is best if there is a fairly substantial amount of free space while you do it.
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Now use the Windows XP convert tool: Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt (or, from a Run box, type CMD) and, assuming you intend to convert C:, give the command:

VOL C:

Note the name of the disk in the first line, and the Volume Serial Number (for example, 3F4E-2D1B) in the second. Then type:

CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS

It will ask for that name in confirmation. Then it will ask two further questions. Reply Y each time to set up conversion to happen at the next boot, then restart the machine. (If you are converting a partition other than the operating system’s partition, you may find that it runs without rebooting.) After returning to Win XP, the hard disk will work for two or three minutes, tidying up. Leave things alone during this time.

Change a MAC Address

2008-03-03T18:32:00.001+05:30

MAC addresses were designed to be fixed numbers that cannot be changed. However, there are several valid reasons to want to change your MAC address
Changing a MAC Address To Work With Your ISP

Most Internet subscriptions allow the customer only a single IP address. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) may assign one static (fixed) IP address to each customer. However, this approach is an inefficient use of IP addresses that are currently in short supply. The ISP more commonly issues each customer dynamic IP address that may change each time the customer connects to the Internet.ISPs ensure each customer receives only one dynamic address using several methods. Dial-up and many DSL services typically require the customer to log in with a username and password.
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Cable modem services, on the other hand, do this by registering and tracking the MAC address of the device that connects to the ISP.

The device whose MAC address is monitored by an ISP can be either the cable modem, a broadband router, or the PC that hosts the Internet connection. The customer is free to build a network behind this equipment, but the ISP expects the MAC address to match the registered value at all times.

Whenever a customer replaces that device, however, or changes the network adapter inside it, the MAC address of this new equipment will no longer match the one registered at the ISP. The ISP will often disable the customer’s Internet connection for security (and billing) reasons.
Change a MAC Address through Cloning

Some people contact their ISP to request they update the MAC address associated with their subscription. This process works but takes time, and Internet service will be unavailable while waiting for the provider to take action.A better way to quickly workaround this problem is to change the MAC address on the new device so that it matches the address of the original device. While an actual physical MAC address cannot be changed in hardware, the address can be emulated in software. This process is called cloning.

Many broadband routers today support MAC address cloning as an advanced configuration option. The emulated MAC address appears to the service provider identical to the original hardware address. The specific procedure of cloning varies depending on the type of router; consult product documentation for details.
MAC Addresses and Cable Modems

In addition to MAC addresses tracked by the ISP, some broadband modems also track the MAC address of the host computer’s network adapter within the home network. If you swap the computer connected to the broadband modem, or change its network adapter, your cable Internet connection may not function afterward.In this case, MAC address cloning is not required. Resetting (including recycling power) on both the cable modem and the host computer will automatically change the MAC address stored inside the modem.
Changing MAC Addresses through the Operating System

Starting with Windows 2000, users can sometimes change their MAC address through the Windows My Network Places interface. This procedure does not work for all network cards as it depends on a certain level of software support built into the adapter driver.In Linux and versions of Unix, the “ifconfig” also supports changing MAC addresses if the necessary network card and driver support exists.
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Summary - Change a MAC Address

The MAC address is an important element of computer networking. MAC addresses uniquely identify a computer on the LAN. MAC is an essential component required for network protocols like TCP/IP to function.Computer operating systems and broadband routers support viewing and sometimes changing MAC addresses. Some ISPs track their customers by MAC address. Changing a MAC address can be necessary in some cases to keep an Internet connection working. Some broadband modems also monitor the MAC address of their host computer.
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Although MAC addresses do not reveal any geographic location information like IP addresses do, changing MAC addresses may improve your Internet privacy in some situations.

Find a MAC Address

2008-03-03T17:40:00.000+05:30

The method used to find a MAC address depends on the type of network device involved. All popular network operating systems contain utility programs that allow one to find (and sometimes change) MAC address settings.
Find a MAC Address in Windows

In Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME, the winipcfg utility displays the computer’s MAC address. Use the ipconfig utility (with the /all option) in Windows NT and any newer versions of Windows.Both ‘winipcfg’ and ‘ipconfig’ may display multiple MAC addresses for one computer. One MAC address exists for each installed network card. Additionally, Windows maintains one or more MAC addresses that are not associated with hardware cards.
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For example, Windows dial-up networking uses virtual MAC addresses to manage the phone connection as if it were a network card. Some Windows VPN clients likewise have their own MAC address. The MAC addresses of these “virtual” network adapters are the same length and format as true hardware addresses.
Find a MAC Address in Unix or Linux

The specific command used in Unix to find a MAC address varies depending on the version of the operating system. In Linux and in some forms of Unix, the command “ifconfig -a” returns MAC addresses.You can also find MAC addresses in Unix and Linux in the boot message sequence. These operating systems display the computer’s MAC address on-screen as the system reboots. Additionally, boot-up messages are retained in a log file (usually “/var/log/messages” or “/var/adm/messages”).
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Find a MAC Address on the Macintosh

You can find MAC addresses on the Macintosh in the TCP/IP Control Panel. If the system is running Open Transport, the MAC address appears under the “Info” or “User Mode/Advanced” screens. If the system is running MacTCP, the MAC address appears under the “Ethernet” icon.

How to Download from Rapidshare without Premium Account

2008-03-03T17:26:00.001+05:30

It's very difficult to download from rapidshare if you don't have a premium account. So, if you want to download unlimited from RS, you can use some useful service like Rapidshare Premium Link Generator, here are some nice website to help you:

1. Hellorapid : Don't limit number of download per day, but max file size allowed is 60 Mb. So you can download unlimited files that are smaller than 60 Mb. Highly Recommend!

2. Rsrip : Limit 3 files per day, unlimited file size.

3. Rapidl : Limit 5 files per day, unlimited file size.

4. Rapidshare Premium Link Generator :Limited to downloading 3 files in a 24 hours period. If you use the 3 downloads then come back tomorrow if you want to download more.The 3 files must be equal to 300mb. Resuming downloads is NOT supported.

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5.RapidCheck :RapidCheck is a tool that checks whether any free accounts are available at rapidshare.de. It stays at system tray area and checks for free acounts at speciefied intervals. When free acounts detected, you will be notified by the program with an information baloon tooltip. Then you can directly go to free account registration page by clicking the tooltip

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6.RapidShare Premium Links Maker :is a simple web page where you can paste a RapidShare download.

7.Rapidshare download tool without premium a/c

Hard Drive Repair and Diagnostic Tools- Part I

2008-03-03T17:16:00.002+05:30

If you've ever had your hard drive die on you, then you know how painful it is to try to retrieve the important documents, family photos, MP3s, and videos that you worked so hard to put together.

Hard drives can fail because they get overheated, they get corrupted from viruses, or just because they get too old. You can prevent hardware failure by regularly checking the health of your hard drive with tools provided by your hard disk manufacturer or computer-maker.

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For instance, Western Digital has a Data LifeGuard Diagnostics tool that you can use to check your hard drives for errors and other defects. If any are found, it can repair bad sectors on your disk at your discretion. To be comprehensive, this kind of testing can take more than an hour to complete depending on how large your drive is.

If you have a different brand of hard drive, I've included some links to other brand-specific hard disk-checking tools:

Fujitsu

Diagnostic Tools work with IDE/ATA/SCSI drives. It can perform random seek/read tests along with more detailed surface scans.

Hitachi

Drive Fitness Test tests any brand of desktop and notebook hard drive and logs error events for easy tracking. Checks for cable and temperature problems.

Maxtor

Bought by Seagate. See Seagate entry below.

Samsung

HUTIL Drive Diagnostic Utility works exclusively with Samsung hard drives and can function regardless of the state of your PC's operating system.

Seagate

SeaTools for Windows tests USB, ATA, SATA, SCSI, and 1394 drives. It works with all kinds of hard drives including Maxtor. DOS version also available.

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Western Digital

Data LifeGuard Diagnostics tool can test and repair WD FireWire, USB, or EIDE drives.

Extra

By the way, if you really need a comprehensive set of hard drive management and diagnostic tools, you can download a copy of Ultimate Boot CD (available in DOS or Windows flavors).

10+ E-mail Best Practices to Share

2008-03-03T17:03:00.002+05:30

1.Prevent virus outbreaks and spam

Viruses are often spread through e-mail. You can greatly reduce the spread of e-mail viruses by using antivirus software, using only e-mail services that offer automatic antivirus protection (such as AOL, Google, Hotmail, and Yahoo), opening e-mail only from trusted sources, opening only attachments you're expecting, and scanning attached files with antivirus software before opening them.
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Spam is loosely defined as unsolicited bulk e-mail and loosely correlates to the junk mail that turns up in your home mailbox. But spam represents more than unwanted clutter. It clogs e-mail accounts—and networks and servers—while trying to sell products, spread jokes, or propagate Internet hoaxes.

Reduce the amount of spam you receive by being cautious where you post your e-mail address. Avoid publishing your e-mail address on Web sites or submitting it to every site or organization that requests it.

Never forward chain messages, which often reveal coworkers’ and colleagues’ e-mail addresses to other parties. Use caution when accepting e-mail offers or agreeing to accept mailings from vendors; subscribe only to Web sites and newsletters you really need and consider creating a generic Hotmail or Yahoo e-mail account for these subscriptions.

Don’t open unsolicited e-mail. If you accidentally open spam, don’t click links offering to unsubscribe or remove you from the mailing list unless the sender is a trusted vendor

2. Avoid phishing attacks

Phishing scams are designed to steal consumers’ personal information. They often use doctored and fraudulent e-mail messages to trick recipients into divulging private information, such as credit card numbers, account usernames, passwords, and even social security numbers.
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Online banking and e-commerce are generally safe, but you should always be careful about divulging personal and corporate information over the Internet. Phishing messages often boast real logos and appear to have come from the actual organization, but those messages are frequently nothing more than copyright infringements and faked addresses. If you suspect a message possesses any credibility, you are much safer calling the company directly—preferably at a telephone number printed on a paper statement or invoice—and talking to an authorized representative.

3.Manage your Inbox

Sort messages by priority, subject, date, sender, and other options to help find important e-mail that requires your attention. Proper e-mail etiquette dictates that you respond to all e-mail in a timely fashion. Generally speaking, you should respond to all professional e-mail within a business day, even if it’s just to say you’ve received the message and will look into the matter. Occasionally, you may receive an e-mail thread that contains responses from several people; always read the entire thread before responding.
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4.Compose professional messages

Writing subject lines can be tricky, but you should always include one. The goal is to summarize the message without being too wordy or too vague. Long subjects tend to be skimmed or ignored, and they don’t always fully display in e-mail viewers. For best readability, use sentence case for subject lines rather than all caps:

Agenda for meeting on 02/03/2008

Not

AGENDA FOR MEETING ON 02/03/2008

5.Properly use CC and BCC

The carbon copy (CC) and blind carbon copy (BCC) features found in most e-mail clients allow you to send copies of an e-mail to others you need to keep informed but who aren’t necessarily the primary recipients.
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When copying others, be certain the e-mail message pertains to them. If you use e-mail address lists, verify that all of the members of the list should receive the e-mail, too, and remove those who don’t need to be included. And use the BCC feature sparingly. If sensitive topics require BCCing others, it may be best to take the matter offline and discuss it in person.

7.Obey etiquette rules when forwarding messages

Before you forward an e-mail, make sure that all recipients need to receive the message. In addition, be careful when forwarding sensitive or confidential information. Never forward proprietary information to external audiences or to unauthorized recipients. Before clicking the Send button, review whether a message’s contents are appropriate for each listed recipient.

8.Don't be a party to a flame war

Flame wars are heated e-mail exchanges that are more emotional than reasoned, and they have no place in professional communications. If you receive a flame or suddenly find yourself in a flame war, take a little time

before responding, if you respond at all. Think about the situation and reply rationally not emotionally.
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You may also decide not to reply but to deal with the issue in person. Often, flame wars are started because of a simple misunderstanding. An ill-phrased comment (or even a well phrased one) can be misconstrued by a recipient, who then fires off a salvo in response. Instead of replying, go talk to the person and discuss the message. If talking with the person doesn’t end the problem, involve a manager for assistance in resolving the issue offline.

9.Protect e-mail addresses

Don't divulge your coworkers’ e-mail addresses to vendors, friends, or others outside the organization. Verify that recipients listed in the To and CC fields should be receiving messages and that you won't be revealing others' e-mail addresses in the process. Don't post your or coworkers’ e-mail addresses on Internet forums or bulletin boards, on Usenet groups, in chat rooms, or in other public areas.

Here are a couple of simple ways to help keep others’ e-mail addresses private. First, use the BCC feature when you need to hide their e-mail addresses from external audiences. Second, delete their addresses from messages you forward. It takes only a few moments and will reduce the chances of coworkers’ e-mail addresses proliferating in the wild.

10.Be smart about handling attachments

E-mail attachments consume inordinate amounts of e-mail server space and network bandwidth and are often the culprits behind virus outbreaks—but they're often the easiest way to transfer files. Just be sure to follow these guidelines when e-mailing attachments:

1. Don’t attach large files to an e-mail.

2. Limit the number of files you attach to a message to five or fewer.

3. Save attachments to your hard drive and then delete the e-mail message containing the attachment.

4. Don’t open unexpected attachments or those sent by unknown parties.

5. Always scan files with an antivirus program before opening an attachment. Never click an attachment without first confirming that it’s virus-free.

6. Don't annoy recipients by forwarding attachments they can’t access. If an attachment requires a new or less-common application, say so in your message.

11.Don't include sensitive or potentially embarrassing information

Don't make the mistake of thinking your e-mails are private. They're not. Think of them as postcards. You should never include any information in an e-mail that you wouldn’t want published on the front page of your local newspaper. In other words, never send confidential, proprietary, sensitive, personal, or classified information through e-mail. You should also refrain from making inflammatory, emotionally charged comments in e-mail.
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12.Know when to use e-mail (and when not to)

Businesses provide e-mail for professional, business-related use, not for jokes, gossip, or chain e-mails. Also remember that you shouldn't send an e-mail to do a conversation's work. Complicated subjects are often difficult to explain face to face, much less in an e-mail. Instead of firing off a complicated explanation via e-mail, set up a short meeting to address the issue in person.

E-mail is also a poor stand-in for conversation when conducting critical, difficult, and/or unpleasant discussions, such as issues related to human resources matters. Touchy communications are best handled in person.

13.Hoaxes, scams, and urban legends - the downside of email

Email hoaxes are the online equivalent of urban legends. Email hoaxes may entail a variety of subjects from virus warnings to false stories of plans to start taxing email. Often they are harmless in nature, but they can cause unnecessary chaos and sometimes fear. Most people have good intentions when they forward these email messages. They are probably unaware that they are circulating an email hoax.

It is important to recognize when you receive a hoax so that you can play a part in stopping it from spreading. With email hoaxes, it is often difficult to distinguish whether or not it is truth. Many sound like they are doing you a favour by warning you of something dangerous (a computer virus, medical risk, etc.). The email will often look legitimate by falsely citing reputable sources.

Here are some questions to consider if you suspect an email may be a hoax:

· Does the email suggest that you email it to everyone you know?

· Does the email start out by saying 'This is not a hoax'?

· Can you see that the email has already been forwarded through a lengthy chain of people?

· Does the email cite a source (i.e. CNN) but no date that the info was released or link to that source's web site?

· Does the email sound too good to be true? (i.e. Microsoft will pay you $5 for everyone you send this to)

· Does the email have an 'urgent warning'?

· Does the email ask you to delete files?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may be dealing with an email hoax.

Before you consider forwarding any email that asks you to forward it to anyone else you should be able to do the following:

· Verify the original date the message was created and sent.

· Verify the original sender of the message.

· Verify any quotes made by any organizations mentioned with specific URL's (web addresses) that backup the claims made in the message.

· If the e-mail is for a cause, be able to verify the date of any action mentioned and/or the specific piece of legislation that is mentioned

· Just Google it to find out whether it is a HOAX or NOT

How To Enlarge Images Without Loosing Quality?

2008-02-19T08:22:00.002+05:30

How To Enlarge Images Without Loosing Quality

There are two kinds of computer graphics - raster (composed of pixels) and vector (composed of paths). Raster images are more commonly called bitmap images. A bitmap image uses a grid of individual pixels where each pixel can be a different color or shade. Bitmaps are composed of pixels. Bitmap graphics are the most common graphic format in use on the web and, indeed, on the computer. A pixel is minutely small; a single image may be composed of hundreds of thousands of individual pixels. Much like cells revealed from a piece of tissue when seen under a microscope, these pixels are only clearly and individually visible when the image is magnified.

Vector graphics use mathematical relationships between points and the paths connecting them to describe an image. Vector graphics are composed of paths.

The image to the left below is representative of a bitmap and the image to the right is representative of a vector graphic. They are shown at four times actual size to exaggerate the fact that the edges of a bitmap become jagged as it is scaled up:

Bitmap Image:	Vector Graphic:
Anti-Aliased Bitmap Image:	Smooth Vector Image:

Bitmap images require higher resolutions and anti-aliasing for a smooth appearance. Vector-based graphics on the other hand are mathematically described and appear smooth at any size or resolution.

Bitmaps are best used for photographs and images with subtle shading. Graphics best suited for the vector format are page layout, type, line art or illustrations.

Because a bitmap image is this collection of squares, it doesn't hold up well to expansion. The more dots per inch, the better the resolution of the image. Vector image is much more sophisticated because it has more moving parts. Each vector image is made up of a handful of smaller images, just like the bitmap, except that the vector image's parts are scalable. This means that designers can change the resolution of a vector image in both directions, making a high-res image lower or making a low-res image higher. If designers are looking for an image that can be easily scaled in both directions, then their choice between vector and bitmap should be an easy one.

Vector and Bitmap Differences--vector images are not confined to a rectangular shape.

Common bitmap formats include:
• BMP
• GIF
• JPEG, JPG
• PNG
• PICT (Macintosh)
• PCX
• TIFF
• PSD (Adobe Photoshop)

Popular bitmap editing programs are:
• Microsoft Paint
• Adobe Photoshop
• Corel Photo-Paint
• Jasc Paint Shop Pro
• Ulead PhotoImpact

Common vector formats include:
• AI (Adobe Illustrator)
• CDR (CorelDRAW)
• CMX (Corel Exchange)
• CGM Computer Graphics Metafile
• DXF AutoCAD
• WMF Windows Metafile

Popular vector drawing programs are:
• Adobe Illustrator
• CorelDRAW
• Macromedia Freehand
• Xara X

A vector graphic resized to 5 times its original dimensions is simply reproduced, exactly, at the new size. It can also be freely manipulated without losing coherence, like a rubber band that can be stretched an infinite number of ways.

There is a website called Vector Magic which offers free online auto-tracer service to converts bitmap images to vector images. All you need to do is upload your image and they will vectorize it for you! Let me show you how easy it is. You will need Adobe Flash Player for this to work.

1. Browse the image that you want to convert to vector image and click Upload.

2. Choose the quality level of the image.

3. Select if your image has less than 12 colors or many colors

4. Select the palette used for vectorizing your image.

5. Done! You can download the results in EPS, SVG or PNG format. You can also share the vectorized image by clicking the Share button to get the link

	Beta

Fileformats supported :Input - JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF Output - EPS, SVG, PNG

Softwares:

gzip (free, all systems)
In the beginning an important tip: you can compress SVG files substantially, either by using gzip or by using the Adobe SVG Viewer 3. The compressed files have the suffix .svgz and can be read by the viewer.

KVEC 2.75 (shareware, all systems)
If you don't mind working in the command line (like the MS-DOS command line), you can use KVEC to convert several raster formats (BMP, GIF, JPG, TIFF,...) into various vector formats - amongst them SVG.

fds for SVG 0.1 (Windows, free)
This little tool (zipped 21 KB!!) really converts bitmaps to SVG, mind you with some ;-) restrictions, which are pointed out on the developer's page.
1. It only works with 8-bit Windows bitmaps.
2. The original has to be smaller than 600x600.
3. Images with many colours will experience an interesting but unwanted change after conversion

CR2V Celinea Raster to Vector converter (free, Windows)

Here, too, you have to enter the conversion commands into the command line.

Adobe Illustrator : ( Windows and Mac) Download from here

Logon to Windows Using Your USB Flash Drive

2008-02-04T23:38:00.002+05:30

Logon to Windows Using Your USB Flash Drive

If you didn’t know what a “Dongle” is, a dongle is a small hardware device that connects to a computer to authenticate a piece of

software. When the dongle is not present, the software runs in a restricted mode or refuses to run. Same with this case, you can use your USB flash drive and make it like a Dongle. To login to your user account, simply plug in your USB flash drive and it will allow you to login. If other unauthorized USB flash drive is plugged in, it’ll automatically logoff. A good way to secure your Windows log in if you’re a person who can’t remember anything including passwords!

Blue Micro USB Flash Drive is design for personal use with simple security features for the computer systems. The software creates a encryption data to the USB flash drive and the user has to logon to the computer using the configured USB flash drive. Therefore the USB flash drive acts like a key for the computer. Users do not need to remember password and encryption is not dependent on windows system itself. The encrypted data is completely proprietary information. This software can be installed on windows XP or 2000 only.

I tried it and it works. I also tried to boot in to Safe Mode and see if it will bypass this security but it also ask for the USB key to login. I believe it’s much safer to use this method to protect your computer from illegal logins compared to the Windows login. This is because there are already so many ways to crack Windows account password(do a search here and you’ll find a few articles on how to crack and hack into Windows). A hacker/cracker can crack all the passwords he wants, but without the USB flash drive, he can’t get in to that user account that he wants to.

The author of Blue Micro USB Flash Drive did say “If you are facing any serious problem after installing this application, you can reinstall windows xp or 2000 without formatting your computer. This process will reinstall windows xp or 2000 by restoring your computer settings back to normal without effecting windows configurations.” Seems like there is no way to hack in, unless you reinstall Windows which takes time.

Very easy to install and use. Just download, install and run it. First of all, you need to create the encrypted data to login. Enter a 14 digit access code, then the drive letter of your USB flash drive and finally click the “Create My Flash Drive Key” button. You will get a notification saying “Your flash drive key has been created. Please enable your flash drive logon in the Enable/Disable Logon tab”.

Next, you need to enable user logon and also flash drive logon application. Just click on the Enable/Disable Logon tab, and then click on the “Disable” button to Enable it.

You must also be very careful not to delete the file “bmpl.txt” in your USB root. That’s the file that contains the encrypted data which is recognized by Blue Micro USB Flash Drive. If someone copies that files to another USB flash drive, he too can login to your computer using HIS USB flash drive. Another way to recreate the bmpl.txt file is if you remember the 14 digit access code. You have to install Blue Micro USB Flash Drive Logon software on another computer, and then recreate the bmpl.txt file from there.

[ Download Blue Micro USB Flash Drive Logon ]

Double Click C Drive at My Computer And Not Opening Fix

2008-02-04T22:17:00.001+05:30

Double Click C Drive at My Computer And Not Opening Fix

A lot of virus creates an autorun.inf file at the root of your local drives and USB

flash drive. The reason for this is when you open My Computer and tries to access a drive, it will run the virus to infect your computer. Very often anti-virus is able to remove executable virus from system but not autorun.inf. This is because autorun.inf that’s located at the root of your drive is only an instruction file that tells Windows what to automatically run when you access the drive from My Computer.

So even after the virus being cleaned, you’ll find that you’re unable to access your C drive from My Computer. Some people double click C drive, a search window will appear. For some, it’d say that it cannot find the script or file to run. Most common of all, when double click C drive, it gives you an option to choose a program to open.

For computer experts, one look and they’ll know they had to remove the autorun.inf file from C drive. Usually the autorun.inf cannot be easily deleted because it has system, read-only, and hidden file attribute. You can go to command prompt to remove the file attributes and then delete it. Sounds easy for an advance computer user but might be tough for a novice. Here’s how to easily double clicking C drive at My Computer and not opening problem.

Disk Heal is a useful tool that restores the condition of your storage device after being infected by a virus. Disk Heal is a useful tool that performs many functions. Initially it was a program which fixed disk problems that occur after a virus has been removed with a few additional features like changing the icon of a drive. Currently it performs various other tweaks as well. More will be added soon.

To fix your C drive problem, download, install and run Disk Heal. Make sure you have administrator privileges. Click the Fix button, type the drive letter and click Fix. Other than fixing drive not opening problem, it can also restore folder options, task manager, and registry editor. Just like what RRT does.

Other than fixing problems that virus creates, it also has a bunch of other useful security, appearance, Internet Explorer and Control Panel tweaks.

Security Tweaks:
-Enable/Disable Task Manager
-Enable/Disable Folder options
-Enable/Disable the registry editor
-Lock the location of ‘My Documents’
-Enable/Disable Display Properties
-Enable/Disable ‘Search’
-Enable/Disable ‘Run’
-Enable/Disable Control Panel
-Enable/Disable Shutdown
-Enable/Disable CPU Beep
-Enable/Disable CD Auto-run
-Hide/Unhide Start->(All) Programs menu
-Enable/Disable the Context menu in My Computer & Desktop
-Enable/Disable My Computer
-Hide/Show ‘Pinned’ items from the Start menu
-Remove ‘Manage’ in My Computer Context Menu

Appearance Tweaks:
-Change drive icon
-Enable/Disable Clear-Type (Also known as ‘Font smoothing’ Fonts)
-Enable/Disable smooth scrolling
-Hide/Show the left panel from My Computer
-Hide/Show the current user in the Start menu
-Hide/Show the windows version on the Desktop
-Hide/Show windows error messages on startup

Internet Explorer Tweaks:
-Enable/Disable Auto-complete
-Check if Default Browser
-Lock current home page
-Increase simultaneous downloads to 10

Control Panel Tweaks
-Hide/Show Accessibility Options
-Hide/Show Add or Remove programs
-Hide/Show Console Options
-Hide/Show Date and Time Options
-Hide/Show Display Options
-Hide/Show Fax Options
-Hide/Show Hardware Wizard
-Hide/Show IR Port Options
-Hide/Show Regional Options
-Hide/Show Internet Settings
-Hide/Show Joystick Options
-Hide/Show licensing programs
-Hide/Show Keyboard and Mouse Options
-Hide/Show Mail Options
-Hide/Show sound Options
-Hide/Show dial-up Options
-Hide/Show network & connectivity Wizard
-Hide/Show modem Options
-Hide/Show Netware client Options
-Hide/Show ODBC options
-Hide/Show PC card Options
-Hide/Show port Options
-Hide/Show power Options
-Hide/Show scanner and camera Options
-Hide/Show server manager Wizard
-Hide/Show speech Options
-Hide/Show System Properties
-Hide/Show Telephone Properties
-Hide/Show TweakUI Properties
-Hide/Show User Manager Properties

Disk Heal is FREE and portable that works on Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista. After installing Disk Heal, go to C:\Program Files\Disk Heal\Disk Heal v1.47 and copy the Disk Heal.exe to your USB flash drive. Great and useful tool.

[ Download Disk Heal ]

There’s another tool called Flash Disinfector by sUBs which you can use to easily remove USB flash drive malwares… It also works on local hard drive. Very easy to use. Just run Flash_Disinfector.exe and it will tell you to plug in your flash drive that is infected by malware. The screen will then go blank for a while. After a few seconds, you’ll see a popup window saying “Done!!”. I’ve personally used it to remove Bha.dll.vbs and it works perfectly.

Flash Disinfector will target the following Flash malwares(in general):

W32/Perlovga (copy.exe | host.exe)
VBS_RESULOWS.A (Hacked by Godzilla, Hacked by Moozilla)
Bha.dll.vbs
w32automa worm (Autorun.vbs)
Trojan.Win32.VB.atg | Win32/Dzan | Worm_vb.bnr (tel.xls.exe | mmc.exe)
W32/RJump.worm (RavMonE)
Worm.Win32.Delf.bf | W32.Fujacks (spoclsv.exe)
W32.Fujacks.BH (Fucker.vbs)
WORM_AGENT.PGV (soundmix.exe)
W32/Hakaglan.worm (RVHost.exe)
Trojan.Win32.VB.ayo [AVP] (Macromedia_Setup.exe)
Trojan.VBS.DeltreeY.b#1 (Destrukto!!! | destrukto.vbs)

What will Flash Disinfector do:
- Clean up junks created by flash malwares
- Deletes autorun.inf from every root folder
- Fix back damages done to your system

[ Download Flash Disinfector ]

Restore Task Manager, Regedit and Folder Options

2008-02-04T22:12:00.001+05:30

Restore Task Manager, Regedit and Folder Options Disabled by Virus

Let’s face it. All of us have been infected by virus before. Even if you have anti-virus installed, you can still be infected by a new or custom virus that is not recognized by your anti-virus. Sometimes after removing the virus completely from our system, you’ll face new problems such as you can no longer bring up Windows Task Manager from CTRL+ALT+DEL. You get the error message saying “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator”.

You think that it’s easy to fix this problem by going to Registry Editor but you can’t! You get the error message “Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator“.

Folder Options and even Show Hidden Files & Folder is disabled! How frustrating! Don’t worry, here’s how to restore your Windows Task Manager, Registry Editor, Folder Options and Show hidden files & folders.

This problem is most commonly caused by a virus called “Brontok“. Brontok virus will make some changes to the system restrictions in order to hide itself from easy detection and also from easy cleaning.

Here’s a free tool called Remove Restrictions Tool (RRT) which is able to re-enables all what the virus had previously disabled, and gives you back the control over your own computer.

Remove Restrictions Tool is able to re-enable:
- Registry Tools (regedit)
- Ctrl+Alt+Del
- Folder Options
- Show Hidden Files

Small and easy to use. Make sure you boot in to Safe Mode to use Remove Restrictions Tool (RRT). Just click on the buttons and it’ll do it’s job.

[ Download Remove Restrictions Tool (RRT) ]

How to Build a Computer

2008-02-04T13:50:00.001+05:30

How to Build a Computer

Branded computers can offer both value and performance, the parts used can be powerful and cheap, and you can switch on and start work. Yet parts are often short-spec in one place or another. Sadly you'll often get a performance "bottleneck" such as a slow graphics card, only a basic amount of memory, or a slimline motherboard with too few upgrade slots. Luckily, computers are surprisingly easy to build. If you can afford the time to plan and build your own machine, you can design a system more targeted toward your own use.

Steps

Outline the benefits you're seeking from building your own computer. Different configurations suit different purposes:
- Basic System. Nothing special, just some good parts from solid brands.
- Home System. More RAM and a slightly better CPU for that added boost.
- A Gamer's Rig. You'll need a killer graphics card, and a lot of RAM.
- Music Producer. Specialist sound cards offer lots of features and multi-channels.
- Video Editing Suite. Your processor, hard drive, and memory (some situations graphics card too) are used extensively.
- Server System. You need a really powerful rig that can shift large amounts of data 24/7.
Choose your setup. The cost implications of choosing between these uses are huge. A cheap work computer might cost only two or three hundred. A server can reach tens of thousands. Take the advice of experienced users in your field. Spend no more than is required for your usage. Ignore salesmen or others who implore you to waste money on unneeded upgrades. Refer to the table below for guidelines.
Select your hardware. Review the Things You'll Need section below to determine what to obtain for your computer. Consult the many forums on the Web for people who enjoy building their own computer systems. Post what you are planning on building, and ask for suggestions. Many people on forums are more than willing to make sure that you have chosen parts that are good, and that the overall computer will work.
Make sure the parts you have selected will work together. Almost all good computer parts websites have detailed lists of specifications to view and check what type of connection the specific part uses. Usually this entails:
- CPU socket-Motherboard socket (ex. 775, AM2)
- Graphics card slot-Motherboard slot (ex. PCI-E, AGP)
- Hard drive type-Motherboard connections (ex. SATA, PATA, RAID 0)
- Case type-Motherboard type (ex. ATX, Micro-ATX)
- PSU type-Case type (ex. ATX, Micro-ATX)
- RAM type-Motherboard RAM supported (ex. DDR-400, PC-3200)
- Monitor-Graphics card connection (ex. VGA, DVI)
- Sound Card slot-Motherboard slot (ex. PCI)
Know where each part will go and how they will connect and disconnect from the socket/slot. This is crucial as incorrect placement can ruin computer components.
Connect your hardware according to the instructions that come with the motherboard. Don't leave the hardware on your floor for days while you figure out what you should do, as this may lead to electrostatic discharge which can damage or ruin computer components. When not attached to the motherboard and case, all components should be left in their anti-static bags. Generally, this entails:
- Attach the PSU (power supply unit) to the inside of the case, following the instructions included with the case (some cases might have this step completed).
- Place the motherboard on top of its antistatic bag.
- Insert the processor into the motherboard. This is done by opening the ZIF [zero insertion force] socket, and carefully inserting the processor (NO force needed, if it doesn't slip right in, or it feels like you have to push, something is probably not right). Then close the ZIF socket arm (little force needed).
- Apply good thermal paste to the CPU. Use a very small pea sized amount and spread it in a thin layer over the entire processor surface (or if this is an older Athlon series without the protective cover, only apply to the chip in the center of the processor board). Adding too much thermal paste will decrease the life of the processor.
- Attach the heat sink. This varies from heat sink to heat sink, so read the instructions.
- Insert the RAM in the proper slots by opening the slots and pushing the RAM in until the little handles can lock it into position.
- Screw the standoff screws (usually gold hexagonal screws) into the case at the proper points where the motherboard will be screwed in.
- If your motherboard came with an IO backplate, pop out the one that came with your case and snap in the new one. This sometimes takes a bit of force. If your motherboard has standard IO connectors, your case will already have an appropriate backplate. Just snap out the metal covers (by bending from side to side) for each IO port that your motherboard has.
- Insert the motherboard into the case (it helps to hold on to the heatsink), and secure it (fasten screws into the holes, which will go into the standoffs).
- Attach the video card (if you have one ) and any other PCI cards into the motherboard. Be sure to secure them into place via the proper screws.
- Insert the floppy drive, CD-ROM drives, and the hard drives. Connect them with the appropriate cables, either IDE or SATA.
- Attach the power supply cables to the appropriate connectors in the computer (motherboard, floppy drive, hard drive, fans, CD-ROM drive). Each cable will only fit in the correct orientation, but pressure will still be needed to push the cables in. Be sure to read the directions that came with each component.
- Use zip ties to carefully bundle all of the cables, and route them to prevent them from blocking the airflow.
- Connect front panel connectors to the motherboard (the layout is in the motherboard and/or case manuals).
Plug in your computer. Turn on the computer and immediately open the CD drive. Put the CD for your operating system in the drive and close it. Restart your computer by pressing the power button until it shuts off and then push the power button again to turn the computer back on. Don't forget to turn your monitor on.
Check your motherboard manual for keys to use to start the "boot sequence" or "CMOS settings", or sometimes "BIOS settings". Click this button when the motherboard splash screen appears. Set your computer's CD/DVD drive as the first boot option. You may have to reboot your computer for these settings to take affect.
Follow the instructions to install your operating system. With most operating systems, this will include: Formatting the hard drive, configuring the boot loader, configuring the operating system, and finally installing the operating system. Once the operating system is installed, you're ready to go!

Tips

The more preparation, research and careful selection of parts you do (and making it), the less proportion of your life you will spend making the darn thing work.
If you feel overwhelmed, it's better to ask nicely and get an experienced technician to source the parts and build the machine. Individual hardware can have niggling incompatibilities that can ruin your user experience. Insist on years of experience. You'll be glad you did.
This is a basic outline to build computers, but you still need an operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux).
- Most people have Windows and know it well, but the legal Windows version for a custom machine may be more expensive than the pre-installed OS you get in the computer from the shop.
- Linux is great and free but may need more attention to install and configure. However building machine from pieces gives you great opportunity to check the list of supported hardware and be sure that your devices (especially video cards) will work.
Choose the right amount of memory. The correct amount and type of memory is crucial for system function and stability.
Don't go cheap on the power supply. A low-grade power supply can fail and destroy your motherboard. When this happens, you will replace the power supply, motherboard, CPU and RAM as your old CPU and RAM won't work in the new motherboard. Spend the extra $50 and make sure your system lasts for several years.
If you put the computer system together and it does not work, take out everything except the power supply and motherboard (and video card if not using an on-board video card). Ensure that works by viewing your BIOS start up screen. Turn it off, then plug in your hard drives and verify that works. Turn it off, then plug in your CD-ROM and ensure that works. Turn it off, and continue to plug in each additional peripheral until everything is plugged in and working. The idea here is to put in the minimum components to get it to power up, then add one at a time so you know what component is causing the problem.
Read online or magazine reviews on each component before purchasing it.
It may be very helpful to request the assistance of a friend who is familiar with building computers. At the very least, ask for their opinions on the parts you plan to use.
Be mindful of the price. It may be cheaper to buy a brand name computer.

Warnings

The quality and price of a component are often linked when comparing one brand's component to another brand's component of the same specs. Make a judgment call based upon the brand's reputation, the quality of their support (ie: RMA process), and online reviews. Do not settle for a component of sub-par reliability just to save a few dollars. The biggest differences in price come from each component's level of technology (ie: Core 2 Duo verses Core 2 Quad).
Do not use force to insert any component into any slot or socket. The tolerances of newer hardware components may be narrow, but everything should still fit without the need to apply too much force. Memory modules are among the few types of components that may require a bit of pressure to install. Before installing your memory modules, make sure they match the memory slots by comparing the notches.
Do not force cable connections. Fortunately, cables at the back of a computer will only fit onto their intended connector. All cables, except for coaxial and some laptop power connections, will only connect when they are in the same orientation as their connector. For example, DVI and VGA video cables have a trapezoidal connector, not a rectangular one.
If you are unsure about any aspect of the construction of your computer, DO NOT try "winging" it, either ask for someone who knows what their doing to "spot" you while you build or hire a professional to do it for you.
Avoid electrostatic discharge when installing components. Wear a static wristband or regularly ground yourself by touching a metal part of the case before handling components. Read the Related wikiHow on How to Avoid Destroying a Computer With Electrostatic Discharge for additional information.
Double-check all connections before switching on the computer for the first time.
Do not spill any liquids on electronic components, especially when they are powered on.
When plugging in CPUs and PATA (IDE) devices, be gentle. If you bend a pin, use tweezers or a narrow needle-nose pliers to straighten it. If you break a pin, on a CPU or CPU socket, your hardware will no longer function correctly. If you break a pin on an IDE connector, you have a 7 in 40 chance that you've broken a ground pin, which may not be critical to a device's functionality. Reference this chart to verify.
Don't skimp on purchasing quality components. This is especially important of computer's power supply. Acquire a power supply made by a well-known and respected manufacturer. A low-quality or inadequate power supply may damage other system components if it fails.

Things You'll Need

Motherboard - The motherboard is basically the computer. Without it nothing happens. Everything connects into the motherboard, which makes it really important. Modern boards contain PCI-Express (PCI-E) slots that are much faster than the old PCI. Motherboard makers list compatible CPU and memory products online. Read them before making your CPU and memory selections. You might want to look at the processor an the motherboard at the same time. Make sure your motherboard has enough USB slots for all your peripherals. Although the performance chart states MicroATX as the lowest performance motherboard, that is not always true. Though the MicroATX form factor has fewer expansion slots, it is often similar in performance to its larger cousins. It is indeed possible to create a MicroATX system that has high performance and reliability.
Processor (CPU) - This is the thing that makes the computer run, it does everything from running a game to adding 2+2. There is not a lot to think about in a CPU but there is one major decision. Intel or AMD. Up until recently, AMD showed better results in gaming and desktop computing, and Intel had better straightline speeds for data-crunching. Since the release of Intel's Core 2 Duo Processor line, however, this has changed. In the sweet spot for gaming performance, AMD could be competitive by significantly lowering prices for the Athlon 64 X2 or Athlon 64 FX-62. However, either a Core 2 Duo or an Athlon will fill your needs, as long as you purchase a processor from either line that is powerful enough for your needs.
Power Supply - Focal to the computer is the power supply itself, which provides power to the components. Power supplies are mainly rated by their power output in watts. Watts, however, aren't everything. A good quality 400 watt power supply from a reputable manufacturer will generally be a much better choice than a generic '550 watt' unit. If you get a case with the power supply included, then there's nothing you need to worry about. Antec generally makes high quality cases and power supplies. If you are looking to make a gaming rig then you must also look at how much power your video card will draw, both amps and watts. Many of today's power supplies have 2 or more 12-Volt rails, which is where a video card draws its power. This divides the total available amps and watts evenly between these. Certain high end Video cards will need to draw more amps or watts then a single one of these rails can provide so it may be important to get a single 12Volt rail power supply. Be certain to check that the power supply you want also has the proper connectors for the newer video cards.
Hard Drive - The hard drive stores everything you'll need: the operating system and all other data that you put on your computer. The only criteria for your hard drive is capacity and type. SATA, the current interface, offers RAID support and faster transfer speeds. All new motherboards are compatible with SATA hard drives. A 7200 RPM drive is crucial (anything less will bottleneck your entire system). Perpendicular Recording Technology is recommended for high capacity. Use RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is you require rapid reading and writing of large quantities of data or if you need to duplicate your data among different drives to ensure reliable storage; otherwise, don't bother. People have different opinions about which are the best hard drives, but Seagate drives have been shown to be very reliable. Check the reviews. As always, avoid no-name components.
RAM/Memory - Since the hard drive is slow to give information, a lot of information has to be stored in a place where it can be accessed fast. This is where the RAM comes in. However, it is not a replacement to a hard drive because it is not a permanent memory. Sometimes more is better than faster, depending on what applications you want to use. RAM choice is dependent on the motherboard. Go with a stick of 512 MB DDR or DDR2 (depending on the motherboard) RAM as the bare minimum, but for anything other than office applications, you'll want at least 1GB. Install 1 GB per processor core, and stick with Crucial, Corsair and Kingston.
Additional Drives - In addition to the hard drive, you will also want to purchase a CD/DVD Drive. The CD/DVD drive (optical drive) is an important removable media drive for CD's or DVD's. They are cheap and easy to install. All you have to consider is whether it burns CD's or not and whether it reads/writes DVD's. The most "able-bodied" CD/DVD drive is a combo drive.
Graphics Card (GPU) - The graphics card is the gateway between your computer and your monitor. It determines how you will see your desktop and everything else you do on your computer. This means how fast you see it and the quality of what you're seeing. For most purposes, fast integrated video like Intel GMA 3000 or nVIDIA 6150 will suffice (even for Vista's Aero Glass), but if you are going to be gaming or editing video a lot, get a standalone video adapter. Your graphics card fits into either a PCI-E slot (the current graphics standard), or an AGP slot. If you are upgrading an older or low-end PC, there may be neither of these slots, in which case you will have to use an empty PCI slot to accommodate a PCI video card. These boards almost always have integrated video. In addition, you have to check the memory of the graphics card. The memory in the graphics card determines what you can do it with the card. Some programs need more memory to run. 256 MB is recommended but 512 MB is better for gamers.
Case - The case is the enclosure that holds your computer together. It protects your computer from dust and other things that may harm your computer. A mid-size, mini, or micro cube is fine for most users, but a full tower may be needed for servers or users who want a lot of space. The main thing you want to consider in your case is the fans that are in it. The more fans the cooler your computer will be. However, the more fans the more noisier your computer is. In addition, some cases have a Power Supply which will determine if you need to buy a separate one later. Also, make sure the tiny box you'd like has enough space for hard drives, DVD recorders, and that optional card reader. Running out of space is a pain. Antec is usually best.
Monitor - The monitor is the display on which you will see your desktop and everything you do on your computer. The only thing you have to worry about is whether there are ports that will connect your computer's your monitor. For instance, most graphics cards have DVI ports instead of VGA ports while some only have VGA ports and not DVI ports. The description of the graphics card will tell you if it has a DVI port or not. You may want to get special features with your monitor, but that is completely up to you. CRTs, the large, boxy monitors, are still preferred by graphic artists for their reliability and color accuracy. However, LCDs are much sharper and will leave your desk less crowded. They also consume less power. It's mainly a money and personal preference decision.
Keyboard & Mouse - There are expensive gaming and work sets available, for first-person-shooter (FPS) games or designing 3D. Just get a cheap set (wireless is good, less congested) for basic computing. A docking rechargeable mouse is great (no more battery changing!). If you love FPS games, then you should go with a laser mouse (not to be confused with an optical mouse!) that has a nice feel and weight to it. If you have a tendency to develop carpal tunnel syndrome then a trackball mouse might be best. They are slightly more expensive, but you don't have to move your wrist at all and you can place them anywhere (leg, table, arm of chair, anything).
Sound card/headphones - Your sound card or headphones is the device that lets you hear the sounds of your computer. A surround sound card lets you have surround sound with a lot of speakers. There are also headphones that have a microphone built in (headset). You can have either. But remember, if you get a sound card you also have to get speakers. Remember also that many motherboards have excellent integrated high definition audio, so you may not need one for all your sound horsepower.
Operating system - Keep in mind what Operating System you will be using. Windows Vista will require better performing hardware than Windows XP, MacOS X, or Linux. The operating system you select should fit your needs, your comfort level, and your peripherals. For example, Windows XP and Ubuntu are excellent choices for hardware compatibility and ease of use, but may not always include the latest features of Windows Vista, MacOS X, or other Linux distributions. There are a multitude of Linux distributions such as Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, PCLinuxOS, Knoppix, Kubuntu, Debian, Freespire, Slackware, Gentoo, etc. Avoid distributions such as Slackware that require intimate knowledge of Linux command line shells unless you're comfortable with Linux. Avoid distributions such as Gentoo that require every file to be compiled during install unless you're willing to spend multiple days on an install for a disputable increase in performance.

Recommendations

The following table is a general suggestion table for choosing parts, regardless of a computer's intended use. Value categories are suggestions to save money (ie: build a PC for less than $500 US), performance categories are mainstream or for gamers, and the enthusiast categories are for those who enjoy building high-end systems. These categories are highly subjective, may not be up-to-date beyond its initial writing, and only exist to serve as an example.

	Value	Performance	Enthusiast
Case	Any, typically mini or mid-towers	Mid-tower with room for intake and exhaust fans (example: Antec, Thermaltake, Coolermaster)	Full-tower or mod case with extensive cooling capabilities (ie: room for water cooling system), or built-in passive cooling (example: Lia-li, Coolermaster, Zalman, etc.)
Motherboard	Socket 4xx/9xx, AGP graphics	Socket 775/AM2+, PCI-E graphics	Socket 775/AM2/F, multiple PCI-E slots, Crossfire or SLI support
CPU	AMD X2 or Intel Core 2 E4xxx	AMD Phenom or Intel Core 2 Duo E6xxx/Quad Q6xxx	AMD Opteron (typically in dual-CPU configuration) or Intel Core 2 Extreme (Extreme series CPUs are quad core)
RAM	1GB of DDR/DDR2, any latency	2GB of DDR2, moderately low latency	2GB+ of ultra low latency DDR2/DDR3 (typically 4GB+)
Power Supply	400W+ value PSU (20+ amps of 12V)	500W+ quality PSU or 650W+ value PSU (35+ amps of 12V)	750W+ quality PSU (60+ amps of 12V)
Video	built-in video chip on motherboard, NVIDIA x300/x400/7500, or ATI Radeon x3xx card.	NVIDIA 7600/7800/8500/8600/8800GT or ATI 2600/2900 card	NVIDIA 79x0/8800GTX/8800 Ultra or ATI Radeon HD 38xx card(s)
Audio	built-in sound chip on motherboard, Creative Labs Live, Audigy, or any C-Media based sound card.	Creative Labs X-Fi, Auzentech X-Meridian, or HT Omega (cards with EAX 2.0 or higher)	ASUS Xondar, Auzentech X-Fi Prelude (cards with EAX 5.0), or audiophile cards by E-MU or M-Audio
Hard Drive(s)	Any 7200rpm SATA drive (any capacity)	10k rpm SATA (Raptor) or Ultra320 SCSI drives(s) in standalone or RAID 0/1 configuration (250GB or higher total capacity to store media such as movies and music)	Ultra320 SCSI drives in RAID arrays on RAID controllers with on-board memory (any capacity, but typically 1TB and higher)
Optical Drive(s)	Any DVD reader or burner	DVD lightscribe burner (example: Lite-on brand)	DVD burner w/ Bluray/HD-DVD support or multiple drives (example: Plextor brand)

How to Set up a Private Network

2008-02-04T13:47:00.001+05:30

How to Set up a Private Network

A private network is one which either does not connect to the internet, or is connected indirectly using NAT (Network Address Translation) so its addresses do not appear on the public network. However, a private network allows you to connect to other computers that are on the same physical network. This is desirable when you wish to communicate with a group of other computers or share data and internet connectivity is not necessary.

Steps

Plan your network. This is probably the hardest part of setting up a network.

Draw any routers you may be using to separate major portions of your network first. Smaller private networks do not require routers, but may still use them for administrative reasons. Routers are only required if a.)Dividing your network into multiple smaller networks, b.) Allowing indirect internet access using NAT. Next, add any switches and hubs. For small networks, only one switch or hub may be necessary.
Draw boxes to represent the computers and lines connecting the devices together. This drawing will serve as your network diagram.

Although diagrams intended only for your own use may use any symbols you desire, use of industry standard symbols make this task simpler and eliminates confusion for others. Typical industry standard symbols are:
- Routers: Circle with four arrows arranged in a cross. Or just a cross if drawing a quick draft.
- Switches: Square or rectangle, with four staggered arrows, two in each direction. Represents the concept of signals being "switched" - relayed only out the port which leads to the intended user based on address.
- Hubs: Same as switch, with a single double-headed arrow. Represents the concept of all signals being blindly repeated out all ports without concern for which port leads to the intended recipient.
- Lines and squares can be used to represent connections leading to computers.
Create an address plan
- IPv4 (IP ver. 4) addresses are written like this: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (four numbers separated by three dots), in all RFC-1166 compliant countries. Each number ranges from 0 to 255. This is known as "Dotted Decimal Notation" or "Dot Notation" for short. The address is divided into two portions: the network portion and the host portion.
  
  For "Classful" networks, the network and host portions are as follows:
  ("n" represents the network portion, "x" represents the host portion)
  
  When the first number is 0 to 127 - nnn.xxx.xxx.xxx (ex. 10.xxx.xxx.xxx)
  These are known as "Class A" networks.
  
  When the first number is 128 to 191 - nnn.nnn.xxx.xxx (ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx)
  These are known as "Class B" networks.
  
  When the first number is 192 to 223 - nnn.nnn.nnn.xxx (ex. 192.168.1.xxx)
  These are known as "Class C" networks.
  
  When the first number is 224 to 239 - The address is used for multi-casting.
  
  When the first number is 240 to 255 - The address is "experimental".
  
  Multicast & Experimental addresses are beyond the scope of this article. However, do note that because IPv4 does not treat them the same way as other addresses they should not be used.
  For simplicity "non-classful networks", sub-netting, and CIDR will not be discussed in this article.
  
  The network portion specifies a network; the host portion specifies an individual device on a network.
  
  For any given network:
  - The range of all possible host portion numbers gives the Address Range.
    (ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the range is 172.16.0.0 to 172.16.255.255)
  - The lowest possible address is the Network Address.
    (ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the network address is 172.16.0.0)
    This address is used by devices to specify the network itself, and cannot be assigned to any device.
  - The highest possible address is the Broadcast Address.
    (ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the broadcast address is 172.16.255.255)
    This address is used when a packet is meant for all devices on a specific network, and cannot be assigned to any device.
  - The remaining numbers in the range are the Host Range.
    (ex. 172.16.xxx.xxx the host range is 172.16.0.1 to 172.16.255.254)
    These are the numbers you can assign to computers, printers, and other devices.
    Host Addresses are individual addresses within this range.
- Assign network(s). A network, for this purpose, is any group of connections separated by a router.
  
  Your network may not have routers or, if accessing the Internet with NAT, have only one router between your private network and the public internet. If this is your only router, or if you have no routers, your entire private network is considered one network.
  
  Choose a network with a host range large enough to provide an address to each device. Class C networks (ex. 192.168.0.x) allow for 254 host addresses (192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.254), which is fine if you have no more than 254 devices. But if you have 255 or more devices, you will either need to use a Class B network (ex. 172.16.x.x) or divide your private network into smaller networks with routers.
  
  If additional routers are used, they become "internal routers", the private network becomes a "private intranet", and each group of connections is a separate network requiring its own network address and range. This includes connections between routers, and connections directly from a router to a single device.
  
  For simplicity, the remainder of these steps will assume you have only one network, of 254 or less devices, and uses 192.168.2.x as an example. We will also assume you are not using DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) to assign host addresses automatically.
Write "192.168.2.x" in the corner somewhere. If you have more than one network it's best to write each address near the network it belongs to.
Assign host addresses within the range of 1 to 254 to each computer. Write the host addresses next to the devices they belong to on the diagram. At first you may wish to write the entire address (ex. 192.168.2.5) next to each device. However, as you become more proficient simply writing the host portion (ex. .5) may help save time.

Switches will not require addresses for the purpose discussed here. Routers will require addresses as described in the "Important Notes" section.
Write down the subnet mask near the network address. For 192.168.2.x, which is a Class C, the mask is: 255.255.255.0 The computer needs it to tell which part of the IP address is the network and which is the host.

IPv4 originally used the first number (ex. 192) to determine this based on the address class, as described above. However, the advent of subnetting and nonclassful networking made it necessary to provide a mask because other ways of dividing the address into network and host portions are now possible. For Class A addresses the mask is 255.0.0.0, for Class B it's 255.255.0.0 (More information in the Important Notes section.)
Connect your network. Gather all needed materials including cables, computers, ethernet switches, and (if used) routers. Locate the Ethernet ports on the computers and other devices. Look for the 8-pin modular connector. (RJ-45 style) It looks like a standard telephone jack except it's a bit larger because it has more conductors.

Connect the cables between each device, just as in your map. If an unforeseen circumstance causes you to vary from the diagram, make notes to show any changes.
Boot all the computers connected to the network. Power on all other connected devices. (Some devices have no "power switch" and will power up simply by plugging them in.)
Configure the computers for networking. Go to internet options (this varies depending on the Operating System), and go to the dialog box that lets you change the TCP/IP protocol. Change the radio buttons from "Obtain from DHCP server automatically" to "Use the following IP address:". Type in your IP address for that computer, and the appropriate subnet mask (255.255.255.0).

If you have no routers, leave the "Default Gateway" and "DNS server" fields blank.

If connecting to the internet using NAT, use the Host Address assigned to the router between your private network and the internet as both the DNS server and the Default Gateway. Do not use the Network Address (192.168.2.0)

If using more than one router see the Important Notes section.

If configuring a home network with a relatively new router, This section can be ignored as long as the network is connected correctly, The router will assign network addresses to everything on the network going into your network, until it hits another router.
Verify connectivity. The simplest way to do this is with Ping. Bring up MS-DOS or the equivalent on other OS's, (In Windows open the command prompt which is located in the Start Menu - Accessories - Command Prompt) and type in: ping 192.168.2.[insert host number here]. Do this on one host and ping to all other hosts. Remember, your router is considered a host. If you cannot reach one, read over the steps again or contact a professional.

Important Notes

Adding NAT (Network Address Translation) to the network described above. NAT allows private networks to connect to public networks, by converting IP addresses on the private network to ones allowed on the public network. All devices will appear from the Internet's perspective to be connected to one of its public networks according to the public addressing plan (as defined by IANA - Internet Assignment Numbering Authority). "Dynamic NAT" allows multiple private IPs to "take turns" using a public IP.

A related technology, PNAT (Port Network Address Translation) - also known as PAT (Port Address Translation) or NAT "Overloading", allows multiple private IPs to "share" one public IP at the same time. It manipulates both OSI Layer 3 and OSI Layer 4 information so connections from multiple private IPs appear to come from one computer with one public IP.

Many computer, electronics, and even department store sell small routers designed to allow multiple users to share a single internet connection. Almost all of these use PAT, to eliminate the need for more than one public IP (extra public IPs may be expensive, or not allowed, depending on your provider).

If you use one, you will need to assign one of your private network's Host Addresses to the router.

If using a more complex commercial router, you will need to assign a private Host Addresses to the interface connecting to your private network, your public IP to the interface connecting to the Internet, and configure NAT/PAT manually.

If using only one router, the interface used to connect the router to your private network will become both the "DNS Server Interface" and the "Default Gateway". You will need to add its address to these fields when configuring your other devices.
If your network is divided using one or more internal routers, each router will require an address for each network connected to it. (IP Unnumbered is beyond the scope of this article) This address will need to be a host address (just like a computer's) from the host range of the network. Typically, the first available host address (that's the second address in the address range ex. 192.168.1.1) will be used; however any address in the host range is fine as long as you know what it is. Do not use the network address (ex. 192.168.1.0), or the broadcast address (ex 192.168.1.255).

For networks containing one or more user devices (ex. printers, computers, storage devices) the address the router uses for that network will become "Default Gateway" for the other devices. The DNS server, if present, should remain the address used by the router between your networks and the internet. For networks interconnecting routers, no default gateway is needed. For networks containing both user devices and routers, any router on that network will do.

A network is a network, no matter how big or small. When two routers are connected by one cable, even though a Class C (the smallest network) contains 256 addresses, all will belong to the cable. The network address will be .0, the broadcast will be .255, two of the hosts will be used (one for each interface the cable connects), and the other 252 will simply go to waste because they cannot be used anywhere else.

Generally, the small home routers described above are not used for this purpose. When they are, understand the ethernet interfaces on the "private network" side usually belong to a "switch" which is built into the router. The router itself connects to this internally using only one interface. When this is the case, only one host IP will be used by all of them, and they will all be on the same network.

When a router has multiple interfaces with multiple IP's, each interface and IP will create a different network.

The concept of a subnet mask. The general concept will help in understanding why this number matters.

Dotted decimal notation is a human way of writing IP Addresses to make them easier to work with. What the computer "sees" is 32 ones and zeros in a row like this: 11000000101010000000001000000000. IPv4 originally broke this into 4 groups of 8, hence the "dots" - 11000000.10101000.00000010.00000000, each group is an "octet" of 8 bits. Dotted decimal writes the value of the octet in decimal to make it easier for people to read - 192.168.2.0

A complex set of rules concerning the order of the ones and zeros in the first octet was used to create the "Classful Addressing Scheme"; however, no subnet mask was needed. For all Class A's the first octet was network, for Class B's the first and second were network, for Class C's the first three.

In 1987, intra-nets started becoming larger and the Internet was on its way. Wasting whole Class C ranges of 254 host addresses on small networks became a problem. Class A and B networks often wasted addresses because physical limitations forced networks to be divided by routers before they could get large enough to use so many addresses. (Class B's host range (256 X 256) - 2 = 65534 addresses; Class A's (256^3) - 2 = 16777214.)

Subnetting divides a large Classful network into many smaller "sub-nets" by increasing the number of ones and zeros used to address networks(leaving fewer for the hosts in each network). A small subnet can then be assigned to a small network without using a large number of extra addresses. To say which bits are the network address we use a 1. The "mask" (ex. 255.255.255.192) when converted to binary (ex. 11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000) defines exactly how many more bits are added to the network portion (ex. two host bit). In this example, one Class C with 254 hosts becomes four sub-nets with 62 hosts each. Of these sub-nets only two may be assigned to networks; the first and last cannot be used according to RFC-950.

Further discussion of the rules of subnetting is beyond the scope of this article. What matters here is that even though we are using Classful addresses, Windows (and other software) doesn't know this. And hence, will still need a mask to tell it how many bits we want to use for the network portion. By saying 255.255.255.0, we're saying that 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000 is the subnet. By that, we say that the first three octets are the network, and the last is the host - we want to make it a Class C.

Tips

Many devices can determine if you are using a crossover or strait through cable. If you are not so lucky to have auto-sensing on at least one of the devices connected by a cable, you must use the correct type between them. Computer/router-to-switch will require a strait through, computer/router-to-computer/router a crossover. (Note: The ports on the back of some home routers actually belong to a switch built into the router, and must be treated as a switch)

Strait through is a CAT-5, CAT-5e, or CAT-6 Ethernet Cable with the wires connected as follows:

On both ends: Orange Stripe; Orange; Green Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Green; Brown Stripe; Brown

Crossover is a CAT-5, CAT-5e, or CAT-6 Ethernet Cable with the wires connected:

On one end: Orange Stripe; Orange; Green Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Green; Brown Stripe; Brown
On the other end: Green Stripe; Green; Orange Stripe; Blue; Blue Stripe; Orange; Brown Stripe; Brown

The above conforms to TIA/EIA-568 standard, however, all that is important for a cross-over to work is for pins 1 & 2 (transmit) to switch places with pins 3 & 6 (receive) on the opposite end. For a strait through pins should be the same on both ends. Color sets (ex. Orange Strip & Orange) mark twisted pairs. Keeping pin sets on the same twisted pair (i.e. pins 1 & 2 on one color set, and pins 3 & 6 on another) allows best signal quality.
- Note: TIA/EIA standard has not been established for CAT-7 or greater cabling.
- For more information see: How to Make a Network Cable
Hubs are cheaper when connecting only a few devices, but they don't know which interface leads where. They simply repeat everything out all ports, hope it gets to the right device, and let the receiver decide if it needs the information or not. This wastes allot of bandwidth, only allows one computer to talk at one time, and slow the network when more computers are connected.
Switches cost more, but are smarter. They use addresses to decide where to send data, allow more than one device to talk at once, and don't waste the bandwidth of the other devices' connections.
Never connect hubs in any way which forms loops or rings, it will cause packets to be repeated around the ring forever. Additional packets will be added, until the hub is saturated and cannot pass traffic.

Best practice is not connect switches this way either. If connecting switches this way, ensure the switch supports "Spanning Tree Protocol" and that the feature is active. Otherwise the same thing will happen as with hubs.

Warnings

IANA (The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) has reserved the following three blocks of the IP address space for private networks: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255, and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

Although devices which do not affect public systems, "in theory", do not have to conform to this policy, in practice DNS service, and other software may become confused by use of addresses outside these ranges if not specially configured.

Problems may also arise should a software, hardware, or human error issue cause private IP's outside this range to be used on the public internet. This could be caused by anything from failure of a router to initialize properly to accidentally connecting one of your devices directly to the internet at a later time.

Networking experts never deviate from this policy if private IP data may affect devices outside their own networks, and rarely do so on isolated intra-nets without specific reason. Service providers have the responsibility to protect the Internet from IP conflicts by denying service, should a private IP address outside these ranges affect a public system.

As a matter of security as well, do not deviate from the allotted private address ranges. The addition of Network Address Translation to a private network handing out private addresses is a low level method of security and has been referred to as a "Poor Man's Firewall."

How to Strip Coax Cable

2008-02-04T13:44:00.001+05:30

How to Strip Coax Cable

Stripping coax (short for coaxial) cable is not very difficult, and can be mastered with a little practice. While tools designed specifically for this purpose are available for relatively little cost, this wiki will explain how to strip RG6 coax (a very popular cable and satellite TV cable) with a common razor knife and cutters to prepare for a typical "F" (cable or satellite TV) connector.

Coax stripper by AMP.

Steps

Hold the cable in one hand (as if it were a stick to be whittled), with the end to be stripped pointed away from your body.
Hold the razor knife in your dominant hand and extend the blade if not done so already.
Firmly press the edge of the blade (not the point) into the cable at a right angle (perpendicular to the cable) about an inch from the end. The object of this cut is to cut through the outer jacket, layers of foil and / or braids and finally the dielectric foam (usually white in color) that surrounds the center conductor. There will be some opposition to the blade as it sinks deeper into the cable. When the blade approaches the half way point through the cable, ease up on the pressure of the blade. This will occur when the blade has reached the center conductor of the cable, which is at the half way point through the cable. It is very important to not damage this center conductor by nicking it with the blade.
Run the blade half way around the cable by rotating the tool around the cable. Do not allow the blade to nick the center conductor as you continue to cut around the center conductor.
Reposition the cable as needed in the other hand, so that the blade can easily continue to be rotated around the cable to continue the cut, while still being held in a comfortable position.
Return the blade to the storage position in the tool and put the tool down. Grasp the the cable between the end and the fresh cut. Firmly pull the end off of the cable while twisting the end back and forth.
Discard the cable end and pick up any stray wires from the braid.
Cut off any braid wires that extend beyond the jacket so that they are flush with the jacket with the knife or wire cutters.
Carefully inspect the center conductor for nicks. If it is nicked, it will be required to repeat the above steps until you are able to perform the steps without damaging the center conductor. It may take 6, 10 or more attempts before it can be done successfully if never attempted before.
Remove any film or dielectric foam remaining from the length of the center conductor (if present) by gently scraping the center conductor with fingernail. Be sure the center conductor is clean all the way around over it's entire length.
Hold the cable again as earlier to prepare for removal of the outer jacket. There are different types of "F" connectors and ways to attach them to the cable. Most common "F" connectors can be attached to cables prepared with the dimensions used here and should be used unless the connectors you are using specifies a different dimension.
Hold the razor as before, aligning the the blade on the jacket about 5/16 inch back from the cut made in the previous step. The purpose of this cut is to penetrate the jacket only, and leave the braid intact. The cut will be perpendicular to the cable like the first cut. Many "F" connectors specify that the braid not be removed, while others prefer it removed. Plan to leave it in place for now, as it can be removed later, if needed. The braids are woven around the length of the dielectric foam, and lie just beneath the outer jacket. The individual wires that make up the braid are thinner than a hair, and are easily cut. Gently press the blade into the jacket and run it around the cable, in the same manner as was done in the first cut to the center conductor. Once the blade has cut around the circumference of the jacket, press the tip of the blade against the jacket at this cut and gently cut towards the end of the cable. Again, try not to cut the braid.
Return the blade to the storage position in the tool and put the tool down. Peel the 5/16 inch jacket off of the cable, leaving only the braid covering the dielectric.
Fold the braid back, over the outer jacket. This should expose the dielectric, which surrounds the center conductor. There is no concern if some of the braid wires were cut. Check the requirements (if any) of the "F" connector you will place on the end of the cable.
Inspect the cable end. It is very important that there are no wires, filings or other conductive bits between the center conductor and the braid. The white dielectric should show anything that bridges these two parts easily. Remove anything found.
Place the "F" connector on the end of the cable. Make one final inspection by looking into the connector. Make sure that no conductive debris is between the center conductor and the "F" connector before securing to the cable.
The "F" connector is fully seated on the cable if the dielectric is flush with the "bottom" of the connector, when viewed from the end - looking in. It should not extend beyond or be recessed more than 1/16 inch from the bottom of the connector. Under no circumstances should the center conductor be in contact with the "F" connector.
Secure the the "F" connector to the cable only with the tool designed for the connector.

Compression type tool.

Crimping type tool.

Inexpensive crimping type tool.

Cut the center conductor so that it extends beyond the "F" connector 3/16 to 1/4 inch.

Tips

Understand the parts of the cable. From the outside, working in to the center: the outer jacket (usually black or white), braid / foil or both (some have yet a second set of braid and foil, too), dielectric (usually white) and finally center conductor of copper or copper-clad steel. Some cables also have a "messenger wire" as well. This is usually a copper-clad steel solid wire that is attached continuously to the outer jacket. This messenger cable is used almost exclusively to support the cable between a pole and the point of attachment of the home. The messenger cable is connected to the ground block by many professional installers.
Cut enough off the end to be worked so that there are no kinks, bends, evidence of corrosion, etc in the cable. Work with straight, clean cable whenever possible.
Practice with scrap coax pieces before attempting.
Different cables and connectors employ many of the same steps for preparation. Dimensions and how the braid is handled are typically the only variables. The RG6QS (QS = Quad Shield) connectors often require the outer braid and foil be removed, and the inner braid and foil remain intact.
Only install connectors designed for cable used. Many connectors look similar, but have dimensions that will make securing nearly impossible or not provide quality connections.
Leave as much braid intact as possible. Doing so will give your coaxial cable a path to ground in the case of electrical failure. Cable TV wire is usually grounded at the point of entry into the home and will protect other devices from being fried if something happens to short in your equipment.

Warnings

Use extreme caution working with the razor knife, for obvious reasons. The work is small scale, and it can be difficult to hold all the parts comfortably.
Do not attempt to hold the cable by mechanical means such as a vise. Coax is rugged, but can fail when crushed or bent at sharp angles. The "rule of thumb" for bending cables is the radius of the bend should be no less than 4 times the cable diameter.

Things You'll Need

Razor knife (or equal)
Wire cutters

How to Sleeve Computer Cables

2008-02-04T13:42:00.001+05:30

How to Sleeve Computer Cables

A fundamental component of computer building and modding is cable management. PC enthusiasts and modders complete this tedious process of sleeving cables merely for improved aesthetics. However, cable management and sleeving will often improve a computer's existing air flow, and decrease system temperatures in poorly cooled systems. Regardless of the reason, cable sleeving is a popular trend in the PC modding market that has been thriving for years. This guide will help you sleeve all of your own, internal, computer cables.

Note: this guide is geared towards the sleeving of a spliced cable with two wires. Apply the steps according to your own sleeving project.

Steps

Gather the necessary items as shown in the "Things You'll Need" section.
Determine your approach. Do you want to sleeve a cable by splicing it, removing pins from connectors, or in place over the existing connectors? Splicing is a good option if you plan to change the length of the cable at the same time, while removing pins from connectors (to avoid forcing the sleeving over connectors) is the cleanest approach. Some connectors may be small enough to sleeve a cable in place.
Cut sleeving to length. As sleeving expands around cables its length shortens, so be sure to match the length of the sleeving while on the cable itself. Leave approximately 1/4" to 1" (3 to 12mm) of cable exposed at each end. This exposed section will help the heat-shrink tubing to grip both the cable and the sleeving. If applicable, it should also provide enough slack to reinsert pins into their connectors. As your sleeving skills improve, you'll be able to guess the correct length to cut.
Singe the sleeving's ends. To avoid fraying and un-weaving, use a heat source, such as a lighter, to singe both ends. Most sleeving cut from a manufacturer or distributor will already be singed at the ends. Whenever you make a cut into the sleeving, singe the ends on both sides of the cut.

The first photo shows frayed edges of sleeving that has not been singed or treated in any way. The second photo shows sleeving with a singed end to keep it from fraying.
Install sleeving. Put the cut sleeving on the cable, pushing it up the cable in a fashion of movement similar to an inchworm.
1. Squeeze down to hold one side of the sleeving in place with your first hand.
2. Use your other hand to push the sleeving together.
3. Release the grip of your first hand.
4. Repeat until sleeving has been completely installed.
Cut heat-shrink tubing. You'll need two pieces of approximately 1/4" to 1" (3 to 12mm) long to cover the ends of the sleeving. The tubing should be large enough in diameter to clear the sleeving. Slip both of them over the cable and sleeving, one at a time. Push them all the way to the end of the cable that doesn't have pins, or the end that will be completed last.
Pull back sleeving. If your sleeving is long and the other side of your cable attached to something, pull back sleeving to give yourself room to work. Use wire ties (twisting variety) or a pair of locking pliers to hold back sleeving.
Attach wires if you're sleeving a spliced cable.
1. Prepare cable ends before rejoining the wires. Strip the wire insulation off of each end, then twist stranded wires together to avoid separation. Cut two pieces of heat-shrink tubing to cover each soon-to-be reconnected wire. The heat-shrink tubing should be as long as the stripped portion of wire strands, plus 1/4" (3mm), and should be large enough in diameter to clear the wires once twisted together. Slide the heat-shrink tubing over each wire as shown in the photo.
2. Connect the wires by twisting the stripped portion of each wire's ends together. For solid wires (non-stranded), twist them together with a pair of small, needle-nose pliers.
3. Secure and insulate connections. Move the two pieces of heat-shrink tubing to cover the stripped sections of wire that are twisted together. Make sure there is enough tubing to cover all exposed wire as well as overlap at each end. If not, undo the wire connection and re-twist it to make it shorter. Use your heat source to shrink (activate) the tubing until it fits snugly over the connections.
Release sleeving. Note: if you're sleeving a cable with removed pins, now is the time to reinsert the pins into their connectors. Remove wire twist or locking pliers and release sleeving, allowing it to extend over the entire cable. If the sleeving is now too long, use a pair of diamond edge cutters to snip away the excess sleeving. Remember to leave at least 1/4" (3mm) of cable exposed for heat-shrink tubing.

The first photo shows sleeving that was cut too long for the cable. The second photo shows the sleeving after it has been cut down in size. If you've correctly estimated the length of your sleeving ahead of time, you won't need to make these adjustments.
Expand the sleeving. Hold on end of the sleeving, then pull on the other end to expand the sleeving as much as possible. If you selected the right sized sleeving, it should provide a snug fit around the cable. For larger cables, or if desired, attach a nylon wire tie (zip tie) over each end of the sleeving. This will ensure the sleeving does not move unless forced.
Shrink the tubing. Position the two heat-shrink tubing pieces, then activate them with your heat source. Be sure to keep the sleeving taut around the cable during this step. Repeat all of these steps for each cable you want to sleeve.

Things You'll Need

PC cables you want to sleeve
Sleeving Tools
- Wire stripping and cutting tool
- Heat source such as a lighter or heat gun
- Scissors to cut sleeving and heat-shrink tubing
- Diamond-edge cutter (optional)
- Pin removal tool or Jeweler's screwdrivers, depending upon what you're sleeving (optional)
- Locking pliers to hold back sleeving (optional)
- Needle-nose pliers have many uses here (optional)
Sleeving Consumables
- Cable sleeving, also sold as part of a sleeving kit
- Heat-shrink Tubing, also sold as part of a sleeving kit
- Nylon wire-ties, also sold as part of a sleeving kit (optional)
- Plastic/paper-coated wire twists to hold sleeving in place (optional)

Tips

The larger the sleeving (diameter), the easier it is to push together into a wider diameter. This also applies to flexibility. Sleeving manufacturers will typically use the same gauge strands on a specified range of sleeving sizes. The physical properties of sleeving will change dramatically when both the strand gauge and strand type changes.
Purchasing sleeving in a kit will save money when the total amount of sleeving you receive is your focus. However, sleeving kits may not provide enough of a specific diameter sleeving for your needs. If you're sleeving the entire inside of your computer, purchase two 'PSU sleeving kits'.
If the heat-shrink tubing you have is too small in diameter for its application, it is possible to stretch it. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to slowly and carefully stretch the tubing from the inside out.
1. Insert the pliers into the tubing as far as possible.
2. Pull the pliers apart to open up the ends.
3. Stretch the tubing a little at a time, but avoid puncturing or tearing it.
4. Close the pliers and rotate the tubing slightly.
5. Repeat, then repeat this process for the other side of the tubing.
Using Jeweler's screwdrivers and staples for connector pin removal will work, but a specialized pin removal tool set is far better. Most sets can be found online for $20 USD or less and will contain a Molex pin removal tool, ATX pin removal tool(s), and floppy/fan pin removal tool(s).
Small diameter brass tubing from a hobby supply or hardware store will also work to remove the pins. These generally cost roughly $2.00 US. For example, 3/32" ID tube works for Molex pins.
If one end of a cable is snagging on the sleeving, try wrapping it in scotch tape. Any tape will help, but scotch tape is easier to remove when you're finished; it won't leave behind any sticky residue.
Cables that are significantly smaller in diameter than the sleeving you're installing may not require an 'inchworm'-like installation. The sleeving should slip easily over the cables.
Keep stripped wires strand clean by drying your fingers before you twist ends together. Transferring too much oil from your skin will promote corrosion and induce additional resistance. If you find this task difficult, use a contact cleaner to spray the wire ends.
To complete a 'stealth' look of larger sleeved cables (such as an ATX power cable), use rubber electrical wrapping tape. This is thicker, with more of a matte color, when compared to regular vinyl electrical tape. However, rubber wrapping is much more expensive. Use sparingly to wrap the ends of a cable where sleeving and heat-shrink tubing will not cover every wire.
For aesthetic value, use similar color connectors, sleeving, and heat-shrink tubing. Sleeving kits often have similar heat-shrink tubing and sleeving colors, even if they don't match perfectly. However, black heat-shrink tubing will typically work well with any color theme. Match the colors to the color theme of your computer, but do not mix more than three colors. An example of a three color theme (black, green, and white) is shown in the images below.

Warnings

Apply heat accurately when shrinking the tubing to avoid overheating the sleeving. Doing so may burn a hole in the sleeving before you realize your mistake. This is especially problematic where the heat-shrink tubing meets the sleeving. Exposed sleeving will melt, but sleeving covered in heat-shrink tubing should be more resistant.
Be careful when singeing the sleeving ends. Applying heat for longer than a few quick passes will melt the ends together.
Wiring, connectors, heat-shrink tubing, and sleeving are all flammable if exposed to a flame or heat for an extended period of time.

How to Make a Network Cable

2008-02-04T13:36:00.001+05:30

How to Make a Network Cable

The steps below are general Ethernet Category 5 (commonly known as Cat 5) cable construction guidelines. For our example, we will be making a Category 5e patch cable, but the same general method will work for making any category of network cables.

Steps

Unroll the required length of network cable and add a little extra, just in case. If a boot is to be fitted, do so before stripping away the sleeve and ensure the boot faces the correct way.
Carefully remove the outer jacket of the cable, exposing about 1 1/4" (30 mm) of the twisted pairs. Be careful when stripping the jacket as to not nick or cut the internal wiring. After removing the outer case, you will notice 8 wires twisted in 4 pairs. Each pair will have one wire of a certain color and another wire that is white with a colored stripe matching its partner (this wire is called a tracer). Sometimes a rip cord (white thread) is also present.
Inspect the newly revealed wires for any cuts or scrapes that expose the copper wire inside. If you have breached the protective sheath of any wire, you will need to cut the entire segment of wires off and start over at step one. Exposed copper wire will lead to cross-talk, poor performance or no connectivity at all. It is important that the jacket for all network cables remains intact.
Untwist the pairs so they will lay flat between your fingers. The white piece of thread can be cut off even with the jacket and disposed (see Warnings). For easier handling, cut the wires so that they are 3/4" (19 mm) long from the base of the jacket.
Arrange the wires based on the wiring specifications you are following. There are two methods set by the TIA, 568A and 568B. Which one you use will depend on what is being connected. A straight-through cable is used to connect two different-layer devices (e.g. a hub and a PC). Two like devices normally require a cross-over cable. The difference between the two is that a straight-through cable has both ends wired identically, while a cross-over cable has one end wired 568A and the other end wired 568B.^[1] For our demonstration in the following steps, we will use 568B, but the instructions can easily be adapted to 568A.
- 568B - Put the wires in the following order, from left to right:
  - white orange
  - orange
  - white green
  - blue
  - white blue
  - green
  - white brown
  - brown
- 568A - from left to right: white/green, green, white/orange, blue, white/blue, orange, white/brown, brown. You can also use the mnemonic 1-2-3-6/3-6-1-2 to remember which wires are switched.
Press all the wires flat and parallel between your thumb and forefinger. Verify the colors have remained in the correct order. Cut the top of the wires even with one another so that they are 1/2" (12.5 mm) long from the base of the jacket, as the jacket needs to go into the 8P8C connector by about 1/8", meaning that you only have a 1/2" of room for the individual cables. Leaving more than 1/2" untwisted can jeopardize connectivity and quality. Ensure that the cut leaves the wires even and clean; failure to do so may cause the wire not to make contact inside the jack and could lead to wrongly guided cores inside the plug.
Keep the wires flat and in order as you push them into the RJ-45 plug with the flat surface of the plug on top. The white/orange wire should be on the left if you're looking down at the jack. You can tell if all the wires made it into the jack and maintain their positions by looking head-on at the plug. You should be able to see a wire located in each hole, as seen at the bottom right. You may have to use a little effort to push the pairs firmly into the plug. The cabling jacket should also enter the rear of the jack about 1/4" (6 mm) to help secure the cable once the plug is crimped. You may need to stretch the sleeve to the proper length. Verify that the sequence is still correct before crimping.
Place the wired plug into the crimping tool. Give the handle a firm squeeze. You should hear a ratcheting noise as you continue. Once you have completed the crimp, the handle will reset to the open position. To ensure all pins are set, some prefer to double-crimp by repeating this step.
Repeat all of the above steps with the other end of the cable. The way you wire the other end (568A or 568B) will depend on whether you're making a straight-through, rollover, or cross-over cable (see Tips).
Test the cable to ensure that it will function in the field. Mis-wired and incomplete network cables could lead to headaches down the road. In addition, with power-over-Ethernet (PoE) making its way into the market place, crossed wire pairs could lead to physical damage of computers or phone system equipment, making it even more crucial that the pairs are in the correct order. A simple cable tester can quickly verify that information for you. Should you not have a network cable tester on hand, simply test connectivity pin to pin.

Tips

A key point to remember in making Ethernet patch cords is that the "twists" in the individual pairs should remain entwined as long as possible until they reach the RJ-45 plug termination. The twisting of the pairs in the network cable is what helps to ensure good connectivity and keeps cross-talk interference to a minimum. Do not untwist the wires any more than you need to.
CAT5 and CAT5e are very similar cables, however CAT5e offers better quality especially on longer runs. If making a longer run, CAT5e is recommended, however CAT5 is still an option for small patch cables.
A good idea on long runs, especially those that you need to hang or snake around, is to crimp and test the cable before you run the cable. This is recommended especially to anyone who is first starting out crimping their own cables, as it ensures you are crimping the correct pin order now, rather than trying to trouble shoot later.

Warnings

The ripcords, if present, are usually quite strong, so do not attempt to break them. Cut them.
Unless you need to do a large amount of cabling work, it may be less frustrating and, due to the cost of tools, less expensive to purchase ready-made cables.
Fire Codes require a special type of cover over the wires if the cabling is to be installed in ceilings or other areas that are exposed to the building ventilation system. This is usually referred to as plenum-grade cable or simply "plenum cable", and does not release toxic fumes when burned. Plenum cabling is more costly, perhaps double that of ordinary cable, so only use where necessary. Riser cable is similar to plenum, but is for use in walls or wiring closets to connect floors. Riser may not replace plenum cable so be aware of what area you are laying your cable. If in doubt, use plenum as it has the strictest and safest ratings.
A cat5 cable can not exceed 100 meters, or 328 feet. It probably shouldn't go beyond 300 feet.
RJ-45 is the common term most individuals use for the connectors present in CAT5 cabling. The correct name of the connector is simply 8P8C, where as RJ-45 is the name of a very similar looking defunct connector used in telecommunication. Most people will understand RJ-45 as 8P8C, but be careful when purchasing out of a catalog or online where you can't visibly determine which you are purchasing.
Be aware of any shielding your cable may have. The most common type of cable is UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair), but a number of shielding/foiling options exist for added protection against EMI. Be aware of what you are purchasing and what you need. In most environments, UTP will be fine.

Things You'll Need

Crimper - This is the most essential tool and critical to the cable making process. If you don't have a quality crimper, then your cable connections will be bad. Inferior crimpers will make it difficult and/or nearly impossible to achieve a tight connection between the wires. Many better quality crimpers also have a ratcheting controlled closure for precise crimping. Crimpers with a plastic body will be more likely to develop a sloppy hip joint and give consistently poor cramps; a metal crimper is much preferred, and very common.
Tester (Optional) - Although not necessary for making cables, having a good cable tester can prevent and solve cable wiring configuration and installation problems. Most testers consist of two boxes (transmitter and receiver) you plug your patch cable into. The transmitter box tests the cable by sending test pulses down each individual wire, lighting up LED lights on the receiver box. Most testers will show you a result of the pass. Why do you want to test cables? Even if they are slightly damaged, network cables will work, but cause packet loss and data corruption to your hardware.
RJ45 Connectors - Ensure your RJ45 connectors are designed for the type of cable you are using (solid/stranded), as they have different types of teeth for piercing between multiple strands or around a solid single strand. Note: if you ask in an electrical trades store for RJ45 connectors, you may be asked whether you want "solid", "stranded" or "flat". The "flat" choice relates to the old flat "silver satin" cables used in 10Base-T, and should not be used in new Ethernet deployments.
Bulk Cable - Bulk cable can be found at computer stores, electrical stores, and home centers. You can obtain Category 5, Category 5e, and Category 6 cable, depending on your needs. For lengths shorter than 50' use a stranded/braided cable. For lengths greater than 50' use a solid cable.
- There are two types of wire (solid or stranded) and which one you choose should be based on where and how the patch cable is to be used. See warning above about PLENUM cable. Stranded wire is best for a workstation patch as it can tolerate flexing without cracking the conductors; however, the trade off is that they're more susceptible to moisture penetration.^[2] Solid is best used in a wire closet or for a patch that will be moved very infrequently, as the conductor tends to crack if bent and/or flexed. Cracked conductor leads to "reflections" which make for chatter on the LAN connection, hampering speed and reliability.
Boots (optional but preferred). It saves the cable in the long run and improves the looks. A boot is a molded piece of plastic that protects the connector from snagging, if it is pulled through the wall or conduit. It also provides strain relief on the cable, making it harder for the connector to be pulled off.
Straight edge wire cutter. You may find serrated snips work very nicely. Use something that gives an easy square cut; avoid diagonal pliers for this reason. You will find that many quality crimpers have a straight edge cutter built in.
Fish Tape - Fish tape is either a metal or plastic spool of guide wire. Strong enough not to buckle and bend while being pushed around, but flexible enough to be pushed past corners and bends, fish tape is a vital tool for some cable runs. Recommended conditions include: conduit, within walls, along structural beams and girders, in ducting, plenums, and dropped ceilings, or any situation where it's not physically possible to drag the cable along with you.

Change Start Button Text

2008-02-02T10:12:00.001+05:30

As you can see from the screen capture above it would seem that the five character limit isn’t etched in stone. The button expanded to accept the text I entered with no problem. I’ve been using the system for a few weeks now with no adverse effects. That’s not to say I won’t discover something down the road a bit, but for now I feel comfortable with the changes. If you’d like to try the procedure I used, the instructions follow.

Step 1 – Modify Explorer.exe File

In order to make the changes, the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows needs to be edited. Since explorer.exe is a binary file it requires a special editor. For purposes of this article I have used Resource Hacker. Resource Hacker^TM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP operating systems. Navigate here to download Resource Hacker.

The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe as shown in Fig. 01.

Fig. 01

The category we are going to be using is String Table. Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable as shown in Fig. 02. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button.

Fig. 02

There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry. In my case I used ElderGeek as shown in Fig. 03.

Fig. 03

Compare the screen captures in Fig. 02 and Fig. 03 and you’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out in Fig. 02 is now active in Fig. 03. I won’t get into what’s involved in compiling a script, but suffice it to say it’s going to make this exercise worthwhile. Click Compile Script and then save the altered file using the Save As command on the File Menu. Do not use the Save command – Make sure to use the Save As command and choose a name for the file. See Fig. 04. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.

Fig. 04

Step 2 – Modify the Registry

Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open: field. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

Fig. 05

In the right pane (Fig. 05), double click the Shell entry to open the Edit String dialog box as shown in Fig. 06. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK.

Fig. 06

Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text.

Useful Free Softwares I

2008-02-01T22:34:00.001+05:30

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

AVG Free Edition is the well-known antivirus protection tool. AVG Free is available free of charge to home users for the life of the product. Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy to use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements. Highlights include automatic update functionality, the AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run, free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product, and AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files.

RapidTyping Typing Tutor

This free touch typing tutor help you learn quick and blind keyboard printing. Program benefits: Training statistics; Keyboard emulation; Uses the simple and colorful interface; Personal exercises creation; Free lessons choice; Multiple Users Support; Game plot; Main lessons is in all languages. Version 1.3.1.2 features: all letter of lesson illumination is added.

Size: 918KB | Date: Jan 2008 | Version: 1.3.1.2 | System Requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista | License: Free

Evonsoft Computer Repair

Spyware, registry problems, and junk files are a common cause of computer crashes and error messages. Evonsoft Computer Repair is a free PC system repair software that allows you to safely clean and repair computer system problems with just a simple mouse click. Evonsoft Computer Repair can safely remove spyware, clean registry, sweep privacy, and clean junk files. After scanning and fixing the invalid entries, computer system will be more stable and run faster.

Size: 1,548KB | Date: Jan 2008 | Version: 1 | System Requirements: Windows/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista | License: Free

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ZipItFree

ZipItFree was designed to be better than WinZip and WinRar combined. ZipItFree is absolutely free. Compress even more with our new Black Hole super compression. Save disk space and e-mail transmission time.

Size: 4,233KB | Date: Jan 2008 | Version: 1.0.7 | System Requirements: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista | License: Free.

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ScrabBot

ScrabBot is a Scrabble aide that can find all possible words, using the letters on the rack and the letters already on the board.ScrabBot searches for words in SOWPODS or TWL dictionaries containing all 2 to 15-letters words. ScrabBot can also find the definition of words with an online dictionary.

Size: 8,084KB | Date: Jan 2008 | Version: 5.1 | System Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista | License: Free |

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Supreme Shutdown Scheduler

A small, easy-to-use program that Schedules Shutdowns, Restarts or Log offs all with the option of force (meaning it perform the process with no interruptions, such as saving a document).

Size: 438KB | Date: Jan 2008 | Version: v1.1 | System Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista, 400 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor, 256 MB RAM | License: Free

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10 Mutual Fund Terms

2008-01-31T22:29:00.002+05:30

10 Mutual Fund Terms

As you probably know, a mutual fund is an investment that pools together money from a number of investors. It then uses professionals to manage and invest this money with the aim of achieving a return.

The mutual funds industry is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

If you are interested in investing in mutual funds, here are some terms you need to understand.

AMC

An Asset Management Company is the fund house or the company that manages the money.

The mutual fund is a trust registered under the Indian Trust Act. It is initiated by a sponsor. A sponsor is a person who acts alone or with a corporate to establish a mutual fund. The sponsor then appoints an AMC to manage the investment, marketing, accounting and other functions pertaining to the fund.

For instance, ABN AMRO Trustee (India) Private Limited is appointed as the trustee to the ABN AMRO mutual fund.

ABN AMRO Asset Management (India) Limited is appointed as its investment manager.

Various funds with different objectives can be floated under the umbrella of one parent.

So ABN AMRO Equity Fund, ABN AMRO Opportunities Fund and ABN AMRO Flexi Debt Fund are all independent schemes of ABN AMRO Mutual Fund. They are managed by the ABN AMRO AMC.

NAV

The Net Asset Value is the price of a unit of a fund. When a fund comes out with an NFO, it is priced Rs 10. Later, depending on the value of the investments, this price could rise or fall.

Load

This is a fee that is charged when you buy or sell the units of a fund.

When you buy the units of a fund, you pay a percentage of it as a fee. This is known as the entry load.

Let's say you are investing Rs 10,000 and the entry load is 2%. That means you pay Rs 200 as the entry load and Rs 9,800 is invested in the fund.

Now, let's assume you are selling the units of your fund. And the Rs 10,000 you invested initially is now Rs 15,000. Let's further assume the exit load is 2%. So you pay Rs 300 and get back Rs 14,700.

Generally, if funds charge an entry load, they will not charge an exit load. Or vice versa. Only one of the loads is charged.

The load is a percentage of the NAV.

Portfolio

This is the term given to all the investments made by the fund as well as the amount held in cash.

Corpus

Let's assume a very small mutual fund has an initial investment of 1,000 units and each unit is worth Rs 10. Hence, the total amount with the fund is Rs 10,000. This is referred to as the corpus. Later, some other investors invest Rs 2,000. Now the corpus will be Rs 12,000 (Rs 10,000 + Rs 2,000).

The total amount invested (Rs 12,000) is called the corpus or the total amount of money invested in the fund.

AUM

Assets Under Management is the total value of all the investments currently being managed by the fund.

Let's say the corpus is Rs 12,000 but, due to a rise in the price of the shares it has invested in, the value of the units has increased. So the Rs 12,000 invested is now worth Rs 15,000. This figure is referred to as AUM.

Diversified equity mutual fund

This is a mutual fund that invests in stocks of various companies in various sectors.

ELSS

Equity Linked Saving Schemes are diversified equity mutual funds with a tax benefit under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act.

To avail of the tax benefit, your money must be locked up for at least three years.

Balanced fund

A fund that invests in both equity (shares) and debt (fixed return investments) is known as a balanced fund.

Debt fund

These are funds that invest in fixed return investments like bonds. A liquid fund is one that invests in money market instruments, these are fixed return investments of a very short tenure.

NFO

A New Fund Offering is the term given to a new mutual fund scheme.

SIP

A Systematic Investment Plan refers to periodic investing in a mutual fund. Every month or every three months, the investor will have to commit to putting in a fixed amount. This will go towards the purchase of units.

Let's say that every month you commit to investing, say, Rs 1,000 in your fund. At the end of a year, you would have invested Rs 12,000.

If the NAV on the day you invest in the first month is Rs 20, you will get 50 units.

The next month, the NAV is Rs 25. You will get 40 units.

The following month, the NAV is Rs 18. You will get 55.56 units.

So, after three months, you would have 145.56 units. On an average, you would have paid around Rs 21 per unit. This is because, when the NAV is high, you get fewer units per Rs 1,000. When the NAV falls, you get more units per Rs 1,000.

Interview tips I

2008-01-31T22:27:00.001+05:30

Interview tips

In an interview the art of conversation is perhaps the most valuable attribute since an interview is nothing but a verbal dues between a selector and candidate.

A good conversation is contingent on the rapport a candidate establishes with the interview board. The process of a rapport building must start from the moment one knocks at the selector's door. A gentle, soft knock is always called for before entering the room. A smile and a greeting have to consequently follow one's entry. Developing eye contact from the beginning is very essential to overcome nervousness and hide tension The first impression one creates goes a long way in the ultimate selection/rejection of oneself. One's steps should be measured and greeting formal. The candidate's bearing should be that of a person who is eager to tackle the most difficult questions.

The first step towards improving conversational ability is to realize the basic fact that the other party is a poor listener and one has to exercise all ability and ingenuity to not only hold the party's attention but also to convincingly project a positive image of oneself. There are numerous impediments to good listening.

The most relevant impediment is distraction. Under no circumstance should any action on the candidate's part cause the interviewer any distraction. Distractions are generally caused by flashy dresses, exaggerated and aimless gestures and nervous movement such as frequently shifting one's position on the chair, blinking, drumming on the table with finger tips, wiping perspiration from face or forehead, scratching one's head, giggling nervously, cracking one's knuckles, too, much waving of hands and so on.

There are three primary components in conversation: Voice, delivery and words, Besides these, there are other elements which accentuate one's personality during conversation. Among these are general appearance and manners. A good personality in the context of an interview is the sum total, of all the positive aspects minus the negative aspects.

The interviewer' s business is to try and expose an interviewee' s weakness. Hence the interviewee' s endeavor shall be to project his positive qualities in a convincing and pleasing manner, and he can do so through the spoken word.

The tone of delivery should be normal and the volume should be in accordance with the distance. The delivery pace should be optimal i.e. neither fast nor slow. Proper spacing of words with periodical pauses helps in emphasizing appropriate words preventing the talks from being monotonous and boring. The candidate should not rush his answers. He must let his words and sentences sink and make an impact on the selector. The sentences should be short and the languages simple.

Successful conversation demands clear thinking, expressed in concise and grammatically correct language, which must convey facts in an easily understandable and interesting manner.

The interview panel comprises normally 3 members mostly professors of the IIM's concerned. The normal interview time per candidate is 20-25 minutes. Let us stress the point that the members of the panel, as a rule, have a very cordial; manner and will try their best to make you feel at home, Since your have made it in their stiff written test (You are among the 1,800 out of about 40,000 students) they know that you are a competent student; they are only eager to see you as a person and to ascertain for themselves if you do reflect some of your competence in a face to face situation.

The most searching questions you can imagine during an interview are on :

Your Field of Study
Your General Awareness
Your Career Plan
Your Hobbies
Your Strengths / Weaknesses

Unless you are really dimwitted person (which you aren't we're sure) you should be able to guess realistically, about 80 percent of the questions any interviewer could possibly ask you. Put your answers in writing and go over them to see if they are clear, sensible and convincing. If they are, you win the game.

Sample Questions

1. Tell us about yourself.

2. Why do you want to pursue management as a career? (Justify with reasons)

3. What are your career objectives? (both long term & short term)

4. What do you feel about your academic performance till now?

5. Which is your favorite subject? (Be prepared for question in this area)

6. How do you spend your leisure time/spare time?

7. One significant achievement in your Life till now. Elaborate why?

8. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

9. What would you do if you do not get selected to any of the management schools?

10. Who is your idol? (Be prepared for further questions)

11. Why should I select you?

12. What is management, define it?

13. Which branch of management do you want to join? Define that branch and why do you want to go for this branch only?

14. Your previous background and now what are you doing at present and what you have done?

15. If you are from any background/Science/ Commerce/ Arts/Engineering /. Then why do you want to go for management, when there are already better prospect in it?

16. Your strong/weak points, how you got to know about it. How is your strong points going to help become a good manager. Don't you think your strong points is , your weak points and Don't you think your weak points can be hurdle for becoming a good manager.

17. What do you consider yourself after two months/two years/5 years/10 years

18. What is your ultimate career fantasy?

19. What will be your contribution to our institute?

20. What will be your reaction if you are rejected?

21. Your hobbies/interests.

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS ON IT

22. Special achievement if any and why?

23. Worst moment of your life and why?

24. Best moment of your life and why?

25. Why this institute only?

26. Work experience if any detail?

27. Have you read any book (general/management )

a) Brief
b) Morale
c) How this book is going to help you in becoming a better manager.

Interviewee' s Checklist

Interview Assessment

The interviewer scores the candidates on certain pre-determined parameters, which, according to him, constitutes the essential requirements for the assignment on. The criterion/criteria used by him for evaluation may be single or multiple with respect to each parameter.

Some of the important parameter and the criteria generally used for evaluation are listed below:

1. Intellectual Attainments:

(a). The depth of knowledge of the subject of the candidate's choice as well as of other subjects.

(b). Practical knowledge - as to how a candidate applies his theoretical knowledge in practical situations

(c). General knowledge, current affairs, everyday science, controversial topics, sports social issues, newspaper headlines etc.

(d). Grape - as to how quickly a candidate understands the question as subject.

2. Power of Expression:

(a). Fluency: as to how quickly the candidate converses in the oral medium of communications.

(b). Logic in argument: as to how rational, clear-headed, analytical and systematic the candidate is in presenting his arguments.

(c). Convincing ability: as to how the candidate is able to lend conviction to his arguments.

3. Personal traits:

a). Personal disposition: Smiling, cheerful and pleasant.

(b). Liveliness demonstrated: as to how eager, alert, sprightly and ambitious the candidate is.

(c). Enthusiasm: Does the candidate display keenness and interest in his approach?

(d). Dress and turnout: Smart, clean and suited to the occasion. Neat clothes, proper haircut, clean nails and polished shoes.

(e). Poise: Graceful movements, confident approach, straight walk, eye contact.

(f). Punctuality

4. Career objectives:

(a). Clear aim - His ambition and goal in life.

(b). A systematic approach towards career planning.

(c). Analysis of his strength and weaknesses.

5. Character:

(a). Integrity and moral values.

(b). Sincerity and loyalty.

(c). Self discipline.

6. Health and physical stamina:

(a). Participation in sport and other physical endurance activities like trekking, camping etc.

7. Hobbies and Interests:

a). Optimum utilization of spare time for developing self interest in leisure activities like reading, cinema, music, philately, fine arts etc.

8. Dynamic Qualities:

(a). Self confidence

(b). Initiative and enterprise

(c). Industrial temperament

(d) Decision making abilities

(e) Resourcefulness

( f). Motivation

9. Psychological Factors:

(a). Positive thinking, confident and determined approach

(b). Optimistic and hopeful outlook

(c). Absence of anti-social or negative qualities.

10.Social Qualities:

(a). Sense of responsibility

(b) Adaptability and flexibility.

(c). Preference to group life and activity.

(d). Ability to influence others and get things done

Every candidate will have a certain degree of proficiency in each of the areas mentioned above. A careful introspection by the candidate will reveal his strengths and weaknesses with respect to the various criteria. By rigorous preparation, training and practice the candidate can improve himself in spheres in which he lacks ability.

Format for Assessment

CRITERIA		POINTS	SCORE
A.	EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND 1. Breadth & depth of knowledge in the subjects studied. 2. Ability to apply theoretical concepts to practical considerations 3. hobbies and other pursuits 4. Career plan-clarity of goals and consistent strategy to achieve them	10
B.	CONCEPTUAL SKILLS 5.Mental Alertness-General awareness of local/national/ world problems and ideas leading to their solution 6. Judgment -ability to analyze clearly and to arrive at sound conclusions 7. Creativity-novelty of approach & ability to evolve alternative suggestions	10
C	HUMAN SKILLS 8. Maturity, level-headedness- poise and confidence 9. Communications Skills-clarity of ideas and expression-ability to listen attentively 10. Leadership Skills-sincerity, enthusiasm and friendliness- ability to lead a group	10
	TOTAL	30

Less than 10 points
Below average

Between 11 & 20
Average

Above 20
Above average

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WEIGHTAGE GIVEN TO PERSONAL INTERVIEWS IS MORE THAN THAT GIVEN TO G.D.'s
Interviewee' s Checklist

Interviewee' s checklist Preparation:

Were you familiar with the organization/ institute' s requirements (behavioral and others)?

Did you work out a strategy and plan?
Greeting and rapport:

Did you establish a good rapport right in the beginning by maintaining an affable posture and sociable poise?
Giving information:

Did you listen fully and attentively to the questions before answering?

Did you give open-ended answers?

Did you draw upon your past experience to illustratively express your answers?

Did you attempt to think logically and reason out with the interviewer in the case of probing and hypothetical questions?

Did you fall into the yes/no trap questions?

Did you summarize, to confirm what the interviewer asked?

Did you make the interviewer talk by asking him for feedback?

Did you get bogged down by unpleasant questions?

Did you avoid telegraphic answers?

Did you interrupt he interviewers too often?

Could you notice a pattern emerging during the interview?

Was the interview more of a conversation or a question answer examination? Parting:

Was the parting smooth, comfortable and promising? Self-evaluation:

Did you manage to present your strengths convincingly to the board?

Did you avoid the following traps?
(a) Jumping to conclusion
(b) Answering loaded question
(c) Getting into arguments on morals and integrity.
(d) Undermining the interviewers.
(e) Exaggerating your claims.
(f) Breaking down under stress.

Cross-checking ones performance in an interview with the above check-list will help one prepare better for future interviews.

Windows boot.ini

2008-01-31T22:25:00.001+05:30

Windows boot.ini

Boot.ini is one of the very first files that come into play when a Windows XP system is started up. It is a plain text file that is kept in the system root, so it is usually C:\boot.ini. Because it is an essential system file, the attributes are set to hidden, system, read-only to protect it. That means that it will not appear in the file lists in My Computer or Windows Explorer unless the default Windows settings are changed to show hidden files.

Boot.ini contains the location of the Windows XP operating system on the computer. If there is a multi-boot system, the locations of of any other operating systems are also contained. During the startup process, functions from the Windows XP file named "Ntldr" are in charge of getting the proper operating system loaded and Ntldr looks at boot.ini to find out where the operating systems are located and whether a menu should be displayed. Boot.ini can also include entries giving boot options such as Safe Mode or the Recovery Console.

**Some examples of boot.ini files**
A typical simple example	[boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi( 0)disk(0) rdisk(0)partitio n(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk( 0)rdisk(0) partition( 1)\WINDOWS= "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
Example with Recovery Console as an option	[boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi( 0)disk(0) rdisk(0)partitio n(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk( 0)rdisk(0) partition( 1)\WINDOWS= "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT .DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
Example of a dual-boot system with XP on partition 2. Note that the location of Windows Me is given as C:\	[boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi( 0)disk(0) rdisk(0)partitio n(2)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk( 0)rdisk(0) partition( 2)\WINDOWS= "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect C:\ = "Microsoft Windows Me "
Example with Safe Mode as an option and "timeout" =10 seconds	[boot loader] timeout=10 default=multi( 0)disk(0) rdisk(0)partitio n(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk( 0)rdisk(0) partition( 1)\WINDOWS= "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect multi(0)disk( 0)rdisk(0) partition( 1)\WINDOWS= "Safe Mode" /safeboot:minimal /sos /bootlog

Open Start-Run and enter "msconfig". The box shown below will open.

Click the tab "BOOT.INI" and the figure shown next will open. The contents of the boot.ini file are shown and a number of configuration settings are available. In the middle right is a box where the settings for Timeout can be changed.

The command line tool bootcfg.exe

Windows XP Professional also has a command line utility for manipulating boot.ini called bootcfg.exe. (It may or may not be in a Home Edition installation. ) It is described in this Microsoft reference. It can be used in the Recovery Console to repair a damaged boot.ini file or in a command window to edit entries to the file. There are a number of different switches and these are illustrated in the output to a command window shown below

Your Choices for Changing the Boot Menu

Boot up the Windows™ 2000, XP or 2003 OS and open "Control Panel" then click on "System" (or select "Properties" after right-clicking on My Computer). Under the "System Properties" window's "Advanced" tab, if you click on "Startup and Recovery" you'll see at least two basic items in the BOOT.INI file that you're allowed to change from this dialog box: 1) You can select the default OS to boot up, and 2) How many seconds to display the boot menu. And under Windows™ XP or 2003, you'll find another button that gives you direct access to editing the whole BOOT.INI file! Under Windows™ 2000, you'll need to find the BOOT.INI file on your own for further editing; such as arranging the order in which the OS selections appear in the menu. So, if you decide to delete the new OS, simply set your old OS as the default boot OS and uncheck the item for displaying the menu list (or manually set it to zero; same result). You could then safely delete the new OS partition, but not the files it added to your old partition.

Explanations for each part of BOOT.INI

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi( 0)disk(0) rdisk(0)partitio n(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk( 0)rdisk(0) partition( 2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP" /fastdetect
C:\ = "Microsoft Windows"

Option	Description
multi(x)	This option is used with IDE and ESDI drives and is also used with SCSI drives for computers using Windows NT. The number used in the above example is "0", this number is the adapter's number and should always be "0" for computers that rely on the BIOS to load system files. In a computer using only IDE this option will work with up to four hard disk drives. In a computer using only SCSI this option will work with the first two drives on the primary SCSI controller. Finally, if a computer is using IDE and SCSI this option will work with the IDE drives on the first controller.
scsi(x)	If the computer has a SCSI controller and is not using BIOS to load the system files, the boot.ini may have "scsi(x)" instead of "multi(x).
disk(x)	The disk on the controller. If "multi(x)" is used used, this value will always be "0". However, if "scsi(x)" is defined, this value will be SCSI address.
rdisk(x)	Which disk on the controller is being used. In the above example we are using an rdisk of "1", which indicates the second disk on the primary controller is being used. This value may be between "0" and "3" and is always set to "0" when "scsi(x)" is being used.
paritions(x)	Which partition the operating system is on. In the above example, the operating system is on the first partition of the drive.
\WINDOWS=".. ."	Finally, the last portion of this line defines the directory of where windows is located and what the boot menu should display as the operating system. In the above example, the boot menu would display "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" as a selection.

In the "[boot loader]" section above, the "timeout" entry is how many seconds (30 in this case) that the menu will remain onscreen before trying to boot up the "default" OS.

default=multi( 0)disk(0) rdisk(0)partitio n(2)\WINDOWS: -

Most of these lines use what are known as ARC (Advanced RISC Computing) paths to specify the location of various boot partitions. Almost every machine using ATA (EIDE / IDE) hard drives will have: "multi(0)disk( 0)". The multi(x) parameter is used to set the disk controller number, where x=0,1,2,... . The multi(x) parameter is always followed by disk(0); unless you're using a SCSI controller without the BIOS enabled.

The second line under the "[operating systems]" section is what you could call an alternate, backup or rescue copy of my main Win2000 OS which is located in the same volume as the main OS. A line like this will only be found if you install the Recovery Console files from your install CD onto your hard disk! Though its entry appears to differ radically from the usual
"multi(0)disk( 0)" + "rdisk(n)" + "partition(p) " + "\systemroot" format.

Modifying the Boot.ini

At the MS-DOS prompt, type:

c:
cd\
attrib -r -a -s -h boot.ini
edit boot.ini

While you can modify the Boot.ini file using the Startup and Recovery dialog, where you can select the default operating system, change the timeout value, or manually edit the file, the following method uses the command line utility, Bootcfg.exe.

Note The Bootcfg.exe utility is only available in Windows XP Professional. This utility is not available in Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. Therefore, this section does not apply to Windows XP Home Edition.

1.	Click Start, and then click Run.
2.	In the Open text box, type cmd.
3.	At the command prompt, type bootcfg /?.
4.	The help and parameters for BOOTCFG.exe will display.

Adding an Operating System

At the command prompt, type:

bootcfg /copy /d Operating System Description /ID#

Where Operating System Description is a text description (e.g. Windows XP Home Edition), and where # specifies the boot entry ID in the operating systems section of the BOOT.INI file from which the copy has to be made.

Removing an Operating System

At the command prompt, type:

bootcfg /delete /ID#

Where # specifies the boot entry ID that you want to be deleted from the operating systems section of the BOOT.INI file (e.g. 2 for the second Operating system that is listed.

Setting the Default Operating System

At the command prompt, type:

bootcfg /default /ID#

Where # specifies the boot entry id in the operating systems section of the BOOT.INI file to be made the default operating system.
Setting the Time Out

At the command prompt, type: bootcfg /timeout# Where # specifies the time in seconds after which default operating system will be loaded.

Open the Boot.ini File to Verify Changes

1.	Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. -or- Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
2.	On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
3.	Under System Startup, click Edit.

How to rebuild the Windows boot.ini

Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD into the computer. Note: If you have a system recovery CD or restore CD these steps will likely not work for your computer.

Reboot the computer with the CD and press any key when prompted to press any key to boot from the CD. If you do not receive this prompt and/or are not able to boot from the CD.

Once in the Microsoft Setup menu press R to open the recovery console.

Select the operating system you wish to use; if you only have Windows XP on the computer you will only have one prompt.

Once prompted for the password enter the Admin password and press enter.

Once at the command prompt type bootcfg /rebuild to start the rebuild process.

The rebuild process will step you through a number of steps depending upon how many operating systems you have on the computer and how the computer is setup. Below is a listing of the common steps you are likely going to encounter.

* Prompt for the identified versions of Windows installed. When you receive this prompt press Y if the bootcfg command properly identified each of the Windows operating systems installed on the computer. It is important to realize this command will only detect Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT installations.

* Prompt to enter the load identifier. This is the name of the operating system for the boot.ini. For example, Microsoft Windows XP Home users would enter "Microsoft Windows XP Home edition".

* Prompt to Enter OS load options. When this prompt is received type /fastdetect to automatically detect the available options.

Once you have completed all the available options in the rebuild and are back at the prompt type exit to reboot the computer.

GENERAL PACKET RADIO SERVICE(GPRS)

2008-01-31T21:42:00.002+05:30

GENERAL PACKET RADIO SERVICE(GPRS)

Introduction

The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a new non-voice value added service that allows Mobile Phones to be used for sending and receiving data over an Internet Protocol (IP)-based network. GPRS as such is a data bearer that enables wireless access to data networks like the Internet, enabling users to access E-mail and other Internet applications using Mobile Phones

With GPRS you can enjoy a continuous wireless connection to data networks (Internet) and access your favorite web sites, entertainment services and other web applications.

How does it work?

GPRS is packet based, wherein GPRS data is handled as a series of "packets" that can be routed over several paths through the network, rather than as a continuous bit-stream over a dedicated dial-up connection. With GPRS, the information is split into separate but related "packets" before being transmitted and reassembled at the receiving end. The Internet itself is an example of a packet data network, the most famous of many such network types.

In second-generation mobile networks, calls are handled using traditional circuit-switching technology. A dedicated "circuit", or "timeslot", is allocated between two points for the duration of a call. No other phone can use this circuit during the call, regardless of whether any data is being transmitted or not.

The GPRS standard is delivered in a very elegant manner - with network operators needing only to add a couple of new infrastructure nodes and making a software upgrade to some existing GSM network elements.

Features

a) Internet on the Mobile : For the first time, GPRS fully enables Mobile Internet functionality by allowing interworking between the existing Internet and a new GPRS network. Any service that is used over the fixed Internet today- File Transfer Protocol (FTP), web browsing, chat, email, telnet- will be as available over the mobile network because of GPRS

Because it uses the same protocols, the GPRS network can be viewed as a sub-network of the Internet with GPRS capable mobile phones being viewed as mobile hosts. This means that each GPRS terminal can potentially have its own IP address and will be addressable as such.

b) Rich Media Applications : GPRS facilitates several new applications that have not previously been available over GSM networks due to the limitations in speed of Circuit Switched Data (9.6 kbps) and message length of the Short Message Service (160 characters). GPRS will fully enable the Internet applications you are used to on your desktop, from web browsing to chat over the mobile network. Other new applications for GPRS, profiled later, include file transfer and home automation- the ability to remotely access and control in-house appliances and machines.

c) Speed : GPRS allows large amounts of data to be sent over mobile networks at speeds three to four times greater than conventional GSM systems. Theoretical maximum speeds of up to 171.2 kilobits per second (kbps) are achievable with GPRS using all eight timeslots at the same time. This is about three to four times as fast as the data transmission speeds possible over today's fixed telecommunications networks and ten times as fast as current Circuit Switched Data services on GSM networks. By allowing information to be transmitted more quickly, immediately and efficiently across the mobile network, GPRS may well be a relatively less costly mobile data service compared to SMS and Circuit Switched Data

d) Always On : GPRS facilitates instant connections whereby information can be sent or received immediately as the need arises, subject to radio coverage. No dial-up modem connection is necessary. This is why GPRS users are sometimes referred to be as being "always connected". Immediacy is one of the advantages of GPRS (and SMS) when compared to Circuit Switched Data. High immediacy is a very important feature for time critical applications such as remote credit card authorization where it would be unacceptable to keep the customer waiting for even thirty extra seconds.

Share Market Trading Secrets I

2008-01-31T06:26:00.001+05:30

8 reasons why stock market traders lose money

Many people think trading is the simplest way of making money in the stock market. Far from it; I believe it is the easiest way of losing money. There is an old Wall Street adage, that "the easiest way of making a small fortune in the markets is having a large fortune." I discuss below eight ways of undisciplined trading which lead to losses. Guard against them, or the market will wipe you out. I am qualified to speak on this subject because I was myself an undisciplined trader for a long time and the market hammered me into line and forced me to change my approach. 1. Trading during the first half-hour of the session The first half-hour of the trading day is driven by emotion, affected by overnight movements in the global markets, and hangover of the previous day's trading. Also, this is the period used by the market to entice novice traders into taking a position which might be contrary to the real trend which emerges only later in the day. Most experienced traders simply watch the markets for the first half of the day for intraday patterns and any subsequent trading breakouts. 2. Failing to hear the market's message Personally, I try to hear the message of the markets and then try to confirm it with the charts. During the trading day, I like to watch if the market is able to hold certain levels or not. I like to go long around the end of the day if supported by patterns, and if the prices are consistently holding on to higher levels. I like to go short if the market is giving up higher levels, unable to sustain them and the patterns support a down move of the market. This technique is called tape watching and all full-time traders practice it in some shape or form. If the markets are choppy and oscillate within a small range, then the market's message is to keep out. Hearing the message of the market can be particularly important in times of significant news. The market generally reacts in a fashion contrary to most peoples' expectation. Let us consider two recent Indian events of significance. One was the Gujarat earthquake that took place on 26 January 2001 and the other the 13 December 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian parliament. Both these events appeared catastrophic at first glance. TV channels suggested that the earthquake would devastate the country's economy because Gujarat has the largest number of investors and their confidence would be shattered, making the stock market plunge. Tragic as both the events were, the market reacted in a different way to each by the end of the day. In both cases the markets plunged around 170 points when it opened, in both cases it tried to recover and while it managed a full recovery in the case of the Gujarat earthquake, it could not do so in the Parliament attack case. The market was proven correct on both counts. The Gujarat earthquake actually held the possibility of boosting the economy as reconstruction had to be taken up, and also because most of the big installations, including the Jamnagar Refinery, escaped damage. In the case of the attack on parliament, although traders assessed that terrorist attacks were nothing new in the country but the market did not recover because it could see some kind of military build-up ahead from both India and Pakistan. And markets hate war and uncertainty. In both these cases what helped the cause of the traders were the charts. If the charts say that the market is acting in a certain way, go ahead and accept it. The market is right all the time. This is probably even truer than the more common wisdom about the customer being the king. If you can accept the market as king, you will end up as a very rich trader, indeed. Herein lies one reason why people who think they are very educated and smart often get trashed by the market because this market doesn't care who you are and it's certainly not there to help you. So expect no mercy from it; in fact, think of it as something that is there to take away your money, unless you take steps to protect yourself. 3. Ignoring which phase the market is in It is important to know what phase the market is in -- whether it's in a trending or a trading phase. In a trending phase, you go and buy/sell breakouts, but in a trading phase you buy weakness and sell strength. Traders who do not understand the mood of the market often end up using the wrong indicators in the wrong market conditions. This is an area where humility comes in. Trading in the market is like blind man walking with the help of a stick. You need to be extremely flexible in changing positions and in trying to develop a feel for the market. This feel is then backed by the various technical indicators in confirming the phase of the market. Undisciplined traders, driven by their ego, often ignore the phase the market is in. 4. Failing to reduce position size when warranted Traders should be flexible in reducing their position size whenever the market is not giving clear signals. For example, if you take an average position of 3,000 shares in Nifty futures, you should be ready to reduce it to 1,000 shares. This can happen either when trading counter trend or when the market is not displaying a strong trend. Your exposure to the market should depend on the market's mood at any given point in the market. You should book partial profits as soon as the trade starts earning two to three times the average risk taken. 5. Failing to treat every trade as just another trade Undisciplined traders often think that a particular situation is sure to give profits and sometimes take risk several times their normal level. This can lead to a heavy drawdown as such situations often do not work out. Every trade is just another trade and only normal profits should be expected every time. Supernormal profits are a bonus when they -- rarely! -- occur but should not be expected. The risk should not be increased unless your account equity grows enough to service that risk. 6. Over-eagerness in booking profits Profits in any trading account are often skewed to only a few trades. Traders should not be over-eager to book profits so long the market is acting right. Most traders tend to book profits too early in order to enjoy the winning feeling, thereby letting go substantial trends even when they have got a good entry into the market. If at all, profit booking should be done in stages, always keeping some position open to take advantage of the rest of the move. Remember trading should consist of small profits, small losses, and big profits. Big losses are what must be avoided. The purpose of trading should be to get a position substantially into money, and then maintain trailing stop losses to protect profits. Most trading is breakeven trading. Accounts sizes and income from trading are enhanced only when you make eight to ten times your risk. If you can make this happens once a month or even once in two months, you would be fine. The important point here is to not get shaken by the daily noise of the market and to see the market through to its logical target. Remember, most money is made not by brilliant entries but by sitting on profitable positions long enough. It's boring to do nothing once a position is taken but the maturity of a trader is known not by the number of trades he makes but the amount of time he sits on profitable trades and hence the quantum of profits that he generates. 7. Trading for emotional highs Trading is an expensive place to get emotional excitement or to be treated as an adventure sport. Traders need to keep a high degree of emotional balance to trade successfully. If you are stressed because of some unrelated events, there is no need to add trading stress to it. Trading should be avoided in periods of high emotional stress. 8. Failing to realise that trading decisions are not about consensus building Our training since childhood often hampers the behaviour necessary for successful trading. We are always taught that whenever we take a decision, we should consult a number of people, and then do what the majority thinks is right. The truth of this market is that it never does what the majority thinks it will do. Trading is a loner's job. Traders should not talk to a lot of people during trading hours. They can talk to experienced traders after market hours but more on methodology than on what the other trader thinks about the market. If a trader has to ask someone else about his trade then he should not be in it. Traders should constantly try to improve their trading skills and by trading skills I mean not only charting skills but also position sizing and money management skills. Successful traders recognise that money cannot be made equally easily all the time in the market. They back off for a while if the market is too volatile or choppy.

Excerpt from: How to Make Money Trading Derivatives by Ashwani Gujral.

NTFS vs FAT

2008-01-30T22:09:00.001+05:30

NTFS vs FAT

Criteria	NTFS5	NTFS	FAT32	FAT16	FAT12
Operting System	Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows 2003 Server	Windows NT Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows 2003 Server	DOS v7 and higher Windows 98 Windows ME Windows 2000 Windows XP	DOS All versions of Microsoft Windows	DOS All versions of Microsoft Windows

Limitations
Max Volume Size	2TB	2TB	32GB for all OS. 2TB for some OS	2GB for all OS. 4GB for some OS	16MB
Max Files on Volume	Nearly Unlimited	Nearly Unlimited	4194304	65536
Max File Size	Limit Only by Volume Size	Limit Only by Volume Size	4GB minus 2 Bytes	2GB (Limit Only by Volume Size)	16MB (Limit Only by Volume Size)
Max Clusters Number	Nearly Unlimited	Nearly Unlimited	4177918	65520	4080
Max File Name Length	Up to 255	Up to 255	Up to 255	Standard - 8.3 Extended - up to 255	Up to 254

File System Features
Unicode File Names	Unicode Character Set	Unicode Character Set	System Character Set	System Character Set	System Character Set
System Records Mirror	MFT Mirror File	MFT Mirror File	Second Copy of FAT	Second Copy of FAT	Second Copy of FAT
Boot Sector Location	First and Last Sectors	First and Last Sectors	First Sector and Copy in Sector #6	First Sector	First Sector
File Attributes	Standard and Custom	Standard and Custom	Standard Set	Standard Set	Standard Set
Alternate Streams	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Compression	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Encryption	Yes	No	No	No	No
Object Permissions	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Disk Quotas	Yes	No	No	No	No
Sparse Files	Yes	No	No	No	No
Reparse Points	Yes	No	No	No	No
Volume Mount Points	Yes	No	No	No	No

Overall Performance
Built-In Security	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Recoverability	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Performance	Low on small volumes High on Large	Low on small volumes High on Large	High on small volumes Low on large	Highest on small volumes Low on large	High
Disk Space Economy	Max	Max	Average	Minimal on large volumes	Max
Fault Tolerance	Max	Max	Minimal	Average	Average

How to Remove Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications

2008-01-30T19:32:00.001+05:30

How to Remove Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications

Windows genuine advantage notifications occur when your computer hasn't passed the validation test. The validation test can be failed due to being sold a pirated (non-genuine) copy of XP, or because you have changed your XP product key to a software-generated key, or sometimes it just happens for no reason at all. The failed validation installs three types of notifications on your computer: one on the log in screen, one log in timer, and one balloon. It also stops updates from Microsoft and disables your ability to install IE7 and Windows Media Player 11. This solution can get rid of all three notifications, even though you will still not be able to update through Windows Update. You will not be able to download things from Microsoft that requires a valid license either.

Steps

If you have only just installed Windows Genuine Advantage notifications, simply using the system restore function will remove the program. Then refuse to accept the WGA update next time Windows updates... Otherwise, proceed as detailed below. (NOTE: If you try these steps while you are in "Safe Mode," step #8 is unnecessary).
Open System32 by either A or B of the following methods:
- a)
  Click "Start", "Run", then type-in "System32". Click "Okay".
- b) Find System32 manually by clicking "Start" > "My Computer" > "(X:)" (Replacing "X" with the drive letter of the host of Windows) > "Windows" > "System32".
In "System32", go to "Tools" > "Folder options" > click on the tab, "View" > Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types". Now you can begin...
Check to make sure the window that comes up has a full screen of various files. The files are in alphabetical order, which makes it easier to locate the specific file.
Find "WgaLogon.dll" and rename it "WgaLogon.dll.bak".
Create an empty copy of WgaLogon.dll:
- Right click on a blank space in System32 and select "New" > "Text Document".
- Leave the text document empty and label it "WgaLogon.dll". Press Enter (on your keyboard).
- You may get a warning from the above step that says, "If you change a file name extension, the file may become unusable. Are you sure you want to change it?". Click "Yes" on this warning.
Be ready to complete the next two steps very quickly! Find "WgaTray.exe" in "System32" and delete it. You will then have 5 seconds to find "WgaTray.exe" in the Task Manager (the next step). NOTE: If you remove the files mentioned above while you are in "Safe Mode," step #8 is unnecessary.
Immediately open Task Manager. You can do this by pressing the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys simultaneously, pressing the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys simultaneously, or right clicking the Taskbar and selecting "Task Manager". Click on the process tab and click end process when "WgaTray.exe" is selected. Note: If you take longer, do NOT panic! All that will happen is that "WgaTray.exe" will keep reapearing in the processes list (i.e. you won't be able to delete it as required). To remove the notifications after this, return to system32. You will find two files:"WgaLogon.dll.bak" (the one you renamed) and an Application Extension (0KB) called "WgaLogon.dll". Delete the Application Extension, rename "WgaLogon.dll.bak" to "WgaLogon.dll" and repeat the steps from the fifth one onwards (at a greater speed!!).
Restart your computer once you have finished. All the notification messages should be gone.

SLIPSTREAMING WINDOWS OS

2008-01-28T19:20:00.002+05:30

Beginners Guide: Slipstreaming a WindowsXP Install CD with Service Pack 2
Slipstreaming is the technique for combining an installation CD like WindowsXP, with the latest Service Pack. This drastically cuts down on the time it takes to install a PC, because the patches and OS are installed together. Slipstreaming is the IT Departments secret weapon. - Version 1.1.0

With XP Service Pack 2 just released, users and IT departments across the world are scrambling to test and update their Microsoft-based PCs with its new features. Unfortunately, updating to service pack 2 (SP2) is a time consuming process, especially if you have more than one PC to upgrade. As usual, Microsoft has published the service pack in the form of a single downloadable file for IT professionals who need to apply it to multiple machines over a network. This is all well and good, but what if you are dealing with several, or dozens of new systems which require XP to be installed, along with its latest service pack?

The idea of installing Windows XP first then painstakingly applying its latest service pack to each machine seems... unnecessary. Fortunately, that's exactly what it is - unnecessary - there is an easier way, and PCstats is about to show you how to do it. The technique relies on a little know capability native to Windows 2000 and XP; that Microsoft included the ability to 'slipstream' the installation process. Slipstreaming refers to the process of creating a new bootable installation CD or network file for Windows XP or Windows 2000 installations which contains all the original operating system files, plus the latest Service Pack.

In this guide, PCstats will detail how to create a bootable Windows XP CD with Service Pack 2 included. We will also cover the steps for creating a network installable file with the same modifications for use by a large IT department, as well as a Windows 2000 bootable CD with the latest Service Pack 4 included.

What do you need to do all this?

To create a Windows XP bootable CD or network file with Service Pack 2, you will need:

A legitimate CD copy of Windows XP Home or Professional

A CD burner with recent CD creation software. Roxio Easy CD creator or Nero Burning Rom version 6 or better.

Isobuster software installed, available here.

At least 1.5GB of free hard drive space for a CD install file.

A copy of the Service Pack 2 install file for IT professionals (266MB, available here)

Legal Issues

Please note that while you can use the streamlining method to create an updated version of your own Windows XP CD with Service Pack 2 installed, this does not give you the legal right to use it on more than one machine at a time. A Windows XP license can still only be used on a single system at a time, unless you are using a volume license. OEM licenses (versions of Windows pre-installed on assembled computers) are considered to apply only to the computer they are first installed on, and may not be transferred to other systems. Be aware of these issues when preparing and creating your new CD. For a more in-depth look at the subject, see our article on Legally Copying Software.

With that out of the way, lets begin our step by step look at how to Slipstream WindowsXP and Service Pack 2 onto one bootable installation CD...

Creating An XP Service Pack 2 bootable CD

Step 1: Create directories

As we start through the procedure for creating your slipstreamed CD, the first thing you must do is create a pair of separate directories to hold the WinXP installation CD and Service Pack 2 data in.

On a hard drive with at least 1.5GB of space free, create two folders using Windows Explorer. One will be called 'XPCD' and the other 'SP2.' It's best if you create these folders right off the root directory of your drive, ie D:/XPCD and D:/SP2, to avoid confusion later.

Step 2: Move the Service Pack 2 file

Time to move the Service Pack 2 file to a location where it can be easily extracted and used. WinXP-SP2, 266MB, is available here. Move the Service Pack 2 file (WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU or similar) to the root directory of the drive you just created the 'XPCD' and 'SP2' directories in.

Step 3: extract the service pack files

The Service Pack is downloaded as a single compressed file. We need to extract it into the directory we created in order to go about using it to update our XP files.

Open a command prompt by going to 'Start / Run' and typing 'CMD.' Navigate to the root directory of the drive you are using for this procedure by typing the drive letter followed by a colon. For example, to get to the D:/ drive, type 'D:'

Type the name of the service pack followed by '-x' and press enter.

A window will pop up prompting you for a location to uncompress the service pack files to. Enter the location of the 'D:/SP2' directory you just created and hit OK. The service pack files will be extracted to that location.

Step 4: Copy the Windows XP CD onto your drive

Now we need to move the Windows XP install CD and all its files and folders onto your PCs hard drive so we can update them.

Place the WinXP install CD in your CD drive and using Windows Explorer, navigate to the drive. Highlight all files and folders, right click and select 'copy.' Now navigate to your 'D:/XPCD' directory, right click and hit 'paste.' Wait the few minutes it will take while the contents of the WindowsXP install CD are copied into the directory on your hard drive.

Step 5: Updating the 'D:/XPCD' directory with Windows XP Service Pack 2

In this step, we run the 'update' command built into each service pack with the 'integrate' switch, which will merge our Service Pack 2 files with the WinXP install CD files and folders we copied onto our hard drive in the last step.

Now we need to update the XP files in the 'D:/XPCD' directory with our newly extracted Service Pack 2 files. Open a command prompt by going to 'Start / Run' and typing 'CMD.' Navigate to the 'D:/SP2' directory by first changing drives if necessary ('D:/,' 'E:/', etc.), then typing 'CD SP2'

While still at the command prompt, type 'CD i386\update' to enter that directory.

Type 'update /S:(yourdrivename):\XPCD' and hit enter to begin the update process. A window will come up and detail the install procedure.

Step 6: Extracting the WinXP boot image from the CD

We need a bootable CD image file in order to create a bootable CD from our newly modified XP files. Fortunately, the Windows XP install CD already has a perfectly usable boot file; we just need to get at it. Isobuster is an invaluable free tool for accessing and extracting files from CDs and CD images.

Isobuster software is available here.

Insert your WinXP install CD into the drive and open up Isobuster. Navigate to the 'bootable CD' directory. In the right hand pane, highlight 'Microsoft Corporation.IMG'. Right click it and select 'Extract Microsoft Corporation.IMG'. Extract the file to your 'D:XPCD' directory.

Step 7A: Create the bootable WinXP Service Pack 2 CD with Nero Version 6

Now we will create the actual bootable CD from the files we have assembled and updated. To do this, we will use Nero Burning Rom Version 6.

Start up Nero and select 'CD-Rom (boot)' as the type of disk you wish to make. From the 'boot' tab, change the image file to the 'Microsoft Corporation.IMG' file that you extracted from the XP CD in the last step. Note that you will have to change the 'files of type' box from '.IMA' files to 'all files' in order to locate your file in its directory. Check 'enable expert settings.' In this section, you will need to change the 'kind of emulation' dropdown box to 'no emulation' and the 'number of loaded sectors' value to 4.

Now change to the 'ISO' tab. Change the 'file name length' dropdown box to 'max. of 31 chars (ISO level 2)' all boxes on the screen should be checked. It's essential that the version of Nero you are using supports the 'do not add the ";1" ISO file version extension' option, or the CD you create will not boot properly. If you have an older version of Nero, you will need to upgrade to version 5.5 or newer.

Step 7A: Create the bootable WinXP SP2 CD Con't

Now click the 'new' button to open the CD content window. In the file browser to the right, navigate to your 'D:/XPCD' directory and expand it. Now select all of the files and folders in the far right pane and drag them into either of the blank panes to the left. Now highlight the 'Microsoft corporation.IMG' file in the left window and delete it, since it is not needed on the CD.

Now click the 'burn' button on the toolbar and check the 'write' and 'finalize CD' options before burning the CD. Now you can use your newly created disk to install Windows XP with Service pack 2 already installed!

Step 7B: Create the bootable WinXP Service Pack 2 CD with Roxio Easy CD and DVD creator 6

Now that we have all the files and folders prepared, let's look at how to create a bootable CD out of them with Roxio's Easy CD and DVD creator software, since this is the second most popular burning software on the market, and just as capable as Nero 6 at getting the job done.

Start Easy CD and DVD creator and select ‘file\new project\bootable disk.’

In the ‘choose type of bootable disk’ screen, set the ‘bootable disk type’ drop down box to ‘no emulation.’ Click the ‘advanced’ button and set ‘load segment’ to ‘0x7c0’ and ‘sector count’ to 4.

Click the 'browse' button and navigate to the 'Microsoft corporation.IMG' file you extracted from the XP CD in the previous step. Click 'Ok.'

Step 7B: Create the bootable WinXP SP2 CD Con't

Now go to 'file\project properties.' On this screen, 'file system' should be set to 'Joliet' and 'physical format of disk' to 'mode 1: CD-ROM.' Now go to the 'file filter' tab and uncheck both 'do not add hidden' and 'do not add system files.' Ensure that the setting at the top is on 'all files.' Click 'OK.'

In the 'select source' pane, navigate to your 'D:/XPCD' directory and highlight all files and folders. Click the 'add to project' arrow to move these files onto the CD. Remove the 'Microsoft corporation.IMG' file from the bottom pane, then hit the 'burn to disk' button to create your CD.

In the 'record setup' screen, choose the 'record' and 'disk-at-once' options, then create the CD. You should now have a usable Windows XP install CD with Service Pack 2!

That is it for this section of the guide, if you have followed all of our steps correctly, you will have created a WindowsXP install CD with WinXP Service Pack 2 integrated right into it. With this one CD you can install a PC as you normally would with the Microsoft WindowsXP installation CD, except that when you load up Windows and right click on My Computer, you will clearly see that WinXP SP2 is already applied.

For IT departments looking to save time, and ensure that the most updated versions of Windows is consistently being installed, Slipstreaming is a powerful tool. However, Slipstreaming also works with Windows2000, an operating system still in wide use in corporate environments. Let's look at how to Slipstream Windows2000 Installation CD with Windows2000 Service Pack 4 now.

Slipstreaming Windows 2000 bootable CDs with Service Pack 4

Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 server can be Slipstreamed using the exact same method as we detailed above. The only difference is the amount of disk space required for the files and the file names themselves.

Download Windows 2000 Service pack 4 (132MB) and follow the same step as we have as described above for WinXP.

Creating a streamlined XP CD image for network installation

Once you have integrated the WinXP files with the Service Pack 2, you can also use the resulting directory to install the Slipstreamed Windows XP version over a network. Be aware that you will need a volume license from Microsoft in order to do this legitimately. This applies mostly to corporate or office situations, so the next few steps are a definitely a must for IT professionals to read through.

There's a couple of ways to go about creating a streamlined network installation file, but since one of the ways involves a Windows 2000 or 2003 Server using RIS (Remote Install Service) we'll go with the other, simpler one.

First you must share your 'D:/XPCD' directory. To do this, right click on the folder and choose 'sharing and security...'
From the 'XPCD properties' window, choose 'share this folder.'

Your XPCD directory will now be shared over the network under the name 'XPCD.' To test this out, open the run command ('start\run.') and type '\\(yourcomputername)\XPCD'

The XPCD folder should open in a new window. You are now ready to allow other users to access the install files.

You need to create or acquire a network boot disk which will work with your existing network card and allow you to access the network share without Windows being installed.

We've assembled three locations where you can download pre-made network boot disk images:

http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/network/
http://tdonline.com/bootdisk.htm
http://www.users.on.net/~driver/bootdisk/

With the use of these boot disks and the 'winnt.exe' file found in the 'I386' directory, you should be able to install WinXP over the network. This is not a procedure for beginners though, and will require various changes depending on your system's configuration. Remember to partition and format the drives on the system that will have XP installed, so that they are visible during the install process. Good luck!

COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME

2008-01-27T20:45:00.002+05:30

COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME

Useful article on eye care which describes about CVS ( Computer Vision Syndrome).