D@n!'s Place: 2008

Hiding drivers icons in my computer

In this tips, we will show you how to hide drivers icons that appear under My Computer.

Note: This has been tested and works perfectly under operating systems Vista and XP.

To do same, you must however modify the registry. It is therefore recommended to make up of your registry database.

After the back up, open the registry by Start > Run > regedit

Scroll to the key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Add a new DWORD value: Edit Menu> New> DWORD (32bits on Vista)

Name the value as NoDrives and press Enter
Double-click on this value, check the decimal point, and prior the drive that you want to hide, bring one of the following fields in the Value data:
* For drive A type 1
* For the drive B type 2
* For partition C, enter C 4
* For partition (or drive), enter D 8
* For partition (or drive), enter E 16
* By multiplying by 2, we may find the data corresponding to each drive.
* To hide multiple drives, just to the data sum corresponding to each drive.
* To hide all drives, enter the value 134217727

Confirm the changes and restart your PC.

To restore your players, you have delete the value NoDrives or to assign no value to the data.
You can access your players by entering X in the address field of your browser or in the Run command.

Note: This configuration will have no effect on your personal data but will only hide players.

Working Orkut Proxies or Proxy Sites

If you cannot access orkut through your isp or orkut and other social networking sites are blocked no need to worry, there are many other sites which will enable you to do that, some of the working proxy sites for orkut are

http://theorkut.info
http://proxut.com
http://proxy4orkut.com
http://orkutweb.info
http://theorkut.com
http://easyorkut.info

All of them are working at the time of posting but if you find any link not working please leave a comment so that i can update and provide a working link. Thank you for visiting us.

Send a Blank Scrap at Orkut

How would you like to send someone a blank scrap and see them getting annoyed at him. Well it would be quite fun to see when they would be thinking it is some problem with their computer system. You can make your friends fool for sometime, wonderful feeling yea. hahahaha......

Now the question is how to do it...
Here are the instructions for doing it
In the Text field where you type Scrap, HOLD (Keep pressed) ALT key and press 0 1 7 3 (Press the numbers one after the another. Do not keep them pressed) on the NUMBER PAD (on the right side of the keyboard).
If you are using a laptop, just Type [i] in the text box like this.
And Click Submit.
You will see a post like this...

Most of people who will see it will get annoyed by seeing a blank scrap.

Double the Size of your Friends Image at Orkut

This is an easy trick to have your friends profile image doubled or any image size doubled on the profile page. Just follow these simple step to double the size of your friend image

Open the profie page of the friend whose profile image you want to double in size
Paste the following script in the Address Bar (Address Bar is where you type website addresses)
and press enter thats it.

wαит тσ wяiтє likє тнiร? - Designer Scrap

wαит тσ wяiтє likє тнiร on orkut?
Just follow these Simple Instructions

Go to Text post for Writing the SCrap
Type YOur Message
αSтє тнє FσLLσWIиG SCяIρт Iи αDDяєรร Bαя(Wнєяє Yσυ WяIтє тнє αDDяєรร σF тнє WєBSIтєร)
нIт єитєя
CLICK σи SυBмIт

Script to Delete Entire Topic from a Community

Update(20/01/08): This script is not working anymore, Orkut has fixed it. If you have missed it kindly subscribe to us via email or reader so that you can get our updates as soon as they are posted here.
You can easily delete an entire topic from a community provided that you are the creator of the topic to do that
Just open the topic which you want to delete
Paste the following script in the Address Bar (Address Bar is where you type website addresses)
and press enter thats it.

3 More scripts for Beautiful Orkut Scraps

1. Write your normal scrap in the scrap text box
2. dont submit yet, copy and paste the following in the address bar and press enter (address bar is where you type google.com or orkut.com)

1-

2-

3-

3. Now just click the Submit Button and voila here you go friend

Script to Hack Orkut Account

Alright this is not what you think it is just a prank to play with your friends, just pass them the followint javascript and what they will see is just a message that their account is being hacked, Old trick but always work for a good laugh.
Tell your friends to do the following only, you can yourself also try, as i said this is not a hacking script.
Paste the following script in the Address Bar (Address Bar is where you type website addresses)
and press enter thats it.

Hack to Add More than 1000 Friends on Orkut

Hack to add more than 1000 friends on orkut is working again. So if you are very famous on orkut and have reached the 1000 limit, do not worry, now you can add more friends too... how? just follow these few simple steps :)

> Go to This page : http://www.orkut.com/Invite.aspx

>> In the field Email Address to Invite, Write the email address of your friends on orkut whom you have still not added or cannot add because you have reached the limit. (please note that the email address should be the one which they have used to create their account and which is usually the one which you found on their profile page).

>> Write your message.
>> Enter the Captcha .
>> Click Submit

> Now you will see the following when they are accepted and you just choose the category and click yes to add them as friend.

Kindly Note that this bug can be fixed any time, so use it till the time it is available, you might also like to subscribe to us for receiving these hacks on time.

Double the Size of your Friends Image at Orkut

Google Earth - Atacama Giant

I found this image in Google Earth.
It is located in Chile,
19°56' S 69°38' W (in Google Earth).

Google Brain

his movie is maybe fake but this movie tell how google brain is going to look like!

Click Here and Watch Google Brain........

Templates for Posting Designer Scrap at Orkut

Would you like to post scrap in beautiful designer like these ones, and many more. I sure like to do this. Posting scrap like these will make your message important and more beautiful to read, as well as they make someone's scrapbook colorful too.

After installing this script it will look like this, you can use various templates like blink for blinking message, 5 different templates, and a link maker to make image or text links easily.
you just need to normally type your message and just click on blink, template1 and then post scrap thats it. you can try various templates first and see which one looks best for you. you can create a beautiful scrap with this and then copy its code and send it to all your friends using our Scrap All Script.

How to install this script in your orkut account. Follow these simple instructions.

Requirements:

1. Firefox Browser ( If you don't have it you can download it from top downloads link above)

2. Greasemonkey Installed : You also need greasemonkey extension installed in your firefox browser. (Learn how to install Greasemonkey in Firefox)

Now we are all set Follow these simple instructions:

Click Here to install it . (thanks to Bean for this script)

Thats it my friend.... You might also like to check out 5 Orkut Skins, Orkut Scrap Count & find gmail contacts on orkut also.

======================================================================================

Google 133t

Go to

Google

type in ' google 133t '

then press I m feeling Lucky

If you don't find google 133t, simply click this link: ->google 133t

What is 133t?

According to Wikipedia, Leet or Eleet (sometimes rendered l33t, 1337 or 31337), also known as Leetspeak or Leetzorz (1337Z0l2Z), is an alphabet used primarily on the Internet, which uses various combinations of ASCII characters to replace Latinate letters. The term is derived from the word "elite", and the usage it describes is a specialized form of symbolic writing. Different dialects of leet are found on different online forums.

System Restore: Blank calendar

If the calendar in the system restore function has become blank, below is a tips of how to remedy to this:-
Go to Menu Start and select Run.
Type the following command:

regsvr32 jscript

Afther the process succeeds, below image will appear on your screen:

Repeat the same action for the two commands:

regsvr32 vbscript
regsvr32 / i MSHTML

You will be set with your calendar

Display additional clock (In Vista)

Below is a tips on how to display several clock on your desktop:

Right click on the time that appears on your screen in the task bar.

Then select adjust Time/Date.

Then select “Additional Clock”

Select the time zone for the additional clock

Enter the name of the new clock.

The additional clock on your screen will appear as below.

Yahoo vs Google - Technology vs Advertising

ust stumbled upon this observation in a blog post by Daniel Tunkelang where he compares Yahoo’s and Google’s latest key word tools, and chuckled. The occasion was Yahoo’s release of a new BOSS features called Key Terms, and Google’s announcement of the release of a new tool that tells you which keyterms you’re missing (i.e. should potentially buy):

I imagine that the technology behind both tools isn’t all that different–or at least doesn’t have to be. But, while Yahoo makes friends in the technology community (especially among researchers), Google makes friends in the advertising community–and makes itself oodles of money.

Yahoo dumps Google search technology

Yahoo dropped Google as the default search technology provider for its U.S.-based sites late Tuesday, signaling the beginning of the end for the Web's most high-profile marriage of convenience.

The change occurred at 9:30 p.m. PST Tuesday when Yahoo relaunched the search properties for its U.S.-based sites, including its Yahoo.com flagship home page. Yahoo replaced Google's results with its own Yahoo Search Technology, which combines an array of recently acquired search technologies, such as Inktomi and commercial search provider Overture Services. Yahoo also owns AltaVista and the Web search technology of Fast Search and Transfer.

Despite the publicity fanfare, Yahoo already started using its own search technology this week, as previously reported by CNET News.com.

The Web portal on Monday implemented a Yahoo-branded crawler, or robot, to scour the Web for documents. Called Yahoo Slurp, the robot "collects documents from the Web to build a searchable index for search services using the Yahoo search engine," according to Yahoo. The crawler is also keeping copies of those pages--what's known as "caching" pages.

It also started showing results from its own technology, which includes its paid inclusion program.

Paid inclusion is one of the key ways Yahoo plans to make money from its search platform. Under the program, Yahoo charges companies for more rapid and frequent inclusion in its index. But such programs have come under fire by industry watchers and federal regulators, which charge that their commercially oriented nature can taint results and mislead Web surfers without proper labeling.

Google does not offer a paid inclusion program.

Yahoo also plans to make money from licensing its search technology to third parties. It already has a jump on this business through the acquired contracts of Inktomi, which licenses to MSN in one example, as well as those of Fast Web search and Altavista.

Its third, and most valuable source of revenue will come from Overture's sponsored advertisements, which frame search results on the top, bottom and left-hand side. Overture also licenses its sponsored listings, which advertisers bid for, to third parties, including MSN.

Yahoo will transition the remainder of its international sites to its own technology over the next few weeks.

Industry watchers have criticized Yahoo for its delay in switching from Google technology, given that it bought Inktomi for $280 million in late 2002.

Google executives were not immediately available for comment.

The relaunch is part of Yahoo's overall strategy to regain its former distinction as the Web's dominant search engine. In the late 1990s, Yahoo began stepping away from its search roots to become an aggregator of the Web's chaotic array of content and services. During this period, technology start-up Google emerged from academic roots with intent of delivering faster, more relevant search results.

Yahoo soon became Google's biggest licensing partner, letting the start-up's results appear on all algorithmic search terms. This arrangement, first viewed as a placeholder for Yahoo, eventually gave Google more exposure to Web surfers around the world, helping it become a brand synonymous with search.

It wasn't until the discovery of commercial search that Yahoo began to refocus its attention to the technology. In the early 2000s, Yahoo struck a deal to host commercial search links with Overture, thus beginning a profitable relationship that would eventually account for 20 percent of Yahoo's quarterly revenues. Late last year, Yahoo closed its acquisition with Overture, valued at $1.63 billion when it announced the deal last July.

Yahoo's announcement comes amid Google's bid to be the most comprehensive search engine. On Tuesday, Google said it added more than 1 billion documents to its searchable Web database.

Taking on Google: Is Semantic Technology the Answer?

A growing number of entrepreneurs and investors promise a next-generation Internet that is organized, simple to use and makes it easy for people to find things.

The so-called semantic web will be based on search technology that will enable people to type in their questions using everyday language. Developers of next generation search engines say their technology will “understand” the language within those queries—much more precisely than Internet giant Google’s technology.

The new search engines will then scour databases that have already “read” documents from across the web to find the best matches. Specific answers can be found for queries such as “Which is the best oil company in the world?” or differentiate between “movies by women,” and “movies about women.”

That’s the goal of a handful of semantic search startups that hope to change the way people look for information online. But their greatest challenge will be taking on Google, which vaulted to the forefront of the Internet search market by creating the simple but sophisticated engine that now processes roughly half of all U.S. searches.

The challenge may be great, but the rewards are worth it because search results these days go hand in hand with advertising dollars. Don Dodge, who heads business development for Microsoft's emerging business team, estimates that 1 percent of the U.S. search market is worth more than $100 million in annual revenue and $1 billion in market cap.

New York-based hakia has already launched its semantic search engine, with positive reviews for its ability to quickly find very specific information. The company also released a browser plug-in that lets users find exact sections of documents that contain the answers to searchers’ queries.

Search engines like Google rank search results mainly based on popularity without much understanding of what is on each page, according to Melek Pulatkonak, hakia president and COO. At hakia, "a lot more analysis has been done offline to extract meaning of what each page is about," she said.

The company is also building a "chat box" that will allow users to ask a question in an instant message format that hakia believes is more in tune with young people. hakia currently uses Ask.com's advertising system, but it is expected to launch its own ad platform next year.

The most hyped of this emerging group is San Francisco-based PowerSet, even though it has not yet launched its search engine yet.

It is backed by prominent investors such as Esther Dyson and the Founders Fund, it has earned a reputation for poaching Google engineers, and it has licensed sophisticated language technology from Xerox. Still, getting a computer to understand natural language—and find the appropriate search result—is a difficult process.

Skeptics say most people are happy with the average search query of about two words. “Generally, users are extremely lazy,” said Jakob Nielsen, a consultant on Web site usability. “The less work they have to do, the more successful Web sites tend to be.”

Barney Pell, CEO of PowerSet, conceded that semantic search engines must convince people to change their search behavior. But web surfers have been trained to use keywords on Google, even though that is not the way people think. So that behavior can change, he argued.

PowerSet this week launched PowerLabs, an invite-only program for users to test a demo built to search online encyclopedia Wikipedia. In one example, the program extracts facts about people and things in Wikipedia, such as Hulk Hogan. It also compares PowerSet’s results side by side with competitors to show the company’s progress.

Some companies are taking a more pragmatic approach by creating semantic products for more specific tasks. Startup Radar Networks—backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital and Leapfrog Ventures—has developed an information sharing and collaboration service that allows people to find and share web sites, photos, products, and other information with others. It is expected to launch later this year.

And already-launched AdaptiveBlue, backed by Union Square Ventures, has a widget that automatically searches for books, movies or music related to any web page that a person is viewing. (See “Semantic Technology Now.”)

For its part, Google has a number of engineers working on natural language, including noted expert Ramanathan Guha. And Google’s technology is already savvy enough to answer simple questions like “What is the population of Japan?”

However, the company’s philosophy has been: the simpler the better. “For the majority of questions, that's not what people want,” Peter Norvig, Google's director of research, recently told Technology Review. “They don't want the burden of having to express it as a full sentence.”

The startups have one key advantage: Google is rapidly pushing into new markets such as word processing, online payment systems, and mobile devices. These new markets provide higher growth—and more satisfaction for Wall Street—than rebuilding its existing search engine would.

That leaves an opening for upstarts – if they can provide users with a good enough reason to switch from Google’s powerful simplicity, said Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence.

“These engines need to create incentives to change and reward people for their behavioral change,” he said. “If (semantic search engines) deliver, people will likely respond.”

Microsoft to offer free anti-virus software

Microsoft has announced plans to offer free anti-virus software to PC users starting next year.
The Redmond, Washington-based software giant said the software, code-named "Morro," will "provide comprehensive protection from malware including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans."
In a statement on Tuesday, Microsoft said Morro would be focused on "core anti-malware protection" and would be available in the second half of 2009.
"This new solution, to be offered at no charge to consumers, will be architected for a smaller footprint that will use fewer computing resources, making it ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less powerful PCs," it said.
Microsoft said it will discontinue sales of its current software security program, Windows Live OneCare, from June 30, 2009.
"Customers around the world have told us that they need comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats, and we take that concern seriously," said Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft.
"This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware."
Microsoft said "Morro" will be available as a download and offer malware protection for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems.
A number of companies are in the business of selling software security programs and industry analysts said Microsoft's move to provide free security software could pose a challenge to such firms as McAfee and Symantec.

Making a backup of your registry

Here below you should two simple methods on how to make a backup and to restore your registry.

Export/ Import

Firstly open your registry editor: click on Start Menu /Run / type in the following command: regedit.

Click on File /Export. Enter File name and select a path. Ensure that the file extension is .reg and in the Export range field select All

Click on save to validate operation.

To restore the registry when using this method, simply click on File/ Import.

This method is quite simple and useful, but if one of the registry keys is modified or deleted, causing your system to fail and you can’t restart your PC, this backup shouldn’t be of any use.

The second method allows you to restore your registry base in case of system failure.

Making a backup and restoring your registry using the Windows Recovery Console

The Recovery Console is accessible from the Windows XP installation CD.

The aim is make a copy of certain files (SYSTEM, SOFTWARE, SAM, SECURITY and DEFAULT) found in the WINDOWS/System32/Config folder

The first step is to create a folder to store the copy of these files (E.g.: C:\ Backup).

Insert the XP installation CD; restart your PC, using your CD Drive as First Boot Device.

After the Installation Files are copied, Windows will ask you whether you want to Install Windows XP or Repair.

Type on the R key to select the repair option.

Go to the line ''on which installation of Windows''

Type 1 and enter your password.

After the command line: C:WINDOWS> enter the following command :

copy C:\Windows\system32\Config\SYSTEM C:\Backup

Type in Exitt to quit and restart your PC.

Note that when making changes in the registry it’s important to:
Make a backup of the registry before making any modifications.
Make changes sequentially (one after the other).

[Windows XP] Repairing the network connection using command lines

Under Windows XP there is a small feature allowing you to repair a network connection. Go to the Network Connections options in Control panel (Control Panel / Network Connections), right click on the network connection you want and choose the repair option.

It is possible to run the same command by using the Netsh utility, within the following command line:

netsh int ip reset c:\ network-connection.log

c:\network-connection.log represents the address of the file in which the reporting will be stored

The netsh int ip ...command allows you to reset the TCP/IP.

When Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can use:

netsh winsock reset catalog

Resetting the socket which manages the TCP/IP. This can be used to handle network problems (browser problem, IP address related problems, etc ...)

Restrict display user name on login screen

Under Windows XP, if you log on classic session without the welcome screen, the open window will request the username and password. As default, the name of the last user of the computer will appear on the screen and you just have to put the password to login.

If you wish to disable this function for security purpose, below is a small configuration which will disable this application.

Open the registry and select the command
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system

Scroll to the Key dontdisplaylastusername.
Right click on it and number the value as 1.
To save this setting, restart your computer.
By disabling this function, neither the username and password will be displayed on the screen.

Google Web Accelerator

Google Web Accelerator is a web accelerator produced by Google. It uses client software installed on the user's computer, as well as data caching on Google's servers, to speed up page load times by means of data compression, prefetching of content, and sharing cached data between users. The beta, released on May 4, 2005, works with Mozilla Firefox 1.0+ and Internet Explorer 5.5+ on Windows 2000 SP3+, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista machines.
Google Web Accelerator sends requests for web pages, except for secure web pages (HTTPS), to Google, which logs these requests. Some web pages may embed personal information in these page requests.
Google receives and temporarily caches cookie data that your computer sends with webpage requests in order to improve performance.
In order to speed up delivery of content, Google Web Accelerator may retrieve webpage content that you did not request, and store it in your Google Web Accelerator cache.

Bugs and problems

It has been discovered that Google Web Accelerator has a tendency to prevent YouTube videos from playing, with the message in the YouTube video player, "We're sorry, this video is no longer available." By simply turning off Google Web Accelerator, the user should be able to play YouTube videos again without a problem. Users can also add .cache.googlevideo.com into the "Don't Accelerate These Sites" section in the preferences panel.
As of September 2008, the Google Web Accelerator is not compatible with Firefox 3.0.
Google Web Accelerator is currently (as of early November 2008) not available for download directly from the Google site, but it is still availible on download.com

External Link

http://webaccelerator.google.com/index.html

Skin-tenna: Antenna That Uses Skin To Transmit Signals

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed a wireless antenna that channels signals along human skin could broadcast signals over your body to connect up medical implants or portable gadgets. The new power-efficient approach could make more of established medical devices like pacemakers or help future implants distributed around the body work together.

Skin-tenna works by taking advantage of the creeping wave effect that allows waves to travel along a surface, due to mismatches between the air and the surface, and allows wireless devices (like pacemakers) to communicate more efficiently with devices anywhere on the body. Signals are channeled out sideways along the skin by this reflection and the conducting plate. That makes the antenna more efficient, which could double the battery life of body-worn gadgets.

The future may be filled with wearable device are powered by body heat or water or bacteria and communicate by sending signals along the surface of our skin. Now that’s a future that sounds exciting.

Keyboard Shortcuts

When speed counts, the keyboard is still king. Almost all the actions and commands you can perform with a mouse you can perform faster using combinations of keys on your keyboard. These simple keyboard shortcuts can get you where you want to go faster than several clicks of a mouse. You'll work faster on spreadsheets and similar documents, too, because you won't lose your place switching back and forth between mouse and keys.

Here are some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts:

Copy. CTRL+C
Cut. CTRL+X
Paste. CTRL+V
Undo. CTRL+Z
Delete. DELETE

Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin. SHIFT+DELETE
Copy selected item. CTRL while dragging an item
Create shortcut to selected item. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item
Rename selected item. F2
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. CTRL+LEFT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. CTRL+UP ARROW
Highlight a block of text. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document. SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select all. CTRL+A
Search for a file or folder. F3
View properties for the selected item. ALT+ENTER
Close the active item, or quit the active program. ALT+F4
Opens the shortcut menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously. CTRL+F4
Switch between open items. ALT+TAB
Cycle through items in the order they were opened. ALT+ESC
Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. F6
Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. F4
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10
Display the System menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Display the Start menu. CTRL+ESC
Display the corresponding menu. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name
Carry out the corresponding command. Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu
Activate the menu bar in the active program. F10
Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. RIGHT ARROW
Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. LEFT ARROW
Refresh the active window. F5
View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. BACKSPACE
Cancel the current task. ESC
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing.

Use these keyboard shortcuts for dialog boxes:

Move forward through tabs. CTRL+TAB
Move backward through tabs. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Move forward through options. TAB
Move backward through options. SHIFT+TAB
Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option. ALT+Underlined letter
Carry out the command for the active option or button. ENTER
Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box. SPACEBAR
Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons. Arrow keys
Display Help. F1
Display the items in the active list. F4
Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box. BACKSPACE

If you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, or any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key and the Application key , you can use these keyboard shortcuts:

Display or hide the Start menu.
Display the System Properties dialog box. +BREAK
Show the desktop. +D
Minimize all windows. +M
Restores minimized windows. +Shift+M
Open My Computer. +E
Search for a file or folder. +F
Search for computers. CTRL+ +F
Display Windows Help. +F1
Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain. + L
Open the Run dialog box. +R
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
Open Utility Manager. +U

Helpful accessibility keyboard shortcuts:

Switch FilterKeys on and off. Right SHIFT for eight seconds
Switch High Contrast on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN
Switch MouseKeys on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK
Switch StickyKeys on and off. SHIFT five times
Switch ToggleKeys on and off. NUM LOCK for five seconds
Open Utility Manager. +U

Keyboard shortcuts you can use with Windows Explorer:

Display the bottom of the active window. END
Display the top of the active window. HOME
Display all subfolders under the selected folder. NUM LOCK+ASTERISK on numeric keypad (*)
Display the contents of the selected folder. NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN on numeric keypad (+)
Collapse the selected folder. NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN on numeric keypad (-)
Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder. LEFT ARROW
Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder. RIGHT ARROW

Slow Shutdown

Some people have noticed that they are experiencing a really slow shutdown after installing Windows XP Home or Professional. Although this can be caused a number of ways, the most clear cut one so far is happening on systems with an NVidia card installed with the latest set of drivers. A service called NVIDIA Driver Helper Service is loading up on start up and for whatever reason doesn't shut itself down properly. The service isn't needed and can also increase the amount of memory available to your system. Here is how to disable it.

1: Go into your Control Panel
2: Select Administrative Tools and then click on Services
3: Right click on the file "NVIDIA Driver Helper Service" and then select STOP.
4: To stop this loading up every time you boot up your PC Right click it again and select properties - then where the option "Startup Type" is shown - make sure it is set at Manual like we have shown in the image below.

How to Convert a FAT Partition to NTFS

To convert a FAT partition to NTFS, perform the following steps.

Click Start, click Programs, and then click Command Prompt.

In Windows XP, click Start, and then click Run.

At the command prompt, type CONVERT [driveletter]: /FS:NTFS.

Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

NOTE: Although the chance of corruption or data loss during the conversion from FAT to NTFS is minimal, it is best to perform a full backup of the data on the drive that it is to be converted prior to executing the convert command. It is also recommended to verify the integrity of the backup before proceeding, as well as to run RDISK and update the emergency repair disk (ERD).

Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

Sudden closure of the window or ipconfig ping

Whenever you run a command from the menu start/Run, the command window opens and immediately close without giving the time to consult the screen.

Solutions

Below is a tips to stop this pattern.

To unable windows closure:

ping -t adresse_ip
cmd /k ping adresse_ip
cmd /k ipconfig /all

To edit result in a text file:

cmd /k ping adresse_ip > c:\ping.txt
cmd /k ipconfig /all > c:\ipconfig.txt

What is WebFldrs?

It may happen that you came across an application called Webfldrs XP in your control panel.

Do not panic, this is only the functionality of 2000/XP Web Folders, consider it as an implementation of the WebDAV protocol for Microsoft Windows systems.

Learn more on WebDAV protocol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebDAV

Webfldrs is an update to Windows XP:

Software Update for Web Folders (KB907306)

Webfldrs-KB907306-ENU.exe

This download enables you to update the Web Folders component in Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/...

However, to uninstall it, just go to Start Menu/Run, then type:

msiexec /x C:\Windows\System32\webfldrs.msi

To reinstall it just type:

msiexec /i C:\Windows\System32\webfldrs.msi

Create PDF From MS Word Or Any Windows Application

We have already seen online alternatives like PdfonFly to convert any text or URL content into PDF format on the fly for free. In case you are looking for an offline alternative, then checkout doPDF.

It is a free application that allows you to save any document into PDF format. Besides being free, it is very easy to use and effective in creating PDF files. Here is simple procedure to use do PDF.

* Open any document in MS Word or any Windows application.
* Goto ‘File’ and then click on ‘print’ option.
* Then select ‘dopdf’ from drop down box on print window.
* Click OK, select location to save the file & its all done.

Watch this video for better understanding of the above procedure. Resultant PDF files can be large in size, however you can ZIP them to minimize its size. Some file may lose formatting here and there.

Overall it produce neat results and allows you to convert just about anything into PDF format for free. Download doPDF and ease out with PDF conversion blues!

No folder options in Windows Explorer

File corruption and virus infection may lead to absence of the folder option in Windows Explorer.

To recover “Folder Options", go to Menu Start and select “Run” .

Type “regedit” to open the registry.

Select the Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the NofolderOptions, right click on the file and select “Modify”.

Put the value as 0 and click on « OK » to reactivate Folder Options.

Close the registry and restart your computer to save all settings.

This setting can be simplified using a notepad.
Copy the following in a notepad by: Start> All Programs > Accessories > Notepad

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]

"NoFolderOptions"=dword:1

Save this file type as “All files”

Put the name as name.req (The bold part cannot be modified)

Save the file to enable the process.

Google: it's Technology, Philosophy and Future

Google has always fascinated me; always I found it unique & amazing, so I thought to write about its Philosophy, Technology & its Future.
Happy Reading……

Google’s search Technology:

Google is the perfect search engine, its search technology has been evolved up to the best & I hope it will get even better once it includes searching other things, we can only dream about. Google’s search technology depend on following two factors-
* PageRank Technology
* Hypertext-Matching Analysis

The software behind Google's search technology conducts a series of simultaneous calculations requiring only a fraction of a second. Traditional search engines rely heavily on how often a word appears on a web page. Google uses numerous factors including its patented PageRank™ algorithm to examine the entire link structure of the web and determine which pages are most important. It then conducts hypertext-matching analysis to determine which pages are relevant to the specific search being conducted. By combining overall importance and query-specific relevance, Google is able to put the most relevant and reliable results first.

Life of a Google Query:

Future of Google:

Google's innovations don't stop at the desktop. To bring its accurate and speedy search results to users accessing the web through portable devices, Google also pioneered the first wireless search technology for on-the-fly translation of HTML to formats optimized for WAP, i-mode, J-SKY, and EZWeb. Currently, Google provides its wireless technology to numerous market leaders, including AT&T Wireless, Sprint PCS, Nextel, Palm, Handspring, and Vodafone, among others.

Google’s Philosophy:

Google, from its inception works on ten things it found to be true & that is one of the reason I like Google so much.

* Focus on the user and all else will follow.
* It's best to do one thing really, really well.
* Fast is better than slow.
* Democracy on the web works.
* You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.
* You can make money without doing evil.
* There's always more information out there.
* The need for information crosses all borders.
* You can be serious without a suit.
* Great just isn't good enough.

You can find all these in details here-
http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html

Command to detect your IP address!

IP address (Internet Protocol) is a numerical identification to detect your computer on a network. It is used to communicate between nodes on a computer network.
Find below the commands to execute and provide your IP address.

Command for Windows 2000 / XP / Vista

Go to “Menu Start” and select “Run”. Then, type the following command:

cmd /k ipconfig /all

Your IP address will be displayed in an open window after a few seconds.

Command for Linux

Type this command in the root:

ifconfig

Creating an Hotmail shortcut on your desktop

Accessing your mailbox on Hotmail is time consuming; you can either add Hotmail.com to your Favorites or access it via instant messaging applications.

The quickest method to access your mailbox and read directly your message is definitely to create a shortcut on your desktop.

Proceed as follow:

Right click on your desktop and select New and the Shortcut options.

In the Create Shortcut window, that appear type in the command below:
%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe "%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\hmmapi.dll",OpenInboxHandler

Click on the Next button.

Type in the name the shortcut (e.g. Hotmail instant access) and click on Next. Your new shortcut should be on your desktop and ready to use.

Note: if you want modify the icon associated to this shortcut, just right click on the shortcut, select the Change Icon option, select the icon you want to use and click on Ok.

NTFS uses more disk space than FAT

Microsoft invented both NTFS and FAT file system
FAT is inherited from MS-DOS and Windows 95/98, while NTFS is inherited from Windows NT4. NTFS is the file system default Windows XP and Vista.

Myth:

People tend to think that NTFS uses more disk space than FAT.

Reality:Reality:

False NTFS does not occupy or use more disk space than FAT.

Explanation:

NTFS:
It is faster than FAT.
It is more secure than FAT (less risk of corruption)
has more features (support for international characters, security settings, auditing, compression, encryption, management of very large files).
NTFS is also more efficient: It manages more free space than FAT, and better optimizes the management of many files.

Just try it:

Take two equally sized partitions, format one in NTFS and the other one FAT and copy files over and verify the size occupied on disk.

E.g. Copying files Active Perl (3972 files, total 66.7 MB) on a 300 MB disk

These files occupy 76 607 488 bytes on a FAT drive.
These files occupy 67 628 032 bytes on a NTFS drive.

If we look at the free disk space 300 MB after copies of files:

238 051 840 bytes free on the NTFS drive.
235 298 816 bytes free on the FAT drive.

Conclusion:
Its recommended that you make use of NTFS than FAT if you really care about optimizing disk space.

Formatting your drive with Fat32

Windows XP normally refuse to format a partition higher than 40 GB with FAT32. however this operation performs properly with NTFS

The solution for this issue is to boot your installation CD and use the Console Recovery by pressing the key “r”. Once the safe mode show C:\> type the following command :

format x: /fs:fat32

Replace the letter x by the partition that you are actually formatting , e.g . partition D:.
Important Notice : Formatting from FAT32 is refused whenever the we type cmd in the run. Another important information is thaty. administrator password is required for formatting under console recovery. If you have forgotten your administrator password, the only solution is to format using a software which enable you to format in FAT32 , e.g , FAT32FORMAT.

Lock your Windows XP session

There are several ways available to be able to lock your Windows XP (including Home Edition and XP Pro)

Method 1: Shortcut

1. With your mouse, right click on your desktop and select "New/Shortcut" from the list
2. Once done, copy and paste the command rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation and click "Next"
3. You can choose to label the shortcut before choosing the "Finish" option

Method 2: Using DOS

1. Using DOS is a simple way to be able to lock your Windows XP
2. Go to the "Start" button and choose the "Run" option
3. Type in "CMD" and when the command window pops up, copy and paste rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation before pressing the Enter key.

Method 3: Create a .bat file

1. Open a new Notepad document and copy and paste the command
@echo off
rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation cls

2. Hence, save the text file as a .bat file
3. Once done, all you have to do is to run the file by double clicking on it

Install XP from your flashdisk

When your computer has a defect with its CD Drive and you are unable to read any CDs on it, you can choose to install Windows XP from a USB/ Flash disk and this is done quite easily. Below is what you need to do :

Step 1: Purchase a flashdisk that has a capacity of more than 1 GB.
Step 2: Download usb_prep8 from the link http://www.2shared.com/file/2581432/a65c092a/usb_prep8.html
Step 3: Download bootsect from the link http://www.2shared.com/file/2585881/5ad9ef68/bootsect.html
Step 3: An original licensed version of Windows XP on a CD as well as a spare computer or laptop.

Now, you will have to follow the procedures below:

1. Once you have downloaded the zipped folders, you can extract the zipped files
2. Choose usb_prep8.cmd and once the command prompt opens, choose any key to continue with the set up.
3. Once the PeToUSB window pops up, go to the 'Start' option to format your flashdisk.

Making a backup of your registry

Here below you should two simple methods on how to make a backup and to restore your registry.

Export/ Import

The Recovery Console is accessible from the Windows XP installation CD.

The aim is make a copy of certain files (SYSTEM, SOFTWARE, SAM, SECURITY and DEFAULT) found in the WINDOWS/System32/Config folder

The first step is to create a folder to store the copy of these files (E.g.: C:\ Backup).

Insert the XP installation CD; restart your PC, using your CD Drive as First Boot Device.

After the Installation Files are copied, Windows will ask you whether you want to Install Windows XP or Repair.

Type on the R key to select the repair option.

Go to the line ''on which installation of Windows''

Type 1 and enter your password.

After the command line: C:WINDOWS> enter the following command :

copy C:\Windows\system32\Config\SYSTEM C:\Backup

Type in Exit to quit and restart your PC.

Note that when making changes in the registry it’s important to:
Make a backup of the registry before making any modifications.
Make changes sequentially (one after the other).

Windows Operating Modes

Intro

There are different operating modes in which windows can run. Windows 95/99/ME can be run either in standard mode or in 386 enhanced mode.

To choose which mode you wish to run windows, you just have to type "win" at the DOS prompt and chose the appropriate mode to run windows.

To display mode in which Windows is running, go to “Program Management” and select “About” in the menu.

When Windows start on your computer, it determines what kind of mode to prompt by investigating on its kind of CPU and how much RAM is installed on your computer.

Standard mode

If your Pentium 286 or 386 is equipped with less 2MB of free RAM, windows will automatically start in standard mode.

enhanced 386 mode

If your PC is 386 and equipped with more than 2MB of free RAM, windows starts in 386 enhanced mode.

Count Me Out!

To keep your Google Analytics data pure you should remove all traffic generated by yourself or others that may not be real visitors. For example, if your company has a large call center you should remove the traffic they generate because it will skew your analytics data.

To remove this data we usually use an exclude filter based on IP address, host name or geographic location. While this is effective the results can be a bit ‘broad’. What I mean is you may not want to remove ALL of the traffic from an IP address, host name or geographic location.

Here’s another example. I have a blog (obviously) that I track with Google Analytics and I want to remove all of the traffic I generate. I don’t want to use an exclude filter based on IP address or geographic location because I want to see traffic generated by others in my company and city/state. I only want to exclude the traffic from the computer I am working on.

This technique can also be used if you have a dynamic IP address.

The solution is to create an exclude filter based on another piece of data, more specifically a custom segment. This method isn’t as broad as an exclude filter based on IP, hostname or geographic location. The filter is based on a cookie, which is specific to a computer. Using this method I can eliminate all of the traffic from an individual computer without affecting data created by others.

How to Set it Up

The first step is to set a cookie on your machine that will identify you to Google Analytics. We’re going to use GA’s custom segmentation functionality to do the.

I created a script that will set the GA custom segment cookie on your computer. You can view the source here.

Copy the source and paste it into your favorite editor. Then save the file. For the page to properly display on your website you will need to save it with the correct extension. You should be able to use a .html or .htm extension. It depends on your web server.

Once the file has been saved, upload it to your web server. You may need to use FTP. If you don’t know how to put the file on your web server consult with your web master. You can place the file anywhere on the site.

Then open a browser and type the location of the file in the browser. The page should display as an HTML form. If it displays as text then you probably need to change the file extension.

Enter some text into the text box and click the ‘Create Cookie’ button. The script will set the GA custom segment cookie on your computer and the cookie will have a value of whatever you entered into the text box. Do not use any white spaces or special characters when entering a value for your custom segment. Keep it simple, something like ‘exclude-me’ will work just fine. You should see a confirmation message that the cookie was set correctly.

The next step is to log into your GA account and create an exclude filter based on the value of the custom segment cookie. If you entered ‘exclude_me’ in the form then use ‘exclude_me’ as the value in the filter pattern field. Here are the settings for the exclude filter:

This script works by taking the value you enter in the form and setting it as a custom segment. The great thing about this script is you can place it on your site and then access it from all the computers you work on. Just point a browser to the script, submit the form and all traffic from that machine will be excluded.

Keep in mind that the GA cookies are specific to a domain. So if you want to use this script for multiple websites you need to follow the above process for each domain.

The script is written in JavaScript and has been testing in FireFox 1.5 and IE 6.X.

Google searches for quality not quantity

GOOGLE has plans that will dramatically improve the results of internet news searches, by ranking them according to quality rather than simply by their date and relevance to search terms.

The ambitious system is revealed by patents filed in the US and around the world (WO 2005/029368) by researchers based at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California.

At the moment the company's search engine throws up thousands of "hits" in response to simple entries such as "Iraq", which lead to news websites. These are ranked either in order of relevance or by date, so that the most recent or most focused appear at the top of the huge list.

This means that articles carrying more authority, say from CNN or the BBC, can be ousted from the first page of results, simply because they are not as recent or as relevant to the keyword entered in the search line.

Now Google, whose name has become synonymous with internet searching, plans to build a database that will compare the track record and credibility of all news sources around the world, and adjust the ranking of any search results accordingly.

The database will be built by continually monitoring the number of stories from all news sources, along with average story length, number with bylines, and number of the bureaux cited, along with how long they have been in business. Google's database will also keep track of the number of staff a news source employs, the volume of internet traffic to its website and the number of countries accessing the site.

Google will take all these parameters, weight them according to formulae it is constructing, and distil them down to create a single value. This number will then be used to rank the results of any news search.

Cleaning pagefile.sys

Intro

Pagefile.sys is a file that is currently used by Microsoft Windows to store frames of memory that do not currently fit into physical memory. The paging file allows the memory requirement to run all tasks to exceed the amount of physical memory and swapping allows multiple processes to run at the same time

Virtual memory extension

This technique below allows you to extend your virtual memory.

Under Windows XP and 2000, you can clean the file pagefile.sys to improve its overall performance. This can be performed by creating or modifying the REG_DWORD value from 1 to 0 in the registry KEY ClearPageFileAtShutdown. This is located under the KEY :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management

To access the above mentioned Key, Go to menu Start> Run and type regedit.

This modification can surely impact the time needed by Windows need to boot.

This system file is situated under the root: C:\Pagefile.sys

Optimizing Windows boot process.

Click on the start menu.

Open the run tab.

Type in sysedit and press OK.

This should open the System configuration editor, and in the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT panel, type in the following command: LH C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE, this will improve the hard disk memory cache monitoring when starting Windows.

Save the modifications and restart your PC.

Note that this command line is not set up as default on Windows XP.

C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file is automatically loaded when Windows start up. By adding to the C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE command line to it, this will result in the execution of the command.

Be careful to avoid any modifications in the other panels , this could severely affect your system.

Installation problems- memory test

Sometimes when installing a fresh copy of Windows, there is and error message notifying that the setup can’t continue because there a certain file is missing or that formatting is not complete.

Causes:

Installation CD is not good condition.

CD drive is not working properly.

MBR is infected by a virus.

The RAM memory is faulty: during the boot process the exact amount of memory will be displayed.

Solutions:

Test with another CD drive.

Make a scan disk.

Test the installation CD on another PC.

Memory test:

First of all is to determine that:

If you have two memory cards, test them separately (this require that you remove them from your motherboard and test them one after the other).

Another option is to use Memtest86, it takes a long time to scan, but not need to open up your PC.

To run it from a floppy, you need to down load it, extract the archive file. Run the install.bat file specifying the floppy drive letter (normally A:\) and the program will automatically copy the necessary files on a previously loaded formatted disk. Once the process complete the floppy disk will not be readable under Windows. You can format it if you want to use it again.

From a CD

Simply burn the .ISO file on a CD using Nero Burning Rom. To launch Mentest for the CD, your PC boot sequence must be configured, in order to start from the CD drive.

These modifications are done within the Bios:

Start your PC

Press delete or F2 to enter your BIOS

Choose the boot sequence option and select your CD drive as First Boot Device.

Save the modifications and quit BIOS.

Your PC will restart automatically; press any key to start Memtest.

If the problem persist, check out the motherboard or your graphic

Restrict change of background

This tips has been raised out to show you how to configure and restrict the background change of your computer for specific purpose like company policy.

Go to menu “Start” and select “Run”

Then type “Regedit” to open the registry.

Once registry open, select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\policies

If the file does not exist, click on “Edit” > New > Key. Then name the file as “policies” and validate

Then right click on the new file “policies” and select “New” > “KEY” which you will name as “ActiveDesktop”.

In the right part of your windows registry, select the value “DWORD” and name it as “NoChangingWallPaper” and the DWORD value as 1.

The DWORD value 1 will restrict change in desktop wallpaper. To reactivate change , put the value as 0.

How to log in automatically with Windows XP

f you have recently updated your Windows with the Automatic Updates, you will notice that you will not be able to log automatically into your account. This is due to .NET Framework installation that automatically creates an additional account known as ASP.NET. This can be changed by the following method:

Using the Run feature

1. Go to the "Start" button and choose "Run"
2. Hence, copy and paste the command CONTROL USERPASSWORDS2. When done, click "OK"
3. From the given list, select the user that you want to allow automatic login on
4. Disable the option "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" and click "OK"
5. When done, enter the password for the user account to allow this option.

Error message: UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

Intro

This message does not necessarily mean that the hard disk is defective, it may be simply a problem in the boot sequence of the disc.

When booting up to Windows XP, you are prompted by the following error message, "Unmountable Boot Volume".Be assured, this message does not necessarily mean that the hard disk is defective, it may be due to a problem in the boot sequence of the disc.

Solution

To tackle this problem, simply insert the Windows XP installation CD and restart your computer but don’t forget to change the boot sequence (Select first boot device as CD ROM drive)
Learn more about changing boot sequence
http://en.kioskea.net/faq/sujet 648 modifying boot sequence

Insert the XP installation CD; restart your PC, using your CD Drive as First Boot Device.

After the Installation Files are copied, Windows will ask you whether you want to Install Windows XP or Repair.

Type on the R key to select the repair option in order to open the Windows Recovery Console.

Type in the following command:

CHKDSK /R /P

After analysis, type in :
FIXBOOT

Then remove the CD and restart your PC. The problem should now be solved.

Reactivating Windows Task Manager under Windows Vista

It appears that when you try to access Windows Task Manager , below image appear on your screen :-

To repair this setting, follow below instructions:
Select menu "Start" and click on "Run".Type "gpedit.msc" and click on "OK".

Click on "User Configuration"

In the User configuration, select "Administrative Templates"

Click on "System"

hen select the file "Ctrl+Alt+Del Options"

Right click on the file "Remove Task Manager" and select "Properties".

Select the option "Not Configured" and click on "Apply" and finally "OK" to save setting. It is recommended that you restart your computer to save the new settings made to your computer.

Modify the rate at which restore points are deleted

Its true that restore points are very useful, but bear in mind that they also occupy a significant space on your hard disk (depending on the size of your hard disk, a restore point can occupy several gigabytes)

Another constraint of early created restore point after a given period of time no longer work and clutter your hard disk unnecessarily.

It is more practicable to delete your unused restore point to save space on your hard disk. To do this lawful setting, follow below instructions :

In the registry as explained above, double-click on the value DWORD recognized as RPLifeInterval

Enter the restore point lifetime value to 604800 sec to delete if it has more a week lifetime.

Thanks to consider that early created restore point can be deleted manually as per below indication:

Double click on “My Computer” and right click on hard drive and select “Properties”.
Then click on “Disk clean up”.
In the new window, select “Disk Clean Up and other options”.
In the “Other options” press on “Clean” for “System Restore"

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