Category Archives: Tips n Tricks

19 Secrets about Windows XP

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You’ve read the reviews and digested the key feature enhancements and operational changes. Now it’s time to delve a bit deeper and uncover some of Windows XP’s secrets.

1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type ‘systeminfo’. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type ‘systeminfo > info.txt’. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).

2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run… and type ‘gpedit.msc’; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care — some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).

3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter ‘rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation’ in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That’s it — just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that’s not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.

4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word ‘hide’ and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.

5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include ‘eventcreate’ and ‘eventtriggers’ for creating and watching system events, ‘typeperf’ for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and ‘schtasks’ for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options — they’re all far too baroque to go into here.

6. XP has IP version 6 support — the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type ‘ipv6 install’ into Run… (it’s OK, it won’t ruin your existing network setup) and then ‘ipv6 /?’ at the command line to find out more. If you don’t know what IPv6 is, don’t worry and don’t bother.

7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using ‘taskkill /pid’ and the task number, or just ‘tskill’ and the process number. Find that out by typing ‘tasklist’, which will also tell you a lot about what’s going on in your system.

8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you’ve got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing ‘regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll’ at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing ‘regsvr32 zipfldr.dll’.

9. XP has ClearType — Microsoft’s anti-aliasing font display technology — but doesn’t have it enabled by default. It’s well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.

10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who’s using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum’s real IP address — they can find this out by going to http://www.whatismyip.com — and get them to make sure that they’ve got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.

11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As… and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.

12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.

13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run… from the start menu and type ‘control userpasswords2′, which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.

14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options… and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.

15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can’t see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You’ll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.

16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.

17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By… Show In Groups.

18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks — if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn’t, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.

19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.

How to recover Orkut password?

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Orkut is the highly successful social networking site in Brazil, India, and Pakistan. Orkut is much more famous than any of the other social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace in these third world countries. The Orkut demographics show the penetration of this social networking tool with above 51% from Brazil (http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#MembersAll.aspx ). Developed by Orkut Büyükkökten  and later bough by Google, this social networking tool is growing far greater than any one else.

With its popularity grows the need of hacking into some ones Orkut account. We are getting so many comments on several pages in this website on how to break into an Orkut account; how to break Orkut password etc.  As always our humble reply, we don’t endorse hacking. We will not help anyone out to break into Orkut account nor provide any help if they have forgotten the passwords.

One thing people forget is that Orkut just like any other web based service store the password in encrypted format and just not possible to figure out the password even with the help of employees who are working there. How is it possible? Without going into technical details, let us explain things in a simple way.

When you register for a web based service you provide the password; one thing most trusted websites does is that it encrypt the password provided by you. The encryption is not reversible ie no one can decode the string back to the original format.

Suppose you have the password “MyPassword” this password is stored in the Orkut (or any other server) in encrypted format… something like – MyPassword => khkjhd877e8q78e8634but3874@63. There are several encryption techniques available like MD5, SHA etc. These encryption algorithms are not reversible ie you can convert MyPassword to khkjhd877e8q78e8634but3874@63 but khkjhd877e8q78e8634but3874@63 can’t be converted back to MyPassword.

When ever you enter the user name and password, the website convert your password into Md5 or sha or what ever it is and cross check.  So not even an Google employee can retrieve your password. Well, it can be reset.

Orkut passwords could be compromised only if you are

  • Using a computer with a keylogger installed
  • Using a computer affected with some Trojan or virus
  • Using other websites where you have used the same password and which is not encrypted

So next time before thinking about hijacking the girl friends Orkut account, remember it’s not that easy.

Get a Call from God

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Came accross a truely amazing trick . And it worked for me . Here is the procedure.

Just give a missed call on +41445804650 and u’ll get a call back from your own number…

U wont be charged anything for giving missed call.

I did try to google it and came accross this article in yahoo answers.

Seems to be a new Telecom technology. Whatever it is surely it is a strange!!! [ A bit like chetan bhagat`s "one night @ a call center"]

Security Tips and Fraud Prevention

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For any User, maintaining the account’s security is the top priority. To augment the security measures that the Online Service Provide on your behalf, there are steps that you can take to help protect your account from fraud and scams.

Note: Here we will be using the URL www.WebsiteName.com for explaining you. This can be the Domain name of the Online Service you are Using. But for Explanation Purpose we will be using WebsiteName as the Name of the Website and www.WebsiteName.com as the URL.

Website Security

  • Use SSL Connection: To safely and securely access  your account, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type the URL in the following way:

    https://www.WebsiteName.com/.

  • As you can see I have written https:// instead of http:// which you use normally. This can be used in those website which provide SSL Authentication. Not all Websites provide SSL( Secure Sockets Layer ) but most of the Online Services like GMail, Yahoo, MSN, Orkut, Facebook, eBay etc provide SSL.

Password Safety

  • Never share your password: Any Website representative will never ask you for your password. If you believe someone has learned your password, please change it immediately.
  • Create a secure password: Choose a password that uses a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. For example, $coo!place2l!ve or 2Barry5Bonds#1. Avoid choosing obvious words or dates such as a nickname or your birth date.
  • Keep your password unique: Don’t use the same password for all the online services such as AOL, eBay, MSN, or Yahoo. Using the same password for multiple websites increases the likelihood that someone could learn your password and gain access to your account.

Email Security

  • Look for a Greeting: Any Website will never send an email with the greeting “Dear WebsiteName User” or “Dear WebsiteName Member.” Real WebsiteName emails will address you by your first and last name or the business name associated with your WebsiteName account. If you believe you have received a fraudulent email, Send a copy of the spoofed e-mail you received to your ISP’s abuse desk. The e-mail address for this is usually abuse@yourisp.com or postmaster@yourisp.com but if you are not sure, visit your ISP’s Web site and search for the information – it will be there.
  • Don’t share personal information via email: Any Website will never ask you to enter your password or financial information in an email or send such information in an email. You should only share information about your account once you have logged in to your Account.
  • Don’t download attachments: Any Website will never send you an attachment or software update to install on your computer.

Bunch of New Features in Gmail

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The month of October saw a slew of additions to Google’s web mail service Gmail. While one feature revs up Gmail for mobile users, adding offline support to mobile Gmail, another makes Calendars and Docs Gmail-compliant.

Here’s looking into Gmail’s new features and what they promise.

New Gadgets : This week, Google opened Gmail to further user modification by allowing users to integrate Google Gadgets in Gmail’s left-hand navigation bar. The company has provided two sample Gadgets — Google Docs and Calendar (modular mini applications). While one provides a simple way to see your Google Calendar agenda and get an alert when you in a meeting, the other shows recently opened Google Docs files and lets you search across all of your documents right from within Gmail. The Gadgets can be enabled through the Gmail Labs tab in the Settings menu. Google has also added a Gmail Labs option to `Add any gadget by URL,’ which allows users to add any Gadget, the way one can while using iGoogle.

Emoticons : Emoticons have been available on Google Chat for quite some time, but this month they made their appearance on Gmail Darren Lewis, Gmail engineer, said in a blog post, “Following the evolutionary path blazed by coloured labels, we present, in all their technicolor glory, emoticons in your mail.” Besides the common gestures like smiling or winking, the new emoticons will enable users to input images of hugs and kisses instead of `XOXO’ and pictures of drinks, cake or exclamation points to help them get their points across better. Google not only added emoticons to mail messages, but also added the number of emoticons available in Google Talk.

Gmail Mobile version 2.0 : Google has introduced Version 2.0 of Gmail for Mobile for J2ME-supported devices such as the Nokia N95, as well as BlackBerry phones. According to Derek Phillips, Software Engineer, Google mobile team, “the focus in the second iteration of the popular e-mail client was to produce a faster and more reliable experience for users.” It will also give users offline access to their mails. The offline access will let users read, edit and respond to any mail. The sending of replies (as well as downloading of new mails), however, takes place when connectivity resumes. Among the key additions, the new version lets users access multiple accounts. Those who have both a Gmail and Google Apps email account can easily switch between them quickly. Users will no longer have to use two different mobile apps to access personal and work emails.

There is a multiple email drafts feature where users can save multiple email drafts in their mobile phone, so that they can pick and choose what they would like to send later. Also, the new version packs powerful shortcut keys. However, Gmail Mobile version 2.0 lacks support for many phones, especially those running on Windows Mobile such as HTC handsets. However, Google said users can try installing it at their own discretion if they have a Java Virtual Machine installed.

Google Goggles : For late night party drunkers Google has come up with a free email service that will check if users are really sure of want they are sending in the late night Friday email. For this Google has come up with a simple method that will ask users to solve a few simple math problems after they click send to verify if the sender is in the right state of mind. By default, Mail Goggles is only active late night on the weekend. Gmail users can adjust their email settings to activate the Goggles feature and dictate the times it is active.

Canned Responses : These will allow Gmail users to save a reply they are writing as a `canned response’ and then quickly select one of these responses while replying to a future e-mail. Canned Response feature is ideal for those tired of copying and pasting the same reply every time someone emails with a common question. To use the feature, a user just needs to click ‘Settings’, then click the ‘Labs’ tab. In the drop down menu click ‘Canned Responses’, and save changes. To compose a canned response, compose a new email and type the message. When the message is composed, click the drop-down arrow next to Canned responses and select new canned response. Give it a title and save. Now your message will be available to you whenever you are composing a new message, replying to a message or forwarding a message.

Contact manager : Google has also made a few changes to the contact manger in Gmail. Says Benjamin Grol, Product Manager, Google Contacts, in a blog post, “Up to this point, if you emailed someone five times, we’d automatically move them into My Contacts. Now, we’ll no longer automatically add contacts to your My Contacts group. Instead, you can go to Suggested Contacts, select the contacts you’d like and move them into My Contacts. All of your contacts — whether they’re in My Contacts or Suggested Contacts — will continue to show in auto-complete as you’re composing messages.”

As a part of this change, Google has moved previously auto-added contacts back into Suggested Contacts. Only contacts that a user has edited, imported or added to a group will remain in My Contacts. This will provide users with a clean slate and, we hope, a better point for syncing contacts with mobile devices.

Advanced IMAP controls : IMAP controls let users further streamline their Gmail IMAP experience. Users can choose which labels to sync in IMAP. This is useful if one finds mail client choking on Gmail/All Mail folder. The IMAP protocol allows messages to be marked for deletion, a state where a message is still present in the folder but slated to be deleted the next time the folder is deleted. After enabling this, go to the Labels tab under Settings. Users will see a new ‘Show in IMAP’ checkbox next to each of their labels. Uncheck the box and the corresponding folder will disappear from IMAP.

There are some other options also for users who want to make Gmail’s IMAP work more like traditional IMAP providers: turn off auto-expunge or trash messages when they’re no longer visible through IMAP.

eCommerce Consulting team can help ensure a successful undertaking and useful results.

Free RapidShare and MegaUpload Premium Accounts

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Everyone wants a free Rapidshare Premium Account! Not everyone can afford the ten bucks it costs per month. If you’re one of them, read on.

Today I am going to tell a Full Proof way of Getting a Free RapidShare or MegaUpload Premium Accounts.

Using this Method you can actually get you Real Money using which you can buy anything:
Follow these steps:

1. Create a Paypal Premium Account( Don’t Worry its free) . When asked for credit card details simply say cancel. You do not need to fill it.

2. Then Go to the following link:

http://www.AWSurveys.com

3. Join this site. It is also free. You get paid for completing surveys over there 6$ to 4$ dollars per survey and 1.25$ per referral that’s a lot you will get a premium account of 1 year in NO TIME.

4. Another thing you can also use Paypal money to buy stuff on Ebay and other shopping sites.

5. Thats is it. So Simple and I swear it works.

Latest Orkut Hack

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Hello Friend,

I just wanted to warn you about a New Malicious Script that is running in Orkut which changes your Profile Image.

The following is what Vandini, an Orkut Guide, wanted to share with you:

Hi Guys,

We are aware that some malicious scripts have spread in guise of event
notifications and have changed some profile photos. We are fixing such
affected profiles immediately. If you see something like ‘Title: <img
src=”; height=”1″ width = “1″ on…” in an event invite email, please
ignore (or delete the email).

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for the cooperation
and patience.

Cheers,
Vandini

I would advise you to follow the instructions given by Vandini and try to spread this message to more and more user so that they are not affected by Script

The World’s Most Secure Flash Drive

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The Iron Key is “built to withstand attacks both virtual and physical 10 incorrect password attempts, and after that the encryption chip self-destructs.”

The contents of the drive are filled with epoxy, so if a hacker tries to physically access the chips, he’d more likely damage them instead.

Sounds like the features of some cool gadget out of a James Bond movie right? Yes, but it’s something you can get right now. Would you believe me if I told you those features listed are for a USB flash drive? I wouldn’t either, but they are!

Up on the review block today I’ve got probably the coolest USB Flash Drive on the market today, at least from a guys point of view anyway! It’s the IronKey, even the name sounds cool, but it’s much more than a great looking flash drive, it’s a portable vault for your data that cannot be accessed by anyone but you with your password. If someone does try to hack the drive it will self-destruct after ten wrong attempts, not literally, but the data will all be erased from the drive. The drive uses hardware based AES 256bit encryption technology, and it’s incased in a virtually indestructible solid metal casing that’s also waterproof and tamper proof so your data is sure to be safe when it’s on the IronKey.

[eminimall]

IRONKEY BASIC BENEFITS

  • Enforces encryption policies
  • Protects against lost and stolen flash drives
  • Helps achieve policy compliance
  • Easy to deploy and use
  • No software or drivers to install
  • No Windows administrative privileges required
  • Complies with FIPS 140-2 Federal Information Processing Standards

For More information on this Device you can Click Here .To see reviews on all the latest devices you can visit http://www.testfreaks.com .