Google never seems to just be satisfied with the status quo, and when they run out of fields to compete in they create their own! Google’s new “Go” programming language is one of their newest ventures, a language which is an amalgamation of Python and C++.

The Go language, in development since September 2007, has been unveiled by Google along with the release of a free and open source compiler. In fact, Google has released both a stand-along compiler implementation with cryptic names such as 6g (amd64 compiler), 8g (x86 compiler), and 5g (ARM compiler) and one which is a front-end for GCC (gccgo).

Born out of frustration with existing system languages, Go attempts to bring something new to the table, and mix the ease of dynamically typed and interpreted languages with the efficiency of compiled languages.

So why make a new programming language?

Google believes that the current languages have run their course. The prominent languages in use today (C/C++, Java, C#) are all based around a similar syntax, and updating and adding new features in these language consists of piling on libraries, with little or no upgrade to the core of the language itself. What Google intends to do requires more than just the addition of a new library.

The landscape of computing has changed a lot since C, and as Google notes “Computers are enormously quicker but software development is not faster.” Languages have had to morph quite a bit to take on support concepts such as parallel processing, and garbage collection.

Quick Overview

Go, on the other hand has been designed by Google from the ground up as “a concurrent, garbage-collected language with fast compilation”.

In order to not alienate the majority of developers though, its syntax is quite similar to C, and would not take much time for a developer to catch on to.

Go has accomplished some impressive feats. The language is designed to compile fast and Go can compile a “large” program in a few seconds on a single computer. It is designed to simplify the creation of application which can better utilize today’s multi-core processors. The language supports concurrent execution andcommunication between concurrent processes natively, and is fully-garbage collected.

Goroutines are Google’s answer to threading in Go, and any function call which is preceded by the go statement runs in a different goroutine concurrently. A feature called channels allows for easy communication and synchronization between such routines.

Unlike other object oriented languages, Go has a much “simplified” type structure, which disallows sub-classing! Go offers a different flavour of object oriented programming using interfaces, which Google believes will simplify use.

By using interfaces, explicit type hierarchies need not be defined, instead, a type will satisfy all interfaces which are subsets of its methods. The relationships between types and interfaces need not be defined explicity! This can have some interesting implications as people can add interfaces to connect unrelated types even later in the development of an application.

Go seems inspired by Python as well. Python has been one of Google’s favoured languages and was the sole language supported on Google’s AppEngine when it launched. Like Python, Go supports “slices”, which allow you to refer to parts of arrays using a simple syntax. Thus for an array “a” with 100 elements, a[23,42] will result in an array with elements 23 through 42 of a. Go also tracks the length of arrays internally, further simplifying array usage. Additionally, Maps in Go allow you to create “arrays” with custom index types, and are a native feature of the language.

Conclusion

One consistent point in the features of Go is that it is better to have one excellent implementation of commonly used features such as garbage collection, strings, maps etc. rather than have them rethought and re-implemented in each program.

As nearly all Google products, Go is “beta” and not yet suitable for production use. By releasing it early Google hopes to garner a community around it and hopes that enough people will be interested in it to justify continued development.

This post was written by Paras. Visit his blog

UNetbootin can be used on either Linux or Windows. In this article, we’ll be illustrating it for Both.

Note: Not all USB installations will work on all machines. This can be an issue with your BIOS or your USB drive. If you install an OS that doesn’t work, try another. But after all that work, you might wind up with a machine that simply won’t boot from a USB drive. You have been warned.

Using UNetbootin with Linux

1. The first thing to do is download a copy of UNetbootin. For our purposes we’ll download the Linux universal install binary (named unetbootin-linux-299). Once that has finished you will need to issue the Following command in order to make the file executable.
   

   chmod u+x unetbootin-linux29

2. Once the file is executable issue the following command (from the same directory unetbootin-linx-299 is stored) to see the application running.
   

   su ./unetbootin-linux-299

3. But you’re not ready just yet. Depending upon your distribution, you might come across an error involving p7zip-full. This might be in your distribution’s repositories. If you use Mandriva you can install p7zip but you will not have the full package. If you use Ubuntu you can get p7zip-full with the following command
   

   apt-get install p7zip-full

4. Before you run the application you will need to insert and mount your usb drive. Stick in your usb drive and then issue the following command to find out where your usb drive is located.
   

   dmesg

5. Mount that and then issue the following command. When you issue the command you will see the UNetbootin window.
   

   su ./unetbootin-linux-299

   

6. Once this window is up and running you are almost there. If you have very specific needs for your distribution you will most likely have an image file downloaded to use. If you do not you can select your distribution from the drop down list. First you select the distribution and then you select the version (or release). Note: Unless you have a very large USB drive you will most likely want to use a netinstall version of your distribution. If you do happen to have a large USB drive you can go ahead with a full distribution. If this usb drive is for rescue purposes, or just to have a version of Linux with you at all times, a distribution like PCLinuxOS Minime is a greate choice.
7. Once the process is done you will have two buttons to click, Reboot and Exit. Don’t bother with the Reboot button. Click the Exit button and UNetbootin will close. You can now unmount your drive and reboot your machine to see if the installation works.Note: When your machine boots you will need to make sure it first boots from the USB device.

Using UNebootin with Windows

1. Download UNetBootin for Windows.
2. Download your favorite Linux ISO (Don’t ask me from where just Google it).
3. Now Start the Unetbootin.



4. Click the Disk Image radio box and browse to select Linux ISO.
5. Now set your target USB drive and click OK to start the creation UNetbootin Live USB Creation from an ISO.
6. Once the UNetbootin installer has completed, click Reboot. Now UNetbootin installation is finished.
7. Set your system BIOS or boot menu to boot from the USB device and enjoy your favorite Live Linux on USB.

Do pesky telemarketers call up you mobile phone to sell you car loans, credit cards or unbelievable deals for petty commissions. In a major initiative to stop telemarketing calls, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has started the National Do Not Call Registry of India. Any mobile or landline subscriber who does not wish to receive telemarketing calls, can request their telephone number be included in the NDNC Registry. Here are some ways to block unsolicited calls from top mobile operators and private banks in India.

Join the Do Not Call Registry

The primary objective of the National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC Registry) is to curb Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC). The NDNC Registry will store a data base with all subscriber telephone numbers who opted for the service. The Telemarketer will have to verify their calling telephone numbers list with the NDNC registry before making a call or face a fine of Rs 500 per call/message and defaulter telemarketers might face disconnection of telecom service also.

Customers can make such requests free of cost. The telecom service provider will acknowledge the request within ten days. All promotional calls and messages to your phone will stop within 45 days from registration. Subscriber may confirm whether their number is included in the NDNC registry home page.

Stop Unsolicited Calls from Airtel

To stop telemarketing calls from Airtel send SMS START DND to 1909 or use this form. For Landline users, you need to register your phone number using this form

Stop Telemarketing Calls from Vodafone

To avoid unwanted telemarketing calls, register your Vodafone number in NDNC Registry – call 1909 (toll tree) or sms START DND on 1909 (toll free). And in case you want to de-register yourself from the NDNC registry sms STOP DND to 1909 (toll free).

Stop Telemarketing Calls from Idea Cellular

Should you desire to stop receiving such communication from Idea, all you need to do is to fill the form. The fine print say they require 30 working days to remove your number from the telemarketing lists.

Block Unsolicited Calls from MTNL

The MTNL Delhi service takes you to fill a form on the Unified Call Center web Portal which asks for your LandLine / CDMA / GSM No. or Customer Account No.

Block Telemarketing Calls from Reliance Mobile

If you do not wish to be informed about new features, products and promotional offer through telephone calls or by SMS, you can unsubscribe from such communication by filling up this form.

Block Telemarketing Calls from Tata Docomo

If you wish to stop receiving such communication and want to register yourself on the NDNC registry, simply SMS START DND to 1909 (toll free) and in case you want to de-register yourself from the NDNC registry SMS STOP DND to 1909 (toll free). Alternatively you could register yourself for ‘My Account’ in order to avail ‘Do Not Disturb’ facility, online. Click here to register yourself.

Block Telemarketing Calls from Aircel

If you wish to register or de-register from Aircel’s Do Not Disturb Registry, then send SMS or Call on toll free number as per the instructions given below :-

By SMS (Toll Free)

To register Type: START DND and Send to: 1909

To de-register Type: STOP DND and Send to: 1909

By Call (Toll Free)

You may dial 1909 from your Aircel mobile to register or de-register from this service.

Block Telemarketing Calls from Spice Mobile

If you do not wish to be informed about offers or services through telephone calls/SMS, you can unsubscribe from such communications by  calling a toll free number 1909  or SMS   “START DND” to 1909. Alternatively you can use this form.

Do Not Disturb Page for Different Banks

ABN Amro India
American Express India
Andhra Bank
Axis Bank
Bank of Rajasthan
Bank of Baroda BobCard
Bank of India
Citibank India
HDFC Bank
HSBC India
ICICI Bank
ING Vysya Bank
SBI Credit Card
Standard Chartered Bank
Yes Bank

Are you crazy about Google Talk. Do you want to be become a master of Google Talk? Then here is a source for you to know each and every secret of Google Talk. I think this is a complete list of tips, tricks, hacks, howto’s, keyboard shortcuts and few miscellaneous facts about Google Talk.

Tips & Tricks

1. Change the font size

While holding the control key, move the scroll wheel on your mouse either up or down. This trick works while being focused in either the read or write area.

2. Insert line breaks

If you want to have a message that spans multiple paragraphs, just hold shift and hit enter. You can add as many new lines as you want to create.

3. Bold Text

To write something bold, you can use an asterisk before and after the word. For Example *Hungry Hacker*

4. Italic Text

To use italics, use an underscore before and after the word. For Example _Hungry Hacker_

5. Switch windows

Hitting tab will cycle through open windows. It will select minimized conversations, to expand them just hit enter. If you just want to cycle through IM’s and don’t care about the buddy list, control-tab will do that and will automatically expand a minimized conversation if you settle on one.

6. Invitation Tips

You don’t need to say Yes or No when someone wants to add you as a friend; you can simply ignore it, the request will go away. (On the other hand, someone with whom you chat often will automatically turn to be your friend, unless you disable this in the options).

7. Show Hyperlinks

You can show your homepage or blog URL simply by entering it in your away message (at the top of the main window). It will automatically turn to a link visible to others.

How To’s

1. Use multiple identities on Google Talk

Want to run Google Talk with multiple Gmail identities? If you have several Google Gmail accounts you also may want to run multiple instances of Google Talk This is especially important for families that share a single PC. Basically, to have “Google Polygamy” you need to run Google Talk with the following switch: /nomutex

• Right-click on the desktop
• Select New -> Shortcut
• Paste the following into the Address box:

“C:\program files\google\google talk\googletalk.exe” /nomutex

• Click Next and choose a shortcut name such as Google Talk1, Google Talk2, or something related to your Gmail account for easy remembering which account is which.

2. Use Google Talk via a Web Browser

You want to use Google Talk anywhere ? Follow these guidelines

• Opens your favourite web browser.
• Go to following Website

http://www.webjabber.net:8080/jim/

• Follow the instructions of the Page.
• You can talk with your friends

3. Conference Calls

• Open up a copy of Google Talk on all computers with which you wish to conference.
• After one copy is opened make a new shortcut for Google Talk but at the end of it add /nomutex.
• If you installed it to the default folder then your shortcut should read “C:\Program Files\Google\Google Talk\googletalk.exe” /nomutex.
• Open 2nd instances of the software on every user’s computer.
• After this start a chain: User 1 should connect on one instance to user 2. User 2 will connect on his second instance to user 3. User 3 will connect using his second instance back to user 1. With this chain everyone is connected to everyone.

4. Change Nickname

You can’t change your nickname in a way that other people will see it change. Every nickname in the Google Talk Contact List is the part that is before @gmail.com (only the alphabetical characters are used) or the name you chosen for your GMail account. To change the nickname you need to do the following:

• Go to your Gmail account and change the name there.
• Choose Settings, Accounts, and then Edit info. Click on the second radio button, and enter your custom name.
• As a result all of your emails will have that nick as well, there is no way to seperate the two.
• You can add a website in your custom message, it will be clickable when someone opens a conversation window with you.

5. Contacts

You don’t need to say Yes or No when someone wants to add you as a friend; you can simply ignore it, the request will go away. (On the other hand, someone with whom you chat often will automatically turn to be your friend, unless you disable this).

6. Play Music

It’s possible to broadcast music, MP3, etc. through Google Talk. Follow the steps given bellow:

• Unplug your microphone.
• Double click on the speaker icon in the lower right corner. This will open up “Volume Control”.
• Select “Options” and then “Properties”. Then check the button next to “Recording” then click OK.
• You may also have to change your setting under Mixer Device. Now the Recording Control screen should be up.
• On my computer I selected “Wave Out Mix”. Click on the green phone in Google Talk and call your friend.

Registry Hacks

Before applying any of these Registry Tweaks follow the steps given below:

1. Backup your Registry
2. Start -> Run -> Regedit
3. Now Navigate to the following directory

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk.

4. Make Changes based on the info given bellow.
5. Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

The “Google/Google Talk” key has several sub-keys that hold different option values:

Accounts: This one has subkeys for each different account that has logged in on the client. These keys have different values that store the username, password and connection options.

Autoupdate: Stores the current version information. When the client checks for updates it compares Google’s response with these values. If an update is needed, it will download and update the new version.

Options: This is the most interesting part, where most of the current hacks should be used (keep reading).

Process: Stores the process ID. Probably used by Google Talk to detect if it’s already running or not.

1. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\show_pin

If 1, shows a “pin” next to the minimize button that keeps the windows on top of all the other open windows when clicked.

2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\view_show_taskbutton

If 0, hides the taskbar button, and leaves the tray icon only, when the window is shown

3. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\away_inactive

If 1, status will be set as Away after the specified number of minutes.

4. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\away_screensaver

If 1, status will be set as Away after the specified number of minutes.

5. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\inactive_minutes

Number of inactive minutes to become away if auto-away is on.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Google’s Secret Command-Line Parameters

There are a few secret parameters you can add to Google Talk and make it function differently.

You can use these parameters as follows:

“C:\program files\google\google talk\googletalk.exe” [PARAMETER]

Miscellaneous G-talk Facts

• A message can be 32767 characters long.
• The Gmail account ‘user@gmail.com’ can’t be invited as your friend

The short-term future of mobile phones seems to be quite interesting. We are bound to see mobile phones evolve into indispensable multi-utility devices. Your cell phone’s functionality will soon go beyond the PDA, digital camera or music player roles that it serves today. In the future, it will also become your wallet, credit card, car key, home doorway key, or a personal remote control for multiple appliances. It could well be your personal identity as well.

However, the long-term future of mobile phones is even more interesting. Eventually, there will be no mobile phones. Allow me to explain with this story.

Saturation Point

With the current silicon-based manufacturing technology for microprocessors, manufacturers seem to have reached a saturation point in terms of pure clock speed. Take Intel for example—they had promised to deliver the 4 GHz Pentium 4. But after having developed a 3.8 GHz one, they could neither stuff more transistors into the available space nor increase the transistors’ switch-cycles to attain 4 GHz, because of heating issues. To achieve better performance, they decided to put two cores on a single die, and thus the onslaught of dual-core processors began.

A time will come when it will not be feasible to put more cores on a single die. By then, the current silicon-based manufacturing technology will have reached its limits.

Replacement technology

Research is already underway for using lasers to transmit data within a processor, instead of silicon circuits. Of greater interest is research in the field of quantum computing; here the spin of an electron (a sub-atomic particle) is used to store binary information. Presently binary information is represented by switching a transistor on or off (or a flip-flop for a processor) to denote the binary numbers 1 or 0. With quantum computing, unbelievably large reserves of information can be stored in very small spaces.
Another research area is biological computing. Scientists in Japan have already succeeded in encoding 100 bits of information onto a bacterium. All this clearly means that we are constantly moving towards more efficient forms of technology.

Cybernetics

Leaving these aside for a minute, let us look at another area of research in today’s scenario which is undoubtedly regarded as the most dangerous game mankind is playing with itself: Cybernetics. A cyborg, or cybernetic organism, is a living being whose perception and interaction with its surroundings has been significantly changed (read improved) due to some implant(s) in his/her body. Bizarre as it may appear to one’s wildest imagination, the future will inevitably be a world inhabited with cyborgs.

If you Google information on Kevin Warwick, you’ll know. You’ll also discover, in case you still didn’t know, that cyborgs are not just found in science fiction.. They’re an existing reality—living and enjoying it; excited about the future. Professor Kevin Warwick, the world’s first cyborg, has controlled a robotic arm on another continent by moving his own, because of a chip implanted in his arm.

With the advent of Cybernetics, it might be possible that in the future, everybody will be a cyborg. Like millions of computers connected to the Internet today, people will then be interconnected through a worldwide network. They will be computers themselves!

Implants in your body will identify you on this network with your personal details and help you recognize yourself as the citizen of a country. Your birth certificate will only exist in soft form within you; no hard copy document. You will be able to carry out mathematical operations like a computer. You could download information to yourself from the web and upload your experiences onto in. You could save what you physically see and hear as video files. Your bodily implants will protect you from the harsh elements of nature. Your eyes will be able to zoom into faraway objects. You will be able to hear the sounds out of the normal human hearing range. There will be no need to physically move your hands, or to shut your ears to cut out an irritating noise, just mentally switch off your sense of hearing. Your car’s door will open automatically when you approach it.

You could operate appliances without getting up from your chair. When you shake hands with someone, introductions will automatically be exchanged. In fact, one will not have to use ones mouth at all to communicate; more efficient alternatives will be the obvious choice.

This will be beneficial not only because communication will be at the speed of thought (instead of having to verbally speak out long sentences to communicate a small message) but also because you could make others see precisely what you imagine! And of course, if you were good at unethical hacking, you could download and install someone else’s skills in some activity in your own body and become as good as him!

This is enough to declare that there will not be any mobile phones in the distant future. Whatever you will be able to do with a mobile phone even two decades from now, you will be able to do yourself in the long-term future as a cyborg.
You may argue that the very set of implants in your body that will help you communicate can be considered your personal mobile phone; even if there is no physical handset and that the ten-digit numbers might be replaced by names or some unique ”IP addresses”. But I shall now counter-argue that too.

Programmable bodies

Artists create ugly-looking pictures of cyborgs with cables and wires hanging all around their heads and bodies; one eye replaced by a weird-looking camera, a ear replaced with a weird-looking aerial, a whole arm replaced by a robotic one that houses all kinds of screwdrivers and drill-machines. In fact, the whole person looks like the rear panel of an average desktop cabinet.

It is here that the imagination of our present-day seers goes wrong. Recall the replacement technologies discussed earlier in this article. By the time cybernetics and cyborgs are expected to become common, research in quantum and biological computing will have evolved to a stage where companies will start using electrons and biological cells for storing information. This means people might not necessarily have to be implanted with ugly electronic and mechanical devices after all; they might just need to be ”programmed”! Yes, you read that right. The human body has large amounts of both quantum and biological storage and there is a sufficiently powerful electrical field within it. So theoretically the human body can be “programmed” into utilizing it, or processing data with it.

Haven’t computers become more appealing and more physically optimized than they were earlier? The thought of ugly machine-like cyborgs is in sharp contrast to the human body itself. Programming will gradually become so sophisticated that maintaining records of people will be a very easy task for the government. An already-programmed pregnant mother will deliver a biologically pre-programmed baby whose birth details will be automatically recorded into the government’s database upon being born; through the worldwide network of human beings.

This does not mean that there will not be any physical implants at all. Implants can help one withstand extreme temperatures, for instance. After all, no matter how powerful laptops become, we can never get rid of desktops. Neither can desktops replace huge supercomputers. Each has its own applications. So in the future, cyborgs will never replace computers. But the point here is that in the cyborg-inhabited future, one will not need any physical implants just to be able to communicate or identify oneself or to compute numbers like a calculator. Simple biological programming would be sufficient. There will be alternative advancements to avoid physical implants. So no physical cellular device would be required.

Strange and unbelievable as it may seem, the ultimate future of mobile phones is indeed that they will not exist in the long-term future.

What are Unlocked Cellphones? and Why anybody would want to Unlock it?

An Unlocked Cellphone is one that can be used on all networks operating on the frequency the phone is designed for. For example, in the UK there are four main networks, Vodafone, BT Cellnet, Orange and One2One. Vodafone and BT Cellnet operate on GSM900, while Orange and One2One operate on GSM1800. A UK dual band phone can operate on GSM900 and GSM1800, therefore being capable of working on all the networks.

However, as the networks don’t want to lose you as a customer, when they supply the phone (on contract or  pay as you go) it can be locked to only accept SIM cards from their network.

If you wish to use a SIM from a different network, the phone needs to be unlocked.

How do I know if my phone is locked or unlocked?

There are two ways to check if your phone is locked/unlocked. Firstly, if you have a working SIM from a different network, try putting that into the phone and switching it on. If the phone works and you can make calls on that network, congratulations, your phone is already unlocked. If a message appears, saying “SIM card not accepted” or similar, the phone is probably locked.

How to Unlock your Cellphone?

It is very simple procedure.

1. Download & Install ” Unlock Code Calculator”



2. Start the software and Select your Cellphone Manufacturer and Cellphone Model
3. Enter the 15 Digit IMEI Number of your Cellphone. You can get IMEI number for your Cellphone by entering *#06# in your Cellphone and press Enter.
4. For Nokia Users you also need to select the Country and the Operator of your Cellphone.
5. Press Calculate and it will generate a Code similar to #pw+CODE+n#.
6. Now Press the Help button. Select your Cellphone Manufacturer and you will find the Steps of to use the above generated Code to unlock your phone.

Note (For Nokia Users): You might be confused by the DCT-2, 3 and 4. Here I have categorized different Nokia models into DCT 2, 3 or 4. If your Cellphone is not listed below it might be possible that it use Nokia DCT1 or 5. The List below is not exhaustive. I have prepared it by collecting it from internet.

Nokia DCT2: 3110, 8110, 8110i, 8146, 8148, 8148i, 9110, 9110i

Nokia DCT3: 2100, 2190, 3210, 3285, 3310, 3315, 3320, 3330, 3350, 3390, 3395, 3410, 3610, 3810, nk402, nk503, nk702, 5110, 5110i, 5120, 5125, 5130, 5148, 5160, 5170, 5180, 5185, 5190, 5210, 5510, 6090, 6110, 6110i, 6120, 6130, 6138, 6150, 6150e, 6160, 6161, 6162, 6185, 6190, 6210, 6250, 6290, 7110, 7160, 7190, 7290, 8210, 8250, 8260, 8270, 8290, 8810, 8850, 8855, 8860, 8890, 9000, 9000i, 9110, 9110i, 9210 y 9290

Nokia DCT4: N-GAGE, N-GAGE QD, 1100, 2110, 2300, 2600,2650, [NEM-2] (United states), 3108, 3100, 3120, 3200, 3220, 3300, 3510, 3510i, 3530, 3550, 3585, 3590, 3595, 3600, 3610, 3650, 5100, 5140, 6100,6170, 6200, 6220, 6230, 6260, 6310, 6310i, 6340, 6390, 6500, 6510, 6590, 6600, 6610, 6610i, 6630, 6650, 6800,[NSB-9] (United States),7200, 7210, 7210i, 7250, 7600, 7610, 7650, 7700, 8310, 8310i, 8350, 8390, 8910, 8910i, 9210, 9210i, 9290, 9500

(Update) Alternate Download Link: http://www.ziddu.com/downloadlink/8194135/NokiaUnlockCodeGenerator.zip

Thats all for Today. Happy Hacking!

1. Zoho

Zoho is considered to be one of the best online office suites that is capable of replacing any desktop Office suite. It not only offers Word processing, Spread Sheet and Presentations but also provides you with the Wiki Pages planner for managing your to-do list, tasks and notes, and many more features that are an integral part of any office applications suit.

In simple language Ghosted Devices, commonly known as Hidden Devices, are those devices that were once connected to the system but are no longer connected. Windows however keeps a copy of them inside the Device Manager and tries to find these devices on system startup, thus reducing the startup speed(often negligible) in some cases.

As an example, lets consider a mouse that you borrowed from a friend, after using it you returned him the next day. When it was first connected, Windows installed the required drivers and when it was removed, Windows marked it as ‘Ghosted Device’. Now since you will probably never use this mouse again, it makes sense to remove it.

The common way of removing the device is to go to Device Manager, view hidden devices, right-click the device(s), hit Uninstall, and wait. Since it can be confusing at some times, this is where GhostBuster comes in. It is a portable tool that can list all Ghosted and Normal devices in one simple list and allows you to remove them in one click.

Please note that these “Ghosted Devices” can be useful as well and is one reason why Windows never looks for drivers every time you connect the device.

Suppose you connect a mouse after a few months after borrowing from a another friend and it turns out to be the same mouse that you borrowed from a friend before. Upon connecting it, you will be able to use the mouse instantly since Windows will not need to re-install the drivers. In layman’s term, the Ghosted device will become activated instantly and thus will not require driver installation again.

Note: Windows has some devices that are ghosted but should NEVER be removed(like devices in the sound, video and game controller class or system and non plug-n-play devices), GhostBuster marks them down as services. Make sure you know which device you are removing, consider this a warning.

It works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. If you are using Vista or 7, go to Properties and run it in Windows XP compatibility mode.

Download GhostBuster

Without a doubt, for a self-hosted blog, WordPress is the best blog CMS that you can get. Though it comes packed with security features, being a popular and open source software, it also means that hackers have full access to the code which they can scrutinize to find any exploits they can use to hack into any WordPress-enabled site.

On the good side, one of the best things about WordPress is its plugin system that allows anyone to install any plugins or create your own plugins to extend its functionality, including improving security.

Here, I have listed some wordpress security tips and plugins that you can use to secure WordPress blog.

Security Tips

Security Plugins

AntiSpam Plugins

Backup Plugins