Computer Tips & Tweaks

Microsoft Windows "BUG"? Not Really

2007-11-17T02:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a piece of information I want to share to you, a glitch on Microsoft Windows, on creating a Folder, anywhere, and naming it as:

CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9.

Try to create a Folder anywhere... let's say, on your Desktop or on your Local Disk C:\ and name it as CON. See that it won't allow you to do so, instead it automatically changes to its default name "New Folder".

Explanation:

As said by Mathias Schwarz:

It's not that weird. 'con' is a reserved word from the old DOS days, simply meaning 'console'. If you wanted to create a new text file in DOS you could type 'copy con newfile.txt' meaning copy from the console to newfile.txt. This would let you type some lines and when you ended the file with ^Z (DOSish for 'end of file') you would have a file called newfile.txt containing whatever you wrote in the console. This is indeed still possible in the Windows XP console, and can you see what mess it would cause if you let files or folders have the name 'con'? What would 'copy con newfile.txt' then mean? BSOD?

and Russ Watts confirms the suggestion by giving the list of other DOS devices that can't be used as folder names: CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9.

source: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27053

But wait! You can still create one! folder named as "CON" or "PRN" or any reserved word from the old DOS days.

Steps:

1. Open Command Prompt (Start - Run, type cmd)

2. On the Command Prompt, type cd\ then hit Enter

3. Now type md\\.\\C:\\con then hit Enter

4. Go to your Local Disk C:\... and there you have it! A Folder named as "CON"

the question is, how do you delete it? even typing rmdir con on thr Command Prompt is useless... hahahaha

Keyboard Techniques

2007-11-17T01:50:00.000-08:00

Here are some useful keyboard techniques applicable on Windows XP Professional:

CTRL+C (Copy)

CTRL+X (Cut)

CTRL+V (Paste)

CTRL+Z (Undo)

DELETE (Delete)

SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)

CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)

CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)

F2 key (Rename the selected item)

CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)

CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)

CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)

CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)

CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)

SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)

CTRL+A (Select all)

F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)

ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)

ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)

ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)

CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)

ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)

ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)

F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)

F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)

CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)

ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)

F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)

RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)

LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)

F5 key (Update the active window)

BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

ESC (Cancel the current task)

SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the

CD-ROM from automatically playing)
Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)

CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)

TAB (Move forward through the options)

SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)

ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select
the corresponding option)

ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)

SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)

Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)

F1 key (Display Help)

F4 key (Display the items in the active list)

BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the
Save As or Open dialog box)

Micro$oft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)

Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)

Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)

Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)

Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)

Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)

Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)

CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)

Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)

Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)

Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)

Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts

Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)

Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)

Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)

SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)

NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)

Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)

Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

END (Display the bottom of the active window)

HOME (Display the top of the active window)

NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)

NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)

NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)

LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)

RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)

Shortcut Keys for Character Map

After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:

RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)

LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)

UP ARROW (Move up one row)

DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)

LeetSpeak

2007-10-31T04:56:00.000-07:00

1337 5p34k

Just sharing this to you

Do your receive text messages with different styles? Well, it is fad a long time ago, it was called hackspeak, or Leetspeak (Elite Speak)
Had you heared of it before?
If yes, ever wondered what is it all about?

Elite speak was originally created to spoof the automated systems (spiders) that the government used to track hackers on BBS' (Bulletin Board Systems). It worked well for quite some time, I'm not sure why it took so long for the gov to add this stuff to their spiders.

Also known as hackspeak, leetspeak is a type of communications where a user replaces letters for numbers or other characters. For example, "leet" in leetspeak would become "1337". Below is our basic conversion tool to convert your text into leetspeak. Please keep in mind there are hundreds of different ways that someone may speak leet; therefore, someone may use "5" or a "$" to represent an "S".

Below is a little helper to get you started: format is English = Leetspeak

A = 4, @ , /\ , /-\ , ? , ^ , α , λ
B = 8, |3 , ß, b, l³, |> 13
C = ( , [ , < , © , ¢
D = |) , |] , Ð , đ 1)
E = 3 , € , & , £ , ε
F = |= , PH , |*|-| , |" , ƒ l²
G = 6, &, 9
H = 4, |-| , # , }{ , ]-[ , /-/
I = 1, ! , | , [] , ỉ
J = _| , ¿
K = |< , |{ , |( , X
L = 1, |_ , £ , |, ][_, ,
M = /\/\ , /v\, |V|, ]V[, |\/| , AA , []V[] , |11 , /|\ , ^^
N = |\| , /\/ , /V, |V , /\\/ , |1 , 2 , ?
O = 0, 9 , () , [], * , ° , <> , ø , {[]}
P = |° , p , |> , |* , []D , ][D , |² , |? , |D
Q = 0_ , 0,
R = 2, |2 , 1², ® , ? , я
S = 5 , $ , § , ? , ŝ , ş
T = 7 , + , † , ']['
U = |_| , µ, [_], v
V = \/ , |/ , \| , \'
W = \/\/ , VV , \A/ , \\' , uu , \^/ , \|/
X = >< , )(, }{, % , ? , × , ][
Y = `/ , °/ , 9 , ¥
Z = z , 2 , "/_

Here is Google's version of leetspeak: http://www.google.com/intl/xx-hacker/

Rename Your Recycle Bin

2007-10-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

I'll share to you how to rename your Recycle Bin... just for the sake of renaming it! Just for fun! (I personally find this useless )

NO DOWNLOADS NEEDED

As a rule on Windows XP, you can't rename your Recycle Bin... unless you have tweaked your Registry to do so.

So here are the steps:

1. Open your Registry Editor ( Click on Start - Run, type regedit )

2. On the left pane, open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder, then open CLSID, then go to {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} folder, and finally open ShellFolder folder.

3. On the right pane, click Attributes: and change the data value from "40 01 00 20" to "50 01 00 20" then click OK.

4. Then, double-click on the CallForAttributes
and edit the dword value by placing "0" on the value data, then click
OK.

That's it!

Outcome:

Microsoft Word Secret

2007-10-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Word

Here is a secret a wanna share to you regarding Microsot Word 95 and up.

Steps:

1. Open Microsoft Word

2. On the first line, type

=rand (200,99)

3. Then hit [Enter]

Explanation:

The =rand() you entered is a word function built in Microsoft Word to display the "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." sentence which contains every letter in the English alphabet. Earlier, it was sometimes mistaken as a virus and feared by encoders. This trick is to insert the =rand() function while they are middle of their work.

You may adjust the =rand() function by inserting two numerical values inside the parenthesis separated by a comma. The first numerical value represents the number of paragraphs. The second numerical value represents the number of sentences in each paragraph. We cannot place zero values on it, nor negative numbers, and decimal values.

So if we say =rand(3,2), we should get three(3) paragraphas and two(2) sentences. This will be the outcome:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Hope you get it :D

Create Your Own Self-Executable and Self-Extracting File

2007-10-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

On this simple tutorial, I will share to you how to create your very own self-executable file (.exe) / self-extracting file using Windows XP's built - in and hidden self - extracting & self - installation wizard, IExpress 2.0. I know some of you knows this already, but this built - in application is seldom used by most of us.

NO DOWNLOADS NEEDED, VERY SIMPLE STEPS, especially if you don't have WinZip or WinRar and you want to send / upload a bundled file.

Here are the steps:

1. Open Run ( Start > Run ), then type iexpress, and hit Enter.

2. The IExpress 2.0 Wizard will open.

3. Select "Create new Self Extraction Directive file.", then click Next.

4. Choose from the three options presented. Select "Extract files and run an installation command" if you want to extract and install your files and applications. Select "Extract files only" if you want extraction process only. In my case, I had chosen "Extract files only". Click Next.

An example wherein "Extract files only" is applicable:

5. Enter the package title. This will be the title of your .exe file on the end. Example, I will name it as "Documents 10/28/07", then click Next.

6. On the next step, the Confirmation Prompt, this is the message, the user will receive, upon opening the .exe file. Example, i will say "These file contains important documents for October 28", then press Next.

7. On the next step, the License Agreement, is a license agreement that will be displayed before the your .exe file will be installed. Choose "Display a license" if you want to have one by browsing your ready-made .txt file, otherwise, choose "Do not display a license" if you don't want to. Proceed to the next step.

8. On this step, you will add all your files you want to put into the package. Click Add and select your files to be added. If you're finished, click Next.

Here is my files, added into the package:

9. The Show Window step selects how your installation window will look like. It may be hidden, minimized, maximized or default. Proceed to the next step.

10. If you want to display a message to the user after the installation is complete, choose "isplay message:" and type the message you want, eample "Installation Complete". Otherwise, choose "No message" then click next.

11. On the next step, enter the destination and name of your .exe file. Click Browse then type the file name. In my case, I will save it on my Desktop and name it as Important Documents. On the options, select "Store files using Long File Name inside Package", otherwise, choose "Hide Extracting Progrees Animation from User" if you don't want to have that extracting progress animation to be displayed during extracton/installation. If you're done, click Next.

12. On the Save Self Extraction Directive, select "Save Self Extractive Directive [SED] file:" to save a .sed file of it. Select "Don't save" if you don't want to. In my case, i had chosen "Don't save".

13. Create Package step > You are now ready to create your package. Click Next to start the process. It will take time depending on the amount and size of files you had just added.

14. A command prompt will appear. and click Finish.

Now your done!

Here's mine:

Open it, then choose the destination where the files would be extracted or installed.then press OK!

Change the Sound Options On Program Events

2007-10-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

On this tutorial, i'm going to share to you how you can customize the sound on any program events like, closing a window, right-clicking, selecting an option in a menu, and much more. This is just another way on customizing your on computer... since most of us only customize and personalize our computer visually, why not try to customize its sound options.

Here are the steps:

1. Go to Control Panel ( Start - Control Panel )

2. Open Sound and Audio Devices

3. Under the Sounds tab, go to Program Events. Under the program events, you will see all of Windows' program events like maximize, open a program and the like. Choose any of it, and select the type of sound you want by clicking the drop-down menu button. You may have a sample of the sound you had selected by clicking the play button beside the drop-down menu.

4. If you're all done, just apply changes and

Put Any Text On Your System Tray

2007-10-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

NOTE: This guide / info is shared only just for fun, and it is certainly useless to most of you guys, but just read and try it....to those of you who want to personalize every detail in your desktop, so here is one way to do so.

I find this cool. =)

Here is a screenshot!

OK, so here are the steps:

1. Go to the Control Panel ( Start > Control Panel )

2. Open the Regional and Language Options

3. On the Regional Options tab, click on Customize...

4. Go to the Time tab on the new
window

5. Enter any text in the AM symbol and PM symbol

6. Apply changes.

That's it!

Creating An Alert Message Box

2007-10-27T05:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny way to fool someone by using an ALERT MESSAGE BOX trick. The following script is a VBScript (Visual Basic Script) for an Alert Message box.

I know some of you knows this already, but I just want to share this to you 'coz I burst out in laughters after my friend panicked after clickng on the file that I had made.

Here are the steps:

1. Open your Notepad and type this:

x = MsgBox("YOUR MESSAGE HERE",FORMAT NUMBER FOR BUTTON/ICON,"TITLE")

Just change the UPPERCASE text to anything you want. For the FORMAT NUMBER BUTTON/ICON, choose from the list below with some of its actual appearance

0 = OK button only

1 = OK and Cancel buttons

2 = Abort, Retry, and Ignore buttons

3 = Yes, No, and Cancel buttons

4 = Yes and No buttons

5 = Retry and Cancel buttons

16 = Critical Message icon

32 = Warning Query icon

48 = Warning Message

64 = Information Message icon

none = Normal Message box

2. After you had modify your code, save it as
yourownfilename.vbs.

3. To activate it, just open it.

To fool someone,

1. save the file on another folder, (Ex. in My Documents)

2. Right-click on the file, and select Send To then click on Desktop (create shortcut)

3. On the shortcut you had made on your desktop, right-click on it and select
Properties

4. Click on the Shortcut tab and click on Change Icon... then select your desired icon.

5. Click OK, then rename your file to something that suits the icon given.

My example is:

Windows XP Secrets

2007-10-27T02:57:00.000-07:00

Notepad

Here is a secret Microsoft built within a notepad to somehow "encrypt" a sentence regarding U.S. President George Bush... i think. Try this steps, and you'll find it strange. :D

1. Open Notepad

2. On the first line, type

Bush hid the facts

3. Save it with whatever file name you want but be sure the encoding is ANSI.

4. Close your Notepad.

5. Open it again.

6. You should see 9 small boxes :D

Explanation:
Actually, its not a hidden code, nor anything. In fact, it is a string format 4-3-3-5 and as well, not just limited to the "Bush hid the facts" sentence. All string format 4-3-3-5 you type in the first line of the notepad will actually cause the said "bug". Meaning to say, there should be 4 words, wherein the first word contains four letters, the second and third word contains 3 letters, and the fourth word contains five letters. Example, type: asda asd asd asdas.

Hope you get it :D

Secret - Hidden Code

I will share to you how to create a very simple Log File using your Microsot Notepad. I actually don't now what is its purpose, but I find this simply cool.

Here are the steps:

1. Open your Notepad

2. Type .LOG on the very first line, then press [Enter]

3. Go to File - Save As... and enter any file name, and hit save.

4. Open the file again and see that it records the time and date when you had opened it.

Microsoft Paint

Here are some sort of "tricks" I just wanna share with you again... using Microsoft Paint. Again, I don't know if someone will find this useful... ahahahaha

Trick: Image Trail

Steps:

1. Open an image ( [Ctrl] - [O] )

2. Press [Ctrl] - [A]

3. Hold [LShift] and then left-click on the image and hold.

4. Free - drag the image anywhere and you will see its effect

Sample here:

Trick: Magnify 10x!

We all know that Microsoft Paint has an option to magnify an image, but only up to 8x

Steps:

1. Open an image and select the magnifying glass icon.

2. Left-Click exactly on the line below the 8x.

Here are some "cheats/secrets" I wanna share to you guys if you are playing games like Pinball, Hearts, FreeCell, Minesweeper and Solitaire.

FreeCell

Secret - Instant Win
Instructions - Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 during game play. Then you will be asked if you want to Abort, Retry or Ignore. Choose Abort, then move any card to instantly win.

Secret - Hidden Game Modes
Instructions - In the "Game" menu, choose "Select Game". Enter -1 or -2 to activate the hidden game modes.

Hearts

Secret - Show All Cards
Instructions - Edit this registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Hearts and create a new String value named ZB with a Data value of 42. Start Hearts and press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F12 to show all the cards.

Background - This secret is a reference to Douglas Adams' book the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 'ZB' is the initials of the character Zaphod Beeblebrox, the Galactic President. '42' is the answer to The Ultimate Question Of Life, the Universe and Everything.

Minesweeper

Secret - Reveal Mines
Instructions - Minimize or close all running applications. Launch Minesweeper, then type xyzzy. Next hold down either shift key for one second. Now when you move the mouse cursor over a Minesweeper square you will see a tiny white pixel in the top left corner of your desktop screen. This pixel will change to black when your mouse moves over a mine. You may need to change you desktop background to a solid color other then white or black to see the pixel.

Secret - Stop Timer
Instructions - Launch Minesweeper and start a game so the timer starts counting, then press the Windows Key + D to show the desktop. Now when you select minesweeper from the taskbar you can continue playing with the timer stopped.

Pinball

Secret - Extra Balls
Instructions - Type 1max at the start of a new ball to get extra balls.

Secret - Gravity Well
Instructions - Type gmax at the start of a new game to activate the Gravity Well.

Secret - Instant Promotion
Instructions - Type rmax at the start of a new game to go up in ranks.

Secret - Skill Shot
Instructions - Launch the ball partially up the chute past the third yellow light bar so it falls back down to get 75,000 points. There are six yellow light bars that are worth a varying amount of points:

First:
15,000 points
Second: 30,000 points
Third: 75,000 points
Fourth: 30,000 points
Fifth: 15,000 points
Sixth: 7,500 points

Secret - Test Mode
Instructions - Type hidden test at the start of a new ball to activate Test Mode. No notification will be given that this is activated but you can now left-click the mouse button and drag the ball around. While in test mode press the following keys for more secrets:

H - Get a 1,000,000,000 High Score
M - Shows the amount of system memory
R - Increases your rank in game
Y - Shows the Frames/sec rate

Secret - Unlimited Balls
Instructions - Type bmax at the start of a new ball. No notification will be given that this is activated but when a ball is lost a new ball will appear from the yellow wormhole indefinitely. Once this is activated you will be unable to activate other secrets without restarting the game.

Solitaire

Secret - Instant Win
Instructions - Press Alt + Shift + 2 during game play to instantly win.

Secret - Draw single cards in a Draw Three game
Instructions - Hold down CTRL + ALT + SHIFT while
drawing a new card. Instead of drawing three cards you will only draw one.

Enjoy!!

How to Remove IMGKULOT.vbs (.vbs/Capiz-A) From Your System

2007-10-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

This is script worm that affects only Windows operating systems. It spreads itself on removable storage devices such as diskettes, CDs, USB Flash Drives and the like and installs itself on the Registry, thus affecting the system and it will continually display this error:

Windows - No Disk Exception Processing Message c0000013 Parameters 75b6bf9c 4 75b6bf9c 75b6bf9c

As it turns out, his computer had a virus, quite a new one, which is called IMGKULOT, or VBS/Capiz-A.

Here are the following steps to remove it manually.
1. Open Windows Task Manager by presssing Ctrl-Alt-Del and clicking on the Task Manager button on the dialog box that appears.

2. In the Processes tab, locate wscript.exe. If you can’t see it, try clicking on the “Show processes from all users” checkbox.

3. Highlight wscript.exe, and click on the “End Process” button.

4. Highlight explorer.exe and click on the “End process” button as well.

5. In the Task Manager menu, select File->New Task (Run…), type “cmd” on the Create New Task dialog box, and click on the OK button. This will open a command prompt window.

6. Go to C:\WINDOWS\System32 by typing “cd C:\WINDOWS\System32″ in the command prompt.

7. Delete all “imgkulot” files that appear on that directory by typing “del imgkulot.* /f /s /q /a”

8. Delete all “autorun” files in your root directory by typing “del c:\autorun.* /f /s /q /a”

9. If your hard disk have several partitions, apply #8 to the other drives as well.

10. The files of the virus has already been removed at this point. However, there is still a registry entry (modified by the virus) that needs to be restored. To open the Registry Editor, in the Task Manager menu, select File->New Task (Run…), type “regedit” on the Create New Task dialog box, and click on the OK button.
Go to the the registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.

11. The following key and value pair should appear. If not, please modify as is: “Userinit”=”C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,”

12. Restart your computer.

The worm should be completely removed by now, however, some of your removable drives may be affected as well, so be careful with what you plug in to your computer. Alwasy disable autorun feature and do a scan on your removable drives, and also, format it often.

imagina_boy@linuxmail.org is behind this worm.

Hope you can make it.

How to Remove Pooh.vbs and Nhatquanglan Worms

2007-10-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

I had recently encountered this on my PC at work so I decided that I will share to you the steps on how to eliminate this worm on your PC, especially to those who are using USB Flash Drives and Floppy Diskettes.

The Nhatquanglan worm (usually together with the Pooh.vbs worm), slows down your PC and disables Windows Task Manager, Folder Options, Registry, Group Policy Editor, and the like. If you have this symptoms, there is a possibility that you are also infected by the Pooh.vbs worm.

Symptoms taht you're PC is infected by the Nhatquanglan worm:

1. This worm spreads by USB drives though it is possible that other portable media may be involved too.

2. Inability to use Windows Task Manager, the Folder Options, Registry, etc.

3. There is a crappy looking folder icon that is seen (with same name as the original folder), the file size of which is 282 kb.

4. It makes the computer slow down, and no anti-virus as of now seems to catch hold of it.

5. Inability to stop the USB drive from remove hardware safely option.

7. Inability to format the USB drive.

8. The worm is an autorun .exe file and executes and infects every time a USB drive is plugged in.

Steps on how to remove the Nhatquanglan worm:

1. Download HijackThis (free), and the Task Manager fix of the Interra Group (also free), and a program called Spybot Killer.

2. Run the Hijack this (rename it first or it wont start), and fix all files with scvhost.exe (not svchost.exe), run spybot, and then task manager fix. This should cure it. As u learn more about viruses, hijack this is probably the most useful program to have.

3. Reboot, and should run ok.

Pooh.vbs or the W32/DKR worm, is a VisualBasic script that can be detected by some AntiVirus like Norton and McAfee. Pooh.vbs comes with an HTML file (the aikelyu.html) that opens on WIndows Log-on. It exploits the autorun feature in memorycards and copies itself to computers and connected memory cards thereafter. Because it does not spread itself to the internet, it hasn't gained enough notoreity to be included in virus defenses of various programs. Also clean your infected memory cards.

The aikelyu.html file:

Symptoms that you're PC is infected with Pooh.vbs
1. You cannot open your Local Disk (C:) by clicking it your My Computer and there is a message alert box. If you also try to right-click it, you will notice that the first right-click option is Autoplay.

2. When you're encoding something, let's say, on Microsoft Excel/Word, you will encounter some sort of URL (http://www.freewebtowns...) in the middle of your work... and it also disables some features on your Microsoft Excel or Word and the like.

3. When you log - on to Windows, you will see the aikelyu.html file, located on C:\WINDOWS\system32\aikelyu.html.

If you had created a restore point prior to the detection of your Pooh.vbs, you can have a system restore, and everything will be back to normal.

Download Nod32 and use it to scan for files.

So here are the steps that I had done to remove the Pooh.vbs worm:
1. Reboot your PC and run your PC on SAFE MODE (press F9 during boot-up) and log-in as an Administrator.

2. Also download StartUp ControlPanel. You will use this later. For more informations regarding StartUp Control Panel, go here

3. Open Windows Task Manager ([Ctrl] + [Alt] - [Delete] or [Crtl] + [LShift] - [Esc] ) and go to the Processes tab.

4. Terminate Wscipt.exe and Explorer.exe process.

5. Open Command Prompt (open Run and type cmd)

6. On the Command Prompt, type the following:
del c:\pooh.vbs /f/s/q/a
del d:\pooh.vbs /f/s/q/a (include your other drives and USB drives that have been infected)

del c:\autorun.inf
del d:\autorun.inf (include your other drives and USB drives that have been infected)

del c:\windows\system32\kernell.dll.vbs

del c:\aikelyu.html /f/s/q/a

7. Now use the StartUp Control Panel you had just downloaded earlier to remove the aikelyu.html during Windows startup. Also, to check if that the aikelyu.html file has been deleted, open Microsoft Configuartion (open Run and type msconfig) and select the Startup tab and see if there is still the aikelyu.html with a check on it. If it is still there, uncheck it.

8. Open the Run Dialog Box again and type regedit.

9.
Navigate through: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon on the left pane. After which, on the right pane, check the Shell string has a value of explorer.exe. The corrupted string value has a userinit=userinit.exe combined with explorer.exe, so delete it.

10. To finally check that you had deleted pooh.vbs from your system, go to Control Panel - Folder Options. On the View tab, choose "Show hidden files", uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" and "Hide extensions for known file types". and press OK.

11. Open Windows Explorer ( [Windows] - [E] ), and go to C:\ and find if the pooh.vbs file is still there. Go to C:\WINDOWS\system32 and check if the aikelyu.html file and kernell.dll.vbs file is still there. If they are still present, manually delete them and empty your Recycle Bin.

12. Reboot your PC!

That's all... Hope you can make it.

Very Useful Run Commands

2007-10-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

Getting to know your Run dialog box is like mastering your PC's applications and how to open them quickly as possible. In this list of run commands (partially complete), you may find this useful and very convenient to use. This guide also includes secret commands to open hidden applications.

Let us start on how to open your Run dialog box.

Here is the step using your mouse:
Go to, and click on the Start button, then select and click Run... while the keyboard technique is [Windows] - [R]. The [Windows] key is located between the [Ctrl] and [Alt] key.

This is your Run Dialog Box:

So here are the list of the Run commands. Just type it on the Run Dialog Box.

Accessibility Controls: access.cpl

Add Hardware Wizard: hdwwiz.cpl

Add/Remove Programs: appwiz.cpl

Administrative Tools: control.exe admintools

Automatic Updates: wuaucpl.cpl

Calculator: calc

Certificate Manager: certmgr.msc

Character Map: charmap

Check Disk Utility: chkdsk

Clipboard Viewer: clipbrd

Command Prompt: cmd

Component Services: dcomcnfg

Computer Management: compmgmt.msc

Date and Time Properties: timedate.cpl

DDE Shares: ddeshare

Device Manager: devmgmt.msc

Direct X Control Panel (if installed): directx.cpl

Direct X Troubleshooter: dxdiag

Disk Cleanup Utility: cleanmgr

Disk Defragment: dfrg.msc

Disk Management: diskmgmt.msc

Disk Partition Manager: diskpart

Display Properties: control.exe desktop

Display Properties: desk.cpl

Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected): control.exe color

Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility: drwtsn32

Driver Verifier Utility: verifier

Event Viewer: eventvwr.msc

File Signature Verification Tool: sigverif

Findfast: findfast.cpl

Folders Properties: control.exe folders

Fonts: control.exe fonts

Fonts Folder: fonts

Free Cell Card Game: freecell

Game Controllers: joy.cpl

Group Policy Editor (XP Prof): gpedit.msc

Hearts Card Game: mshearts

Iexpress Wizard: iexpress

Indexing Service: ciadv.msc

Internet Properties: inetcpl.cpl

Java Control Panel (if installed): jpicpl32.cpl

Java Control Panel (if installed): javaws

Keyboard Properties: control.exe keyboard

Local Security Settings: secpol.msc

Local Users and Groups: lusrmgr.msc

Logs You Out Of W*NDOW$: logoff

Mcft Chat: winchat

Minesweeper Game: winmine

Mouse Properties: control.exe mouse

Mouse Properties: main.cpl

Network Connections: control.exe netconnections

Network Connections: ncpa.cpl

Network Setup Wizard: netsetup.cpl

Nview Desktop Manager (if installed): nvtuicpl.cpl

Object Packager: packager

ODBC Data Source Administrator: odbccp32.cpl

On Screen Keyboard: osk

Opens AC3 Filter (if installed): ac3filter.cpl

Password Properties: password.cpl

Performance Monitor: perfmon.msc

Performance Monitor: perfmon

Phone and Modem Options: telephon.cpl

Power Configuration: powercfg.cpl

Printers and Faxes: control.exe printers

Printers Folder: printers

Private Character Editor: eudcedit

Quicktime (If Installed): QuickTime.cpl

Regional Settings: intl.cpl

Registry Editor: regedit

Registry Editor: regedit32

Removable Storage: ntmsmgr.msc

Removable Storage Operator Requests: ntmsoprq.msc

Resultant Set of Policy: rsop.msc

Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof): rsop.msc

Scanners and Cameras: sticpl.cpl

Scheduled Tasks: control.exe schedtasks

Security Center: wscui.cpl

Services: services.msc

Shared Folders: fsmgmt.msc

Shuts Down W*NDOW$: shutdown

Sounds and Audio: mmsys.cpl

Spider Solitare Card Game: spider

SQL Client Configuration: cliconfg

System Configuration Editor: sysedit

System Configuration Utility: msconfig

System File Checker Utility: sfc

System Properties: sysdm.cpl

Task Manager: taskmgr

Telnet Client: telnet

User Account Management: nusrmgr.cpl

User Passwords: Control userpasswords2

Utility Manager: utilman

W*NDOW$ Firewall: firewall.cpl

W*NDOW$ Magnifier: magnify

W*NDOW$ Management Infrastructure: wmimgmt.msc

W*NDOW$ System Security Tool: syskey

W*NDOW$ Update Launches: wupdmgr

W*NDOW$ XP Tour Wizard: tourstart

Wordpad: write

Direct X Diagnostics: dxdiag

Microsoft Notepad: notepad

Microsoft Paint: mspaint

Microsoft Word: msword

Microsoft Excel: excel

Microsoft PowerPoint: powerpnt

Microsoft FrontPage: frontpg

Microsoft Access: msaccess

Microsoft Outlook: outlook

Internet Explorer: iexplore, iexplore -k for kiosk mode (fullscreen mode) ,
iexplore -e to open Windows Explorer at the left pane

Windows Explorer: explore

Disable Autoplay Feature on USB Flash Drives

2007-10-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

Some virus, especially worms, like pooh.vbs, spreads beacause of the autoplay function of USB Flash Drives. This guide will let you minimize virus from spreading and infecting your system.

First of all, you must log-in as an Administrator to do this.

Steps:
1. Open the Run dialog box ( [Windows] - [R] ), then type gpedit.msc, hit [Enter].

2. On the left pane, click "Administrative Templates", then "System".

3. On the right pane, locate "Turn Off Autoplay" and double-click on it.

4. Set it to "Enable" and choose among the drives ( CD - ROM or All Drives ) you wish to turn it off, below.

Hope this helps =)

Disable / Enable Your Registry Editor

2007-10-26T03:30:00.000-07:00

Here are the simpliest ways to enable and disble your Registry

Open Start - Run and type:

REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableRegistryTools /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

to ENABLE Registry editing.

type:

REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableRegistryTools /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

to DISABLE Registry editing.

Google Earth Free Flight Simulator

2007-10-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Works with the latest Google Earth.

Download Google Earth

Here are the steps:

1. In Google Earth, press [Ctrl] - [Alt] - [A] or [Ctrl] - [Windows] - [A]

2. If the [Ctrl] - [Alt] - [A] doesn't work, click HERE to download a Registry entry and Merge it to your Registry files. Just double-click it and select YES. It is 100% safe, so no need to worry.

3. Here are the Flight Controls: Flight Controls Here

Some screencaps:

Watch StarWars On Your Command Prompt!

2007-10-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

I just wanna share with you how you can watch StarWars using your very own... MS-DOS Command Prompt. Very simple steps... cool results =)

1. On Windows XP, Click [Start] - [Run], then type cmd or .cmd

2. Then type: telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl

3. Press Enter!

4. Enjoy!!

Google Flying Images On Image Search

2007-10-25T04:27:00.000-07:00

I just wanna share with you this very cool trick I learned . . . and may you find this, cool too!

So here are the steps.

1. Open your web browser ( Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and up or Mozilla Firefox

2. Go to Google.

3. Click "Images" or "Mga Larawan" located above the search engine.

4. Type anything on it (ex. animals) and hit [Enter]

5. When the image results are done and fully displayed, copy ( [Ctrl]*[C] ) the whole code below and paste ( [Ctrl]*[V] ) it on the Address bar and hit [Enter]!

The code:

javascript:R= 0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI= document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i<DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=Math. sin(R*x1+ i*x2+x3)* x4+x5; DIS.top=Math. cos(R*y1+ i*y2+y3)* y4+y5}R++ }setInterval('A()',5); void(0)

The images will FLY! Cool, isn't it? =)

Important Internet Explorer Settings

2007-08-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's another internet I want to share to you, to make Internet Explorer browse the web FASTER and SAFER.

1. Go to Control Panel and Click Internet Options

2. Under the General tab, in the Temporary Internet Files section select the Settings button.

3. Select "Every visit to the page" and set Amount of Disk Space to Use: to no more than 80 Mb.

4. Now, select the Connections tab and select LAN Settings make sure EVERYTHING there is unchecked and click OK.

5. Select the Privacy tab and choose Advanced, check the box "Override automatic cookie handling" and for First-party Cookies - choose Accept, for Third-party Cookies - choose Block and check "Always allow session cookies". Now NO MORE SPYWARE COOKIES.

If you have a dial up connection I HIGHLY recommend using a download manager, can even schedule downloads for the middle of the night (it will automatically dial up and dit will help maximize your download speed, resume downloads if you are disconnected and you ownload the desired file and hang up when done) when you aren't using your PC.

Mozilla Firefox Boost: A Must Read

2007-08-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Good news to all Mozilla Firefox users, and those of you who use Globe Broadband! Your Web Browser will have faster browsing, really. I accidentally discovered it through pop-up windows. =)

Here's something for broadband people that will really speed Firefox up:

1. Type "about:config" into the Address bar and hit Return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:

"network.http.pipeliningnetwork.http.proxy.pipeliningnetwork.http.pipelining.maxrequests"

Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.

2. Alter the entries as follows:

Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves

If you're using Broadband only, and it really works!

Expand Your Collection of Microsoft Tools

2007-08-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

Microsoft offers a sizable collection of useful yet unofficial and unsupported utilities called PowerToys. Following are the essential PowerToys for any serious computer user; all are downloadable from Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows XP page.

1. ClearType Tuner
This PowerToy lets you use ClearType technology to make it easier to read text on your screen, and installs in the Control Panel for easy access.

2. HTML Slide Show Wizard
This wizard helps you create an HTML slide show of your digital pictures, ready to place on your Web site.

3. Alt-Tab Replacement
With this PowerToy, in addition to seeing the icon of the application window you are switching to, you will also see a preview of the page. This helps particularly when multiple sessions of an application are open.

4. Tweak UI v1.33
This PowerToy gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more.

5. Taskbar Magnifier
Use this PowerToy to magnify part of the screen from the taskbar.

How to use:
- Right-click on your Desktop Taskbar.

- Select Toolbars

- Check Taskbar Magnifier.

6. Webcam Timershot
This PowerToy lets you take pictures at specified time intervals from a Webcam connected to your computer and save them to a location that you designate. It is also displayed in your System Tray.

Find Out What Your PC Is Really Up To

2007-08-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

The Windows Task Manager provides a good start when you try to discover what programs are running on your system, but it's only a first step. For more-detailed data, you need another tool. Your best bet: Sysinternals Process Explorer.

Get Process Explorer for Windows v10.21 at Microsoft TechNet. It needs no formal installation; just unzip it and run the .exe file. It will then list your PC's active processes, much as Task Manager does, but with better descriptions and organization.

Interpreting Process Explorer's information is fairly straightforward (and killing processes works much as it does in Task Manager), but here are some tips to help you make the most of the utility.

Consider adding the useful 'Handles' column to the view. Handles (a term that refers to programming methodology) are a convenient way to measure a process's resource utilization. Processes with high handle usage should be the first ones you kill when resources run low. Add the column by right-clicking in the header area and clicking the Select Columns option. Click the Process Performance tab and check the box next to Handle Count.
Note that Handles can also be created for media-based devices like CD-R drives, which may cause errors on eject. If you can't safely eject a disk or memory card, use the Find menu to search for the drive letter followed by a colon (for example, E:), and kill that process directly.
Instead of outright killing a process, you can suspend it (right-click on a process to see this option). This can be useful in the case of a runaway program stuck in an endless loop.
Want to know what a program's process identification is to better tell whether it's friend or foe? Open the program, then switch to Process Explorer. In the top-right corner is a target icon (concentric circles). Click this icon and drag it onto the program you want to ID; Process Explorer will highlight the process.

More Windows Media Player Skins

2007-08-19T04:10:00.001-07:00

Tired of the usual skins of your Windows Media Player? Get a new make-over that will suit your taste.

More Windows Media Player Skins are here!

To select variations of Windows Media Player skins:
1. Open Windows Media Player on its Default skin

2. Select Skin Chooser at the left pane.

3. Choose your desired skin.

My Favorite Windows Media Player Skin:

The Terminator

Internet Junkies Slow Your PC

2007-08-19T03:06:00.000-07:00

If your surfing the net for hours, daily in your own PC at home, internet files are automatically downloaded into your PC and eventually builds up and takes a little bit more space in your memory cache. If you don't have special programs such as Deep Freeze™, which cancels any actions done to the system after reboot, your might observe that your PC is getting slower, and also you may encounter an alert pop-up box that says "Windows Virtual Memory Too Low"

Control cookies, clear your download history, and take other steps to keep snoops off your online trail.

Cookies: Text containing files containing information about the user an the PC itself, when visiting a site.

Sensitive Cookie Content: Log-in usernames, passwords, etc. They are ENCRYPTED.

Third-party Cookies: Comes from Banners, Ads, Service pop-ups. Flagged and removed by Anti-Spywares.

History: contains links that the user have recently visited.

History Pane: On the Internet Explorer, to open History Pane, press [Ctrl]*[H]

Browser Cache: This is where all the HTML files and images are saved every time you visit a particular site so that the next time you visit the same site again, it would be faster to load images, text and graphics.

How to control Internet Files: I recommend to close all your programs first.

1. Go to the Control Panel and select Internet Options.

2. Under the General tab, click Delete Cookies and also

click Delete Files and check Delete All Offline Content. This may take a while.

3. Set Days to Keep Pages in History to "0"

4. Click Clear History.

5. Go to the Privacy tab and select Medium High by adjusting the slider to block Third-Party Cookies

6. Apply changes

Passwords and Form Filters: Browsers automatically store personal data required by Web Forms. Internet Explorer's AutoComplete feature fills in the blanks for you, and it also logs you in to Web sites automatically, remembering what you type as you type it.

To activate AutoComplete:

1. Go to Control Panel and select Internet Options

2. Under the Content tab click Auto Complete.

3. Check Web Addresses, Forms and Usernames and Passwords on Forms.

4. Apply settings.

To clear recorded passwords, forms and the like, repeat steps 1 and 2 then,

Click Clear Forms and/or Clear Passwords.

This are all the Internet Files downloaded into your system. They may be only in kilobytes but if they build up, they can use upto 1000 megabytes which occupies a lot of space in your hard disk. I suggest that after you use the Internet, always delete all Cookies and Temporary Internet Files and Clear History. You may also download Deep Freeze™ so that you will not repeat this process again.

Getting to Know the Desktop Cleaner

2007-08-19T02:42:00.000-07:00

Every couple of months, Windows XP pops up a message stating that you haven't used some of your desktop icons in a while. The OS even offers to put these icons in a separate desktop folder for you. I'm really annoyed with this, and maybe I should tell Windows to mind its own business. If they're really useless, i'd rather delete them, right?

To turn off the "Unused Icons" nag, just:

1. Right-click Desktop and click Properties.

2. Select the Desktop tab and click Customize Desktop.

3. Uncheck Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard Every 60 days

4. Apply changes.

List More Recently Used Documents

2007-08-19T02:25:00.001-07:00

Do you often access your recently used documents and files? Maximize the capacity of My Recent Documents to store more recently used files in your Start Menu.

In Windows XP Professional, you access recently opened documents by going to Start and select My Recent Documents, but the list shows only 15 files from all the many programs you may have used recently.

Here's how to display more recently used files:
1. Go to Run and type "gpedit.msc", press Enter.

2. In the left pane, navigate to and select User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer.

3. Double-click Maximum Number of Recent Documents in the right pane. Select Enabled, and then set the maximum number of recent documents to something higher than the default of 15.

To make icons appear smaller in the Start Menu:
1. Right-click Start

2. Select Properties, click Customize and under the General tab, choose Small Icons.

Trash in Folders and System Files

2007-08-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

When you open a folder in Thumbnails view, (choose View, Thumbnails in a folder window) your system creates a Thumbs.db file in that folder to cache the thumbnail images for quicker viewing next time.

To reveal the Thumbs.db file:
1. I recommend that you close all running applications

2. Go to the Control Panel

3. Select Folder Options

4. Check Display the Contents of System Folders and also choose Show Hiddend Files and Folders. Uncheck Hide Protected Operating System Files (Recommended).

5. Apply changes made. Click OK on the alert box.

This cached file may be doing little more than adding unnecessary clutter to your hard drive. Once you've reset your folder options, search for and delete Thumbs.db files you don't want.

Here is the Thumbs.db file: It is a database file

To permanently disable your system to cache Thumbs.db file:
1. Go to Control Panel.

2. Select Folder Options.

3. Under the View tab, check Do Not Cache Thumbnails.

4. Apply changes.

Giving Priority To An Application

2007-08-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Out of nowhere, the application you're working with slows to a crawl because some other less-important app or background process has gobbled up Windows resources.

You can allocate more resources to the program by changing its priority in the Task Manager applet.

How to Open The Windows Task Manager:

1. Right-click the Desktop Taskbar and choose Task Manager.

2. Click the Processes tab and right-click the executable file that corresponds to the application.

3. Click Set Priority, and choose a level--for instance, Above Normal or High. Click Yes when you see the warning. Note that changing the priority of one process can affect the speed of others. The Realtime choice, for instance, gives your application the highest priority of all, but it can bring the rest of your system to a standstill, so it's best to avoid this option.

Regardless, if you're having problems burning CDs, for example, you may want to increase the priority of your CD-burning software. And if you have an app doing some low-urgency work in the background, you might consider setting it to a lower priority. The changes you make will apply only to the current session; the priorities will return to their former state the next time you start Windows.

To see the priority of all processes currently running on your system without having to right-click each one, choose View, Select Columns in the Task Manager window. Check Base Priority and click OK. You will then see a column that lists each process's priority information.

Know Windows Task Manager better, because it helps alot

Prevent Pop-Ups

2007-08-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

A text balloon repeatedly pops out of the system tray on Windows XP's taskbar to warn you that an update is ready to install, or to provide some other nugget of information you don't really need to address at that instant. For me, this pop-up balloons are very annoying, especially PCs in Internet Cafes... "Windows Virtual Memory Too Slow"...

How to Get Rid of Pop-Ups using Tweak UI.

1. Open the program and select Taskbar and Start menu in the left pane.

2. Uncheck Enable Balloon Tips on the right.

3. Click OK.

For Pops-Up Windows, you may also download this:

Pop-Up Stopper Free
- Prevents Pop-Up Windows when browsing the net.
- 511 KB

Don't Lose Your Focus

2007-08-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

So there you are, minding your own business, typing a document, e-mail, or instant message on your computer. You glance away from the screen for a moment. When you look back, you realize you haven't really entered your last lines of text. Without your knowledge, a new window or dialog box has popped up, and some of your text has been entered there--or nowhere. Applications that steal your PC's focus are more than just annoying: They can be disastrous if the focus-stealing dialog box asks to perform a potentially harmful operation and you happen to press [Enter] or type [Y], which the dialog takes as a "Yes" before you even see the request. You may also have dismissed an important scheduling alert without realizing it.

No solution exists, but the following may help you maintain your focus in Windows XP and 2000 by Microsoft's free Tweak UI.

Open Tweak UI by typing tweakui on Run, and press [Enter] and use the tree pane on the left to navigate to General, Focus. Make sure "Prevent applications from stealing focus" is checked. You can also specify whether the taskbar button should flash and how many times when the would-be focus grabber wants your attention. Click OK.

Some Tweak UI settings get changed back when a program subsequently modifies the Windows Registry. To make sure the focus lock is in effect every time you start Windows, start Notepad or another text editor.

1. On the first line, type "Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00" and press [Enter] twice.

2. Type "[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]" and press [Enter].

3. Finally, type "ForegroundLockTimeout"=dword:00030d40 and press [Enter].

4. Save name the file with the .reg extension like focus.reg), and place it to a location of your choice. Make a note of the path to the file.

5. Next, choose Start, All Programs, right-click the Startup menu, and choose Open.

6. In an empty area of the Startup folder, right-click and choose New, Shortcut.

7. In the Create Shortcut wizard, browse to your .reg file, select it, and click OK.

8. Place quotes before and after the entry, and then press [Home].

9. Type "regedit.exe /s" followed by a space in front of the first quotation mark in your entry.

10. When completed, the entry should read something like this: regedit.exe /s "C:\Registry files\focus.reg" (your path may differ).

11. Click Next, type a name for your shortcut, and click Finish. Now every time you log on, this shortcut will reinstate the anti-focus-stealing setting.

You're all set! Continue on what you are doing.

Start Up Windows Faster

2007-08-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I had observed that some PCs love spending the first 10 minutes of every workday watching Windows start up. It's like a Zen thing - very stupid. If you'd rather get right to work, though, the following tips should help you make Windows start much more quickly.

--Lighten the Load

A typical PC loads a lot of programs every time it starts. Each of the icons in your system tray (the area near your clock) represents an auto-start application. And there are probably other programs on your machine that start automatically but don't make their presence known so easily. Each autoloading app slows your boot time--a little or a lot. And because most of them continue to run in the background, they rob you of a little performance.

How to Get Rid of these:

1. Go to Run and type "msconfig" then press [Enter].

2. On the Start Up tab, you'll see a list of all you autoloading prorgrams.

3. Uncheck unnecessary ones, or all of them.

4. Apply changes.

After unchecking the programs that you don't need to autoload at startup, click OK and reboot. Windows will load with a message box that might look like an error message. Just check "Don't show this message" or launch the System Configuration Utility when Windows starts at the bottom of the dialog box and click OK.

--Windows Dusting and Cleaning

1. Clean out the Registry.

The larger your Windows Registry, the longer the OS will take to boot. Download EasyCleaner!

2. Use fewer fonts.

Loading hundreds of system fonts takes time. If you have more than 500 fonts on your PC, remove a few. Sue Fisher's free The Font Thing utility will help you whittle your font selection down to size.

3. Add RAM

Faster hardware means faster boots and shutdowns, and everything in betwee. There's no cheaper, more effective way to improve your hardware's performance than by adding RAM.

Make Your Files Private

2007-08-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

Microsoft built Windows XP and there is one good reason why it is used by most of us, it has a Multi - User characteristic, which has the ability to accomodate several users in just one PC by separating their own files by creating their own account to log-in to Windows.

--Create Your Very Own Private User Account

If you have a PC at home and everyone's using the same PC, it's better if you make your files on high-profile when they're really that "important" to you. Since Windows OS has the Multi-User Characteristic, you can make that PC at home, your own private unit. All you need is to make a back-up of all the important files you have.

Here's How:
1. Go to the Control Panel and select User Accounts.

2. Choose "Create A New Account", enter a username, select an account type and click Create Account.

3. Select the newly created account. Personalize your settings, and most of all, create an appropriate password. Remember your username and password.

4. Reboot your PC, and on the Welcome Screen, choose your account and enter your password.

5. You now have your very own private user account! Take note that your settings and files are not shown on other accounts or on a guest account as well files and settings of other accounts.

That's it! You can make many accounts and be sure you can manage them so you won't have any conflicts on using your PC

--A Free EFS Alternative

You might need a stronger level of protection than EFS offers. Download the free True-Crypt Encryption Utility

--File Cloaking

This trick is simple and very popular. File Cloaking makes your files and/or folders invisible, thus making it hidden. This kind of file safety is know to users who masters file and folders' basic properties, like me.

How to Hide File/Folder
1. Right-click on the target File/Folder and select Properties.

2. Check the Hidden attribute.

3. Apply settings.

4. Go to the Control Panel and select Folder Options and choose "Do Not Show Hidden Files and Folders".

5. Apply settings.

6. To make hidden files visible again, select the other option, "Show Hidden Files and Folders".

Speed Up Windows XP Shutdown

2007-08-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, there are two reasons to shutdown Windows.

1. To save electricity, and

2. To reset the operating system when your unit is acting goofy =)

In some windows XP, shutting down the unit takes lot of time... and maybe you can already make a cup of coffee. If your PC doesn't want to say goodbye to you... then try this tips.

--Dont Shut Down! Just Hibernate

Putting Windows into Hibernate mode copies the contents of your machine's RAM to your hard disk, then powers everything down, which saves just as much electricity as shutting it down--from the hardware point of view, the two actions are identical. Hibernating XP and waking it out of hibernation take much less time than closing it and rebooting. Hibernation is a cool feature--if your PC supports it. This state differs from sleep or standby mode in that it copies everything in RAM to your hard drive and then completely shuts down your computer so that it uses little or no electricity. When you switch it back on, it copies everything back into RAM so you can swiftly return to where you left off.

How to Hibernate:
1. Go to: Start > Control Panel

2. Click Power Settings and go to the Hibernate tab. If you can't see a Hibernate tag, your system doesn't support Hibernation.

3. Check Enable Hibernation or Hibernation Support.

4. Make sure you have enough Disk Space in your RAM. Read the Disk Space for Hibernation section.

5. Click OK

Once you've enabled hibernation, you can make your computer hibernate via its shutdown options. Select Start, Turn Off Computer. While the "Turn Off"dialog box is open, either hold down the [Shift] key to see the Hibernate button or just press [H].

--Close Programs First

Windows must close every running program before it can shut itself down, which is time consuming. Of course, you could close each program manually beforehand to speed up the shutdown, but unless Windows seems to take forever to close, that won't save you much time.

For instance, Internet Explorer is left running, when you immediately turn off you pc, it would first go to an "End Process" Phase.

However, if your shutdowns are unusually slow, you could try closing your running programs (both your applications and your system tray icons) prior to turning Windows off. If your system shuts down more quickly, one of those programs is causing the hang-up.

--Watch Out for Bad Drivers

Buggy or improperly installed drivers can also cause shutdown difficulties. Check to see if your device drivers need updates by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties, Hardware, Device Manager. Look for entries with yellow question marks or red exclamation points: A question mark indicates that Windows is using a generic driver for that device instead of one designed for it, and an exclamation point means that the device is not working. The drivers for graphics boards, sound cards, and printers are most likely to need an update. Visit the vendors' Web sites to download the updated drivers to your PC. Then right-click the entry in Device Manager, choose Update Driver, and step through the Wizard, selecting "No, not this time" to the Windows Update question, and choosing the "specified location" option when it appears. When you're able to navigate to the driver file, select it and click OK to install it. When you finish updating your drivers, close all open windows.

--Terminate Terminal Services

Windows XP's Terminal Services can also cause recalcitrant shutdowns. That's more, if you never use remote desktop, fast user switching, remote assistance, the terminal server, or other Terminal Services, you don't need them. To shut it off, select Start, Run, type services.msc /s, and press Enter. Find and double-click the Terminal Services listing. (Of course, if you don't have Terminal Services installed, your slow shutdowns have another cause.) Change "Startup type" to Disabled or Manual and click OK.

--Never Clear Virtual Memory

You can speed up your shutdowns by verifying that you're not clearing your virtual memory whenever you exit Windows. Select Start, Run, type gpedit.msc, and press [Enter]. Navigate to Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options in the left pane. In the right pane, scroll to Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile. If the option is enabled, double-click it, select Disabled, and click OK. Some systems don't have this option, and i don't know why!

--Reduce Windows' Wait Time

You can speed up some shutdowns, and risk losing unsaved data, by reducing the time Windows waits for a program to stop itself properly before taking this job into its own disruptive hands. Select Start, Run, type regedit, and press [Enter]. In the left pane navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Current Control Set\Control. Double-click the WaitToKillServiceTimeout item in the right pane. Set it to a value lower than the default 2000 (or 2 seconds), perhaps to 1000 (1 second). Click OK, and then reboot.

Download Free Music Using Google!

2007-08-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

Want to download music, instantly? Aside from using BearShare, LimeWire, eMule or anything, we can use Google's Search Engine... definitely! All of .wmv, .avi, .wav, .mp3 and .mp4 music file formats can be in your PC by just typing simple commands on Google's search engine.

There are to steps:

Here's the 1st one:

1. Go to www.Google.com

2. In the Search Engine, type intitle:"index.of" (music file format you want, separeted by an "|") -htm -html -asp -php(Title of the Song) and press [Enter].

3. Place an "_" between the title of the song

4. Select one working link and download it!

I'll post a specific topic about these techi-words we use in Google's Search Engine. There are lots of them and it is an advantage if we know all of these.

Here's the second one:

1. Type

?intitle:index.of? mp3 NAME_OF_ARTIST

Example: ?intitle:index.of? mp3 akon

2. Hit [Enter] and search for the best link

Enjoy!

Viewing Public WebCams World Wide!

2007-08-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here is some of Google's unique feature of it's sophisticated Search Engine. This trick, some says it's a kind of "Security Hack" which is called a "Web Cam Hack" but in my opinion, it's not a hack since if you installed a Web Cam / Security Cams / CCTV Cameras and make it go live in the internet without some security settings, it will be surely vulnerable to the outside users!

All kinds of cams linked to an internet, on hotels, public streets, restaurants, offices, ice cream parlors and everywhere around the globe can be viewed by me!

...By just using Google!

Here's How:

1. Go to www.Google.com
2. In the Search Engine, type inurl:/view/index.shtml and press [Enter]
3. Hover through millions of unsecured webcams around the world!
4. Just download and install necessary programs to view the viedo.

Accelerate Windows Virtual Memory

2007-08-12T05:18:00.000-07:00

The following tricks I will share to you can surely lessen hassle in your computer! As a look around on tip sites, I found a lot of myths and harebrained theories about optimizing virtual memory -- a few of them even very useful to me. This time I went to experiment Microsoft-approved ways to set Windows' memory management to full steam ahead.

Virtual Memory is an "imaginary memory area" supported by some operating systems (Windows but not DOS) in conjunction with the hardware. You can think of virtual memory as an alternate set of memory addresses. Programs use these virtual addresses rather than real addresses to store instructions and data. When the program is actually executed, the virtual addresses are converted into real memory addresses.

The purpose of this virtual memory is to enlarge the address space, the set of addresses a program can utilize. For example, virtual memory might contain twice as many addresses as main memory. A program using all of virtual memory would not be able to fit in main memory all at once. Nevertheless, the computer could execute such a program by copying into main memory those portions of the program needed at any given point during execution.

To facilitate copying virtual memory into real memory, the operating system divides virtual memory into pages, each of which contains a fixed number of addresses. Each page is stored on a disk until it is needed. When the page is needed, the operating system copies it from disk to main memory, translating the virtual addresses into real addresses. This process of converting virtual addresses into real addresses is called "mapping" and the process of copying of virtual pages from disk to main memory is known as paging or swapping.

How to Tweak Windows' Virtual Memory:

If you have only one hard drive, just leave well enough alone. But if you have two or more internal or external hard drives (not just disk partitions), your PC will be peppier if you keep the default paging file (what Microsoft calls the virtual memory disk space) on your boot drive (the one that holds Windows) and add a paging file to the second drive.

To do so, log in to Windows as an Administrator and verify that you have more than one hard drive in your computer: Click Start, Run, type "diskmgmt.msc", and press [Enter] to open the Disk Management utility (click Continue in the User Account Control, if necessary). The bottom pane shows each disk on your system and the drive letter that corresponds with each partition. To have only one new paging file, choose the fastest drive you have. Remember that an internal drive will be faster than an external drive in most cases. Note the drive letter(s) you'll use.

Now right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Select the Advanced tab. In the Performance section, click Settings and then the Advanced tab. Under Virtual Memory, click Change. You'll see a paging file size already listed on your Windows drive; leave it alone, or Windows won't be able to create a memory dump file with debugging info in the event of a particular type of system error.

Next, in the drive list select a partition on a different drive where you want to add another paging file. Select Custom Size if you want to set the size yourself and type in the initial and maximum size; Microsoft's rule is to make the file 1.5 times the amount of RAM in your system, or select System Managed Size to let Windows determine the size. Click Set, then OK.

If the partition you selected contains another installation of Windows, you'll receive an error message warning that the file pagefile.sys already exists there. As long as the two operating systems are not running at the same time using virtualization software, it's safe for you to overwrite or delete pagefile.sys, since Windows will re-create the file automatically the next time you boot that partition's Windows installation.

You'll see a reminder that the changes will take effect the next time you restart your system. Windows will most often use the paging file on the least-busy drive, which means your new paging file will do most of the work.

This process was accidentally discovered by me when I experimented on My Computer and turned out to be CORRECT! Don't be afraid to experiment on your OWN computer. It's not dangerous as long as you know how to read and understand commands. =)

Easy Screen Capture Tips

2007-08-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

I know your very much familiar with screen captures/screen shots by only using the basic step -- pressing [Print Screen]. For those who still don't know where's that "[Print Screen]" key, it is just beside the [F12], above the [Insert] key in most keyboards.

How to have a Screen Shot?

1. Press [Print Screen]

2. Open MS Paint or any program that may have images and graphics.

3. Paste it there, either by right-click and select Paste or by pressing [Ctrl]*[V]

4. To capture only an active window, just press [Alt]*[Print Screen]

5. Paint Applet is the BEST and RECOMMENDED software if you want to save the file.

Here are some Screen Capture freeware:

--Can do more editing
--Better quality
--Efficient

1. AnalogX Capture
2. Print Key
3. Quick Screen Capture Tools

Desktop Make-Over!

2007-08-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

Your Desktop is the so-called "working place" of all of your applications. It contains the Shortcut Icons you used everyday, the Background Wallpaper you see, the Classic Desktop Toolbar, the Start Menu, System Tray and also your Mouse cursor. Instead of this ordinary Desktop, why not have a complete redesigning of your interface. We wan't to have a more attractive and unique Desktop, don't we? We could change it all by just using the Internet and all of the Freeware offered to us. Just be creative and resourceful!

Visit some of these Websites:

--For Desktop Themes and Wallpapers:

1. www.WinCustomize.com
2. www.Tech-Recipes.com
3. www.ThemeWorld.com

--For Desktop Icons and Fonts

1. www.InterfaceLift.com
2. www.FontEmpire.com
3. www.CoolText.com

--Desktop Widgets

1. www.MicrosoftGadgets.com
2. Widgets.Yahoo.com
3. Widgets.Opera.com

--Digital Post-Its

1. www.ZhornSoftware.com.uk

For an Instant-Automatic interface lift, just download and install these:

1. StyleXP v3.18 (Just type Style XP - User reviews and free download at Download.com on the Yahoo! Search Engine)

2. DesktopX v3.1 (Just type DesktopX free download on the Yahoo! Search Engine)

Here is one of my works (certified crap!):

Designing the Internet Explorer's Toolbar

2007-08-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

--Aside from downloading StyleXP (All-in-one interface changer), you can have your Internet Explorer's Toolbar a new makeover! The standard color of Internet Explorer v5's Toolbar is gray... and you can change it!

Here is a lame, ordinary Internet Explorer Toolbar:

Here is my quick edited but not-so-good color combination:

How?:

1. Make a 10x10-pixel image using Microsoft Paint. (How?~) Select Image
Menu and click Attributes.... Resize the page by filling up the width and height with 10.

2. Fill it up, depending with the style you want. Zoom in while you want to add colors so it would be easy to do it.

3. Zoom out, and save that image as wow on a .Bmp File Format in My Documents or anywhere as long as you know how to read a File Path.

4. Open Run and type regedit

5. Go to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar"

6. On the right pane, right click and select New and click String Value. Name it as BackBitmapIE5 (BackBitmapIE6, if your using Internet Explorer v6).

7. On the Value Data row, type the file path of the image you've designed.
Since we've saved it under My Documents eventually our file path would be
"My Documents\wow.bmp" and press [Enter].

8. Close all browsers and open a new one!

Using the Keyboard for Quick Internet Surfing

2007-08-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

--Are you tired of using the mouse to double-click the Internet Explorer's icon and point-click it to the Address Bar to type the URL you want?

Here are some quick keyboard techniques that will save minimal time, but if totaled, could give you great time savings!

Before the main steps, be sure you have:

>Internet Explorer in the Start Menu
>A shortcut in your Desktop; and
>An Internet Explorer icon & Show Desktop icon in your Quick Launch Desktop Toolbar

Ways to quickly open Internet Explorer:

1. On your Desktop, Press [Alt]-[I]-[Enter]. If there are some
    files/application that has a name beginning with a letter "I",
    press [I] again until it highlights the Internet Explorer icon.

2. On the Start Menu, Press [Start Button]-[I]-[Enter]. The
    [Start Buttont] is the key between [Ctrl] and [Alt] button.

3. Using a one-click mouse action (even when your currently in an
    active window), just click on the Internet Explorer icon.

4. Using Run, Press [Start Button]-[R] and type: "iexplore" and
    press [Enter].

5. To directly open Internet Explorer with the Website you want
    using Run, type: "iexplore (Website's URL of your choice)"

Ex. "iexplore www.friendser.com/nivlacute" - opens my Friendster profile.

    Some actions like -k (kiosk mode/full screen) & -e (opens
    windows explorer on the left pane of Internet Explorer).

Ex. "iexplore www.yahoo.com -k" - opens Yahoo! in FULL SCREEN!
While on the Internet Explorer Window:

--Are you tired of hovering your mouse going to the Internet Explorer's Address bar?

Here is a tip in using keyboard to go to the Address Bar fast and typing the URL quickly!

Press [Alt]-[D] and type the Websites URL and press [Alt]-[Enter] which automatically wraps the URLs domain name with "www." at the beginning and ".com" at the end and press [Enter].

Renaming the Internet Explorer's Title Bar

2007-08-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

This is a tweak I want to share to let you know that you can fool others by actually claiming the Internet Explorer as your property! How? just follow my instructions. This is only for personilization/customization purposes and amusement only.

Look at your Internet Explorer Title Bar [the blue bar on top]. It says --"Title of the Web page currently viewed" - Microsoft Internet Explorer, right? You can change that "Microsoft Internet Explorer" to anything else, like your name.

Intructions:

1. Open Run and type: "regedit" to open Registry Editor

2. On the Left Pane [Hierarchy Tree], go to:
"/HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Main"

3. On the Right Pane, Right-click on the white board and select
New and click String Value

4. Name the String Value as "Window Title"

5. Click the New String Value you've created.

6. Type any text you want [e.g. your name]

Switch Your Hard Disk to NTFS

2007-08-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Your PC's Hard Drive may still be in FAT32 disk format. I encourage you to migrate to the more advance NTFS file system to boost your PC performance.

FAT32 [File Allocation Table 32-bit] format is the 32-bit version of the FAT file system which is introduced on Windows 95 and still used in Windows XP today. Obviously, it is already an obsolete file system to use in Windows XP since it is limited maximum partition size and file size compared to that of NTFS Format.

NTFS [New Technology File System] format is the more advance file system, compared to FAT32 and was developed to compensate the poor features of FAT32 format. It improves performance and is required in order to implement numerous security and administrative features in the OS. For example, NTFS supports Active Directory domain names and provides file encryption. Permissions can be set at the file level rather than by folder, and individual users can be assigned disk space quotas. NTFS is designed to log activity and recover on the fly from hard disk crashes. It also supports the Unicode character set and allows file names up to 255 characters in length.

Comparison of FAT32 and NTFS
  > Maximum Partition Size: 32Gb[FAT32] vs. 2Tb+[NTFS]
  > Maximum File Size: 4Gb[FAT32] vs. Size of Drive[NTFS]

How to quickly convert your Local Disk Drive?

  1. Open Run and type:
         "cmd.exe or cmd" and press [Enter].

  2. In the Cmd.Exe window, type:
         "convert (Drive Letter): /fs: NTFS" and press [Enter].

  3. Reboot your PC.

Windows XP into High Gear!

2007-08-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Use Windows XP own tools to maximize your PC performance with easy adjustment settings and without spending.

Here are some ways how to boost your PC performance:

1. Adjust visual effects by going to the Control Panel/System/Advanced/Performance Settings/Visual Effects and uncheck the boxes of your choice. Visual Effects makes your PC operate slower

2. Adjust power settings by ging to Control Panel/Power Options and adjust power settings of your choice.

3. Open Disk Cleanup by right-clicking the disk's icon in Explorer and choose Properties/General/Disk cleanup; or choose Start/Run and type cleanmgr.exe to delete unused files.

4. View Event Logger by going to Start/Run and type eventvwr.msc

5. Check your PC's Reliability and Performance by going to Start/Run and type perfmon.msc

6. Familiarize your current applications and processes by using Windows Task Manager by pressing [Ctrl]*[Shift]*[Esc] or [Ctrl]*[Alt]*[Del] or right-click on the desktop toolbar and select Task Manager.

7. Open your System Informations by going to Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information. 8. Run Disk Defragmenter by right-clicking the disk's icon in Explorer and select Properties/ Tools/Defragment now to compress space sort files and manage them.