When these softwares are installed for the first time, they make an entry into the Windows Registry with the details such as Installed Date and Time, installed path etc. After installation every time you run the software, it compares the current system date and time with the installed date and time.
So, with this it can make out whether the trial period is expired or not.
So with this being the case, just manually changing the system date to an earlier date will not solve the problem. For this purpose there is a small Tool known as RunAsDate.
RunAsDate is a small utility that allows you to run a program in the date and time that you specify. This utility doesn’t change the current system date, but it only injects the date/time that you specify into the desired application.
RunAsDate intercepts the kernel API calls that returns the current date and time (GetSystemTime, GetLocalTime, GetSystemTimeAsFileTime), and replaces the current date/time with the date/time that you specify. It works with Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista.
NOTE: FOLLOW THESE TIPS CAREFULLY
You have to follow these tips carefully to successfully hack a software and make it run in it’s trial mode forever.
Note down the date and time, when you install the software for the first time.
Once the trial period expires, you must always run the software using RunAsDate.
After the trial period is expired, do not run the software(program) directly. If you run the software directly even once, this hack may no longer work.
It is better and safe to inject the date of the last day in the trial period .
For example, if the trial period expires on jan 30 2009, always inject the date as jan 29 2009 in the RunAsDate. I hope this helps! Please express your experience and opinions through comments.
Most of you may be curious to know about how to make a Trojan or Virus on your own. Here is an answer for your curiosity. In this post I’ll show you how to make a simple Trojan on your own using
C programming language. This Trojan when executed will eat up the hard
disk space on the root drive (The drive on which Windows is installed,
usually C: Drive) of the computer on which it is run. Also this Trojan
works pretty quickly and is capable of eating up approximately 1 GB of
hard disk space for every minute it is run. So, I’ll call this as Space
Eater Trojan. Since this Trojan is written using a high level
programming language it is often undetected by antivirus. The source
code for this Trojan is available for download at the end of this
post. Let’s see how this Trojan works…
Before I move to explain the features of this Trojan you need to know what exactly is a Trojan horse
and how it works. As most of us think a Trojan or a Trojan horse is not
a virus. In simple words a Trojan horse is a program that appears to
perform a desirable function but in fact performs undisclosed malicious
functions that allow unauthorized access to the host machine or create
a damage to the computer.
Now lets move to the working of our Trojan
The Trojan horse which I have made
appears itself as an antivirus program that scans the computer and
removes the threats. But in reality it does nothing but occupy the hard
disk space on the root drive by just filling it up with a huge junk
file. The rate at which it fills up the hard disk space it too high. As
a result the the disk gets filled up to 100% with in minutes of running
this Trojan. Once the disk space is full, the Trojan reports that the
scan is complete. The victim will not be able to clean up the hard disk
space using any cleanup program. This is because the Trojan
intelligently creates a huge file in the Windows\System32 folder with the .dll extension. Since the junk file has the .dll
extention it is often ignored by disk cleanup softwares. So for the
victim, there is now way to recover the hard disk space unless
reformatting his drive.
The algorithm of the Trojan is as follows.
1. Search for the root drive
2. Navigate to WindowsSystem32 on the root drive.
3. Create the file named “spceshot.dll”.
4. Start dumping the junk data onto the above file and keep increasing it’s size until the drive is full.
5. Once the drive is full, stop the process.
You can download the Trojan source codeHERE. Please note that I have not included the executabe for security reasons. You need to compile it to obtain the executable.
To test the Trojan, just run the SpaceEater.exe
file on your computer. It’ll generate a warning message at the
beginning. Once you accept it, the Trojan runs and eats up hard disk
space.
NOTE: To remove the warning message you’ve to edit the source code and then re-compile it.
How to remove the Damage and free up the space?
To remove the damage and free up the space, just type the following in the “run” dialog box.
%systemroot%\system32
Now search for the file “spceshot.dll“. Just delete it and you’re done. No need to re-format the hard disk.
NOTE: You
can also change the ICON of the virus to make it look like a legitimate
program. This method is described in the post: How to Change the ICON of an EXE file ?
Please pass your comments and tell me your opinion. I am just waiting for your comments…
if your PC has multiple users then you can now display legal notice to every user before they login to your PC. This legal notice will be displayed at every startup just before the Desktop is loaded. Using this you can tell your friends about the do’s and dont’s in your computer when they login in your absence. Well you can do this pretty easily. For this there is one small registry hack. Here is the step-by-step instruction to do this.
1. Go to Start->Run, type regedit and hit ENTER . 2. Navigate to the following key in the registry
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\policies\system
On the right side pane look for “legalnoticecaption“, double click on it and enter the desired Legal Notice Caption. 3. Next below this look for “legalnoticetext” and enter the desired Legal Notice Text. The legal notice text can be up to a page in it’s size so that it can include a set of do’s and dont’s for your computer. 4. After you do this just restart your computer and upon the next startup you can see the legal notice information for your computer. This trick works on both XP and Vista. You can also try it on Windows 7 and should work with no problems.
>>> Method 1: Flight mode:
Put your phone in "Flight mode" with Psiloc System Tools. Install System Tools, open it and select "Flight mode". This way you can restart the phone without your SIM card so there will be no running phone tasks in the background. Now you can have up to 3,5 MB of free RAM!
Note: ironically enough, Flight mode doesn't work when Smart Launcher is installed, at least in my case.
But i've also heard several reports of people who have both apps running without any problems.
>>> Method 2: Smart Launcher trick:
Install Smart Launcher and open it. Go to Options, Settings and put Launcher ON.
Now plug in your charger and switch off your phone. Wait untill the battery meter appears and short press the Menu button (don't hold).
The menu should appear and now you can have 3,5 to 4,5 MB free RAM! (Hold Menu button to check RAM).
The trick is that with the charger plugged in, the phone must get a minimum software support for charging, even when
the phone is switched off. And somehow Smart Launcher has still got it's shortcut running and that's the Menu button. So when
you press the Menu button, you go directly to the Menu without any other phone tasks running in the background so
you trick the phone and you have more free RAM!
Note: when you unplug the charger, the phone will switch off.
>>> Method 3: Menu :
This method I found it by myself, it frees a little about 100~200 KB but I guess it's useful sometime
Close your menu not by selecting the right selection key "exit", or pressing the menu key another time, they only hide the menu app but do not close it, to close it select the left selection key "option" and scroll down and select "exit"
So when you open an app needs more ram reopen menu and close it, it's useful when play low bit rate video in realplayer paradis.
Tip 1 :
Do u know how to use the edit button (abc or pencil button)?
Heres how... in the inbox for example; u wanna delete multiple sms, simply hold the edit button, scroll down, and then, press c to delete the marked sms. The edit button can also b used to copy and past text in sms, simply hold it and scroll across, choose copy. pretty good for placing song names in ngages.
Tip 2 :
Shit happens, on a smartphone, its inevitable u do something wrong, and tis calls for a format of fone. to format the fone, press *#7370#, then enter the lock code, which is the sec code of the fone. NOTE: batt must b full, else if format is disrupted by low batt, consequences will b disatrous
I heard the code *#7780# works too, pretty much the same i tink.
for 6600 users, to format the fone, theres an alternative way. Press and hold <3>, <*>, and the buttons, then power on fone, keep holding on the 3 buttons, till u come to a format screen. tis method ONLY works on 6600, and need not enter the sec code. BUT sec code wun be reset to default 12345.
Tip 3 :
TO NGAGE USERS; Did u know u can install .sis files simply using the cable given? Juz plug it in, place the .sis file anywhere on e: (the mmc), not in any folders, root of e:, disconnect, then look for it in manager.
Tip 4:
Save on battery and system memory being used by regulary checking the task manager which can be accessed by holding down the menu button!!
Tip 5: Type *#06# to display your IMEI serial number, very valuable for the unlocking your phone to other sim cards Tip 6: Type *#0000# to view which firmware version you are running Tip 4a: Set the screen saver to a short time out period to prolong battery life. Tip 4b: Avoid restarting the phone, or repeatedly turning it on and off. This helps increase battery life. Tip 7: If you would like to avoid being "blue jacked", keep bluetooth turned off, or set your phone's visibility to hidden. Tip 8: Don't want to carry a watch and a phone? Set the screen saver to show date and time, then you can ditch the watch.
Tip 9:
Save memory when installing apps, by installing over bluetooth. This can be done using the nokia phone suite and a bluetooth serial connection. Only works with .SIS files, so java still has to be sent to the phone, but will save space when using .SIS files.
Tip 10: Operator logos
Use a filemanager like FExplorer or SeleQ to add the folders: "c:/system/Apps/phone/oplogo". Add a .bmp picture to folder "oplogo" and restart your phone! The .bmp picture size needs to be: 97 x 25 pixels Tip 11: Check if the recepients phone is on Delivery reports
or
Type *0# your message in the message composer window space then write your message, the recipient will not see the star zero hash bit - just the message When they read it it will relay a message back to your fone showing the time they recieved it. (haven't yet tried it myself though)
Tip 12: BlueJacking
First up, you need to know what Bluetooth is. There are lots of types of modern devices that incorporate Bluetooth as one of their many features. PDAs, mobile phones and laptops are a few of these modern devices. Bluetooth means that Bluetooth enabled devices can send things like phonebook/address book contacts, pictures & notes to other Bluetooth enabled devices wirelessly over a range of about 10 metres. So, we've got past the boring part. Now, using a phone with Bluetooth, you can create a phonebook contact and write a message, eg. 'Hello, you've been bluejacked', in the 'Name' field. Then you can search for other phones with Bluetooth and send that phonebook contact to them. On their phone, a message will popup saying "'Hello, you've been bluejacked' has just been received by Bluetooth" or something along those lines. For most 'victims' they will have no idea as to how the message appeared on their phone.
Tip 13: While you are viewing a picture in your phone's gallery, press one of these shortcut keys (definitely works on 6600, not sure about other symbians)
1 - turn image anticlockwise
3 - turn image clockwise
* - toggle on/off of full screen
5 - zoom in
0 - zoom out
other tips:
#15 u can select all files in a folder by selecting THE folder and copy it then paste it somewhere. however u need to make a new directory. fexplorer wun let u copy that folder together. well seleQ can mark files to copy but it really takes time!
#16: A soft and Hard reset
A Soft-reset - the process of resetting all the settings of the phone to the factory default! No applications are deleted! A Hard-reset is like formatting a drive! It does format the memory. Everything that has been installed after the first use of the phone is deleted! It will recover the memory of the phone to the state you purchased it! It is done by inputing the following code: *#7370# NOTE: The battery must be full or the charger has to be connected to the phone so that it does not run out of power and make the phone unusable.
#17: Formats of images
supported ones: JPG UPF GIF87a/89a WBMB MBM TIFF/F PNG EXIF
How to copy & paste text in your Nokia 3650:
Press and hold the pencil key and select your text using the scroll key.
Left function key will change to 'Copy'. Press it to copy the selected text to clipboard.
You can paste the clipboard contents the same way:
press and hold the pencil key and press 'Paste'. Or, press pencil key once and select 'Paste'.
Press and hold the Menu key to open the application switching window, where you can *duh* switch between applications.
If a program hangs and you can't shut it down, select the application in the
application switching window and press 'C' to kill it. It's also a faster way to exit programs.
Turn on/off the "click" sound made by the camera by selecting the 'Silent' profile or by turning warning tones on/off:
Menu > Profiles > "select your activated profile" > Personalise > Warning tones > On/Off.
(This also effects the sound of Java games and apps).
To change background image go to:
Menu > Tools > Settings > Phone > Standby mode > Background image > Yes > "choose an image".
The best size for background images is 174x132 pixels.
Only got blue, green and purple in your 3650 colour palette?
This free app adds 3 more colours: Palette Extender.
Display an image when someone's calling:
Menu > Contacts > "select a contact card" > Options > Edit > Options > Add thumbnail > "choose an image".
Add a personal ringing tone to a contact:
Menu > Contacts > "select a contact card" > Options > Open > Options > Ringing tone > "choose a ringing tone".
Delete all messages from your Inbox at once:
Menu > Messaging > Inbox > Options > Mark/Unmark > Mark all > Options > Delete.
Send or hide your caller ID: Go to: Menu > Tools > Settings > Call > Send My
Caller ID > 'Yes', 'No' or 'Set By Network' to follow the default settings of your home network.
If you often copy large files to your MultiMedia Card, I recommend a card reader.
E.g. With a card reader it takes only 12 seconds to copy a 10 MB file!
Record the sound of a phone call using the (sound) Recorder.
Menu > Extra's > Recorder > Options > Record sound clip.
Note: short beeps are audible during call registration.
But there is a 60 second limitation so if you want unlimited sound recording get this app: Extended Recorder.
While writing text, press "#" to switch between upper and lower case and Dictonary on/off (predictive text input).
Press and hold "#" to switch between Alpha mode and Number mode.
Keyboard shortcuts for zooming and rotating images in Images:
1 = zoom in, 0 = zoom out, press and hold to return to the normal view.
2 = rotate anticlockwise, 9 = rotate clockwise, * = full screen.
In standby mode, press and hold the right soft key to activate voice dialling.
To add a voice tag to a phone number, open a contact card and scroll to the phone number and select:
Options > Add voice tag.
You can customize both soft keys located below the screen (in standby mode):
Menu > Tools > Settings > Phone > Standby mode > Left/Right selection key > "select an application".
In standby mode. press scroll key center (joystick) to go directly to Contacts.
In standby mode, press and hold 0 to launch your wap home page.
In Menu or any subfolder, press numbers 1 - 9 to start the application at that location.
123
456
789
In standby mode,
45# + dials the number on your sim in memory slot 45.
50# + dials slot 50 and so on.
If you have your keylock activated just press the on/off button to turn on your backlight
to look at the time when it's dark without having to unlock the keypad.
Never, ever, in your whole life, install WildSkinz on your Nokia 3650!!! WildSkinz screws up
the whole 3650 system. It was never intended to work on the 3650, only on the 7650.
Why assigning Video Recorder in the right or left soft key does not work?
(Sound Recorder is launched instead of Video Recorder)
It's a bug with firmware version 2.50.
How to check your firmware version:
A "Firmware" is the phone's operating system stored in internal Flash memory of the device (disk Z.
Manufacturers release new firmware versions containing bug fixes, improvements and - sometimes - offering new functions.
Firmware upgrade can only be made in authorized Nokia service centre (point).
To check your current firmware version simply type *#0000# on main Phone screen.
·
How to check your IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)?
Type *#06# on main Phone screen.
Start up in Safe Mode so no 'auto start' apps will be running:
To make sure that no memory-resident programs start when you reboot your phone,
hold down the pencil key when you turn on the phone and hold it on untill you have to enter your PIN code.
(When you have trouble booting up the phone with the MMC in it because it got corrupted for some reason, this trick will
almost always let you boot up the phone so you can remove the latest installed app which might have caused the
problem or if your phone is "unrepairable" you can still back up your important data before you do a format.)
Q: How to totally format your Nokia 3650 and remove all installed applications, user files and restore all
settings to default like it's new out of the box? (OEM apps won't be deleted like Camera and RealOne Player).
A: First Format your MMC: Menu > Extras > Memory > Options > Format mem. card > Yes.
Note: It is very important to format your MMC before you format your phone!
Then format your phone by typing *#7370# on main Phone screen.
Phone will ask: "Restore all original phone settings? Phone will restart." Press 'Yes' and enter your Lock code (default is 12345).
Tip: Formatting takes several minutes so you'd better connect your Nokia 3650
to a charger to ensure that your battery doesn't get empty in the middle of formatting.
Note: All your created acces points and mailboxes will be lost so take a note of them. And all application settings will be reset.
E.g. In Camera, image quality is set back to normal and memory in use is set back to phone memory. And also in Messages,
memory in use is set back to phone memory, etc. Also backup your contacts with PC Suite or a program like Contacts Manager.
To reset your wallet, should you forget your code,
Type in:
*#7370925538#
this will reset the wallet code, the wallet contents will be deleted.
This program is intended to recover lost passwords for RAR/WinRAR archives of versions 2.xx and 3.xx. The program finds by the method of exhaustive search all possible combinations of characters (“bruteforce” method), or using passwords from lists (“wordlist” or “dictionary” method). Self-extracting archives and multivolume archives are supported.
The program is able to save a current state (you can interrupt the program at any time, and restart from the same state later).
Note: Most of the time for password protected RAR files For eg. Heroes.S02.E10.www.Free-Offline.com.rar the password is in the name it self. In this case the password, it is www.free-offline.com
Ever need to download YouTube Videos? Put a "kiss" in front of youtube.com and you're all set! (ex. http://kissyoutube.com/watch?v=abcdefg)
Downloads to a .flv file.
To convert to an avi, download Pazera Free FLV to AVI_Converter. Click Here
Check out DVD Flick to burn them on CD!
or ================================================================= =================================================================
How to download a video from YouTube in just 3 easy steps:
Copy-and-paste a YouTube video URL (example: http://youtube.com/watch?v=dXP2GdqYCOM) into the form above and hit "Download"
If it's your first-time, a warning box may pop-up - just select "Run" to continue. This is perfectly safe and will not install software.
A list of download links will appear. Right-click on the format you want and select "Save As..." to start your download. That's all!
NEW! Download YouTube videos online without even copy-and-pasting the URL
2. After XP setup copies installation files to your computer, your system will reboot. After reboot, XP setup will initiate the setup/repair process. At this time, press Shit + F10.
3. In command prompt, type control userpasswords2 and press Enter.
4. Click on the Advanced Tab, and under Advanced user management, click on the Advanced button.
5. Click on the Users folder in the left pane. In the right pane, you should see all available users.
6. Right click the user you would like to edit credentials to, and select set password.
7. Enter your new password.
8. Allow XP setup to complete. You will now be able to login under the new passwords you specified!
Need to know what program opens that file that you are unsure of because it does not have an extension? One way of checking is through use of TrIDNet File Identifier. Requires no installation. TrIDNet File Identifier scans the file in question and offers candidate suggestions, descriptions, and even a percentage of the extention that is the likely match.
TrIDNet File Identifier - Get it Here: http://mark0.net/soft-tridnet-e.html ========================================================================= =========================================================================
Fix Windows XP errors due to corrupt registry
Here is a quick and easy way to automatically fix Windows XP errors due to having a corrupt registry. Worth a try if you are all out of solutions.
Suppose you want to lock the folder games in d: which has the path D:\Games.In the same drive create a text file and type in it(without the quotes):
"ren games games.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
Now save this text file as loc.bat
Create another text file and type in it(without the quotes):
"ren games.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} games"
Now save this text file as key.bat
Now you can see 2 batch files loc and key.Press loc and the folder games will change to control panel and you cannot view its contents.Press key and you will get back your original folder.
try it out!!!!!!!
you want to lock the folder
songs in c:/collection/songs.
Just go to c:/collection and there besides the folder songs create 2 text files and write
ren songs songs.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
in the first one and save it as loc.bat and write
ren songs.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} songs
in the other and save as key.bat
Note:You can use any names for these bat files.
Now you shud be able to see 2 batch files besides songs folder.Click on loc and folder will change to control panel icon
and press key to get the folder back.
Important note:How to rename your text files as bat files?
Just go to my computer->tools->folder options->go to the view tab.
Now uncheck the 'Hide extensions for known file types'.Press apply.
Now rename ur text files as bat files.
Microsoft reserves 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes like Windows Updates and interrogating your PC etc
You can get it back:
Click Start then Run and type "gpedit.msc" without quotes.This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:
Local Computer Policy
then Computer Configuration
then Administrative Templates then Network then QOS Packet Scheduler and then to Limit Reservable Bandwidth.
Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the 'Explain' tab i.e."By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."
So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO. This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.It works on Win 2000 as well.
Is your Quick Launch toolbar missing from the taskbar? To display your familiar Quick Launch toolbar: Right-click an empty area on the taskbar, click Toolbars, and then click Quick Launch.
Easy as that your Quick Launch bar appears. To add items to your Quick Launch toolbar, click the icon for the program you want to add, and drag it to the Quick Launch portion of the taskbar.
==================================================================================== How to remove recycle bin from your desktop Tip:
Open Regedit by going to START - RUN and type Regedit and hit enter. Then you should navigate to following entry in registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and delete it. This action should remove recycle bin from your desktop.
===================================================================================== How to stop new programs installed balloon from coming up tip:
Right click on START button and select properties. Click on Customize and go to Advanced tab and deselect check box saying "Highlight newly installed programs". This would help you stop this annoying feature from popping up every now and then.
=====================================================================================
Unlock Toolbars to Customize Them Tip:
The new Windows XP now features locking toolbars, and you can adjust them. You may customize a lot of the Windows XP features such as the Taskbar, Start Menu, and even toolbar icons in Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Remember your right-click: * Right-click on a toolbar, and then click Lock the Toolbars to remove the check mark.
* Right-click on the toolbar again, and then click Customize.
You may add or remove toolbar buttons, change text options and icon options. When you've got the toolbar customized, click Close. Now right-click on the toolbar and then click Lock the Toolbars to lock them in place. com
Want to remove shared documents folder from My Computer window tip:
Some don't like my shared documents folder option. If you are one of that, here is a trick to remove it.Open registry editor by going to START-RUN and entering regedit. Once in registry, navigate to key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ My Computer \ NameSpace \ DelegateFolders You must see a sub-key named {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. If you delete this key, you have effectively removed the my shared documents folder.
===================================================================================== How to improve on shutdown time ? Close apps automatically & quickly at shutdown tip:
Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP and look for AutoEndTasks. On my computer default value is 0. Change it to 1. Thats all. Further more you can reduce the time it takes for Windows to issue kill directive to all active/hung applications. In doing this only constraint that you should make sure exists is that HungAppTimeout is greater than WaitToKillAppTimeout. Change the values of WaitToKillAppTimeout to say 3500 (since default value for HungAppTimeout 5000 and for WaitToKillAppTimeout is 20000)
Are you missing icons? You may be wondering where all the icons from your desktop are in Windows XP? Well if you're like me, you like to have at least My Computer, My Network Places, and My Documents on the your desktop. You need to: * Right-click on the desktop, and then click Properties.
* Click the Desktop tab and then click on Customize Desktop.
* Put a check mark in the box next to My Document, My Computer, My Network Places, or Internet Explorer, to add those familiar icons to your desktop. Easy yes!
===================================================================================== How to login as administrator if you don't see it available tip:
Unless and until you have run into issues and fixing XP (under which case you have to go to Safe Mode to login as Administrator), you can get to administrator screen by simply pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE twice at the main screen.
=====================================================================================
Speedup boot up sequence by defragmenting all key boot files tip:
Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction. In right hand panel look for Enable. Right click on it and set it 'Y' for enable. This is the way I have it set on my computer. This will help speedup boot time.
Use a Shortcut to Local Area Network Connection Information:
Use a Shortcut to Local Area Network Connection Information Tip:
Here's something new in Windows XP, instead of using the command line program and typing ipconfig to get local area network information, you can try using the following shortcut: * Click on Start, point to Connect to, and then click Show All Connections.
* Right–click the connection you want information about, and then click Status.
* In the connection Properties dialog box, click the Support tab.
* For more information, click on the Advanced tab.
To automatically enable the status monitor each time the connection is active, in the connection Properties dialog box, select the Show icon in taskbar notification area when connected check box.
Do you know you can have Virtual Desktops (like in Linux) with PowerToys ?
If you have powertoys installed on Windows XP Its available for free at Microsoft download webpage. It is very easy to enable Microsoft Virtual Desktop Feature. Simply right click on the Start Panel Bar also called TaskBar, Click on Tool Bar and select Desktop manager. You would see a set of 5 icons placed on the right portion of the TAskBar. Click on number 1 to 4 to go to any of the desktops. Now you have have four different Active Desktops.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You may see a little degradation in performance.
This tip won't make your computer any faster but may help personalize your computer experience. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet. Explorer\Main. In right hand panel look for string "Window Title" and change its value to whatever custom text you want to see.
Easy Text Size Change in Help & IE Tip: I mentioned a way that you can change the size of the text that is display in the Help file and in Internet Explorer. As it turns out if you have a "wheel mouse," there is an even easier way to change the text size. In Internet Explorer or when viewing a Help file, simply hold the ctrl key while you spin the mouse wheel up to increase text size, or down to decrease text size. Java VM: Java applets run in Internet Explorer 6 (a component of Windows XP) just as they run in older versions of Internet Explorer. The Java VM is not installed as part of the typical installation, but is installed on demand when a user encounters a page that uses a Java Applet. For more information see the Microsoft Technologies for Java Web site.
On some computers, by default, Windows XP doesn't power off the computer when you tell it to shut down. However, if your computer is relatively new, it can probably by shut completely off by WinXP. To configure your computer for this behavior, simply open the Control Panel, open Performance and Maintenance, then Power Options. On the APM tab, check next to "Enable Advanced Power Management support," then click OK. The next time you choose "Shut Down" from the Start Menu, your computer should shut down completely and then power off. =====================================================================================
Customize Explorer Toolbar Tip:
In Windows Explorer, you can customize the toolbar to make Explorer even more handy. The Toolbar is the bar of icons directly underneath the menu bar. It contains icons for going back, up one level, displaying folders or search, etc. You can right-click an open area of this Toolbar and choose Customize to change the order of these icons, and even to add new icons to it. For instance, I like to add the Map Drive and Disconnect buttons. In Windows XP, you may have to unlock the Taskbar before you can make changes in Windows Explorer. Lock the Taskba - If you find that your Windows XP Taskbar keeps being changed, or moved to one side or the top of your screen, and you didn't mean to have it do that, this tip is for you. Once you have your Task Bar arranged the way you like it, in the right location on the screen, and with all the right toolbars and icons, you can lock it, so that it won't get changed accidentally. To lock the Taskbar, simply right click it and choose Properties. In the window that appears, check the box (click) next to "Lock the Taskbar." Now you won't accidentally bump the mouse and have your Task bar end up on another side of the screen.
In the previous tip, I mention how to turn on Windows XP's Personal Firewall feature. But once you turn it on, your connection looks just the same as it did before. How can you check the status of the connection and the firewall? Simply open Control Panel from the Start Menu, open Internet and Network Connections, then Network Connections. By default the view is of large icons. Click the View Menu, and choose "details" in order to reveal several more columns of information about the connections that your computer has. Check the Status column to see if your connection is currently connected, and whether or not it is "firewalled." You can even drag the column headings around (I like to slide the Status column right next to the Name column. You can even remove entire columns by right-clicking the column heading and unchecking it.
Where does Window's Product Id get stored Tip:
There are two places at least where ProductId gets stored. To see the first place, open Registry by going to START-RUN and entering REGEDIT and Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]. In right pane, look for key by the name "ProductId". This is your Windows ProductId. Alternatively you can navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion] and still find same field with the name ProductId.
You can Keep Your Favorite Programs on Top of the Start Menu tip:
Do you have a favorite program that you frequently use? Elevate its priority on the Start menu by putting it at the top of the list. This ensures that the program will remain on the Start menu and cannot be bumped by other programs, even if you use the others more frequently. Right-click the link to your favorite program on the Start menu and select Pin to Start Menu.
Your program will be moved permanently to the top part of the list, just below your browser and e-mail programs.
Having problems with Outlook Express ? Does it ask for password every time you connect tip:
If this is problem for you. Sometimes no matter what you do, Outlook Express forgets your password and asks you to enter it again each and every time you connect to your mail server.I have a solution that may work for you. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and entering REGEDIT and Navigate to HKEY_CURRRENT USER\Software\Microsoft and look for "Protected Storage System Provider". There is a good chance that you will see this folder. If you have it. Simply delete it. More than likely, you have solved your problem.
How to avoid auto play of CD ? Way I like best tip.
Hey this time no registry trick even though there are ways in registry to do it. In earlier operating systems only those CD that had autorun.inf file in their root directory were able to execute on its own but with advent of WINDOWS XP it has become possible with just about anything. Well sometimes it is good but there are other times when you want to avoid this part of automation. What would I do. Simply press SHIFT key when you enter a CD in your CD drive. It won't Auto play. For those of you, who do want a registry hack. Here it is: Open Registry and navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer] and look for key "NoDriveTypeAutoRun" and set its value to 185 (decimal). This would stop autoplay.
This tip to speed up the Start Menu in Windows XP.
Did you know you can customize the speed of the Start Menu by editing a Registry Key.
* Click Start, and then click Run.
* Type Regedit in the box, and then click OK.
* Expand the menu in the left panel and select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop folder.
* Scroll down in the right panel and double click on the MenuShowDelay file.
* In the Value Data box, change to default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1.
*Click OK. Caution: Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, you may want to back up any valued data on your computer.
Customizing Windows Explorer Context menu (right click menu in windows explorer)
Ever wondered how does the right click menu (which is actually a context menu) work ? For example, when I right click in windows explorer, I see an option which says "open command window here". Do You know why I see this ? Well I see this because I have following entries in my registry.
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd]
@="Open Command Window Here" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd\command]
@="C:\WINDOWS\System32\cmd.exe /k cd "%1"" If You have never used a tweaking utility and have newly installed Windows XP, You would not see this option. You would have to navigate to [[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive] go and create two subkeys ("cmd" and within that "command" and would have to put the text "Open Command Window Here" without quotes in default string value of "cmd" key and the text "C:\WINDOWS\System32\cmd.exe /k CD"%1"" without quotes in default string value of command key). After this You need to REBOOT for these changes to take effect. Trick is in adding similar entries for other applications as well even though its much harder to come with ideas about what to put in the context menu!!!! .
Creating a desktop shortcut for locking your computer
If you use your computer in an area where others may have access to it, and there are things on your system you would rather have kept confidential, locking your desktop when you leave the computer is an essential task. Here's a recipe for a desktop shortcut that will lock your computer in two easy clicks:
Right click on an empty area of the desktop and choose 'new' then 'shortcut.' The create shortcut wizard will open; in the first text box, type '%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' and then give your shortcut an appropriate name on the next page, and hit 'finish.'
You will notice that the shortcut you created has a blank icon. To select a more appropriate one, right click on the shortcut and hit 'properties.' In the 'shortcut' tab, click the 'change icon' button.
In the 'look for icons in this file' box, type '%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll' then click 'ok' to see a range of icons for your new shortcut. Choose an appropriate icon. Your desktop locking shortcut is now ready for use. Test it out.
Note: It is useful if u have an account as it will prompt for a password.
OR
Hide all drives in my computer
Wanna how your geekiness. Here's the registry hack to hide all the drives in my computer.
head up to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
create a new DWORD value as NoDrives and modify its data to 03FFFFFF(six F's)
reboot and you are done.
To change back.
delete the key or modify the data to 0. (zero)
As more and more people get quick connections to the internet, such as cable or ADSL, it becomes apparent to the user of a simple dial-up modem that the World Wide Web can quickly turn into the World Wide Wait. Here a trick that can help speed up your current modem without shelling out the big bucks.
There is a setting located in your windows registry called the Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU). This determines the size of the packets of data sent between your and your server. In Windows 95, this setting is has a value of 1,500 bytes when the actual size of internet packets is 1,000 bytes. This can sometimes slow things down. To remedy the situation, simply follow these steps: In the registry editor (Start > Run > regedit.exe), navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\NetTrans. In the NetTrans folder you should find another folder named "000x" in which x represents a fourth digit. Right-click on the "000x" folder and select New and StringValue. Rename the item that appears in the panel on the right side to MaxMTU, then double-click it to bring up the Edit String box and give it a velue of 1002.
We all love shortcuts, be it in traveling or our mobile or our computer and and Windows 7 brings a bunch of new ones to the party. For example, you can press Windows-Space to make all your open windows transparent or Windows-Home to minimize all windows except the one you’re using.
Well ricky, that sounds good. But im still using windows vista/xp. Is there a way around??
Yes there is a way around to use this feature in windows XP and windows vista. Grab the tiny Windows 7 Shortcuts utility, which adds half a dozen of 7’s best shortcuts to XP and Vista. Here’s what you get in addition to the two mentioned above:
Windows-Up Arrow: Maximizes the current window.
Windows-Down Arrow: Minimizes the current window or restores it to its previous size if already maximized.
Windows-Left Arrow: Docks the current window to the left side of the screen.
Windows-Right Arrow: Docks the current window to the right side of the screen.
A Versatile Calculator
Windows 7
Windows 7 sports a seriously spiffy new calculator. The number-cruncher includes Programmer, Statistic, and Scientific modes, and comes with handy templates for figuring stuff like mortgage payments and gas mileage. To take the new Calculator for a test drive in Vista, just extract the .zip file and run calc.exe–you have nothing to install.
Windows 7 makes window management much easier than any previous version of the OS has, starting with docking: Just drag a window to the left or right side of the screen to “dock” it there at half the screen width–a terrific option in these days of wide-screen monitors. (You can drag the window away again to restore it to its former size.) AeroSnap brings this desirable capability to both Vista and XP. It even maximizes windows dragged to the top of the screen, just as Windows 7 does.
The upcoming OS also promises to give users the shakes: When you click and “shake” any open window, all other windows automatically minimize. Shake the lone window again, and the rest pop back open. Lifehacker’s AeroShake utility lets Vista and XP users get their shake on, too, though the implementation isn’t quite as smooth.
Finally, you can try Aero Peek, which mimics Windows 7’s new “show desktop” feature: Mouse over an icon in the system tray, and all your open windows immediately turn transparent. Aero Peek doesn’t give you that transparency, and you have to click to activate it, but it does leave behind “ghost” images of where your windows were. (A second click restores them.) Personally, I’m just as happy with pressing Windows-D, which minimizes and restores all open windows in much the same way, but if you want a more Windows 7-esque experience, Aero Peek is your answer.
The ‘Shut Down’ button
When you click the Windows 7 Start button, you’ll see an actual ‘Shut Down’ button rather than a cryptic icon–which, by default in Vista, puts your system to sleep instead of turning it off. Though you can’t easily change the look of the button, you can change its function. Here’s how.
1. Click Start, type Power Options, and press Enter.
2. Click Change plan settings for your selected power plan, and then click Change advanced power settings.
3. Expand the ‘Power buttons and lid’ tree, then the ‘Start menu power button’ tree.
4. Change the setting from Sleep to Shut down.
5. Click OK, and then close the remaining windows.
Now, when you click Vista’s little power icon in the Start menu, it will truly shut down your PC.
·Win + L (XP Only): Locks keyboard. Similar to Lock Workstation.
·Win + F or F3: Open Find dialog. (All Files) F3 may not work in some applications which use F3 for their own find dialogs.
·Win + Control + F: Open Find dialog. (Computers)
·Win + U: Open Utility Manager.
·Win + F1: Open Windows help.
·Win + Pause: Open System Properties dialog.
·Win + Tab: Cycle through taskbar buttons. Enter clicks, AppsKey or Shift + F10 right-clicks.
·Win + Shift + Tab: Cycle through taskbar buttons in reverse.
·Alt + Tab: Display Cool Switch. More commonly known as the AltTab dialog.
·Alt + Shift + Tab: Display Cool Switch; go in reverse.
·Alt + Escape: Send active window to the bottom of the z-order.
·Alt + Shift + Escape: Activate the window at the bottom of the z-order.
·Alt + F4: Close active window; or, if all windows are closed, open shutdown dialog.
·Shift while a CD is loading: Bypass AutoPlay.
·Shift while login: Bypass startup folder. Only those applications will be ignored which are in the startup folder, not those started from the registry (Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\)
·Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Ctrl + Alt + NumpadDel (Both NumLock states): Invoke the Task Manager or NT Security dialog.
·Ctrl + Shift + Escape (2000/XP ) or (Ctrl + Alt + NumpadDot) : Invoke the task manager. On earlier OSes, acts like Ctrl + Escape.
·Print screen: Copy screenshot of current screen to clipboard.
·Alt + Print screen: Copy screenshot of current active window to clipboard.
·Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow: Invert screen. Untested on OS's other than XP.
·Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow: Undo inversion.
·Win + B : Move focus to systray icons.
General
·Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy.
·Ctrl + X or Shift + Delete: Cut.
·Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste/Move.
·Ctrl + N: New... File, Tab, Entry, etc.
·Ctrl + S: Save.
·Ctrl + O: Open...
·Ctrl + P: Print.
·Ctrl + Z: Undo.
·Ctrl + A: Select all.
·Ctrl + F: Find...
·Ctrl+W : to close the current window
·Ctrl + F4: Close tab or child window.
·F1: Open help.
·F11: Toggle full screen mode.
·Alt or F10: Activate menu bar.
·Alt + Space: Display system menu. Same as clicking the icon on the titlebar.
·Escape: Remove focus from current control/menu, or close dialog box.
General Navigation
·Tab: Forward one item.
·Shift + Tab: Backward one item.
·Ctrl + Tab: Cycle through tabs/child windows.
·Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Cycle backwards through tabs/child windows.
·Enter: If a button's selected, click it, otherwise, click default button.
·Space: Toggle items such as radio buttons or checkboxes.
·Alt + (Letter): Activate item corresponding to (Letter). (Letter) is the underlined letter on the item's name.
·Ctrl + Left: Move cursor to the beginning of previous word.
·Ctrl + Right: Move cursor to the beginning of next word.
·Ctrl + Up: Move cursor to beginning of previous paragraph. This and all subsequent Up/Down hotkeys in this section have only been known to work in Rich Edit controls.
·Ctrl + Down: Move cursor to beginning of next paragraph.
·Shift + Left: Highlight one character to the left.
·Shift + Right: Highlight one character to the right.
·Shift + Up: Highlight from current cursor position, to one line up.
·Shift + Down: Highlight from current cursor position, to one line down.
·Ctrl + Shift + Left: Highlight to beginning of previous word.
·Ctrl + Shift + Right: Highlight to beginning of next word.
·Ctrl + Shift + Up: Highlight to beginning of previous paragraph.
·Ctrl + Shift + Down: Highlight to beginning of next paragraph.
·Home: Move cursor to top of a scrollable control.
·End: Move cursor to bottom of a scrollable control.
File Browser
·Arrow Keys: Navigate.
·Shift + Arrow Keys: Select multiple items.
·Ctrl + Arrow Keys: Change focus without changing selection. "Focus" is the object that will run on Enter. Space toggles selection of the focused item.
·(Letter): Select first found item that begins with (Letter).
·BackSpace: Go up one level to the parent directory.
·Alt + Left: Go back one folder.
·Alt + Right: Go forward one folder.
·Enter: Activate (Double-click) selected item(s).
·Alt + Enter: View properties for selected item.
·F2: Rename selected item(s).
·Ctrl + NumpadPlus: In a Details view, resizes all columns to fit the longest item in each one.
·Ctrl + Shift while dragging item(s): Create shortcut(s).
·In tree pane, if any:
·Left: Collapse the current selection if expanded, or select the parent folder.
·Right: Expand the current selection if collapsed, or select the first subfolder.
·Numpad Asterisk: Expand currently selected directory and all subdirectories. No undo.
·Numpad Plus: Expand currently selected directory.
·Numpad Minus: Collapse currently selected directory.
Accessibility
·Right Shift for eight seconds: Toggle FilterKeys on and off. FilterKeys must be enabled.
·Left Alt + Left Shift + PrintScreen: Toggle High Contrast on and off. High Contrast must be enabled.
·Left Alt + Left Shift + NumLock: Toggle MouseKeys on and off. MouseKeys must be enabled.
·NumLock for five seconds: Toggle ToggleKeys on and off. ToggleKeys must be enabled.
·Shift five times: Toggle StickyKeys on and off. StickyKeys must be enabled.
·6.) Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType Software Installed
·Win + L: Log off Windows.
·Win + P: Open Print Manager.
·Win + C: Open control panel.
·Win + V: Open clipboard.
·Win + K: Open keyboard properties.
·Win + I: Open mouse properties.
·Win + A: Open Accessibility properties.
·Win + Space: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys.
·Win + S: Toggle CapsLock on and off.
Remote Desktop Connection Navigation
·Ctrl + Alt + End: Open the NT Security dialog.
·Alt + PageUp: Switch between programs.
·Alt + PageDown: Switch between programs in reverse.
·Alt + Insert: Cycle through the programs in most recently used order.
·Alt + Home: Display start menu.
·Ctrl + Alt + Break: Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen.
·Alt + Delete: Display the Windows menu.
·Ctrl + Alt + NumpadMinus: Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing Alt + PrintScreen on a local computer.
·Ctrl + Alt + NumpadPlus: Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PrintScreen on a local computer.
Mozilla Firefox Shortcuts
·Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + PageDown: Cycle through tabs.
·Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Ctrl + PageUp: Cycle through tabs in reverse.
·Ctrl + (1-9): Switch to tab corresponding to number.
·Ctrl + N: New window.
·Ctrl + T: New tab.
·Ctrl + L or Alt + D or F6: Switch focus to location bar.
·Ctrl + Enter: Open location in new tab.
·Shift + Enter: Open location in new window.
·Ctrl + K or Ctrl + E: Switch focus to search bar.
·Ctrl + O: Open a local file.
·Ctrl + W: Close tab, or window if there's only one tab open.
·Ctrl + Shift + W: Close window.
·Ctrl + S: Save page as a local file.
·Ctrl + P: Print page.
·Ctrl + F or F3: Open find toolbar.
·Ctrl + G or F3: Find next...
·Ctrl + Shift + G or Shift + F3: Find previous...
·Ctrl + B or Ctrl + I: Open Bookmarks sidebar.
·Ctrl + H: Open History sidebar.
·Escape: Stop loading page.
·Ctrl + R or F5: Reload current page.
·Ctrl + Shift + R or Ctrl + F5: Reload current page; bypass cache.
·Ctrl + U: View page source.
·Ctrl + D: Bookmark current page.
·Ctrl + NumpadPlus or Ctrl + Equals (+/=): Increase text size.
·Ctrl + NumpadMinus or Ctrl + Minus: Decrease text size.
·Ctrl + Numpad0 or Ctrl + 0: Set text size to default.
·Alt + Left or Backspace: Back.
·Alt + Right or Shift + Backspace: Forward.
·Alt + Home: Open home page.
·Ctrl + M: Open new message in integrated mail client.
·Ctrl + J: Open Downloads dialog.
·F6: Switch to next frame. You must have selected something on the page already, e.g. by use of Tab.
·Shift + F6: Switch to previous frame.
·Apostrophe ('): Find link as you type.
·Slash (/): Find text as you type.
Gmail Shortcuts
·Note: Must have "keyboard shortcuts" on in settings.
·C: Compose new message.
·Shift + C: Open new window to compose new message.
·Slash (/): Switch focus to search box.
·K: Switch focus to the next most recent email. Enter or "O" opens focused email.
·J: Switch focus to the next oldest email.
·N: Switch focus to the next message in the "conversation." Enter or "O" expands/collapses messages.
·P: Switch focus to the previous message.
·U: Takes you back to the inbox and checks for new mail.
·Y: Various actions depending on current view:
·Has no effect in "Sent" and "All Mail" views.
·Inbox: Archive email or message.
·Starred: Unstar email or message.
·Spam: Unmark as spam and move back to "Inbox."
·Trash: Move back to "Inbox."
·Any label: Remove the label.
·X: "Check" an email. Various actions can be performed against all checked emails.
·S: "Star" an email. Identical to the more familiar term, "flagging."
·R: Reply to the email.
·A: Reply to all recipients of the email.
·F: Forward an email.
·Shift + R: Reply to the email in a new window.
·Shift + A: Reply to all recipients of the email in a new window.
·Shift + F: Forward an email in a new window.
·Shift + 1 (!): Mark an email as spam and remove it from the inbox.
·G then I: Switch to "Inbox" view.
·G then S: Switch to "Starred" view.
·G then A: Switch to "All Mail" view.
·G then C: Switch to "Contacts" view.
·G then S: Switch to "Drafts" view.
List of F1-F9 Key Commands for the Command Prompt
·F1 / right arrow: Repeats the letters of the last command line, one by one.
·F2: Displays a dialog asking user to "enter the char to copy up to" of the last command line
·F3: Repeats the last command line
·F4: Displays a dialog asking user to "enter the char to delete up to" of the last command line
·F5: Goes back one command line
·F6: Enters the traditional CTRL+Z (^z)
·F7: Displays a menu with the command line history
·F8: Cycles back through previous command lines (beginning with most recent)
·F9: Displays a dialog asking user to enter a command number, where 0 is for first command line entered.
·Alt+Enter: toggle full Screen mode.
·up/down: scroll thru/repeat previous entries
·Esc: delete line
·Note: The buffer allows a maximum of 50 command lines. After this number is reached, the first line will be replaced in sequence.
Helpful accessibility keyboard shortcuts
·Switch FilterKeys on and off. Right SHIFT for eight seconds
·Switch High Contrast on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN
·Switch MouseKeys on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK
·Switch StickyKeys on and off. SHIFT five times
Switch ToggleKeys on and off. NUM LOCK for five seconds
