Use Microsoft Calculator to surf Internet

1. Open your MS Calculator. This is normally found in Start => All Programs => Accessories => Calculator.
2. Open the help-window by pressing the F1 key.
3. Click the top-left corner icon of the help window once (Standard is a Document with a Questionmark).
4. Select Go to URL-address.
5. Type your address into the avaliable field, but remember to type http://, and not just www. (or equivalent).
6. Have fun!

Make your Pdf files to speak

Here are the shortcuts for hearing Pdf files in Abobe reader 6.0 or higher..

first activate read loud out........
press shift+ctrl+y.......then press
Ctrl+Shift+B ---->To hear the whole Topic.
Ctrl+Shift+V ---->To hear the Page.
you can also check read out loud option is activated or not from view option......

Tired of typing www for logging onto every website...???

Every time you enter a webadress you have to enter www before entering the web address.instead of doing this just type the website name on the address bar and use the short cut key-CTRL+ENTER.The website opens.

Making all files and folders open fast

Go to Start then Run
Type 'Regedit' then click 'Ok'
Find "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\"
Select "MenuShowDelay"
Right click and select "Modify'
Reduce the number to around "100"
This is the delay time before a menu is opened. You can set it to "0" but it can make windows really hard to use as menus will open if you just look at them - well move your mouse over them anyway. I tend to go for anywhere between 50-150 depending on my mood.

Disabling cookies in internet explorer

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites for various different reasons. For instance Yahoo use cookies for reasons such as storing your preferences for Yahoo related services, and to access certain information when you sign in to a personalised service such as My Yahoo. Other websites will often use cookies for identifying purposes, demographic statistics and also when you are shopping online to remember what you have in your basket. If you would like to disable the use of cookies in the Internet Explorer (r) then follow the simple instructions below.

STEP 1
click on TOOLS at the top of the screen, then click on INTERNET OPTIONS .

STEP 2
Click on the Privacy Tab.

STEP 3
Now click on the ADVANCED button.

STEP 4
You will now see the Advanced Privacy Settings dialogue box

STEP 5
Select the Override automatic cookie handling option

STEP 6
First Party cookies are cookies set by the website you are visiting and Third Party cookies refer to cookies that are set by a different site to the one you are visiting.

You have 3 choices for each type of cookie:
Accept - Accepts any cookies.
Block - Blocks all cookies.
Prompt - Asks you before storing a cookie.
Session cookies are cookies that will expire when you have finished your session on the website (some websites need these cookies enabled to function correctly).

Your choice for the 3 options will depend on your requirements, select whichever settings you want and then click the OK button.

Making your Screen into a Full-Screen

Making your Screen into a Full-Screen:

I know sometimes I get sick of all my toolbars taking so much of my precious space on my screen that I’m using to navigate, or type. If you press the F11 function key, any document or screen that you are viewing will automatically change into a much bigger, full screen, without many of those space consuming toolbars. If you don’t want your screen to be full-screen anymore, simply press the F11 function key again, and your screen will resume to its normal size, with all the toolbars showing again that you originally had showing.

Show your designed wallpaper while booting

To start with just a simple one. Guess many of us knows this one that how to show your own image or name while PC boots up. In Windows 98 it was possible by editing the logol.bmp file. But in XP, simply u need to edit a registry value.

First create a BMP file as u want. Its size should be at least 800*600 and save it.

Go to run.

Type "regedit" press enter.

In registry editor navigate to "HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop".

U will find a value called "wallpaper" there. Double click that and set the value to the location of the BMP file (with Full Path. Eg: C:\Wallpaper\xyz.bmp).

If the value called wallpaper is not present then create a new string value and name it as Wallpaper and set its value.

Now Reboot. Your designed wallpaper will b shown just before the welcome screen appears.

Hidden music in win xp

Hidden music in win xp:

To hear this sound, first of all go to Folder Options and under the "View" tab, check "Show hidden files and folder" and uncheck "Hide protected system files".

Now navigate to the drive where Windows XP is installed.So if C:\ is the drive where Windows XP is installed, goto

C:\WINDOWS\system32\oobe\images

There you will find a file Title.wma.Open in with media player and listen to it. Hidden music in win xp
To hear this sound, first of all go to Folder Options and under the "View" tab, check "Show hidden files and folder" and uncheck "Hide protected system files".

Now navigate to the drive where Windows XP is installed.So if C:\ is the drive where Windows XP is installed, goto

C:\WINDOWS\system32\oobe\images

There you will find a file Title.wma.Open in with media player and listen to it.

Insert your name in the bottom right taskbar

Insert your name in the bottom right taskbar!!!

Hey its a very cool trick u can amaze u r freinds and relatives by insertng ur name on the bottom right taskbar. Follow the instructions bellow:

Open Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options -> Customize ->Time
here u can see A.M. and P.M. change it with u r name. Thats it.

10 essential things for making windows better

1. If you have a "wheel mouse,'' skip the rolling scrolling stuff and turn the wheel into a useful button. I have mine set up to perform a left double click when I do a single click on the wheel button. I'm not young any more, and double-clicking isn't as easy as it used to be. So clicking that middle button for a left double click is a big plus me. (Your mouse software should let you change the behavior of the wheel. If it doesn't, get a Microsoft Intellimouse. It has the right software options in addition to being a great mouse.)

2. Give the keyboard a boost. Open the Control Panel (under "Settings'' in the Start Menu) and double click on the Keyboard icon. Slide the "Repeat Delay'' and "Repeat Rate'' controls all the way to the right. This will make the keyboard much faster, and it even speeds up scrolling with the mouse.

3. Click your right mouse button on a file whenever you're not sure what to do with it. You'll see a list of choices. This can save you a lot of fiddling.

4. Switch your folders to "Details'' view so you can quickly sort the listing. Choose "Details" from the "View" menu at the top of any Windows folder. (Folders are windows that show you what's in your computer. Double clicking on "My Computer'' opens a folder, for example.) Sort the list in a "Details'' view by clicking on the heading for that part of the list. Clicking "Modified'' sorts the contents by the modification date (latest or oldest first), for example. And clicking again on the same heading reverses the sort.

5. Save your wrist, Part 1. You can do a lot of things easier from the keyboard than by dragging your mouse. Here are three: To put something in the Recycle Bin, select it and press the Delete key; to close a program, press Alt-F4; and to select everything (in a program such as a word processor or in a folder window), press Ctrl-A.

6. Save your wrist, Part 2. Pesky messages that come up on your screen usually can be closed with a single whack of the Esc key. Don't bother clicking your mouse.

7. Reboot early and often. Windows runs out of its disappointingly small "system" memory pool (called resource memory) all too readily, leading to lockups and crashes. Adding memory chips doesn't help. Rebooting is the only way to get that memory back.

8. Enjoy a real-estate boom. Get more windows to fit on your screen. If you have a 17-inch (or larger) PC monitor, drop the two drecky screen resolutions and switch to 1024 by 768. (The two yucky ones are 640 by 480 and 800 by 600.) Right click on the desktop and click "Properties,'' then "Settings.'' Slide the control over to 1024 by 768. If you have a really big monitor, see if you can choose an even higher setting for resolution. One of my 21-inch monitors is set for 1200 by 1024 and the other is set for 1600 by 1200. I wouldn't switch back to a lower resolution if you paid me.

9. Toss your cookies. We could argue forever over which rock'n' roll band is the greatest of all time and which kind of coffee is the best, but nobody could argue about the best way to control Web cookies in Windows. The winner by far is Cookie Pal. Don't leave your home page without it. Get it from http://www.kburra. com/.

10. Down with the load. Make life easier when you download files by making a folder where you can find them. Double click on "My Computer" and then double click on the C: drive. Right click inside the C: drive window and create a new folder with the name "Downloads." The next time you are about to download a file, RIGHT CLICK on the link and tell Windows to put the file in the "Downloads" folder. All subsequent downloads will go there automatically.

Enabling right click on websites which block it

Many websites nowadays disable the right click function of the mouse button which I think could be very annoying sometimes. This is done so that we can’t steal images, file, video, or any other website’s stuff. What about if we extremely in a need of the file without any profit-making and other bad intentions? In this post a tutorial is included to teach you how to solve the problem, without having to open the source code of course!

If you use Internet Explorer 6 and 7

Click “Tools”->”Internet Options”
Click the “Security” tab.
Click “Custom Level”
Scroll down to the “scripting” section.
Set “Active Scripting” to “disable” (Active scripts are programs written in Javascript)
Click “Ok”. Restart your internet browser.
Note: This will disable the Javascript from being rendered by your Internet Explorer browser which would mean the right click disabled’s script in the website will not work anymore.
For Mozilla Firefox browser, these are the steps which gave the same effect (maybe be vary depending on the version).

Go to “Tools” -> “Options”
Click “Web Features”
Untick enable JavaScript
Alternatively, you can also use this method to re-enabled the website right click function.
Enter the Javascript code below inside your browser’s address bar. (source)

javascript:void(document.oncontextmenu=null

Voila!

Recover Your Scratched CD

Recover Your Scratched CDs:


Every one has had trouble with a scratched CD. Scratched data CD can't be read properly and in case of audio CD ,the CD skips when we play it.

The first thing to do with a CD which gives a reading error, is to clean it; to check that the error is not being caused by a dirty surface. You can try cleaning the CD with a soft cotton cloth by wiping its surface . Start at the center and rub gently straight outward towards the edge. In case of a stubborn stain,you can try using warm water with some mild soap.Avoid sponges since they can scratch the CD.

A CD's data is recorded on a metal layer inside it. This metal layer is inset in a transparent plastic covering (polycarbonate) which is used to protect the CD's metal layer and to allow printing a label on the side not used for reading.

A CD-ROM drive uses a laser beam to read the metal layer. This laser beam crosses the plastic layer and reads the metal layer. If the plastic layer is scratched, the beam will be unable to pass through it as it will get deviated, resulting in a read error. The data to be read still lies in the CD, the trouble lies in the layer of plastic.


So how to repair this CD which holds your favourite Elvis Presly track?

As the CD's contents are preserved, a scratched CD can be recovered by polishing its plastic surface.
The aim is to make the laser beam reach the metal surface which holds the data, in a straight line, without any deviations and change in intensity which may otherwise arise in a scratched CD.



Try polishing your CD with a "toothpaste"(baking soda toothpaste).Polish the scratches with a cotton swab. Rub gently the paste-imbued swab over the scratches until they disappear or until you notice that you have removed them as far as possible.Do all the cleaning gently.Do not apply pressure.After clearing the scratches, wash the CD in water.Let the water evaporate by itself.Do not keep the CD in sunlight.Keep it in a cool and shady area.

DO NOT USE A GEL TOOTHPASTE.

If the scratches still persist try using a metal polish (Brasso) in the same way as described above. Rub Vaseline on the CD, very gently (do not press hard).Rub from the centre to the rim. Wipe excess off using clean, soft, lint-free cloth in a radial (inside to outside) motion.
Test disc again. If the Vaseline does the trick, burn a new copy of the CD immediately. The Vaseline method is only a temporary solution.

Go ahead..Enjoy....!!!

Hidden Programs In Windows XP

Hidden Programs In Windows XP !

Strange, but true that some good programs are hidden in Windows XP !!!

Programs :

1. Private Character Editor :
Used for editing fonts,etc.

** start>>Run
** Now, type eudcedit


2. Dr. Watson :
This an inbuilt windows repairing software !

** start>>Run
** Now, type drwtsn32


3. Media Player 5.1 :
Even if you upgrade your Media Player, you can still access your old player in case the new one fails !!!

** start>>Run
** Now, type mplay32


4. iExpress :
Used to create Setups

You can create your own installers !

** start>>Run
** Now, type iexpress

Shake your browser

javascript:function Shw(n) {if (self.moveBy) {for (i = 35; i > 0; i--) {for (j = n; j > 0; j--) {self.moveBy(1,i);self.moveBy(i,0);self.moveBy(0,-i);self.moveBy(-i,0); } } }} Shw(6)

Chat With Command Prompt

Chat With Command Prompt:

If you want personal chat with a friend
you don't need to download any yahoo messenger
All you need is your friends IP address and Command Prompt.
Firstly, open Notepad and enter:
@echo off
:A
Cls
echo MESSENGER
set /p n=User:
set /p m=Message:
net send %n% %m%
Pause
Goto A
Now save this as "Messenger.bat". Open the .bat file and in Command
Prompt you should see:
MESSENGER
User:
After "User" type the IP address of the computer you want to contact.
After this, you should see this:
Message:
Now type in the message you wish to send.Before you press "Enter" it should look like this:
MESSENGER
User:27.196.391.193
Message: Hi
Now all you need to do is press "Enter", and start chatting!

Control Panel Run Shortcuts

Control Panel Run Shortcuts:

The Run dialog gives you easy access to many different programs and options. To get to the Run dialog, click the Start button, then click Run. Type in the command and press Enter, to launch it. For example, type "control folders" (without the quotes) in the Run dialog and press ENTER. Here is a list of commands to use, and what they do:

control - Control Panel
control folders - Folder Options
control userpasswords - User Accounts
control userpasswords2 - Advanced User Accounts
control desktop - Display Properties
control printers - Printers and Faxes
control mouse - Mouse Properties
control keyboard - Keyboard Properties
control netconnections - Network Connections
control color - Display Properties \ Screensaver
control date/time - Date and Time Properties
control schedtasks - Scheduled Tasks
control admintools - Administrative Tools
control telephony - Phone and Modem Options
control fonts - Fonts Folder
control international - Regional and Language

Hack rapidshare

RAPIDSHARE HACK:

Method 1:

1. Open your rapid share link
2. Then click on free.
3. As soon as timer start type this in address bar and click enter javascript:alert(c=0)
4. A pop up message will come click ok your counter is zero just download the stuff

Method 2:

1. Delete the cookies in your browser internet explorer or Firefox or opera or whatever u use).
2. Press start->run,type cmd.
3. In the command prompt,type ipconfig/flushdns press enter.Then type ipconfig/release,then ipconfig/renew .Now type exit.
4. Now try downloading, for many people this may work if their ISP provides a dynamic ip.

Method 3:

1. Just switch off your router or modem) and switch it back on.
2. This may work for some users Mtnl and Bsnl) and maybe some others too.

Actually these methods generally work for those people whose ISP gives them dynamic ip.
If these don't work then one more thing that can be done is to use proxies.

Increasing Internet Band-Width By 20% in Windows

Increasing Band-Width By 20%:

Microsoft reserves 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes like Windows Updates and interrogating your PC etc.

To 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.

To Increase the Internet Speed in Windows

To Increase the Internet Speed:

Open Notepad and paste the below code in it.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters]
"SackOpts"=dword:00000001
"TcpWindowSize"=dword:0005ae4c
"Tcp1323Opts"=dword:00000003
"DefaultTTL"=dword:00000040
"EnablePMTUBHDetect"=dword:00000000
"EnablePMTUDiscovery"=dword:00000001
"GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize"=dword:0005ae4c

Now save this file as speed.reg. Execute it and observe the change!

Automatically close non-responsive programs in Windows

Automatically close non-responsive programs:

With a small registry tweak, Windows XP can be set to automatically close any program that 'stops responding' (crashes), eliminating the need for you to use the task manager to close down the offending software manually.

To do this:

• Open REGEDIT and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\ Desktop
• Modify the REG_SZ entry AutoEndTasks with a value of 1

Setting monitor refresh rate in Windows

Set monitor refresh rate:

Every monitor has a maximum refresh rate it is capable of displaying at a given resolution (for example, a typical 17-inch monitor of a few years ago will happily crank out 85Hz or more at a resolution of 800x600, but may only be capable of 60Hz at 1600x1200).

If this refresh rate is exceeded, the image will be distorted and unusable.

Older CRT monitors, especially 15-inch or smaller ones, tend not to be capable of a refresh rate much over 60Hz, especially at resolutions greater than 640X480. Also, setting the refresh rate does not have the same effect on LCD or flat panel monitors, as their screens are not redrawn in the same way.

To change your monitor refresh rate:

Right click on an empty space on your desktop (no icons) and select 'properties.'
Click the 'settings' tab and choose the 'advanced' button.
Now choose the 'adaptor' tab and click the 'show all modes' button.

This presents you with a list of resolution, colour and refresh rate options that your videocard\monitor combination is capable of displaying.
You can experiment with these settings by using the 'apply' button. Note that a refresh rate of 75Hz
or above is generally recommended, (keep in mind most monitors do not support settings higher than 85Hz).

After you set the refresh rate, you may feel a little uncomfortable for a short while as your eyes adjust, but rest assured you will grow to appreciate the difference in ease of viewing.

Use system restore when you cannot boot your system

Use system restore when you cannot boot your system:

If your system has failed to the point where you cannot access the Windows GUI either through booting normally or through safe mode, you may still have the chance to use the System Restore feature if you have it enabled, by running it form the command prompt.

To do this:

Restart your computer and press F8 after the POST screen to bring up the Windows XP boot menu. Choose 'boot in safe mode with command prompt.'

If your system gets to the command prompt successfully, type '%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe' and then press enter.

Follow the onscreen instructions to restore your computer to a previous saved point.

Disabling Msn Messanger At Startup in Windows

Disabling Msn Messanger At Startup:

• To Disable Messenger MSN from running go to the start menu and select RUN.
• In the window that appears type regedit.
• The Registry editor will now have opened.
• Navigate to the following Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft

• Now create a new key by selecting Edit from the main menu bar.
• Now select New then Key.
• Name this new Key: Messenger
• Now select the newly created Messenger Key and create another new Key.
• Only this time we are going to name it: Client
• Next we have to create a DWORD value. So Right Click the new Client Key and select New then DWORD.
• Name the DWORD PreventRun
• Now we need to give it a Data Value of 1
• Now restart Windows XP and you will have successfully Disabled Messenger MSN

Hosting online games through the Windows XP firewall

Hosting online games through the Windows XP firewall:

If you are using the Windows XP firewall and you wish to host an online game such as Quake 3, or other applications that require users on the Internet to contact your computer directly, you will need to customize your firewall slightly to allow these specific communications through. Fortunately the XP firewall makes these changes fairly easy to do.

To customize your firewall: Go to 'start\control panel\network connections'. Right click on the network connection that has the firewall enabled and go to 'properties.' Choose the 'settings' button at the bottom. On the 'services' tab, click the 'add' button.

This window will add the application that you are using to the firewall's list of data that is allowed into your computer.

You will need to find out the port that your application uses. This information should be available from the documentation or from the software manufacturer's website.

Input a description for your convenience, then the computer name or IP address of the computer that is hosting the program, then put the port number that the program uses.
Note that as long as the program is running on the computer that uses the XP firewall, the internal and external port will be the same.

Click 'ok' to apply the rule. Your firewall will now allow connections through the port you specified.

Automatically run programs when starting Windows

Automatically run programs when starting Windows:

If there are applications or commands that you run every single time you start your computer (Email comes to mind) you may want to consider setting things up so that these programs run automatically during the Windows XP startup.

This can be done quite easily in XP by creating shortcuts and shuffling them around.
Here's how:

Windows XP has a startup folder located at 'C:\ Documents and Settings\ (your user name)\ Start Menu\ Programs\Startup.'
Shortcuts placed into this folder will be run automatically when Windows XP starts up.

If you already have shortcuts for the programs you desire to use, copy and paste them into the startup folder. Otherwise, go to 'start\programs,' select the program you would like to create a shortcut for, right click it and select 'send to' then 'desktop.'
This will create a shortcut on the desktop that you can then use.

To convert a FAT partition to NTFS In Windows

To convert a FAT partition to NTFS:

• Click Start, click Programs, and then click Command Prompt.
• In Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type cmd and then click OK.
• At the command prompt, type CONVERT [driveletter]: /FS:NTFS.
• Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

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

Renaming The Start Button In Windows

Renaming The Start Button:

To rename the start button, you will need a hex editor.
My preference is UltraEdit

• Copy the \windows\explore.exe file to a new name (e.g. explorer_1.exe)
• With the hex editor, open that file and go to offset 412b6
• You will see the word start with blanks between each letter
• Edit it be any 5 characters or less
• Save the file
• Boot to DOS
• Copy the existing c:\windows\explorer.exe to explorer.org
• Copy explorer_1.exe to explorer.exe
• You will also need to replace the explorer.exe in the c:\windows\system32\dllcache file as well with the new one.

Note: If the partition is NTFS and you can't access the files from DOS:

• Start Regedit
• Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon.
• Change the value of Shell from Explorer.exe to explorer_1.exe

Removing Multiple Boot Screens in Windows

Removing Multiple Boot Screens:

If you are getting unwanted multiple boot screen
Then Follow these Steps.

• Right Click on My Computer
• Select Properties
• Select Advanced Tab
• Select Settings In the Startup & Recovery Section(3rd grp)
• Select the operating system which u want.
• And Click OK.
• Further again press the setting and click on Edit.
• It will open boot.ini File.
• Now u can delete those o/s which you don't want to be displayed.

Note: For deleting operating systems from boot.ini file, keep it mind that you can't delete that o/s which is selected by default there. Before making any changes make a copy of boot.ini file.

Modify Color Selection of Default Theme in Windows

Modify Color Selection of Default Theme:

• Open registry by going to Start then Run.
• Entering regedit, navigate to

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager] and locate the key "ColorName".

• Right Click on it and select modify its value from "NormalColor" to "Metallic"
• Click Ok, and exit regedit and restart your computer.

Disable the Disk performance counter in Windows

Disable the Disk performance counter:

Windows XP contains a built in performance monitor that is constantly examining various areas of your system.
This information can be called up using the performance monitor application found in control panel\administrative tools.
Of course, most of us have little interest in this sort of performance statistics monitoring, that being more the territory of systems administrators than individual users.

The thing is, XP is still monitoring away, and some of its observation tools can use a considerable amount of resources.
The disk monitoring is an example of this, and it's a good idea to turn the disk monitors off if you are not planning to use the performance monitor application.

To do this: Go to the command prompt ('start\run' then type 'cmd') and type 'diskperf -N'

Alternate Method

Win XP comes with many inbuilt performance monitoring applications that constantly examine various parts of the system.
This information can be of real use to a system administrator for collecting performance statistics. However, for a home user, these statistics hold no value and since the monitoring happens all the time, it consumes a good deal of system resources.
“Disk monitoring”, for example, happens in the background, and turning it off is advisable if you will not be using the performance monitoring applications.
To turn it off, type in “diskperf -N” at a command prompt.
To bring up the command prompt: go to Start>Run, type in “cmd” and press [Enter].

Creating The Suspend Shortcut in Windows

Creating The Suspend Shortcut:

• Right click on the Desktop ->New ->Shortcut.
• Enter in rundll32.exe PowrProf.dll, SetSuspendState .
• Give it whatever name you want.
• Now when you click on that shortcut, your computer will shutdown and suspend.

Using advanced file security settings in Windows

Windows XP is based on the same platform as Windows 2000, and shares that operating system's robust file security options, atleast when using the NTFS file system.

Unfortunately this security system, which enables an administrator to decide exactly which files and programs any given user will have access to, is not actually implemented by default in Windows XP.

This is a concession Microsoft made to avoid confusing basic users of XP Pro, and to cripple XP Home.

The NTFS file security options can be enabled easily enough in XP Pro, but are apparently non-existent in the Home version.

Fact is, the tools are there, you just need to look a little bit harder.

To enable NTFS file security in Windows XP Home:

• First you need to assure that at least your main hard drive is formatted with the NTFS file system.
• See tip #61 for instructions on this.
• Restart your system.
• Just after the memory and BIOS check screen, but before the Windows splash screen comes up, press F8 a few times.
• When the Windows boot menu appears, select 'safe mode' from the list of options.
• Once Windows has loaded in safe mode, right click the folders and files you would like to change access to.
• You will notice that the 'security' tab now exists, and thus you are allowed to assign or deny access to individual users for each file, folder and program.
• Once you are done, restart Windows normally, and your changes will be enforced.

Adding Administrative Tools Icon To The Desktop in Windows

Adding Administrative Tools Icon To The Desktop:

• Open Registry Editor.
• In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace.

• Create the following key:

{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153} (just copy/paste, including the brackets).

• Close Registry Editor.
• There is no need to reboot. Just wait a few seconds and see how the icon appears.

Removing the Recycle Bin from the Desktop in Windows

Removing the Recycle Bin from the Desktop:

If you don't use the Recycle Bin to store deleted files , you can get rid of its desktop icon all together.
Run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHle, keep it mind that you can't delete that o/s which is selected by default there. Before making any changes make a copy of boot.ini file.

Customize Internet Explorer's Title Bar in Windows

Customize Internet Explorer's Title Bar:

• Open Registry by going to Start then Run and Enter 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.

Improving the Slow Boot up time In Windows

Improving the Slow Boot up time:

There are a variety of reasons why your windows XP system would boot slowly.
Most of the times it this has to do with the startup applications.
If you would like to speed up the bootup sequence, consider removing some of the startup applications
that you do not need.
Easiest way to remove startup applications is through System Configuration Utility.

• Go to Start then Run and enter MSCONFIG and go to the Startup tab.
• Deselect/UnCheck application(s) that you do not want to startup at boot time.

Hiding shared folders with $ in Windows

Hiding shared folders with $:

• If you would like to share a folder so that users on your network can access it easily, but are worried about displaying the folder for anyone to browse through, there is an easy way to render a shared folder invisible but still accessible.
• From the shared folder dialog: (right click on desired folder\sharing and security\). You can hide a shared folder by simply adding a '$' to the end of the name you give the folder in the 'sharing and security' window. In this way, you can maintain network access to shared folders, while hiding them from prying eyes.
• To browse to a hidden shared folder from another computer, simply click 'start/run' then type \\(name of the computer the share is on)\(sharename$) and press enter.

Removing the Shortcut arrow from Desktop Icons in Windows

Removing the Shortcut arrow from Desktop Icons:

• Goto Start then Run and Enter regedit.
• Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTlnkfile.
• Delete the IsShortcut registry value.
• You may need to restart Windows XP.

To change Drive Letters in Windows

To change Drive Letters:


Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management, Disk Management, then right-click the partition whose name you want to change (click in the white area just below the word "Volume") and select "change drive letter and paths."

From here you can add, remove or change drive letters and paths to the partition

Customize Logon prompt in Windows with your Own Words

Customize Logon prompt with your Own Words:

• Open Registry by going to Start then Run, entering regedit and Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon].
• In right pane, look for key by the name "LogonPrompt".
• Set its value to whatever text you want to see displayed at login screen.

Force windows XP to reboot upon crashing

Force windows XP to reboot upon crashing:

This registry edit will cause your system to reboot itself automatically upon crashing. This can be useful if you have a reason for keeping your system on 24/7:

• Open REGEDIT
• Navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl'
• Edit the 'AutoReboot' value to '1'

Removing Shared Documents folder From My Computer in Windows

Open registry editor by going to Start then 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.

Locking the desktop in Windows

If you are leaving your computer for a while and do not wish to turn it off, but want to assure that no-one else can use the computer while you are away, locking the desktop is the best option.

By pressing WINDOWSKEY+L, you password protect your system just as if you had logged out or restarted the computer.

The advantage is that any programs or processes that were running when you locked the desktop will stay open and running in the background, ready for you to resume work or play.

Renaming The Recycle Bin icon in Windows

Renaming The Recycle Bin icon:

• To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, click Start then goto Run, write Regedit and press Enter.
• It opens Registry Editor.
• Now in Registry Editor go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want (don't type any quotes).

Modify autoplay for different types of CD

Modify autoplay for different types of CD

Windows XP includes the ability to perform different actions depending on the type of CD you insert into the drive.
For example, you could set your system to always respond to CDs containing MP3 files by opening Windows Media Player.

To edit the Autoplay properties:

• Open 'my computer'.
• Right click on the drive you wish to set and select 'properties.'
• Choose the autoplay tab.
• Use the dropdown box to see the various recognized types of CD and choose appropriate actions for them.

Creating Shutdown Icon or One Click Shutdown

Creating Shutdown Icon or One Click Shutdown:

• Navigate to your desktop.
• On the desktop, right-click and go to New, then to Shortcut (in other words, create a new shortcut).
• You should now see a pop-up window instructing you to enter a command line path.
• Use this path in "Type Location of the Item"

SHUTDOWN -s -t 01

• If the C: drive is not your local hard drive, then replace "C" with the correct letter of the hard drive. Click the "Next" button.
• Name the shortcut and click the "Finish" button.
• Now whenever you want to shut down, just click on this shortcut and you're done.

Deleting System Softwares in WINDOWS

XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything.

Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it.

You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.

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. It is useful if u have an account as it will prompt 4 a password.

NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTING

TROUBLESHOOTING OF N.I.C CARDS


N.I.C Not Sensing:

• First, check for the dust on the pin of the connector. If any, clean it to ensure proper contact of the tracks. (Or cleaning solution).
• If that does not solve the problem, check the crystal frequency. If it is not working, replace the crystal.
• If the crystal is O.K, check if the S.M.D or any components are dry soldered. If so, resolder the components.
• If that doesn’t work them replace the S.M.D. This will definitely solve the problem.

No Display If The Card Is Inserted:

• Just check for the shorting on the card, because display will not come if there is any shorting. If a shorting is found, try to correct it.
• If any component is shorted, try replacing the component. This will solve your problem.

N.I.C Not Connecting Through BNC As Well As UTP:

• Check for any dry soldering of the components on the card. If any, resolder the same.
• Check the transceivers on the card. If they are faulty, replace them with working ones.
• Check for shorting of the S.M.D. Correct it, if any.
• Touch up the S.M.D, in case it is dry- soldered.
• Replace the main S.M.D.

N.I.C Not Connecting Through UTP Only:

• In the case of the UTP, the path for the data is from the S.M.D to the transceiver & then to the cable.
• Therefore, if the UTP is not working, the problem lies mainly with the transceiver. Try changing the transceiver.
• If the Transceiver is O.K, try changing the delay line.

N.I.C Not Connecting Through BNC Only:

• In the case of the BNC, the path for the data is from the S.M.D to the voltage converter, converter to the transceiver & then to the cable.
• So, if the BNC is not working, check whether the converter is giving the proper output voltage. If it is faulty, replace it.
• If the converter output is correct, then the transceiver could be faulty. Try changing the same.
• If that does not help, the problem lies with the S.M.D alone. Replace it.

VGA CARD TROUBLESHOOTING

VGA CARD TROUBLESHOOTING


No Display:

• Check for the physical damage on the card. If any, rectify it.
• The main S.M.D may be dry-solder. Touch up the main S.M.D. If found faulty, replace it.
• Check for the crystal on the card that it is giving the proper oscillations. If the crystal is faulty, replace the crystal & re-check the card.

Junk Display:

• This problem is mainly due to the VRAM present on the board.
• Replacing the faulty memory with the new one will solve the problem.

SIDE CARD TROUBLESHOOTING

No Display After Card Insertion:

• First inspect the card the physically for any damage & clean the tracks with an eraser.
• Check for the shorting in the components. If found, replace the same with the new one.
• The main S.M.D may be faulty. If required, replace it.

Card Not Working At All:

• First check for the contact with the ISA slot in the motherboard & clean the ISA connector on the card. Also check for the cable connections on the card
• Check for the jumper settings on the card. If incorrect, correct the settings & if found, touch up the S.M.D.
• As a last alternative, change the main S.M.D. This will definitely solve the problem in the most cases.

HDD/FDD/COM Port/ Printer Port Not Working:

• As a preliminary measure, check the card for any physical damage.
• Check the jumper setting.
• Check the cable connection on the card.
• Check for the CMOS settings in the BIOS.
• If it still persists, then trace the path from the main S.M.D to the connector on the card.
• Check for any open tracks, then short it using wire jumper.
• If the problem still there, change the main S.M.D. This will definitely solve the problem.

TROUBLESHOOTING IN MOTHERBOARD

TROUBLESHOOTING IN MOTHERBOARD


The motherboard faults are the most challenging ones. Diagnosing its faults requires great patience. However, 80% of the problem can be detected using the DIAG CARD. But it would only give you an idea of which signal is missing accordingly to which the actual problem has to be traced out. Some of the basic faults found in motherboards are:


No Display:

• The board is physically checked for any damaged. Any physically damaged parts are replaced with new ones.
• Check the 3V battery. If low, replace the battery.
• In cases the problem is due to improper CMOS setting, clear the CMOS with the help of the CLEAR CMOS jumper.
• Check to ensure that the jumpers pertaining to CPU speed (i.e. base frequency & multiplication factor) are correct as incorrect settings may result in over clocking of the speed.
• As the first step, the existing BIOS is changed with a reference working one & the board is re-checked. If the problem was with the bios, it will be solved. The original BIOS is re-programmed.
• If the BIOS is not a problem, the main controller IC is checked for shorting of pins & for any physically damage. The shorting, if any, must be removed.
• If the main controller IC is dry-soldered, it should be touched up.
• Lastly, if the board is not working, the main controller IC is replaced. This will definitely solve the problem.

Continuous Reset High:

• The reset signal on the board remains continuously high because +5V is not coming on the reset pin. Due to this, the clock & the other signals are not generated.
• Firstly, the voltages on the reset pins of the external connector are checked.
• One pin has to have +5V& the other ground.
• Mostly the +5V pin carries less voltage. In this case, an external wire jumper is connected from pin b3 of the slot to the pin. Connecting the wire jumper solves the problem in most of the cases.
• If this does not solve the problem, we check the voltages of the different regulators on the board. If any one is found fault

Making password disk in windows xp

If anyone who have a problem of forgetting password,
here i have a solution of this prob,for this u need a floppy disc

1st of all open control panel n the click on users accounts and choose the account of which u want to make password diskn

click on a option given at right side of screen "prevent forgotten password" before clicking it please insert floppy discs in the drive this will copy some important files to prevent you by this problem,after a min it will finish the process,

and next time if u have forgotten the password u n access your account by this password disk.

Cheats of window games of XP

Cheats of window games


Freecell
Start the Game.
1. Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 together.
2. A dialog box shows up with 4 choices: Abort, Win, Retry or Cancel.
3. Click Abort and move (drag) any card to the top to win the game.

UPDATES:
1. Check this other FreeCell cheat, courtesy of Ari Lintula (ari.lintula@dlc.fi):
"Start a game. If you have moved a wrong card, quickly press F10 before clicking another card. It's the Undo button."
2. To sort all cards by color and in:
- ascending order: click Game -> click Select Game (hit F3) -> click Yes to cancel game in progress -> type -1 -> click OK.
- descending order: click Game -> click Select Game (hit F3) -> click Yes to cancel game in progress -> type -2 -> click OK.


Hearts

This Egg works ONLY with the Windows 95 and 98 releases of Microsoft Hearts. (Mshearts.exe).
1. Run Regedit.exe (the Win9x Registry editor, located in your Win9x folder) and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Hearts
2. In the right hand pane add a new String and name it "zb" (no quotes).
3. Give it a value of 42.
4. Now run Mshearts.exe and during gameplay press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F12 the same time.


Minesweeper

After starting the game, type xyzzy and press Shift and Enter at the same time. Move the mouse over the playing area and keep
your eye on the upper left corner of the Windows desktop. A white pixel will appear when the mouse pointer is over a safe
square, and turn dark when the mouse is over a mine.

Hide any drive on your system in Xp

Hide any drive on your system

If u r having any material like important docs and u r afraid about it . Dont worry, windows XP provides (not officialy ) a utility by which u can hide urs one or more drives.
Here is the step by step procedure how to hide any partition/drive :

1. Go to Start > run > type “diskpart”.
A DOS window will appear with following description.
DISKPART>

2. Then type “list volume”
The result will look like : ——
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
————— — ——– —- —— —- —— —-

Volume 0 F CD-ROM
Volume 1 C Programmea NTFS Partition 15GB Healthy System
Volume 2 D Softwares NTFS Partition 20GB Healthy
Volume 3 E Documents NTFS Partition 30GB Healthy
Volume 4 F Abi NTFS Partition 10GB Healthy

3. Suppose u wanna hide drive E then type “select volume 3".(without quotes)
Then a message will appear in same winwods { Volume 3 is the selected volume}

4. Now type “remove letter E”
Now a message will come { Diskpart Removed the Drive letter }

Diskpart will remove the letter .Windows XP is not having capabilty to identify the
unkown volume.

Your Data is safe now from all unauthorised users.
To access the content of hidden Drive repeat the process mentioned above.
But in 4th step replace

” remove” to “assign”
i mean type “assign letter E”

Never hide C:/ drive… otherwise ur system will not work