Sparkspace Blog

Sparkspace Blog is a nice place where you can get all latest technology related information and also solution to your technical problems. Mr. Spark, an unidentified person helps all in solving their technical problems related to computers and gives latest software and patches.

Evolution of Windows Operating System

It all began in Plaza Hotel, New York City on the 10th of November 1983. Two Microsoft founders Paul Allen and Bill Gates officially announced their corporation’s first and next-generation graphical user interface operating system – Microsoft Windows.

Despite the criticism on stability and constantly being compared to their rivals Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows is still the most widely used operating systems in the world.

Windows 1.01 (1985)

Officially released on November 20, 1985, this 16-bit OS that cost less than 1MB in overall is Microsoft’s very first operating system that allows multi tasking with graphical user interface on PC platform that runs on MS-DOS 5.0.

Windows 1.03 (1986)

Introduced in 1986, Windows 1.03 is an upgrade to its previous predecessor Windows 1.01. Entire operating system cost about 2.2Mb hard disk space.


Windows 2.03 (1987)

Taking advantage of the speed of Intel 286/386 processor at that time, Windows 2.03 is a replacement for Windows 1.x. It also starts the era where users are able to overlap windows, customize screens, etc. Still the entire operating system cost no more than 2.5Mb.


Windows 2.86 (1989)

Windows 3.0 (1990)

This is the third major released of Microsoft Windows with a improved set of Windows icons and applications like File Manager, Program Manager that is still being used in today’s Windows. This 22 May 1990 released operating system is then replaced by Windows 3.1 two years later.

Windows 3.1 (1992)

Windows 3.1 is probably the earliest Windows most of us are familiar with. Windows 3.1 and later Windows 3.1x is an upgrade to Windows 3.0 with bug fixes and multimedia support.

Windows NT 3.1 (1993)

The first Windows New Technology (NT) introduced. It maintains consistency with the Windows 3.1, a well-established home and business operating system at the time, the new Windows NT operating system began with version 3.1. Unlike Windows 3.1, however, Windows NT 3.1 was a 32-bit operating system.

Windows 3.11 (1993)

A superset of Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 added peer-to-peer workgroup and domain networking support. For the first time, Windows–based PCs were network-aware and became an integral part of the emerging client/server computing evolution – Microsoft

Windows NT 3.51 Workstation (1995)

The Windows NT Workstation 3.5 release provided the highest degree of protection yet for critical business applications and data. With support for the OpenGL graphics standard, this operating system helped power high-end applications for software development, engineering, financial analysis, scientific, and business-critical tasks – Microsoft

Windows 95 (1995)

Previously code-named Chicago, Windows 95 is a successor to all the existing Windows operating system so far. It gives full graphical user interface support, integrated a 32-bit TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) stack for built-in Internet support, dial-up networking, and new Plug and Play capabilities that made it easy for users to install hardware and software.

Windows NT 4.0 (1996)

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 included the popular Windows 95 user interface yet provided improved networking support for easier and more secure access to the Internet and corporate intranets – Microsoft.

Windows NT Server 4.0 (1996)

Windows 98 (1998)

Windows 98 was the upgrade from Windows 95. Described as an operating system that "Works Better, Plays Better," Windows 98 was the first version of Windows designed specifically for consumers – Microsoft.

Windows 2000 (2000)

More than just the upgrade to Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Windows 2000 Professional was also designed to replace Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on all business desktops and laptops. Built on top of the proven Windows NT Workstation 4.0 code base, Windows 2000 added major improvements in reliability, ease of use, Internet compatibility, and support for mobile computing – Microsoft.

Windows 2000 Server (2000)

Windows ME (2000)

Designed for home computer users, Windows Me offered consumers numerous music, video, and home networking enhancements and reliability improvements – Microsoft.

Windows XP (2001)

Windows XP Professional brings the solid foundation of Windows 2000 to the PC desktop, enhancing reliability, security, and performance. With a fresh visual design, Windows XP Professional includes features for business and advanced home computing, including remote desktop support, an encrypting file system, and system restore and advanced networking features – Microsoft.

Windows Server 2003 (2003)

Released on April 2003, and also known as Win2k3, this operating system is a sucessor to it’s predecessor Windows Server 2000 (Win2k).

Windows Vista (2006)

Came more than 5 years after it’s predecessor Windows XP, Vista is the longest timeline break for Microsoft between two operating system. Read more.

Windows 7 (2009)

Codenamed Blackcomb, Windows 7 is one of the most anticipated operating system which should be available somewhere in Oct 2009. Read more.

Basic Computer Maths

Basic Computer Math


Conversion of Numbers of Different Bases to Decimals

Consider the number 97531.

This is really: 9×10000 + 7×1000 + 5×100 + 3×10 + 1.

This can also be written as: 9×104 + 7×103 + 5×102 + 3×101 + 1×100.

There is nothing special about why we use base 10 except that humans have ten fingers.


In the world of electronics, the natural base is two, because it only has two states: on and off. We use “1” to signify on, and “0” to signify off. This is referred to as the “binary system.”

Example 1: Consider the binary number 1101011001.

To convert this to its decimal equivalent, we rewrite it as:
1×29 + 1×28 + 0×27 + 1×26 + 0× 25 + 1×24 + 1×23 + 0×22 + 0×21 + 1×20.

Or:
1×512 +1× 256 + 0×128 + 1×64 + 0×32 + 1×16 + 1×8 + 0×4 + 0×2 + 1 = 857.


Computational Devise “A”

Powers of 2 1024 512 256 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
Binary Digits 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1
Their Product 512 256 0 64 0 16 8 0 0 1

Their sum: 512 + 256 + 0 + 64 + 0 + 16 + 8 + 0 + 0 + 1 = 857


Suppose we were to use another base, say “b.” That would mean that the numbers representing the amounts multiplying their powers would range from “0” to one less that the base, i.e. “b-1.” For example, in base ten, these numbers range from “0” to “9.” That is why in base two we only have “0” and “1.” The commonly used base in Information science is base sixteen, or hexadecimal (“hex” means six and “deci” refers to tenth).



Example 2: Consider the base four number (1023)4. Notice the numbers range between “0” and “3,” the subscript “4” indicates the base of the number.

1×43 0×42 + 2×41 + 3×40
1×64 + 0×16 + 2×8 + 3×1 = 73

Powers of 4 256 64 16 4 1
Base 4 Digits 1 0 2 3
Their Product 64 0 8 3

Adding the digits in the last row: 64 + 0 + 8 + 1 = 73


Example 3: (647)8

6×82 + 4×81 + 7×80
6×64 + 4×8 + 7×1 = 73

Powers of 8 512 64 8 1
Octal Digits 6 4 7
Their Product 384 24 7

The sum of the digits in the last row 384 + 24 + 7 = 73


Notice that we have chosen bases that are powers of two. Those are the numbers that followed the progression within computer science. Because it is more convenient to use higher bases to represent quantities because it requires less space, or slots, to do so. The final base that the computational progression settled on was base sixteen or hexadecimal. Using base16, the range of numbers multiplying the powers of the base have to range between “0” and “fifteen.” However, it was decided to represent the amounts from “ten” to “fifteen” by the letter A, B, C, D, E and F (i.e. A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, C=14 and F=15).


Example 4: (D3)16


D×161 + 3×160
D×16 + 3×1 = 13×16 + 3×1 = 209

Most of the hexadecimal numbers used in computer math will only have two places, thus representing numbers from 0 to FF (or 0 to 255).

Conversion of Decimals Numbers to Different Bases

Consider the number 97531.

Computational Devise “B”

Base Divisor Dividend/Quotient Remainder
10 97531
10 9753 1
10 975 3
10 97 5
10 9 7
0 9

Check:

Powers of 1 100000 10000 1000 100 10 1
Decimal Digits 9 7 5 3 1
Their Product 90000 7000 500 30 1

The sum of the digits in the last row is:

90000 + 7000 + 500 + 30 +1 = 97531


Notice how when you divide each dividend the remainder is the quantity that multiplies the base to the next lower power. And when you have a quotient of “0” you have finished, and the final remainder is the quantity that multiplies the highest powered base.


Example 5: Convert the decimal number 25 to its binary equivalent.

Base Divisor Dividend/Quotient Remainder
2 25
2 12 1
2 6 0
2 3 0
2 1 1
0 1





Check:

Powers of 2 1024 512 256 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
Binary Digits 1 1 0 1 1
Their Product 16 8 0 0 1

The sum of the digits in the last row 16×1 + 1×8 + 0×4 + 1×2 + 1×1 = 25



Example 6: (48307)10

Base Divisor Dividend/Quotient Remainder
16 48307
16 3019 3
16 188 11
16 11 12 = C
16 0 11 = B

Check:

Powers of 16 4096 256 16 1
Hexadecimal Digits B = 11 C = 12 11 3
Their Product 45056 3072 176 3

Their sum 45056 + 3072 + 176 +3 = 48307














Hexadecimal Equivalents to the Decimal Numbers 0–255

Dec Hex Dec Hex Dec Hex Dec Hex Dec Hex Dec Hex Dec Hex Dec Hex
0 0 32 20 64 40 96 60 128 80 160 A0 192 C0 224 E0
1 1 33 21 65 41 97 61 129 81 161 A1 193 C1 225 E1
2 2 34 22 66 42 98 62 130 82 162 A2 194 C2 226 E3
3 3 35 23 67 43 99 63 131 83 163 A3 195 C3 227 E3
4 4 36 24 68 44 100 64 132 84 164 A4 196 C4 228 E4
5 5 37 25 69 45 101 65 133 85 165 A5 197 C5 229 E5
6 6 38 26 70 46 102 66 134 86 166 A6 198 C6 230 E6
7 7 39 27 71 47 103 67 135 87 167 A7 199 C7 231 E7
8 8 40 28 72 48 104 68 136 88 168 A8 200 C8 232 E8
9 9 41 29 73 49 105 69 137 89 169 A9 201 C9 233 E9
10 A 42 2A 74 4A 106 6A 138 8A 170 AA 202 CA 234 EA
11 B 43 2B 75 4B 107 6B 139 8B 171 AB 203 CB 235 EB
12 C 44 2C 76 4C 108 6C 140 8C 172 AC 204 CC 236 EC
13 D 45 2D 77 4D 109 6D 141 8D 173 AD 205 CD 237 ED
14 E 46 2E 78 4E 110 6E 142 8E 174 AE 206 CE 238 EE
15 F 47 2F 79 4F 111 6F 143 8F 175 AF 207 CF 239 EF
16 10 48 30 80 50 112 70 144 90 176 B0 208 D0 240 F0
17 11 49 31 81 51 113 71 145 91 177 B1 209 D1 241 F1
18 12 50 32 82 52 114 72 146 92 178 B2 210 D2 242 F2
19 13 51 33 83 53 115 73 147 93 179 B3 211 D3 243 F3
20 14 52 34 84 54 116 74 148 94 180 B4 212 D4 244 F4
21 15 53 35 85 55 117 75 149 95 181 B5 213 D5 245 F5
22 16 54 36 86 56 118 76 150 96 182 B6 214 D6 246 F6
23 17 55 37 87 57 119 77 151 97 183 B7 215 D7 247 F7
24 18 56 38 88 58 120 78 152 98 184 B8 216 D8 248 F8
25 19 57 39 89 59 121 79 153 99 185 B9 217 D9 249 F9
26 1A 58 3A 90 5A 122 7A 154 9A 186 BA 218 DA 250 FA
27 1B 59 3B 91 5B 123 7B 155 9B 187 BB 219 DB 251 FB
28 1C 60 3C 92 5C 124 7C 156 9C 188 BC 220 DC 252 FC
29 1D 61 3D 93 5D 125 7D 157 9D 189 BD 221 DD 253 FD
30 1E 62 3E 94 5E 126 7E 158 9E 190 BE 222 DE 254 FE
31 1F 63 3F 95 5F 127 7F 159 9F 191 BF 223 DF 255 FF

How to create GMail drive for file save?

 

Things you need to have:

1) gmail account

2) Gmail Drive software

Process:

1) Download Gmail Drive from (takes seconds to download)

http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/GMail- Drive-shell-extension-Download-15944.html

2) Install the software.

3) After installing, a drive named gmail drive will be created in My Computer (just like C: D:)

4) double click on this drive, login to gmail acct. You will get a space of 2.61 GB.

4) whatever content you copy to this drive will be sent to your mail acct to which you have logged in.

The copy is pretty fast. HATS OFF GOOGLE.

How to Auto Start PC in a Scheduled Time?

Your pc must be hibernating or at standby for auto wake.

click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Scheduled Tasks.

Double-click the "Add Scheduled Task" icon to launch the Scheduled Task Wizard, and click Next. Select a program you'd like to run when your system wakes up (or u can simply select explorer.exe if u have no choice), and schedule the task. On the wizard's last page, check "Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish" before clicking Finish.

In the resulting Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab, check Wake the computer to run this task, and click OK.

Vista, Internet Explorer and Outlook Tips

Internet Explorer

 

Is tabbed browsing cluttering up your life?
In the Tools menu, select Internet Options. In the General tab, under Tabs, click the Settings button. Uncheck the topmost checkbox, which is labelled Enable Tabbed Browsing (requires restarting Internet Explorer), and click OK. To enable the tabbed browsing function later, just go back and select this option, and save your preferences.

 

Find on the Web Page 
If you want to search for a particular word or phrase on the web page you’re viewing and can’t be bothered to read through every paragraph just press Ctrl and F together and type the word or phrase you want.

 

Display the Address bar history
A handy short cut to display the address bar history on the Internet Explorer is to press F4.

 

Open the Organize Favourites Dialog Box 
To open the Organize Favourites Dialog box, press Ctrl and B together.

 

Windows Vista

 

Search for a file in Windows Vista
One of the ways to search for a file on Windows is the Search box available in every folder. You can type in any word associated with the file you’re looking for; Windows will look for that word in the file names, file contents, and file properties of all the files in the current view. To filter your search, say by files modified on a particular date, you can type ‘modified: ’ in the Search box. Similarly, to search only by file name, type ‘name: ’.

Now launch programs by searching for them
Starting up an application was never easier or quicker. No need to go through the Start menu and then several sub-menus. Just start typing the name of the program into the bar at the bottom and have Vista bring up the name of the program you need instantly!

 

A quicker way to launch your programs
Windows Vista assigns shortcuts to all the items in your Quick Launch toolbar, on its own, depending on the icons’ positions in the sequence. So if you want to open the program whose icon is the fourth in your Quick Launch bar, just press the Windows key + 4.

 

Clear up your Windows Sidebar
Is your Sidebar cluttering up your life? To get in a little breathing room, right-click gadgets that you don’t use frequently and change their opacity settings to 40 percent. These gadgets will now fade out of view when you are not using them.

 

Set a new theme for your PC
To change your Windows Vista theme, right-click your desktop and select Personalise. Next, click Themes; in the dropdown menu, choose the theme you want, and click Apply.

 

Clean up your temporary files
If you’ve recently been doing something with your computer that generates a lot of temporary files, you may want to make sure all those files are cleaned out of your system to free up precious space. To do this, just enter %TEMP% into your Start menu search box and press Enter. The temporary files folder will open, allowing you to delete files and prevent unnecessary clutter.

 

Speed up your system
Is your PC running slowly? Go to your Power Options control panel and look for the Power Saver setting that is set at 50 percent (default setting in Vista). Change this setting to High Performance and let your PC run faster.

 

Check for memory issues with your PC
Worried about memory defects in your PC? You can use Vista’s in-built tool to diagnose issues. Enter the word “memory” into your Start menu search box, and you will be taken to the Memory Diagnostics Tool. A dialog box will open and ask you whether you want to reboot your PC immediately or later. Vista will then run the Memory Diagnostic Tool while starting up.

 

Resize icons on the fly 
If you want to resize the icons quickly in Windows Vista Explorer, press and hold the Ctrl key, and scroll up or down with the mouse wheel.

 

Faster shortcuts in Vista
Go to the Control Panel and search for the term “underline”. In your search results, you’ll get a link for Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys. Click this, and in the next screen, go to the checkbox for Make it easier to use keyboard shortcuts. Select this. Now, whenever you go to any menu, the access keys for each function will be underlined. Pressing Alt with this key would enable the function.

 

 

Outlook

 

Track when your messages are read
If you’ve sent out an important e-mail and want to ensure that the recipient has received and read it, you can set an option in Outlook to do so. Once you’ve composed the message in Outlook 2007, go to the Options tab and the Tracking group. To know that your message was delivered, click Request a Delivery Receipt. To know that the message was read, click Request a Read Receipt.

 

Add Contacts quickly in Outlook 2007
From an open email message, you can add the name and email address of the sender to your Contacts. Right-click the name of the sender in the message and click Add to Contacts in the menu that appears.

 

Use the Mini toolbar for speedy formatting
The Mini toolbar in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook (2007) helps you to format selected text in these programs—you can work with fonts, alignment, bullets, and other features. The toolbar is semi-transparent when you select text in any of these programs. You can take your pointer to the toolbar and click the option that you want to use.

Change the Font size of your message list
Do you have to strain your eyes to read your email headers in Outlook 2003? Click on the View menu. Under Arrange by, select Current View, and then Customize Current View. Now click on Other Settings. Select Row Fonts and change the font to the one that you desire. Click OK.

E-mail signature in Outlook 
Go to the Tools menu and select Options. Under Options, click on the Mail Format tab. Go to the Signatures tab. Click New and type in a name for the new email signature you are creating. Click on Next. Type in your desired email signature; choose the font style and sizes. Click OK.       

 

Change meetings or events created in Outlook 2007
Once you’ve scheduled a meeting or event using Outlook 2007, you can change its subject, location or time if needed. This can be done for a standalone event, for a whole series of recurring events, or one event of a series of recurring events.

 

To change the time, location or subject of an individual event, you first need to open the event. Go to the Appointment tab and make the necessary changes. Click Save and Close.

 

If you’re working with a series of events or a recurring event; open the event. In the Open Recurring Item dialog box, select Open this occurrence if you want to make changes to only the current occurrence. Select Open the series if you want to make changes to the entire series. For only the current occurrence, make the necessary changes in the Appointment tab and click Save and Close. To make changes for the entire series, use the Appointment tab again to change the location, time or subject. Then, if you want to change the recurrence options as well, click Recurrence in the Options group of the same tab. Change the options as needed and click OK.

 

Add or delete holidays in Outlook 2007
You may like your Outlook 2007 Calendar to display holidays for the current year. You can do this for not only your own region, but also the region in which key business partners operate.

 

To add holidays, go to Tools, click Options, and then click Calendar Options. In Calendar Options, click Add Holidays. You will see a list of countries—click the check box next to each country whose holidays you want to display in your calendar. Click OK.

 

To delete holidays, click Calendar. On the View menu, go to Current View and click Events. You will see a list of holidays. Click the calendar icon next to each row that you want to delete. To select multiple rows, keep the CTRL key pressed and click each row. Click Delete when you have finished selecting.

 

Add RSS feeds in Outlook 2007
There are several ways in which you can add an RSS feed to Outlook 2007. If you use Internet Explorer 7, you will see the RSS feed icon next to the Home button on the browser. Clicking the RSS feed icon will display the list of available feeds on the Web page. Click the feed that you want to add.

 

You can also do this within Outlook 2007. In the Tools menu, click Account Settings. On the RSS Feeds tab, click New. The New RSS Feed dialog box will open. You can type the URL of the RSS feed here or use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste the URL from the address bar of your browser. Click Add and then click OK.

 

If you receive an invitation to an RSS feed via e-mail, you can click Add this RSS Feed on the Reading Pane to add it. If you’ve opened the message, go to the Share tab and the Open group. Click Add this RSS Feed and then click OK.

Schedule a new meeting in Outlook 2007

In Outlook 2007, go to File, click New, and select New Meeting Request. Type appropriate descriptions in the Subject and Location boxes, and choose start and end times of the meeting using the Start Time and End Time lists. You can also type any information or attach files that you want to share with the recipients of the meeting request. For help with scheduling the best time for your meeting, go to the Meeting tab, and click Scheduling Assistant in the Show group. Then, click Add Others and select Add Others from Address Book. You can now search and select attendees and resources for the meeting, by going to the Select Attendees and Resources dialog box and entering the name of the person in the Search box. The results list will show the concerned people—you can click Required, Optional, or Resources and click OK. After this, the Suggested Times pane will show the best times for your meeting, that is, the times at which most attendees are available. You can also manually pick a time from the free/busy grid. Go to the Meeting tab and click Appointment in the Show group. Click Send.

 

Print your Contacts in Outlook 2007

Outlook 2007 gives you the option of printing out your list of Contacts in various styles—memo, visiting card, phone directory, small booklet or medium booklet. You can also customize these styles. You can print a single Contact, all your Contacts or some of them.

 

To print out all your Contacts, open the Contacts view, go to File and click Print. In the Print dialog box, select the style you want to print in using the Print Styles box. Click Define Styles to customize the printing style. Click OK to print, after setting the number of copies and other necessary options.

 

To print out some of your Contacts, open the Contacts view, go to the View menu, take your cursor to Current View and click Customize Current View. Click Filter and use the available options to narrow down the list of Contacts to only those that you want to print. Then, go to File, click Print and follow the same steps as above.

 

Redirect Incoming Email to your Mobile Phone

With Outlook 2007, you can redirect incoming email and calendar entries to your mobile phone, by configuring your Outlook Mobile Service account. To do this, you have to select the redirection conditions in Outlook Mobile Service. For this, go to Tools and click Options. On the Preferences tab, click Notifications under Mobile. Under Message Notifications, click the checkbox against Forward messages that meet all of the selected conditions. Select the conditions from those listed. In the Forward to mobile numbers box, type the mobile phone number(s) to which you want messages to be forwarded. Click OK.

 

Use Instant Search in Outlook 2007

You can quickly search for messages in Outlook. Click the folder you want to search in Mail. Type the text you want to search for in the Instant Search box. The Instant Search Results pane will display all messages that contain your search text.

 

Print an e-mail with attachment

Select the e-mail in the message list, but don’t open it. On the File menu, click Print. In Print options, click the Print attached files check box. Ensure that you don’t open the message when you want to print it, or the option to print the attachment will not be displayed.

 

Use Outlook 2007 to send a Word 2007 document for review

To e-mail a Word 2007 document for review, open and save the document and click Send for Review on the Quick Access Toolbar. A new e-mail message will open with the document attached; the default text in the message is "Please review the attached document". Make changes in the message if you want, type the addresses of the recipients in the To field of the message, and click Send.

 

Add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar

In Office 2007, you can customize the Quick Access Toolbar to contain your most frequently used commands. On the Ribbon, click the tab or group to display the command that you want. Right-click the command and click Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

How to access blocked websites

Websites which have been blocked in many countries can be accessed.Here are some tricks that might help :

1.Proxy server :Use a proxy server to access restricted sites.A proxy server (or proxies) is a normal computer that hides the identity of computers on its network from the Internet. Which means that only the address of the proxy server is visible to the world and not of those computers that are using it to browse the Internet. Just visit the proxy server website with your Web browser and enter a URL (website address) in the form provided.

List of Proxy servers

Just click on this link and it will take you to a page having a long list of proxies.You can either choose one yourself or let the service choose a random proxy for you.You can now visit any site with these proxy servers.

Also bookmark the DMOZ directory of free web-based proxy services and DMOZ directory of free proxy servers .


2.Convert ip to decimal:The third trick may work at some places and wont at others.This is a lesser known trick i came across recently.Suppose you want to access www.orkut.com.

Go to start->run type cmd.
Now type ping www.orkut.com (space between ping and www)
You will get an ip address for www.orkut.com ,note it down.
Now go to http://www.allredroster.com/iptodec.htm

Enter the ip in the enter ip address field and press calculate.You will get an address in Decimal field.This is it.Copy this address and type it in your browser,if lucky www.orkut.com or any other blocked site for which you do this should open.

For example,for orkut you get the decimal address as http://72.14.209.87

How to extract audio from a movie video clip

Have you ever wanted to save a video because it had great sound effects or music in it. And what a waste of space it is because you really only wanted the audio part of the video and not the entire movie. Well now it is so easy to separate the audio from the video by  extracting the audio only from a video clip. In other words you can Convert AVI, MPEG, MPG, DAT, FLV, WMV/ASF, MOV, MP4, 3GP to aac, ac3, amr_nb, amr_wb, mmf, mp2, mp3, mpc, ogg, wav, wma audio formats. And when you go and play the file you will only hear the audio and not see the video.

 

There are a huge amount of free software available to extract audio files from a video, however I choose to use SUPER as it extracts audio from almost any video format to save as aac, ac3, amr_nb, amr_wb, mmf, mp2, mp3, mpc, ogg, wav, wma audio formats.

Roughly translated, this means that when you have extracted your audio from your video you can play it on your computer, on your ipod, mobile phone, itunes, iphone, Mp3 player, and more..   Why would you want to extract audio from a video? To create a cool and customized ring tone for your mobile phone. Extract audio from a music video clip to replay on a simple Mp3 player. To give yourself subliminal messages to learn something thoroughly.

How to extract audio from a video using the Free program SUPER:

1. Download SUPER Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer. Download link on the Download Software page.
2. Open the program
3. Open my computer and browse for the file or video you want to convert or extract audio from.
4. Select the file and drag it to drop in the box under the heading Drop a valid multimedia file here.
5. You can also right click to bring up the main menu and choose Add Multimedia file to browse through your computer.
6. Now move to the top of the program and press the drop down arrow next to the first box that says Select the Output container.
7. A huge menu will drop down. Choose what format you want to convert your video file to. I usually choose mp3 as it is compatible with most players and devices.
8. Now by choosing audio only option there will be no video codec options to choose.
9. So now you can choose to encode the video file by pressing on the encode button at the bottom of the program.

How to configure a VPN connection with Windows XP

If you want to configure a VPN connection from a Windows XP client computer you only need what comes with the Operating System itself, it's all built right in. To set up a connection to a VPN, do the following:

1. On the computer that is running Windows XP, confirm that the connection to the Internet is correctly configured.

• You can try to browse the internet
• Ping a known host on the Internet, like yahoo.com, something that isn’t blocking ICMP

2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

3. In Control Panel, double click Network Connections

4. Click Create a new connection in the Network Tasks task pad

5. In the Network Connection Wizard, click Next.

6. Click Connect to the network at my workplace, and then click Next.

7. Click Virtual Private Network connection, and then click Next.
8. If you are prompted, you need to select whether you will use a dialup connection or if you have a dedicated connection to the Internet either via Cable, DSL, T1, Satellite, etc.  Click Next.

9. Type a host name, IP or any other description you would like to appear in the Network Connections area. You can change this later if you want. Click Next.

10. Type the host name or the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that you want to connect to, and then click Next.
11. You may be asked if you want to use a Smart Card or not.

12. You are just about done, the rest of the screens just verify your connection, click Next.

13. Click to select the Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop check box if you want one, if not, then leave it unchecked and click finish.
14. You are now done making your connection, but by default, it may try to connect. You can either try the connection now if you know its valid, if not, then just close it down for now.

15. In the Network Connections window, right-click the new connection and select properties. Let’s take a look at how you can customize this connection before it’s used.
16. The first tab you will see if the General Tab. This only covers the name of the connection, which you can also rename from the Network Connection dialog box by right clicking the connection and selecting to rename it. You can also configure a First connect, which means that Windows can connect the public network (like the Internet) before starting to attempt the ‘VPN’ connection. This is a perfect example as to when you would have configured the dialup connection; this would have been the first thing that you would have to do. It's simple, you have to be connected to the Internet first before you can encrypt and send data over it. This setting makes sure that this is a reality for you.

17. The next tab is the Options Tab. It is The Options tab has a lot you can configure in it. For one, you have the option to connect to a Windows Domain, if you select this check box (unchecked by default), then your VPN client will request Windows logon domain information while starting to work up the VPN connection. Also, you have options here for redialing. Redial attempts are configured here if you are using a dial up connection to get to the Internet. It is very handy to redial if the line is dropped as dropped lines are very common.

18. The next tab is the Security Tab. This is where you would configure basic security for the VPN client. This is where you would set any advanced IPSec configurations other security protocols as well as requiring encryption and credentials.  

19. The next tab is the Networking Tab. This is where you can select what networking items are used by this VPN connection.

20. The Last tab is the Advanced Tab. This is where you can configure options for configuring a firewall, and/or sharing.

Connecting to Corporate

Now that you have your XP VPN client all set up and ready, the next step is to attempt a connection to the Remote Access or VPN server set up at the corporate office. To use the connection follow these simple steps. To open the client again, go back to the Network Connections dialog box.

1. One you are in the Network Connection dialog box, double-click, or right click and select ‘Connect’ from the menu – this will initiate the connection to the corporate office.

2. Type your user name and password, and then click Connect. Properties bring you back to what we just discussed in this article, all the global settings for the VPN client you are using.

3. To disconnect from a VPN connection, right-click the icon for the connection, and then click “Disconnect

Tips to improve Fuel Economy

Here are some very good tips on improving your vehicle's Fuel Economy / Increase Fuel Efficiency / Mileage. With increasing fuel prices it is becoming more and more prudent to use them.

 

Use your gears wisely.

Driving in the highest gear possible without labouring the engine is a fuel-efficient way of driving. A vehicle travelling at 60kmph in third gear uses 25 percent more fuel than at the same speed in fifth gear

Drive smoothly

Think ahead! By applying light throttle and avoiding heavy braking, you can reduce both fuel consumption and wear and tear. Try to predict traffic at junctions and when in queuing to avoid accelerating and then braking. Research suggests driving techniques can influence car fuel efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

Switch off your engine

There are two schools of thought on this one. Switching your engine off for short periods of time can actually increase fuel consumption, as it requires more fuel to get the engine started. Also your catalytic converter will no longer be running at full temperature and so your car will be less efficient, increasing the amount of pollution you cause. However if you are stopped for more than a few minutes then your car will simply burn less fuel with the engine stopped.

Drive off promptly to prevent wasting fuel

Don't leave your engine running when you first start up. Drive off straight away if you can, but drive gently until the engine has reached its normal operating temperature. This doesn't increase fuel efficiency as such, but it does mean your engine is switched on for less time.

Lighten your load

Think carefully about what you need on a journey. if you do not need something, do not pack it. Remove roof racks if not needed. The lighter the load, the lower the fuel consumption, and emissions, and the higher the fuel efficiency.

Tyres effect fuel efficiency

It is estimated that about 50% of tyres on the road are under inflated. Aside from increasing the rate of wear, this wastes fuel and decreased your fuel efficiency. Check your tyre pressures every fortnight. Worn tyres will also decrease fuel efficiency (and your safety!), so check the tread regularly. If you are replacing tyres then consider some of the newer 'Eco' tyres that are designed specifically to increase fuel efficiency.

Car Windows

Driving with your windows open drastically reduces your fuel efficiency, far more so than putting the air conditioning on when motorway driving. So in those hot summers(?) preferably keep the windows shut, and the air conditioning on if you want to keep cool. Of course the air conditioning decreases fuel efficiency too, so try not to over use it.

Invest in a new fuel efficient car

New cars come in all shapes and sizes, but it is possible to pick a new car that can greatly reduce your fuel bill, and your fuel emissions. 

Size matters. Choose an economical car - small cars use far more fuel efficient and produce lower emissions than large cars.

Drive the most fuel-efficient car that meets your needs. Compare models and classes. Even similarly sized cars can vary in fuel efficiency by up to 45%.

Consider diesel engines (with a particulate trap), and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) fuelled cars - all have lower CO2 emissions than standard petrol cars.

Consider 'hybrid' vehicles - they combine a conventional engine with an electric motor and battery. These offer reduced fuel consumption and CO2 with potentially lower emissions of all pollutants.

Diesel Engines

If your going to buy a diesel, ensure it is a new 'common rail' type, as these are approximately 10% more efficient than older diesels. also replace (or clean if applicable) air cleaner elements as often as is required by your vehicles servicing schedule.

Regluar Maintenance maintains fuel efficiency

Air Filter:

One of the most common reasons for a drop in fuel efficiency is a dirty intake filter. This will decrease the amount of air entering the cylinders of the engine resulting in incomplete combustion. Check the filter regularly to ensure that it is clean.

Spark Plugs

Ensure your spark plugs are in good condition. Renew the plugs and wires at intervals specified by the owners manual. This will keep all cylinders firing properly resulting in higher efficiency.

 

Lube Oil:

Change the lube oil at intervals specified by the owners manual. Use the recommended oil only especially in newer cars. Use of an engine flush before changing the oil will help to get rid of a lot of the dirt that collects in the engine that a normal oil change will not remove. On older engines it is advisable to use an oil treatment agent. This basically thickens the oil which creates a better seal between the piston and the liner, preventing blow past and consequent loss of combustion pressure, resulting in higher fuel efficiency.

Exhausts alter fuel efficiency

Most cars have special sizes for the exhaust. When cars are reasonably old the silences has to be changed. The garage people always try to fit a size that they have in the garage it self. Which might not be the exact size recommended for the car. The wrong size a bigger or smaller silencer size effects on the MPG of the car and the HP of the car. It may be cheaper to put another size than your recommended size for your car but on the long run it will cost you in many ways, especially on fuel consumption. Always put the recommended size of the exhaust that is indicated in your car manual because the car company knows how to optimize the performance of your car.

50 windows registry tricks

everything that you want to do with the registry. 

1)Load Applications Faster
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
The default value for the EnablePrefetcher setting is 3. You can change this value 0 to 3.
0 – Disable Prefetching
1 – Speedup boot process
2 – Speedup applications
3 – Speedup boot process and load application faster.
2)Optimization of Boot files
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOpt imizeFunction
A string value named Enable under this key need to be set to Y. With setting Y, boot file optimization occurs automatically if the system is idle for 10 minutes. It’s recommended to reboot to take effect.
3)Unload Unused DLLs
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer
Create a DWORD value named as AlwaysUnloadDll and set to 1. After this, application – associated DLLs will get unloaded when the application is closed.

4.) Turn off Indexing Services to speed up XP
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\CiSvc
Change the value of Start DWORD value to 4 and reboot your PC to take effect.
5.) Enable automatic reboot on BSOD
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\CrashControl
Change 0 to 1 in AutoReboot DWORD value to enable this setting.
6.) Increase NTFS performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem
Create a DWORD value (if not exists) named as NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and set to 1. Restart required.
7.) Automatically close Non-Responding applications
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
And
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
Change the value of AutoEndTasks String value to 1
8.) Automatic Window Refersh
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Update
Change the value of UpdateMode to 0. The default value is 1
9.) Boost response time of start menu
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
Create or modify a DWORD value named as MenuShowDelay and set the value to 1. The default value is 400
10.)If you have a lot of RAM, Disable swap paging file
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Create or modify a DWORD value DisablePagingExecutive and set to 0
11.)boost XP speed by changing Real-Time clock priority
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\PriorityControl
Create or modify a DWORD value IRQ8Priority set it to 1
12.)Reduce IO and increase turnaround which speed-up Windows XP
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Modify DWORD value IoPageLockLimit. Depending upon how much RAM you have, you can increase your disk-cache size by entering a higher value in IoPageLockLimit. Typically your computer won’t come optimized for disk-cache and you can set to a value which works best for you by trial and error. Rule of thumb is to have a ratio of 1 or 2 for every 64K chuck. But try out various different values as each case would be a little different.
13.)Set your L2 cache and improve performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Modify DWORD value SecondLevelDataCache and set it to L2 cache of your CPU. Eg. AMD Athlon64 3200+ have 512KB of L2 cache, So we have to enter 200 in Hexadecimal and 512 in Decimal format.
14.)MFT (Master File Table) manipulations to improve disk performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem. In right pane, add one more key by the name NtfsMftZoneReservation with the DWORD value of 2. DWORD value of 1 is interpreted as 12.5%, 2 as 25% and so on.
15.)Improve system performance by disabling DOS 8.3 naming convention
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem
In right pane, look for key by the name NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation and sets its value to 1. That’s it. You would see improvement in system performance for sure.
16.)Set the low level hook time-out and stop certain programs from crashing or becoming unstable
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT USER\Control Panel\Desktop and create or modify a DWORD value LowLevelHooksTimeout in the right pane. Now set it to a small number in milliseconds for example a value of 3500 would mean 3.5 seconds.
17.)Disable autoplay function of CD or removable devices.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\policies\Explorer
Create and modify a DWORD value named as NoDriveTypeAutoRun and set its value to 185 (decimal). This would stop auto play.

18.)Improve shutdown time & close apps quickly at shutdown
You can reduce the time it takes for Windows to issue kill directive to all active/hung applications. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP and make sure that HungAppTimeout is greater than WaitToKillAppTimeout. Change the values of WaitToKillAppTimeout to say 3500 (since default value for HungAppTimeout 5000 and for WaitToKillAppTimeout is 20000)
19.)Secure your privacy by cleaning page file.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Change or modify DWORD value ClearPageFileAtShutdown and set to 1

20.) Lock known dll’s list and make your computer a bit more safer
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager
And look for ProtectionMode parameter. Set it to value of 1.
21.)Remove unnecessary Scheduled Tasks scan by Internet Explorer and make Internet Explorer Load faster
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr ent Version\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace and then looking for shared tasks CLSID key {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}. Simply delete it and get out of registry. No need to reboot. Launch Internet Explorer and see the difference.
22.)Enable UDMA/66 mode on IDE Channels
Even if DMA is enabled on IDE channels, by default UDMA/66 mode is disabled. You can improve disc performance by enabling it. Open Registry Editor and Navigating to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Class\ {4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}000 in right pane add a DWORD value by the name EnableUDMA66 and set its value to 1.
23.)Run your Windows Desktop in its own process environment
This may take a little more memory but would make your Desktop more stable. So this is more of a security tip. Security from other applications running on your desktop. Open registry editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and look for value of DesktopProcess. If this is the first time, you may not see this key and if so add the DWORD key by the name DesktopProcess. Now sets its value to 1
24.)Clean the history of start menu Run
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\RunMRU. You can choose what you want to delete and simply delete it. Or you can clear all command lines as well.
25.)Open Command Window Here and Open with Notepad context menu to folders and all file types with Shift holding feature to display menu.
Copy all reg code to a text file and save as context.reg or whatever you want n patch it to add Open Command Window Here and Open with Notepad context menu to folders and all file types.

Code: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad] @="" "Extended"="" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad\command] @="notepad.exe %1" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd] @="Open Command Window Here" "Extended"="" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd\command] @="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\"" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd] @="Open Command Window Here" "Extended"="" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd\command] @="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\""

26.)Do your eyes a favor, Use Clear Type Fonts.
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
And
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
Change the value of FontSmoothing to 2 and FontSmoothingType to 2
27.)How is the Icon color depth and Size information controlled?
Icon color and Icon Size information is controlled by following entries in Registry. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics and look for two keys by the following name:
“Shell Icon BPP”
“Shell Icon Size”
Value of “Shell Icon BPP” determines bits per pixel (color depth) and value of “Shell Icon Size” determines icon size in pixels. You can determine number of colors that Icon have by raising 2 to the power of “Shell Icon BPP” value. If value is 16, total number of colors (or color depth) is 2^16 = 65536

28.)Private information about who is logged on your computer at a time.
XP stores certain information about you as and when you are logged on in following places in registry:
· Logged on User: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Logon User Name]
· Personal: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Personnal]
· Default Document folder: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Volatile Environment\HOMEDRIVE]
· .Net email account: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MessengerServ ice\ListCache\.NET Messenger Service\IdentityName]
· Number of Open programs: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SessionInformation\ProgramCount]
29.)IE crashing unexpectedly. Make stable IE via launching separate process
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and add a new string by the name BrowseNewProcess and set its value to yes.

30.)Num Lock to be switched on at boot time
Navigate to: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard and look for a string key by the name InitialKeyboardIndicators. If its not there, create it else change its value to 0 to set NUMLOCK OFF or 2 to set NUMLOCK ON.
31.)Secure your computer: Enable Advanced File System Security Options
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Lsa
Create or modify a DWORD value named Forceguest. Set its value to 1. This would enables Windows XP logic for advanced permissions.
32.)Customize taskbar grouping
If you want to change the default number of grouping in task bar do this.
Navigate to: KEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curren tVersion\Explorer\Advanced . Change value of TaskbarGroupSize. You can set it to any value you want. Default is 3.
33.)Disable Registry Editor to remember last access key
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Applets\Regedit
And look for the value LastKey. Double-click it and clear the string. Then right-click the Regedit key (in the left-hand pane) and select Permissions. Set Permissions to Deny for any/all users/group.
34.)Create program aliases to run any program via start menu Run
You can use program aliases to run actual program. Well there are ways to hide actual program name. Not sure what’s the good use for this tip but here it is anyway
In Registry Editor, Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\App Paths
To create a new alias, create a sub-key, and call it the name of the alias you wish to create. Then modify the Default value of the sub-key to equal the fully qualified path and filename of the application you want to be launched.
35.)How to disable MSN Messenger from loading up whenever you start Outlook Express
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft. Create a new key by the name Messenger and then within that another key by the name Client. This is equivalent to creating and navigation to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Mes senger\Client. Within this create a DWORD key by the name PreventRun and set its value to 1. Quit registry and even though not a must, it’s a good idea to reboot.
36.)Change alignment of Start Menu panel.
This is a customizing tip. If you have noticed, start menu panel has all the entries aligned to left. Well that’s not a cause of concern but may be you are one of those who want it to be the other way, say you want it to align to right. This can be done by a quick registry tweak. In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop and look for key MenuDropAlignment. Set its value to 1 to align the menu entry to right or if you did not like the idea of entries aligned to right, set it back to 0 for align back to left which is the Default XP behavior.
37.)Customize windows explorer’s Default search
This is a customizing tip. If you want to customize your windows explorer search here are some tips. In Regstry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and look for following keys
“CaseSensitive”
“IncludeSubFolders”
“SearchHidden”
“SearchSlowFiles”
“SearchSystemDirs”
Key names are self revealing. If you want a CaseSensitive search set its value to 1 else 0. This is the technique, if you prefer to enable any of the above feature, set its value to 1 else set it back to 0.
38.)Get back to old days, see the file attributes in Windows Explorer
I have noticed that in Windows Explorer, when you click on the detailed mode, you do not see the file attributes any more. This used to be there in previous versions of Windows (Well in office, I still use Windows 95 and Windows Explorer out there shows the file attributes). If you want to enable this setting, follow these steps.
In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\ Explorer\Advanced and look for key “ShowAttribCol”. You may not find it there if this is your first time. In this case, create a new DWORD key “ShowAttribCol” and set its value to 1 to enable it.
39.)Kill the IE About windows that popup from time to time
There is an Internet Explorer vulnerability to which allows some web sites to open a hidden popup tracking minimized window either upon your first visit or when you leave their web site or even when you close your browser while one of their web pages is still displayed. They do this by using the little known “about:” browser built-in command into their HTML/DHTML/XML code. Sometimes this window Go undetected as these are not resizable as you come to expect of a typical window app. If you do not have anything specific with Welcome to About.com, there could be a registry tweak that you can do.
Run the Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ProtocolDefaults
And add two DWORD keys about and about: and set its value to 4.
40.)Stop Windows XP from displaying unread messages count on Welcome Screen?
I received few mails from users requesting How-to on disabling unread message count from Welcome Screen. To stop XP from displaying count of unread messages, Open registry editor and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\UnreadMail and look for the data key “MessageExpiryDays”. If you do not see this key, create one DWORD key by the name “MessageExpiryDays”. Setting its value to 0 would stop Windows XP from displaying the count of unread messages.
41.)Add Empty Recycle Bin context menu to right click any where.
Navigate to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\Con textMenuHandlers
Create a key named {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and press F5 to refresh and enjoy.
42.)Enable Administrator account on Welcome screen.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\
SpecialAccounts\UserList
Create a DWORD value named as user name and set the value “1” for enable and “0” for disable.
You can also enable Administrator account by naming as “Administrator” and set the value “1”.
43.)Stop Error Messages from Displaying on Startup
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows
Create a new DWORD called NoPopupsOnBoot and give it a value of 1. Exit the Registry and reboot for the setting to take effect. To disable it, either delete the DWORD value or give it a value of 0.
44.)Boost your network application performance by changing thread priority
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\AFD\Parameters and set the following key values to the values shown.
“TransmitWorker”=dword:00000010
“PriorityBoost”=dword:0000000a
45.)Change title of Command Prompt
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
Create a string value named Autorun and set it to “Title ” without quote.
46.)Startup programs get loaded in Windows at boot time. Run keys of Windows Registry
Run keys cause programs to automatically run every time computer/XP boots up. The Windows XP registry includes the following four Run keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\RunOnce
Each of these keys has a series of values. The values allow multiple entries to exist without overwriting one another. The data value for a value is a command line. There are some special considerations for the third and fourth keys in the list, the RunOnce keys: By default, Run keys are ignored when the computer starts in Safe mode. Under the RunOnce keys, you can prefix a value name with an asterisk (*) to force the associated program to run even in Safe mode. You can prefix a RunOnce value name with an exclamation point (!) to defer deletion of the value until after the command runs. Without the exclamation point prefix, a RunOnce value is deleted before the command runs. As a result, if a RunOnce operation does not run properly, the associated program is not asked to run the next time you start the computer.
47.)Prevent a Program from Being Displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs List
Open registry and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\ Program and look for where Program is the name of the application that you do not want to be displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs List. Add an empty string value named NoStartPage. That’s it. Reboot your computer.
48.)Control parsing of autoexec.bat
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Here look for value of “ParseAutoexec”. If available, do one of the following:
If you want to disable parsing of autoexec.bat, set its value to 0.
If you want to enable parsing of autoexec.bat, set its value to 1.
49.)Removing Programs listed from the Control Panel’s Add/Remove Programs Section
If you remove an installed program and its files by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list through the control panel.
In order to remove it from the list (so you don’t need to re-install in order to just remove it again).
Open Registry and Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Uninstall
Delete any programs here.
50.)Recycle Bin Edits
Playing with Recycle bin context menu. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menu’s.
Add rename to the menu:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder]
“Attributes”=hex:50,01,00,20
Add delete to the menu:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder]
“Attributes”=hex:60,01,00,20
Add rename and delete to the menu:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder]
“Attributes”=hex:70,01,00,20
Restore the recycle bin to win 95 defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion:
.. Restore the icon.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\explorer\Desktop
\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}]
@=”Recycle Bin”
… reset windows defaults
. [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder]
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,00,20
Other edits to the recycle bin icon:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder]
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,01,20 … standard shortcut arrow
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,02,20 … another shortcut arrow
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,04,20 … and another shortcut arrow
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,08,20 … make it look disabled (like it’s been cut)
I added the above edits for fun. But it gets you thinking.
Note: Adding rename and delete to the context menu takes effect instantly. To restore the icon after deletion requires screen refresh (F5).