Make you Gmail as Default Windows E-mail client

This is a nice little hack that I found. It enables you to make GMail your default email program on your PC. It also replaces the email shortcut in your WinXP Start Menu to point at your GMail account along with the Gmail icon.

Note: This hack involves editing your Windows registry which could cause serious problems if your not sure of what you are doing. To be on the safe side you should create a System Restore point before attempting.

Copy and paste the code below into a notepad (or any text editor):

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Google GMail]@=”Google GMail”
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Google GMail\shell]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Google GMail\shell\open]@=”Google GMail”
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Google GMail\shell\open\command]@=”rundll32.exe url.dll,FileProtocolHandler http://www.gmail.com”
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Google GMail\DefaultIcon]@=”C:\\WINDOWS\\gmail.ico”

Save the file as “anytext.reg” using the filename of your choice in place of “anytext”. Now navigate to the file you just created. Double click on it or Right Click and than click on merge.Now click on an empty part of your taskbar and click on Properties. Click on the “Customize” button under the Start Menu Tab. Where it says “Show on Start Menu” go to the Email: check this box and make sure it is ticked. Next in the Email drop down box open the drop box and click on Google GMail. Click OK. Click Apply Changes (or OK) in the remaining window and Enjoy!

How to restore Show Desktop icon in quick launch bar?

I think many of you might accidentally deleted the Show Desktop icon in the quick launch bar. I also did accidentally deleted the Show Desktop icon at quick launch bar. Finally i found the solution to re create or restore this Show Desktop icon in quick launch bar again.

Just follow the steps below and you will restore Show Desktop icon back in your quick launch bar:-


Click Start -> Run -> type Notepad and enter
Copy the contents below to your Notepad and save as Show Desktop.scf

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

• Once the file created, drag the file to the Quick Launch bar.

You will see the icon above if you restore the Show Desktop successfully

• Done! You just restore Show Desktop icon.

Note: By default Notepad save all document as txt file. To save your file as .scf file extension, type the full file name together with the extension and simply select the “Save as type” from txt to “All files” and click “Save”

There are another way to restore show desktop icon in quick launch bar:-

• Click Start -> Run and type regsvr32 /n /i:U shell32.dll and enter
• Done! You just restore your Show Desktop icon

Best practices for partitioning a hard disk

I'm often asked, "What's the best way to partition your hard drive?" Typically, I answer, "What do you mean by 'best'? Are you looking for the best performance? Best reliability? Best usability?" There's no single answer to how you should partition hard disks on a computer running Windows XP. What I can offer are some suggestions based on my personal experience.

Depending on your budget and goals, you can choose the solution that works best for your system. In this column, I'll focus on three areas where your partitioning scheme can really make a difference:

• Organizing your work

• Safeguarding your data

• Boosting your computer's performance


I'll describe the partitions I created for my computer and explain the benefits you can gain from dividing your hard disk into more than the single partition and hard drive that it originally came with. These benefits can help you be better organized, more productive, and ensure the integrity of your data.

Overview of my partitioning scheme

Partitioning helps me manage my work, especially on the computer that I use most for my writing. The figure below shows the two physical disks partitioned as follows:

• Disk 0 has a System partition (drive C) and a Data partition (drive D).

• Disk 1 has an Archive partition (drive E), a Research partition (drive F), an Other partition (drive G), and a Paging partition (drive H).

Here's how you might set up a partitioning scheme similar to mine. You can adapt these steps to meet your own needs:

1.
Install Windows on drive C on your first hard disk.

2.
Create a second partition on your first disk to store your active work files, and keep it fairly small so you can maintain it more easily. Unless your work is graphic design or video production, since your work files will be much larger.

3.
Install a second hard disk on your computer and create at least two partitions on it, one for your paging file and the other for archiving old work files and other important files like your Outlook PST file.

4.
Create additional partitions on your second disk only if they will contain files that are infrequently accessed to minimize contention with the paging file partition.


Organize your work
Whether you use your PC for work or play (or both), partitioning your hard drives appropriately can help you keep organized. Disk partitioning is invaluable to me, because I'm a notoriously disorganized person. My desk tells the tale—piles of paper all over the place, sticky notes attached to monitors and walls, stacks of open books, and leftover crumbs from snacking. You can imagine what my hard drives must look like.

What's the value of using my partitioning scheme? Installing the operating system and applications on a dedicated partition (System) provides these benefits:

• Makes my computer easier to maintain without worrying about losing work when things go wrong.

• Need to defragment this partition only after I install a new application, which is rarely because my computer is dedicated to writing and editing work, not fun and games (I have other computers for that).

• Can easily use System Restore if something goes wrong so I don't lose time from my work.


I store all my active work files on drive D and keep the folder structure on this drive simple: one main folder for each project I'm working on. My Data partition is fairly small at 2 GB. (This small size usually works unless you work in video production or graphic design, in which case your work files may be huge.) The small-sized partition and folder structure help me:

• Find my work quickly and keep it organized.

• Promptly move suspended or inactive projects to the Other partition until I need them or until they're ready to be archived to the Archive partition.

• Defragment the Data partition more quickly, which further reduces potential downtime.


This last item may not seem like a big issue since you can schedule defragmentation to occur during off hours. But as a writer, I often find myself getting out of bed in the middle of the night to outline an idea. It's painful to wait for your computer to finish a process before you can use it.

Tip: I also have a Research partition on my second disk. That's where I save copies of white papers and other background material I find while doing research for a writing project. Most writers are packrats and I'm no exception. Keeping such research separate from my own writing helps ensure I don't accidentally merge text someone else wrote with my own work.

I've tried other partitioning schemes to organize my work and found them wanting. For example, on a previous computer I had six partitions instead of four on the second hard disk. I found out the hard way however that these smaller partitions filled up faster, so I either had to save my work on partitions where it didn't belong or spend extra time moving whole volumes of data from one drive to another—not fun. So now I keep things simple with just enough partitions to help me stay organized.


Safeguard your data
The Archive partition on my second physical disk is a large partition that I use for backing up data quickly. This helps protect my work from disappearing should my first physical disk fail.

What I do to protect my work is simple. At the end of each day, whether my current writing project is finished or not, I do the following:

1.
Copy its subfolder (for example, D:\Expert Zone\January 2005) from my Data partition to a new subfolder I created in my Archive partition.

2.
Name the new subfolder in Archive by date and project, for example E:\050109 Expert Zone, which indicates a backup of writing I did for Expert Zone on January 9, 2005. Keeping the date first in subfolder names helps me more easily find something I was working on a few days ago in case I need to restore an earlier version of a document.


3.
If I've been working on multiple projects that day, I copy each project's subfolder from Data to a separate new subfolder on Archive, with each of these new subfolders having the same YYMMDD but a different project name appended.


But instead of manually copying files like this, why don't I just run the Backup or Restore Wizard to save incremental or differential backups on my Archive partition? Basically, because I'm impatient—if I need access to old files from a project I'm working on, I don't want to have to have to restore the data from backup first. I can also usually find what I want faster by browsing for it by YYMMDD-dated folder than by searching through a backup catalog for the right file.

Tip: I do use Archive for one standard backup though. I back up my System partition using Automated System Recovery (ASR) and store this backup on the Archive partition.

My Archive partition tends to fill up pretty fast however because I am always saving temporary versions of my work as I go along. So in addition to having two physical disks on my computer, I also have a CD-R drive that I use to burn CDs for two purposes:

• At the end of each month I copy last month's Archive subfolders to CD, label it by date, and put it somewhere safe. That way I have last month's backup ready if both my hard disks fail from a lightning bolt hitting my office, or my computer is infected with a virus, or a thief steals my computer.

• When my Archive partition is approximately 80 percent full, I copy several months of the oldest backup files to CD and then delete them from the Archive folder to reclaim space.


I also copy my Outlook .pst file to my Archive partition once a month. Like most writers, I depend heavily on e-mail and can't afford to lose old e-mail messages or contacts. Since .pst files can be fairly big, I usually keep only a few months of them archived this way. And I copy my current .pst file to CD every few months and delete older .pst files from drive E to reclaim space for other backups. Once I've safely saved my current .pst file, I go through Outlook mercilessly deleting folders for projects I'm no longer working on.

Boost performance
Although a PC used for writing doesn't need to be a high-performance computer, its performance can be improved by a good partitioning scheme. The biggest boost comes from my Paging partition on drive H, which is found on my second physical disk. I use this partition to boost performance in the following ways:

• Move the paging file there. A well-known method for improving performance on a Windows-based computer is to move the paging file (pagefile.sys) from its usual location on drive C to its own separate partition on a separate physical drive.

• Keep the Paging partition small (4 GB). By default the initial size of your paging file is 1.5 × RAM and its maximum size is 3 × RAM. So if your computer has 1 GB of RAM, which is pretty good for a desktop productivity computer, then setting your Paging partition to 4 GB gives you more than enough room for your paging file without wasting disk space that could be used for other purposes like storing data.

• Format it using the FAT32 file system. Although the version of NTFS in Windows XP has features that make it perform better than earlier versions of NTFS, you can still eek out some performance gains for small volumes by formatting them as FAT32 instead of NTFS. I'm not overly concerned about the lack of security from not having pagefile.sys protected by NTFS permissions since it's an unreadable binary file. If someone hacked into my system, they wouldn't need to bother with the paging file anyway.

• Replace old 5400 rpm drives with newer 7200 or 10000 rpm drives. If you have the budget, you can speed performance of disk activity by installing one of these faster drives.


If you have IDE drives, you can also boost file system performance by setting both physical disks as masters on separate channels. That way data can flow freely and simultaneously between both disks and the system bus. This setup allows Windows to access and load system files while simultaneously paging to disk. The end result—increased performance. Of course, Paging isn't the only partition I have on my second disk. But since I only access the Archive and Other partitions only a few times per day, the disk is pretty much dedicated to paging activity. But overall the biggest performance gain is usually achieved by moving your paging file to a partition on a separate drive as described above, especially on a system that has limited physical memory. Buying more RAM is of course another way to boost performance.

Tip: NTFS tweaks can also help squeeze some additional performance as I describe in NTFS Performance Hacks.


Whether you spend most of your time working or playing on your system, partitioning your disks appropriately can help you keep your work organized, your data safe, and your system humming along. Of course, don't forget to back up all your data before you start partitioning your disks!


Taken from microsoft official site.

When I................

When I fall, He lifts me up!

When I fail, He forgives!

When I am weak, He is strong!

When I am lost, He is the way!

When I am afraid, He is my courage!

When I stumble, He steadies me!

When I am hurt, He heals me!

When I am broken, He mends me!

When I am blind, He leads me!

When I am hungry, He feeds me!

When I face trials, He is with me!

When I face persecution, He shields me!

When I face problems, He comforts me!

When I face loss, He provides for me!

When I face Death, He carries me Home!

He is everything for everybody, everywhere,

Every time, and every way.

Sure-Fire Fixes for a Problem PC

Is your PC troubled? Maybe it has the blues (it wants to be a Mac). More likely, it's suffering from any of a dozen things, such as a corrupt file, a bad app, or even a moribund CMOS battery. Read on for PC therapy.

The Hassle: My PC freezes periodically. How do I unfreeze it without losing my work or having to reboot?

The Fix: In Task Manager, select the Processes tab, choose Explorer.exe, and click End Process. (Just ignore the scary message.) Select File, New Task (Run...), type explorer, and click OK.

The Hassle: Your advice helped me unfreeze my system--but it keeps happening, and I can't go on like this. What now?

The Fixes: Start with the usual suspects: Scrub your Temp and Internet cache folders. First, use CleanCache 3.0 (see Tool of the Month on the next page of this article). Then run Windows' Check Disk utility with Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors checked. (Open My Computer, right-click the drive, select Properties, choose the Tools tab, and click the Check Now button under 'Error-checking'.) Also, send your antispyware and antivirus tools into action.

No luck? Try getting rid of damaged ActiveX programs. From Control Panel, choose Internet Options, the General tab, Settings, and View Objects. Right-click to delete any items marked 'Damaged' in the Status column. You might have a corrupted file, so run System File Checker to verify (and, if necessary, reinstall) those files on your system: Click Start, Run, and then type CMD. In the command window, type sfc /scannow and wait awhile; the scan seems to take forever to complete.

If your PC is still having problems, they may be more deep-rooted. You'll have to try a few techniques to figure out which program or process is causing the freezing. Sysinternals has three superb free diagnostic tools. FileMon gives you a real-time view of every running program and lets you know what it's doing, recording and time-stamping each action an app takes; watch for a specific program's behavior just before a freeze. RegMon does the same for the Registry, while Process Explorer does the dirty work on Windows processes.

Boost your computer's performance by clearing the tray of useless icons

Want to see the winner of the most bloated system tray award? It weighs in with 30 icons and counting. This month I'll tell you how to shake the system tray free of worthless items while retaining the essential ones.

The Hassle: Every time I boot up my Windows XP Home system (which takes forever), heaps of icons appear in my system tray. I checked my Startup folder and, except for two items, it's empty. Where are these programs coming from, and do I need to keep them all?


The Fix: Your computer's definitely stressed. There are two issues. First, every time you boot, Windows has to load the programs or processes represented by some of those icons. Second, and more significantly, they're gobbling up resources and CPU cycles, slowing down your system. It's a safe bet (I'll even give you odds) that plenty of the items are useless, can be dumped, and won't be missed.

Removing the junk from your system tray can be an exciting adventure. (Stop laughing. It's better than emptying the dishwasher, right?) Determining what applications are loading behind the scenes is the easy part; figuring out which ones you can safely remove is harder.

My cohort, Woody Leonhard, scratched the surface of the system tray in January's "Gunk Busters" feature. I've got more to say, and it's summed up in two words: WinPatrol Pro. The latest version, 9.8, is a must-have tool.

WinPatrol works in two ways. First, when you install a program and it tries to add an icon to the tray at boot-up, you'll get a WinPatrol warning--and a way to nip it in the bud (or kill and remove it afterward). That's important for programs such as AOL, Apple's QuickTime, and RealPlayer, all notorious for adding junk icons. WinPatrol also enables you to stop programs such as Adobe Acrobat that insist on running useless, daily version-update checks; and it prevents programs from changing file extensions willy-nilly.

Second, WinPatrol gives you an easy way to comb through existing background-loading programs; its 'info' button provides basic details, including the company name, version, and startup location--enough to help you figure out which entries are removable. The free version is good, but I strongly urge you to spend $25 for the Pro version. Its comprehensive database gives you more details and specific recommendations for which programs to keep and which to remove. I promise you'll get that money back by eliminating your system tray headaches.

Quick tip: Rather than remove an entry, I use WinPatrol's Disable feature until I am sure the entry is unnecessary.

WinPatrol also removes tracking cookies, monitors services, watches Internet Explorer helpers, and blocks Sony's annoying rootkit-like DRM scheme.

By the way, if you want lots of programs running from the system tray, don't mind the clutter, and are willing to spend some bucks, you can improve your PC's startup speed simply by adding more RAM. I maxed out my computer with 2GB and rarely experience resource issues.

Tool of the Month: Unclutter Your Desktop

I preach neatness, but my notebook's desktop is an unholy mess, with icons everywhere. That's fine with me--until I have to do a presentation and everyone gets a look at my disorderly desktop. My trick is to use an obscure feature built right into Windows to temporarily hide my desktop icons. Right-click your desktop and uncheck Show Desktop Icons under Arrange Icons By. This tactic is also ideal when I need to capture a screen shot of a dialog box and want a blank background.

Website's Back Door

Ever experienced this? You ask Google to look something up; the engine returns with a number of finds, but if you try to open the ones with the most promising content, you are confronted with a registration page instead, and the stuff you were looking for will not be revealed to you unless you agree to a credit card transaction first....
The lesson you should have learned here is: Obviously Google can go where you can't.

Can we solve this problem? Yes, we can. We merely have to convince the site we want to enter, that WE ARE GOOGLE.
In fact, many sites that force users to register or even pay in order to search and use their content, leave a backdoor open for the Googlebot, because a prominent presence in Google searches is known to generate sales leads, site hits and exposure.
Examples of such sites are Windows Magazine, .Net Magazine, Nature, and many, many newspapers around the globe.
How then, can you disguise yourself as a Googlebot? Quite simple: by changing your browser's User Agent. Copy the following code segment and paste it into a fresh notepad file. Save it as Useragent.reg and merge it into your registry.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micro$oft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]
@="Googlebot/2.1"
"Compatible"="+http://www.googlebot.com/bot.html"

[Replace '$' to 's' from registry address line of above code] Voila! You're done!

You may always change it back again.... I know only one site that uses you User Agent to establish your eligability to use its services, and that's the Windows Update site...
To restore the IE6 User Agent, save the following code to NormalAgent.reg and merge with your registry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micro$oft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]
@="Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)"

[Replace '$' to 's' from registry address line of above code]

Windows XP System Properties logo

The Windows XP System Properties logo is often changed by computer manufacturers. Hardware vendors use this general system information dialog to brand your computer with their own logo and support contact information.

In this tip you can learn how you can insert your own logo in the system properties dialog and complete it with your own contact information.

To invoke the system properties dialog, click the Start button, right-click "My Computer" and select "Properties".

This will open up your general system information dialog. On our Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pro laptop, the Windows XP System Properties logo looks like this :



If you want to put your own graphic in there, you should create your image in a .bmp graphic file. It's also a good idea to create this bitmap image with the same background shade of gray (RGB: 192, 192, 192) used in the Properties dialog. Otherwise, you risk letting Windows make its own judgments regarding color contrast and background shading.

The next thing to consider is the image size. The system properties dialog only offers enough real estate for an image of about 180 (wide) x120 (high) pixels. Make sure that you can fit your logo in this area.

Once you have created your logo and saved it as a .bmp file, copy it over to the system32 subfolder of your Windows system folder. If you don't know where your system folder is :

**Click the Start button and select "Run"

**In the "open" field, enter "cmd" (without the quotes) and click ok

**Windows will open up a dos command window

**In the command window, type "set system" (without the quotes)

**Look for the line that contains "SystemRoot", this is where your system directory is (generally, the Windows XP system folder is c:\windows)

Now that you know where your system folder is, copy your logo image file over to the system32 subfolder of your system folder. Then rename your logo image file to oemlogo.bmp

Additionally you can create a new file in this same folder and name the new file oeminfo.ini

In this file you can enter your contact information like in the example below :

[General]
Manufacturer=Windows Help Central
Model=ShowCase

[Support Information]
Line1=" "
Line2=" For support, sales, upgrades or questions:"
Line3=""
Line4=" Some text to demonstrate the XP System Properties logo"
Line5=" Windows XP Tips and Tricks "
Line6=" yadayada"
Line7=""
Line8=" +1 (888) 888-888 (voice)"
Line9=" +1 (888) 888-889 (fax)"
Line10=""
Line11=""
Line12=" http://windows-help-central.com/"

Save and close the file and you are ready. From now on, if someone opens up the system properties dialog, your own Windows XP System Properties logo is in there.



And if someone clicks the "Support Information" button :

How to Stop Autometic update of Windows without displaying security center Warning.

Autometic Update is big problem for those who don't have enough Internet bandwidth and Untimily Updating starts and not only this but when we off autometic update windows always shows security center warning. For those here is easiest solution-

Go to Control panel --> Administrative Tools --> services --> Set Autometic update to manual by going to its properties.

You can get properties by right clicking it.

How to Get Back Your Yahoo Hacked Id back

These Days Hacking/cracking of yahoo Id's emersed as big problem for yahoo users. And you can't do any thing if they changed your Account Informations.

But Now you can do one thing for getting Id back and give a tight slap to Hacker/Cracker face.

Just you need Initial Id's Account Information and all at given Address/Phone no. (For Indian Yahoo server means your Id should be at domain .co.in like someone@yahoo.co.in )

Its my personal Experience that Yahoo Indian Customer care is world's best Customer care in yahoo. So Be calm and talk to them in friendely way. They will must help you as per their capability.

Yahoo! India Office Addresses :

Mumbai Office (HQ):

Yahoo! India Web Services Ltd;

386, Veer Savarkar Marg

Opp. Siddhivinayak Temple

Mumbai 400025

Phone: +91\x9622\x9656622222

Fax: +91\x9622\x9656622244

Delhi Office:

Yahoo! India Web Services Ltd;

Ground Floor, First India Place,

Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road

Gurgaon [Haryana]- 122002

Phone: +91-0124-5061888/9 (from Delhi 95124-5061888/9)

Fax: +91-0124-2560057

So Now ID is yours.

Dosti

Khushi bhi doston se hai

Gam bhi doston se hai

Takraar bhi doston se hai

Pyar bhi doston se hai

Roothna bhi doston se hai

Manana bhi doston se hai

Baat bhi doston se hai

Misaal bhi doston se hai

Nasha bhi doston se hai

Shaam bhi doston se hai

Zindagi ki shuruvaat bhi doston se hai

Zindagi main mulakaat bhi doston se hai

Mohabbat bhi doston se hai

Inaayat bhi doston se hai

Kaam bhi doston se hai

Naam bhi doston se hai

Khyal bhi doston se hai

Armaan bhi doston se hai

Khvab bhi doston se hai

Maahol bhi doston se hai

Yaadein bhi doston se hai

Mulakaatein bhi doston se hai

Sapne bhi doston se hain

Apne bhi doston se hai

Ya yoon kahoon yaro

Apni to duniya hi doston se hai

Online Indian (Hindi) Radio Stations

Here is the list of online Hindi radio stations. Copy the URL in your media player and enjoy !!

RadioTarana-NewZealand ==> http://www.r2.co.nz/meta/tarana-1.asx

106.2 HUMFM - UAE ==> http://www.humfm.com/humfm.asx

RadioOfIndia - Bollywood ==> http://www.radioofindia.com/asf/bollywood.asx

RadioOfIndia - Bhajans ==> http://www.radioofindia.com/asf/bhajans.asx

RadioOfIndia - Classical ==> http://66.238.65.109/classical

DesiSoundz - India ==> http://desisoundz.com:8000

Sabras radio - UK ==> http://ct1.fast-serv.com:8744

Haagstad Radio - Holand ==> mms://81.205.146.32:21/haagstadradio

RadioTeenTaal - Paris ==> http://www.radioteentaal.com/masala128.wax

ApnaRadio - USA ==> http://www.apnaradio.com/live/media24/ApnaRadio.asx

BombayBeats FM ==> http://www.1.fm/player/energybbfm32k.asx

Punjabi Radio - UK ==> http://azul.streamguys.com/panjabradio?MSWMExt=.asf

Amrit Bani - UK ==> http://62.25.97.192/amritbani?MSWMExt=.asf

Yarr Radio - UK ==> mms://193.218.160.20/yaarradio

Sunrise FM - UK ==> http://62.25.96.7/sunrise

Radio XL - UK ==> http://www.vtuner.com/vTunerweb/mms/m3u13219.m3u

Asian Gold Radio - UK ==> http://62.25.96.7/asiangold

Asian Sound Radio - UK ==> http://www.vtuner.com/vtunerweb/mms/mms15278.asx

Sanskar Radio - UK ==> http://www.vtuner.com/vTunerweb/mms/m3u18290.m3u

Trishul 90.5 FM ==> http://www.vtuner.com/vtunerweb/mms/mms14734.asx

Radio Apni Awaz ==> mms://67.15.80.29/radioapniawaz

Radio India - Canada ==> mms://live.radioindiabroadcasting.com/liveradio

City 101.6 FM - Dubai ==> http://asx.abacast.com/arabian_radio-city-24.asx

DDLive Video - India ==> http://164.100.51.209/ddlive?MSWMExt=.asf

AajKal - Asian Network==> http://stream.servstream.com/ViewWeb/BBCRadio_music/Event/BBCAsianNetwork_hi.asx

BBC News ==> http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/meta/tx/nb/live_news_au_nb.asx

Radio nimbooda ==> www.nimboodamusic.com/nim128.wax

Radio Desi sound ==> http://radio.desisoundz.com/listen.pls

check out for more in future........ :)

Increase broadband connection speed in Windows XP/2003

This tip is designed for increased BROADBAND speed in Windows XP while using standard Network Interface cards (NIC) that are connected to ADSL modems, or when using any directly-connected USB ADSL modem.

To speed up the Internet connection speed we need to configure a special buffer in the computer's memory in order to enable it to better deal with interrupts made from the NIC or the USB modem.

This tip is only recommended if you have 256MB RAM or higher.

Step #1 - Identify the IRQ used by the NIC/USB modem

Follow these steps:

1. Open the System Information tool by running MSINFO32.EXE from the Run command.

2. Expand System Summary > Hardware Resources > IRQs.

3. Look for the listing made for your NIC (in my case - a Intel(R) PRO/100+ Management Adapter). Note the IRQ next to the specified line (in my case - IRQ21).

In case of USB modems you will first need to find the right USB device used by your modem. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Device Manager tool by running DEVMGMT.MSC from the Run command (or by right-clicking My Computer > Hardware tab > Device Manager button).

2. Scroll down to Universal Serial Bus controllers and expand it.

3. Right-click the USB Root Hub and select Properties. Note that you might need to do so for all listed USB Root hubs (if there are more than one) in order to find the right one.

4. In the Power tab, look for your USB ADSL modem.

5. In the Resources tab look for the assigned IRQ (in this case - IRQ21).

6. This is the IRQ we're looking for.

Note: IRQs and modem names might vary...

Step #2 - Modify the system.ini file

Follow these steps:

1. Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command.

2. Expand the system.ini file window.

3. Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh].

4. Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type

IrqX=4096

where X is the designated IRQ number we found in step #1, in my case it's IRQ21.

Note: This line IS CASE SENSITIVE!!!

5. Click on the File menu, then choose Save.

6. Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.

Done. Speed improvement will be noticed after the computer reboots.

The most speed improvement is visible with USB A/DSL modems, however there are reports that this tweak also does good for regular NICs. In any case, it won't harm your system, so why not try it yourself and let me know what you find.

To Increase Your Internet Speed On Windows XP Professional

TCP/IP Settings for Increasing Internet Speed

I've found that Windows XP is largely self-tuning. Currently I'm running XP Pro and I get 600K download speeds box stock. So you might not wish to modify the RWIN size if your speed is acceptable.


However, If you do want to change your RWIN setting, I have found that the best starting modification to make is to add an entry in the registry that creates a receive window size of 64240.


To install this modification, Right-Click on this file

WindowsNT2000XP-64240 RWIN.reg

and select 'Open'.


Select 'Open' again and you will be asked if your are sure you want to install this information in the registry. Select 'Yes' and than re-boot your system at your convenience.


This file adds the TcpWindowSize entry to the registry and sets a value of 64240. It also adds the Tcp1323Opts entry and sets it to 0. Neither of these entries exist in the unmodified operating system.


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\TcpWindowSize\64240

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Tcp1323Opts=0

To return your Windows XP computer back to the original settings

Save This File

to your desktop and than right-click on it and select install. This will remove both of the entries and it will be as if you never changed it - once you've re-booted your machine.

Jharkhand: The Latest Attraction Of The East

When Jharkhand was segregated from Bihar and carved out as a new state few years ago, critics were skeptical about the fortunes of the 28th state of the Indian Union. But the indomitable spirit of its people, its pro-active administration and the huge deposits of mineral it possesses, has helped the state to be on the fast track to industrial development. Blissfully remote and uniquely beautiful, the tranquil environs of Jharkhand offer an ideal escape from the confines of day-to-day life. It seems that the clock has come to a standstill in this mineral-rich state. It is still the place of bygone days tempered with moments of serenity, goodwill and charm that make it impossible not to be seduced by its beauty and climate. The landscape combines the raucous vivacity, the exquisite scenery, the creaking ox carts and innocent tribal looks that greet visitors everywhere. Pollution is something unheard of in this state. The most important cities and towns of Jharkhand, which are ultimate tourist delights are as follows:


BETLA This region has a national park with numerous wild animals such as tigers, panthers, elephants, etc, making it a great attraction for tourists. Endowed with thick tropical forests and a rich variety of fauna, the core area of the sanctuary has been declared the Betla National Park. At an average elevation of 1,000 ft, the park is open throughout the year. Large herds of gaur and chital are common sightings. Elephants are present mostly after the monsoons up to the time when water holes begin to dry up. Tigers, panthers, sloth bears, wild bears, sambhars, nilgais, kakars and mouse deers are permanent residents of this park and large families of langurs are an ever-present attraction. It has waterfalls and hot springs too. The park occupies an area of 250 sq km on both the sides of the all-weather Mahuadanr Road, taking off from the main Ranchi-Daltonganj Road. The present census of wildlife in Jharkhand indicates that there are 34 tigers, 772 elephants, 3,676 deer, 16,384 cheetals and 3,052 sambhars. Betla, due to its climatic variety, contains a rich stock of these wild animals. Among the most innocent lot here are the spotted deer seen moving in herds. The most coveted sight is the majestic gaur popularly known as bison. The mammalian fauna to be spotted at the park includes langurs, rhesus, cheetals, blue bulls and wild boards.

DEOGHAR Deoghar (Baidyanath Dham), situated in Santhal Paragana region of Jharkhand, retains the honour of being among the greatest pilgrimage of Hindus. That is why it is called the religious capital of Jharkhand. Baba Baidyanath Dham has a special position amongst the religious places of Hindus since it is among the 12 jyotirlingas and is also a 'Siddha Pith'. 'Sravani Mela' of Deoghar is unique in the country and devotees from all over the country gather here to worship and offer the holy Ganges water to the shivalinga. A visit to Basukinath is a must for those who come to Baidyanath Dham. Deoghar, a symbol of peace and universal brotherhood, is a center of social and cultural activities and boasts of many beautiful sights of scenic splendour.

NETARHAT About 156 kms from Ranchi is Netarhat, the queen of Jharkhand. It is situated at a height of 3,700 ft above sea level and is a hill station, which changes into a beautiful resort during the summer. Dense forests, serpentine roads, cool breeze and moonlit nights must have persuaded the English to name this place, which possibly sums up 'nature' and 'heart' of Netarhat. The sunrise and sunset views here are fascinating and the tourist bungalows are an ideal place for witnessing them. About 10 kms off is Magnolia Point, famous for its stunning sunset view. Other beautiful spots in this region are:
Upper Ghagri Waterfalls - A popular picnic spot just six kilometers away.
Lower Ghagri Waterfalls - About 10 kilometers from Ranchi, this place is famous for its beautiful scenery and is a famous picnic spot.
Koel View Point - About three kilometers from Ranchi, this place is ideal for viewing the Koel River.
Public School - A premier residential school of Jharkhand.
View Tower - Situated near the Forest Bungalow from where visitors can take advantage of its scenic beauty of Netarhat can be seen.
Lodh Falls - About 61 kilometers from Netarhat is one of the biggest waterfalls of Jharkhand at a height of 468 ft.
Sadni Falls - About 35 kilometers from Ranchi, this snake-like waterfall is a popular picnic spot.

RAJMAHAL Rajmahal, near Sahebganj, is a historical city built by Emperor Akbar in the 15th century. It was made the capital of Bengal in 1592 by Raja Maan Singh, Akbar's legendary general. Rajmahal stood witness to several battles and the accession of Shah Shuja, the second son of Emperor Shah Jahan. It was here that Dr. Gabriel Boughteen cured Shah Shuja's daughter of an ailment, and the British were quick to establish their trading empire in Bengal. The Jami Masjid in Hadaf at Rajmahal was built in 1592 AD, during the reign of Raja Maan Singh. The mosque originally consisted of a large prayer hall to the west and a spacious courtyard in the front. A high compound wall encloses it with arched recesses inside. The Jami Masjid was once considered the most beautiful building in Gaur (Bengal), of which only the southern portion exists today, suggesting what it once was. Nearby is Bara Darwaza, which was a fort built almost at the same time as the mosque. Situated on top of a hillock facing the river, this unique fort had 12 identical doors, built purely by artistic imagination. The remains of the fort have been declared a heritage site by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and hopefully it will soon regain its lost glory.

HAZARIBAGH Translated 'a thousand gardens', Hazaribagh is a famous health resort situated on a height of 2,019 ft above sea level. It has an excellent climate and beautiful scenery amidst dense forest with rich flora and fauna. It is 93 kms from Ranchi by road, which is well connected with other important towns of the state as well. An important tourist spot of the city includes the Parasnath Temple situated on the highest hill of the state (4,480 ft). According to the Jain tradition, no less than 23 out of 24 tirthankaras are believed to have attained salvation in the 'sammetasikhara' of the Parasnath hills. The hill seems to have been an abode of the Jains. Close to the town lies the Canary Hill, which has a well-laid park and is studded with three small lakes. It also has an observation tower, which gives a panoramic view of the town. The Hazaribagh Lake in the vicinity also attracts tourists and visitors. It is a popular picnic spot and place for water sports. Wildlife enthusiasts would love to visit Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary. This retreat stretches over 184 sq kms of plains, undulating country, steep hills and deep nullahs with thick tropical forests and grass meadows. The best time to visit the place is during early spring when the hills are covered with the fresh green of Sal and miscellaneous trees. An abundance of wild animals is a pleasant sight and wild bear, sambhar (Hazaribagh perhaps holds more sambhars than any other area of comparable size), nilgai, chital and kakar can be seen at dusk and dawn gamboling and enjoying themselves inside water holes. The strip of National Highway-33 passes through the sanctuary by its main gate at Pokharia, 21 kilometers from Barhi and 16 kilometers from Hazaribagh. This stretch of road takes motorists to the park's remotest corners and to masonry towers that are strategically located to offer excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife between the months of October and April. The sanctuary is surrounded by tribals who live in harmony with the wildlife around them. The Tilaiya Dam, situated across Barakar river, is a popular spot for tourists. It is just 55 kilometers from Hazaribagh and the main road from Barhi on GT Road passes through the reservoir and the hillock offering a breathtaking view. Few kilometers from the Tilaiya Dam is the State Tourism Development Corporation's Tourist Complex at Urwan, where one can consider spending time. Visitors can also enjoy boating and other water sports in the Tilaiya Dam. Near the complex is Hari Har Dham at Bagodar, which is famous for the 52 feet high shivaling, which took 30 years to complete and is believed to be the tallest in the world. About 90 kilometers from Hazaribagh town is Rajrappa, famous for its 'Maa Chhina Mastika' temple where river Bhera joins the Damodar from a height of 20 feet. There is another Dam called Konar, which is just 51 kilometers from Hazaribagh.

RANCHI Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, is situated picturesquely in the heart of the state at an altitude of 2,140 ft above sea level. It is well known for its scenic attractions, waterfalls, barren rocks and hillocks. It also has a number of industrial houses, which are important commercial complexes. Other important places of interest in and around the city are:
Ranchi Hill and Ranchi Lake: The scenic attractions of the town have much to offer to its visitors. The landmark of Ranchi is a hill with a temple of Shiva on its summit with a lake at its foot, known as Ranchi Lake. One can have a panoramic view of the town and the surroundings from the top of the hill.

Tagore Hill: On the periphery of Ranchi is Tagore Hill, named after Rabindranath Tagore, who is believed to have written a part of his famous Gitanjali here besides other poems. Ram Kishore Ashram is situated at the foot of the hill, which more beautiful and bigger than Ranchi Hill.
Kanke Dam and Jagannath Temple: On the other end of Ranchi is the Kanke Dam, which is ever crowded with tourists. Few kilometers from the dam and about 10 kilometers from Ranchi is the 17th century Jagannath Temple when the annual Rath Yatra is held in the month of June/July. There is another beautiful dam known as Hatia Dam, which is about 12 kilometers from the city.

Hundru Falls: Hundru Falls, where the Subarnarekha River cascades down from an altitude of 320 feet, is a sight for sore eyes specially in monsoon or when the wind sets the motion. The pools at the base of the falls are a favourite as picnic and bathing spots.
Jonha Falls: Jonha Falls, also known as Gautam Dhara, is another enchanting retreat amidst rich flora and fauna beside the Kanchi River. The scenery around it is very picturesque and it is a popular picnic spot. To admire the fall, one is required to descend 500 pared steps.
Sita and Dassam Falls: Adjacent to Jonha Falls is Sita Falls, which can be seen at its best early in the morning. Afternoons may best be saved for the Dassam Falls where River Kanchi falls from a height of 114 feet. Hirni Falls: Hirni Falls is another fascinating waterfall with beautiful surroundings and is just 75 kilometers from Ranchi.
Breeding Center: About 23 kilometers from Ranchi is the Mutta Muggar Breeding Center in Ormanjhi, which took off with three Jharkhandi muggars (crocodiles) and two from Chennai. Today, they account for over 50 crocodiles. Nearby is the biological park, replete with valuable samples of wildlife.
Mc Cluskieganje: Mc Cluskieganje, 60 kilometers from Ranchi on National Highway-47, is a sleepy hamlet amidst green forest. The name evokes nostalgia and one gradually discovers that the place was once popular with the Anglo-Indians. During the 1950s, there were no less than 100 Anglo-Indian families with their quaint cottages, clubs and shops.

DHANBAD The mining town of Dhanbad, 171 kilometers from Jamshedpur, is internationally famous for its rich coal fields. This industrial and commercial town in the Chotanagpur Plateau has the distinction of being located in the heart of India's richest coal fields in Jharia. The collieries, various technical institutions and research centers, attractive neighbourhood and beautiful landscape are the major attractions of this city. Topchanchi Lake: The Topchanchi Lake lies 37 kilometers from Dhanbad and is close to NH-2. It is an artificial lake surrounded by green hills and forests and a wonderful place for picnics and spending quiet holidays.
Jharia: A suburb of Dhanbad, Jharia is a rich colliery center and is an important center for trade and commerce. Sindri: About 30 kilometers from Dhanbad, this town houses fertiliser and other factories as well as the Bihar Institute of Technology. Maithon Dam: It is 52 kilometers from Dhanbad and is the biggest reservoir of the Damodar Valley Corporation. This dam, designed for flood control, has been built on the Barakar River. It has a unique underground power station, which is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. Just a little distance from the dam lies the ancient temple of Kalyaneshwari. The lake at Maithon is spread over an acre of 65 square kilometers. Panchet Dam: It is constructed on the Damodar River, which is 22,155 feet long and 134 feet high. A hydel power station has also been constructed against the background of Panchet Hill in the eastern side of the dam.

JAMSHEDPUR Jamshedpur or Tatanagar is well known as the steel city of India. A major industrial center of India with picturesque surroundings, the model town is also an industrial center with a chain of multiple industries. Dalma Sanctuary, spread over 193 square kilometers, near Jamshedpur is the best elephant habitat of Jharkhand, where the pachyderms love to spend their summer. Jubilee Park at the heart of the city is a well-planned garden like Vrindavan Gardens in Mysore. About 13 kilometers away from here is Dimna Lake surrounded by abundant flora at the foothills of the Dalma range. The lake is a Tata Steel undertaking. Other places of interest are the factories of Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tinplate and Indian Tube Company.

GHATSILA The undulating terrain of Ghatsila has attracted tourists from far and wide for a long time. Once the seat of power of Dhabal Dev, it is now a nice township. This is a perfect hideaway to get away from the din and bustle of city life. It is said that Bibhuti Bhusan Bandopadhyay had a sojourn here for a few days. He was so enamoured by the beauty of the jungles all around that he wrote extensively about the place. One can still see the house where he stayed. Visitors can stroll down to the Subarnarekha River, wander around the stones on the riverbed and submerge themselves in natural beauty of the setting sun.

Love

This is a love letter from a boy to a girl....However, the girl'sfather does not like him and want them to stop theirrelationship. ..... and so.. The boy wrote this letterto the girl..he knows that the girl's father will definitely readthis letter..

1 "The great love that I have for you

2 is gone, and I find my dislike for you

3 grows every day. When I see you,

4 I do not even like your face;

5 the one thing that I want to do is to

6 look at other girls. I never wanted to

7 marry you. Our last conversation

8 was very boring and has not

9 made me look forward to seeing you again.

10 You think only of yourself.

11 If we were married, I know that I would find

12 life very difficult, and I would have no

13 pleasure in living with you. I have a heart

14 to give, but it is not something that

15 I want to give to you. No one is more

16 foolish and selfish than you, and you are not

17 able to care for me and help me.

18 I sincerely want you to understand that

19 I speak the truth. You will do me a favor

20 if you think this is the end. Do not try

21 to answer this. Your letters are full of

22 things that do not interest me. You have no

23 true love for me. Good-bye! Believe me,

24 I do not care for you. Please do not think that

25 I am still your boyfriend.

"So bad!! However, before handing over the letter tothe girl, the boy toldthe girl to "READ BETWEEN THE LINES", meaning-only toread1.3.5.7.9.11. 13 (Odd No.'s) go read it once again butthe Odd Numberlines..

Note: Originally taken from Jasmine's site. Thanks to Jasmine.

Comedy - 2

Comedy - 1

=Neend churai kisne ? Tune ! =

=O Dholna=

=Chaiyya Chaiyya=

=Pass wo aane lage zara zara=

Make your Firefox faster

FireFox Load Time

1. Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return.
Scrolldown and look for the following entries:

network.http.pipelining
network.http.proxy.pipelining
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time.When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which reallyspeeds up page loading.

2. Alter the entries as follows:

Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30.
This means it will make 30 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer.
Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0".
This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.

If you're using a brodband connection you'll load pages 2-3 times faster now.

Test Your Anti-Virus Softwares Here

First, create a new text file and paste the following code into it:

Code:

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H">X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H

Then save the text as a .COM file (any name will do, like eicar.com).Either scan the file manually or the auto protect feature of most AV programs should have already caught it.

While it does register as a virus under any reliable virus scanner, it is a completely benign file that will not harm, attach to files, or replicate and spread over networks.

My avg free failed to auto detect this so have recently switched over to Kav,but is still taking 5 seconds to detect on saving as txt file.

The whole point of the EICAR test is to see if an anti-virus program has been infected. If the anti-virus program doesn't detect the string, then there is a chance a virus has done something nasty to it.

edit: changed over to nod 32 and file is now instantly saved and quarantined.

10-Step Security

Of course some steps cannot be done because some people have illegal copies of said software.

10-Step Security

If you have about an hour, you can batten down your machine's hatches against Net threats new and old.

Here's how.

Dennis O'ReillyFrom the November 2005 issue of PC World magazine

Each new wave of computer viruses, spies, and spam may have you ready to dust off your typewriter, but PC security can be effective without being a chore. To keep your computing safe from current and future threats, we've distilled our security advice down to the basics. These ten quick and easy tips will help protect your hardware, software, and data.

1. Patch automatically:

Ensure Windows is set to update itself. In XP, click Start, Control Panel, Security Settings (if you're in Category view), Automatic Updates. In 2000, choose Start, Settings, Control Panel, Automatic Updates. In both versions, verify that 'Automatic (recommended)' is selected. You can also have Windows notify you before it downloads an update, or you can install the update manually. (The steps and options are only slightly different in Windows 98 and Me.)

2. Don't wait for Windows:

If your PC has been off for more than a few days, don't wait for Windows' automatic update to kick in. Make the Windows Update site your first Internet stop. Also, there may be a lag between when a patch is available and when Windows Update pushes it to you. Microsoft releases Windows patches on the second Tuesday of each month, so to be safe check for updates manually every couple of weeks. And don't forget to set your antivirus and anti-spyware tools to update automatically (or check weekly for updates yourself).

3. Use XP's security monitor:

Windows XP Service Pack 2's most welcome addition is the Windows Security Center, which alerts you when your PC's firewall and antivirus protection are disabled or out of date. Still, XP's own firewall protects you only from inbound pests; it doesn't alert you to suspicious outbound traffic (see "Tweak Windows XP SP2 Security to Your Advantage" for more). We recommend that you disable the XP firewall and instead use Zone Labs' (ZoneAlarm) or another third-party firewall program that protects both ways.

4. Make your file extensions visible:

Some viruses masquerade as harmless file types by adding a bogus extension near the end of their name, as in "funnycartoon.jpg.exe," in hopes your system is set to hide such extensions (the default in Windows XP and 2000)--you see '.jpg' but not '.exe'. To make these troublemakers easier to spot, open Windows Explorer or any folder window and click Tools, Folder Options, View. Ensure that the option 'Hide file extensions for known file types' is unchecked.

Bonus Tip 1:

To get the most complete picture of your Windows setup, check Show hidden files and folders and uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).

5. Keep Internet Explorer safe:

Many people find IE 6's Medium security level too obliging to ActiveX controls and other small programs, or scripts, that the browser runs on your PC. ActiveX and JavaScript enable such useful Web features as order forms and security scans, but they also may run malicious code and give attackers access to your system. To make IE safer, click Tools, Internet Options, Security, Custom Level, select High from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Security Settings dialog box, and click Reset, Yes, OK.

Unfortunately, setting IE to the High security setting can lead to the browser's unleashing a fusillade of warnings and permission pop-ups every time you visit a site. The solution is to add the sites that you access often to IE's Trusted Sites list: Choose Tools, Internet Options, Security, click the Trusted Sites icon, and then click the Sites button. Enter the Web address, click Add, and repeat as necessary (see the Trusted Sites screen below). Be sure to uncheck Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone. When you're finished, click OK twice.

6. Make Firefox more secure:

The only way to block JavaScripts on a site-by-site basis in the Mozilla Foundation's free Firefox browser is to download and install the NoScript add-in that was created by Giorgio Maone. NoScript places a warning bar at the bottom of all the Web pages you visit that use JavaScript. Click the bar to see options for allowing scripts on the site (permanently or temporarily), blocking scripts, and other operations (see the NoScript screen below). The program can also stifle Flash animations and other Firefox plug-ins, but keep in mind that going Flash-less means you'll be missing out on some of the Web's richest content (along with all of those great dancing ads). Although NoScript is freeware, the author does accept donations at www.noscript.net.

7. Handle e-mail links with care:

If a virus infects your PC, chances are good it arrived piggybacked on e-mail. To reduce your risk of an e-mail-borne infection, don't click links in suspicious messages (the text in the message may mask the actual Web address). Instead, enter the URL in your browser's address bar manually, or go to the site's home page and then navigate to the page in question.

8. Scan attachments for viruses:

Run each of the e-mail attachments you receive through your antivirus software before you open them. Rather than double-clicking the attachment to open it instantly, save the file to a drive on your PC, open Windows Explorer, right-click the file, and choose the option to scan it for viruses. (Better yet, set your antivirus software to scan incoming and outgoing e-mail automatically.)

9. Close the preview pane:

Some maleficent messages need only be opened in your e-mail program's preview window to do their dirty work. That's why we recommend that you close the preview pane in all of your inboxes. In Microsoft Outlook 2003, click View, Reading pane, Off. In Outlook Express 6, click View, Layout and verify that 'Show Preview Pane' is unchecked. In Mozilla Thunderbird, click View, Layout and confirm that 'Message pane' is unchecked (or press to toggle the preview pane on and off).

10. Read your mail in plain text:

Since many e-mail pests rely on HTML code to achieve their nefarious goals, you can stop them in their tracks by viewing your messages as plain text. In Outlook 2003, click Tools, Options, Preferences, E-mail Options and check Read all standard mail in plain text. In Outlook Express 6, choose Tools, Options, Read and click Read all messages in plain text. In Mozilla Thunderbird, select View, Message Body As, Plain Text.

Security Tool Kit

A well-stocked PC security toolbox goes beyond the basics of firewall and antivirus software to include protection from phishers and snoops as well. Bolster your system's defenses with these security utilities.

Firewall: ZoneAlarm, free (for individuals and not-for-profit charities), Zone Labs

Antivirus: AVG Anti-Virus System, free (for noncommercial use), Grisoft

Anti-spyware: Spy Sweeper 4, $30, Webroot Software; see review in "Best Defenders"

Antiphishing: Anti-Fraud Toolbar, free (currently in beta), Cloudmark

Encryption: PGP Desktop 9, $199 or $70 annual subscription, PGP

Wireless Safety

Encrypt your Wi-Fi network: When you install a wireless network, it's tempting to keep the vendor's default network name and leave the network unencrypted. But doing so is an open invitation to your neighbors and anyone else within range to help themselves to your Internet connection. Open your network's configuration program to rename your network and apply Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) encryption. And check the maker's Web site regularly for driver and security updates.

Making Windows XP Start 60% Faster

Whenever you start your computer, you are faced with a few moments of thumb twiddling while Windows XP boots and prompts you to log on. Although you should expect to wait for a few moments, sometimes Windows XP seems to boot rather slowly. In fact, you may notice that over a period of time the PC that used to roar to life seems a bit sluggish instead. Fortunately, you can perform several techniques that help Windows XP get the bootup speed you want. This chapter explores how to put these techniques to work.

Stopping Unneeded Startup Services

Along with the core operating system and programs that Windows XP runs when it starts, there is also a host of services involved. Many of these services are necessary for Windows XP to operate correctly. However, many of them are for features in Windows XP that you may not use at all. You can peruse the services and disable any service that you do not want to run. The fewer services that run, the more quickly Windows XP will boot.

Caution:

Exercise caution when stopping services. If you do not know what a service does or are unsure of the ramifications of stopping the service, leave it alone. Some services are critical to Windows XP's operations, so make sure you understand what the service is before you disable it.

To reduce the number of services that start on bootup, you can access two different areas of Windows XP. The first is the System Configuration Utility. The Services tab shows you the services that start when the computer boots.

You can stop a service from starting by simply clearing the check box next to the service and clicking OK. However, before you do so, there is another way to disable services that you may prefer because the interface gives you more information about the service in question

Open Control Panel/Administrative ToolsServices or else select Start/Run, type services.msc, and click OK. Either way, you see the Services console.

I prefer to use the Services console instead of the System Configuration Utility because it describes what the service does. Additionally, you can double-click a service and examine its properties.

Notice the Startup Type column in Figure 4-2. This information lists whether the service is automatic or manual. Manual services are only started in Windows XP when you start a process that requires the service. Some other process may require the service that has a "dependency" relationship with it; in this case, the dependency service will start, as well.

Because these services do not start automatically when you boot Windows XP, you do not need to do anything with manual services.However, all services listed as automatic start when Windows XP boots. These are the services that increase boot time. As I have mentioned, many of them are necessary and important, so you should not stop automatic services from booting unless you are sure of the ramifications. You can get this information by looking at the Description column. Here's a quick look at common services you may want to live without:

Automatic Updates: This service enables Windows XP to check the Web automatically for updates. If you don't want to use Automatic Updates, you can disable the service. You can always check for updates manually at the Windows Update Web site.Computer Browser: If your computer is not on a network, you don't need this service. If you are on a network, leave it alone.DHCP Client: If you are not on a network, you do not need this service. If you are on a small workgroup, you can still increase boot time by configuring manual IP addresses (which I explore later in this chapter).

DNS Client: If you are not on a network, you do not need this service. If you are, leave it alone.Error Reporting and Event Log: You don't have to use these services but they can be very helpful, so I would leave them configured as automatic.

Fax: If you don't use your computer for fax services, you can disable this one.

Help and Support: If you never use the Windows XP Help and Support Center (found on the Start menu), you can disable this service.

IMAPI CD-Burning COM: This service enables you to burn CDs on your computer. If you never burn CDs, you can disable the service.

Indexing Service: Your computer keeps an index of files but if you rarely search for files, the service is just a resource hog. You can stop it and turn the service to manual.

Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing: If you do not use these features, you can disable them.

Infrared Monitor: If you do not use infrared devices, you can disable this service.

Messenger: This service sends alert messages on a local area network (it is not the same as Windows Messenger). If you are not on a network, you can disable this service.

Print Spooler: If you do not do any printing from the computer, you can disable this service. If you print, make sure you leave it as automatic.

Remote Registry: This service allows remote users to modify the Registry on your computer. If you are not on a network, you can disable this service.

System Restore Service: This service allows you to use System Restore. If you have turned off System Restore anyway, you do not need to turn off the service. If you do, you turn off System Restore.

Themes: If you do not use themes, you can disable this service.

Windows Image Acquisition: If you do not use scanners or digital cameras, you can disable this service.

Wireless Zero Configuration: If do not use wireless networking devices, you can disable this service.

You may have a number of other automatic services, depending on software and other configurations on your computer. So it's a good idea to look through the services and learn more about them. If you double-click a service, a Properties dialog box appears
Notice that on the General tab, you see a Startup Type drop-down menu. If you want to change an automatic service to manual, select Manual here and click OK. As a general rule, don't disable a service unless you are sure you will never use it. However, manual configuration allows the service to be started when you find it necessary, thus speeding up your boot time.

However, before you change a service to manual, look at the Dependencies tab (see Figure 4-4). This tab shows you which other services depend upon the service you are considering changing.

Keep in mind that services are necessary for the vast functionality you get with Windows XP. Change only those services that you understand and do not use. How you use your Windows XP computer should be the best guide in terms of optional startup services.

Tip:

The Indexing service and the System Restore service take up a lot of disk space and system resources across the board. You can live without the Indexing service but I suggest that you keep using System Restore. It works great when you are in a bind and this is one case where the loss of speed may not be worth the ramifications of not using System Restore.

Speed Tips and Tricks for Windows XP Startup

Aside from startup programs, services, and the Prefetch folder, there are a number of other startup procedures and issues you can modify to help Windows XP start faster. The following sections explore those tips and tricks.

Manual IP Addressing on Small Office/Home Networks
Windows XP is configured to help you take care of networking. It uses the TCP/IP protocol for networking in workgroups, or what you might call small office or home networks that do not use a dedicated server.

The problem is that automatic IP addressing can be slow. When your computer boots, it has to query the network to see what IP addresses are already in use and then assign itself one. If you want to speed up the boot time a bit, consider manually assigning IP addresses to all computers on the network. This way, the network computers do not have to worry about locating an automatic IP address. Because one is manually configured, the operating system doesn't have to spend time solving this problem.

This isn't a networking book, however, so I won't delve into the implications of using a manual IP address, but if you are using a computer that functions as a host computer to the Internet (using Internet Connection Sharing [ICS]), you can get into connectivity problems if you change the configuration of the IP address. However, you can still work around this problem by starting with the ICS host computer.

Select Start/Connect To/Show All Connections. Right-click your network adapter card and click Properties. On the General tab, select TCP/IP in the list of services and click the Properties button.

In the TCP/IP properties, you can see if you use an automatic or manual IP address. In the example in Figure 4-5, I have configured a manual IP address of 90.0.0.1 and a default subnet mask. The other computers on my office network each use a different IP address in the same class, such as 90.0.0.2, 90.0.0.3, 90.0.0.4, and so on. This way, each computer has a permanent IP address, which helps increase boot time. Note that if you change the IP addresses of your computers, they must all use the same subnet mask. A default subject mask of 255.255.255.0 will keep you in good shape.

Make sure you understand the implications of changing IP addresses on your network. If you have no networking experience at all, you may be wiser to leave the automatic IP addressing as is and try to gain some speed using the additional suggestions in this chapter.Disabling Recent Documents History

Windows XP includes a feature that keeps track of all recent documents you have opened or used. The idea is that you can select Start/Recent Documents History and quickly reopen any document you have recently used. I use many documents each day and neveruse the feature myself. In my opinion, I can keep up with what I want to use without Windows XP doing it for me.

The bad thing about Recent Documents History is that Windows XP has to calculate what should be put there each time you boot Windows, which can slow things down. So, if you never use the Recent Documents History, it's a good idea to disable it. Here's how:

1. Open the Registry Editor (select Start/Run, type regedit, and click OK).

2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mcft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.

3. Create a NoRecentDocsHistory D_WORD key. Double-click the value to open it once it is created.

4. Set the Data Value to 1 to enable the restriction.

5. Click OK and close the Registry Editor. You'll need to restart the computer for the change to take effect.

Disabling the Boot Logo

You can remove the boot logo that appears when you start Windows XP. This little tweak probably shaves only a few seconds off your boot time but seconds count if you are serious about trying to get Windows XP up and running as quickly as possible. The only negative is that if you remove the boot logo, you will also not see any boot messages, such as check disk. (But if you are not having problems with your computer, this isn't such a big deal.)

To remove the boot logo, follow these steps:

1. Select Start/Run, type msconfig, and click OK.

2. In the System Configuration Utility, click the BOOT.INI tab.

3. On the BOOT.INI tab, click the NOGUIBOOT check box option. Click OK.

Removing Unwanted Fonts

One trick that increases your boot time a bit is to lose any fonts in the Fonts folder in Control Panel that you never use. The more fonts you have, the more processing Windows XP has to do to prep all of those fonts for use. You must be a bit careful here to not remove fonts that you might want, but there is a good chance that you can live without many of them. For instance, you may have foreign language fonts and other symbol fonts (such as Wingdings) that you never use.

To delete unneeded fonts, follow these steps:

1. Open the Fonts folder in Control Panel.

2. Select Edit/Select All and then Edit/Copy.

3. Create a new folder on your desktop, open it, and select Edit/Paste.

4. In this new folder, delete any of the fonts you do not want.

5. Return to the Fonts folder in Control Panel. Right-click the selected fonts and click Delete.

6. Go back to your new desktop folder and click Edit/Select All.

7. Return to your Fonts folder and click Edit/Paste. You now have only the desired fonts in the Fonts folder.

Tip:

You can directly delete fonts from the Fonts folder without creating the secondary folder. However, I recommend the preceding steps to help ensure that you do not make a mistake in the deletion process.

Stopping Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing

In Windows XP Professional, you have two remote networking features called Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing. These remote networking features are very helpful in a variety of situations but if you don't use them, it is good idea to disable them to save boot time. You can always enable them later if you want to use them.


1. Open the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and choose Properties.

2. Click the Remote Tab.

3. Clear both check boxes to disable Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop.

Speeding Up the Dual-Boot Timeout

If you dual-boot your computer with Windows XP and another operating system, you see an operating system selection menu on startup. If you typically boot into Windows XP and not the other operating system, you can speed up the dual-boot timeout value so that you do not wait so long for the boot process to select your default operating system and continue with the boot process. The default timeout value is 30 seconds but you can change this setting to 10. This gives you enough time to select the alternate operating system if you want but also speeds up the boot process. You can skip this section if you do not use a dual-boot configuration.

Follow these steps:

1. Locate the boot.ini file on your computer. It is a hidden file by default; mine is located in C:\boot.ini.

2. Open the file with Notepad (which is what opens it by default).

3. Change the Timeout value to 10 (see Figure 4-11).

4. Select File/Save and close Notepad.

Speeding Up Your PPPoE Connection

If you use a Point-to-Point Protocol connection over Ethernet (PPPoE), you may notice a delay in using the PPPoE connection after startup. By default, there is a 120 second delaybut you can stop this behavior by manually configuring an IP address for the network adapter card. If you do not use a PPPoE connection, you can skip this section.

1. Select Start/Connect to/Show All Connections.

2. Open the TCP/IP properties for your LAN network interface card.

3. Manually set the IP address on the TCP/IP properties to an appropriate IP address and subnet mask for your network.

Reducing the Wait Time

When you start to shut down Windows XP, it has to quit, or "kill," any live applications or processes that are currently running. So close all applications first. However, some applications and processes are always running in the background. You can reduce the amount of time that Windows XP waits for those applications and processes to close before Windows XP kills them. Edit three different Registry settings to change this:

1. Open the Registry Editor.

2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Select WaitToKillAppTimeout and set the value to 1000.

3. Select the HungAppTimeout value and set it to 1000 as well.

4. Navigate to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop. Set the WaitToKillAppTimeout and set the value to 1000. Select the HungAppTimeout \newline value and set it to 1000 as well.

5. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l. Select the WaitToKillServiceTimeout value and set it to 1000.

6. Close the Registry Editor.

Automatically Killing Tasks on Shutdown

You know the drill. You start to shut down the computer, you wait a few moments, and then you see a dialog box asking if you want to kill an application or service that is running. Instead of prompting you, you can make Windows XP take care of the kill task automatically.

Here's how:

1. Open the Registry Editor.

2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.

3. Highlight the value AutoEndTasks and change the value to 1.

4. Close the Registry Editor.

Well thats about it... when you done all the steps you machine most run faster...without ANY errors !!.

Cheers !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)