manage your facebook, yahoo,..etc by one software

Its a long time I haven't posted, but now I have brought a 'Back with a Bang' thing for you guys. Yes, its DIGSBY, many may be knowing about this. Even I knew about this from long back, but just now started using it.

No one likes to keep many softwares on as it takes up your precious memory. Digsby, is a chat client which can manage all your Yahoo, Google talk, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. etc. everything in one software. If you are listening this for the first time 'I am not joking'. Well it can work on Windows, Linux, Mac.

It has a feature of Buddy List, same as any other messenger, but the difference is all your contacts from all your accounts will be shown as one list.

Edit .exe files

Here you will learn how to edit *.exe files, in 5 easy steps:

1) If you are not a programmer or developer, then disassembler is not for you, you can't understand anything.

First off all, you need a software which can do the work simple for you, Resource Hacker. It's a resource editor-

very easy to use.

2) Unzip the archive, and run ResHacker.exe. You can check out the help file too

3) You will see that the interface is simple and clean. Go to the menu FileOpen or press Ctrl+O to open a file. Browse your way to the file you would like to edit. You can edit *.exe, *.dll, *.ocx, *.scr and *.cpl files, but this tutorial is to teach you how to edit *.exe files, so open one.

4) In the left side of the screen a list of sections will appear.

The most common sections are

-String table;

-RCData;

-Dialog;

-Cursor group;

-Bitmap;

-WAV.

*Icon: You can wiew and change the icon(s) of the program by double-clicking the icon section,chossing the icon, right-clicking on it an pressing "replace resource". After that you can choose the icon you want to replace the original with.

*String table: a bunch of crap, useful sometimes, basic programming knowladge needed.

*RCData: Here the real hacking begins. Modify window titles, buttons, text, and lots more!

*Dialog:Here you can modify the messages or dialogs that appear in a program. Don't forget to press "Compile" when you're done!

*Cursor group: Change the mouse cursors used in the program just like you would change the icon.

*Bitmap: View or change images in the programs easy!

*WAV:Change the sounds in the prog. with your own.

5) In the RCData,Dialog,Menu and String table sections you can do a lot of changes. You can modify or translate the text change links, change buttons, etc.

TIP: To change a window title, search for something like: CAPTION "edit this".

TIP: After all operations press the "Compile Script" button, and when you're done editing save, your work @ FileSave(Save as).

TIP: When you save a file,the original file will be backed up by default and renamed to Name_original and the saved file will have the normal name of the changed prog.

TIP: Sometimes you may get a message like: "This program has a non-standard resource layout... it has probably been compressed with an .EXE compressor." That means that Resource Hacker can't modify it because of it's structure.

10 ways to keep your notebook safe while travelling

A few days back, I was just surfing the net and I found a very nice and helpful article: 10 ways to keep your notebook safe by Chris Pirillo. I thought I should share this with you. I would just explain that in brief.

Pad The Laptop:

Keep It On You: It says that you should keep the laptop bag with you all the time or atleast keep an eye on it.

Back Up Data:Make a back up copy of all the important data(like business files, or your pictures, music, video) regularly.

Encrypt Your Data:Keep your private data encrypted like business data, or your passwords. You can use any free software like truecrypt to do that.

Document Identifying Information: Make a note of the model no., serial no., etc. with you. So in case your laptop gets lost, you have to provide these small things to the airline department.

Use Strong Passwords:Make a password which you can remember but others can't. For more details on how to choose a password see 'passwords and how to make them'

Use a BIOS Password: Always use a BIOS password so that no one can even start your laptop without your permission.

Implement Remote Data Protection: Choose a product which can remotely destroy your data, if it comes in wrong hands.

Use Portable Storage: When travelling with some very important data make a copy on a thumb drive and take the same with you.

Just Leave The Laptop At Home: And the last if there is no need of laptop, keep it at home. Or even if there is a need to present some data take it on a thumb drive.

Increase privacy, enable BIOS password

I knew this trick well before I started blogging, but I never felt the need to put a BIOS password. I always thought it would become more irritating to type password to start the computer. But after reading the article 10 tips to keep your notebook safe by Chris Pirillo my mind changed and I asked BIOS for password when it starts.

Bios is the first program that runs when you press the power button. BIOS is responsible for loading your XP/Vista whatever. If you have a BIOS password enabled it will not be possible for any one to access your computer, in case your computer comes into unauthorized hands

To enter the BIOS setup program, sometimes called CMOS setup:

Turn on or reboot your laptop. Keep pressing 'del'[1] to enter the BIOS setup program.

In older computers a message appears to press DEL to enter setup.

When you do hit DEL at the right time, you'll see a menu screen.

As you can see there are two options that relate to passwords, Supervisor Password and User Password, these relate to controlling access to the BIOS Setup Program and the Machine Boot respectively.

Note that not all BIOS's have this password feature, your bios may not have it in which case you won't be able to restrict access to your computer in this way.

Select USER PASSWORD and you'll be prompted to enter a password:

You should now enter a password of up to eight characters (most BIOS's are limited to eight characters unfortunately). I recommend you use the full eight but take care that you choose something you'll not forget.

The BIOS will then prompt you to confirm the password, just type the same thing again.

Now you'll want to set your system to ask for that password every time it boots, so select the BIOS FEATURES SETUP option.

Fairly obviously, it's the Password Check option we're interested in, so select it and change the setting to ALWAYS.

Now navigate back to the main menu and select SAVE & EXIT SETUP. Your machine will then reboot and you'll be prompted for the password.

Each and every time you boot you'll be asked for password you chose.

Please note that this method of restricting access to your computer is not completely foolproof, there are ways around it. But it will stop or at least delay the majority of casual attempts to get access.

If you forget your BIOS password, consult your motherboard manual or if you don't have one, consult the website of the BIOS manufacturer.

[1] It's not always the DEL key some BIOS's use F2 or F10 or anothother key combination, check your motherboard manual for more details.

Remove read-only from all files in a folder

After copying a bunch of files to your Windows PC from a CD or DVD, you may discover that all the copied files carry the read-only flag. The most obvious way to remove the read-only flag from a file is to right-click on its icon, choose “Properties”, and uncheck the “Read-only” box. But what if you have hundreds, or even thousands of files marked read-only?

You can remove these read-only flag from multiple files using the attrib command from a command prompt. The Windows Command Line site has a tutorial on commands everyone can use, which includes an explanation of performing this task with the attrib command. The section on the attrib command is titled “Changing file attributes with ‘attrib’”, and is located about three quarters of the way down the page.

In short, first open the command prompt, press Ctrl+R and in the run box type cmd and enter. Navigate to their folder from a command prompt and type attrib -r ./*.* /s. For example if you want to do that for images, type this: attrib -r ./*.jpg /s.

Keyboard types over other words

Sometimes you may see that the words you are typing are being typed over the letters on the right of the cursor.

People frequently press the “Insert” key by accident, which puts your computer into a different mode of input. In this mode, everything you input is typed over anything that already exists to the right of the cursor.

The input mode you are used to inserts characters at the cursor and forces everything to the right over once space. Pressing the “Insert” key switches between these two input modes.

Find the “Insert” key on your keyboard. It is usually located to the right of the “Backspace” key, above the arrow keys. Press “Insert” once. Resume typing.

COM surrogate has stopped working

I personally got this problem, and after a bit of surfing on other sites, I found some ways to fix this problem. This usually happens when you browse a folder full of video or some media files and computer throws a dialogue box saying "COM surrogate has stopped working".

The reason behind this is the codecs and other COM components installed by various programs that aren't fully Vista-compatible, like some versions of DivX or Nero.

There are a number of possible solutions and the right solution for you would depend upon what software is actually causing the problem. DivX and Nero are the most well-known problem causing software.

Solutions

• If using DivX, upgrade it to latest version(6.8+)
• If using Nero, upgrade to its latest version(9+)
• You can also disable Thumbnail previews, it will surely make the problem go away but its not an optimal solution.
• Use a new codec pack http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/
• If you'd like to uninstall Nero entirely, there is a utility that they provide to help with complete uninstall that helps a lot in instances where you have a bad installation of an older version. http://www.nero.com/nero7/eng/FAQs_Nero7_NeroVision.html
• Some users have recommended installing the Vista Codec Package in order to update all your codecs to the correct versions. I can't confirm that this works because I have not tried it myself. As always, be careful when installing unknown components and create a restore point.
• You can use the very useful MMCompView free utility from Nirsoft to disable any codecs on the system. This is very useful to help troubleshoot exactly which component is causing the problem.
• Use DEP
  Right click on Computer, and choose Properties
  Click on Advanced System Settings, and then under Advanced, click Settings
  Select the "Data Execution Protection" tab, and then click Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select?
  Click on the Add button, and then browse to C:\Windows\System32\dllhost.exe as shown
  Click Open, and then OK.

This should solve your problems.

"Disk is full/Not Enough Space" error even though space is available

Many of us must have encountered a situation, that while copying some files above 4gb, the windows informs that "Disk is full or Not enough space" and we shockingly check its properties which tell us something different.

The reason behind this problem is : FAT/FAT32, the default file system most portable hard disks are formatted with, do not support files larger than 4gb. Any attempt to transfer a file larger than this limit results in the "Disk is full" error. Thankfully after a bit of research i found out a way to change the formatting of a storage drive without actual format.

Some points to note though:

1) If you are using a portable media player, check to see that your player supports the NTFS file system. Sorry to say, but Ipod users, like me are out of luck, as the firmware does not support NTFS.

2) Conversion is a one-way format, meaning that once you make the switch to NTFS, you cannot go back to FAT/FAT 32.

If you are ready to make the jump to NTFS, follow these instructions, extracted from the Microsoft knowledge base.

How to convert a FAT volume or a FAT32 volume to NTFS

Note This method doesn't includes backing up your data and then again loading on that. The chance of data loss are minimal but I would recommend you backup your data before carrying out this method.

To convert an existing FAT or FAT32 volume to NTFS, follow these steps:

1. Click Ctrl+R to bring up run command, then type cmd and press enter, which will open command prompt for you.

2. At the command prompt, type the following, where drive letter is the drive that you want to convert (Read cmd tutorial to understand, how to change the drive):

convert drive letter: /fs:ntfs

For example, type the following command to convert drive E to NTFS:

convert e: /fs:ntfs

Note If the operating system is on the drive that you are converting, you will be prompted to schedule the task when you restart the computer because the conversion cannot be completed while the operating system is running. When you are prompted, click YES.

3. When you receive the following message at the command prompt, type the volume label of the drive that you are converting, and then press ENTER:

The type of the file system is FAT.

Enter the current volume label for drive drive letter

4. When the conversion to NTFS is complete, you receive the following message at the command prompt:

Conversion complete

5. Quit the command prompt.

and now try transferring that files.

Move your cursor without mouse

This is a very old and popular trick but recently I found out that many of my friends doesn't know about this feature. This feature may be used when you don't have a mouse or simply if your cat has swallowed up your mouse (just kiddin'). Though the well known Tab key may help you that time but everyone knows how hard is to work with that key. Now this tip will show you how to operate the mouse cursor without a mouse using the 'mousekeys'

Follow the given steps to activate the keyboard mouse:

First, of all you would need an account with administrative rights.

To activate this feature, press Alt+Shift+NumLock keys. A small MouseKey box will pop up.

Alternatively, you can navigate via:

Start -> All program -> Accessories -> Accessibility -> Accessibility Wizard

Click on Settings button if you need to adjust the mouse cursor detail settings.

After which, you will be presented with a dialog box and now you can manage all your "mouse settings" to adjust the acceleration and speed.

Controls for mouse corsor after mousekeys enabled:

-> 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 and 9 keys are used to move the mouse cursor into different

direction.

-> Key 5 is used as left click button.

-> Insert key used to hold down mouse button.

-> + Sign used to double click on any object.

-> Delete button used to release the mouse.

-> Click on NumLock button to disable this keyboard mouse feature.

That should solve your temporary need for a mouse. Cool na??

Cannot open a drive due to "Access is denied" message?

There is a virus (I can't recall which one), which prevents you from accessing your drives. Usually this happens to all the drives at once. It uses the autorun command. Now you will think it can be deleted manually, but the main part is it is hidden and if try to activate 'show hidden files' then you are wrong because it again deactivates that function and you can't see the file. To delete that file you have to do this

start>Run=type "CMD" without quotes and press enter.

follow these:

1. go to C:\ by typing C:\>cd c:\

2. type C:\>attrib -S -H -R autorun.inf

3. delete the file by typing C:\>del autorun.inf

4. goto drive D: by typing C:\>d:

5. repeat step 1,2 and 3 for all your drives (say you have C,D,E,F).

6. Close the DOS command window

7. Open task manager and "end task" the explorer.exe in the processes tab (don't worry about the blank screen)

8. From Application Tab in taskManager, select "new Task" button, type "explorer.exe"

Basics to Command Prompt

How to open command prompt:

Press ctrl+R to open up run command

Type 'cmd' and press enter to open the command prompt window.

To go UP:

Type 'cd..' and press enter

For example: If command prompt is showing

C:\Users\(username)> Type 'cd..' and press enter

now it will show

C:\Users>

To open a directory:

Type 'cd filename' and press enter

For example:To open 'Users' directory located in C:\ drive

Type 'cd users' and press enter

Now it will show

C:\Users>

To delete a directory:

Type 'del filename' and press enter

For example: To delete 'xyz.exe' located in C:\ drive

Type 'del xyz.exe' and press enter

To change the drive:

Type 'drive letter:'

For examle: To change the drive to D:\

Type 'D:' and press enter.

And now it will show 'D:\>'

Exporting a registry

We all know tweaking with registry is so much fun. But if this tweaking is done improperly, it may cause some programs to malfunction. So Play Safe, make a backup copy of registry before carrying out any of the tweaks.

Exporting the registry(making a back up copy):

First press ctrl+R to open up Run command.

Now type 'regedit' (without quotes) and press enter.

In the registry editor screen, file>export.

Select 'export range' as all and save it as .reg

Now carry out any tweaks you want and in the middle if anything goes wrong simply import the file you have saved.

Importing the registry:

Simply open the .reg file you have saved.

or, in the registry editor click file>import and select he file you want to import.

Do not install kb931573 update

Well every pirated vista user is saying samething"Do not install kb931573 update". Let's talk something about this update, this update actually says

 "Install this update to resolve an issue where you may be prompted to activate a pre-installed copy of Windows Vista. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer"
but it actually deactivates the pirated vistas and gives a 30 days notice to re-activate. And as usual this effort went waste, as these users are simply not installing this update. And by mistake if anyone install it, they simply use some cracks to re-activate without spendng even a single penny.

And as usual I would recommend everyone to use a genuine microsoft and even other softwares. Don't use pirated ones.

Secure your data with an image as password

If you're worried about the safety of your documents you should start using some encryption method to protect them.

PixelCryptor is probably one of the best options for your first steps into encryption. It enables you to protect your private documents by combining them into a package that is then encrypted with any photo of your choice.

The pixel data contained in this photo is what the program uses to protect your documents, by creating almost endless, hacker-proof combinations. And whenever you want to decrypt your documents, simply open the package with your documents and select the picture you used to encrypt it.

PixelCryptor may not offer as many security options and encryption methods as other tools, but it's very easy to use and probably the best choice for encryption newbies. On the downside, anyone who you're sending encrypted data too will need to have it installed.

This should be noted that, if the image used as a password is damaged or edited then the encrypted data is irrecoverable.

PixelCryptor is a fairly basic encryption tool, mainly addressed at novice users, which uses images to encrypt confidential data.

Delete: Access denied files

There are many times when you try to delete a file and it throws a message on you saying

"Cannot delete file: Access is denied"

 

There has been a sharing violation.

The source or destination file may be in use.

The file is in use by another program or user.

Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

So if the file is in use, how do you delete it?

# Click on Start, Search, All Files and Folders

# Type the name of the undeletable file in the box shown

# Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter

# Click Search and let the computer find the file

# Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to

c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe

# Close the search box

# Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and Press Enter to open a Command Prompt window

# Leave the Command Prompt window open, but proceed to close all other open programs

# Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR.EXE and press Enter to start Task Manager

# Click on the Processes tab, click on the process named Explorer.exe and click on End Process.

# Don't worry about the blank screen.

# Minimize Task Manager but leave it open

# Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory where the file is located. To do this, use the CD command. See the cmd tutorial for more details. You can follow the example below.

Example: to change to the Windows\System32 directory you would enter the following command and Press Enter

cd \windows\system32

# Now use the DEL command to delete the offending file. Type DEL where is the file you wish to delete.

Example: del undeletable.exe

# Use ALT-TAB to go back to Task Manager

# In Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the Windows shell.

Block Or Unblock Websites

Block Or Unblock Websites without software !

 

Many times in schools, colleges & offices surfing some sites like orkut, and other social networking websites are banned !

To overcome this you can unblock these or block some other websites and play pranks !

Do The Following :

For eg you want to block www.xyz.com !

* Open the folder C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc

* There you will find a file named HOSTS

* Click on the file and press SHIFT and now right click on it .

* From the right click menu select Open with .

* Now, select Notepad to open the file from the list !

* Now, in the file under the line 127.0.0.1 localhost add another line as 127.0.0.2 www.xyz.com.

* Now, File>>Save !

Now, open your web browser and try openning www.xyz.com , it will not load !

And if you want to unblock it, silmply delete that line.