You’ll agree with me that it’s very annoying to see these windows below
And statements like ‘Your account’s profile limits your connection time.Our records indicates that you have exceeded this limit. You will be ppermitted to login again at xxxxxxxxxxx AM on Aug, 20XX.
If u’ve seen such messages you don’t have to panick the solution is right here. All you have to do is to sit back and follow the following steps.
1.) Start the Your-freedom by double clicking the Your-freedom icon on your desktop/Start-All Programs-Your-freedom.
2.) Once the application opens, click on the ‘Messages’ tab.
3.) Copy what is highlihted on the diagram below
i.e something like this..
C: \Users\Obinna\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows
Note: don’t copy the ‘ .ems.cfg’ part.
4.) For XP users, click Start-Run, then type in what you have copied e.g
‘C: \Users\Obinna\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows’ into the Run prompt, then press enter.
5.) In the new window that will open, delete the file ‘.ems.cfg’.
Note: Make sure the ‘Your-Freedom’ software is not running while you’re doing this.
6.) After you have deleted the file open the ‘Your-Freedom’ software, You’ll find out that all the settings are gone.
7.) All you have to do now is to re-configure the ‘Your-Freedom’ and continue your-free browsing.
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Friday, 28 August 2009
How to Remove a Virus
If you suspect you have a virus (or any other malware), you should take steps immediately. The following procedures work for most viruses or malware (except perhaps for completely new, unknown or unusually malignant strains). It is better to complete all steps, so you can be (reasonably) sure that all traces have been removed.
Signs to look out for (infections may cause one or several of the following):
•Slow computer, and/or slow internet connection.
•Strange pop-ups or web browser redirections (beyond those expected from dodgy websites).
•Program failure, or inexplicable errors (even after a fresh install).
•System functions unavailable (eg: Control Panel, Task Manager, Internet Explorer).
•System giving a "RPC error", giving a window with a 30 second countdown to a restart.
•Excessive internet cap usage, i.e high internet traffic on your computer.
Steps
1.Confirmation and Preliminary Action:
◦Make a list of ways your computer is showing signs of abnormal operation. Satisfy yourself that these signs are not due to hardware failure or problems with attached equipment. Sometimes people misdiagnose software problems (such as bugs in Outlook Express or printer drivers) as virus activity. Also, problems with the Registry can be a source of errors, this happens if you install and uninstall lots of programs.
◦Run your virus-scanner, but beware, many modern viruses can circumvent (or hide from) common anti-virus programs. Norton Antivirus and Mcafee have both been seen to exhibit this weakness, or seem unable to remove certain strains.
2.Check access to System Restore & the Internet.
1.Check computer for system access - Try to disable System Restore - right-click My Computer and select properties. Turn off System Restore on all drives.
2.Download and install new Anti-Virus. Both AVG Free Edition and Avast! are highly acclaimed programs. Install one of them (see External Links). Update the program's virus definitions. Don't scan for viruses yet.
3.Install Spybot Search & Destroy or Webroot Spysweeper (see External Links), and update its definitions. Don't scan for malware yet.
4.Install Adaware Personal Edition (see External Links) and update its definitions. Don't scan for malware yet.
3.Reboot into Safe Mode - Restart your computer and press F8 before Windows loads. Press F8 several times if you need to. Select Safe Mode from the resulting menu. Safe Mode disables much of the startup routine (including some common Malware hiding places).
4.Run your Anti-Virus - Run the freshly installed Anti-Virus. And Heal or Delete any references to Malware.
5.Run your Malware Scanners - Run both the scanners sequentially, deleting any references found.
6.Reboot and turn System Restore back on.
7.Enjoy your sanitised computer.
Tips
•If these steps are difficult to follow or impossible to achieve, please call a computer service professional (such as the one who wrote this HowTo!).
•Disabling System Restore and booting in Safe Mode are especially important if the malware is difficult to remove normally.
•Should you follow these steps and there is still signs of infection. You can take the following advanced steps:
1.Create a boot disk (see External Links).
2.Add scanning tools to the boot disk (see External Links).
3.Boot and scan using the boot disk.
•If all else fails:
1.Connect a USB hard drive to your computer
2.Save onto it your important files, such as documents, emails and favorites.
3.Use your Install disc to format your hard drive and reinstall your operating system.
4.Discover which virus strain it is, this usually is indicated by the anti-virus. Do a search on a reliable search engine like google, for the "virus name", with "removal" followed after it. The specific virus removal tool can be downloaded for free, and used it with ease. Restart the computer, and boot into "safe mode". Run the removal tool in "safe mode", remembering to follow any given instructions to the letters. Note these instructions are on the site where the tool was downloaded from.
•If this cannot help to get rid of the virus from your computer, the last thing you can do is to contact the computer manufacturer or reinstall the system either yourself or an expert.
Warnings
•It is always safer to call on a computer expert to perform procedures that you are not sure about. There is always a chance that you could disable your system and lose valuable data.
•Removing Viruses and Malware often takes several hours. Be sure you have plenty of time available.
Signs to look out for (infections may cause one or several of the following):
•Slow computer, and/or slow internet connection.
•Strange pop-ups or web browser redirections (beyond those expected from dodgy websites).
•Program failure, or inexplicable errors (even after a fresh install).
•System functions unavailable (eg: Control Panel, Task Manager, Internet Explorer).
•System giving a "RPC error", giving a window with a 30 second countdown to a restart.
•Excessive internet cap usage, i.e high internet traffic on your computer.
Steps
1.Confirmation and Preliminary Action:
◦Make a list of ways your computer is showing signs of abnormal operation. Satisfy yourself that these signs are not due to hardware failure or problems with attached equipment. Sometimes people misdiagnose software problems (such as bugs in Outlook Express or printer drivers) as virus activity. Also, problems with the Registry can be a source of errors, this happens if you install and uninstall lots of programs.
◦Run your virus-scanner, but beware, many modern viruses can circumvent (or hide from) common anti-virus programs. Norton Antivirus and Mcafee have both been seen to exhibit this weakness, or seem unable to remove certain strains.
2.Check access to System Restore & the Internet.
1.Check computer for system access - Try to disable System Restore - right-click My Computer and select properties. Turn off System Restore on all drives.
2.Download and install new Anti-Virus. Both AVG Free Edition and Avast! are highly acclaimed programs. Install one of them (see External Links). Update the program's virus definitions. Don't scan for viruses yet.
3.Install Spybot Search & Destroy or Webroot Spysweeper (see External Links), and update its definitions. Don't scan for malware yet.
4.Install Adaware Personal Edition (see External Links) and update its definitions. Don't scan for malware yet.
3.Reboot into Safe Mode - Restart your computer and press F8 before Windows loads. Press F8 several times if you need to. Select Safe Mode from the resulting menu. Safe Mode disables much of the startup routine (including some common Malware hiding places).
4.Run your Anti-Virus - Run the freshly installed Anti-Virus. And Heal or Delete any references to Malware.
5.Run your Malware Scanners - Run both the scanners sequentially, deleting any references found.
6.Reboot and turn System Restore back on.
7.Enjoy your sanitised computer.
Tips
•If these steps are difficult to follow or impossible to achieve, please call a computer service professional (such as the one who wrote this HowTo!).
•Disabling System Restore and booting in Safe Mode are especially important if the malware is difficult to remove normally.
•Should you follow these steps and there is still signs of infection. You can take the following advanced steps:
1.Create a boot disk (see External Links).
2.Add scanning tools to the boot disk (see External Links).
3.Boot and scan using the boot disk.
•If all else fails:
1.Connect a USB hard drive to your computer
2.Save onto it your important files, such as documents, emails and favorites.
3.Use your Install disc to format your hard drive and reinstall your operating system.
4.Discover which virus strain it is, this usually is indicated by the anti-virus. Do a search on a reliable search engine like google, for the "virus name", with "removal" followed after it. The specific virus removal tool can be downloaded for free, and used it with ease. Restart the computer, and boot into "safe mode". Run the removal tool in "safe mode", remembering to follow any given instructions to the letters. Note these instructions are on the site where the tool was downloaded from.
•If this cannot help to get rid of the virus from your computer, the last thing you can do is to contact the computer manufacturer or reinstall the system either yourself or an expert.
Warnings
•It is always safer to call on a computer expert to perform procedures that you are not sure about. There is always a chance that you could disable your system and lose valuable data.
•Removing Viruses and Malware often takes several hours. Be sure you have plenty of time available.
How to Prevent Viruses, Spyware, and Adware with Avast and CounterSpy
Would you like a set of two programs that, once installed, will prevent all malicious software from infecting your machine without having to do scans in safe mode?
Steps
1.Get the software from the websites provided in the section 'Things You'll Need'.
2.On each website, there are instructions on how to obtain the product keys for each program. Avast! 4 Home is free for personal home use, and CounterSpy is $19.99. Once you have the product keys, install each program.
3.To enter the key for Avast, right-click on the system tray icon (blue sphere with the letter a) and choose About avast..., then click on License Key. This will enable you to enter in the key emailed to you. Avast is now good for 14 months.
4.For CounterSpy, double-click the icon on your desktop, and the setup wizard will launch. During this time, it will request the product key, as well as to set up some initial preferences. Once the wizard has finished, run CounterSpy to perform a scan. You want to go ahead and remove all that it finds.
5.Both programs run in the background. This is evident from the Avast icon spinning around a lot, and CounterSpy popping up messages about malware trying to install itself. However, regular scanning is also necessary.
6.Both programs also automatically update their own definition files, and can also update manually.
7.A particularly useful component of the Avast program is it's VRDB, or virus recovery database. It is set to perform only when running the screensaver, so right-click the Avast icon, click VRDB, then click Generate VRDB only when computer is idle. This will create backups of your system files so that in the event something gets past Avast, it can restore that file without you having to reinstall your OS. Avast is the only anti-virus software that performs this way.
Tips
•Remember to implement firewalls into your security arsenal. Software firewalls aren't as good as hardware ones, but something's better than nothing.
•Remember to check your programs often, and make sure they are scanning when they are scheduled to.
•Remember to do away with Internet Explorer, and switch to Firefox, or Opera, or something other than IE.
•Make sure you do all your windows updates, most windows updates have cumulative or critical security updates in them and this can plug holes in your operating system for you.
•On a pop-up, never close the window with a link inside the pop-up, instead close the pop-up with the red 'X' in the top corner. Closing the pop-up with the link can download spywares or adwares.
Warnings
•Check that System Restore still creates valid restore points after installing Avast! 4 Home. This may fail to work properly.
Things You'll Need
•Avast anti-virus: http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html
•CounterSpy: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/CounterSpy.cfm
•Alternative browser: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
Steps
1.Get the software from the websites provided in the section 'Things You'll Need'.
2.On each website, there are instructions on how to obtain the product keys for each program. Avast! 4 Home is free for personal home use, and CounterSpy is $19.99. Once you have the product keys, install each program.
3.To enter the key for Avast, right-click on the system tray icon (blue sphere with the letter a) and choose About avast..., then click on License Key. This will enable you to enter in the key emailed to you. Avast is now good for 14 months.
4.For CounterSpy, double-click the icon on your desktop, and the setup wizard will launch. During this time, it will request the product key, as well as to set up some initial preferences. Once the wizard has finished, run CounterSpy to perform a scan. You want to go ahead and remove all that it finds.
5.Both programs run in the background. This is evident from the Avast icon spinning around a lot, and CounterSpy popping up messages about malware trying to install itself. However, regular scanning is also necessary.
6.Both programs also automatically update their own definition files, and can also update manually.
7.A particularly useful component of the Avast program is it's VRDB, or virus recovery database. It is set to perform only when running the screensaver, so right-click the Avast icon, click VRDB, then click Generate VRDB only when computer is idle. This will create backups of your system files so that in the event something gets past Avast, it can restore that file without you having to reinstall your OS. Avast is the only anti-virus software that performs this way.
Tips
•Remember to implement firewalls into your security arsenal. Software firewalls aren't as good as hardware ones, but something's better than nothing.
•Remember to check your programs often, and make sure they are scanning when they are scheduled to.
•Remember to do away with Internet Explorer, and switch to Firefox, or Opera, or something other than IE.
•Make sure you do all your windows updates, most windows updates have cumulative or critical security updates in them and this can plug holes in your operating system for you.
•On a pop-up, never close the window with a link inside the pop-up, instead close the pop-up with the red 'X' in the top corner. Closing the pop-up with the link can download spywares or adwares.
Warnings
•Check that System Restore still creates valid restore points after installing Avast! 4 Home. This may fail to work properly.
Things You'll Need
•Avast anti-virus: http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html
•CounterSpy: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/CounterSpy.cfm
•Alternative browser: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
How to Log on to Windows XP if You Forget Your Password
Here is a simple way to access Windows XP with Administrator rights and privileges if you have password protected your User account on your Windows XP system and can't remember the password(s) to login. Whenever Windows XP is installed on a system, it creates a default account called "Administrator" and by default this account is not password protected. Therefore, if you bought a brand name computer (such as Dell, HP, Compaq or Sony)or you have installed Windows XP yourself. You should be able to login to the computer through the unprotected Administrator account.
Steps
1.Reboot your machine.
2.Press F8 before the Windows boot screen appears.
◦Do not press F5 as used on the NT/9x series of Windows.
3.You will be be prompted with a boot options menu.
4.Select the Start Windows in Safe Mode option.
5.Click through several self-explanatory screens until your reach the familiar 'Welcome' screen.
6.Note that this welcome screen is limited to 256 colors and 640x480 resolution because the primary graphics will have been set to the Windows Safe Mode software VGA adapter. You will not be able to change this mode even in Display options, while Windows is running in Safe Mode.
7.Find the icon for the Administrator user. If the default settings of your system haven't been changed, there should be no password for this account.
◦The Safe Mode Welcome screen might display some of the other users on your system.
8.Login as the admin.
9.Press Yes at the prompt asking if you would like to continue using Safe Mode.
10.Continue on to the User Settings control panel. Here you can change any of the other passwords for user on the machine. Make any changes you want.
11.Reboot your computer. As long as you don't press any keys (i.e. F8) during the boot-up the computer will startup normally.
12.Login as the user for which you set the password.
Tips
•You can access the Administrator account through the login prompt without logging into safe mode. If the computer utilizes the welcome screen instead of the standard NT domain login prompt, you can press Ctrl + Alt + Del twice to get to the login prompt. This is only true if you are running Windows XP Professional Edition. Windows XP Home Edition will also allow you to use this method to log on.
•Some users are smart enough to password protect their Administrator account when they install windows. If that's the case, you'll have to know that password in order for this method to work.
•There is a way to crack the windows "SAM" and system files to retrieve the original passwords Monitor, you need a program such as LC5 installed on a computer, and the SAM file in C:\WINDOWS\system32\config if LC5 is not installed on the computer that you forgot disk because as soon as you can get into the hard drive, windows is using the file so you cant copy it.
•Use SysInternals ERD Commandor to change the admin. password. Boot from the CD and select the locksmith option to change whatever password you like. Alas, this product seems to have been discontinued, however there are many other options out there for resetting the password so long as you are willing to spend a little money.
•Much simpler is simply to rename or delete the SAM file (renaming is safer). For this you need to boot the box using some other operating system on a CD and then mount the drive (otherwise Windows locks the SAM file and won't let you touch it). NTFSDOS is also a good utility for this purpose. Find the SAM file and change the first character. After you reboot, all the accounts are still there, but they all have null passwords. Note: if you rename the SAM file on XP SP2, when you reboot, XP fails to initialize and forces you to reboot in safe mode. However when you boot into safe mode you get the same message, so don't try this method on XP SP2.
Warnings
•This method may or may not work with machines running XP SP2, you will need to use "safe mode with networking" instead.
•Use these instructions for ethical purposes only, please. Accessing Windows Administrator and changing passwords could be construed as illegal entry and electronic trespass in a court of law.
•This whole process is pointless if you know the administrator's password as you can easily remove passwords without going into safe mode. Assuming that your PC only has one user profile with administrative powers.
Steps
1.Reboot your machine.
2.Press F8 before the Windows boot screen appears.
◦Do not press F5 as used on the NT/9x series of Windows.
3.You will be be prompted with a boot options menu.
4.Select the Start Windows in Safe Mode option.
5.Click through several self-explanatory screens until your reach the familiar 'Welcome' screen.
6.Note that this welcome screen is limited to 256 colors and 640x480 resolution because the primary graphics will have been set to the Windows Safe Mode software VGA adapter. You will not be able to change this mode even in Display options, while Windows is running in Safe Mode.
7.Find the icon for the Administrator user. If the default settings of your system haven't been changed, there should be no password for this account.
◦The Safe Mode Welcome screen might display some of the other users on your system.
8.Login as the admin.
9.Press Yes at the prompt asking if you would like to continue using Safe Mode.
10.Continue on to the User Settings control panel. Here you can change any of the other passwords for user on the machine. Make any changes you want.
11.Reboot your computer. As long as you don't press any keys (i.e. F8) during the boot-up the computer will startup normally.
12.Login as the user for which you set the password.
Tips
•You can access the Administrator account through the login prompt without logging into safe mode. If the computer utilizes the welcome screen instead of the standard NT domain login prompt, you can press Ctrl + Alt + Del twice to get to the login prompt. This is only true if you are running Windows XP Professional Edition. Windows XP Home Edition will also allow you to use this method to log on.
•Some users are smart enough to password protect their Administrator account when they install windows. If that's the case, you'll have to know that password in order for this method to work.
•There is a way to crack the windows "SAM" and system files to retrieve the original passwords Monitor, you need a program such as LC5 installed on a computer, and the SAM file in C:\WINDOWS\system32\config if LC5 is not installed on the computer that you forgot disk because as soon as you can get into the hard drive, windows is using the file so you cant copy it.
•Use SysInternals ERD Commandor to change the admin. password. Boot from the CD and select the locksmith option to change whatever password you like. Alas, this product seems to have been discontinued, however there are many other options out there for resetting the password so long as you are willing to spend a little money.
•Much simpler is simply to rename or delete the SAM file (renaming is safer). For this you need to boot the box using some other operating system on a CD and then mount the drive (otherwise Windows locks the SAM file and won't let you touch it). NTFSDOS is also a good utility for this purpose. Find the SAM file and change the first character. After you reboot, all the accounts are still there, but they all have null passwords. Note: if you rename the SAM file on XP SP2, when you reboot, XP fails to initialize and forces you to reboot in safe mode. However when you boot into safe mode you get the same message, so don't try this method on XP SP2.
Warnings
•This method may or may not work with machines running XP SP2, you will need to use "safe mode with networking" instead.
•Use these instructions for ethical purposes only, please. Accessing Windows Administrator and changing passwords could be construed as illegal entry and electronic trespass in a court of law.
•This whole process is pointless if you know the administrator's password as you can easily remove passwords without going into safe mode. Assuming that your PC only has one user profile with administrative powers.
How to Hack or Break Into a Windows XP Computer Without Changing Password
Ever forgotten a windows xp password? Well, now you can have the assurance of being able to access an account and reset the password without previously knowing the password. This works for any account with a windows xp computer that's not booted off a network.
Steps
1.Get physical access to the machine. Remember that it must have a CD or DVD drive.
2.Go to http://ebcd.pcministry.com/ and download the disc ISO in the pro version.
3.Download the file and then burn the ISO onto a blank disc using an ISO writer or CD burner such as nero or UltraISO. This creates the EBCD bootable disc. This also has many other tools. You may do this on the target machine or on another machine.
4.After you have the disk, enter the bios of the target machine and make sure that the first boot drive is the CD or DVD ROM. Chances are it already is.
5.Boot from the disk. It should automatically load the main screen, but if it asks you to press any key to boot from the CD, do so.
6.After it has booted, choose option number 5, the password recovery. This will guide you through a set of steps and instructions, and if you don't know otherwise, just press enter and it will use the default options, which will work just fine.
7.When you get to the list of users, choose the user whose password needs to be reset. Follow the instructions that the program gives you, such as type in the user name, and put the password in as the * key to just blank the password. This is much more successful than changing the password through this program.
8.Once this is done, make sure that you write the changes to the hive and SAM files (an option the program will ask you about upon exiting).
9.Reboot the computer and take the cd out before the computer boots from it again.
10.Log in as that user (it will have no password if you just blanked it).
11.You can now create a password for that user.
Tips
•Alternatively, if you already know the password to one account, you can change another local password through the Command Prompt. To do this go to "Start > Run" and type in "cmd" (without quotations) and press enter. When the screen appears, type (again without quotations) "net user username *" and press enter, replacing "username" with the actual username of the account you wish to reset the password for. It will ask you to enter a new password, enter the password and press enter. You will then be required to confirm this password. Do so. Then type "exit" and press enter. Job done. (This will not work if the account you know the password to doesn't have permission to change the password of another account)
•This CD has many other useful tools that can be used if your computer crashes, so it is a worthy investment.
Warnings
•Doing this on another computer without permission is illegal, so use this disc at your discretion. It is intended for servicemen and home users to fix a computer (or your own computer) when requested to do so by the owner of that computer.
Steps
1.Get physical access to the machine. Remember that it must have a CD or DVD drive.
2.Go to http://ebcd.pcministry.com/ and download the disc ISO in the pro version.
3.Download the file and then burn the ISO onto a blank disc using an ISO writer or CD burner such as nero or UltraISO. This creates the EBCD bootable disc. This also has many other tools. You may do this on the target machine or on another machine.
4.After you have the disk, enter the bios of the target machine and make sure that the first boot drive is the CD or DVD ROM. Chances are it already is.
5.Boot from the disk. It should automatically load the main screen, but if it asks you to press any key to boot from the CD, do so.
6.After it has booted, choose option number 5, the password recovery. This will guide you through a set of steps and instructions, and if you don't know otherwise, just press enter and it will use the default options, which will work just fine.
7.When you get to the list of users, choose the user whose password needs to be reset. Follow the instructions that the program gives you, such as type in the user name, and put the password in as the * key to just blank the password. This is much more successful than changing the password through this program.
8.Once this is done, make sure that you write the changes to the hive and SAM files (an option the program will ask you about upon exiting).
9.Reboot the computer and take the cd out before the computer boots from it again.
10.Log in as that user (it will have no password if you just blanked it).
11.You can now create a password for that user.
Tips
•Alternatively, if you already know the password to one account, you can change another local password through the Command Prompt. To do this go to "Start > Run" and type in "cmd" (without quotations) and press enter. When the screen appears, type (again without quotations) "net user username *" and press enter, replacing "username" with the actual username of the account you wish to reset the password for. It will ask you to enter a new password, enter the password and press enter. You will then be required to confirm this password. Do so. Then type "exit" and press enter. Job done. (This will not work if the account you know the password to doesn't have permission to change the password of another account)
•This CD has many other useful tools that can be used if your computer crashes, so it is a worthy investment.
Warnings
•Doing this on another computer without permission is illegal, so use this disc at your discretion. It is intended for servicemen and home users to fix a computer (or your own computer) when requested to do so by the owner of that computer.
How to Disable/Enable the Windows XP Welcome Screen
This article allows you to Enable or Disable that classical Windows XP Welcome Screen which welcomes the user with a sky-blue coloured screen, and a number of images, with the respective User Accounts.
Steps
1.Click on Start.
2.Click on Control Panel.
3.Double-click on User Accounts.
4.Click on "Change the way users log on or off".
5.Uncheck "Use the Welcome Screen".
6.Click on Apply Options.
7.Close the User Accounts window and the Control Panel.
8.The next time you reboot your computer, the classic login prompt will be used.
Things You'll Need
•Microsoft Windows XP
Steps
1.Click on Start.
2.Click on Control Panel.
3.Double-click on User Accounts.
4.Click on "Change the way users log on or off".
5.Uncheck "Use the Welcome Screen".
6.Click on Apply Options.
7.Close the User Accounts window and the Control Panel.
8.The next time you reboot your computer, the classic login prompt will be used.
Things You'll Need
•Microsoft Windows XP
Thursday, 27 August 2009
How to Change a Windows XP Product Key
This article describes how to change the Windows XP product key after a Volume Licensing installation. You can use the Windows Activation Wizard graphical user interface (GUI) or a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) script. The Activation Wizard method is easier, but if you must change the product key for multiple computers, the script method is better.
1.Click start in the bottom left corner, then click run.
2.Type 'Regedit' in the white text field, and click OK. This should open the Registry Editor.
3.Navigate to the following registry key.
◦Hkey_local_machine\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
4.Right click 'OOBETimer', in that registry key that you just navigated to and then click 'Modify'.
5.Change one or more digits to anything random.
6.Click start and then click run.
7.Paste '%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a', in the white text field,.
8.Select 'Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows', then click next.
9.Click Change Product key.
10.Type the new product key into the small white text fields and then click update.
11.Check that you get a message similar to 'You have successfully activated your copy of Windows.', if you do, restart your computer, and you're done!
Tips
•To navigate in the registry, click the small '+' buttons left of the words.
•Buy a genuine product key if yours is not genuine.
•Alternatively rely on the support and specific tools from a 3rd party company that complies with Microsoft policy. Here we can mention MoonValleySoft.com .
Warnings
•This will not work when the installation source and the product key are representative of varying licenses. For example, if the installation CD is a retail license, but the product key is for an OEM license.
•Do not use any product keys that you find on any websites, these could cause you to fail the windows genuine advantage test as those keys are probable already one Microsoft's product key blacklists. Failing this test loses your operating systems genuineness, restricts updates and displays annoying messages to buy a real product key.
•Editing the registry (or any system file) is like surgery: BE CAREFUL! Don't edit anything except what this article tells you to when you open, 'Regedit'. Doing so can cause system instability, changes in functionality, or worse, be unable to use Windows altogether.
•Never tell anybody your product key.
1.Click start in the bottom left corner, then click run.
2.Type 'Regedit' in the white text field, and click OK. This should open the Registry Editor.
3.Navigate to the following registry key.
◦Hkey_local_machine\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
4.Right click 'OOBETimer', in that registry key that you just navigated to and then click 'Modify'.
5.Change one or more digits to anything random.
6.Click start and then click run.
7.Paste '%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a', in the white text field,.
8.Select 'Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows', then click next.
9.Click Change Product key.
10.Type the new product key into the small white text fields and then click update.
11.Check that you get a message similar to 'You have successfully activated your copy of Windows.', if you do, restart your computer, and you're done!
Tips
•To navigate in the registry, click the small '+' buttons left of the words.
•Buy a genuine product key if yours is not genuine.
•Alternatively rely on the support and specific tools from a 3rd party company that complies with Microsoft policy. Here we can mention MoonValleySoft.com .
Warnings
•This will not work when the installation source and the product key are representative of varying licenses. For example, if the installation CD is a retail license, but the product key is for an OEM license.
•Do not use any product keys that you find on any websites, these could cause you to fail the windows genuine advantage test as those keys are probable already one Microsoft's product key blacklists. Failing this test loses your operating systems genuineness, restricts updates and displays annoying messages to buy a real product key.
•Editing the registry (or any system file) is like surgery: BE CAREFUL! Don't edit anything except what this article tells you to when you open, 'Regedit'. Doing so can cause system instability, changes in functionality, or worse, be unable to use Windows altogether.
•Never tell anybody your product key.
How to Change a Windows XP NT 2000 Password Without Knowing the Original Password
Here are instructions for changing the Windows XP/NT/2k password, Administrator or any other user, without knowing the original password.
Steps
Method 1
1.Get the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor boot CD
2.Burn the .iso to a CD
3.Restart the computer and boot to the CD (if it does not already boot to CD then you need to change the boot order in the BIOS or use a boot menu)
4.Follow the instructions on screen
Method 2
1.Make sure that the computer is shut down.
2.Start the computer.
3.Continuously press 'F8' until a new screen shows up
4.Select anything that has the words "command prompt" or "DOS" in it. Do not use safe mode unless every choice that says "command prompt" or "DOS" involves starting up safe mode. (See Tips)
5.Type cd\
6.Type cd documents and settings
7.Type dir
8.Choose the username that you'd like to change the password.
9.Type net user (here type the username that you want to change) * Example: net user BOB *
10.Type the new password.
11.Retype the password.
12.Restart the computer normally. You can do this by typing "shutdown -r" (no quotations.) Your new password should be active.
Tips
•If you use safe mode, you'll need to log in to an administrator account. Most people have leave their administrator account on without a password. If it is passworded and there is no other way to get access to the computer, try method 1.
Warnings
•This is illegal to do without the owner's permission.
Steps
Method 1
1.Get the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor boot CD
2.Burn the .iso to a CD
3.Restart the computer and boot to the CD (if it does not already boot to CD then you need to change the boot order in the BIOS or use a boot menu)
4.Follow the instructions on screen
Method 2
1.Make sure that the computer is shut down.
2.Start the computer.
3.Continuously press 'F8' until a new screen shows up
4.Select anything that has the words "command prompt" or "DOS" in it. Do not use safe mode unless every choice that says "command prompt" or "DOS" involves starting up safe mode. (See Tips)
5.Type cd\
6.Type cd documents and settings
7.Type dir
8.Choose the username that you'd like to change the password.
9.Type net user (here type the username that you want to change) * Example: net user BOB *
10.Type the new password.
11.Retype the password.
12.Restart the computer normally. You can do this by typing "shutdown -r" (no quotations.) Your new password should be active.
Tips
•If you use safe mode, you'll need to log in to an administrator account. Most people have leave their administrator account on without a password. If it is passworded and there is no other way to get access to the computer, try method 1.
Warnings
•This is illegal to do without the owner's permission.
How to Avoid Getting a Computer Virus or Worm on Your Windows PC
There are many viruses and worms out there that could infect your computer. Not all of them are going to completely destroy your data, but they are always a hassle to deal with.
Steps
1.Be careful about using MS Outlook. Outlook is more susceptible to worms than other e-mail programs, unless you have efficient Anti-Virus programs running. Use Pegasus or Thunderbird (by Mozilla), or a web-based program such as Hotmail or Yahoo or 'Outlook Express'.
2.Install an Anti-Virus program(ex. Norton, F-Secure, Sophos or McAfee.) Also available is the free AntiVir virus scanner. Make sure you keep your virus definitions updated and run a full system scan weekly.
3.Install an Anti-Spyware program(ex. Adaware SE, Microsoft Defender), that operates against internet malware and spyware. Just like Anti-Virus, keep it updated, and do a full system scan weekly.
4.If someone sends you an attachment in e-mail or instant messaging, do not open it. If it is a picture, text or sound file (these attachments end in the extensions .txt, .jpeg, .gif, .bmp, .tif, .mp3, .htm, .html, and .avi), you are probably safe. If someone you know very well sends you a Word attachment or other type of file, e-mail them to ask them if they meant to send it to you. If they say yes, you can open it, but you might still be at risk if they are not good about running Anti-Virus scans or careful about what they download. Be wary of attachments with a double extension, such as .txt.vb or .jpg.exe, as the system will only recognize the extension to the extreme right, and run the file as such. Double extensions are often a good indicator that the file is malicious.
5.Do not use disks that other people gave you, even from work. The disk could be infected with a virus. Of course, you can run a virus scan on it first to check it out, but AV programs are not 100% effective.
6.Do not download software from just any old website. If it is a reputable site that you trust, you are probably safe. The threat is not only from software; don't download Word documents or other non-HTML files that have something other than one of the extensions listed above, either.
7.Set up your Windows Update to automatically download patches and upgrades. This will allow your computer to automatically download any updates to both the operating system in Internet Explorer. These updates fix security holes in both pieces of software.
8.Consider switching to a different web browser. Other web browsers (such as Firefox or Opera) are considered to have better security than Internet Explorer; some people also see them as more flexible and extensible browsers.
9.Be careful when surfing. You can get a malicious script from a webpage and not know it. If you have your IE set up for the maximum security settings, you are probably safe. You can try disabling javascript, but I'm not sure if this will entirely help, and it will make your web browsing pretty boring. If you ever get a window asking if you want to allow an automatic install, say "No" unless you know the site requesting the install. Also, don't go to any porn sites. Those are almost always viruses.
10.Read about the latest virus threats so you are aware of the potential danger. Go to Symantec's page to read about them daily.
11.Try to balance paranoia with common sense. Some people get really weird about viruses, spyware, etc. It's just a computer! Back up your data and follow these steps, and it shouldn't be a big problem. Some people would suggest that you make sure you have a firewall and run anti-spyware programs as well. I'm not sure either of those will protect you from viruses, but they will protect you from hacking and from spyware. Microsoft's Antispyware and Ad-Aware are the best anti-spyware/virus programs I have found. Good luck!
12.Use a software firewall! Even if you have a hardware firewall, always use a software firewall (ex. Norton, Mcafee, there's also free ones- ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm).
13.Scan things you download! Now don't be a total nut with this. But if you download something from a site that you don't know/trust, then scan it before opening it. Anything you get from P2P software you should scan, as you are getting it from a stranger. Balance scanning things with number 11, don't go nuts scanning everything you download.
14.View the files in a Sandbox.
Tips
•PC World and other computer magazines will help you keep aware of the latest info about viruses and other things going on the Internet.
•http://www.cnet.com CNET is a good place to find current updates on new viruses and security issues.
•You can prevent many bugs(and ads) by blocking many sites using a host file. Like the one found here. This site also explains hosts file.
•Some Anti-Virus/Anti-Spam/Anti-Malware programs are resource intensive and unless you have high system resources can slow your system during the scan process.
•Many websites use ActiveX controls, which means you will have to use either Microsoft's Internet Explorer or install the Mozilla ActiveX plugin for Firefox. Many of these ActiveX controls can be malicious, so make sure you trust the author of the web page before installing any ActiveX controls.
•A good free anti-spyware is Spybot Search&Destroy. This program is better than Adaware SE, the scans bring up things Adaware SE didn't detect and delete them or keep them, depending on what you want to do with the program.
•Use other than Internet Explorer, as most hackers,viruses and spyware try to find computers that do and try to hack them. Try Opera, since it is so little known, nobody tries to hack it. Opera is developed by an European company. Firefox is Open Source and free and developed by Mozilla, fewer malware attacks it, however because it is well known, make sure you install updates because there are a few security holes.
Steps
1.Be careful about using MS Outlook. Outlook is more susceptible to worms than other e-mail programs, unless you have efficient Anti-Virus programs running. Use Pegasus or Thunderbird (by Mozilla), or a web-based program such as Hotmail or Yahoo or 'Outlook Express'.
2.Install an Anti-Virus program(ex. Norton, F-Secure, Sophos or McAfee.) Also available is the free AntiVir virus scanner. Make sure you keep your virus definitions updated and run a full system scan weekly.
3.Install an Anti-Spyware program(ex. Adaware SE, Microsoft Defender), that operates against internet malware and spyware. Just like Anti-Virus, keep it updated, and do a full system scan weekly.
4.If someone sends you an attachment in e-mail or instant messaging, do not open it. If it is a picture, text or sound file (these attachments end in the extensions .txt, .jpeg, .gif, .bmp, .tif, .mp3, .htm, .html, and .avi), you are probably safe. If someone you know very well sends you a Word attachment or other type of file, e-mail them to ask them if they meant to send it to you. If they say yes, you can open it, but you might still be at risk if they are not good about running Anti-Virus scans or careful about what they download. Be wary of attachments with a double extension, such as .txt.vb or .jpg.exe, as the system will only recognize the extension to the extreme right, and run the file as such. Double extensions are often a good indicator that the file is malicious.
5.Do not use disks that other people gave you, even from work. The disk could be infected with a virus. Of course, you can run a virus scan on it first to check it out, but AV programs are not 100% effective.
6.Do not download software from just any old website. If it is a reputable site that you trust, you are probably safe. The threat is not only from software; don't download Word documents or other non-HTML files that have something other than one of the extensions listed above, either.
7.Set up your Windows Update to automatically download patches and upgrades. This will allow your computer to automatically download any updates to both the operating system in Internet Explorer. These updates fix security holes in both pieces of software.
8.Consider switching to a different web browser. Other web browsers (such as Firefox or Opera) are considered to have better security than Internet Explorer; some people also see them as more flexible and extensible browsers.
9.Be careful when surfing. You can get a malicious script from a webpage and not know it. If you have your IE set up for the maximum security settings, you are probably safe. You can try disabling javascript, but I'm not sure if this will entirely help, and it will make your web browsing pretty boring. If you ever get a window asking if you want to allow an automatic install, say "No" unless you know the site requesting the install. Also, don't go to any porn sites. Those are almost always viruses.
10.Read about the latest virus threats so you are aware of the potential danger. Go to Symantec's page to read about them daily.
11.Try to balance paranoia with common sense. Some people get really weird about viruses, spyware, etc. It's just a computer! Back up your data and follow these steps, and it shouldn't be a big problem. Some people would suggest that you make sure you have a firewall and run anti-spyware programs as well. I'm not sure either of those will protect you from viruses, but they will protect you from hacking and from spyware. Microsoft's Antispyware and Ad-Aware are the best anti-spyware/virus programs I have found. Good luck!
12.Use a software firewall! Even if you have a hardware firewall, always use a software firewall (ex. Norton, Mcafee, there's also free ones- ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm).
13.Scan things you download! Now don't be a total nut with this. But if you download something from a site that you don't know/trust, then scan it before opening it. Anything you get from P2P software you should scan, as you are getting it from a stranger. Balance scanning things with number 11, don't go nuts scanning everything you download.
14.View the files in a Sandbox.
Tips
•PC World and other computer magazines will help you keep aware of the latest info about viruses and other things going on the Internet.
•http://www.cnet.com CNET is a good place to find current updates on new viruses and security issues.
•You can prevent many bugs(and ads) by blocking many sites using a host file. Like the one found here. This site also explains hosts file.
•Some Anti-Virus/Anti-Spam/Anti-Malware programs are resource intensive and unless you have high system resources can slow your system during the scan process.
•Many websites use ActiveX controls, which means you will have to use either Microsoft's Internet Explorer or install the Mozilla ActiveX plugin for Firefox. Many of these ActiveX controls can be malicious, so make sure you trust the author of the web page before installing any ActiveX controls.
•A good free anti-spyware is Spybot Search&Destroy. This program is better than Adaware SE, the scans bring up things Adaware SE didn't detect and delete them or keep them, depending on what you want to do with the program.
•Use other than Internet Explorer, as most hackers,viruses and spyware try to find computers that do and try to hack them. Try Opera, since it is so little known, nobody tries to hack it. Opera is developed by an European company. Firefox is Open Source and free and developed by Mozilla, fewer malware attacks it, however because it is well known, make sure you install updates because there are a few security holes.
How to Authenticate Windows
How to Authenticate Windows
You just completely installed a new fresh version of Windows XP into your computer. But somehow when the window that ask you to autheticate or activate windows tell you that your copy of Windows XP is not genuine. The steps below will assist you of what to do.
Steps
1.Ask yourself which type of shop did you go to? Did you go to a shop that sells pirated CDs? The average price of a copy of Windows is normally around US$150. If you bought it at a price cheaper than US$20, please return to the store and ask for a refund. If he does not allow a refund, you are actually being cheated. You need a genuine copy to activate Windows.
2.Check whether you have typed properly. If you went to an authorised store to purchase your copy of Windows, and you found out that the product key is invalid, make sure you have typed correctly.
3.Contact your local Microsoft customer service representative. Normally, the phone number is available when you click on the "Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows now" button in the window. Choose your country name and a phone number will appear. Tell the representative either of these two things.
◦"I have bought a genuine copy but the product key is invalid." The representative will ask of you several questions in which you will answer.
◦"I have used the same CD to install Windows on the same computer for more than 10 times." If your computer caused you lots of trouble, and you are computer savvy, you will use the CD to re-install Windows. But since you don't know the fact that you are only allowed to do this at most 10 times, you may get stucked when the "Invalid product key" error appeared on your screen. The representative will ask you several questions and you will get a new but longer code in which you will use to validate your copy of Windows.
◦Please be honest, the representative will know if you are lying. They ask questions just to test your integrity.
You just completely installed a new fresh version of Windows XP into your computer. But somehow when the window that ask you to autheticate or activate windows tell you that your copy of Windows XP is not genuine. The steps below will assist you of what to do.
Steps
1.Ask yourself which type of shop did you go to? Did you go to a shop that sells pirated CDs? The average price of a copy of Windows is normally around US$150. If you bought it at a price cheaper than US$20, please return to the store and ask for a refund. If he does not allow a refund, you are actually being cheated. You need a genuine copy to activate Windows.
2.Check whether you have typed properly. If you went to an authorised store to purchase your copy of Windows, and you found out that the product key is invalid, make sure you have typed correctly.
3.Contact your local Microsoft customer service representative. Normally, the phone number is available when you click on the "Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows now" button in the window. Choose your country name and a phone number will appear. Tell the representative either of these two things.
◦"I have bought a genuine copy but the product key is invalid." The representative will ask of you several questions in which you will answer.
◦"I have used the same CD to install Windows on the same computer for more than 10 times." If your computer caused you lots of trouble, and you are computer savvy, you will use the CD to re-install Windows. But since you don't know the fact that you are only allowed to do this at most 10 times, you may get stucked when the "Invalid product key" error appeared on your screen. The representative will ask you several questions and you will get a new but longer code in which you will use to validate your copy of Windows.
◦Please be honest, the representative will know if you are lying. They ask questions just to test your integrity.
How to Adjust the Color Quality on a Windows XP Computer
Perhaps you are going to play a new computer game and you need to adjust your color quality. Perhaps you want to just try adjusting your settings a little different than normal. Whatever your reasoning, this step-by-step how-to guide will give you instructions on how to adjust the color quality on a Windows XP computer.
Steps
1.
Right click with your mouse anywhere on the computer desktop.
2.
Select the Properties button.
3.
Select the Settings tab in the upper right corner.
4.
Adjust the color quality to the setting that you desire.
5.
Click the OK button after making your changes.
Tips
•After completing step 4, if you would like to make further changes in your settings be sure to select the Apply button before switching tabs. This will save the changes that you have made in the Settings tab.
Steps
1.
Right click with your mouse anywhere on the computer desktop.
2.
Select the Properties button.
3.
Select the Settings tab in the upper right corner.
4.
Adjust the color quality to the setting that you desire.
5.
Click the OK button after making your changes.
Tips
•After completing step 4, if you would like to make further changes in your settings be sure to select the Apply button before switching tabs. This will save the changes that you have made in the Settings tab.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
How To Stop Your CRT Monitor From Flickering
CRT monitors can be a pain on the eyes, especially for those of us who spend lots of time in front of the computer. Much of this pain is caused by a flickering monitor. To increase the refresh rate of your CRT monitor and help prevent the monitor from noticeably flickering, one may do the following:
1.Right Click on the Desktop
2.Select “Properties”
3.Click on the “Settings” Tab
4.Click on the “Advanced”button
5.Open up the “Monitor” Tab
6.Manually increase the “Screen Refresh Rate”, which is measured in Hertz.
However, if you don\’t notice that your monitor is flickering, then there is no need to increase the refresh rate. Also, remember to take frequent breaks from constantly viewing the monitor and focus on various objects at different distances for a couple seconds – this is a great way to reduce sore eyes and pays off in the long run.
1.Right Click on the Desktop
2.Select “Properties”
3.Click on the “Settings” Tab
4.Click on the “Advanced”button
5.Open up the “Monitor” Tab
6.Manually increase the “Screen Refresh Rate”, which is measured in Hertz.
However, if you don\’t notice that your monitor is flickering, then there is no need to increase the refresh rate. Also, remember to take frequent breaks from constantly viewing the monitor and focus on various objects at different distances for a couple seconds – this is a great way to reduce sore eyes and pays off in the long run.
Analyze (And Optimize) Your Windows XP Boot Time
Over time, your Windows XP machine can start to slow on bootup time. This is either due to impatience on waiting for the machine to load (sound familiar?), but most likely to additional software which adds overhead to the boot process. The obvious tool to use to analyze and modify the bootup process is MSConfig, but unfortunately it doesn’t actually tell you the benefits you get from removing items from the startup process. In order to get a full analysis, use Microsoft’s free tool, BootVis.
BootVis analyzes the time it takes for each step of the process so you can see where most of the time is spent and adjust accordingly. The use of BootVis is relatively simple, just go to Trace > Reboot to have your system analyzed and then adjust accordingly. There is even an “optimize” function built in for those of you who want to let BootVis determine the best setup for your system. Of course, be careful when you use the optimize function because it might disable something you need.
Overall the goal of BootVis is to get your computer to boot to a usable state in 30 seconds or better. Depending on machine speed, this is a very reasonable amount of time. Either way, this is a great tool to have.
BootVis analyzes the time it takes for each step of the process so you can see where most of the time is spent and adjust accordingly. The use of BootVis is relatively simple, just go to Trace > Reboot to have your system analyzed and then adjust accordingly. There is even an “optimize” function built in for those of you who want to let BootVis determine the best setup for your system. Of course, be careful when you use the optimize function because it might disable something you need.
Overall the goal of BootVis is to get your computer to boot to a usable state in 30 seconds or better. Depending on machine speed, this is a very reasonable amount of time. Either way, this is a great tool to have.
Faster Dual Boot Timeout
If you dual boot your PC using Windows XP’s dual boot process, you can reduce the timeout period your PC uses before booting to the default OS. This can be useful if you use the same OS most of the time and don’t like the longer wait. You can always press enter and skip the wait, but why wait? To do it, here’s the procedure:
1) Locate and Open the hidden file “boot.ini” in notepad or your favorite text editor. This file will likely be in the root directory on the boot partition of your “master” HD.
2) Locate the line - timeout=30 (default is 30 seconds). Change this value to any time desired. Be careful not to choose too low of a setting or you may not have time to select your other OS’s. Also, be careful not to change other lines as this may prevent your PC from booting at all.
3) Save the file. The next time you boot your PC, the changes will take effect.
1) Locate and Open the hidden file “boot.ini” in notepad or your favorite text editor. This file will likely be in the root directory on the boot partition of your “master” HD.
2) Locate the line - timeout=30 (default is 30 seconds). Change this value to any time desired. Be careful not to choose too low of a setting or you may not have time to select your other OS’s. Also, be careful not to change other lines as this may prevent your PC from booting at all.
3) Save the file. The next time you boot your PC, the changes will take effect.
Speeding Up the Boot Process
One of our readers named Nassir submitted the following question:
My PC takes for ever to reboot. Could you show me ways to speed it up?
Let me count the ways, actually. The problem of a slow boot process is one that has about as many solutions as it has causes. But, here is one piece of data that, if you understand, will simplify the entire thing for you:
The more stuff that Windows has to start up during boot, the longer it will take to complete.
So, with that in mind, the first thing you need to do is start unloading programs which are set to start automatically when you boot Windows. There are two places, primarily, that you want to look at:
1.Look in the “Startup” folder in your Start Menu. Anything in that folder is set to start automatically. To remove a program from this folder, simply navigate to the “Startup” folder in your Start Menu, right-click on the item you want to remove, and choose “Delete” from the menu. This will not delete the program…only the shortcut to it.
2.There are a lot of programs set to start automatically that do not put themselves conveniently in the “Startup” folder. To get to those, you have to get into the Windows registry. Now, I don’t recommend tinkering with the registry unless you’re already familiar with it (and chances are if you are getting anything out of this post, you’re not). So, it is best to use another utility to get to it. The “built-in” way is to go to the Start Menu > Run and type in “msconfig” and press Enter. The “System Configuration” window will appear. Go to the “Startup” tab to get a full list of programs that are starting up automatically. Uncheck the ones that you want to disable. Then press “OK” to save your changes. On the next reboot, you will be warned about selective startup. Just click through it because it is OK.
Now, sometimes when you are looking into processes that start automatically, you can tell upon inspection what program it is. Other times you can’t, or you don’t know enough about it to know whether it is safe to disable or not. For this, I recommend the Ultimate Troubleshooter, a utility which looks at your Windows processes and provides a plain-English description of what it is and whether you can turn it off or not.
Aside from automatically starting programs, you also want to clean out general “gunk” from your system. For this, I recommend CCleaner. It is a free utility which will help you scan for and remove crap that is not needed. It will also scan your registry and help you clean it up. It also, conveniently, will allow you to view and disable startup processes, just like “msconfig”.
While you’re at it, check out your list of Windows services. Any service which is set to start automatically will do just that. But, many of those processes may be unnecessary because you rarely if ever use the feature which they enable. If this is the case, you can go and turn the startup mode for the service to “Manual”.
And lastly, let me give you a little list of other items you can look into to speed up your boot process:
1.Add more memory. More memory (up to 2 gigabytes) always makes Windows run more smoothly.
2.Reduce the number of fonts installed under Windows. The more fonts you have, the more Windows performance is impacted.
3.Get a hard drive with a faster RPM speed.
4.Fine tune your security software. If you have anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software installed at maximum settings, this can slow down your computer a great deal.
5.Defragment routinely.
Yeah, users of other operating systems probably laugh at how Windows slows down so much when you load it up. Such is the nature of using an operating system which uses a registry. But, until Microsoft decides to completely change the way Windows operates, we will have to think about the above when trying to figure out why Windows runs so slow.
My PC takes for ever to reboot. Could you show me ways to speed it up?
Let me count the ways, actually. The problem of a slow boot process is one that has about as many solutions as it has causes. But, here is one piece of data that, if you understand, will simplify the entire thing for you:
The more stuff that Windows has to start up during boot, the longer it will take to complete.
So, with that in mind, the first thing you need to do is start unloading programs which are set to start automatically when you boot Windows. There are two places, primarily, that you want to look at:
1.Look in the “Startup” folder in your Start Menu. Anything in that folder is set to start automatically. To remove a program from this folder, simply navigate to the “Startup” folder in your Start Menu, right-click on the item you want to remove, and choose “Delete” from the menu. This will not delete the program…only the shortcut to it.
2.There are a lot of programs set to start automatically that do not put themselves conveniently in the “Startup” folder. To get to those, you have to get into the Windows registry. Now, I don’t recommend tinkering with the registry unless you’re already familiar with it (and chances are if you are getting anything out of this post, you’re not). So, it is best to use another utility to get to it. The “built-in” way is to go to the Start Menu > Run and type in “msconfig” and press Enter. The “System Configuration” window will appear. Go to the “Startup” tab to get a full list of programs that are starting up automatically. Uncheck the ones that you want to disable. Then press “OK” to save your changes. On the next reboot, you will be warned about selective startup. Just click through it because it is OK.
Now, sometimes when you are looking into processes that start automatically, you can tell upon inspection what program it is. Other times you can’t, or you don’t know enough about it to know whether it is safe to disable or not. For this, I recommend the Ultimate Troubleshooter, a utility which looks at your Windows processes and provides a plain-English description of what it is and whether you can turn it off or not.
Aside from automatically starting programs, you also want to clean out general “gunk” from your system. For this, I recommend CCleaner. It is a free utility which will help you scan for and remove crap that is not needed. It will also scan your registry and help you clean it up. It also, conveniently, will allow you to view and disable startup processes, just like “msconfig”.
While you’re at it, check out your list of Windows services. Any service which is set to start automatically will do just that. But, many of those processes may be unnecessary because you rarely if ever use the feature which they enable. If this is the case, you can go and turn the startup mode for the service to “Manual”.
And lastly, let me give you a little list of other items you can look into to speed up your boot process:
1.Add more memory. More memory (up to 2 gigabytes) always makes Windows run more smoothly.
2.Reduce the number of fonts installed under Windows. The more fonts you have, the more Windows performance is impacted.
3.Get a hard drive with a faster RPM speed.
4.Fine tune your security software. If you have anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software installed at maximum settings, this can slow down your computer a great deal.
5.Defragment routinely.
Yeah, users of other operating systems probably laugh at how Windows slows down so much when you load it up. Such is the nature of using an operating system which uses a registry. But, until Microsoft decides to completely change the way Windows operates, we will have to think about the above when trying to figure out why Windows runs so slow.
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Have A Taskbar For Each Monitor
A problem with using multiple monitors in Windows is you can only have your taskbar across the bottom of one of them. While this isn’t a huge inconvenience, it can be a nuisance nonetheless. If you find this behavior annoying, take a look at Oscar’s Multi-Monitor Taskbar.
This free program creates a taskbar along the bottom of each of your monitors and only displays the programs running on that monitor respectively. Some features from the web site:
It adds second taskbar to the extended desktop on Monitor 2
It can add third taskbar to the second Extended monitor if you have 3 monitors setup
It shows only applications from that Monitor
It hides the applications on Monitor 2 and 3 from normal Windows Taskbar
Adds a Move to Monitor button to windows applications (XP).
Essentially, this program would make it seem as though each monitor is hooked up to a separate computer with regards to what appears in the taskbar.
There is a Pro version of the Multi-Monitor Taskbar program which adds several additional functions, so if you like the free version, give the upgrade a try.
This free program creates a taskbar along the bottom of each of your monitors and only displays the programs running on that monitor respectively. Some features from the web site:
It adds second taskbar to the extended desktop on Monitor 2
It can add third taskbar to the second Extended monitor if you have 3 monitors setup
It shows only applications from that Monitor
It hides the applications on Monitor 2 and 3 from normal Windows Taskbar
Adds a Move to Monitor button to windows applications (XP).
Essentially, this program would make it seem as though each monitor is hooked up to a separate computer with regards to what appears in the taskbar.
There is a Pro version of the Multi-Monitor Taskbar program which adds several additional functions, so if you like the free version, give the upgrade a try.
Triple Monitor Setup
I have covered in the past the idea of setting up two monitors on a single PC. Many people now do it, and many video cards are now available which offer dual output from a single card. But, what if you wanted to add yet another monitor? How about 3? I recently did this. I spend most of my workday in front of the computer and the multiple screens increase my productivity quite a bit, especially when I’m doing development. Windows XP can support more than one video card, and I happened to have a few sitting around. I already had an ATI Radeon dualhead card installed in the AGP slot, and obviously I had no additional AGP slots to work with. So, I found an older PCI card (an old Diamond Multimedia card using the Rive128 chipset) and installed it into a spare PCI slot.
On the first boot, the machine would not boot. This had to do with a BIOS setting which told the motherboard whether to initiate the AGP video or the PCI video first. It was set to PCI, and it just would not boot. So, I removed the card and used the AGP one to go into the BIOS and set that setting to AGP. I then put the card back in and the machine did boot. The screen connected to the PCI card did not show anything during boot-up. But, once Windows started, it detected the second video card and installed the drivers. I then went into the control panel > Display > setting and chose monitor number 3. I checked off “Extend my Windows Desktop onto this monitor”, applied changes, and then the third monitor came to life. Adjust the settings and then you’re good to go.
Obviously, the second video card is old, but unless you do pretty intense graphical things, most older video cards will work just fine. and if you can fork over the money for another monitor, this is a great way to use an old video card. And, if you think two monitors is nice, you should try using three.
On the first boot, the machine would not boot. This had to do with a BIOS setting which told the motherboard whether to initiate the AGP video or the PCI video first. It was set to PCI, and it just would not boot. So, I removed the card and used the AGP one to go into the BIOS and set that setting to AGP. I then put the card back in and the machine did boot. The screen connected to the PCI card did not show anything during boot-up. But, once Windows started, it detected the second video card and installed the drivers. I then went into the control panel > Display > setting and chose monitor number 3. I checked off “Extend my Windows Desktop onto this monitor”, applied changes, and then the third monitor came to life. Adjust the settings and then you’re good to go.
Obviously, the second video card is old, but unless you do pretty intense graphical things, most older video cards will work just fine. and if you can fork over the money for another monitor, this is a great way to use an old video card. And, if you think two monitors is nice, you should try using three.
Double Monitor Setup
Introduction:
Multiple monitor functionality was brought to the Windows world with Windows 95. Unfortunately, that implementation had some problems, and monitors were so expensive that most people didn’t use more than one. Now, however, monitors are fairly inexpensive and many video cards have built-in support for 2 or more monitors. Quite a bit of software has been written with multiple monitors in mind. If you haven’t tried multiple monitors before, or if you want to learn how to make your current multi-monitor setup better, just keep reading.
Benefits:
The most obvious benefit of having multiple monitors is that you get more desktop area to have more applications visible at one time. Instead of being limited to 1280×1024 of a single 19″ CRT/LCD monitor, you can have 2560×1024 of total area on two 19″ CRT/LCDs or even 3840×1024 with three.
However, the advantages don’t end with a larger desktop area. If you like to run applications in maximized or full screen modes, you’ll be able to fill one screen with each application. So if you want to have your email program maximized on one screen (if you have a lot of email), you can still use the other screen for your web brower, spreadsheet, word processor, or any other progrm. It makes copy/pasting easier because you can have the “Copy” window on one monitor and the “Paste” window on another so you can see exactly what you are doing.
It’s also possible to combine the multiple displays into one big display on the computer. Then you can watch a DVD and stretch it to fill all the monitor space.
Microsoft Flight Simulator supports multi-monitor gaming excellently, and a few other games do as well (many only work with Matrox Dualhead cards). It’s possible to get different views or even play head to head, depending on the game. Unfortunately, the displays other than the primary display do not have the full set of DirectX options and usually will only work in a software rendered mode.
In short, if you’re using just one monitor, you’re hurting your own productivity. If you can spare the desk space, you’ll definitely be able to do more with two.
Methods:
So how do you go about setting up a dual monitor system? You’ll need two monitors and either 2 video cards or a video card that has mutiple monitor outputs. It’s even possible to mix and match multi-monitor video cards with single-monitor video cards for more monitors.
You can also use a laptop since most of the time the built-in LCD display can be seperate from the external VGA output. It’s even possible to have a third display on a laptop using a PCMCIA video card.
Multiple monitor functionality was brought to the Windows world with Windows 95. Unfortunately, that implementation had some problems, and monitors were so expensive that most people didn’t use more than one. Now, however, monitors are fairly inexpensive and many video cards have built-in support for 2 or more monitors. Quite a bit of software has been written with multiple monitors in mind. If you haven’t tried multiple monitors before, or if you want to learn how to make your current multi-monitor setup better, just keep reading.
Benefits:
The most obvious benefit of having multiple monitors is that you get more desktop area to have more applications visible at one time. Instead of being limited to 1280×1024 of a single 19″ CRT/LCD monitor, you can have 2560×1024 of total area on two 19″ CRT/LCDs or even 3840×1024 with three.
However, the advantages don’t end with a larger desktop area. If you like to run applications in maximized or full screen modes, you’ll be able to fill one screen with each application. So if you want to have your email program maximized on one screen (if you have a lot of email), you can still use the other screen for your web brower, spreadsheet, word processor, or any other progrm. It makes copy/pasting easier because you can have the “Copy” window on one monitor and the “Paste” window on another so you can see exactly what you are doing.
It’s also possible to combine the multiple displays into one big display on the computer. Then you can watch a DVD and stretch it to fill all the monitor space.
Microsoft Flight Simulator supports multi-monitor gaming excellently, and a few other games do as well (many only work with Matrox Dualhead cards). It’s possible to get different views or even play head to head, depending on the game. Unfortunately, the displays other than the primary display do not have the full set of DirectX options and usually will only work in a software rendered mode.
In short, if you’re using just one monitor, you’re hurting your own productivity. If you can spare the desk space, you’ll definitely be able to do more with two.
Methods:
So how do you go about setting up a dual monitor system? You’ll need two monitors and either 2 video cards or a video card that has mutiple monitor outputs. It’s even possible to mix and match multi-monitor video cards with single-monitor video cards for more monitors.
You can also use a laptop since most of the time the built-in LCD display can be seperate from the external VGA output. It’s even possible to have a third display on a laptop using a PCMCIA video card.
Windows Genuine Advantage Crack for WGA 1.5.722.0
If your Windows XP system has been installed with Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Validation Tools v1.5.722.0 (only LegitCheckControl.dll is update to version 1.5.722.0), and you haven’t been aware that there are much easier methods of workaround or hack to bypass WGA validation, or a hosts file trick to permanent make genuine your Windows, you can use the following cracks for Windows Genuine Advantage version 1.5.722.0 that are been released by ETH0, with more cracks likely to appear soon.
The WGA crack by ETH0 is a simple yet effective fix for WGA so that WGA validation will always be genuine. With the crack, users can access Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center properly, and the Windows XP machine will not have any annoying nag screen reminding you that you’re victim of counterfeiting.
To use WGA 1.5.722.0 crack by ETHO, simply download Windows.Genuine.Advantage.Validation.v1.5.722.0.CRACKED-ETH0.rar. Extract the archive by using WinRAR. And then execute and run the installer.bat, and the batch script will automatically terminate the process of WgaTray.exe, make a backup copy of LegitCheckControl.dll, WgaLogon.dll, and WgaTray.exe, and then replacing them with a patched copy of the file.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purpose only. If you’re using non-genuine or pirated Microsoft Windows operating system, please purchase a legal copy from your local computer store. If you’re genuine Windows users but unable to validate your copy of Windows, please contact Microsoft
The WGA crack by ETH0 is a simple yet effective fix for WGA so that WGA validation will always be genuine. With the crack, users can access Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center properly, and the Windows XP machine will not have any annoying nag screen reminding you that you’re victim of counterfeiting.
To use WGA 1.5.722.0 crack by ETHO, simply download Windows.Genuine.Advantage.Validation.v1.5.722.0.CRACKED-ETH0.rar. Extract the archive by using WinRAR. And then execute and run the installer.bat, and the batch script will automatically terminate the process of WgaTray.exe, make a backup copy of LegitCheckControl.dll, WgaLogon.dll, and WgaTray.exe, and then replacing them with a patched copy of the file.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purpose only. If you’re using non-genuine or pirated Microsoft Windows operating system, please purchase a legal copy from your local computer store. If you’re genuine Windows users but unable to validate your copy of Windows, please contact Microsoft
Remove, Bypass, Patch and Disable Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage WGA Validation version 1.5.708.0 with LegitCheckControl.dll Crack
Microsoft has released Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool version 1.5.708.0 which consists of LegitCheckControl.dll and LegitCheckControl.inf that is installed to whoever that wants to download WGA-protected downloads and software from Microsoft Download Center such as Internet Explorer 7 RC1 (Windows XP SP2), Windows Defender (Beta 2), DirectX End-User Runtime, Windows Media Player 10 and 11 Beta, Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable, Photo Story 3 and other Windows Genuine Advantage special offers. The latest version of WGA Validation Tool is installed when you try to perform Windows validation even though you already have hacked or patched version of LegitCheckControl.dll installed.
WGA LegitCheckControl.dll version 1.5.708.0 has different structure from previous version and cannot be ‘upgraded’ by simply change the version info from the existing patched LegitCheckControl.dll. However, one reader Danny has contributed a cracked and patched version of LegitCheckControl.dll which is able to bypass and disable genuine Windows validation check to download the WGA-restricted downloads from Microsoft Download Center, beside performing Windows update.
1.LCC_DLL.zip which consists of cracked and fixed LegitCheckControl.dll version 1.5.708.0 and LegitCheckControl.inf can be downloaded from here (link deleted due to complaint from Microsoft).
2.Launch Windows Explorer, navigate to \Windows\System32 folder, and delete LegitCheckControl.dll file. (Note: If you unable to delete the file, restart your PC into Safe Mode, and try again)
3.Copy the extracted files from the downloaded ZIP to \Windows\System32 folder. If you haven’t delete LegitCheckControl.dll, simply replace the existing DLL.
4.If you’re in Safe-Mode, restart your computer now.
5.Click on Continue (Validation Required) button to continue to download page to download your desired software.
If the patched LegitCheckControl.dll above is not working, you may try to get Helios’ instructions on changing Windows VLK product key on IE and Windows respectively, so that there is Cryptographic Errors Detected on MGADiag.exe in order to bypass validation on Download Center.
Alternatively, download the dp-XPgen15708auto (removed due to complaint from Microsoft) by renaTgaD from Desperate TCG. It’s a fixed exe which mean it’s the WGA installer contains patched version 1.5.708.0 of LegitCheckControl.dll (WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe stay at v1.5.540.0). After download, just close any web browser and run the installer to install fixed version of WGA.
There is also crack and hack from Team ETH0 which most likely will enable you to run Windows Update (Microsoft Update) and remove any nag screen only. Download the WGA 157080c (removed due to complaint from Microsoft) and run the installer.bat batch file.
Beside, if you still facing problem, try to use direct download link location URL to download directly from Microsoft, bypassing all WGA validation check.
WGA LegitCheckControl.dll version 1.5.708.0 has different structure from previous version and cannot be ‘upgraded’ by simply change the version info from the existing patched LegitCheckControl.dll. However, one reader Danny has contributed a cracked and patched version of LegitCheckControl.dll which is able to bypass and disable genuine Windows validation check to download the WGA-restricted downloads from Microsoft Download Center, beside performing Windows update.
1.LCC_DLL.zip which consists of cracked and fixed LegitCheckControl.dll version 1.5.708.0 and LegitCheckControl.inf can be downloaded from here (link deleted due to complaint from Microsoft).
2.Launch Windows Explorer, navigate to \Windows\System32 folder, and delete LegitCheckControl.dll file. (Note: If you unable to delete the file, restart your PC into Safe Mode, and try again)
3.Copy the extracted files from the downloaded ZIP to \Windows\System32 folder. If you haven’t delete LegitCheckControl.dll, simply replace the existing DLL.
4.If you’re in Safe-Mode, restart your computer now.
5.Click on Continue (Validation Required) button to continue to download page to download your desired software.
If the patched LegitCheckControl.dll above is not working, you may try to get Helios’ instructions on changing Windows VLK product key on IE and Windows respectively, so that there is Cryptographic Errors Detected on MGADiag.exe in order to bypass validation on Download Center.
Alternatively, download the dp-XPgen15708auto (removed due to complaint from Microsoft) by renaTgaD from Desperate TCG. It’s a fixed exe which mean it’s the WGA installer contains patched version 1.5.708.0 of LegitCheckControl.dll (WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe stay at v1.5.540.0). After download, just close any web browser and run the installer to install fixed version of WGA.
There is also crack and hack from Team ETH0 which most likely will enable you to run Windows Update (Microsoft Update) and remove any nag screen only. Download the WGA 157080c (removed due to complaint from Microsoft) and run the installer.bat batch file.
Beside, if you still facing problem, try to use direct download link location URL to download directly from Microsoft, bypassing all WGA validation check.
Bypassing RapidShare Download Limits
Since the launch of RapidShare in May 2002, a lot of people have tried to bypass the limits of RapidShare downloads. Some methods were fake, some were kept secret and a couple of them really worked.
Because of the way RapidShare imposes it’s limits on their non-premium users, it is still possible today to bypass the download limit without purchasing a premium RapidShare account. A lot of websites list ways to download without purchasing a premium account, but most of them are outdated or incomplete.
Methods that do not longer work
Skipping the download counter with javascript
GreaseMonkey plugin for FireFox and rapidshare.user.js
These are old ways to bypass the download limit and RapidShare has closed these holes a long time ago.
Analysis of RapidShare limits
To bypass the RapidShare download limits, we first have to analyze those limits :
download delay (you have to wait before your download begins)
download size limit (you can only download a certain amount of Megabytes per hour)
simultaneous download limit (you can only download one file at a time)
Let’s analyze the download delay limit.
For free users RapidShare creates a download ticket when a file is requested and prepares the file for download. Mostly you will have to wait between 2-3 minutes before your download will start. After the waiting period you will enjoy the download at full speed like premium users.
About the download size limit.
Files on RapidShare have a maximum size of 100MB and that’s the download limit for non-premium users. Because most files shared on RapidShare are split up in chunks of 100MB, a free user will be allowed to download only one file per hour.
Analysis of simultaneous download limit.
This one’s pretty straight-forward. A non-premium user can download one file at a time. RapidShare can recognize you by IP address and will not allow more than one download per IP.
Bypassing RapidShare limits by following bending the rules
After our extensive analysis of RapidShare’s limits we can, finally, get to the interesting part : bypassing those limits.
Method 1 : connect to RapidShare via proxy
As we discussed above, RapidShare imposes limits on free users based on their IP address. This means that if we find a way to change (or hide) our IP address, we will be able to enjoy unlimited downloads. All recent (and not so recent) browsers support proxy servers, so this method will work for almost everyone.
One way to hide our IP address is by using a proxy server. Proxy servers are very simple machines that receive data and forward it to the specified destination. This means that when you connect to RapidShare through a proxy server, RapidShare will see the proxy server’s IP, not yours.
First of all we need a list of proxies. You can either select a random one or choose one from the sorted list. A quick search on Google for “transparent proxy” or “anonymous proxy” will yield good results as well. Copy the address and port from the list and paste them into the proxy settings dialog in your favorite browser.
Method 2 : connect to RapidShare via the Tor network
This method is very similar to method 1, except that here we do not have to look for a proxy server. Tor is a piece of software that protects your privacy on the internet by “bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world“. This sounds complicated, but actually Tor is just a way of relaying all your connections through a couple of “proxies”. This again will allow us to hide our IP address from RapidShare and enjoy unlimited downloads.
Information about how to install Tor on your Operating System can be found on their main website.
Method 3 : request a new IP address
Most of us are connected to the Internet via cable or adsl and usually our ISP will assign us a dynamic IP address every time we turn on our computer. ISPs use dynamic IP addresses because not all their customers will be online at once at any given moment. So when you connect to the Internet your ISP will assign you an IP address from the pool of available IP’s, which usually is huge. Now we don’t want to turn off our computer every time after we download a file from RapidShare, so here we will explain how to make your ISP issue a new IP address on your request.
To request a new IP for windows users :
1.Open a command prompt (Click Start -> Run, type `cmd` in the Open box, click OK)
2.Run the following commands at the command prompt, one by one:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
exit
3.Start another download from RapidShare
Another way to request a new IP address is to restart the Internet Connection from Network Connections in the Control Panel.
If you are using a router to connect to the Internet, this method might not work and you can get a new IP address by turning it off for a minute and then back on. If you are familiar with the internal workings of your specific router you can restart the connection from the router’s interface.
In conclusion …
Currently, these are the only methods that we know of to legally bypass RapidShare’s download limits. If you have suggestions, improvements or comments we would love to hear from you. Just leave a note below.
Because of the way RapidShare imposes it’s limits on their non-premium users, it is still possible today to bypass the download limit without purchasing a premium RapidShare account. A lot of websites list ways to download without purchasing a premium account, but most of them are outdated or incomplete.
Methods that do not longer work
Skipping the download counter with javascript
GreaseMonkey plugin for FireFox and rapidshare.user.js
These are old ways to bypass the download limit and RapidShare has closed these holes a long time ago.
Analysis of RapidShare limits
To bypass the RapidShare download limits, we first have to analyze those limits :
download delay (you have to wait before your download begins)
download size limit (you can only download a certain amount of Megabytes per hour)
simultaneous download limit (you can only download one file at a time)
Let’s analyze the download delay limit.
For free users RapidShare creates a download ticket when a file is requested and prepares the file for download. Mostly you will have to wait between 2-3 minutes before your download will start. After the waiting period you will enjoy the download at full speed like premium users.
About the download size limit.
Files on RapidShare have a maximum size of 100MB and that’s the download limit for non-premium users. Because most files shared on RapidShare are split up in chunks of 100MB, a free user will be allowed to download only one file per hour.
Analysis of simultaneous download limit.
This one’s pretty straight-forward. A non-premium user can download one file at a time. RapidShare can recognize you by IP address and will not allow more than one download per IP.
Bypassing RapidShare limits by following bending the rules
After our extensive analysis of RapidShare’s limits we can, finally, get to the interesting part : bypassing those limits.
Method 1 : connect to RapidShare via proxy
As we discussed above, RapidShare imposes limits on free users based on their IP address. This means that if we find a way to change (or hide) our IP address, we will be able to enjoy unlimited downloads. All recent (and not so recent) browsers support proxy servers, so this method will work for almost everyone.
One way to hide our IP address is by using a proxy server. Proxy servers are very simple machines that receive data and forward it to the specified destination. This means that when you connect to RapidShare through a proxy server, RapidShare will see the proxy server’s IP, not yours.
First of all we need a list of proxies. You can either select a random one or choose one from the sorted list. A quick search on Google for “transparent proxy” or “anonymous proxy” will yield good results as well. Copy the address and port from the list and paste them into the proxy settings dialog in your favorite browser.
Method 2 : connect to RapidShare via the Tor network
This method is very similar to method 1, except that here we do not have to look for a proxy server. Tor is a piece of software that protects your privacy on the internet by “bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world“. This sounds complicated, but actually Tor is just a way of relaying all your connections through a couple of “proxies”. This again will allow us to hide our IP address from RapidShare and enjoy unlimited downloads.
Information about how to install Tor on your Operating System can be found on their main website.
Method 3 : request a new IP address
Most of us are connected to the Internet via cable or adsl and usually our ISP will assign us a dynamic IP address every time we turn on our computer. ISPs use dynamic IP addresses because not all their customers will be online at once at any given moment. So when you connect to the Internet your ISP will assign you an IP address from the pool of available IP’s, which usually is huge. Now we don’t want to turn off our computer every time after we download a file from RapidShare, so here we will explain how to make your ISP issue a new IP address on your request.
To request a new IP for windows users :
1.Open a command prompt (Click Start -> Run, type `cmd` in the Open box, click OK)
2.Run the following commands at the command prompt, one by one:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
exit
3.Start another download from RapidShare
Another way to request a new IP address is to restart the Internet Connection from Network Connections in the Control Panel.
If you are using a router to connect to the Internet, this method might not work and you can get a new IP address by turning it off for a minute and then back on. If you are familiar with the internal workings of your specific router you can restart the connection from the router’s interface.
In conclusion …
Currently, these are the only methods that we know of to legally bypass RapidShare’s download limits. If you have suggestions, improvements or comments we would love to hear from you. Just leave a note below.
Bypass and Disable Genuine Windows Validation Check
Microsoft has made it harder for illegitimate, or for whatever reason, your copy of Microsoft Windows couldn’t be validated, users to retrieve updates via Microsoft Updates or Windows Update, and download programs from Microsoft Download Center.
If you just want to download and apply critical updates to your system, you will be still able to do that without any hack and crack. Just set your Windows’ Automatic Updates (found in Control Panel) setting to Automatic, and let Windows does the updating job in the background. The downside is, it won’t get for you the optional updates.
If you want to download optional components from Windows Update, or simply want to download Windows Defender, Windows Media Player 10, Photo Story 3, DirectX 9 and other application softwares from Microsoft Download Center that require WGA validation tool, you will need to apply a easy and safe hack to bypass the checking.
1.Open Windows Explorer by clicking Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Windows Explorer.
2.Browse to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data folder.
3.Delete (or backup or move to another folder, if you want) data.dat file.
4.Create a new empty data.dat: You can create a new text file by (make sure you are at the right folder at above) clicking File -> New -> Text Document or right clicking on Windows Explorer window then click New -> Text Document. Then, either rename the file to data.dat. The original .txt extention of the text file need to be changed too. You can disable the hiding of extension of known file types, or follow the following steps to create a new file out of the text file:
◦Open the text document you just created.
◦Click on File -> Save As.
◦Change the Save as type to “All Files”.
◦In the File name, type data.dat
◦Click Save.
◦Go back to the Windows Explorer, at folder C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data, check that data.dat exists.
◦Delete the text file you created previously.
5.Set the attributes of data.dat to Hidden and Read-Only. Attributes can be set by right click on the data.dat file, and then click on Properties.
6.Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation check has been disabled.
Note: The data.dat that are replacing the original data.dat can be blank text file or empty, or you may type whatever you want there.
With this hack (or crack if you want), Windows WGA piracy check will be bypassed and you can now download software from Download Center or apply updates from Microsoft/Windows Updates.
If you just want to download and apply critical updates to your system, you will be still able to do that without any hack and crack. Just set your Windows’ Automatic Updates (found in Control Panel) setting to Automatic, and let Windows does the updating job in the background. The downside is, it won’t get for you the optional updates.
If you want to download optional components from Windows Update, or simply want to download Windows Defender, Windows Media Player 10, Photo Story 3, DirectX 9 and other application softwares from Microsoft Download Center that require WGA validation tool, you will need to apply a easy and safe hack to bypass the checking.
1.Open Windows Explorer by clicking Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Windows Explorer.
2.Browse to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data folder.
3.Delete (or backup or move to another folder, if you want) data.dat file.
4.Create a new empty data.dat: You can create a new text file by (make sure you are at the right folder at above) clicking File -> New -> Text Document or right clicking on Windows Explorer window then click New -> Text Document. Then, either rename the file to data.dat. The original .txt extention of the text file need to be changed too. You can disable the hiding of extension of known file types, or follow the following steps to create a new file out of the text file:
◦Open the text document you just created.
◦Click on File -> Save As.
◦Change the Save as type to “All Files”.
◦In the File name, type data.dat
◦Click Save.
◦Go back to the Windows Explorer, at folder C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data, check that data.dat exists.
◦Delete the text file you created previously.
5.Set the attributes of data.dat to Hidden and Read-Only. Attributes can be set by right click on the data.dat file, and then click on Properties.
6.Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation check has been disabled.
Note: The data.dat that are replacing the original data.dat can be blank text file or empty, or you may type whatever you want there.
With this hack (or crack if you want), Windows WGA piracy check will be bypassed and you can now download software from Download Center or apply updates from Microsoft/Windows Updates.
Bypass Windows Vista Activation Crack with Future Date Installation
This method is not a new trick or hack to crack or bypass Windows Vista activation requirement which has been made harder to crack by Microsoft. The steps to install Windows Vista in future date has previously been published. However the method is again made famous by the release of pirated Windows Vista retail DVD in Thailand. The illegal copies of Windows Vista Ultimate is sold only for $5.00 or less in high scale shopping mall in Bangkok, compared with official retail price at $400, with the DVD contains fully functional RTM final release, virus-free version of Windows Vista which is same as Vista downloaded from P2P network, and can be used to install Vista Basic, Vista Premium, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate.
According to the Windows Vista pirated DVD, Windows Vista activation can be bypassed and cracked by installing Windows Vista in future date as detailed in the guide below. There is no product key needed.
1.Purchase your Windows Vista DVD or download MSDN release version of Windows Vista.
2.If you download Windows Vista RTM Build 6000 ISO, burn it to DVD.
3.Disconnect or disable Internet connection or simply unplug the cable.
4.Set the date to year 2099 in the BIOS (or whatever the maximum year the the BIOS capable to set). Check your computer manual on how to access BIOS and change date, normally pressing F2, F10 or Esc will do.
5.Boot from Windows Vista DVD.
6.When install Windows Vista, do not enter any product key or serial number. Simply leave the field blank and click Next.
7.When prompted for confirmation, click ‘No’.
8.Once Windows Vista finishes installing, set back the date to the current time in the Windows Vista desktop.
The simple hack for the pirated DVD of Windows Vista ends here. However, there are a more comprehensive method to crack Windows Vista activation that immediately follows the tutorial steps above (skip the above time changing step).
1.When Vista installation is finished, boot up Windows Vista and go to the Windows where you’ll required to enter desired account name and password, followed by computer name. Do not enter anything yet, instead press Shift + F10 key together to launch Command Prompt.
2.In the launched Command Prompt, type “taskmgr” (without the quotes) to launch Task Manager.
3.In the Task Manager window, go to Processes tab, and locate the program called “msoobe.exe”. Select the process and click on “End Process” button to terminate the program.
4.The Account Creation screen should disappear and the Welcome Screen should appear. Log with a user called “Other User” and then click the arrow button in the right corner, and then click on “Restart” to restart the system.
5.Upon initial stage of system bootup after restarting, press F8 Key to go to Safe Mode.
6.In the Safe Mode, go to Start -> Run, and type “control userpasswords2″ (without quotes), and the user accounts setting should appear.
7.Go to Advanced tab, and in Advanced User Management section click on Advanced.
8.There will be two folders named Users & Groups. Double click on Users folder then right click on the icon named Administrator, and then unchecked the setting that says “Account Is Disabled”.
9.Click on OK twice to exit. And don’t restart the computer.
10.In the clock and time shown in the Notification Area (System Tray), right click on the Clock and select Adjust Date and Time.
11.Go to Internet Time tab, and choose Change Settings, then uncheck (untick) Synchronize with an Internet Time Server option.
12.Click OK to exit.
13.Restart the computer and boot up to BIOS.
14.Reset the computer date and year to current year.
15.Boot up the computer to Windows Vista, you should be able to log on as Administrator.
16.Go to Start -> Run, and type “winver”, then press Enter or click OK.
17.A window will display and mentioned that the product is licensed to: Windows User.
18.Beside, in My Computer properties, the computer name will have a randomized name too.
19.In Windows Explorer, go to Folder Options, and select Show Hidden Files and Folders settings.
20.Browse to C:\Windows\system32\oobe folder.
21.Locate and Run msoobe.exe by double clicking on it.
22.Input the desired account name, computer name, date and the time zone.
23.Windows Vista will then analyze the computer’s performance. Wait for the performance check to complete.
24.Once performance check is complete, go to Start -> Run, and type “control userpasswords2″.
25.User Accounts window will be launched. Go to Advance, and in Advanced User Management section click on Advanced, and then double click on Users folder.
26.Right click on Administrator and then select Properties, and check the Account is Disabled option.
27.Restart the computer
28.Connect to Internet.
29.Verify the computer name and winver display. You’ll have 30 days activation grace period which expires only at year 2099 (or whatever year you set)
There are hack that combined future date trick above with activation files crack as detailed in the last part of this article. All tricks will extend the length of time or the grace period that requires to activate Windows Vista, by fooling Windows into thinking that the timeout is far into the future. In other word, the Vista is running in trial demo mode which made available by Microsoft.
Whichever bypass or crack method you choose, it’s unclear how long the activation will last, as the main pillar of Software Protection Platform (SPP) on Windows Vista, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) hasn’t come into picture and play its part when Vista users check for software updates.
According to the Windows Vista pirated DVD, Windows Vista activation can be bypassed and cracked by installing Windows Vista in future date as detailed in the guide below. There is no product key needed.
1.Purchase your Windows Vista DVD or download MSDN release version of Windows Vista.
2.If you download Windows Vista RTM Build 6000 ISO, burn it to DVD.
3.Disconnect or disable Internet connection or simply unplug the cable.
4.Set the date to year 2099 in the BIOS (or whatever the maximum year the the BIOS capable to set). Check your computer manual on how to access BIOS and change date, normally pressing F2, F10 or Esc will do.
5.Boot from Windows Vista DVD.
6.When install Windows Vista, do not enter any product key or serial number. Simply leave the field blank and click Next.
7.When prompted for confirmation, click ‘No’.
8.Once Windows Vista finishes installing, set back the date to the current time in the Windows Vista desktop.
The simple hack for the pirated DVD of Windows Vista ends here. However, there are a more comprehensive method to crack Windows Vista activation that immediately follows the tutorial steps above (skip the above time changing step).
1.When Vista installation is finished, boot up Windows Vista and go to the Windows where you’ll required to enter desired account name and password, followed by computer name. Do not enter anything yet, instead press Shift + F10 key together to launch Command Prompt.
2.In the launched Command Prompt, type “taskmgr” (without the quotes) to launch Task Manager.
3.In the Task Manager window, go to Processes tab, and locate the program called “msoobe.exe”. Select the process and click on “End Process” button to terminate the program.
4.The Account Creation screen should disappear and the Welcome Screen should appear. Log with a user called “Other User” and then click the arrow button in the right corner, and then click on “Restart” to restart the system.
5.Upon initial stage of system bootup after restarting, press F8 Key to go to Safe Mode.
6.In the Safe Mode, go to Start -> Run, and type “control userpasswords2″ (without quotes), and the user accounts setting should appear.
7.Go to Advanced tab, and in Advanced User Management section click on Advanced.
8.There will be two folders named Users & Groups. Double click on Users folder then right click on the icon named Administrator, and then unchecked the setting that says “Account Is Disabled”.
9.Click on OK twice to exit. And don’t restart the computer.
10.In the clock and time shown in the Notification Area (System Tray), right click on the Clock and select Adjust Date and Time.
11.Go to Internet Time tab, and choose Change Settings, then uncheck (untick) Synchronize with an Internet Time Server option.
12.Click OK to exit.
13.Restart the computer and boot up to BIOS.
14.Reset the computer date and year to current year.
15.Boot up the computer to Windows Vista, you should be able to log on as Administrator.
16.Go to Start -> Run, and type “winver”, then press Enter or click OK.
17.A window will display and mentioned that the product is licensed to: Windows User.
18.Beside, in My Computer properties, the computer name will have a randomized name too.
19.In Windows Explorer, go to Folder Options, and select Show Hidden Files and Folders settings.
20.Browse to C:\Windows\system32\oobe folder.
21.Locate and Run msoobe.exe by double clicking on it.
22.Input the desired account name, computer name, date and the time zone.
23.Windows Vista will then analyze the computer’s performance. Wait for the performance check to complete.
24.Once performance check is complete, go to Start -> Run, and type “control userpasswords2″.
25.User Accounts window will be launched. Go to Advance, and in Advanced User Management section click on Advanced, and then double click on Users folder.
26.Right click on Administrator and then select Properties, and check the Account is Disabled option.
27.Restart the computer
28.Connect to Internet.
29.Verify the computer name and winver display. You’ll have 30 days activation grace period which expires only at year 2099 (or whatever year you set)
There are hack that combined future date trick above with activation files crack as detailed in the last part of this article. All tricks will extend the length of time or the grace period that requires to activate Windows Vista, by fooling Windows into thinking that the timeout is far into the future. In other word, the Vista is running in trial demo mode which made available by Microsoft.
Whichever bypass or crack method you choose, it’s unclear how long the activation will last, as the main pillar of Software Protection Platform (SPP) on Windows Vista, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) hasn’t come into picture and play its part when Vista users check for software updates.
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