Most of us use search engines every day, but few know how to make the most of those searches. Given the enormous amount of information on the Internet, almost any search you do will yield thousands, or even millions of results. But if they aren’t the right results, they don’t do you any good. And who has time to spend trawling through loads of “sort of useful” information?
Fortunately, there are a few tricks to help you better focus your searches − so you get the information you need in less time. Here are five “search engine best practices” to try next time you need to search.
1. Use quotes to find a specific phrase
In order to find an entire phrase in a search, enter quotation marks (“ ”) around the terms. For example, the search query butter apples orangewillyield results containing any mention of those words, whereas “butter apples orange” returns only results where those words appear together and in that order in either the title, the URL of the website or the keywords in the document.
2. Use + or – for more targeted word searches
Adding the plus sign (+) or the word AND before a word will require that it be found in all of the search results. Conversely, the minus sign (-) before a word, or the word NOT, requires that it not be found in the search results.
3. Describe what you need with as few terms as possible
Generally, the more words you use in a search query, the more results you’ll get. But that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily get more useful results. So starting with fewer words helps you keep your searches focused. And even if you don't find what you need, the results will likely give you a good idea of what additional words are needed to refine your results on the next search.
4. Use search engine advanced search options
Many search engines give you the option to do an Advanced Search. You can filter results by date, language or other criteria. Advanced searching also makes the process of searching for specific words (as described above) fast and easy. You can even do site-specific searches.
5. Skip searching and sign up for alerts
If you find yourself frequently searching the same terms to find new information, you can save time by signing up for alerts. For example, if you frequently search for news of your favourite sports team, Google Alerts will send you daily, weekly, or “as it happens” e-mail updates. Another option: Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing, offers RSS feeds for its web search results that you can subscribe to inside any feed reader. Just add “&format=rss” (without the quotes) to any Bing search URL to convert it into a feed.
In addition to these tips, it’s a good idea to explore the features and functionality of different search engines to see which one is right for your needs and fits your preferences. Apart from the well-known Google, there’s Bing, Ask, and Dogpile, just to name a few. Happy searching!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Break Admin Password From User
1. Start > run > compmgmt.msc
2. click on local users and groups.
3. open 'users' folder.
here there are several major security holes dealing specifically with the password:
1. double clicking on the any user name allows you a list that looks
something like this:
"user name"
full name: -----------------------
|__________________|
description: -----------------------
|__________________|
--
|_| user must change password at next logon
--
|_| user cannot change password
--
|/| password never expires
--
|_| account is disabled
--
|_| account is locked out
"ok" "cancel" "apply"
ok if you can get past my cheesy drawing, i must ask, did you notice that
the "password never expires" box is checked? if you did, then you may have realized that this means that you can also uncheck it!
2. if you are paying attention, you'll see that the 'user must change password at next logon' box is unchecked. if you put a check in this box of course,
when you shut down the system will prompt for a new password!
3. going back to step c.,
right click on any account and notice the dialoge that appears:
set password...
all tasks
delete
rename
properties
help
Fixing Virus in Computers Infected by it
When a good and powerful virus infects a computer, most likely it will disable you from running Task Manager (taskmgr.exe),
Registry Editor (regedit.exe),
Command Prompt (cmd.exe),
System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe),
configuring Folder Options and hide the Run from Start Menu. Reason the virus does that is because most of the time it is “possible” for computer experts to remove the virus by using the built-in Windows programs without any third party tools.
But if you can’t run Task Manager, you cannot end the suspicious process. You could use the taskkill command in command prompt to kill the process but again you won’t be able to do that if CMD has been disabled. Perhaps you can run msconfig to stop the virus from auto startup but also cannot because of the virus. For advance computer users who has knowledge in registry and thought that they could manually remove the virus auto startup entries there, they too can’t do anything about it if regedit has been disabled. Disabling of Folder Options is to stop you from setting your computer to display hidden and system files. This way you can’t see the virus file and hence you won’t be able to delete them. It is easy to re-enable all those tools back by modifying some values in your registry but if the is still virus active in your computer, the restrictions will be restored back. So for emergency cases, here are some replacement tools you can use to replace the disabled Windows tools.
1. Task Manager taskmgr.exe Replacement
- Task Manager is very important because that is where you get to see all the running processes and also the amount of memory and CPU usage. If you find anything suspicious there, you can try terminating it. If you cannot run Task Manager and get the error message “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator”, you can try using Process Explorer. It is portable and you can save it in your USB flash drive. [ Download Process Explorer, a task manager alternative ] 2. Registry Editor regedit.exe Replacement
- Without the ability to access Windows registry, you cannot manually make any changes at all. You can however, import registry REG files. When a virus has disabled regedit, you should see the message “Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator” when you try to run it. A good regedit alternative is RegAlyzer, developed by the author of the famous SpyBot. RegAlyzer requires installation but you can copy the whole RegAlyzer folder to your USB flash drive and run it as portable application. [ Download RegAlyzer, a regedit alternative ] 3. Command Prompt cmd.exe Replacement
- Command Prompt is a very powerful command line tool which supports a lot of commands when you find it impossible to do it in Windows. If you try to run cmd and get the following message “The command prompt has been disabled by your administrator. Press any key to continue”, you can try using GS. GS is a cmd replacement but it is a little old, dated back in year 2005. We’re not looking for a permanent replacement, so it is good enough as long as it can support some important command lines. Do take note that “Console2″, is an EXTENSION for command prompt. If cmd is disabled, Console2 won’t work. GS is small, free and portable. [ Download GS, a command prompt alternative ] 4. Run Dialog Box Replacement
- Some virus will also remove the run command from your Start Menu and it is not easy to restore it back. Although this is not really important, but it could easily allow you to run important commands. Run dialog replacement v1.0 is small, only 48KB in size and portable. If you have Process Explorer, you can also access the run command from File > Run, or just hit CTRL+R. [ Download Run Dialog Replacement 1.0 ] 5. System Configuration Utility msconfig.exe Replacement
- MSCONFIG is the first place that I will go to check if a computer has a virus. If you run msconfig and go to the Startup tab, it will list all programs that will start when Windows is booted up using the common startup method. Virus makers are aware of this and usually they will either delete your original msconfig.exe file or change the reference location in registry. You should get this message “Windows cannot find ‘msconfig’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.” when type msconfig at the run dialog box. One very good msconfig alternative is definitely Autoruns, which is from the same author as Process Explorer. Autoruns has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login. [ Download Autoruns, a msconfig alternative ] 6. Enable Show hidden files and protected operating system files
- I’ve tried many File Managers and most of them inherits the Show Hidden Files and Folders or Hide protected operating system files from Folder Options settings in Windows. If a virus is still active in memory, it will keep on changing the settings to disable you from viewing hidden and system files. I found one free file manager called FreeCommander which is able to show you all hidden files and folders as well as protected operating system files no matter what is the settings in Folder Options. It actually ignores the permission in Folder Options! It is portable, so you can also copy the whole extracted folder to your USB flash drive. [ Download FreeCommander, a file manager replacement ] There you go, I’ve shared with you the 6 MUST have replacement or alternative tools when fixing a computer that has many restrictions caused by the virus.
Command Prompt (cmd.exe),
System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe),
configuring Folder Options and hide the Run from Start Menu. Reason the virus does that is because most of the time it is “possible” for computer experts to remove the virus by using the built-in Windows programs without any third party tools.
But if you can’t run Task Manager, you cannot end the suspicious process. You could use the taskkill command in command prompt to kill the process but again you won’t be able to do that if CMD has been disabled. Perhaps you can run msconfig to stop the virus from auto startup but also cannot because of the virus. For advance computer users who has knowledge in registry and thought that they could manually remove the virus auto startup entries there, they too can’t do anything about it if regedit has been disabled. Disabling of Folder Options is to stop you from setting your computer to display hidden and system files. This way you can’t see the virus file and hence you won’t be able to delete them. It is easy to re-enable all those tools back by modifying some values in your registry but if the is still virus active in your computer, the restrictions will be restored back. So for emergency cases, here are some replacement tools you can use to replace the disabled Windows tools.
1. Task Manager taskmgr.exe Replacement
- Task Manager is very important because that is where you get to see all the running processes and also the amount of memory and CPU usage. If you find anything suspicious there, you can try terminating it. If you cannot run Task Manager and get the error message “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator”, you can try using Process Explorer. It is portable and you can save it in your USB flash drive. [ Download Process Explorer, a task manager alternative ] 2. Registry Editor regedit.exe Replacement
- Without the ability to access Windows registry, you cannot manually make any changes at all. You can however, import registry REG files. When a virus has disabled regedit, you should see the message “Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator” when you try to run it. A good regedit alternative is RegAlyzer, developed by the author of the famous SpyBot. RegAlyzer requires installation but you can copy the whole RegAlyzer folder to your USB flash drive and run it as portable application. [ Download RegAlyzer, a regedit alternative ] 3. Command Prompt cmd.exe Replacement
- Command Prompt is a very powerful command line tool which supports a lot of commands when you find it impossible to do it in Windows. If you try to run cmd and get the following message “The command prompt has been disabled by your administrator. Press any key to continue”, you can try using GS. GS is a cmd replacement but it is a little old, dated back in year 2005. We’re not looking for a permanent replacement, so it is good enough as long as it can support some important command lines. Do take note that “Console2″, is an EXTENSION for command prompt. If cmd is disabled, Console2 won’t work. GS is small, free and portable. [ Download GS, a command prompt alternative ] 4. Run Dialog Box Replacement
- Some virus will also remove the run command from your Start Menu and it is not easy to restore it back. Although this is not really important, but it could easily allow you to run important commands. Run dialog replacement v1.0 is small, only 48KB in size and portable. If you have Process Explorer, you can also access the run command from File > Run, or just hit CTRL+R. [ Download Run Dialog Replacement 1.0 ] 5. System Configuration Utility msconfig.exe Replacement
- MSCONFIG is the first place that I will go to check if a computer has a virus. If you run msconfig and go to the Startup tab, it will list all programs that will start when Windows is booted up using the common startup method. Virus makers are aware of this and usually they will either delete your original msconfig.exe file or change the reference location in registry. You should get this message “Windows cannot find ‘msconfig’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.” when type msconfig at the run dialog box. One very good msconfig alternative is definitely Autoruns, which is from the same author as Process Explorer. Autoruns has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login. [ Download Autoruns, a msconfig alternative ] 6. Enable Show hidden files and protected operating system files
- I’ve tried many File Managers and most of them inherits the Show Hidden Files and Folders or Hide protected operating system files from Folder Options settings in Windows. If a virus is still active in memory, it will keep on changing the settings to disable you from viewing hidden and system files. I found one free file manager called FreeCommander which is able to show you all hidden files and folders as well as protected operating system files no matter what is the settings in Folder Options. It actually ignores the permission in Folder Options! It is portable, so you can also copy the whole extracted folder to your USB flash drive. [ Download FreeCommander, a file manager replacement ] There you go, I’ve shared with you the 6 MUST have replacement or alternative tools when fixing a computer that has many restrictions caused by the virus.
Some Windows XP Tips for easy Use
1. Useful key shortcuts available:
- Windows key + D - shows the desktop
- Windows key + M - minimizes all open windows
- Windows key + Shift + M - maximizes all open windows
- Windows key + E - Runs Windows Explorer
- Windows key + R - shows the RUN dialog
- Windows key + F - shows Search window
- Windows key + Break - shows System Properties box
- Windows key + TAB - Go through taskbar applications
- Windows key + PAUSE Display the System Properties dialog box
- Windows key + U Open Utility Manager
- ALT + TAB - Cycle through opened applications
- Hold down CTRL while dragging an item to Copy it
- CTRL + ESC Display the Start menu
- ALT + ENTER View the properties for the selected item
- F4 key Display the Address bar list in My Computer or
- NUM LOCK + Asterisk (*) Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder
2. Lock Windows to protect computer
You can lock Windows to protect the computer when leaving the station easily by creating a shortcut with the path rundll32.exeuser32.dll, LockWorkStation. The Windows key + L is also a shortcut to this feature.
3. Edit sysoc.inf to list all software
To show all software that can be removed from your computer (including protected Windows services), you can manually edit (using notepad for example) the sysoc.inf file located in Windows\inf\. Just remove the word hide next to the software pack.
*Note* - use this at your own risk. Removing critical components of the system will make Windows instable.
4. Windows XP comes with IPv4 and IPv6
Windows XP comes both IPv4 and IPv6 support. To enable IPv6, you can install the protocols needed with the command "ipv6 install" in the command-prompt. Then type ipv6 /? to see the options. The installation will not remove the IPv4 protocols so your current configuration will still work.
5. Access Task Manager with shortcut( Creating Shot Cut to Task Manager)
To access the Task Manager easier, you can make a shortcut that points to %windir%\system32\taskmgr.exe.
6. Stop treating ZIP files like Folders
If you don't want your Windows XP to treat ZIP files like folders, you can disable this component by running regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll at the command prompt or Run dialog. If you start missing it, you can enable it by typing regsvr32 zipfldr.dll.
7. Run program as diffrent user
You can run a program as a different user. Right click an application and select Run As command.
8. Switch users leaving applications opened
You can switch users leaving the applications opened too
(*NOTE* use this only when needed since it could lead to system instability).
Go to Task Manager - processes and end the process explorer.exe. This will end only your session and not all applications. Then go to Applications tab, click New task and type runas /user:domainname\username explorer.exe. A password prompt will appear to login to the desired username. The user's session will start, with all your previously applications running.
I recommend to open first a command-line prompt and type runas /? to see all the options available.
9. Rename multiple files in Windows at once
Rename multiple files in Windows at once. Select them all, right click and select Rename. Enter the desired name. They will be renamed using what you specified, with a number in brackets to distinguish them.
10. Task kill feature in Windows
Windows has a task kill feature similar to Linux. Go to a command prompt and run the command tasklist to see running processes with PID numbers. Then type tskill to end the specific task. This forces an instant closing of the task.
11. Edit features with GPEDIT.MSC( This is Excellent)
You can edit many features by running gpedit.msc. You can add log on/log off scripts here and many features.
12. Edit accounts in the command prompt
You can edit accounts by running "control userpasswords2" at the command prompt.
13. Use systeminfo.exe to see System Information
You can use the systeminfo.exe command in the command prompt to see System Information, including all Windows updates and hotfixes.
14. Disable system services for maximum performance
There are system services that you can disable to free up the system's load. To access the interface that permits you to make changes to system's services, type services.msc and the command prompt.
This is a list of services that are *usually* useless and can be safely disabled.
Alerter
Application Layer Gateway Service,
Application Management
Automatic Updates
Background Intelligent Transfer
Clipbook
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Distributed Transaction Coordinater
Error Reporting Service
Fast User Switching Compatibility
IMAPI CD-Burning
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger
Net Logon
Net Meeting
Remote Desktop Sharing
Network DDE
Network DDE DSDM
Portable Media Serial Number
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Registry
Secondary Logon
Smartcard
SSDP Discovery Service
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Webclient
Wireless Zero Configuration
WMI Performance Adaptor
*NOTE*: Make sure you don't need them since some applications you're using could depend on them. If you make any application to fail by disabling any of the services, go back and enable it again.
15. Repair Windows XP by using the XP installation CD
If your system failes to start due to an error related to missing HAL.DLL, invalid Boot.ini or any other critical system boot files you can repair this by using the XP installation CD. Simply boot from your XP Setup CD and enter the Recovery Console. Then run "attrib -H -R -S" on the C:\Boot.ini file and delete it. Run "Bootcfg /Rebuild" and then Fixboot.
- Windows key + D - shows the desktop
- Windows key + M - minimizes all open windows
- Windows key + Shift + M - maximizes all open windows
- Windows key + E - Runs Windows Explorer
- Windows key + R - shows the RUN dialog
- Windows key + F - shows Search window
- Windows key + Break - shows System Properties box
- Windows key + TAB - Go through taskbar applications
- Windows key + PAUSE Display the System Properties dialog box
- Windows key + U Open Utility Manager
- ALT + TAB - Cycle through opened applications
- Hold down CTRL while dragging an item to Copy it
- CTRL + ESC Display the Start menu
- ALT + ENTER View the properties for the selected item
- F4 key Display the Address bar list in My Computer or
- NUM LOCK + Asterisk (*) Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder
2. Lock Windows to protect computer
You can lock Windows to protect the computer when leaving the station easily by creating a shortcut with the path rundll32.exeuser32.dll, LockWorkStation. The Windows key + L is also a shortcut to this feature.
3. Edit sysoc.inf to list all software
To show all software that can be removed from your computer (including protected Windows services), you can manually edit (using notepad for example) the sysoc.inf file located in Windows\inf\. Just remove the word hide next to the software pack.
*Note* - use this at your own risk. Removing critical components of the system will make Windows instable.
4. Windows XP comes with IPv4 and IPv6
Windows XP comes both IPv4 and IPv6 support. To enable IPv6, you can install the protocols needed with the command "ipv6 install" in the command-prompt. Then type ipv6 /? to see the options. The installation will not remove the IPv4 protocols so your current configuration will still work.
5. Access Task Manager with shortcut( Creating Shot Cut to Task Manager)
To access the Task Manager easier, you can make a shortcut that points to %windir%\system32\taskmgr.exe.
6. Stop treating ZIP files like Folders
If you don't want your Windows XP to treat ZIP files like folders, you can disable this component by running regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll at the command prompt or Run dialog. If you start missing it, you can enable it by typing regsvr32 zipfldr.dll.
7. Run program as diffrent user
You can run a program as a different user. Right click an application and select Run As command.
8. Switch users leaving applications opened
You can switch users leaving the applications opened too
(*NOTE* use this only when needed since it could lead to system instability).
Go to Task Manager - processes and end the process explorer.exe. This will end only your session and not all applications. Then go to Applications tab, click New task and type runas /user:domainname\username explorer.exe. A password prompt will appear to login to the desired username. The user's session will start, with all your previously applications running.
I recommend to open first a command-line prompt and type runas /? to see all the options available.
9. Rename multiple files in Windows at once
Rename multiple files in Windows at once. Select them all, right click and select Rename. Enter the desired name. They will be renamed using what you specified, with a number in brackets to distinguish them.
10. Task kill feature in Windows
Windows has a task kill feature similar to Linux. Go to a command prompt and run the command tasklist to see running processes with PID numbers. Then type tskill
11. Edit features with GPEDIT.MSC( This is Excellent)
You can edit many features by running gpedit.msc. You can add log on/log off scripts here and many features.
12. Edit accounts in the command prompt
You can edit accounts by running "control userpasswords2" at the command prompt.
13. Use systeminfo.exe to see System Information
You can use the systeminfo.exe command in the command prompt to see System Information, including all Windows updates and hotfixes.
14. Disable system services for maximum performance
There are system services that you can disable to free up the system's load. To access the interface that permits you to make changes to system's services, type services.msc and the command prompt.
This is a list of services that are *usually* useless and can be safely disabled.
Alerter
Application Layer Gateway Service,
Application Management
Automatic Updates
Background Intelligent Transfer
Clipbook
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Distributed Transaction Coordinater
Error Reporting Service
Fast User Switching Compatibility
IMAPI CD-Burning
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger
Net Logon
Net Meeting
Remote Desktop Sharing
Network DDE
Network DDE DSDM
Portable Media Serial Number
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Registry
Secondary Logon
Smartcard
SSDP Discovery Service
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Webclient
Wireless Zero Configuration
WMI Performance Adaptor
*NOTE*: Make sure you don't need them since some applications you're using could depend on them. If you make any application to fail by disabling any of the services, go back and enable it again.
15. Repair Windows XP by using the XP installation CD
If your system failes to start due to an error related to missing HAL.DLL, invalid Boot.ini or any other critical system boot files you can repair this by using the XP installation CD. Simply boot from your XP Setup CD and enter the Recovery Console. Then run "attrib -H -R -S" on the C:\Boot.ini file and delete it. Run "Bootcfg /Rebuild" and then Fixboot.
Breaking Administrative Restrictions
A Loophole u never knew about
This works on WIn 2000 & WIN XP.
This can be used to gain access to 'control panel', and the various
other tools of Widows that may have been blocked from your grasp like 'regedit' by the administrator. IT can be used in schools & colleges..
When u are at the log on screen, type in your username and
password. NOW When you hit enter, and it comes up with
the next screen, the rectangle one, immediately pull out the network
cable i.e. the cable wire.
Now u can log on without any restrictions because when the cable is pulled off then it does not download any settings from the server. Now you have access to control panel, & all the other features which had been blocked BUT there will be no
network access. But that's cool because now we can access 'Internet options',
click in the 'connections' tab click the LAN settings, click the proxy
settings, and in the little white box at the bottom we can specify websites
that bypass the proxy server (eg www.yahoo.com) Now once you have changed
the settings to what you wish, apply them and restart the computer. Now get someone else to log onto it because if you log in it will load the cached settings from your previous log in, then after the other person logs in, everyone that logs in after them included themselves will have the
internet settings you specified.
Its only an 'Unplugging technique' to gain access to a comp. locked by the administrator.
Now you can gain access to msconfig, regedit, command etc disable the virus scanner, or to install a trojan or a virus according to u're will..
XP HOME ADVANCED FILE PERMISSIONS.!!
Access *Advance file Permissions* on NTFS file systems for XP Home simply by booting into *Safe Mode*, rt-clicking any file or folder, and navigating to the *Security tab*. This gives the user the ability to allow or deny read, write, execute, read & write, display contents, full-control, iheritance, and take ownership permissions, with many more options available to apply to different users and groups stored on the computer. Well, you don't have to do this in *Safe Mode* (XP Home). Although it is a little less intuitive, you can simply go to your command prompt - Start>All Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt. Now type "cacls" in the window (without the quotes). This gives you the ability to add, remove or modify file permissions on files and folders through the command prompt. Type "cacls /?" for help on different options and variables. You do not need to be in safe mode to use this so it makes it a little quicker than using the safe mode security tab GUI. Remember - this only applies to NTFS. Here also is a very useful link to find a lot of extras and tweaks straight from the horse's mouth - the Microsoft Resource Center. You will find a lot of very useful web-based extra's here, most of them left unknowing to the general public - such as, "Online Crash Analysis" - a site that looks like Windows Update but you can upload your crash "dump logs" (when you get those system or application crash error reports). Microsoft will then analyze the log file and tell you some more info about WHY the system crashed (ie. faulty hardware/software/conflicts, etc).Find BSNL Phone No's Address.
Wanna know Address of your friend?. It is so easy to trace the addresses, just you need is their phone number.
EXAMPLE: For tracing the address of a number located in Madhya Pradesh (India) just log in to http://www.bsnl.co.in/onlinedirectory.htm
After logging in, select the area (city) to which the phone number belong and then proceed further.
In the option "Search by" , select Telephone number. select the station to which the phone no. belongs and finally write the phone number in the "Search key field" . In this way the address of that particular number will be traced.
For selecting any other state of India, log on to http://www.bsnl.co.in/index.html . In the Right hand side you see the "BSNL units" option (above Username field), select your state from the menu and then proceed further.
NOTE : Try both, number including (2) as well as number excluding (2) as a prefix.
EXAMPLE: For tracing the address of a number located in Madhya Pradesh (India) just log in to http://www.bsnl.co.in/onlinedirectory.htm
After logging in, select the area (city) to which the phone number belong and then proceed further.
In the option "Search by" , select Telephone number. select the station to which the phone no. belongs and finally write the phone number in the "Search key field" . In this way the address of that particular number will be traced.
For selecting any other state of India, log on to http://www.bsnl.co.in/index.html . In the Right hand side you see the "BSNL units" option (above Username field), select your state from the menu and then proceed further.
NOTE : Try both, number including (2) as well as number excluding (2) as a prefix.
Finding IP address of sender in Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail.This is a featured page
Finding IP Address Of the Sender In Hotmail!!
|
Finding IP Address of the sender in Yahoo Mail!!
|
Finding IP Address of the sender in Gmail !!
When you receive an email, you receive more than just the message. The email comes with headers that carry important information that can tell where the email was sent from and possibly who sent it. For that, you would need to find the IP address of the sender. The tutorial below can help you find the IP address of the sender.- Log into your Gmail account with your username and password.
- Open the mail.
- To display the headers,
- Click on More options corresponding to that thread. You should get a bunch of links. Click on Show original
- Click on More options corresponding to that thread. You should get a bunch of links. Click on Show original
- You should get headers like this:
- Gmail headers : Daniel
- Look for Received: from followed by a few hostnames and an IP address between square brackets. In this case, it is 65.119.112.245.
- That is be the IP address of the sender!!
This will not work if the sender uses anonymous proxy servers.
How to Crack a Wi-Fi Network's WEP Password with BackTrack
This article i s to Educate you for you Security
You already know that if you want to lock down your Wi-Fi network, you should opt for WPA encryption because WEP is easy to crack. But did you know how easy? Take a look. Today we're going to run down, step-by-step, how to crack a Wi-Fi network with WEP security turned on. But first, a word: Knowledge is power, but power doesn't mean you should be a jerk, or do anything illegal. Knowing how to pick a lock doesn't make you a thief. Consider this post educational, or a proof-of-concept intellectual exercise. Dozens of tutorials on how to crack WEP are already all over the internet using this method. Seriously—Google it. This ain't what you'd call "news." But what is surprising is that someone like me, with minimal networking experience, can get this done with free software and a cheap Wi-Fi adapter. Here's how it goes.
Unless you're a computer security and networking ninja, chances are you don't have all the tools on hand to get this job done. Here's what you'll need: 
If you don't get the same results from these commands as pictured here, most likely your network adapter won't work with this particular crack. If you do, you've successfully "faked" a new MAC address on your network interface, 00:11:22:33:44:55.
Now it's time to pick your network. Run:
Like I said, hit Ctrl+C to stop this listing. (I had to do this once or twice to find the network I was looking for.) Once you've got it, highlight the BSSID and copy it to your clipboard for reuse in the upcoming commands.
Now we're going to watch what's going on with that network you chose and capture that information to a file. Run:
You'll get output like what's in the window in the background pictured below. Leave that one be. Open a new Konsole window in the foreground, and enter this command:
You're almost there. Now it's time for: 
Once you've collected enough data, it's the moment of truth. Launch a third Konsole window and run the following to crack that data you've collected:
The WEP key appears next to "KEY FOUND." Drop the colons and enter it to log onto the network.
You already know that if you want to lock down your Wi-Fi network, you should opt for WPA encryption because WEP is easy to crack. But did you know how easy? Take a look. Today we're going to run down, step-by-step, how to crack a Wi-Fi network with WEP security turned on. But first, a word: Knowledge is power, but power doesn't mean you should be a jerk, or do anything illegal. Knowing how to pick a lock doesn't make you a thief. Consider this post educational, or a proof-of-concept intellectual exercise. Dozens of tutorials on how to crack WEP are already all over the internet using this method. Seriously—Google it. This ain't what you'd call "news." But what is surprising is that someone like me, with minimal networking experience, can get this done with free software and a cheap Wi-Fi adapter. Here's how it goes.What You'll Need
Unless you're a computer security and networking ninja, chances are you don't have all the tools on hand to get this job done. Here's what you'll need: - A compatible wireless adapter—This is the biggest requirement. You'll need a wireless adapter that's capable of packet injection, and chances are the one in your computer is not. After consulting with my friendly neighborhood security expert, I purchased an Alfa AWUS050NH USB adapter, pictured here, and it set me back about $50 on Amazon. The guy in this video below is using a $12 model he bought on Ebay (and is even selling his router of choice). You won't go wrong with the Alfa, but do your research. There are plenty of resources on getting aircrack-compatible adapters out there.
- A BackTrack 3 Live CD. We already took you on a full screenshot tour of how to install and use BackTrack 3, the Linux Live CD that lets you do all sorts of security testing and tasks. Download yourself a copy of the CD and burn it, or load it up in VMware to get started. (I tried the BackTrack 4 pre-release, and it didn't work as well as BT3. Do yourself a favor and stick with BackTrack 3 for now.)
- A nearby WEP-enabled Wi-Fi network. The signal should be strong and ideally people are using it, connecting and disconnecting their devices from it. The more use it gets while you collect the data you need to run your crack, the better your chances of success.
- Patience with the command line. This is an ten-step process that requires typing in long, arcane commands and waiting around for your Wi-Fi card to collect data in order to crack the password. Like the doctor said to the short person, be a little patient.
Crack That WEP
To crack WEP, you'll need to launch Konsole, BackTrack's built-in command line. It's right there on the taskbar in the lower left corner, second button to the right. Now, the commands. First run the following to get a list of your network interfaces:airmon-ngThe only one I've got there is labeled ra0. Yours may be different; take note of the label and write it down. From here on in, substitute it in everywhere a command includes (interface). Now, run the following four commands. See the output that I got for them in the screenshot below.
airmon-ng stop (interface)
ifconfig (interface) down
macchanger --mac 00:11:22:33:44:55 (interface)
airmon-ng start (interface)
If you don't get the same results from these commands as pictured here, most likely your network adapter won't work with this particular crack. If you do, you've successfully "faked" a new MAC address on your network interface, 00:11:22:33:44:55.Now it's time to pick your network. Run:
airodump-ng (interface)To see a list of wireless networks around you. When you see the one you want, hit Ctrl+C to stop the list. Highlight the row pertaining to the network of interest, and take note of two things: its BSSID and its channel (in the column labeled CH), as pictured below. Obviously the network you want to crack should have WEP encryption (in the ENC) column, not WPA or anything else.
Like I said, hit Ctrl+C to stop this listing. (I had to do this once or twice to find the network I was looking for.) Once you've got it, highlight the BSSID and copy it to your clipboard for reuse in the upcoming commands.Now we're going to watch what's going on with that network you chose and capture that information to a file. Run:
airodump-ng -c (channel) -w (file name) --bssid (bssid) (interface)Where (channel) is your network's channel, and (bssid) is the BSSID you just copied to clipboard. You can use the Shift+Insert key combination to paste it into the command. Enter anything descriptive for (file name). I chose "yoyo," which is the network's name I'm cracking.
You'll get output like what's in the window in the background pictured below. Leave that one be. Open a new Konsole window in the foreground, and enter this command:
aireplay-ng -1 0 -a (bssid) -h 00:11:22:33:44:55 -e (essid) (interface)Here the ESSID is the access point's SSID name, which in my case is yoyo. What you want to get after this command is the reassuring "Association successful" message with that smiley face.
You're almost there. Now it's time for: aireplay-ng -3 -b (bssid) -h 00:11:22:33:44:55 (interface)Here we're creating router traffic to capture more throughput faster to speed up our crack. After a few minutes, that front window will start going crazy with read/write packets. (Also, I was unable to surf the web with the yoyo network on a separate computer while this was going on.) Here's the part where you might have to grab yourself a cup of coffee or take a walk. Basically you want to wait until enough data has been collected to run your crack. Watch the number in the "#Data" column—you want it to go above 10,000. (Pictured below it's only at 854.) Depending on the power of your network (mine is inexplicably low at -32 in that screenshot, even though the yoyo AP was in the same room as my adapter), this process could take some time. Wait until that #Data goes over 10k, though—because the crack won't work if it doesn't. In fact, you may need more than 10k, though that seems to be a working threshold for many.
Once you've collected enough data, it's the moment of truth. Launch a third Konsole window and run the following to crack that data you've collected:
aircrack-ng -b (bssid) (file name-01.cap)Here the filename should be whatever you entered above for (file name). You can browse to your Home directory to see it; it's the one with .cap as the extension. If you didn't get enough data, aircrack will fail and tell you to try again with more. If it succeeds, it will look like this:
The WEP key appears next to "KEY FOUND." Drop the colons and enter it to log onto the network.Problems Along the Way
With this article I set out to prove that cracking WEP is a relatively "easy" process for someone determined and willing to get the hardware and software going. I still think that's true, but unlike the guy in the video below, I had several difficulties along the way. In fact, you'll notice that the last screenshot up there doesn't look like the others—it's because it's not mine. Even though the AP which I was cracking was my own and in the same room as my Alfa, the power reading on the signal was always around -30, and so the data collection was very slow, and BackTrack would consistently crash before it was complete. After about half a dozen attempts (and trying BackTrack on both my Mac and PC, as a live CD and a virtual machine), I still haven't captured enough data for aircrack to decrypt the key. So while this process is easy in theory, your mileage may vary depending on your hardware, proximity to the AP point, and the way the planets are aligned. Oh yeah, and if you're on deadline—Murphy's Law almost guarantees it won't work if you're on deadline.Write Your Own Name in Place of Start MenuThis is a featured page
It's Very Simple you can do this in two simple Steps
Step 1 -
Modify Explorer.exe File In order to make the changes, the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows needs to be edited. Since explorer.exe is a binary file it requires a special editor. For purposes of this article I have used Resource Hacker. Resource HackerTM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems. get this from http://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/tools/ResHack.zip The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe. The category we are going to be using is "String Table". Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button. There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry. In my case I used Click Me! You’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out is now active. I won’t get into what’s involved in compiling a script, but suffice it to say it’s going to make this exercise worthwhile. Click Compile Script and then save the altered file using the Save As command on the File Menu. Do not use the Save command – Make sure to use the Save As command and choose a name for the file. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.
Step 2 – Modify the Registry !!!make a backup of your registry before making changes!!! Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open field. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon In the right pane, double click the "Shell" entry to open the Edit String dialog box. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK. Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text.[/b]
Step 1 -
Modify Explorer.exe File In order to make the changes, the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows needs to be edited. Since explorer.exe is a binary file it requires a special editor. For purposes of this article I have used Resource Hacker. Resource HackerTM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems. get this from http://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/tools/ResHack.zip The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe. The category we are going to be using is "String Table". Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button. There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry. In my case I used Click Me! You’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out is now active. I won’t get into what’s involved in compiling a script, but suffice it to say it’s going to make this exercise worthwhile. Click Compile Script and then save the altered file using the Save As command on the File Menu. Do not use the Save command – Make sure to use the Save As command and choose a name for the file. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.
Step 2 – Modify the Registry !!!make a backup of your registry before making changes!!! Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open field. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon In the right pane, double click the "Shell" entry to open the Edit String dialog box. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK. Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text.[/b]
How to Keep Your Computer Up to Date
| An important part of owning a personal computer is keeping your software up-to-date. Security patches, upgrades, and hotfixes need to be installed to make your computer safer while connected to the Internet. When using a computer running Microsoft Windows, this checklist can include windows, antivirus, antispyware, and firewall updates. However, for most computer users this can seem like a daunting task and I hardly ever work on a customer's computer without finding at least one missing needed update concerning hardware or software. | |
The Basic Updates
Windows Updates
At the very least, you should keep your computer up-to-date with the latest Windows security patches and updates for your operating system. Microsoft has made it fairly easy to keep everything updated by including an automatic updates feature in Windows XP and Windows Vista. Although its not always advised to install Windows updates when they are immediately released, it is a good idea to install these updates shortly after they are released. In most cases, Windows updates are created to fix security holes and vunerabilities in Windows that can be exploited by hackers to take over your computer or use it to send spam or viruses. If you don't have Windows set to automatically update, you can visit the following website to check your computer for these updates and download them.
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Antivirus Updates
Keeping your antivirus software up-to-date is also an important step in keeping your computer running properly while connected to the Internet. I run across many computers that have antivirus software installed, but the virus signatures have not been updated in several months or even years. Your antivirus software is only as good as the last virus signature update you have installed. If a virus was discovered yesterday, and you havent updated your antivirus product today, then you are susceptible to being infected by that particular virus.
I have written step-by-step instructions for updating the virus signatures for Norton, McAfee, and Trend Micro antivirus products. Most free antivirus programs such as AVAST, AVG, and Anti-Vir check for updates on a daily basis as long as your computer is connected to the Internet.
Anti-Spyware Updates
Whether you are running Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE, Spybot Search and Destroy, Windows Defender, Webroot SpySweeper, or another antispyware product, you need to update the software regularly for it to be effective. Just like antivirus software, software to remove adware and spyware can't remove problems if it doesnt have that program in its database. Unfortunately, many of these programs don't update themselves automatically. When you open your antispyware program look for a button or tab to update the adware database and do this on a regular monthly basis before scanning your system.
Firewall Updates
Most firewall programs will prompt you that there is a newer version to download. Its always a good idea to download these updates when they become available.
Other Updates
What about the other programs installed on your computer, do they need to be updated to remain secure? The easy answer is yes, however most of these other programs don't automatically tell you when a new version is available. The average computer user usually doesn't have the time or the patience to check all these other installed programs and update them. However, a couple utilities have come to the rescue and provide fairly in-depth checks for insecure or outdated software.
FileHippo.com's Update Checker
FileHippo.com, a software download website, released a small program to download and run on your computer that will check your machine for unpatched, outdated, and insecure versions of installed software. The program checks video drivers, software updates for java and flash, adobe acrobat reader, chat programs, and more. If Update Checker finds a problem, it will provide the name of the program as well as a link to download the latest version of the outdated software. The program gets its updates based on the software available on the FileHippo.com's website. So although its not an absolutely complete list of updates its very close. Follow the steps below to download Update Checker and run it.
1) Click on the following link to download FileHippo's Update Checker to your desktop or Visit the Update Checker web page to read more.
http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/FHSetup.exe
or for the standalone version without an installer click below
http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/UpdateChecker.exe
2) Once the Update Checker is saved to your desktop, find the UpdateChecker.EXE file and double-click on it to start scanning or run UpdateChecker from your All Programs menu.
3) After the scan is completed, you'll be presented with a screen similar to the one shown below. Download and install any updates you wish by clicking on the link provided in the Update Checker report.
Possible errors when installing Update Checker
When you try to install Update Checker, you may receive the application error "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135). Click on OK to terminate the application. The message is shown below:
Update Checker requires Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 to be installed. If it is not, you will likely receive the error message shown above. To resolve this, download and install Microsoft's .Net Framework 2.0 before running Update Checker. Click on the following link to download Microsoft's .Net Framework 2.0:
Download Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0
How to Check What Version of .Net Framework is Installed
If you are wondering what version of Microsoft .Net Framework is installed on your computer, you can download the following program to check your system
http://www.tmgdevelopment.co.uk/versioncheck.htm
Secunia's Online Software Inspector
Secunia, a well known security company, has created an online checker for outdated and insecure software on your computer. Although they don't require you to download a program, the site does require java to be installed to operate properly. You can visit their Online Software Inspector by visiting the link below.
http://www.secunia.com/software_inspector/
If you don't have Java installed or would rather just install a program to check your system for updates, Secunia has released a beta version of Personal Software Inspector.
Secunia's Personal Software Inspector
According to their website:
"The Secunia PSI detects installed software and categorises your software as either Insecure, End-of-Life, or Up-To-Date. Effectively enabling you to focus your attention on software installations where more secure versions are available from the vendors."
Personal Software Inspector detects and advises on problems with more than 4,700 applications and also provides links to updates for the affected programs. PSI installs in your Startup group to monitor your applications each time your computer boots. You can read more about PSI or download it by clicking on this link:
In many cases, these old and outdated versions that PSI finds can be removed from your computer by using the Add or Remove Programs section in Control Panel. Installing a newer version of a program (for instance Java) will leave the old version still intact and you'll have to go to Add or Remove Programs to remove the old version.
Old versions of Adobe Flash Player can sometimes be difficult to find and remove. Adobe has created an uninstaller to find a remove Flash Player. For the uninstaller and more information on why the flash player may not install click here.
FileHippo's Update Checker and Secunia's Software Inspector evaluate your installed programs based on different databases, so each finds a comparable although not identical list of outdated applications. For this reason, it may be a good idea to run both programs at first on your computer, and then settle on which one you like better.
While Secunia's Personal Software Inspector focuses on insecure and "end of life" software, FileHippo's Update Checker will check for updated versions of software as well as some hardware.In either case, these programs should become part of your monthly checklist when updating your computer and protecting yourself from threats from the outside world.
Hardware and Device Driver Updates
What about hardware updates? While software updates keep your computer from being infected or otherwise compromised, hardware updates can solve issues from computer lockups, screen freezes, and printing problems among other problems. There is a cool utility from a company called RadarSync that checks your computer against currently 90,000 updates. The free version allows you to scan your computer and shows you updates for your hardware including manufacturer and filename, but does not provide direct download links. You'll have to go to the manufacturers website and find the driver yourself. RadarSync's Premium version does provide direct download links to drivers, email notification when a new driver is available, and rollback protection when a driver doesn't work as expected.
How to Keep Your Computer Up to Date
| An important part of owning a personal computer is keeping your software up-to-date. Security patches, upgrades, and hotfixes need to be installed to make your computer safer while connected to the Internet. When using a computer running Microsoft Windows, this checklist can include windows, antivirus, antispyware, and firewall updates. However, for most computer users this can seem like a daunting task and I hardly ever work on a customer's computer without finding at least one missing needed update concerning hardware or software. | |
The Basic Updates
Windows Updates
At the very least, you should keep your computer up-to-date with the latest Windows security patches and updates for your operating system. Microsoft has made it fairly easy to keep everything updated by including an automatic updates feature in Windows XP and Windows Vista. Although its not always advised to install Windows updates when they are immediately released, it is a good idea to install these updates shortly after they are released. In most cases, Windows updates are created to fix security holes and vunerabilities in Windows that can be exploited by hackers to take over your computer or use it to send spam or viruses. If you don't have Windows set to automatically update, you can visit the following website to check your computer for these updates and download them.
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Antivirus Updates
Keeping your antivirus software up-to-date is also an important step in keeping your computer running properly while connected to the Internet. I run across many computers that have antivirus software installed, but the virus signatures have not been updated in several months or even years. Your antivirus software is only as good as the last virus signature update you have installed. If a virus was discovered yesterday, and you havent updated your antivirus product today, then you are susceptible to being infected by that particular virus.
I have written step-by-step instructions for updating the virus signatures for Norton, McAfee, and Trend Micro antivirus products. Most free antivirus programs such as AVAST, AVG, and Anti-Vir check for updates on a daily basis as long as your computer is connected to the Internet.
Anti-Spyware Updates
Whether you are running Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE, Spybot Search and Destroy, Windows Defender, Webroot SpySweeper, or another antispyware product, you need to update the software regularly for it to be effective. Just like antivirus software, software to remove adware and spyware can't remove problems if it doesnt have that program in its database. Unfortunately, many of these programs don't update themselves automatically. When you open your antispyware program look for a button or tab to update the adware database and do this on a regular monthly basis before scanning your system.
Firewall Updates
Most firewall programs will prompt you that there is a newer version to download. Its always a good idea to download these updates when they become available.
Other Updates
What about the other programs installed on your computer, do they need to be updated to remain secure? The easy answer is yes, however most of these other programs don't automatically tell you when a new version is available. The average computer user usually doesn't have the time or the patience to check all these other installed programs and update them. However, a couple utilities have come to the rescue and provide fairly in-depth checks for insecure or outdated software.
FileHippo.com's Update Checker
FileHippo.com, a software download website, released a small program to download and run on your computer that will check your machine for unpatched, outdated, and insecure versions of installed software. The program checks video drivers, software updates for java and flash, adobe acrobat reader, chat programs, and more. If Update Checker finds a problem, it will provide the name of the program as well as a link to download the latest version of the outdated software. The program gets its updates based on the software available on the FileHippo.com's website. So although its not an absolutely complete list of updates its very close. Follow the steps below to download Update Checker and run it.
1) Click on the following link to download FileHippo's Update Checker to your desktop or Visit the Update Checker web page to read more.
http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/FHSetup.exe
or for the standalone version without an installer click below
http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/UpdateChecker.exe
2) Once the Update Checker is saved to your desktop, find the UpdateChecker.EXE file and double-click on it to start scanning or run UpdateChecker from your All Programs menu.
3) After the scan is completed, you'll be presented with a screen similar to the one shown below. Download and install any updates you wish by clicking on the link provided in the Update Checker report.
Possible errors when installing Update Checker
When you try to install Update Checker, you may receive the application error "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135). Click on OK to terminate the application. The message is shown below:
Update Checker requires Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 to be installed. If it is not, you will likely receive the error message shown above. To resolve this, download and install Microsoft's .Net Framework 2.0 before running Update Checker. Click on the following link to download Microsoft's .Net Framework 2.0:
Download Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0
How to Check What Version of .Net Framework is Installed
If you are wondering what version of Microsoft .Net Framework is installed on your computer, you can download the following program to check your system
http://www.tmgdevelopment.co.uk/versioncheck.htm
Secunia's Online Software Inspector
Secunia, a well known security company, has created an online checker for outdated and insecure software on your computer. Although they don't require you to download a program, the site does require java to be installed to operate properly. You can visit their Online Software Inspector by visiting the link below.
http://www.secunia.com/software_inspector/
If you don't have Java installed or would rather just install a program to check your system for updates, Secunia has released a beta version of Personal Software Inspector.
Secunia's Personal Software Inspector
According to their website:
"The Secunia PSI detects installed software and categorises your software as either Insecure, End-of-Life, or Up-To-Date. Effectively enabling you to focus your attention on software installations where more secure versions are available from the vendors."
Personal Software Inspector detects and advises on problems with more than 4,700 applications and also provides links to updates for the affected programs. PSI installs in your Startup group to monitor your applications each time your computer boots. You can read more about PSI or download it by clicking on this link:
In many cases, these old and outdated versions that PSI finds can be removed from your computer by using the Add or Remove Programs section in Control Panel. Installing a newer version of a program (for instance Java) will leave the old version still intact and you'll have to go to Add or Remove Programs to remove the old version.
Old versions of Adobe Flash Player can sometimes be difficult to find and remove. Adobe has created an uninstaller to find a remove Flash Player. For the uninstaller and more information on why the flash player may not install click here.
FileHippo's Update Checker and Secunia's Software Inspector evaluate your installed programs based on different databases, so each finds a comparable although not identical list of outdated applications. For this reason, it may be a good idea to run both programs at first on your computer, and then settle on which one you like better.
While Secunia's Personal Software Inspector focuses on insecure and "end of life" software, FileHippo's Update Checker will check for updated versions of software as well as some hardware.In either case, these programs should become part of your monthly checklist when updating your computer and protecting yourself from threats from the outside world.
Hardware and Device Driver Updates
What about hardware updates? While software updates keep your computer from being infected or otherwise compromised, hardware updates can solve issues from computer lockups, screen freezes, and printing problems among other problems. There is a cool utility from a company called RadarSync that checks your computer against currently 90,000 updates. The free version allows you to scan your computer and shows you updates for your hardware including manufacturer and filename, but does not provide direct download links. You'll have to go to the manufacturers website and find the driver yourself. RadarSync's Premium version does provide direct download links to drivers, email notification when a new driver is available, and rollback protection when a driver doesn't work as expected.
Shortcut Keys For Windows
basic shortcut keys are a listing of shortcut keys that will work with almost all IBM compatible computers and software programs. It is highly recommended that all users keep a good reference of the below short cut keys and/or try to memorize the below keys. Doing so will dramatically increase your productivity.
Shortcut Keys Description
Shortcut Keys Description
- Alt + F File menu options in current program.
- Alt + E Edit options in current program
- Ctrl + A Select all text.
- Ctrl + X Cut selected item.
- Shift + Del Cut selected item.
- Ctrl + C Copy selected item.
- Ctrl + Ins Copy selected item
- Ctrl + V Paste
- Shift + Ins Paste
- Home Goes to beginning of current line.
- Ctrl + Home Goes to beginning of document.
- End Goes to end of current line.
- Ctrl + End Goes to end of document.
- Shift + Home Highlights from current position to beginning of line.
- Shift + End Highlights from current position to end of line.
- Ctrl + Left arrow Moves one word to the left at a time.
- Ctrl + Right arrow Moves one word to the right at a time.
Power On Self Test Beep Codes for AMI and Phoenix BIOS
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| IBM POST Diagnostic Code Descriptions
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| These audio codes are a little more detailed then the AMI codes. This BIOS emits three sets of beeps. For example, 1 -pause- 3 -pause 3 -pause. This is a 1-3-3 combo and each set of beeps is separated by a brief pause. Listen to this sequence of sounds, count them, and reboot and count again if you have to.
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