Windows 7 tips and tricks

Two Microsoft employees have posted helpful Windows 7 tips, tricks and secrets this week.

Tim Sneath has posted 30 secrets/tips on his blog. Some of the highlights include the following:

Get Quick Launch toolbar backTwo Microsoft employees have posted helpful Windows 7 tips, tricks and secrets this week.

• Right-click the taskbar, choose Toolbars / New Toolbar
• In the folder selection dialog, enter the following string and hit OK: %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
• Turn off the "lock the taskbar" setting, and right-click on the divider. Make sure that "Show text" and "Show title" are disabled and the view is set to "small icons".
• Use the dividers to rearrange the toolbar ordering to choice, and then lock the taskbar again.
  

Windows Vista taskbar

Right-click on the taskbar and choose the properties dialog. Select the "small icons" checkbox and under the "taskbar buttons" setting, choose "combine when taskbar is full".

Starting explorer from "My Computer"

To do this, navigate to Windows Explorer in the Start Menu (it's in the Accessories folder). Then edit the properties and change the target to read:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

Old behaviour for Windows Live Messenger

Navigate to C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger\ and set the properties of msnmsgr.exe to Vista compatibility mode. This will place the Messenger icon back in your system tray and remove the 2 annoying tabs on the taskbar.

If you're wondering about the fish in the Windows 7 fish then it's a Betta Fish and also has 7 bubbles to signify Windows 7.

Brandon Paddock has posted a full list of the Winkey combinations for Windows 7 on his blog too.



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WEP and WPA Security

SUMMARY: What are the differences between WEP and WPA security in a wireless network?

By default, most routers are configured to offer virtually no security features, allowing anyone to access your network. Unfortunately, this allows others to use packet sniffing software to record your traffic, potentially including the names of sites you visit, electronic mail texts, and the passwords used to access non-secure webpages.

If you are setting up a wireless network at your home or business, in your wireless router configuration you may have come across the option to use either WEP or WPA security to help encrypt your data. What are the basic differences between the two?

(Note this article covers only the basics and does not discuss enterprise implementations of these protocols.)

* WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, is an older method for securing wireless networks from snoopers by encrypting information sent to and from the router from computers and other network devices. While WEP is supported by most all devices that support wireless security, this type of encryption is relatively easy to break. Thus, if you use WEP security, many hackers will still be able to see what websites you visit, what search terms you use, etc. Note that accessing HTTPS (HTTP Secure) websites over WEP will offer limited protection.

* WPA, or Wi-Fi Protected Access, is a much more secure method of encrypting information sent over wireless networks. Several different types of WPA security are available, the one most users will run across is called WPA-PSK. This uses a 8-63 character passphrase that must be stored on the router and sent by each device that wishes to access the network. The longer the passphrase, theoretically the stronger the protection, so if you implement this protocol, please do not use passphrases such as "computer" or your first name. These can easily be guessed by hackers.

While WPA offers more security, it is not supported by some older devices and operating systems.

* WPA2 is like WPA but offers a stronger encryption algorithm, among other features. As with WPA, some older operating systems and hardware do not support this standard. As with the WPA protocol, use a longer passphrase to increase your network security. Baca Selengkapnya..

A Review of PC on Point System Registry Cleaner

hether you use the internet for work or play or both, you can feel quite helpless and at a loss whenever you notice that your computer is not performing at full functionality. When you are in a situation where you need to think about what you can do to make sure that your computer is working well, you'll find that you need to think about making sure that the registry is taken care off.

When your registry is having problems, your whole computer will be having problems, and unless you can get those problems fixed, you'll find that your computer's performance will suffer. When you are looking for a way to make sure that your computer will run at the level at which you need it to, make sure that you stop and take a look at the PC On Point System Registry Cleaner and ensure that you know what it can do for you.

When you are considering using PC On Point System Registry Cleaner, you should be aware of what your registry does and what can affect it. Essentially, your registry is in charge of executing the tasks that you are trying on your computer.

Whenever you are opening a program or making a file run, you'll find that your registry is what is in charge of opening it up. With that in mind, you'll find that you need to think about making sure that your registry is working well. What you also need to keep in mind is that a registry that has become clogged up with poorly designed software or multiple errors will start to take its toll on your computer's performance.

When you are thinking about what you need to do to make sure that your computer is going to work and work well, you need to think about what registry problems can do with your computer. When your computer is experiencing registry problems, you'll find that it will slow down dramatically, often to the point where your computer is non-functional.

A You'll also find that when you are looking at registry problems that your computer will often stop on blue screens, reboot itself or come up with several DLL errors. In any case, you'll find that the use of PC On Point System Registry Cleaner can go a long way towards making sure that these problems are not ones that you have face.

When you are looking at PC On Point System Registry Cleaner, you'll find that one of the main advantages of this program is that it is free. This can go a long way towards letting try out the program and then keep it if you want. Many people have found that this program can go a long way towards giving them the computer that they need in terms of functionality. No matter how new or old your computer is, you'll find that registry problems can be prevalent and difficult to deal with.

Don't let registry problems get you down. Take a look at PC On Point System Registry Cleaner and figure out how it can help you.

articles by: Brian Garvin Baca Selengkapnya..

How To Edit Photos - Easy Ways To Enhance Your Photos

Home people are just pro's at taking great pictures. But most people just take average pictures. If you are one of them, you can edit photos in very easy ways and improve them dramatically.

Sure, you can have a good or great digital camera, adjust the settings as you are supposed to, and even produce a good picture. But sometimes it just doesn't look quite as good as it could.

And even if it does look pretty good...pretty darn good...I would venture to say that with some simple photo editing, your picture can be great.

Here are the main types ways to edit photos which can greatly improve your images:

1. Saturation
2. Lightness and Darkness
3. Sharpening

Do you have to do all of them? Maybe. And maybe not. You can try each one to see if it enhances your image or not.

Saturation

This adjustment will make colors more vivid. How about making the sky in your landscape just a bit bluer and the grass a bit greener?

Most photo editing programs will adjust, or saturate, all elements in the photo. However, some of the more sophisticated ones will let you select areas to manipulate while leaving the rest of the picture alone. It all depends on which software you are using.

Be careful not to over do it, as your goal is to enhance it while still keeping it real looking. Saturate just a little bit at a time, and increase it if you feel it could use some more. You can always reverse your editing.

Brightness and Contrast

Sometimes a picture might come out too dark. By using this adjustment, you can lighten it up and make it brighter. Likewise, there are some images that need to darkened, or toned down. These manipulations can make a big difference in the quality of the photo. By adjusting the contrast, you can make a photo softer or more vivid.

Sharpening

This is something I try to be careful with. If you over sharpen, things can start to look jagged. In addition, sometimes a softer look can be very nice. You can sharpen slightly to see if this improves the image or not.

When editing, I like to use software that let you see the before and after images side by side. This helps in judging whether the picture is improved with each subsequent edit.

There are many free photo editing software programs that will work and be simple to use. If you want to really get involved in photo editing, you might also try one of the more sophisticated programs. They offer many more types of photo manipulations.

Some have a steep learning curve if you want to learn the more intricate manipulations. However, most of them let you start out in a simple way. If you find one that you feel you might like, see if they have a trial period so that you can try it out. Once again, many photo editing programs are free.

If you want to consider additional types of photo editing, here are a few you will find in most programs:

1. Cropping
2. Red-eye Removal
3. Resizing
4. Sepia
5. Highlights and Shadows - more sophisticated software
6. Exposure - more sophisticated software
articles by: Susan Schlenger Baca Selengkapnya..

Difference Between Virus-Worms-Trojan Horses and SpyWare

The most of peoples make blunder when the topic of a computer virus arises is to refer to a worm or Trojan horse as a virus. While the words Trojan, worm and virus are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Viruses, worms and Trojan Horses are all malicious programs that can cause damage to your computer, but there are differences among the three, and knowing those differences can help you to better protect your computer from their often damaging effects.

Computer virus

(1) Attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Much like human viruses

(2) Computer viruses can range in severity: Some viruses cause only mildly annoying effects while others can damage your hardware, software or files.

(3) Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program. It is important to note that a virus cannot be spread without a human action, (such as running an infected program) to keep it going.

(4) People continue the spread of a computer virus, mostly unknowingly, by sharing infecting files or sending e-mails with viruses as attachments in the e-mail.

Worm

(1) A worm is similar to a virus by its design, and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the capability to travel without any help from a person. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which allows it to travel unaided.

(2) The biggest danger with a worm is its capability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect. One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book. Then, the worm replicates and sends itself out to everyone listed in each of the receiver's address book, and the manifest continues on down the line.

(3) Due to the copying nature of a worm and its capability to travel across networks the end result in most cases is that the worm consumes too much system memory (or network bandwidth), causing Web servers, network servers and individual computers to stop responding. In more recent worm attacks such as the much-talked-about Blaster Worm the worm has been designed to tunnel into your system and allow malicious users to control your computer remotely.

Trojan Horse

(1) Trojan Horse is full of as much trickery as the mythological Trojan Horse it was named after. The Trojan Horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer.

(2) Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source. When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system.

(3) Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.

Spyware-Adware

(1) Spyware and Adware collect information about you without appropriate notice and consent.

(2) Spyware can get installed on your computer in a number of ways. One way is via a virus. Another way is for it to be secretly downloaded and installed with other software you've chosen to install. You and I both know how easy it is to skip reading all the documentation on a free program and just click "OK." That's often how they get you. Baca Selengkapnya..

Computer Virus, Spyware and Adware - What is the Difference?

Computer virus, spyware and adware share some similarity. All three are extremely irritant for surfers and other computer users. Let’s distinguish the three.

Spyware is software that does not purposely damage your hard disk. They make pathways in which someone else then the owner of the computer can be in touch with the computer. More often than not spyware record the diverse types of sites you go to. Afterward online marketers use these records to send you spam mails and pop-ups.

This is why computer users find spyware very irritating. They are more disturbing than adware. Spyware have their own unconnected executable software programs which let them look at applications that you are using. They also record your keystrokes after they scan the files on your hard disk.

Next the spyware sends the information that it had collected to the spyware programmer, often it is an online advertiser. The advertiser will then use this collected information for marketing and advertising purposes. In some cases the advertiser sells the information to companies that are looking for leads.

In contrast to spyware, adware is a more rightful form of free to download software. Just like spyware, adware contains software advertising programs. The difference is that adware installed itself on the computer after you have download software into your computer and spyware installed itself without any action of you.

There are also forms of adware that download marketing and advertising programs as a particular application is being utilized. It is very regrettable that the majority of the adware programs take the structure of spywares and that is track and report information from your computer to the programmer.

When Windows application takes too much time to load and unwanted pop-ads are coming up in front of your screen, it’s in 9 of the 10 cases a sign that your computer is infected with spyware.

Compared to spyware and adware viruses are super bad. A virus is a destructive form of software and is only create and design with the purpose to destroy whatever it comes in contact with. The nasty thing about viruses is that they replicate their self and this way they destroy as many elements of the computer’s operating system as possible.

These days, numerous anti-virus software programs also provide adware and spyware scanning and elimination functions. There are also some programs that are specialized in destroying adware and spyware programs. Both, Anti-virus software and anti-spyware/adware are dedicated to search your computer and identify any spyware and virus installed on your system.

They then get rid of it as well as their elements positioned in the system registry amongst other spaces in your computer. It is thus important to often update your spyware or virus scanner to make sure that your computer is protected against the millions of adware, spyware and viruses on the internet.

Don’t let the ads that claim that the download does not contain adware or spyware fool you. Learn how you can protect yourself against these spyware and adware. Be sure that your computer is protected with high quality antivirus and spyware/adware programs.

That’s why finding an anti adware and anti spyware program for your use must be a well researched project. You’ll need to take the time to fully learn about the product and you also must be alert for scam programs. But don’t worry! We have done the hard work for you.

We reviewed 15 registry programs - only 2 met our criteria- Ease of use, Improvement in PC Performance, Speed of Scan and Customer Support. Baca Selengkapnya..

The Doom of the Hard Disk Drive

Flash memory may not be taking over from your regular hard disk in the near future, but it could still be playing a significant role before long.

The hard disk has been with us for longer than you’d realize. The first examples materialized back in the 1950s, and the IBM Winchester format which we still essentially use today arrived in 1973. Since then, pundits have predicted the hard disk’s doom more than once. With the rise of Flash memory in mobile devices, which have been pushing down unit prices, it is expected that solid state disks (SSDs) will take over from the mechanical variety sooner or later. But while there are no signs of this happening just yet, there is new technology bubbling under which could see Flash memory taking a greater role in PC storage.

Drive Time

The spectre haunting HD technology is the ‘superparamagnetic effect’. This supposedly sets a limit on how small the magnetic grains on a hard disk can be. Below a certain grain size, the temperature raises enough to reverse the magnetic polarity of grains. This makes the hard disk unreliable. For the time being, the superparamagnetic effect is being held at bay by new developments like perpendicular recording which allows the use of larger grains by stacking them on their ends perpendicular to the hard disk surface. With traditional recording, grains run parallel to the disk surface, so take up more room. In the long run, though, perpendicular recording will only delay the hard disk’s execution.

Flash memory also requires much less power than a mechanical disk. Additionally, Flash offers much lower access times than those of a hard disk. As a result, Flash hard disks offer boot up times 25 – 50% quicker than conventional hard disks. On the down side, Flash memory is still only available in fairly meager capacities, and those are hideously expensive.

Mix and Match

SSDs have their good and bad side compared to HDDs. This has led to a new idea; why not use both at the same time. Samsung was the first to publicize the concept, and has been talking about its Hybrid Hard Disk (HHD) for the last 2 years. This bolts 128MB of Samsung’s OneNAND Flash memory onto a regular hard disk. The Flash is used as a buffer, storing write tasks until it is full. Only then is data written to HHD. This way, during times of light usage, the hard disk can remain idle or even in sleep mode for much longer. Samsung claims this reduces power consumption by an average of 9%.

Seagate’s Momentus 5400 PSD takes a similar approach, but uses twice as much Flash (256MB). Seagate maintains the greater capacity reduces power consumption by as much as half.

Since Flash maintains its data without power, it’s an ideal place to store part of the hibernation file. Seagate argues this reduces recovery time from hibernation by 20%. Using a flash buffer can also extend the life of your hard disk, which is usually measured in terms of the average number of hours it can be in use before failure occurs.

Despite Samsung being the first to publicize the HHD, it was developed with Microsoft. In fact, two technologies within Windows Vista will make use of it. ReadyDrive is what Microsoft calls support for HDs within Windows Vista and a driver will be needed to manage the process. But Microsoft has a more surprising take on the hybrid idea, too. In recognition of the ubiquity of Flash RAM thumbdrives, Windows Vista will also contain ReadyBoost, which anyone can use. Instead of having the Flash cache built into the hard disk, ReadyBoost can use a thumbdrive instead.

Perhaps the most viable version of the hybrid idea is the one Intel is currently calling Robson. Instead of relying on the hard disk or third party add on for the Flash memory, Robson places it directly on the motherboard, connected to the Southbridge via PCI Express. That way, any disk can be used, and you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues.

The benefit of ReadyDrive is to power consumption, so it’s aimed primarily at portable computers. But with 4GB already being launched for ReadyBoost, the hybrid idea is starting to have clear implications for the desktop PC as well. So perhaps the SSD will take over from the HDD as has been predicted for so long – just in a slightly more surreptitious manner than we originally expected.

articles by: Sandra Prior Baca Selengkapnya..