Regenerate Your Harddrive

The most important component in your PC is your hard drive, it is where your important application and data are stored, but most often hard drive will develop bad sectors overtime causing your system to crush.If your hard disk is still under warranty then I suggests that you return it to where you bought it, for replacement. If its already out of manufacturers warranty(5 years), I had this very useful utility that can fix your hard drive's bad sectors most of the time, it does not just fix your hard drive it may restore back the corrupted data that are store in those bad sectors.

The application is user friendly and can be run within inside windows or you can create a bootable disk.

Download Here: HDD Util

Fixing A Problematic LAN Connection

Have you ever encountered a LAN connection that is continuously or intermittently disconnecting? Before thinking of reformatting your PC, try adjusting the media type of your network card, by default it is set at auto config, try changing the setting to 10Mbps Full Duplex.Most often the cause of this problem is when a LAN cable is too long; a problematic RJ45 connectors or a problematic software, you may also try replacing the connectors (RJ45) on both ends.

Here is how to do it(In case you still don't know):

What is the best way to determine if a software has Adware/Spyware in that?

There are hell lot of utilities available on the Internet today for free. Many times we linger to download as these tools/utilities might contain spyware. So how to determine if they have any spyware or not?

Never get trapped into the pop-ups you get while browsing. These are usually adware, which might link you to unknown website. We can never tell if a a program is safe or not to download from uknown website. Follow these guidelines to safe gaurd from malicious sofware.

You can safely download the software from well known websites like Microsoft, Adode, Yahoo, etc. Make sure you type the website name correctly and you reached the correct website. Some websites "look like" genuine websites but they may be phishing websites. Often they live with the typo of the actual name.

Never respond to the ads you see in the browsing. Many of then lead to unhealthy websites.

Now-a-days many websites offer free information while they advertise (that is how they can offer free information for you, just like you have to watch a 2 Hrs movie for 4 Hours in TV with commercials). Often these ads are context sensitive, means the advertisement running engines senses subject of the information you ar searching for. Example, if you are looking for a phone, you might also se the advertisements related to service providers. If you want to click the link in an online article, differentiate between an advertisement in the same web page and the article content.

Refer computer magazines. They have already installed and tested the applications for you, so that you do not need to worry for suspecious content.

Look for "Tested spyware free" before you download the application. Example, Download.com does that as a tag line under the download link.

Why Computers slow down?

There are several reasons why computers slow down. Here are some....

• Probably the computer is never cleaned. Just like a house never cleaned for a long time becomes unusable, computers are no different. Run Clean up today.
• Files gets fragmented as you use the system. Defrag drives regularly.
• Ad ware, spy ware slow down by eating the system resources
• Too many installed programs many of them are never used but get loaded every time you start the system
• Fragmented Page File.

Clean up the system today

• Login as each user and perform the following steps for each user

• 
  
  

  Delete unnecessary files that are not needed any more, from the desktop,
  Mydocuments, and other folders.

  
  
  
  

  Remove cached files from Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, which ever your browser is.

  
  
  
  

  Remove files from temporary folders

  
  
  
  

  Run the Disk Cleanup by clicking Start --> All Programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Disk Cleanup.

  
  
  

• Login as Admin or with an account that has administrator privileges if you have not already logged in so.
• Uninstall unnecessary programs those you do not need/use any more (make sure you have the install program some where with product code, in case if you wan to install again in future. Good example is I have Microsoft Flight Simulator installed 6 moths back which you is not use now as I am not interested to play. Before you uninstall it, make sure you have the original software and it's product keys available in case if your nephew want to play during his vacation.)
• Many of the above tasks can be done with the simple program CCleaner. Install it and run it in every user profile. It has File cleaner, Applications Cache Cleaner, Uninstall applications feature, Startup programs cleaner (use it cautiously, you can not undo it, you have to manually add the registry entries if you have to undo, better note down if you delete any entries , never delete antivirus program entries for example), Fixing registry entries and many more. Definitely go through the Quick Tour to get an idea before you download. Caution: Some of the options that you select willl remove the cached Internet User names and Passwords.
• Once you done the cleaning, Defrag the drives

How to defrag the drives?

Windows XP has an in-built system utility that can defrag the drives. This is not that efficient as third party software like Disk Keeper, but it is free with Widnows XP.

• Login as Admin or with an account that has administrator previleges if you have not already logged in so.
• Go to Add Remove Programs and uninstall the programs that are not required any more.
• Run the Disk Cleanup by clicking Start --> All Programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Disk Cleanup.
• Go to Command prompt, run the command defrag c:
• You may even like to automate the drives to automatically defrag

Automating Defrag Task

• Login as Admin or with an account that has administrator privileges.
• Copy the following lines to a text file, name it as "defrag_bat.bat" and store it C:\Windows\System folder.
• Create folder called C:\Temp if it is not present already.

Echo OFF
Echo ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// >> c:\Temp\Defrag.log
Echo Defrag started at @ && Date/T >> c:\Temp\Defrag.log && Time/T >> c:\Temp\Defrag.log
Echo ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// >> c:\Temp\Defrag.log
defrag c: /f >> c:\Temp\Defrag.log
Echo Defrag Ended at @ && Date/T >> c:\Temp\Defrag.log && Time/T >> c:\Temp\Defrag.log
Echo ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// >> c:\Temp\Defrag.logSchedule a Task to run it at a time you are not supposed to use the computer.

A Few things about Windows XP

In case you did not know it yet, I compiled few things about Windows XP!

1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).

2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).

3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.

4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.

5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.

6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.

7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system.

8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.

9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.

10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.

11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.

12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.

13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.

14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.

15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.

16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.

17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.

18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.

19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.

PC Turns On When Power Is Plugged In

Have you ever encountered a system that automatically turns on, when power was just plugged-in in your AC outlet or the AVR was just turned on? Well this may be the same case I experience weeks ago.

Its a socket 775 MOBO, actually the brand is Asrock! I was troubleshooting an intermittent unit, I notice that when I turned on the AVR, the unit automatically turns on and it display a CMOS battery bad. Although the system works just normally(except for the time and date), it is not just normal. So I replaced the CMOS battery, and to my surprise the unit does not turned on automatically anymore,the system now turns on via its switch, therefore the previous problem was caused by a drained CMOS battery.

Strange problem can sometime remedied on an unexpected manner, that's what makes my profession challenging, you will encounter unusual problem all the time.

PC cannot establish network connectivity

I just want to discuss a particular network problem I encounter just recently, it's actually an additional connection to the router, the cable is just newly bought and crimped from the store.

The problem encountered is when you plugged the cable, network icon indicates a limited connectivity and shows an exclamation point. It took me sometime to trouble shoot the problem, but later I found out that CAT5 cable is not crimped based on standard configuration.

The hard part in identifying the problem is that LAN cable is newly purchased so it's the least you suspect.In case you encounter similar problem described above, try to inspect the connector visually or adjust network connection properties to 10 mbps full duplex(default setup is auto), if PC established network connectivity then it's confirmed that connector was not crimped in accordance to standards.

It is important than you observe proper cable configuration when crimping new connections to ensure a problem-free network.

Standard CAT5 LAN connector configuration:

 

System restart when CD/DVD disk is inserted on the player

Have you ever encounters a system that restarts whenever you insert a CD/DVD disk on its player? If not then this solution might help you solve the problem right away.

The situation is that the unit functions normally, except when you insert a disk on the player, at first you suspect that it’s a problematic OS, the CD/DVD player is problematic or the system is infected with a virus.

Before you spent hours in troubleshooting the problem, I suggest that you try replacing the power supply of your system, I have encounter a few problems of this kind that point to a problematic power supply unit(on other cases Windows hang-up or system keeps on resetting), especially if it is a not a branded one.

The explanation maybe to the problem, is that power supply unit cannot meet the needed current supply of the CD/DVD player, when it tries to initialize. That is why I mentioned on my other post regarding how valuable to spent a few bucks in purchasing a branded a power supply unit for your CPU.

LAN connection is ok, but cannot browse the net

Just recently I encounter a system that cannot browse the internet. It was a tricky problem because LAN connection status is ok and it responds properly when you ping the router.

The system is not infected with a virus; I even try to install another Mozilla web browser but the problem still the same. The next thing comes on my mind is that Windows has problem and that hard drive has to be reformatted to restore its internet browsing capability.

But reformatting one’s hard drive is a tedious task when you have important data and applications installed on it. So I tried to find another way to solve the problem by installing another LAN card on the system, hoping that it’s just a problematic one, and true to my suspicion the system can now access the net.

But the story did not end there, because the original LAN card device that I thought is problematic is not really problematic, I tried to remove/uninstall the LAN device on the device manager, redetect it and reload a new driver, system now browsing the internet properly. Maybe, it is just a problematic device driver that causing it all. Whatever the cause it maybe, I am happy because I was able to save the hard drive from reformatting.

Hide Hard disk drive

·     Many times we have needed to hide hard disk for privacy. Today I give you some method how to hide drive from your computer.

·        Go to start menu click run option & type gpedit.msc.

·        Go to user configuration’s Administrative Templates.

·        Go to Windows Comonents-> Windows Explorer-> hide these Specified drives in My Computer

·         Hide these Specified drives in My Computer Properties this window will open.

·      Go to setting select drive which you want to hide  

       Enable it and then press ok. 

Audio Not Working

The audio not working is a bad sign in Windows that can usually be easily fixed. However, first of all, please make sure that you've gone through the Windows sound troubleshooter in the Help section of Windows before going through article. The Windows sound troubleshooter can probably fix your sound problems.

There are many reasons why audio not working is a problem for your computer. Some of the most common reasons are:

-the volume is muted or really low which is a common source of the sound not working problem.

-the song file you are trying to play is corrupt and this will also cause your audio not to work.

-your speakers or headphones are broken (no audio can come out of your computer!)

-your sound cables are unplugged or not plugged into the right slots.

-your soundcard driver is messed up (no sound can come out of a improperly configured driver).

-your audio cables are broken

-you have a hardware conflict with two sound cards on your computer (sound conflict in your computer).

-your computer does not have a sound card.

-the sound card's driver is not installed on your computer (an audio driver needs to be installed).

-your speakers or headphones are getting no power from the computer to work

-your sound card is turned off in the BIOS, or your sound card is broken.

Please note: If your audio is distorted or sounds strange, and you're still having the audio not working problem, check your computer's audio cables to make sure that they're tight, try your speakers or headphones on an MP3 player to see if you still have the problem (if you do, your headphones or speakers are broken), try playing a different sound file, inspect your audio cables to make sure they're not damaged, and check your sound card's control panel utility and sound player to see if you have messed up equalizer settings, bass boosters, virtual surround sound enhancements, etc.

To fix the audio not working problem, try these things first:

1. Restart your computer to see if that fixes the audio not working problem. Also, make sure that if you have speakers, that they are plugged in.

2. Check your computer's volume level and make sure it's high and not muted. Also, remember that if you're in a game, the game may be muting your sound and causing you difficulties.

3. Play a different sound file in case the one you're playing right now is corrupt.

4. Check your computer's audio cables to see if they are damaged or not tightly put into the sound ports. Also, if you have a sound card on one of your motherboard's ports, ensure that it is tightly fitted into the motherboard.

5. Check the ports your audio cables are plugged into to make sure they are they are the right ones (the pink audio port is usually for microphones and other sound input devices while the green audio port is usually for headphones or speakers and other sound output devices). This is one of the most common reasons why someone may be having the audio not working problem.

6. Try your headphones or speakers on another computer or mp3 player to see if they are broken.

7. Go into the computer's BIOS by pressing F2, F8, DEL or another key and then look around to see if your onboard sound card is disabled. Your audio will not work with no sound card!

8. Check if you have two sound cards (one on the motherboard and one in one of your motherboard's slots). If you do, you might have to remove the sound card in the motherboard's slot after first trying to disable the onboard sound to see if this fixes the problem and gets rid of any hardware conflicts on your computer.

9. Check the speaker's controls to make sure that they are also on medium volume. Also, if the speakers have a remote, check this to find out if it's muting any sounds coming out of the computer.

10. Your soundcard may not be configured to playback on your speakers. In Windows Vista, right click the volume icon in the notification area and select "Playback Devices". Choose a different playback device, click on "Set Default", and then click "OK" to close the dialog box. If this does not fix the audio not working problem, repeat these steps with a different playback device the next time. You can also right click the playback device and select "Properties" to check the playback device's levels tab, balance between left and right channels, enhancements and other settings. Close the dialog boxes when you are done. You can also click on the volume icon and click on "Mixer" to make sure that all your applications operate at a decent volume level.

11. Type the Windows key+R, type in devmgmt.msc and press enter to open Device Manager. Expand the "Sound, video, and game controllers" name to see if there's any question marks or anything at all. If there's question marks or a similar signal, you most likely have a sound card hardware or software conflict. If there's no devices at all, you probably don't even have a sound card on your computer. To fix hardware and software conflicts, try using system restore to set your computer back to a time when your sound did work. If your sound card still doesn't work, you may have other sound card driver problems. Right click on your computer's sound card and then click on "Update Driver Software" to see if you can find a better sound card driver on the internet to make your music work on your computer. You can also try disabling and then re-enabling your sound card by right clicking on your sound card in the Device Manager. Finally, try finding a utility for your sound card on your computer. If you do find one, try resetting your sound card to its default factory settings.

Hard disk problem & its solution

Your hard disk may get damaged or fault at any time. Any minor faults can easily by cure by Disk First Aid Tool Kit.  But any major faults cannot be cured by any way. But you have to replace the hard disk

If your hard disk got damaged then at the time of turn on it can display “NO SYSTEM DISK IS FOUND” in DOS prompt.

It means CPU is unable search out the necessary system disk necessary for your PC. But it does not mean that if PC displays the above mentioned statement the hard disk is damaged. Sometimes this statement may also be displayed because of some errors in some DOS files. And it may also occur due to some problem RAM slot, power unit or motherboard. Also it may occur because of some improper cable connection (lose connection in SATA cable to confirm about actual fault of your computer you have to be a bit more careful.

Press the power button of your PC, put your ear near the system unit &try to hear the sound produced inside it. 

 In case of any major fault you will be able to hear some bad sounds like “tong-tong, tit-tit, or pip-pip”& also some bad sounds will keep on producing at regular intervals of time. If this happens you can conclude that it is a major problem.

If these do not take place then the problem is in some other areas. In such case open your system unit & check the connection cables to your hard disk reconnect in case of lose connections. & check if the RAM is correctly in its slot or not. & also check the power connections to the motherboard. If everything is all right put the cabinet &press the power button.

I hope your PC will work properly. If it does not there is surely some problem in mother board or HDD. In such cases the best thing you can do is connect your HDD to a good computer & check whether it is really faulty or not. If faulty then there is no alternative other than replacing it.

Locking task bar position

Locking task bar position:-

Task bar is the gray bar generally which sits at the bottom of screen. It generally displays the mighty Start button at the left and the so called System tray at the right.

 

Some times, while playing with windows(may be your kids while dragging some icon or program), it is possible that the position of this task bar is changed to the desktop top, left or right positions. Even though it is a very minor issue for most of us, for newbies, it creates headaches.

 

This steps explains you, how to fix the position of task bar on desktop to a specific place.

  

Steps for fixing task bar..

1. Right click your mouse on windows task bar
2. A context menu will be displayed with several menu items to chose.
3. Generally, the last but one(the second from last) menu item will be "Lock the task bar" option.
4. Click it to turn it on. When you turn on a small right mark will be displayed at the left side of the menu item.
5. Once your turn it on, you'll not be able to move or reposition the task bar.

What happens when we download music and movies from torrent sites? Is it illegal and piracy? If yes, is there any legitimate way of downloading movies?

It is illegal to download movies, music and software from torrents and other P2P software. These files usually contain pirated content and are uploaded to various servers for others to download and use. If the files are shareware, freeware or self-made for distribution or if the developer of the software or owner of the movie or music give the authority or permission for it to be shared for free, then these files can be legally put up on torrents and PSP sites. We strictly oppose piracy and recommend using only genuine software, movies and music. There are only a few limited websites that distribute free authentic movies, but you will have to hunt for them. Torrents and P2P sharing is completely legal unless the content is copyright-protected.