• One scratched laptop • Buff up (Novus 3 Step Plastic Polish, Meguiars Scratch-X) • Unsoiled spongy cloth (one for each step) • Serenity
Launch off with the Novus #3 or Novus #2 based on how appalling the scratches are. If you encompass an extremely meek scratch that you lingo sense with your fingernail, initiate with the #2 fine scratch remover. If it is profound enough to grasp your fingernail, you will require beginning with the #3 grave scratch removers. Apply the buff up to a spotless cloth and softly massage the surface of the laptop. Carry on rubbing the polish onto the exterior until it begins to dry and suck up into your cloth. When barely something is left on the exterior, wipe the dehydrated polish bits off the laptop and examine the surface.
Don't be worried if you observe many fine scratches. If you ongoing with the number 3 cleaner, it will put down a mild haze. The significant thing are the unusual blemishes on the laptop, and if they have been detached or greatly narrowed. Deep scratches will be impracticable to entirely eliminate except you polish away a superior arrangement of the plastic layer. I desire to just level off the rough edges and let them unify into the laptop surface.
Move onto the improved polish once you discover the original imperfection to be satisfactory. Apply it in the similar manner, it might acquire a few reapplications prior to all of the haze and fine scratches are vanished.
Invisible Shield isn't anything new - it's been available in the US for years. What is new is that these military-grade clear casings for your gadgets are now available down under.
Prices start at $19.95, and there's literally thousands of designs for different gadgets, with everything from phones and PDAs to laptops included.
The local website doesn't seem to be up and running yet, but when it is you should be able to order directly from them online.
No brand is immune from this problem, with most manufactures offering at least one notebook with a glossy plastic exterior. Below is a small list outlining some popular laptops that have glossy finishes:
Lenovo: IdeaPad Y series, SL series Toshiba: Satellite and new Qosmio series Dell: New Vostros, M1730 HP: Almost the entire consumer lineup
I chose Novus plastic cleaner for this guide since I had good luck with this polish in the past. You probably won't find it at your local autoparts store, but it can be easily and cheaply purchased online. I went to McMaster-Carr for this purchase, where it cost $17 plus shipping. The Meguiar's Scratch-X came from my local Advanced Auto store for $8, but it can be found online as well. The Scratch-X polish was added to the mix since it was a finer polish than the Novus cleaners and helped give the notebook a much smoother final look.
Cleaning the notebook
Before you even touch the notebook with some of the fine rubbing compound to buff out scratches, you want the notebook to be clean enough to eat off of. You need to remove any leftover dust or fine grit that might re-scratch your notebook during the polishing process, which would make it look much worse than when you started. A damp cloth sprayed with the Novus Step 1 polish (just a cleaning spray) will work, or plain soap and water.
Polishing the notebook
Start off with the Novus #3 or Novus #2 depending on how bad the scratches are. If you have a very mild scuff that you can't feel with your fingernail, start with the #2 fine scratch remover. If it is deep enough to catch your fingernail, you will need to start with the #3 heavy scratch remover. Apply the polish to a clean cloth and gently rub the surface of the notebook. A circular motion or just up and down will work fine. Continue rubbing the polish onto the surface until it starts to dry and absorb into your cloth. When barely anything is left on the surface, wipe the dried polish bits off the notebook and inspect the surface.
Don't be alarmed if you see many fine scratches. If you started with the number 3 cleaner, it will leave a mild haze. The important thing are the original blemishes on the notebook, and if they have been removed or greatly lessened. Deep scratches will be impossible to completely remove unless you polish away a good deal of the plastic layer. I prefer to just smooth off the rough edges and let them blend into the notebook surface.
Move onto the finer polish once you find the original blemish to be acceptable. Apply it in the same manner, with a gentle motion and continue until the polish completely dries and absorbs into your cloth. Continue this step until the original polished area matches the surrounding notebook surface. It might take a few reapplications before all of the haze and fine scratches are gone. If you had deep scratches when you started, you will still see them, but they should be less noticeable and blended into the glossy finish.
Below is a quick example of a line of fine scratches being removed from the lid of a glossy Acer notebook. First picture is before, second is after the #3 polish, and last is after the fine polish.
Notice how the bulk of the scratches were removed, and you are left with the deeper marks. Once the highly scuffed area is polished the visibility of the scratches is greatly reduced. You are only left with deep blemishes that are only visible under close scrutiny. Each stage of the polishing took about 30-45 seconds and the entire process took roughly five minutes. Additional polishing effort (much greater time) might yield better results.
Results may vary
Depending on the exact glossy surface and the process used you might remove all marks or be left with some leftovers from an abusive past. While our example shows the process with regular "by hand" application, some of our more adventurous readers might experiment with power buffers or additional applications. This could yield much better results, but also runs the risk of wearing away more of the surface with the possibility of damaging the glossy notebook further.
Get the serial number you need ! (For Certain Things)
* Go to Google.
* In the search field type: "Product name" 94FBR
* Where, "Product Name" is the name of the item you want to find the serial number for.
* And voila - there you go - the serial number you needed.
HOW DOES THIS WORK?
Quite simple really. 94FBR is part of a Office 2000 Pro cd key that is widely distributed as it bypasses the activation requirements of Office 2K Pro. By searching for the product name and 94fbr, you guarantee two things. 1) The pages that are returned are pages dealing specifically with the product you're wanting a serial for. 2) Because 94FBR is part of a serial number, and only part of a serial number, you guarantee that any page being returned is a serial number list page.
See these example searches:
"Photoshop 7" 94FBR "Age of Mythology" 94FBR "Nero Burning Rom 5.5" 94FBR
Laptops are machines, and they do overheat. No matter what any company says about their laptops, it is an inevitable fact that all laptops do tend to overheat at some moment or the other. Now firstly, let us understand how laptops work.
Laptops have an internal system of functioning, just like any CPU or for that matter, any other electronic device. Now since a lot of electricity passes through these internal parts, and a LOT of processes take place every second of you operating the machine, as a result, these circuits and systems tend to become hot due to all the activity.
Before you start blaming your laptop manufacturer right away, you must understand that most laptops manufactured after the year 2003 tend to have prevention measures in place for overheating. These laptops have certain vents on their lower body (on the sides and bottom) which allow the hot air to pass out of the laptop after it is blown away by a fan inside the machine (or a blower)
I know certain tech geeks who insist on taking off the lower covering of their laptop whenever they go hardcore gaming or into any other process that requires a lot of CPU usage. This helps a LOT in fact but for most normal people this isn't the obvious *way to go* solution. So what can you do to prevent your laptop from overheating then?
- Don't use in high temperatures Don't use your laptop when the temperature is high (Above 40 degrees). This might cause your laptop to overheat very quickly (as normally the laptop is hotter than the outside temperature, which is called the base temperature).
- Prevent use in humid conditions Don't use your laptop for a very long time (exceeding two hours) or for gaming when the conditions are above 60% humid. Because this causes the hot air blown out of the laptop to find it difficult to escape (Since vapor is generally denser than normal air and the molecules find it pave their way out)
- NEVER Block the vents Your Laptop's air outlets or vents are its best friends, NEVER block them, especially the vents at the bottom of the laptop, they put a lot of air out, therefore always keep your laptop on something which provides sufficient area for the hot air to escape (preferably some sort of a stand). If you keep your laptop on your lap, try to put something on your lap first so it doesn't block the vents.
-Never leave a running laptop closed Sometimes people tend to leave their running laptops closed, as in, they powered a laptop on but didn't turn it off and just closed it that way and kept it inside some enclosed place. If you do this, there is a high chance your laptop's hardware gets fried due to the trapping of hot air.
- Don't go hardcore Laptops are meant for casual usage, yet sometimes people insist on gaming on their laptops, there is no problem with gaming on a laptop, but when you go on for a LONG time (2 hours plus) it becomes inevitable for the laptop to sustain some damage due to overheating caused by your actions. Not just gaming, this applies even to the usage of softwares which are high on CPU usage (Photoshop, CS, Flashy GUI stuff). If you want to game/use these softwares, do it, but try not to exceed a few hours.
- Turn your laptop OFF sometimes A lot of people don't turn their laptop off, which is not just a major cause of all overheating problems, but actually of ALL laptop problems. Ideally, one should turn their laptop off for at least five-six hours everyday so that it is cooled off. By cooled off I don't mean the cooling of the outer crust, but there are SEVERAL internal parts of laptops which don't cool easily, they need time, and to get the most out of your laptop, you need to take care of them as well.
- Get more cooling You could install some extra cooling for your laptop, something like a small water cooler, you know the ones found in certain high end gaming CPU's, something like that, and then you could affix a place for the actual blower inside the laptop in a way such that the cooler could be taken out and carried with you and your laptop, it would require extra power supply of course.
- Clean your Laptop sometimes You must clean the internal area of your laptop sometimes, the recommended time is every two months. IF you believe you cannot do it, take your laptop to some repair shop and get it done. A laptop is frequently exposed to outside surroundings and hence has the biggest chance of catching dust hence obstructing the flow of hot air to the outside of the laptop.
Also, if ever your Laptop gets overheated and shuts down (for the first time) DO NOT turn it on until it has cooled off, or else there is a big possibility your laptop would get overheated and get some permanent damage on it.
Purchasing a notebook computer can be a tricky process. With so many possible options and specs how can you be sure you are making the best purchase. Here we will take a look at some of the most commonly asked questions on notebook PCs in an effort to make your buying decision a little easier.
Dual core or single core? Which offers better/faster performance given the same application?
Unfortunately there is no simple answer. In most cases, the level of performance is directly related to the type of application and the manner in which it was programmed. For a dual-core processor to fully maximize it's performance, the application has to be programmed to allow multi-thread processing.
However, even when dealing with single-thread processing, the faster speed of the Core Duo chip set very well might give it a significant edge if the the application is frequently transferring data. Conversely, a quicker single-core chip will usually out-perform a slower dual-core processor when it comes to single-thread number crunching assignments.
AMD vs Intel. Which processor is better for both school assignments and high level gaming?
While numerous reports have the Intel Core 2 Duo out-performing equivalent AMD processors, an equally important consideration will rest with the choice of graphics card. Laptops with AMD processors have the advantage in regards to being affordable. The final decision may come down to whether or not your financial situation will play a large role in choosing a processor type. If it will, then it might possibly make more sense to select a AMD based machine with a respectable graphics card.
Processing speed or RAM? Which is more important?
This is another question that depends greatly on the type of applications you will be using most frequently. For applications that require large amounts of computations, such as scientific calculations, a faster processor will often be more valuable. On the other hand, applications that are constantly transferring large amounts of data to and from the hard drive will perform better with more RAM.
There are also scenarios in which both increased processing speed and RAM will be ideal, such as gaming and other processing and memory intensive activities.
In general, remember that it is much easier to upgrade the RAM via third party options and that due to warranties, you will often be stuck with the processor you have chosen.
HyperMemory and TurboCache memory?
HyperMemory and TurboMemory are characteristics that increase video RAM by using memory from system RAM in discrete graphics cards. Still, discrete graphics memory is exceptionally quicker, therefore, the more discrete memory a graphics card has, the higher the performance.
Battery duration?
One simple way to increase your laptop's battery life is to reduce the screen brightness. Also consider disabling wireless applications when they are not in use. Optical drives also sap the power from your battery, consider copying files to your hard drive in lieu of frequently accessing them from a CD.
Certain companies, such as Fujitsu, offer a secondary battery that can be switched with the optical drive. This will give for longer battery life away from outlets.
Leaving the battery always plugged in?
The majority of modern batteries switch into a "trickle" state when a battery reaches or is near 100 percent charged, however, the lithium cells will continue to heat and the result is a shorter battery life. It is suggested that the battery should be removed when the laptop is connected to power outlets for long periods of time. Also, when storing a battery for extended periods, remember to reduce the battery charge to 40 percent in order to prevent cell deterioration.
HD-DVD or Blu-ray? Are they the same?
These are two separate and competing formats of HD media. They are completely incompatible and require specialized optical drives to read their respective discs. HP has recently announced a hybrid optical drive capable of reading both formats for desktop PCs. It is assumed that in time this technology will become available for notebooks.
Vista or XP? Should I switch?
Quite honestly, it is currently better to have Windows XP installed unless you are using advanced features only supported by Vista or if you have recently bought Microsoft Office 07. Although Vista is capable of handling nearly all XP programs, many bugs reported still remain un-addressed. In addition, many offices have software applications that are specifically programmed for the XP operating system.
Running Windows Vista on a MacBook?
Running Windows Vista with an Apple MacBook requires the latest installation of Boot Camp 1.2, which is available for download on Apple's web site. Make sure that your machine meets the minimum operating requirements before installing Vista, and also note that Apple programs only allow the 32-bit version of the operating system.
Windows vs. Mac OS
This comes down to a question of personal preference. Both systems offer a variety of similar applications, and both operating systems have there positives and their drawbacks. One thing to consider is that certain business applications may only be available for one operating system or the other. Also consider the functionality of both operating systems in regards to your everyday life when making your final decision.
I have been using a laptop for more than 2 years and the biggest challenge that I still face is to make it go for longer periods when operating in battery mode. Over these years I have found and learnt many tips in improving the laptop’s battery performance and would like to share them here.
1. Screen Brightness: When operating in battery mode dim your screen brightness. All the today’s modern laptops come with this feature, this usually can be done by using the Function Key (Fn) or by your manufacturer provided software.
2. Hibernate instead of Shut Down: I have seen many people using laptops are not aware of hibernate feature hence they tend to use the more power expensive shut down instead hibernate. For those who are not aware of hibernation: “Hibernate saves an image of your desktop with all open files and documents, and then it powers down your computer. When you turn on power, your files and documents are open on your desktop exactly as you left them.” You can use hibernate option instead of standby in situations where you are required to leave your laptop unattended for more than 20 minutes.
3. Clean your laptop’s air vents regularly: Your battery works most efficiently when the operating temperature of your laptop is lower. To avoid overheating and improve thermal efficiency you need to avoid dust build-up in air vents. If your air vents are dust free the cooling fan would run at much lower speed there by reducing the load on your laptop battery. I usually blow dust out of air vents once a week, you can select your time interval depending upon your usage.
4. Close unwanted programs that you do not use: Close unnecessary programs that are running in background which you do not intend to use. For example you can close IM applications that are not required. Another advantage of closing unwanted applications it frees up your RAM and this avoids using the power expensive virtual memory.
5. Don’t perform Hard disk and CPU intensive tasks: The more CPU and hard disk intensive task you carry out the more pressure you put on your laptop battery. Avoid playing games or watching movies when in battery mode. Always shutdown your desktop indexing program like Google desktop and other desktop indexing programs as they tend to use more hard disk and CPU resources there by increasing the load on your laptop.
6. Turn Off unused Devices: You can turnoff bluetooth, Wifi, infrared devices when not in use. Most of the devices get powered from your laptops USB port hence makes lot of sense to avoid using them when in battery mode.
7. Laptops with Intel Centrino Processors: Laptops that are using Intel Centrino processors make sure Intel speed step technology is enabled in your BIOS.
8. Make best use of your Operating Systems (OS) Power Management feature: All the present generation operating systems (OS) come with good set of power saving features so make best use of them. You can configure how your laptop should behave when it is idle with these features. An example would be like turning off the display after some minutes.
9. Disable Scheduled Automated Tasks: When in battery mode disable scheduled tasks like virus scanning that can put pressure on your laptop batteries.
10. Avoid running programs from CD/DVD drive: CD/DVD drives are expensive when it comes to power consumption when compared to your hard drive. When running battery mode copy the programs that you need to run to hard drive and then use them.
11. Use the latest BIOS update from your laptop manufacturer: Make sure you are running your laptop with the latest version of BIOS as sometimes laptop manufacturers issue BIOS updates that can enhance your laptops efficiency.
12. Plan your Work before hand: When you plan to work in battery mode plan your activities before hand so that you don’t spend time thinking and your battery at the other end is draining. When ever I need prepare presentations or prepare some documents I always plan before and then only start my laptop.
Bonus Tip for Vista Users: To improve your battery life under Windows Vista you can disable Aero and Windows Sidebar. You can also make use of VISTA BATTERY SAVER program that does this automatically.
The silver lining is that you don't have to be a genius to avoid these common attacks either. Implement a few simple fixes, and you'll avoid most of the bad stuff out there.
Fix 1: Patch Over the Software Bull's-Eye
Have you turned off automatic updates for Windows and other programs on the rationale that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Then consider this: Your programs may be very, very broken, and you don't know it. The days of big splashy viruses that announce themselves to PC users are over. The modern cybercriminal prefers to invisibly take control of your PC, and unpatched software gives them the perfect opportunity to do so.
Today, a hijacked Web page--modern digital crooks' attack of choice--will launch a bevy of probes against your PC in search of just one unpatched vulnerability that a probe can exploit. If it finds one, better hope your antivirus program catches the ensuing attack. Otherwise you likely won't even notice anything amiss as it infects your system.
Luckily, you can completely block the majority of Web-based exploits by keeping all your programs--not just the operating system or your browsers--up-to-date. Attack sites ferret out holes in seemingly innocuous applications such as QuickTime and WinZip as well as in Windows and Internet Explorer. So turn on automatic update features for any software that offers the service--it's your quickest and easiest option for getting patches.
Fix 2: Find the Other Holes
If every program used easy automatic updates--and we were all smart enough to use them--the thriving malware business would take a serious hit. Until then, a free and easy security app from Secunia can help save the day.
The Secunia Personal Software Inspector, available as a free download, scans your installed software to let you know which out-of-date programs might be making your PC unsafe. But it doesn't stop there--for each old program it finds, it offers quick and easy action buttons such as one labeled Download Solution, which retrieves the latest software patch without you even having to open a browser.
The program also gives you links to the software vendor's site as well as Secunia's full report about the vulnerability on your system. You can choose to block future warnings about a particular program (but you should, of course, be careful before doing so).
Secunia PSI isn't perfect, and doesn't always make it easy to update unsafe program components. But for most apps it provides a quick--and very important--fix.
Fix 3: Let the Latest Browsers Fight for You
The most insidious hijacked Web pages are nearly impossible to spot. Tiny snippets of inserted code that don't display on the page can nevertheless launch devastating behind-the-scenes attacks.
Trying to avoid such pages on your own is asking for trouble, especially since crooks like to hack popular sites--attacks against sites for Sony games and the Miami Dolphins are just two well-known examples. But new site-blocking features in the just-released Firefox 3 and Opera 9.5 browsers provide some shielding.
Both browsers expand on the previous version's antiphishing features to block known malware sites as well, whether they're hijacked pages on legitimate sites or sites that were specifically created by bad guys. Neither browser completely eliminates the risk of landing on such pages, but every additional layer of protection helps.
Microsoft plans to add a similar feature to Internet Explorer 8, but this version won't be ready for prime time for a good while. For more on the browsers' improved security, see "New Browsers Fight the Malware Scourge."
Fix 4: Sidestep Social Engineering
The most dangerous crooks use clever marketing to get you to do their dirty work for them and infect your own PC. Lots of social engineering attacks are laughably crude, with misspelled words and clumsy grammar, but that doesn't mean you should dismiss the danger. Every now and then, a well-crafted attack can slip past your defenses and lure you into opening a poisonous e-mail attachment or downloaded file. A targeted attack might even use your correct name and business title.
To fight back, turn to a simple but powerful tool: VirusTotal.com. You can easily upload any file (up to 10MB) to the site and have it scanned by a whopping 35 different antivirus engines, including ones from Kaspersky, McAfee, and Symantec. A report tells you what each engine thought about your file. While some (such as Prevx) are prone to false alerts, if you get multiple specific warnings that include the name of the particular threat, then you almost certainly want to delete the file.
A lack of warnings doesn't guarantee a file is safe, but it does give you pretty good odds. Use VirusTotal to check every e-mail attachment and download you're not 100 percent sure about, and you'll avoid insidious social engineering.
If using VirusTotal starts to become a habit (not a bad idea) and you want to make sending files for scanning to VirusTotal really easy, download the free VirusTotal Uploader. Once you've installed the utility, just right-click a file, and you'll see an option (under Send To) to upload it to the VirusTotal site.
Fix 5: Get the Jump on Fast-Moving Malware
Traditional, signature-based antivirus software is getting snowed under by a blizzard of malware. Attackers try to evade detection by churning out more variants than security labs can analyze. So besides signatures, any antivirus program worth its salt today uses proactive detection that doesn't require a full signature to spot sneaky malware.
One promising approach uses behavioral analysis to identify malicious software based solely on how it acts on your PC. But your antivirus software by itself may not be enough. ThreatFire, a popular free download from PC Tools, adds such a layer of behavior-based protection. In recent tests, it correctly identified 90 percent of malware based on its behavior alone.
PC World's ThreatFire review provides a thorough analysis of the program and a quick download link (as well as a warning about installing too many security programs on one PC). And for more on behavioral analysis and proactive virus detection, see "When a Signature Isn't Enough."
Note: If you use the AVG Free antivirus program, hold off on trying ThreatFire until PC Tools releases a new version. The current 3.5 version conflicts with AVG, but PC Tools says it's working on a fix.
Fix 6: Rescue Your Inbox From Spam
Spam filters are getting better, but some junk still makes it through even the best of them. Instead of resigning yourself to hitting delete for all those hot-stock and Viagra come-ons, try disposable e-mail addresses.
Such an address is something you create every time you encounter an online shopping site, forum, or other service that requires you to enter an e-mail address. If that address gets flooded with spam, you can terminate it. That's a better system than the alternative, creating a free Web mail account that you use only for purchases and Web signups. With a single separate account, you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater and cancel the whole account if it gets too much spam.
Yahoo Web mail users can opt for the $20-a-year Plus service, which includes the AddressGuard disposable e-mail service (among other benefits). With it, you can click a bookmark to create a new, disposable address for any given site in about 10 seconds.
Gmail users can simply append "+ whatever" to their regular e-mail address before handing it out, but if that address starts to receive spam you can't simply turn it off. You'll have to create a filter in Gmail to block all mail to that address.
For everyone else, we suggest a good, free service from Spamgourmet.com that's quick and easy to set up and use; it allows you to create disposable addresses on-the-fly that will forward e-mail messages to your regular address.
Fix 7: Develop an Antiphishing Habit
The dastardly practice of phishing for personal information is still alive and well, and many fake sites can be hard to distinguish from the real ones. But a few simple practices can ensure you'll never be snagged by a phishing hook.
The best approach, and the most straightforward, is never to click a link in any e-mail message to access your financial accounts. Instead, always type the URL or use a bookmark. That one habit will protect you from almost every phishing attack.
If you can't make that change, then at least use the latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera to browse the Web. All have built-in features to block known phishing sites (and, as described in Fix 3, Opera and Firefox now also block known malware sites). Avoid Safari, which lacks any built-in antiphishing protection.
Finally, keep an eye out for the common phishing tactic of using URLs like "http://adwords.google.com.d0l9i.cn/select/Login." If you glance at the URL (an actual recent example listed by Phishtank.com), you might think the site's domain was google.com. In fact, it's heading to d0l9i.cn, a site in China where operators are standing by to swipe your personal details.
It's not a good time to run a Web site. The Web may look like a digital wonderland, but behind the scenes it's a war zone. And the guns are trained on your site.
Crooks use automated tools to search sites for the most common vulnerabilities. If they find one, they blow the hole wide open to plant harmful code that will attack your loyal visitors.
To help keep your site safe, start with some quick, free scans that ferret out the most obvious problems. First, fill out a form at Qualys.com to request a free scan of one IP address.
Next, download the also-free Scrawlr tool from HP. After a quick install, use Scrawlr to scan your site for SQL injection vulnerabilities (a type of hole targeted in a recent Sony site hack).
A clean bill of health from both scans won't guarantee that your site is safe. For instance, neither will find problems with custom JavaScript code, another common type of attack. And while requesting or running either scan is easy, fixing a reported hole might involve a fair bit of work. But that job will still take far less work than repairing your site and your reputation after your site has been hijacked.
Fix 9: Make Your Passwords Secure--And Easy to Remember
Online passwords are starting to seem about as safe as tissue paper protecting a bank vault. The supply of stolen logins is now so huge that crooks can hardly make any money selling them unless they add other ripped-off data, like addresses or Social Security numbers, according to security researchers. And thieves don't stop with stealing logins to financial accounts--the bad guys regularly pilfer access information for Web mail accounts as well. In one recent case, a scammer broke into Web mail accounts and sent messages to the victim's friends asking for money.
Experts say we should use strong, unique passwords for all our accounts. But they don't tell us how we're supposed to remember them, so most of us end up using the same, not-so-safe password at all our accounts.
Here's an easy fix that allows you to remember just one password, yet still have a strong, unique password for each site you use. The Password Hash (or PwdHash) add-on for Firefox and IE takes that simple password you type and runs it through an algorithm that uses the site's domain name as part of the calculation. The utility subs in the resulting strong password before you send it to the site. All you have to do (after installing Password Hash) is hit the F2 key in a password box before you type.
Fix 10: Get Extra Cleaning Help for Stubborn Infections
Sometimes even the best antivirus program misses an infection. And once a virus or Trojan horse gets in, removing it can be incredibly tough. If you suspect some nasty got past your defenses, then it's time to bring in extra help.
Many antivirus makers offer free and easy online scans through your Web browser. The scan will take time, as the scanning service will need to download large Java or ActiveX components before it can get started, but they're easy to kick off. You can run them in addition to your already-installed antivirus application for a second (or third, or fourth) opinion. Here's the lowdown on your options.
Trend Micro HouseCall: Will detect and remove malware; works with both IE and Firefox.
Saddled with an old, slow processor in your laptop? Ripping it out and subbing in a new one can result in an exceptional boost in speed. For instance, upgrading from a 1.66-GHz Intel Core Duo to a 2-GHz Core 2 Duo T7200 raised our laptop's WorldBench 6 score from 57 to 68. But this upgrade isn't as simple as most of our other notebook upgrades.
Make sure that you buy a CPU that will work with your portable. In fact, some laptops have nonreplaceable, soldered-in CPUs.
If the processor is upgradable, you'll need to find a compatible replacement. As with a laptop graphics card upgrade, the best way to proceed is to look at what CPUs have been sold with your laptop over the course of its life span, by googling "[your notebook model] CPU." We purchased a 2-GHz Intel T7200 from a niche online reseller (we have yet to find a laptop vendor that will sell us a new processor).
Be sure to consult your laptop's service manual (which you should be able to download from the manufacturer's support page) before attempting to open up your machine. Also, make sure to guard your hardware against possible electrostatic discharge by wearing an antistatic wrist strap whenever you handle any internal components.
Step 1: Update the BIOS
Before you remove your first screw, it is critical that you upgrade your BIOS to the latest version. Manufacturers often update BIOSs to allow support for newer CPUs. If you upgrade to a chip that's newer than your BIOS allows, your notebook won't boot at all. Check the support section of your manufacturer's Web site for any BIOS updates for your notebook.
The process for upgrading your CPU is usually almost identical to that for upgrading your graphics board. In the case of the Inspiron E1505, the CPU resides directly underneath the video card assembly, so disassembly instructions are exactly the same for this part as for that one.
Step 2: Remove Any Cover Plates
Laptop designs vary, but the upgrade process usually begins with removing hinge covers: Pry up any plastic hinge cover and pull it away from the chassis. Avoid excessive force, as pulling too hard can break the plastic parts.
Step 3: Detach the Keyboard
Detach the keyboard by taking out the screws beneath the hinge cover that secure it, lifting it off, and then unplugging the connector. On some notebooks, simple latches allow you to remove the keyboard without unscrewing anything.
(Note: In a job like this, keeping track of where each screw came from is important. A good way to keep things organized is to use paper cups to hold the screws--one cup for each step of disassembly--and label each cup clearly.)
Step 4: Remove the Display Assembly
Remove the display assembly--the entire apparatus of the screen--by taking out the screws on the bottom and back of the portable, and unplugging the video and Wi-Fi antenna cables (pictured).
Next, pull out the optical drive; this usually means depressing the latch on the bottom of the laptop and sliding the drive out sideways.
Step 5: Remove the Shell
Remove the upper shell by taking the screws holding it out of the bottom of the PC. As you lift the shell off of the chassis, make certain that no part of it is still attached to the bottom of the case or to the motherboard. If it feels like you have to force it, that probably means either a screw is still in place or a clip remains to be unsnapped. Before continuing, back off and double-check your service manual to discover any well-hidden screws that may have eluded you.
Step 6: Remove the Graphics Card
We've now reached the part of the upgrade that involves actually laying hands on critical system components, so be sure you're wearing an antistatic wrist strap and are well grounded before continuing. Obviously, you'll have to use care in handling any components that you touch.
On our laptop, the preceding steps gave us access to the graphics card assembly, which we removed by loosening two screws. The CPU sits beneath that card.
Step 7: Remove the Heat Sink
With the graphics card out of the way, we removed four more screws to get the heat sink off and to expose the CPU itself, held in its socket by a single locking screw.
Step 8: Replace the CPU
Turn the CPU socket's locking screw counterclockwise until it stops, and lift the CPU straight up and out of the laptop. Drop the new CPU in, but don't push it (if it looks as though it needs a push, it isn't aligned properly). Turn the screw clockwise to lock it. Note: Some systems use a locking bar in place of a screw.
Step 9: Apply Thermal Paste and Reassemble
Next you need to prepare the heat sink anew: Remove all of the old thermal compound (silver-gray gunk) by wiping the heat sink with 99 percent isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free rag. If you bought a used CPU, it may be covered with this goop, too, so clean it off as well. When it's dry, reapply a paper-thin layer of thermal paste to the top of the CPU, spreading it evenly with a business card or an old credit card.
Clean up any excess paste and replace the heat sink. Reassemble the laptop and boot it up. Jump into the machine's BIOS setup to make sure the laptop is seeing the CPU properly. Finally, launch Windows and enjoy the performance boost!
Steps : 1) Browse C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc 2) Find the file named "HOSTS" 3) Open it in notepad 4) Under "127.0.0.1 localhost" Add 127.0.0.2 www.sitenameyouwantblocked.com , and that site will no longer be accessable.
PS : Keep a copy of HOSTS file, this will allow you to fall back at any time.
Feeling safe every time u open orkut account let me tell u clearly orkut isn’t safe now days as the no. of hacking cases are just going berserk. Even a kid can hack ur account as the hacking is no longer an enigma, with loads of communities to ready teach you hacking.
Most hackers (i guess, all of them) use the technique called “PHISHING”. This means somewhat same as fishing . In this type people usually get hack ur account (get ur passwords or cookies) by instigating you to do a mistake (means unless u take the bait u are safe) .This clearly suggests hacking can be avoided by being more cautious.
Well,You must be wondering if i am nuts , hacking is no kids job!! yes It is!!!. now a days u can expect a kid too to hack orkut.Orkut hacking needs no Pre requisites of any kind, u dont need to be programmer nor a certified ethical hacker. All u need to have is orkut account and u are ready to hack.. Yes!! This is today’s situation. Every thing is available for the purpose ,all u need is to implement those things. In short if i can hack an account without any knowledge then u can too…But the main aim of my post is not to teach u hacking or to make u guys hackers but to make u aware so that u can prevent any loss to ur account.
It all started when one night i got a scrap stating ” ur account has been hacked ” when i replied arrogantly he asked me to check my communities and when I checked there were some communities which i had never joined it was that time when the word hack sank into my brain. Fortunately the hacker claimed to be an ethical hacker so didn’t harm my account and just asked me to change my password.
But it may not be the case for every one of you .Your hacker may not be a good hearted soul like the one i confronted.So the best way to avoid getting hacked is to have sufficient knowledge about it..that’s what i did .. I asked the guy who hacked my account to teach me but he dint .and when he insisted he asked his friend to teach me .that guy just gave me the link of a community where hacking was being taught in public . It was quite interesting and actually i found myself so involved that i was just reserching for hacking for the whole day. I was somewhat getting used to the word hacking in orkut. And even managed to hack one my friends account .But that was the first and the last one i tried.
Without deviating away from topic let me mention u abt some of the main techniques people use .. First one, the easiest one is a fake login page which exactly looks like an orkut page, people (hackers) persuade u too enter orkut through the fake login page. The page instead of opening to orkut sends ur login ID and password to the hackers mail ID. Isn’t that a piece of cake for the hacker?? infact ,i hacked my friends account through this method only. Second one and the most widely used is the java script technique. here hacker uses some java scripts .He asks u to enter this script in the address area and tell u that it would increase ur fans list ,or some people call it ” earthquake script”, “see the magic”.Greedy fools like me can easily fall for this . this script once used sends ur cookies of orkut to the hacker and he can access ur account without ur password. Well doesn’t it sound too easy. yes, it is..!! This is the method which most of the people use.
Here are the steps to avoid ur account from being hacked
Never open orkut through any other pages other than orkut no matter who gives it.
Dont keep ur password to easy to be guessed.
Though some scripts can be usefull like scrap book flooder and font javascript,use them carefully some of them may be hackers script.
If u feel that the script used may be hackers one change the password immediatly.
The main Gist of my post is that people should be aware of whats happening around there may be few more tricks on the way but the best way to elude that is to get to know more abt hacking so if u are a orkut user check out those communties which teach hacking ..Once u know about it u would be more cautious abt it.. Ironically there are even communities which teach google and yahoo hacing..and sardonically there are lot of softwares which adds to ur trouble creating trojans and viruses .
This amazing addon called piclens can make images from
Flickr, Smugmug, DeviantArt, Photobucket, Picasa * Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster * Image search on Google, Yahoo, Ask, Live, and AOL * A growing number of Media RSS-enabled web sites
Crystal clear. So this can really make the images from those sites above crystal clear.
Just try this. You will love it.
Here are the instructions after you have installed.
1. Visit one of the PicLens enabled sites listed above, and then mouseover any image. A special PicLens icon will then appear on top of that image. 2. Click the PicLens icon that appears, and your browser will automatically transform into a full-screen 3D wall of images. 3. There you can scroll the wall by dragging the scroll bar or by simply dragging your mouse across the screen. You can also zoom by clicking an image or by using the scroll wheel on your mouse, if you have one. 4. Finally, you can go full-screen by double clicking the image or by clicking the toggle button on the bottom left corner of the PicLens window. 5. If you wish, you can jump to the corresponding webpage of the image by clicking the small arrow button located next to the website logo at the top left corner of the PicLens window.
First, create a shortcut on your desktop by right-clicking on the desktop, choosing New, and then choosing Shortcut. The Create Shortcut Wizard appears. In the box asking for the location of the shortcut, type shutdown. After you create the shortcut, double-clicking on it will shut down your PC. But you can do much more with a shutdown shortcut than merely shut down your PC. You can add any combination of several switches to do extra duty, like this: shutdown -r -t 01 -c "Rebooting your PC" Double-clicking on that shortcut will reboot your PC after a one-second delay and display the message "Rebooting your PC." The shutdown command includes a variety of switches you can use to customize it. Table 1-3 lists all of them and describes their use. I use this technique to create two shutdown shortcuts on my desktop—one for turning off my PC, and one for rebooting. Here are the ones I use: shutdown -s -t 03 -c "Bye Bye m8!" shutdown -r -t 03 -c "Ill be back m8 !" Switch What it does -s Shuts down the PC. -l Logs off the current user. -t nn Indicates the duration of delay, in seconds, before performing the action. -c "messagetext" Displays a message in the System Shutdown window. A maximum of 127 characters can be used. The message must be enclosed in quotation marks. -f Forces any running applications to shut down. -r Reboots the PC.
FIRST, LOGIN UR ID IN YAHOO DEN IF U HAVE ANY DOUBT DAT D PERSON IS INVISIBLE DEN CLICK ON HIS/HER NAME ND HIS/HER CHAT COLOUM OPEN DEN, SEND A SINGLE MSG IF HE/SHE DONT REPLY DEN OPEN D ENVIRONMENT COLOUM AT D BOTTOM ND LOAD D "DOODLE" ENVIRONMENT IF D PERSON IS OFFLINE DEN D PAGE FOLDS IN "DOODLE" ENVIRONMET IF NOT DEN DAT PERSON IS OFFLINE ND IF FOLDS DAT PERSON IS ONLINE AS SEEN INVISIBLE TO U..
Instructions - Minimize or close all running applications. Launch Minesweeper, then type xyzzy. Next hold down either shift key for one second. Now when you move the mouse cursor over a Minesweeper square you will see a tiny white pixel in the top left corner of your desktop screen. This pixel will change to black when your mouse moves over a mine. You may need to change you desktop background to a solid color other then white or black to see the pixel.
Pinball Secret - Extra BallsInstructions - Type 1max at the start of a new ball to get extra balls.
Secret - Gravity WellInstructions - Type gmax at the start of a new game to activate the Gravity Well.
Secret - Instant PromotionInstructions - Type rmax at the start of a new game to go up in ranks.
Secret - Skill ShotInstructions - Launch the ball partially up the chute past the third yellow light bar so it falls back down to get 75,000 points.
There are six yellow light bars that are worth a varying amount of points: First: 15,000 pointsSecond: 30,000 pointsThird: 75,000 pointsFourth: 30,000 pointsFifth: 15,000 pointsSixth: 7,500 points
Secret - Test ModeInstructions - Type hidden test at the start of a new ball to activate Test Mode. No notification will be given that this is activated but you can now left-click the mouse button and drag the ball around.
Secret - Unlimited BallsInstructions - Type bmax at the start of a new ball. No notification will be given that this is activated but when a ball is lost a new ball will appear from the yellow wormhole indefinitely. Once this is activated you will be unable to activate other secrets without restarting
FreeCell Secret - Instant WinInstructions - Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 during game play. Then you will be asked if you want to Abort, Retry or Ignore. Choose Abort, then move any card to instantly win.
Secret - Hidden Game ModesInstructions - In the “Game” menu choose “Select Game”. Enter -1 or -2 to activate the hidden game modes. Solitaire
Secret - Instant Win Instructions - Press Alt + Shift + 2 during game play to instantly win. Secret - Draw single cards in a Draw Three game Instructions - Hold down CTRL + ALT + SHIFT while drawing a new card. Instead of drawing three cards you will only draw one.
Infinite Points
In the Windows XP version of solitaire, draw from the deck at least twice. Hold control and drag a card down from the deck. Click the “A” key and then let go of the left mouse key. You will get 10 points for this. Continue doing this for infinite points!
Infinite points trick II
To do this trick, finish a game of solitaire with the time bonus option on. The cards will start bouncing. Click on the solitaire screen and the play again box will pop up. Select no, so the solitaire screen is just blank green. Use the instant win cheat (Alt+Shift+2) and you will recieve the time bonus you got last game will be added to your last game’s score. For example, if your time bonus was 5000, and your final score was 6000, after using this glitch, you will have a score of 11000. This glitch can be used as many times as you want.
//—————————————————————–// registry hack which will allow you to see your opponents’ cards//—————————————————————– Launch REGEDIT.EXE and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Applets Hearts. NOTE: You may have to create the Hearts key under Applets In the right-hand pane, create a new String Value. Immediately rename it to “ZB” (without the quotes); give it a value of “42″ (again, sans quotes). The next time you’re in a game of Hearts, press CTRL + SHIFT + ALT + F12.
I WILL ADD NEW POSTS REGULARLY.
IT WILL BE ABOUT MOST NEW HAPPENINGS IN WORLD OF COMPUTERS,SOFTWARES, ETC.
THERE ARE LOTS OF INTERESTING POSTS ABOUT VARIOUS TIPS,TRICKS AND HACKS OF VARIOUS OPERATING SYSTEMS.
YOU CAN ALSO REQUEST ANY E-BOOK. I WILL TRY TO POST THE LINK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
![[NOVUS+POLISH+KIT.jpeg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13IuOGI0IWNSAFR1DC9qwMqABTE5v5_3sQHG_KtPr2jSPxnEPRNQSi5ASZAcnba5SZYuKqvZF0CwntuDRIWkeN5vOBdu61UggwHWGa206Xoouz6_52KZoSWLolottwhAhHqqcmxwJJBx4/s1600/NOVUS+POLISH+KIT.jpeg)
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