List Of 10 Softwares You Will Need After Installing Fresh Copy Of Windows.

Here is a list of some softwares that you will need after the installation of a fresh copy of Windows. The requirement may differ depending upon your interest but this list is must have and should be installed in your PC. Lets start :

1. Drivers : You can install drivers from your motherboard CD or if you want latest drivers for your PC, there are 2 methods.

1. Go to the official website of which the motherboard is and download the latest drivers and install them in your PC.
2. The second method is to install Driver Genius software, it will automatically download and install latest drivers for you. It can also help in taking backup of your drivers. Click here to download Driver Genius

2. Winrar : The most commonly used tool is Winrar. After the installation of fresh copy of Windows, it is a must have tool. Click here to download Winrar.

3. Anti Virus and Firewall : If you want a free product, I recommend you to use Comodo Anti Virus and Firewall. Click here to go to the download page.

4. Download Manager : There are many download managers out there but one of my favorites is Internet Download Manager but it is a paid tool, if you want a free tool I recommend you to use FlashGet. Click here to go to download page.

5. Windows Tweaking Software : You must have a Windows tweaking application installed in your system. I use Tuneup Utilities and if you want a freeware I recommend you to use TweakNow PowerPack 200. Click here to visit the download page.

6. Your Uninstaller : The default uninstaller of Windows does not work well as it leaves traces in the registry. Your Uninstaller is one of my favorite tool and removes the program completely. Click here to go to the download page.

7. Internet Browser : No doubt, Firefox still leads to the first position. Click here to download Mozilla Firefox.

8. Make XP Fast : Well this is not any software but a registry file that will automatically make required changes to Windows registry to make it fast. Click here to download

How to use it : Simply extract it using Winrar and then double click on it and click on Yes. Restart your PC and see the difference. It only works on Windows XP.

9. iKill : It stops the autorun when we insert any flash drive. Click here to visit the download page.

10. Everything Search Engine : Windows default search engine is too slow, but here is an alternative that works quite well. Just give it a try once.

Hide your computer in the Network.

Network Places in Windows XP na Network Explorer in Windows Vista

I will give two solutions in your requested topic. I hope you'll always be a fan of this site and please support us.

Using my Software WinBubble: Go to specific Tab > Tweaking Toolbox > Hide your Computer

That's it! This is great, if you don't want to memorize lot's of commands...

Learn How to do it Manually:

First, go to Start Menu->Run window. type: "cmd". In the command prompt enter the following commands:

Net config server /hidden:yes

This command will hide you from the Network neighborhood but your shared folders can still be access.

Note: in Windows Vista, you need to open the command Prompt as Administrator: Start Menu > type "cmd" > CTRL+Shift+Enter and hit Continue.

or else you’ll get this message:

System error 5 has occurred.

Access is denied.

So how about my IP address? what if they have an ip-scanner, still they can find me?

They can find you by using an ipscanner. The solution for this problem is by using a Firewall. Upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2, there is a free inbound protection firewall. For Windows Vista users, there is an inbound and outbound firewall protection by default.

To check if your computer is hidden in the network neighborhood type this in the command prompt

Net config server


Server Name \\MyPc
Server Comment

Software version Windows Vista (TM) Ultimate
Server is active on
NetbiosSmb (MyPC)
NetBT_Tcpip_{4365E532-AF25-4C8E-C31E-5D3BG50F7043} (MyPC)

Server hidden Yes
Maximum Logged On Users 10
Maximum open files per session 16384

Idle session time (min) 15
The command completed successfully.

How to Show your Computer Again inside the Network Neighborhood

Net config server /hidden:no

How to Fix Bad Sectors on a Hard Disk.

The minute your computer's hard disk starts to act flaky, make sure you have an up-to-date backup. Then you can do some simple diagnostics and repairs. Both Windows and Mac OS come with built-in hard-disk utility software that scans your hard disk for errors and attempts to fix them.


For Windows

Step 1
Double-click on My Computer to open the My Computer window.

Step 2
Select the disk that you want to diagnose and repair.

Step 3
Choose Properties from the File menu. You should see the Properties

window for the drive that you selected.

Step 4
Choose the Tools tab.

Step 5
Click the Check Now button under Error Checking Status.

Step 6
Depending on your version of Windows, choose either "Thorough" or "Scan

for and Attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors."

Step 7
Click on Start.

Change the Windows Logon screen background color.

With no logon wallpaper set, Windows displays a pre-defined color for the logon desktop. ( If you have enabled Welcome Screen, press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice to see the logon screen background color. ) To change the logon background color to that of your choice, you need to alter the registry:

Click Start, Run and type REGEDIT and press Enter

Navigate to the following key:


HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors

Backup the registry key by exporting to a REG file

In the right pane, double-click Background

In the Edit String dialog box, type the Color code in R G B format and then click OK.


Example: Type 0 0 0 if you want to see a Black background. You can choose any
combination from 0-255

Points to ponder

If the logon Wallpaper is set, the background Color may not be visible. So, you must
reset the Wallpaper value to a blank string in this key: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control
Panel\Desktop

If the Background value is set under the following Winlogon registry key, the above
setting is ignored. In other words, the Winlogon\Background value takes precedence over
the .DEFAULT..\Background value.

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon




Quit the Registry Editor and log off

Computer Maintenance Tips.

Ten Tips to Keep your Computer Running Smoothly

1. Never, never, turn your computer off with the power switch until Windows has shut down.

The one exception to this rule is when your computer locks up and your hard drive is not running (hard drive light is not blinking). In this situation, you can turn the power off without harmful effects to the hard drive. As cutting the power can also result in lost data or Windows files, you should only do this when you have to.

Following this rule will prevent permanent hard drive defects caused by the hard drive heads contacting the surface of the drive disc, and it will prevent a host of Windows problems.
Whenever possible, recover from crashes by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time. Press them again to reboot your computer.

2. I highly recommend that you purchase an UPS (uninteruptable power supply) for your computer. This will keep your computer from crashing during power outages, and will protect your computer from low and high voltage occurrences.
An UPS is far superior to a surge protector and will save your computer from almost any type of power disaster. (See #1 above for what happens when your computer crashes.)

3. Backup, backup, backup, any data you cannot afford to lose to at least two separate physical drives. So backup data to external hard drives, Zip disks, CD-RWs etc.
The time to backup is when you create something you can't afford to lose. Don't wait until tomorrow.

4. Run Scandisk and Defragment at least once a month. This will keep your hard drive healthy and prevent crashes. Alternatively, purchase Norton Utilities and use it to keep your hard drive healthy.

5. Never unplug peripherals from the computer when it is powered up. Unplugging with the power on can short out the connector socket or the motherboard.

The only exception to this rule is if you know a peripheral is "hot pluggable". If you do not know what "hot pluggable" means then ignore this exception.

6. Do keep at least 300 MBs of your C: drive free for Windows to use. If you use Windows XP or Vista then you should have 400-600 MBs of free space on your C: drive.
If you do not have enough free space you will choke Windows and it will start dumping data to your hard drive, or it will just get really, really, slow.
Use the ADD/Delete tool in the Windows Control Panel to delete unneeded programs from your drive.
You can also use Cleansweep included in Norton Utilities to clean up your drive. If you do use Cleansweep or another hard drive cleaner, do not delete shared files unless you back them up. The cleaners do a rotten job of knowing if another program uses shared files.

7. Do not let a lot of programs load up when you start your computer. They use valuable memory and Windows Resources (Windows internal workspace).
All programs in your Windows System Tray (in the lower left of your screen) are running on your computer. Close them if you don't need them or run them and configure them not to load when you boot up.
Other programs running in the background can be found by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete at the same time.

8. Do use a virus checker regularly. Everyone should use a virus checker. The best type of protection is continuous monitoring from a dedicated anti-virus program like Norton Antivirus.
The second best thing is to use is the free online virus checkers such as Housecall provided by Trend Micro.

9. If you have a high speed Internet connection you need a firewall program. A firewall program keeps those who want to hijack your computer from gaining access to your system. You really do not want someone else running your computer.
I suggest you purchase and run Norton's Personal Firewall program. Your firewall should boot up with your computer to protect it from invasion.

Case in point: When I am online 10 hours or more with my DSL connection, my computer is usually attacked by a hacker at least once.
Do not think you are safe from hackers!! Hackers use search programs to seek out computers at random. Get a firewall program and use it.

10. Keep track of the software disks you receive with your computer and new peripherals. These disks contain valuable software drivers and programs for Windows and are needed when Windows must be reloaded. Keep these disks and your Windows software disks in a safe, dry, place -- you never know when you will need them.

How to create a strong, memorable password.

A strong password is a password that is difficult for others to determine by guessing or by using automated programs.

Note: Some sites and services on the Internet/Network might require you to have a strong password to sign in.

To create a strong password that is easy for you to remember but hard for someone else to determine, try one of these techniques:

• Merge two or more words, and combine the words with numbers and symbols. For example: Walk[My]Dog, Po#34tato, Champions=1995.
• Abbreviate a phrase you'll remember. It could include numbers and symbols, or words that you can substitute with numbers or symbols. For example: I ride my bike 5 miles each Saturday could become the password Irmb5meS.
• Use punctuation and numbers to combine the initials of people or objects from a familiar group, such as your favorite athletes, friends, movies, books, or historical figures. For example: Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and Joan of Arc1G,2AL,3JA. could become the password
• Drop all vowels from a favorite saying, and then add numbers or symbols. For example: Walk three dogs could become the password Wlk3Dgs.

To be strong, a password must:

• Contain at least seven, but no more than 16, characters.
• Combine three of the four different types of characters:
  • Uppercase letters A thru Z (for example: A, B, C).
  • Lowercase letters a thru z (for example: a, b, c).
  • Numerals 0 thru 9 (for example: 1, 2, 3).
  • Symbols (` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + - = { } | [ ] \ : " ; ' < > ? , . /).
• Not be a common word or name, or a close variation.

Creating a password using the process above would give a hacker trying to crack your strong, complex password would have a 1 out of 64,847,759,419,264 chance in getting the correct password.

Some service providers require that a strong password also:

• Not be the same as any of your four previous passwords.
• Not be a minor variation of your old password. For example, if your old password was Champions=1995, a new password of Champions=1996 would not be acceptable.

Important

• Don't use one of the above examples as your password.
• Don't write down your password.
• Never give out your password in an instant message conversation or share it with anyone else. It is policy for us to never prompt you for your password in an e-mail.
• If you have more than one account, for instance, one for work and one for personal use, you should use a different password for each.
• Your password should be changed every 45 days.

Turn Off System Restore to Save Space .

By default, Windows XP keeps a backup of system files in
the System Volume Information folder. This can eat up valuable
space on your hard drive. If you don't want Windows to back up your system files:

Open the Control Panel.

Double-click on System.

Click the System Restore tab.

Check "Turn off System Restore on all drives".

Hit Apply.

You may now delete the System Volume Information folder.

Warning! If you turn this off you will not be able to use Windows
System Restore to restore your system in case of failure.

Remove Hibernation File.

If you do not use hibernation, make sure you do not have it enabled, which reserves disk space equal to your RAM. If you have a hidden file on the root directory of your C-drive called hiberfil.sys, hibernation is enabled. To remove that file:

Go to Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, Power Options, Hibernate tab, and uncheck the Enable hibernation box.

How can you stop Windows XP from launching program CDs?

Click Start, click Run, type GPEDIT.MSC to open Group Policy in the Microsoft Management

Console.

Double-click Computer Configuration, double-click Administrative templates, double-click

System, and then click Turnoff autoplay.

The instructions on your screen describe how to configure this setting. Click Properties

to display the setting dialog.

Click Enabled, and choose CD-ROM drives, then click OK, to stop CD autoplay.
This setting does not prevent Autoplay for music CDs.

How to Buy a Used Computer.

Instructions

• Step 1:
  Assess the price of a used computer. Used computers shouldn't cost more than a brand new computer, but that depends on what specifications the used computer has. Used computers with a lot of software and hardware (such as CD drives, DVD drives and larger hard drives) will generally cost more.
• Step 2:
  Decide on the type of computer you want. Ask questions about use. Computers come with a variety of different specifications. Some are necessary for Internet use. Most computers come with standard hardware and software such as an operating system, CD or DVD drive and Internet capabilities. But not all systems are created equal, especially used computers.
• Step 3:
  Investigate the quality of some used computers. Always ask questions about the computer's past use. Inquire if it ever had a virus infection. Find out if it ever had other repair work. Ask the same sort of questions that would be asked when buying a used car.
• Step 4:
  Determine what usage the computer will get. Younger kids may not need the computer for anything other than educational games and word processing, but older kids may need it for school and research. The use the computer gets determines how fast and modern the used computer needs to be.
• Step 5:
  Find a place to buy a used computer. Computer shows are a great place to find a used computer. Flea markets are also another possibility. Some computer shops have access to used computers or computers that have been used as display models. Check out garage sales or read the newspaper's classified section to find used computers.

Stopping the Messenger Service.

To remove the ability for anyone in the world to pop up messages on your computer,
you can disable the Messenger service.

1. Click Start->Settings ->Control Panel
2. Click Performance and Maintenance
3. Click Administrative Tools
4. Double click Services
5. Scroll down and highlight "Messenger"
6. Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties
7. Click the STOP button
8. Select Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar Click OK

Perform a Repair Installation.

How do you perform a reinstallation of Windows XP, sometimes called a repair installation?

Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. For more information about how to do this, refer to your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer.

Then insert your Windows XP Setup CD, and restart your computer.
When the Press any key to boot from CD message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.

Press ENTER when you see the message To setup Windows XP now, and then press ENTER displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen. Do not choose the option to press R to use the Recovery Console.

In the Windows XP Licensing Agreement, press F8 to agree to the license agreement. Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press R to repair Windows XP.

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

Global Warming .

This term is more tragic then any of the worst disease known to man, & ny worst WMD(Weapons Of Mass Destruction) man can made.
bcoz this does not harm any one human being or community but the whole country or continent.
start taking measures from this second to curb the effects of Global Warming. some points may be :

1. whenever u leave the computer system 4 more then 30 mins shutdown it or if it is less then this atleast switch off the monitor.

2. switch off the extra lights lightened & fans when u dnt need them.

3. always switch off the devices from the wall outlet when not in use.

4. if u get something for free or lesser cost, dnt use it extra thinking it dsnt harm
u. some1 is paying extra 4 ur habits.

5. use crude oil only enough u r opted 2. switch off the engines when u find that u r not going to drive the vehicle for next 30 seconds.


there r so many others things to curb the Global Warming. get some common sense developed within urself & be a part of the network
to stop global warming.

Thank You..

Disk Defragmenter windows vista.

Windows Disk Defragmenter is a handy tool that may help you gain some extra performance from your PC. When Vista writes to your hard drive the bits of information that make up a file can be spread all over the disk (this is called fragmentation). The "defrag" tool will try to join up all of the parts that makes up files so that they are in the same location, decreasing the time it takes to find all of the parts.

To load Windows Defrag, run dfrgui.exe from the run box (Press WINDOWS KEY + R to load this). In this window you can choose to "Defragment Now" if you wish to perform this operation now, or alternatively you can schedule a time for your PC to defrag automatically (ideally when you are not using your PC):

f you click the button to defrag immediately, you will be informed that this is in progress but there is no graphical indicator like in previous versions of degrag.

What is a virus on a computer?

A computer virus is a computer program that copy's itself and infects computers without permission or knowledge of the user. Some viruses are programmed to damage your computer by damaging programs, deleting files, or reformatting the hard disk. Others are not designed to do any damage, but simply replicate themselves and perhaps make their presence known by presenting text, video, or audio messages.

Even these benign viruses can create problems for the computer user. They typically take up computer memory used by legitimate programs. As a result, they often cause erratic behavior and can result in system crashes. In addition, many viruses are bug-ridden, and these bugs may lead to system crashes and data loss.

How to Submit a Website to the Top Search Engines.

Getting indexed in the major search engines is the goal of all website and blog owners. However, achieving the top ranking for a particular keyword can be a daunting task. The following tips will help you in manually submitting your website to the top search engines: Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

Instructions.

Step 1:
Google. On the Google home page, click the link below the search box titled 'About Google'. On the next page, under the section titled 'For Site Owners', click on the link 'Submit Your Content to Google'. Finally, click on the link 'Add your URL to Google's index'. Follow the directions to submit your website.

Step 2:
Yahoo. On the Yahoo home page, click the link at the bottom of the page that is titled 'Suggest a Site'. Next click the link 'Submit Your Site for Free'. Follow the simple directions to add your website.

Step 3:
MSN. Follow the link below to go directly to the URL submission page for MSN. (It's a little hard to find otherwise.)

By Tommy Smith

Clean Your Prefetch to Improve Performance.

This is a unique technique for WinXP. We know that it is necessary to scrub registry and TEMP files for Win9X/ME/2000 periodically. Prefetch is a new and very useful technique in Windows XP.
However, after using XP some time, the prefetch directory can get full of junk and obsolete links in the Prefetch catalog, which can slow down your computer noticeably.
Open C(system drive):/windows/prefetch, delete those junk and obsolete files, reboot. It is recommended that you do this every month.

Proformance Increase through My Computer.

Easy enough tweak to usually find out about it on your own, but still, some of use still don't find it right away. So here it is:

1: Start > Right Click on My Computer and select properties.

2: Click on the "Advanced" tab

3: See the "Perfomance" section? Click "Settings"

4: Disable all or some of the following:

Fade or slide menus into view Fade or slide ToolTips into view Fade out menu items after clicking Show Shadows under menus Slide open combo boxes Slide taskbar buttons Use a background image for each folder type Use common tasks in folders

There, now Windows will still look nice and perform faster.

Removing Autorun.inf based Virus Manually.

To Remove autorun.inf based virus, open command prompt (type cmd in Run found on Start Menu),type cd\ and hit enter, Now type ATTRIB -A -H -R -S autorun.inf and Hit enterthen type del autorun.inf and Hit enterthen type MD autorun.inf and Hit enterthats it, again that virus wont be able to create autorun.inf file. similarly do it for other drives to go to D drive type d: in cmd prompt, and repeat previous procedure,To remove Autorun.inf totally you 've to even remove from registry, type regedit in run menugo to-->

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Policies\Explorer
Double click the NoDriveAutorun DWORD entry &
type the value HEX:FF

Now Reboot
If This Method Does Work , Same Procedure Has to be followed in Recovery Console,To Perform in RECOVERY CONSOLE, Insert Bootable Windows cd & boot into cd, After Initialization process you will be Asked to Press Enter for Setup Or R to Repair, Press R, You Will be Taken To Recovery Console Similar to Ms-Dos prompt, Then You have to follow
Procedure
Step2
1) Type 1 to select Your OS (Default C Drive) Step3
2) Then type admin password , if not set(default not set) Just hit enter
Then Follow Procedure Which Was Stated Above About Removing Virus from Command Prompt.

Generic Host Process.

Generic Host Process for Win32 Services has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.


Solution:
Follow these simple steps and your Windows will be fully cured of this menace,

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) by clicking Start menu, and then click the Run icon.2.
In the small box that Opens, type: regedit then click the OK button.
The Registry Editor will now have opened.3. Locate the following key in the registry:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\ ParametersIn
the right-hand side of the window find an option called TransportBindName.
Double click that value, and then delete the default value, thus giving it a blank value.
Close Port 135:

1. Then you must now navigate to the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE2. You will see there is a String Value called: EnableDCOMSet the value to: N (it should currently be Y)3. Close the Registry Editor.
Shutdown and Restart your computer.
Well thats all but if you want you can disable NETbios.