Internet Explorer 8 Coming via Automatic Update

Microsoft is starting to Push Internet Explorer 8 to the existing users via Windows automatic update feature.It won't install itself.Once the download is complete you will be propted by a window having the options to install it.

As it was mentioned on the IE blog

Starting on or about the third week of April, users still running IE6 or IE7 on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 will get will get a notification through Automatic Update about IE8. This rollout will start with a narrow audience and expand over time to the entire user base. On Windows XP and Server 2003, the update will be High-Priority. On Windows Vista and Server 2008 it will be Important.

IE8 will not automatically install on machines. Users must opt-in to install IE8. Users will see a Welcome screen that offers choices: Ask later, install now, or don’t install.

Take Control With E-TextEditor v1.0.25

E is a new text editor for Windows, with powerful editing features and
quite a few unique abilities. It makes manipulating text fast and easy,
and lets you focus on your writing by automating all the manual work. You
can extend it in any language, and by supporting TextMate bundles, it
allows you to tap into a huge and active community.

Effortless Productivity:
Take control and make writing fun and fast again. Snippets automate
tedious and repetitive typing, saving you time and effort. Powerful bundl
commands transforms the text to your needs. By letting the computer do th
manual work, you get the freedom to concentrate on your writing.

UNIX at your fingertips:
You can leverage the full power of a unix scripting environment, right
from within e. Close integration with cygwin gives you access to the full
range of UNIX shell tools and lets you extend e with your choice of
languages like Ruby, Perl, Python and more. If you have any task that
could benefit from automation, you can be sure that e is up to it.

Customization:
Make the editor fit the way you work. Everything in e from the syntax
highlighting themes to bundle commands and keyboard shortcuts can be
customized.

Community:
TextMate is the award winning editor for MacOS X, that has revolutionized
the way text editors work. By supporting TextMate bundles, e makes you
part of a huge and vibrant community. Whatever task or language you need
to work with, there is a good chance that someone has already made a
bundle with all the needed adaptations.

Personal Revision Control:
Most people have tried saving a document under all kind of "creative"
names to keep track of old revisions. In e you can write and revise
without worrying about losing your prior work. You can commit regular
milestones of your documents (with comments and labels), and track your
progress with the combined timeline/graph in the History view.

Download

Compare & Select Whats Best For You - NTFS vs. FAT

Many people ask me which type of file system should i NTFS or FAT.So i was just finding the answers on Google & guess what,i found the exact answer to that question at Free Pc Tech.
Here it is for you.Just Compare & Select Whats Best For You.

FAT16
The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981, and it's showing its age. It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3 characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator. The biggest advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of UNIX. The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of each cluster has to get larger. In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32 kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32 KB of space. FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or advanced security using access control lists.

FAT32
The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is really just an extension of the original FAT16 file system that provides for a much larger number of clusters per partition. As such, it greatly improves the overall disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file system. However, FAT32 shares all of the other limitations of FAT16, and adds an important additional limitation—many operating systems that can recognize FAT16 will not work with FAT32—most notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as well. Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on a Windows XP computer and sharing your drive out to other computers on your network—they don't need to know (and generally don't really care) what your underlying file system is.

The Advantages of NTFS
The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is a completely different file system from FAT. It provides for greatly increased security, file–by–file compression, quotas, and even encryption. It is the default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want to convert your existing file systems to NTFS. Don't worry. If you've already upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion then, it's not a problem. You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point. Just remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32 (without reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll want to.

The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've booted a computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many system administrators, myself included, used to recommend that users format at least a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT. This partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special drivers needed for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging yourself out of the hole you'd just dug into. But with the enhanced recovery abilities built into Windows XP (more on that in a future column), I don't think it's necessary or desirable to create that initial FAT partition.

When to Use FAT or FAT32
If you're running more than one operating system on a single computer , you will definitely need to format some of your volumes as FAT. Any programs or data that need to be accessed by more than one operating system on that computer should be stored on a FAT16 or possibly FAT32 volume. But keep in mind that you have no security for data on a FAT16 or FAT32 volume—any one with access to the computer can read, change, or even delete any file that is stored on a FAT16 or FAT32 partition. In many cases, this is even possible over a network. So do not store sensitive files on drives or partitions formatted with FAT file systems.

Trick [Via]

How to Disable Flip3D in Windows Vista

Flip 3d is said to be the most useless feature of Windows Vista.But some people like it too.I don't know why.Here is a registry patch that can help you disabling the Flip 3d feature.

Extract the zip file to your hard drive and then double-click on DisableFlip3D.reg to enter the information into the registry.

Next, you will have to open an Administrator mode command prompt by right-clicking on the command prompt and selecting Run as Administrator. Run these commands, which will restart the desktop window manager service.

net stop uxsms

net start uxsms

By performing the steps mentioned above you can easily disable the Flip 3d Feature in Windows Vista.

[Via]

Access Linux Files from Windows - Linux Reader

Hi all,
Many of us have a dual boot machine.Where we have Linux as well as Windows as the operating systems.We know that we can't access the files stored in the Linux portion from the Windows portion.Because Windows is unable to read data from the Linux portion.To access these files easily here is a software called Linux Reader.This program plays the role of a bridge between your Windows and Ext2/Ext3 Linux file systems. This easy-to-use tool runs under Windows and allows you to browse Ext2/Ext3 Linux file systems and extract files from there.

Here is a screen shot of the software.

There are a number of evident merits of the program, which you should know. First of all, disk internals Linux Reader is absolutely free. Secondly, the program provides for read-only access and does not allow you to make records in Ext2/Ext3 file system partitions. This guarantees that the interference in an alternative file system will not affect the work of Linux later. Apart from this, it is necessary to note, that it gives you an opportunity to use common Windows Explorer for extracting data. A preview option for pictures is one more pleasant point, which is worth mentioning.Here are some System requirements for the software.

• An Intel-compatible platform running Windows 9x/ME/NT4.0/2000/XP/2003/Vista.

• At least 16 MB of RAM, a mouse, and enough disk space for recovered files.

You can download the software from here.

Download Windows Xp Service Pack 3

Hello Everyone,
Microsoft recently released the Standalone Update Package for Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate.It has a file name windowsxp-kb936929-sp3-x86-enu.exe .Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system.
This release enables you to uninstall it on your choice from the add/remove programs list.Unlike the Sp1 & Sp2 releases.To download this Sp3 release candidate
visit the Microsoft Download Center.

Donwload "Internet Explorer 7" Without WGA Check

Donwload "Internet Explorer 7 " Without WGA Check

Hi all,
If you are fond of browsing on Microsoft's internet browser "Internet Explorer 7 " and can't use it due to the WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) check.Then i have a good news for you.Now Microsoft allows you to download a special version which is without the WGA check.Microsoft has done this to stop the increasing dominance of "Mozilla Firefox".
If you want to download this version of Internet explorer 7 you can download it here.

Hide a folder Without Using any Software in Xp

Hello Everyone,
Today one friend of mine asked me how to hide a folder without using any software.So i thought i must share it with you guys as well.Here is a simple method that just deals with renaming the folder you want to hide.

Locking

Select the folder to be hide. Rename it by adding .{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} to the end of the folder name.

Eg : Imagine the folder is named pics. Now to hide it, you rename the folder to pics.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

Now your folder has been converted into a link to the Control Panel

UnLocking

1) Go to MSDOS [Start>Run>command]. Browse to the folder location. For example, if the locked folder was D:\Files\pics browse to D:\Files via DOS. Then rename the folder pics.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} to pics

The command will be something like this -
ren pics.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} pics

Feel free to post your comments.

Regedit disabled by administrator?? Try This It Works

Hi everyone, Here is a trick of common day use.Daily we use computers at different places.Sometimes its a bit difficult to perform your desired operations because you are not allowed to do that by the administrator.A command Regedit is normally disabled by the administrators.Here is a trick to bypass that.

copy the following lines in a new text file:

Set EnReg = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
EnReg.RegDelete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Po licies\System\DisableRegistryTools"
Set EnReg = Nothing

Rename that file to "something.vbs", then double-click on it & there you go.Feel free to post your comments.

How To Add A Windows XP Logon Wallpaper

1) Navigate to:

HKEY USERS\ .DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

2) Double click the wallpaper value, and type in the full path of your image and the filename.

3) To tile the image set "TileWallPaper" to 1

4) To Stretch the wallpaper set "WallPaperStyle" to 2

5) Close the registry editor and the changes will take place when you Log off.

This could be your favourite image or picture as long as it is a .bmp or .jpg

IMPORTANT: This procedure contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article numbers to view the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles

Speedup Folder Browsing In Windows Xp

Speedup Folder Browsing In Windows Xp

Hello everyone.I am back with another tip that will make you browse your folders faster in windows Xp.You may have noticed that everytime you open my computer to browse folders that there is a slight delay. This is because Windows XP automatically searches for network files and printers everytime you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and to increase browsing significantly:

* Open My Computer
* Click on Tools menu
* Click on Folder Options
* Click on the View tab.
* Uncheck the Automatically search for network folders and printers check box
* Click Apply
* Click Ok
* Reboot your computer

Enjoy & feel free to post your Comments.

Create A XP Boot Disk from System Files

As a hedge against being unable to start XP, you can create a boot disk specifically for Windows XP that may allow you to boot the operating system. This can occur when the active partition boot record or other required files become corrupted.

Using Windows XP, place a blank floppy in drive A and format the disk. Navigate to the root folder of the system (in most cases this will be C:\) and copy the following files to the floppy disk.

Boot.ini
NTLDR
Ntdetect.com

If you can't see the files, click [Tools] and [Folder Options...] in the Menu Bar of Windows Explorer. Click the [View] tab and click the radio button next to [Show Hidden Files and Folders]. Remove the check mark next to [Hide Protected Operating System Files (Recommended)] then click [Apply] and [OK]. The files should now be visible in Windows Explorer. If the files still cannot be copied, right click each file, click [Properties] and remove the checkmark from the Read-Only attributes. Reset whatever attributes were unchecked after the copy procedure is completed.

In addition to the files listed above, check the same directory for bootsect.dos and ntbootdd.sys files. If they are present on your system, copy them to the same floppy diskette.

The disk is used as any other boot disk, inserting it into the floppy drive (A:\) and initiating a cold boot. Make sure the BIOS is set so that the A:\ drive is first in the boot sequence.

Delete A File That Is Seemingly "Undeletable" in Xp

Delete A File That Is Seemingly "Undeletable" in Xp

Every so often you'll run across a file you want to delete that defies every effort made to send it packing. There are no guarantees when you encounter this situation, but give the following procedure a try and see what happens.

Open a Command Prompt Window via Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt

Leave the Command Prompt Window open and close all other open programs.

Go to Start | Run and type [taskmgr.exe] in the Open: line. Click OK.
In the Image Name column, highlight [explorer.exe] and click End Process button.

Very Important: Leave Task Manager open and return to the Command Prompt Window

In the Command Prompt window, navigate to the directory that contains the file to be deleted.
At the command prompt type DEL where is the file to be deleted.

In the example above, the file TestFile is being deleted from the root of drive C

Return to the open Task Manager window and click File | New Task to open the Create New Task window.

Type "explorer.exe" in the Open: line to restart the Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Click the OK button to close Task Manager and complete the operation.

Microsoft updates Windows without users' consent

Microsoft has begun patching files on Windows XP and Vista without users' knowledge, even when the users have turned off auto-updates.

Many companies require testing of patches before they are widely installed, and businesses in this situation are objecting to the stealth patching.

Files changed with no notice to users

In recent days, Windows Update (WU) started altering files on users' systems without displaying any dialog box to request permission. The only files that have been reportedly altered to date are nine small executables on XP and nine on Vista that are used by WU itself. Microsoft is patching these files silently, even if auto-updates have been disabled on a particular PC.

It's surprising that these files can be changed without the user's knowledge. The Automatic Updates dialog box in the Control Panel can be set to prevent updates from being installed automatically. However, with Microsoft's latest stealth move, updates to the WU executables seem to be installed regardless of the settings — without notifying users.

When users launch Windows Update, Microsoft's online service can check the version of its executables on the PC and update them if necessary. What's unusual is that people are reporting changes in these files although WU wasn't authorized to install anything.

This isn't the first time Microsoft has pushed updates out to users who prefer to test and install their updates manually. Not long ago, another Windows component, svchost.exe, was causing problems with Windows Update, as last reported on June 21 in the Windows Secrets Newsletter. In that case, however, the Windows Update site notified users that updated software had to be installed before the patching process could proceed. This time, such a notice never appears.

For users who elect not to have updates installed automatically, the issue of consent is crucial. Microsoft has apparently decided, however, that it doesn't need permission to patch Windows Updates files, even if you've set your preferences to require it.

Microsoft provides no tech information — yet

To make matters even stranger, a search on Microsoft's Web site reveals no information at all on the stealth updates. Let's say you wished to voluntarily download and install the new WU executable files when you were, for example, reinstalling a system. You'd be hard-pressed to find the updated files in order to download them. At this writing, you either get a stealth install or nothing.

A few Web forums have already started to discuss the updated files, which bear the version number 7.0.6000.381. The only explanation found at Microsoft's site comes from a user identified as Dean-Dean on a Microsoft Communities forum. In reply to a question, he states:

• "Windows Update Software 7.0.6000.381 is an update to Windows Update itself. It is an update for both Windows XP and Windows Vista. Unless the update is installed, Windows Update won't work, at least in terms of searching for further updates. Normal use of Windows Update, in other words, is blocked until this update is installed."
  

Windows Secrets contributing editor Susan Bradley contacted Microsoft Partner Support about the update and received this short reply:

• "7.0.6000.381 is a consumer only release that addresses some specific issues found after .374 was released. It will not be available via WSUS [Windows Server Update Services]. A standalone installer and the redist will be available soon, I will keep an eye on it and notify you when it is available."
  

Unfortunately, this reply does not explain why the stealth patching began with so little information provided to customers. Nor does it provide any details on the "specific issues" that the update supposedly addresses.

System logs confirm stealth installs

In his forum post, Dean-Dean names several files that are changed on XP and Vista. The patching process updates several Windows\System32 executables (with the extensions .exe, .dll, and .cpl) to version 7.0.6000.381, according to the post.

In Vista, the following files are updated:

1. wuapi.dll
2. wuapp.exe
3. wuauclt.exe
4. wuaueng.dll
5. wucltux.dll
6. wudriver.dll
7. wups.dll
8. wups2.dll
9. wuwebv.dll

In XP, the following files are updated:

1. cdm.dll
2. wuapi.dll
3. wuauclt.exe
4. wuaucpl.cpl
5. wuaueng.dll
6. wucltui.dll
7. wups.dll
8. wups2.dll
9. wuweb.dll

These files are by no means viruses, and Microsoft appears to have no malicious intent in patching them. However, writing files to a user's PC without notice (when auto-updating has been turned off) is behavior that's usually associated with hacker Web sites. The question being raised in discussion forums is, "Why is Microsoft operating in this way?"

How to check which version your PC has

If a system has been patched in the past few months, the nine executables in Windows\System32 will either show an earlier version number, 7.0.6000.374, or the stealth patch: 7.0.6000.381. (The version numbers can be seen by right-clicking a file and choosing Properties. In XP, click the Version tab and then select File Version. In Vista, click the Details tab.)

In addition, PCs that received the update will have new executables in subfolders named 7.0.6000.381 under the following folders:

c:\Windows\System32\SoftwareDistribution\Setup\ServiceStartup\wups.dll
c:\Windows\System32\SoftwareDistribution\Setup\ServiceStartup\wups2.dll

Users can also verify whether patching occurred by checking Windows' Event Log:

Step 1. In XP, click Start, Run.

Step 2. Type eventvwr.msc and press Enter.

Step 3. In the tree pane on the left, select System.

Step 4. The right pane displays events and several details about them. Event types such as "Installation" are labeled in the Category column. "Windows Update Agent" is the event typically listed in the Source column for system patches.

On systems that were checked recently by Windows Secrets readers, the Event Log shows two installation events on Aug. 24. The files were stealth-updated in the early morning hours. (The time stamp will vary, of course, on machines that received the patch on other dates.)

To investigate further, you can open the Event Log's properties for each event. Normally, when a Windows update event occurs, the properties dialog box shows an associated KB number, enabling you to find more information at Microsoft's Web site. Mysteriously, no KB number is given for the WU updates that began in August. The description merely reads, "Installation Successful: Windows successfully installed the following update: Automatic Updates."

More Details : Windows Secrets

Add sound to almost every event in Windows Xp

XP comes with a new set of sounds that will surely add pizzazz to the way you work in Windows. But there's one problem -- you need to actually turn on the Windows default sound scheme before you'll be able to hear them.

To turn on the Windows XP default sound scheme, follow these directions:

Single-click the Start menu.
Single-click the Control Panel.
Single-click the Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices icon.
Single-click the Sounds and Audio Devices icon or the text labeled "Change the sound scheme."
Make sure you're on the Sound tab and locate the pull-down menu under Sound scheme.
Select the Windows Default option and press Apply. Windows will ask you if you want to save the previous sound scheme. Since there wasn't a sound scheme already loaded, just choose No.

If you look under the text labeled "Program events," you'll be able to sample your new sounds or customize them with your own. Read Customize Events Sounds if you'd like to learn how to do this yourself.

Remove Windows Messenger from Xp

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

Customize your user icon in Xp

If you plan on getting a copy of XP, one of the first things you're going to do is set up a user account. Why not give your user account its very own picture? It's OK if you don't want to use a picture of your own because Windows comes with at least 20 beautiful pictures to choose from.

Here's how you can customize your user account icon.

Single-click the start menu and choose Control Panel.
Single-click the User Accounts icon.
Find the user account you'd like to change the icon for and click on it.
Click the text that says "Change My Picture."
You'll have the option to either pick one of the predefined icons or choose your own.
If you like one of the predefined icons, just highlight the one you like and click the button labeled "Change Picture."
If you'd like to use your own picture, just click the magnifying glass or the text labeled "Browse for more pictures." This will launch a dialog box directing you to navigate to where your new picture is stored. After you find it, just click Open to save your new changes.

Password Recovery Disk

Take preventive measures against losing user-level passwords.

It doesn't matter if you never again remember a Windows user password. Thanks to XP's Forgotten Password Wizard, your conscience will be free and clear -- should your mind happen to accidentally misplace your user password.

I highly suggest you create a password recovery disk the minute you create your user account. Why? In order to create a password recovery disk you're going to need your password. Write it down the minute you create your user account and then proceed to creating your very own password recovery disk.

Here's how to launch the Forgotten Password Wizard:

Single-click Start menu, Control Panel, and User Accounts.
Click your user account name.
Under Related Tasks on the left, click "Prevent forgotten password" to launch the wizard.

Now that you've launched the wizard, let it walk you through creating the recovery disk. Make sure the disk you use is formatted and in the drive. After it's finished creating the disk, label it and stash it away for an emergency.

If you happen to forget your password, all you need to do is click your user icon at the logon screen. Even though you don't have your password, go ahead and click the green arrow just like you would to finish logging on to your computer. This will launch a little yellow dialog box directing you to use your password recovery disk.