Useful Tips and Tricks - Windows- Tips and Tricks, hacker, IT ,software, computer updates

Useful Tips and Tricks

Tips to speed up your PC

9/29/2013

Find and remove duplicates

You may advertently end up copying the same
files to different locations on the computer. This leads to clogging of
precious hard drive space. Both Windows and MAC users can use the free Easy Duplicate Finder (easyduplicatefinder.com) — a lightweight and feature-rich program that does the job fast.

It lets you search various drives (including external storage such as flash drives and portable HDD) and
generates reports of each scan. For photographers who want to find and remove duplicate photographs, a free program called Duplicate Photo Cleaner
(duplicatephotocleaner.com) finds duplicates even if they were resized or
edited.

Remove Temporary files

Temporary files usually refer to browser files or those that get leftover when you install new applications. Ideally, hey should be removed automatically by the respective program, but it doesn't always happen.

As more and more temporary files clog up your computer, they eat up hard drive space and slow it down. Get the free CCleaner (piriform.com/ccleaner) which is available for both Windows and Mac. It makes short work of cleaning up your system's temporary files. Mac users can also use OnyX (titanium.free.fr) which offers advanced cleaning
options.

Make it boot faster

As you install more programs, you might notice that your PC takes longer to boot up. This happens because many applications and services automatically initialise during the boot process.
Soluto (soluto.com) is a free Windows utility that analyses your PC's boot up
time and removes unnecessary startup programs.

It even lets you individually select the programs you want to remove from startup. MAC users can do the same by going to System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items and removing applications that you do not want to open automatically when you log in.

Sort out the registry

Unknown to many, but one of the main causes of a slow Windows PC is a corrupted registry. The Windows registry configures and handles every hardware and software operation on your computer and tends to get corrupted by obsolete/invalid entries. Get the free Registry Repair from glarysoft .com/registry-repair.

It scans your system registry for a number of common issues and fixes them instantly. It also makes a backup of any registry change so that if your system becomes unstable, it can be restored back to its original state.

Useful Command Prompt Tips

5/17/2013

Tip #1: F7
If you think using Doskey to check the command history is cool, this is even
cooler. Simply press F7 and a history of the commands you have
used in the same session pops up right in
the middle.

Tip #2: Mode to adjust the size of CMD window
Very useful when the output characters extends beyond the
80 characters.

Syntax: mode [width], [height]

It’s hard to have a nice screenshot to demonstrate, but type in mode
120, 25 in the Command Prompt to see what happens.

Tip #3: Color to change the default color of CMD
Syntax: color [attr]

The color attr are specified by 2 hex digits, the first one
presents to the background while the second one responses to the foreground.
Each digit can be found by simply typing color /?

color fc

Tip #4: Tree to show off the folder structure
Syntax: Tree [drive:][path] [/F] [/A]

By default, it graphically displays the folder structure of a drive or
folder. The switch /F will list the files in addition to each folder.

If you want to output the structure to a text file, use /A switch along with
the > switch. For example, the following command outputs the structure to a
text file named structure.txt

c:\>tree /a d:\users\s184 > d:\temp\structure.txt

Tip #5: RD to completely delete a folder
Syntax: RD [/S] [/Q] [drive:]path

By default, it only removes a folder that is empty. With a switch /S, you can
completely delete a folder that still has files and subfolders. It’s extremely
useful when you want to delete folders while you are at the recovery mode with
no GUI.

Tip #6: Run multiple commands at once
With “&&” to separate, you can run multiple commands
at once from one line. The commands run sequentially from left to right and it breaks if any of the command fails.

Simple but useless example:

c:\>color fc && dir

Tip #7: Tasklist to display the running processes
It not only lists all running processes on the local system but also displays
on a remote computer as well. There are a lot of good use of it. Be sure
to use Tasklist /? to find out more. Here are a few good use of them.

The switch /SVC to list the tasks with services that host them.

The switch /FO is useful when outputting the results in a txt file.

Check if your processor is x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit)

4/2/2012

Method 1: Using Regedit

Go to Start -> Type regedit

Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\
System\CentralProcessor\0

From ProcessorNameString you will be able to see the name of your processor and from Identifier you will see the family of the processor and if it has 64 then it is 64-bit capable.

Method 2: Using MSINFO32

Go to Start -> Type msinfo32.exe

From the System Information page under System Type you will find as x64-based PC.

Method 3: Using CPUZ

Download CPUZ

CPUZ is a small utility which gives all information about your CPU (Processor), Cache, Mainboard, Memory, SPD etc.

Under Instructions from CPU tab, if you see EM64T (if its Intel) or AMD64 (if its AMD) then your processor is 64-bit capable

My new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9380

1/12/2012

My mobile phones
Sony Ericsson K700 - used almost 3-4 years (gifted by bro)@ 2004
Sony Ericsson W810 - used almost 5-6 years (gifted by sis)@ 2006

now @ Jan 2012
BlackBerry® Curve™ 9380 - ??

Some of the features:

BlackBerry OS 7.0
CPU 806 MHz
360 x 480 pixels
512 MB storage, 512 MB RAM
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, UMA (carrier-dependent)
NFC
5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels

Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

11/3/2011

Thinking of buying a camera was quit long to end up in buying.SLR or semi-professional or normal. You get lot of option out in the market according to your requirements . Since me not having that passion for photgraphy, a good automatic camera will work for my needs.I decided to go for automatic normal but with high specs. Offcourse when it comes ot cemara then it is Canon or Nikon which first comes to mind and outstanding in the market. So decision on that was quit easy. I recently bought Canon PowerShot SX220 HS Digital Camera.
Specifications:
1/2.3 type back-illuminated CMOS
Image Processor: DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology
Focal Length: 28 – 392 mm
Maximum f/number: f/3.1 – f/5.9
Image Stabilisation: Lens shift-type, 4-stop. Dynamic IS (in Movie)
TTL: AF System/ Points Face Detection, 1-point AF (fixed to centre)
Metering modes: Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot
Exposure Compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments
Enhanced i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction
ISO sensitivity: AUTO, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Shutter Speed: 1 – 1/3200 sec.

Some of the Best Screen Recording Tools

9/12/2011

One of best way to illustrate something happening on your screen is to show someone. Whether you want to train people on a particularly difficult program or show everyone how to fix a problem you've run into before, recording a screencast is an easy way to do it.

CamStudio (Windows) – Free

CamStudio is open-source for only Windows, easy to use, and one of the most lightweight apps in the top five. You won't get as many features from CamStudio as you will from most of the others, but if you just want a quick way to record an occasional video, save it.

Camtasia Studio (Windows/Mac) - Win: $299.00/Mac: $99

Camtasia Studio is the most expensive screen recording tool in the roundup, but it's also one of the most feature packed. The last time we looked at the app it was Windows only, but the latest versions support Mac OS as well, and allow you to record your entire screen, single applications, or part of your display, save your screencasts in multiple formats, upload directly to YouTube, and more. They allow you to record all or part of your screen, and share your videos when complete. The free version only allows you to save videos in SWF format, while the pro version added MPEG-4 format.

Jing (Windows/Mac) – Free/Pro: $14.95/yr

Jing is another TechSmith product, the same company behind Camtasia Studio. In addition to being a free and effective screenshot utility, it's also a free tool to take screencasts, and an affordable alternative to Camtasia Studio. Both the free and the pro versions only allow you to record five minute videos.

Screencast-o-Matic (Windows/Mac/Linux) – Free/Pro: $12/yr

Screen recording webapp Screencast-o-Matic has come a long way since it was launched. The tool uses Java to record your screen and upload it to the web, so it works anywhere Java is supported. You can add captions to the video, share it, upload it to YouTube (in HD, even,) or save the video as an MP4, AVI, or flash video. Free accounts can do all of this, but pro accounts allow you to remove the Screencast-o-Matic watermark, password protect your screencasts, and download a Java app that lets you record screencasts offline.

The Birdy is a simple personal finance tracker you\'ll actually use every day.

9/4/2011

The Birdy Is a Simple Budgeting Site That Records Your Purchases Via Email.
If you appreciate the need for budgeting and tracking your spending but you find typical financial software too tedious, give The Birdy a try. This webapp makes recording your spending really easy by asking you to reply to its daily emails.

Each day, The Birdy will send you an email asking what you bought that day. Reply with one purchase per line, including a description and tags like this: "$10 lunch #food #work" then The Birdy will record it in your account. That's it!

You can also add purchases via the website.

It's a great app if you're prone to forgetting to track your purchases, use mostly cash to buy things, and/or don't want to use services like Mint that connect to your accounts.

The Birdy

InstantBird is a Lightweight, Cross-Platform

6/29/2011

InstantBird is an instant messaging client that looks great and won't drain system resources. If you want a highly customizable IM application that provides a consistent experience across Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, it's worth a try. Plus, it's free.

InstantBird

Listen to all your music... anywhere

6/18/2011

mSpot is similar to Google Music and Amazon Cloud Player, in the sense that you upload your music and can then stream it to any desktop web browser or your mobile device.
Unlike the others, however, mSpot can stream to both iPhone and Android, making it ideal for cross-platform families.

> Listen on multiple devices

> Smartphone, PC/Mac, tablet, or web-ready TV, including iPhone! Cloud library automatically synced to all devices

> Free 5GB storage for approximately 4,000 songs

This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.

How to Control Multiple Computers with a Single Keyboard and Mouse

6/3/2011

Use one keyboards and mice to control more than one PC's. There are couple of ways out there by using one hardware box or software.
Here there is a free software solution called Synergy. The Synergy application runs on all the computers you're using—the one that has the keyboard and mouse connected and the one(s) that do not—and lets you control all of them from that keyboard and mouse. That means you can move your mouse off one computer's screen and it will appear on the other, where you can type and work as well. And many other useful features.Check it out.
Synergy works between any number of PC, Mac, and Linux desktops.
How to:

Two or more computers on the same local network.
Synergy for Windows: If you'll be running one or more Windows PC's in your setup, download and install the Synergy Installer for Windows on each PC. (As of this writing, the current version is labeled 1.4.2 beta.)
SynergyKM for Mac: If you want to run one or more Macs on your setup, download and install SynergyKM on each Mac you want to use.

Linux : quicksynergy .
Before you get started, you need to know two terms: server PC and client PC. When you set up Synergy, you'll have one "server": this is the computer that has the keyboard and mouse physically connected to it.

Download Synergy for Windows and install it on your PC. As of this writing, the most current version is Synergy 1.4.2. Install and run Synergy, then select Server (Share This Computer's Mouse and Keyboard).

Then click the Configure Server button to open a Server Configuration dialog, where you'll add all the computers that will be controlled by the server's keyboard and mouse and their position in relation to each other.

If you want to use a Mac as the server, the process is very similar using SynergyKM; launch the preference pane, select Share my keyboard and mouse, and move to the Server Configuration tab to set up your screens.

Configure Multiple Synergy Screens :

In the Screens And Links tab of the server configuration, you should already see your host computer in the graphical layout screen. (That is your server computer.)

Now, to add the other computer (your client) to Synergy, you need to know its name as well. By default, the client uses the same name as your computer on the network .
To find the name of your computer in Windows, open your Start menu, right-click Computer, and select Properties. Your computer name is listed under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings. On a Mac, open the Sharing preference pane; your computer name is listed in the top text input.

Once you know your computer's names, drag and drop the monitor icon from the top right of the Screens and Links dialog onto the layout (we're still working on your server PC); drop the new monitor icon next to your server in the same layout as your monitors are on your desk. For example, my Mac's monitor is to the left of my Windows monitor. Double-click the Unnamed screen you just added, then enter the client's screen name.

Set up Client:

Set Up the Synergy Client Download and install Synergy on the client computer (the one without the keyboard and mouse connected).
On Windows:
If you're Synergy client is going to be a Windows computer, download the same Synergy installer for Windows. After you've installed your Synergy client, launch Synergy exactly the same way as you did on the server, except choose Client (Use Another Computer's Keyboard And Mouse). Enter the name of the server computer. To try the connection, click the Start button: first on the server and then on the client PC. Try moving the mouse off the server screen. If all goes well, it will land on the client screen safely!

On Mac OS X:
If the second computer is a Mac, download SynergyKM. After you've installed SynergyKM, launch the SynergyKM preference pane, then choose Connect to a shared keyboard and mouse. Enter the name of the server computer in the Client Configuration tab and click the Apply Now button. To try the connection, click Turn Synergy On in the General tab.: first on the server and then on the client PC. Try moving the mouse off the server screen. If all goes well, it will transport seamlessly to your client PC.

Synergy will continue running in your system tray, from which you can start or stop the application as needed. Now you're sharing the mouse and keyboard between two computers simultaneously.