Free Online Computer Tips

Collection of Online Tamil Movies Starts With D

2010-07-26T04:31:00.001-07:00




Dass	Delta Force 3	Devarajan	Dhaam.Dhoom	Dheena

Die Another Day	Dindukal Sarathi	Diwan	Dragon Lord	Dubai Rani

Durai	Durga	Dynamite Warrior	Dishyum	Devathaiyay Kanden

Dhil	Doom	Dum Dum Dum	Duet	Dhool


Dreams	Dheepavali

Latest Tamil Movies On Isaiyosai - Update 25/07/2010

2010-07-26T04:27:00.000-07:00

Collection of Online Tamil Movies Starts With C

2010-07-19T03:18:00.001-07:00




Casino Royale	Casper	Chanakya	Chandramuki	Chatrapathi

Chellamae	Chennai 600028	Chess	Chinna	Chocolate

City Hunter	Clash Of The Titans	Constantine	Cutthroat Island	Cyanide

Citizen	Crash	.Chennai Kathal	Charlie Chaplin	Cape Fear

Chithiram Pesuthadi	Chokka Thangam	The Condemned	Chinna Veedu	Chakaravarthy Thirumagal

Chandramathi

Collection of Online Tamil Movies Starts With B

2010-07-19T03:15:00.000-07:00




Babylon A.D	Back To The Future	Backlash	Badri	Balam

Ballistic Ecks Vs Sever	Bambara Kannaley	Basic Instinct	Bats	Bewolf

Bommayi	Billa (2007)	Blade	Blood Diamond	Bommarillu

Bagavathi	Bose	Bombay	Boys	Billa

Bala	Baba	Brammadeva	Black Hawk Down	Baasha


Bharathi	Bhama vijayam	Baghad Thirudan	Baley Pandiya	Budget Padmanaban

Brammandam (Broken Link)	Bheema 1 /2 / 3 / 4

Collection of Online Tamil Movies Starts With A

2010-07-19T03:08:00.000-07:00




Aegan	Aagra	Aakrosan	Aalavandhan	Aanaai

Aaru	Aasai Asaiyai	Aathi	Aayitha Ezhuthu	Abiyum Naanum

Azhagiya Thamizh Magan	Adhey Neram Adhey idam	Adhu Oru Kana Kalam	Agaram	Agni Natchathiram

Alibaba	Amaravathy	Amarkalam	American Gangster (BrokenLink)	Amityville

Anaconda	Angels and Demons	Anjaneya	Anniyan	Aran

Arinthum Ariyamalum	Army	Around the World in 80 Days	Arputha Theevu	Arundhati

Arya 2	Arya	Asterix and Obelix	Astharam	Avatar

Ayutham Seivom	Azhagai Iruk. Bayamai Iruk.	Azhagan	Azhagana Ponnuthan	Azhagi

A Aa E Ee	Achchamundu! Achchamundu!	Aadhavan	Ayan	Ainthaam Padai


Anthony Yaar	Arumugam	Alli Thandha Vaanam	Amarkalam	Anbe Sivam

Anjali	April Mathathil 1 / 2	Alai	Ayya	Autograph

Attagasam	Aasai Aasaiyai	Arul	Arasu	Anjathe

Aananantha Punnagai	Aai	Alaipayuthey	Aanandham	Anniyan

Aan pavam	.Aayirathil oruvan	Adimai penn	Amirtham	Anbe vaa

Arasa Kattali	Arunachalam	Azhakiya Thamil Magan	Arangetra velai	Avalvaruvala

Azhakiya Theeye	Alibaba 40 Thirudar	Aboorva Ragangal	Aboova Sakotharar	Akathiyar

Aran	Adimaipen	Annamalai	Anandha jodhi	Anandha jodhi

Atputha Theevu	Avvai Shanmugi	Aytha Ezuthu	Aasai	A Nightmare On Elm Street

A9 highway	Aalwaar	Aarya	Adisaya piravi	Adithadi

Anbulla Rajinikanth	Anbey Aaruyire	Aathi	Abcd	Adaikkalam

A - Z Tamil Movies Index - Updated 18/07/2010

2010-07-18T14:27:00.001-07:00




*	*	*	Kalavani	Madrasapattinam

Amba Samuthiram Ambani	Veluthukattu	Pournami Naagam	Pa Ra Pazhanisamy	Milaga

Bhayam Ariyaan	Raavanan	Kadhalagi	Kurukku Buththi	Penn Singam

Nanayam	Porkkalam	Aayirathil Oruvan	Paiyaa	Katradhu Kalavu

Kola Kolaya Mundhiri	Rettaisuzhi	Manja Velu	Singam	Ellalan (Eelam)


Uyirambukal	Sivappu Mazhai	Pazhasi Raja	MaganeEn Marumagane	Kutra Pirivu

Kumari Pennin Ullathile	Kombu	Kanaga Vel Kakka	Gori Palayam	Azhagana Ponnuthan

Thambiku Indha Ooru	Kutti Pisasu	Guru Sihiyan	Mundhinam Paartheney	Aasal

Yathumaagi	Maathi Yosi	Thamizh Padam	Kacheri Arambam	Kutty

Theeratha Vilaiy.Pillai	Sura	Goa	Jaagubai	Rasikkum Seemane

Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya	IRumbu Muraddu Singam	Aval Peyar Th. Arasi	Angadi Theru	Pugaippadam

|Latest Tamil Movies | TV Shows | TV Serials Daily Updates - 17/07/2010

2010-07-17T09:29:00.001-07:00


Kalavani	Madrasapattinam	Amba Samuth. Ambani	Pournami Naagam	Veluthukattu

Milaga	Raavanan	Kadhalagi	Kurukku Buththi	Singam

Bhayam Ariyaan	IRumbu Muraddu Singam	Penn Singam	Katradhu Kalavu	Pa Ra Pazhanisamy


Manada Mayilada Kalaignar Tv	Neeya Naana Vijay Tv	Deala No Deal Sun Tv	Asatha Povathu Yaru? Sun Tv	Nadanthathu Enna - Vijay Tv

Special Events	Jackpot Jaya Tv	Raagamalika Jaya Tv	Kadhai Alla Nijam -Vijay Tv	Padavarisai 10 Kalaingar Tv

Light Camera Action - Jaya TV	Arattai Arangam Sun TV	Kondattam Comedy - Sun Tv	Meendum M. Sirippu Sun Tv	Super 10 Songs Sun Tv

ThiraiVimarsanam - Sun Tv	Top 10 Movies - Sun Tv	Jodi No 1 Vijay Tv	Koffee With Anu - Vijay Tv	Super Singer - Vijay Tv


Anupallavi	Atthipookal	Abirami	Chellame	Chithi

Elavarasi	Enge Bramanan	Girija MA	Idhayam	Kaialavu manasu

Kadhal Pagadai	Kasturi	Meti Oli	Magal	Mundhanai Mudichu

Marma Desam	Mahalakshmi	Manjal Magimai	Maharani	Mahabharatham

Madhavi	Nadhaswaram	Oviya	Premi	Roja Koottam

Sri Krishnaleelai	Saibaba	Thendral	Thirumathi Selvam	Thangam

Uyirin Niram Ootha	Uravugal	Vilakku Vacha Nerathulae	Visaranai	Yamirukka Bayamen

|Latest Tamil Movies | TV Shows | TV Serials Daily Updates - 11/07/2010

2010-07-11T05:07:00.001-07:00



Amba Samuthiram Ambani	Veluthukattu	Pournami Naagam	Pa Ra Pazhanisamy	Milaga

Raavanan	Kadhalagi	Kurukku Buththi	Singam

Rettaisuzhi	IRumbu Muraddu Singam	Penn Singam	Katradhu Kalavu	Ellalan (Eelam)


Manada Mayilada Kalaignar Tv	Neeya Naana Vijay Tv	Deala No Deal Sun Tv	Asatha Povathu Yaru? Sun Tv	Nadanthathu Enna - Vijay Tv

Special Events	Jackpot Jaya Tv	Raagamalika Jaya Tv	Kadhai Alla Nijam -Vijay Tv	Padavarisai 10 Kalaingar Tv

Light Camera Action - Jaya TV	Arattai Arangam Sun TV	Kondattam Comedy - Sun Tv	Meendum M. Sirippu Sun Tv	Super 10 Songs Sun Tv

ThiraiVimarsanam - Sun Tv	Top 10 Movies - Sun Tv	Jodi No 1 Vijay Tv	Koffee With Anu - Vijay Tv	Super Singer - Vijay Tv


Anupallavi	Atthipookal	Abirami	Chellame	Chithi

Elavarasi	Enge Bramanan	Girija MA	Idhayam	Kaialavu manasu

Kadhal Pagadai	Kasturi	Meti Oli	Magal	Mundhanai Mudichu

Marma Desam	Mahalakshmi	Manjal Magimai	Maharani	Mahabharatham

Madhavi	Nadhaswaram	Oviya	Premi	Roja Koottam

Sri Krishnaleelai	Saibaba	Thendral	Thirumathi Selvam	Thangam

|Latest Tamil Movies | TV Shows | TV Serials Daily Updates - 4/07/2010

2010-07-03T07:38:00.001-07:00


				a
Milaga	Bhayam Ariyaan	Raavanan	Kadhalagi	Kurukku Buththi

Penn Singam	IRumbu Muraddu Singam	Singam	Gori Palayam	Katradhu Kalavu

Rettaisuzhi	Kutti Pisasu	Guru Sihiyan	Manja Velu	Ellalan (Eelam)


Manada Mayilada Kalaignar Tv	Neeya Naana Vijay Tv	Deala No Deal Sun Tv	Asatha Povathu Yaru? Sun Tv	Nadanthathu Enna - Vijay Tv

Special Events	Jackpot Jaya Tv	Raagamalika Jaya Tv	Kadhai Alla Nijam -Vijay Tv	Padavarisai 10 Kalaingar Tv

Light Camera Action - Jaya TV	Arattai Arangam Sun TV	Kondattam Comedy - Sun Tv	Meendum M. Sirippu Sun Tv	Super 10 Songs Sun Tv

ThiraiVimarsanam - Sun Tv	Top 10 Movies - Sun Tv	Jodi No 1 Vijay Tv	Koffee With Anu - Vijay Tv	Super Singer - Vijay Tv


Anupallavi	Atthipookal	Abirami	Chellame	Chithi

Elavarasi	Enge Bramanan	Girija MA	Idhayam	Kaialavu manasu

Kadhal Pagadai	Kasturi	Meti Oli	Magal	Mundhanai Mudichu

Marma Desam	Mahalakshmi	Manjal Magimai	Maharani	Mahabharatham

Madhavi	Nadhaswaram	Oviya	Premi	Roja Koottam

Sri Krishnaleelai	Saibaba	Thendral	Thirumathi Selvam	Thangam

Uyirin Niram Ootha	Uravugal	Vilakku Vacha Nerathulae	Visaranai	Yamirukka Bayamen

Some Romantic Animation 1

2008-08-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sunbelt Personal Firewall 4.6.1845

2008-08-20T03:56:00.000-07:00

The Sunbelt Personal Firewall helps you control how your computer exchanges data with other computers on the Internet or local network. Even if you have a router that has a built-in firewall, you will still benefit from using Sunbelt Personal Firewall on your PC(s). It's the principle of "belt-and-suspenders" (being double-safe) which is a strongly recommended strategy to deal with these 'internet Bad Guys'. The Sunbelt Personal Firewall also protects your PC from attacks initiated by other PC's on your network that might have been compromised. Sunbelt Personal Firewall is a necessity for all desktop computers connected to broadband internet, using DSL, cable, ISDN, WiFi or satellite modems. Within an organization, Kerio Personal Firewall prevents a single computer from attacks initiated by internal users. Remote workstations and laptops running KPF are protected from internet born attacks. And if you have a notebook PC, you definitely should use the Sunbelt Personal Firewall on that notebook as well. Notebooks are especially easy to compromise because of built-in wireless access.

Potential intruders use various techniques to find out if your PC is vulnerable to attacks. These techniques vary from simply scanning all the entry points (called 'ports') of your computer to far more sophisticated methods. But the Sunbelt Personal Firewall has a built-in intrusion prevention system that identifies and blocks both known and unknown attacks so you can breathe easy and enjoy surfing the web. It really is an essential element of your Internet Safety.

F E A T U R E S of "Sunbelt Personal Firewall":
· Stop all traffic – stops all traffic on the computer. This function can be helpful especially when undesirable or strange network activity is detected. Traffic can be restored after the appropriate security actions are taken.

· Logging – Each firewall module creates an independent log that is stored in a text file. Logs can be viewed in a configuration dialog. Logs can also be stored on a Syslog server.
· Connections overview and statistics – The overview provides information about established connections and ports opened by individual applications. Information on the current speed and size of transmitted data in both directions is also provided for active connections. The overview is automatically refreshed in predefined time intervals. Statistics show users the number of objects blocked by the Web content filter and the number of detected intrusions during specific time periods.

· Automatic update – Regular checks are made for newer versions of the firewall. Whenever a new version is detected, users have the option of downloading and installing it. It is also possible to check for new versions manually

Home Page
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Home-Home-Office/Sunbelt-Personal-Firewall/

Download link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/134960767/Sunbelt_Personal_Firewall_4.6.1845_dasofts.rar

or
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=THHMTIG7

How To Change Your IP

2008-05-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

1. Click on "Start" in the bottom left hand corner of screen

2. Click on "Run"
3. Type in "command" and hit ok

You should now be at an MSDOS prompt screen.

4. Type "ipconfig /release" just like that, and hit "enter"
5. Type "exit" and leave the prompt
6. Right-click on "Network Places" or "My Network Places" on your desktop.
7. Click on "properties"

You should now be on a screen with something titled "Local Area Connection", or something close to that, and, if you have a network hooked up, all of your other networks.

8. Right click on "Local Area Connection" and click "properties"
9. Double-click on the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" from the list under the "General" tab
10. Click on "Use the following IP address" under the "General" tab
11. Create an IP address (It doesn't matter what it is. I just type 1 and 2 until i fill the area up).
12. Press "Tab" and it should automatically fill in the "Subnet Mask" section with default numbers.
13. Hit the "Ok" button here
14. Hit the "Ok" button again

You should now be back to the "Local Area Connection" screen.

15. Right-click back on "Local Area Connection" and go to properties again.
16. Go back to the "TCP/IP" settings
17. This time, select "Obtain an IP address automatically"
tongue.gif 18. Hit "Ok"
19. Hit "Ok" again
20. You now have a new IP address

With a little practice, you can easily get this process down to 15 seconds.

P.S:
This only changes your dynamic IP address, not your ISP/IP address. If you plan on hacking a website with this trick be extremely careful, because if they try a little, they can trace it back

Related Video

10 Fast and Free Security Enhancements

2008-05-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will protect you against the most common threats.

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates) ; have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.

3. Install a free spyware blocker. Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.

7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."

How to Hack/ Change your Windows XP Boot Screen

2008-05-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

HACKING THE XP BOOT SCREEN

This is a very simple trick to do if you have done the same for the logon screen and the start button. There are 2 ways to do this trick that I know about one is doing it manually and the other is using a program called bootxp. I am going to tell you the manual way to do it, but if you want to know the other way just let me know, so I can do an update to the guide. Now once you have downloaded your ntoskrnl.exe file save it a general location so that you will have easy access to it, like my folder.

Once you have ntoskrnl.exe file in an easy access folder, restart your pc into safe mode. Once into safe mode go to the folder where your files are located.

Now that you are there copy the file that you want to change your boot screen too. Once you have copied that file, hit the window key + r or type %windir%\system32 in the run command, so that folder as follows.

Once there paste your new file into the folder and overwrite the existing folder.

Now that you have your new file in the folder restart your pc as you normally would and your new boot screen should appear. You can download this bootscreen here.

ALWAYS BACKUP EVERYTHING YOU EDIT OR DELETE. I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU MESS YOUR COMPUTER UP BY DOING THIS HACK OR ANY TYPE OF HACK. DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Image and ntoskrnl.exe files provided by www.themexp.org

Related Video Tutorial

How To Hack Windows Xp Admin Passwords

2008-05-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

How to hack Windows XP Admin Passwords the easy way by Estyle, Jaoibh
and Azrael.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This hack will only work if the person that owns the machine has no intelligence. This is how it works: When you or anyone installs Windows XP for the first time your asked to put in your username and up to five others. Now, unknownst to a lot of other people this is the only place in
Windows XP that you can password the default Administrator Diagnostic Account. This means that to by pass most administrators accounts on Windows XP all you have to do is boot to safe mode by pressing F8 during boot up and choosing it. Log into the Administrator Account and create your own or change the password on the current Account. This only works if the user on setup specified a password for the Administrator Account.

This has worked for me on both Windows XP Home and Pro.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now this one seems to be machine dependant, it works randomly(don't know why)

If you log into a limited account on your target machine and open up a dos prompt then enter this set of commands Exactly: (this appeared on www.astalavista.com a few days ago but i found that it wouldn't work on the welcome screen of a normal booted machine)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

cd\ *drops to root
cd\windows\system32 *directs to the system32 dir
mkdir temphack *creates the folder temphack
copy logon.scr temphack\logon.scr *backsup logon.scr
copy cmd.exe temphack\cmd.exe *backsup cmd.exe
del logon.scr *deletes original logon.scr
rename cmd.exe logon.scr *renames cmd.exe to logon.scr
exit *quits dos

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now what you have just done is told the computer to backup the command program and the screen saver file, then edits the settings so when the machine boots the screen saver you will get an unprotected dos prompt with out logging into XP. Once this happens if you enter this command minus the quotes "net user password" If the Administrator Account is called Frank and you want the password blah enter this "net user Frank blah" and this changes the password on franks machine to blah and your in.

Have fun

p.s: dont forget to copy the contents of temphack back into the system32 dir to cover tracks
Any updates, Errors, Suggestions or just general comments mail them to either

How to do a High Quality DivX Rip

2008-05-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

1. First Download Besweet GUI here
http://tinyurl.com/4zon3x

2. Download This Codec
DivX 5.2.1 Pro
http://tinyurl.com/68vgs

3. Nandub 1.0RC2
Download Here
http://tinyurl.com/42xfro

4. then get this: VirtualDub (copy Paste this link to your Browser)
http://tinyurl.com/58f77u

alternatively, get any version of virtualdub that includes mp3 support.

these are all the required tools, there are ways with fewer items, but they produce very inferior outputs. Besides, after you get used to it, the

whole process is really easy.

Okay, first and foremost, pull out Nandub. This is the step that takes the longest, as well as where you will make most of your decisions. I

am going to assume that you are making a 1 cd rip. If you do what is in this faq, there won't be much reason to do anything else.

First of all, run Nandub . It will pop up a dialogue box, and want to know if you are making a new project or resuming an old. New, of

course. Give it a name and tell fairuse where you want it to store its data. Fairuse is about to rip the entire movie to your harddrive(nice if

you want to go rent a movie and return it the next day).

Then it will ask for your DVD drive with a dvd in it. give it. Then, select which video stream you want. This is usually pretty obvious as the

movie stream is the one that is an hour or so long. If there are two of these, check out the other tags. which languages and so on. worst

case senario is that you have to trial and error. but that is rare. choose the long stream and hit next.

This is where Nandub rips everything to your hard drive. depending on the speed of various components in your computer, and the length of

the movie, this could take a while. let it finish. and then move on.

Once all that is done, the really important screen pops up. this is where you set resolutions and video length. first, cut off the ending credits

with the slider, but DO NOT mess with the beginning, as the sound and video frames need to start at the same point for sync. Then hit auto

set for the cropping region, this is usually just fine. Then decide whether or not you want subtitles, which would be the subpicture stream.

When you're done, hit next.

Set the field mode to IVTC. This will give you better quality for size, as it runs at 24 frames instead of 30, due to the nature of divx, there

won't be any noticeable difference in quality, but 6 less frames to deal with each second(and to store data for) really add up. Besides this is

the correct mode for all movies anyway. NExt.

This is where you set FINAL file size, including audio, for 1 cd rip, set to 690, for 2, set to double that. Then follow the directions they give

you and choose a final resolution that has between a 120:1 and 150:1 (if possible, sometimes the movie is compression ratio. NEXT!

This screen is where you determine quality. The autoadd button is usefull, and will give you decent quality, with 4 encodings. What this does is

encode the movie 4 times, and then mix the frames to creat the final encoding, with the most efficient possible encoding for each frame. which

is how we get bad ass quality for a single cd. I usually go for 8 encodings, as on my athlon 1600+ this rarely takes more than 8 hours to

do, so I just go to sleep, wake up, and its done.

Then add the audio encoding that you want.

Hit next.
And let the bastard fly. Depending on what you set, and your computer, this could take from a few hours to a few days. CPU's of 1.2Ghz+

are nice right about here. You can do stuff while this is going on, but it makes things take much longer.

In the end you will have a bunch of encodings in the folder you specified at the beginning, the 4+ you chose and the final. You will also have

an AC3 stream. Take the final AVI and toss it someplace to await the rest of the audio work you have to do, and you can erase the other

encodings, freeing up a few gigs in the process of space.

NEXT: AUDIO

Ok, this is where Besweet comes in.

Extract BeSweet and the GUI into the same folder. Now Run the GUI.

At the top there are three fields. One for BeSweet which you should point at the besweet.exe that you should have unzipped to the same

directory you are running the Gui from, A field for the AC3 stream, which is in the folder where you sent the encoded video from Fairuse,

and an output mp3. The output mp3 has to be an existing file, so make a text file, rename it (yourmovie).mp3 and just say yeah, its cool to

change the extension and make things weird. besweet will overwrite it so don't worry. point the third field at that file. The default values for

stuff should be fine. but to make sure go to Azid 1(on the left) and select stereo, and then go to Lame 2 and select constant bit rate, and

128(assuming that is what you want). then click on besweet again, and finally, click on AC3 to MP3.

Let the bastard fly.

Now. When its done you should have an mp3 that is the entire soundtrack for the movie. This is where virtualdub comes in. run the virtualdub

mp3 version. go to File:open video file and select the final encoding that you had from way back. Then go to audio and select mp3 audio. it

will ask you for the file, give it the mp3. Go to audio again and make sure direct stream copy is selected. Then go to video and make sure

that direct stream copy is also selected. Finally go to file again and SAVE AVI. give it a file name and let the bastard fly. This final file is

your movie. Beautiful and glorious. Congratulations, its a DivX rip. Aren't you proud. burn to cd, and give copies to all your friends.

Note: These is a RIP

How to do Windows XP Faster?

2008-05-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Services You Can Disable

There are quite a few services you can disable from starting automatically.This would be to speed up your boot time and free resources.They are only suggestions so I suggestion you read the description of each one when you run Services and that you turn them off one at a time.

Some possibilities are:
Alerter
Application Management
Clipbook
Fast UserSwitching
Human Interface Devices
Indexing Service
Messenger
Net Logon
NetMeeting
QOS RSVP
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Registry
Routing & Remote Access
SSDP Discovery Service
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Web Client

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cleaning the Prefetch Directory

WindowsXP has a new feature called Prefetch. This keeps a shortcut to recently used programs.
However it can fill up with old and obsolete programs.

To clean this periodically go to:

Star / Run / Prefetch
Press Ctrl-A to highlight all the shorcuts
Delete them

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not Displaying Logon, Logoff, Startup and Shutdown Status Messages

To turn these off:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionpoliciessystem
If it is not already there, create a DWORD value named DisableStatusMessages
Give it a value of 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clearing the Page File on Shutdown

Click on the Start button
Go to the Control Panel
Administrative Tools
Local Security Policy
Local Policies
Click on Security Options
Right hand menu - right click on "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"
Select "Enable"
Reboot

For regedit users.....
If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory ManagementClearPageFileAtShutdown
Set the value to 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No GUI Boot

If you don't need to see the XP boot logo,

Run MSCONFIG
Click on the BOOT.INI tab
Check the box for /NOGUIBOOT

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speeding the Startup of Some CD Burner Programs

If you use program other than the native WindowsXP CD Burner software,
you might be able to increase the speed that it loads.

Go to Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Services
Double-click on IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
For the Startup Type, select Disabled
Click on the OK button and then close the Services window
If you dont You should notice

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Getting Rid of Unread Email Messages

To remove the Unread Email message by user's login names:

Start Regedit
For a single user: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUnreadMail
For all users: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUnreadMail
Create a DWORD key called MessageExpiryDays
Give it a value of 0

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Decreasing Boot Time

Microsoft has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes to boot to WindowsXP
The program is called BootVis

Uncompress the file.
Run BOOTVIS.EXE
For a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver Delays
This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark
After the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup.
Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line)
Then run Trace / Optimize System
Re-Run the Next Boot + Drive Delays
Note how much the time has decreased
Mine went from approximately 33 to 25 seconds.

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Increasing Graphics Performance

By default, WindowsXP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, slides etc to menu items.
Most simply slow down their display.

To turn these off selectively:

Right click on the My Computer icon
Select Properties
Click on the Advanced tab
Under Performance, click on the Settings button
To turn them all of, select Adjust for best performance
My preference is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging

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Increasing System Performance

If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance
by having the core system kept in memory.

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory ManagementDisablePagingExecutive
Set the value to be 1
Reboot the computer

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Increasing File System Caching

To increase the amount of memory Windows will locked for I/O operations:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory Management
Edit the key IoPageLockLimit

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Resolving Inability to Add or Remove Programs

If a particular user cannot add or remove programs, there might be a simple registry edit neeed.

Go to HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesUninstall
Change the DWORD NoAddRemovePrograms to 0 disable it

4096 - 32megs of memory or less
8192 - 32+ megs of memory
16384 - 64+ megs of memory
32768 - 128+ megs of memory
65536 - 256+ megs of memory

How tO Maintain Your PC?

2008-05-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

You may not realize it, but your computer and your car have something in common: they both need regular maintenance. No, you don't need to change your computer's oil. But you should be updating your software, keeping your antivirus subscription up to date, and checking for spyware. Read on to learn what you can do to help improve your computer's security.

Getting started

Here are some basics maintenance tasks you can do today to start improving your computer's security. Be sure you make these part of your ongoing maintenance as well.

* Sign up for software update e-mail notices. Many software companies will send you e-mail whenever a software update is available. This is particularly important for your operating system (e.g., Microsoft VV!|VD0VV$® or Macintosh), your antivirus program, and your firewall.

* Register your software. If you still have registration forms for existing software, send them in. And be sure to register new software in the future. This is another way for the software manufacturer to alert you when new updates are available.

* Install software updates immediately.
When you get an update notice, download the update immediately and install it. (Remember, downloading and installing are two separate tasks.)
An ounce of prevention

A few simple steps will help you keep your files safe and clean.

* Step 1: Update your software
* Step 2: Backup your files
* Step 3: Use antivirus software and keep it updated
* Step 4: Change your passwords

Developing ongoing maintenance practices

Now that you've done some ground work, it's time to start moving into longer term maintenance tasks. These are all tasks that you should do today (or as soon as possible) to get started. But for best results, make these a part of a regular maintenance schedule. We recommend setting aside time each week to help keep your computer secure.

* Back up your files. Backing up your files simply means creating a copy of your computer files that you can use in the event the originals are lost. (Accidents can happen.) To learn more read our tips for backing up information.

* Scan your files with up to date antivirus software. Use your antivirus scan tool regularly to search for potential computer viruses and worms. Also, check your antivirus program's user manual to see if you can schedule an automatic scan of your computer. To learn more, read our tips for reducing your virus risk
.
* Change your passwords. Using the same password increases the odds that someone else will discover it. Change all of your passwords regularly (we recommend monthly) to reduce your risk. Also, choose your passwords carefully. To learn more, read our tips for creating stronger passwords
.

Making a schedule

One of the best ways to help protect your computer is to perform maintenance regularly. To help you keep track, we suggest making a regular "appointment" with your computer. Treat it like you would any other appointment. Record it in your datebook or online calendar, and if you cannot make it, reschedule. Remember, you are not only helping to improve your computer, you are also helping to protect your personal information.

How to Boot Winxp Fast

2008-05-18T03:21:00.000-07:00

Follow the following steps

1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\

2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".

3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.

4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".

5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.

6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".

7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"

8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".

9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".

10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.

11. Reboot your computer.

23 Ways To Speed WinXP, Not only Defrag

2008-05-18T02:59:00.000-07:00

Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.

1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.

6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.

9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.

18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.

Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.

10 Fast and Free Security Enhancements For Your PC

2008-05-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

PC magazine.

Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will protect you against the most common threats.

1.Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates) ; have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.

3. Install a free spyware blocker. Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.

7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."

10 Reasons why PCs crash

2008-05-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1 Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

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