A thin and smiling Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs launched a much thinner, curved iPod nano music player.
In details:
New iPod Nano. The new device is thinner than ever before, sports a completely revamped OS with cover flow, shake-to-shuffle feature, built-in Genius playlist, and a curved glass screen. It has a built-in accelerometer, and comes in a dizzying array of colors. Expect to pay $149 for the 8GB and $199 for the 16GB. The 8GB should be available right now, with the 16GB following sometime next week
New iPod Touch. The new Touch features a completely redesigned case, integrated Nike+iPod functionality, external volume controls and speaker, and more. Available immediately, you should expect to pay $229 for the 8GB model, $299 for the 16GB, and $399 for the 32GB. Apple is billing this one as the “Funnest iPod Ever”, and seems to be trying to position it as a mobile gaming device.
iPhone firmware 2.1. As expected, Apple announced the new 2.1 firmware update for the iPhone. The new software promises greatly improved battery life, fewer crashes, fewer dropped calls, and faster backups.
iPod Classic 120 GB. Nothing much to say about this one, except that it has replaced both the 80GB and 160GB models. Expect to pay $249 for this baby, available immediately.
iTunes 8. The command center behind all of this, Apple introduced the new version of their omnipresent media software. iTunes 8 delivers a news Genius playlist function, new Hi-Def TV show support, the return of NBC shows to the TV Store, and more. The software is expected to launch today, though as of this writing it had yet to appear on Apple’s site.
Minor bits: iPod Shuffle now comes in 4 new colors, Apple is now offering in-ear headphones with an in-line volume control and improved speakers for $79.
Apple today unleashed a thousand of things,Here in details:-
*Apple launched new MacBook Pro,The laptop includes NVIDIA 9400M graphics, Mini DisplayPort plug, new manufacturing method and fancy glass trackpad of its big sibling, but does it with a 13.3-inch LED-backlit screen,Apple's also claiming 5 hours of battery life.
The base model weighs in at $1299 with a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor.
The second config at $2499, you get a faster CPU with double cache, 4GB RAM, double graphics memory, 320GB hard drive.
*Apple just announced that the MacBook Air is getting an update to the new NVIDIA 9400M graphics system, as well as new 120GB hard drive and 128GB SSD drive options. The Air is also moving from microDVI to mini DisplayPort, like all of the Apple's new machines. The base model is still $1799
And there's a $2499 version with a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo and SSD which'll be out in early November.
*Apple just announced the 24-inch Cinema Display. It has LED-backlit, Mini DisplayPort, $899 list price, check; MagSafe adapter, check. In fact, it has a tri-pronged cable that also includes USB . Other specs include a native 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, built-in iSight camera / microphone, integrated stereo speakers and a 3-port USB hub.
*Now the MacBook:One of the biggest new features in the new MacBooks that Apple just unveiled is the glass trackpad, one that ditches the button in favor of turning the entire trackpad into a button.It's going to come in two models -- $1299 for the new MacBook 13.3-inch display, 2GHz Core 2 Duo
Second model, $1599, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD... and a backlit keyboard. Shipping today, should hit stores tomorrow
Now,as the new line of MacBook and MacBook Pro are more powerful,so all games are going to be here...
At last Steve shows this...
Now are we ready to purchase new MacBooks and move from Windows to Mac OS X.
Some of you may feel that USB drives should not be used for sensitive data because they can be easily misplaced and are likely to end up in wrong hands. Now, here is The Hacked! drive, designed by Windell Oskay is one piece of storage which no one would take a second glance at other than out of sheer curiosity.
Hacked maybe the most efficient method of data security available. It is actually 2 GB and the reason why nobody would like to steal it is because it looks nothing more than a slashed cable! It just looks nothing more than a piece of junk.
The Hacked! gadget should remain safe from dirty fingers. Feel free to include any sort of sensitive info you desire.
Check out the new Maple phone which is made out of African Blackwood, which comes in the dimensions of 4.5 x 10.4 x 9.8 cm. It’s loaded with those common features found on today’s cellphones, such as MP3 player, digital camera, and obviously the basic functions like calling and texting.
When it gets your first touch while being at the off state, it’ll turn itself on, light up all those touch-sensitive buttons and become ready waiting for your next inputs. The Maple phone is said to use the capacitive touch technology. The price could be cheaper than any other average cellphones, since it’s made of wood.
Researchers from Japan have developed a rubber that is able to conduct electricity well, paving the way for robots with stretchable "e-skin" that can feel heat and pressure like humans.
The material overcomes the problems faced by metals -- which are conductive but do not stretch – which is the first in the world to overcome the problem and rubber, which hardly transmits electricity, according to the team at the University of Tokyo. The new technology is flexible like ordinary rubber but boasts conductivity some 570 times as high as commercially available rubbers filled with carbon particles. If used as wiring, the material can make elastic integrated circuits (ICs), which can be stretched to up to 1.7 times their original size.
One application of the material would be artificial skin on robots as robots enter our everyday life; they need to have sensors everywhere on their bodies like humans. Imagine they bump into babies. Robots need to feel temperatures, heat and pressure like we do to co-exist. Otherwise it would be dangerous. It was also said that the new material could be used on the surface of steering wheels, which would analyze perspiration, body temperature and other data of the driver and judge whether he or she is fit enough to drive or it could be used on top of a mattress for bed-ridden people, watching if some parts of the body were under constant pressure and tilting the bed to change the patient's posture to prevent bedsores
BANGALORE: The launch of India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-I from Sriharikota recently cheered all across India, except the residents of Bya
lalu and Chandrappa Circle villages near Bangalore where Deep Space Network is tracking the Chandrayaan - 1 satellite with the help of two large antennae.
Villagers here lament that the state government acquired their land at a very low rate for the project a few years ago. But today they feel cheated in comparison to those who can currently sell off their land at many times higher than that prices.
"I sold my two-and-a-half acres of land for Rs. 450,000 three years ago, now I feel cheated, as the land price has increased to more than Rs 60,00,000 per acre. The money I received then has been spent on marriages of my daughters, clearing the pending loan and such other reasons," said Muniyappa, a villager.
Villager had sold off their land three years ago at a price which is 1/12th of the prevailing prices for the same piece of land. The land prices have broken roof. It is evident from the fact that the land available at Rs. 400,000 per acre only three years ago is today between Rs. 30,00,000 to 60,00,000 (three to six million rupees).
"We were told that we could get lots of money and we thought the money would help us to improve living standard. But now we know that those who did not sell their land at that point of time are many times richer than us," said Byregowda, a villager.
Villagers, who didn't have to sell off their piece of land for the government's requirements for the project, can today sell off their land at sky-rocketed prices.
Though a petition asking for higher rates for the land was filed in the Karnataka High Court two-and-a-half years ago, it is yet to be admitted.
According to officials, a survey was conducted over 12 places and decided on the saucer-shaped Byalalu since it offers security from the electro-magnetic and radio waves besides from the sounds and lights of Bangalore.
It was found the best location to contain electromagnetic noise that can interfere with signals from deep space.
Microsoft on Monday unveiled Azure, a software and services platform that's a key part of a strategy that sees the company lessening its emphasis on desktop software and shifting more resources to Web-based offerings that can match Google's growing portfolio of online products.
At its heart, Azure is designed to allow developers to create so-called cloud-based computing architectures that run off of centralized servers that are operated and maintained by Microsoft.
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"We have introduced a game-changing set of technologies that will bring new opportunities to Web developers and business developers alike," said Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect. Ozzie spoke Monday at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles.
Azure encompasses a range of new and existing Microsoft technologies, including SQL Services, .Net Services, and Live Services. At its core is a version of the Windows operating system specifically designed for hosted, or cloud, environments.
Windows Azure, according to Microsoft, is "a cloud services operating system" that's the foundation for Azure's development and hosting environment. The OS is fully integrated with the Visual Studio development toolset.
An increasing number of organizations are eyeing hosted software in order to reduce complexity and cut administrative costs. Washington, D.C., for instance, recently moved its business applications to Google's online Google Apps platform. Microsoft needs to get in on the action. Sales of its earthbound Windows Vista OS increased just 2% in the most recent quarter.
The concern with cloud environments, however, is that access to key systems can be lost if the service goes down. Earlier this month, some users of Google's hosted Gmail service were unable to access e-mail for more than 24 hours.
To guarantee Azure's uptime, Microsoft is employing what it calls the Windows Azure Fabric Controller technology. Azure Fabric is designed to balance workloads across servers, manage resources, and reroute work instantaneously if a server goes down, according to Microsoft.
Azure also is designed to integrate with in-house systems, giving businesses the option of moving some applications to the cloud while keeping others -- those containing sensitive personal data, for instance -- within their four walls. Azure "gives our customers the power of choice to deploy applications in cloud-based Internet services or through on-premises servers, or to combine them in any way that makes the most sense," said Ozzie.
Azure is built to support a range of software standards, including SOAP, REST, and XML, that work with both Microsoft and non-Microsoft technologies. It's also compatible with third-party development languages, including Eclipse, Ruby, PHP, and Python.
Microsoft is set to launch what it calls a Community Technology Preview of Azure, during which members of its professional developers' organization will receive access to various components, including Windows Azure, SQL Data Services, Live Services, and .Net Services, to preview and test.
Microsoft did not release pricing details for the Azure services.
Not all computer users are tech savvy and attuned to blogs, forum discussions, and reviews of the great new expectation of 2006 the Windows Vista Release. For everyday computer user things like administrator control or enhanced security has little or no meaning. All he or she looks for is a computer that works smoothly, allows them to enjoy the World Wide Web and simple functions like email, photos, and perhaps online shopping.
According to those in the know Windows Vista is all set to open many doors of delight.
1. According to Bill Gates, Microsoft is planning to allow DirectTV subscribers to “move shows from their set top boxes to Windows PCs, or even the Xbox 360 or other mobile devices. This is to be a part of the “Plays for Sure” plan.
2. Vista is all set to have a swanky new Messenger which will steal minds and hearts of users and function smoothly too.
3. Music played on a PC will reach new levels with the swanky new Windows Media Player 11 which is being launched with Windows Vista. This will sort, file, and mix and match music according to the likes of the user. You can view the music according to say genre or even type.
4. The Windows Vista Media Center will allow uninterrupted viewing of high definition digital cable.
5. Vista is designed with futuristic photo editing tools that will change the way photos are viewed or stored or shared. Every Vista user will have enhanced features and will be able to edit and print studio quality photographs. Photos can be sorted by date, keywords, or any other individual system.
6. That Vista graphics will be state of art is well known but inbuilt in Vista is Flip 3D a tool that will allow users to shift among multiple open windows and a side bar that will run in the corner continuously.
7. Vista users will be able to use a new slideshow to mix video images and still photos.
As far as gaming is concerned Vista reaches for new heights with enhanced graphics, 3D effects, and real to life projections. Gaming will take on new dimensions with the launch of Windows Vista.
Vista is being promoted by Microsoft as the ultimate OS, what the release will bring will be known only when the actual system is released towards the end of 2006. Fairly advanced Vista users will have to tweak their hardware systems or purchase a new dream machine. The Windows Vista according to promos is all set to bring “clarity to the world” and open new vistas in computing. The program addresses needs at all levels personal and professional and the system is such that it can be tweaked to suit individual needs.
The keys for Vista according to an FAQ constructed by http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/vista.asp are connected, clear, and confident, stating that Windows Vista will take you to new levels of connectivity, give you the user clarity in the interface and the ways in which you organize your work, and ensure that you are confident always that your privacy and data is protected at all times.
Vista is all set to conquer new vistas in computing
Have you move your OS to Vista ? If yes, I'm sure you want to know how to make new partition in Vista. For your info,in Vista new partition is called "volume".
OK let's get started. First go to Start Menu > Run and type in "diskmgmt.msc" and press Enter. It is actually a shortcut to open Disk Management Utility.
Then to create space for new volume(partition), right-click on existing volume and select "Shrink Volume" to resize the volume. Note that you can only shrink the volume that using NTFS format.
After that new dialog box will appear, asking you to enter a new size of your volume. Make sure to see total volume before shrinking process.
After "Shrinking" process done, right-click on "Unallocated" space and choose New Simple Volume. Just follow the wizard in order to create and format your new volume. Then you're done !!
Are your computer is installed Vista OS? And are your iPod connected to it? Then your iPod could be in danger. Do not simply use "Safely Remove Hardware" feature or disconnect the iPod using Windows Explorer.
Why ? That's because Vista OS has a bug that can corrupt your iPod if you're using that function. Microsoft didn't state what kind of problems will that bug bring to your iPod, they just say that, IF you're affected by the bug, you'll have to use iTunes to restore all the music on your iPod.
How To Fix My Vista ? Microsoft has released the patch for the problem. You can now download the patch here:- Vista Patch for iPod
If you already installed Windows Vista on your PC or laptop, then you should pay attention to this tips on how to improve your Vista speed for better CPU performance. For me, there's no way to install Vista on my PC unless it really stable or until Microsoft do not provide security update anymore for XP. Anyway, Vista users this tips might help you to improve your Vista :-
1- Remove all junk software from your PC 2- Disable Windows Defender 3- Disable UAC (User Access Control) 4- Reduce graphics and other UI features 5- Remove unnecessary startup programs 6- Disable unnecessary services 7- Disable Windows Search Indexing 8- Monitor tasks running 9- Upgrade RAM
Have you guys heard about Google Hacks? It is actually not a tutorial on how to hack Google Search Engine but it is a tool. Google Hacks is an advanced Google Search Utility.
Google Hacks allows users to search any file using different Google search hacks.For example, by using this Google Hacks one can easily do a music search just by clicking a number of option boxes that can be found in the program interface and specify the format of the music file that you need like .mp3, .wma . So, you don't have to manually type a complex commands that you've learn from any step-by-step google search engine hacks before.
How to use Google Hacks ?
1 - Type in what you want to search 2 - Specify the type of file ( music, torrent, book, video etc ) 3 - Choose the file format that you want ( .mp3, .avi, .exe, .rar, etc ) 4 - Hit the SEARCH button...
You can search almost everything – from music,book to torrent or even you can search for a Google cached page! You can also use this program to use google as a proxy.
This tool save your time when you are googling around. Google Hacks made available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux (latest version is v1.6).
If your computer is a dual-boot machine, which means you've installed 2 OS for example Windows Xp Pro and Ubuntu Linux, I'm pretty sure most of you have some difficulty in viewing the files that being stored on Linux partition( ext2/etx3 ) under Windows environment..
Is It Possible To Access Linux Files In Windows?
YES. Actually there are some software that you can use to access Linux Files under your Windows environment. You can use a freeware program like LINUX READER, that can allows you to access your files on your Linux partition directly on your Windows system.
DiskInternals Linux Reader 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.
However, Like other program, this freeware still have a weakness or drawback. YES by using this program you can access directly your Linux files system in Windows BUT only in "read-only" mode. I'm sure you know what does it means? It means you can only access or read the files, you CANNOT modify the files.
For me, I like to use the old MS Word 2003 rather than using 2007. But, recently all the notes and assignment given by my lecturers( which I downloaded from their website) are not anymore in .doc format but in .docx format. Which means, my lecturers are now using MS Word 2007 and it make me a bit difficult to open .docx format since it cannot be open directly using old MS Word 2003.
After googling for the solution, I've found few ways on how to open .docx format without you having to install new MS Word 2007?
First Solution If you still want to open .docx file using your old Office XP or Office 2003, then you should get/download MS Office Compatibility Pack( Office 2007 docx converter ). By using this pack, you can now open .docx format in Office 2003 without any problems..
Second Solution Using An Online .docx Converter Actually there are a lot of website that provide online .docx converter service that lets you convert docx documents online. This is a pretty good solution if you don’t want to install the previously mentioned compatibility pack...
I know, some of your friends prefer to stay invisible(pretend to be offline) eventhough they signed in the YM because they simply do not want anyone to disturb them. But there is a method to know exactly whether they're offline or just invisible to you.
Xeeber is a website which can let you find out who is online and who is offline. Just enter their name and Xeeber will show their status.This service really cool as it can easily show your contact’s status by just key in the yahoo ID. 2) Invisible Scanner
Another website which provide similar service like Xeeber, which is developed by Vietnam user. 3) Buddy Spy
I used to use this one before discover Xeeber. Buddy Spy is the premier program for Yahoo! Messenger status checking. With Buddy Spy you can now bypass Yahoo! Messenger's Invisible Settings with ease. With its quick and intuitive interface Buddy Spy offers you the ability to see if your friend is truly online or if they are invisible. Not only does Buddy Spy offer you online checking, but it will also tell you whether your friend is in a Chat Room or even if their Web Cam is online! Well, actually there are other methods like Doodle environment(doesn't work with new YM), stealth settings, conference etc. So far, Xeeber and Invisible Scanner works fine for me...
I'm sure all of the Rapidshare uploaders already know about when the files that they uploaded will be expired. It is when the files are not being downloaded within 90 days. Then it will be automatically deleted.
So, how to avoid your files from expiring ? Is easy, download the files by yourself when there is no download in 90 days. But, if you have a lof of files, this task going to be tough.Luckily, there are 2 tools that you can use to make this task easier...
First one is a DOS tool called RS90. RS90 generates lists sorted by the date of last download. This gives you a clearer picture of which files that are hosted in RapidShare is about to expire soon. RS90 can support up to 3 RapidShare Premium accounts but do take note that RS90 doesn’t extend the expire date.
Many of my friends when their Hard disk OS crash, they simply format the PC because they thought that they cannot access the data inside the OS. But they're wrong.Even if our OS crash, we still can backup and access our data inside the crash OS. This crash usually cause by the virus, a lot of bad sector etc. I bet most of you have seen the blue screen of death when your OS crash.
How To Access The Data ? You can access the data by using Portable LiveCD like portable XP, or Linux Live CD.Most commonly use of Linux Live CD is SLAX, Ubuntu and Knoppix but I prefer SLAX.
All you have to do is to make your computer to "boot from CD" when the computer start. To do this, go to BIOS and change the boot priority. Done.
Put in your newly burned SALX Linux cd, and restart your PC. Your PC should be able to detect the cd and boot from it. Successful booting will end you up on this page:
You should be able to see your hard drive content from here.No need for you to mount the partitionsince its already mount if you're using SLAX. If you decided to do backup for important files, get a pendrive and copy the data to it.
Done. Hope this guide will help you a bit when your OS crashed.
Not many of us know on how to rename the "Recycle Bin" in Windows Xp. Lucky for you, I've found a way to rename it after surfing and googling on the Net. All you have to so is to edit the registry value.
Here's how to do it:-
Go to Start >> Run
Type regedit.exe and hit enter and it will open the Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ ShellNoRoam\MUICache
You’ll find probably something like this: @C:\WINDOWS\system32\SHELL32.dll,-8964.
Change it’s value to what you want the Recycle Bin’s name to be. Like "Recycle Bin" to "BIN".
Note: Modifying the Registry may harm your system if you're changing the wrong settingss. Make sure you have a backup. Do it at your own risk.
By having this settings, your computer is somehow safe from the virus that infected your removable drive from entering your computer system.
First of all,you have to download Portable Antivirus.
Then open up Portable Antivirus configuration settings. Under "Scanning Options", checked "automatic detect removable drive when user plugged-in".
Done. So, everytime you plugg-in any removable drive you will get a message just like the picture below :-
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not see other anti-virus have the settings to automatic detect removable drive and scan. If you're using other antivirus,when you plugg-in any USB drive just simply right-click on the USB Drive and choose "Scan with..." option to scan.
It is a best practice to always scan your removable drive before open and explore the files inside.
MOst of you already know that usually the username of any program can be viewed clearly but the password is hidden the asterisks symbol.BUT, do you know that even the password is hidden, you still can view it since there is software that is able to do it.
It's called Snadboys' Revelation. Snadboys' Revelation is a free utility that can be used to reveal passwords which are behind the asterisks. All you have to do is run the software and drag the crosshair to the password field. The password will then be visible in the English form.
For example, I'm using it to reveal Yahoo Messenger password to test whether it work or not.
Install the program and run it.Drag the crosshair cursor to the asterisks part.Voila, the password will be revealed. (Status : Green light, Revelation active) In this example, the password is : hideme
Get rid of “The system has recovered from a serious error” message
Sometimes when there is some problem with your computer, Windows either forces you to restart or automatically reboots. Upon restart it displays the message “The system has recovered from a serious error“.
Now, typically this message should be displayed only once. But sometimes it so happens that once you get the message, then everytime you restart the message keeps popping up, even when you reboot manually. While it doesn’t take more than a click to do away with the message each time, it is a real annoyance. Windows will keep prompting you to send the error to Microsoft after every reboot.
But thankfully there is a way to get rid of the annoying message.
Right-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop and select Properties.
Select the Advanced tab and click Settings in the Performance area.
Performance Option > Advanced. In the Virtual Memory area click Change. Under Paging file size for select drive, click No paging file and click Set.
You will see two warnings. Just click Yes on both of them and then select the System managed size option. Close all the dialog boxes and reboot.
When enabled, this setting will cause Windows to display the current contents of a window while it is being dragged around the screen instead of just displaying the window outline.
Open your registry and find the key below.
Create a new string value named 'DragFullWindows', or modify the existing value, to equal '1' for enabled, or '0' for disabled.
Restart Windows for the change to take effect.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] Value Name: DragFullWindows Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value) Value Data: (0=disable, 1=enable)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
When Windows Media Player is used it will periodically check for newer versions via the Internet. This tweak allows you to turn off this checking and notification. Windows Media Player 7.0, 7.1 and Media Player for Windows XP (8.0) Open your registry and find or create the key [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer]. Create a new DWORD value called "DisableAutoUpdate" and set it to "1" to disable updates.
Windows Media Player 6.4 Open your registry and find or create the key [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer]. Create a new string value called "EnableAutoUpgrade" and set it to "No" to disable updates.
Restart Windows Media Player for the changes to take effect.
Note: This tweak affects Windows Media Player 6.4, 7.0, 7.1 and Media Player for Windows XP (8.0).
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer] Value Name: DisableAutoUpdate, EnableAutoUpgrade
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
This tweak allows you to customize the title bar text shown on Windows Media Player. Open your registry and find the key below.
Create a new string value called "TitleBar" and set it to the text you would like display in the title.
Restart Media Player for the change the take effect.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer] System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer] Value Name: TitleBar Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
This tweak allows you to clear the recent files, URL history and radio stations in Windows Media Player. Open your registry and find the key below.
To remove content that has been streamed from a particular Web site, clear the [...\RecentURLList] sub-key.
To remove the entire file list that you recently played, clear the [...\RecentFileList] sub-key.
To remove entries from the radio toolbar clear the [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Radio\MRUList] key.
Restart Windows Media Player for the change to take effect.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player]
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
By default Windows will run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days to remove unused desktop items and shortcuts. This setting will disable it from running automatically.
Open your registry and find or create the key below.
Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called "NoRun" and set it according to the value data below.
Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ Desktop\CleanupWiz] Value Name: NoRun Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value) Value Data: (0 = enabled, 1= disable wizard)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
Normally Windows caches a copy of the users password on the local system to allow for additional automation, this leads to a possible security threat on some systems. Disabling caching means the users passwords are not cached locally. This setting also removes the second Windows password screen and also remove the possibility of networks passwords to get out of sync.
Open your registry and find or create the key below.
Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called "DisablePwdCaching" and set it according to the value data below.
Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ Network] System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ Network] Value Name: DisablePwdCaching Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value) Value Data: (0 = disabled, 1=enabled)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
The Shutdown Event Tracker provides a simple and standard mechanism you can use to consistently document the reasons for shutting down or restarting your computer. The information provided is recorded in the system log in Event Viewer. Open your registry and find the key below.
Create a new DWORD value or modify the existing value named "ShutdownReasonUI" and set it to "1" to enable shutdown event tracking.
When enabled an additional drop-down option box will be displayed with various planned and unplanned shutdown reasons.
Restart Windows for the change to take effect.
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Reliability] Value Name: ShutdownReasonUI Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value) Value Data: (0 = default, 1 = enabled)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
This restriction will stop Windows Media Player from storing the names of the played media in the recent file list.
Open your registryand find or create the key below.
Create a new Binary value, or modify the existing value, called "AddToMRU" and set it according to the value data below.
Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
Note: This setting only effects Windows Media Player 8.0 or greater.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences] Value Name: AddToMRU Data Type: REG_BINARY (Binary Value) Value Data: 00 = disabled, 01 = enabled
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
This setting allows you to rename and delete special folders (such as the Recycle Bin) as if it was a normal folder by right-clicking the icon. Open your registry and find the key below, where GUID is the identifier for the special folder.
Description
Globally Unique Identifier (GUID)
Administrative Tools
{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}
Briefcase
{85BBD92O-42A0-1O69-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Control Panel
{21EC2O2O-3AEA-1O69-A2DD-08002b30309d}
Fonts
{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524152}
History
{FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
Inbox
{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Microsoft Network
{00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
My Computer
{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
My Documents
{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
My Network Places
{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Network Computers
{1f4de370-d627-11d1-ba4f-00a0c91eedba}
Network Connections
{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}
Printers and Faxes
{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Programs Folder
{7be9d83c-a729-4d97-b5a7-1b7313c39e0a}
Recycle Bin
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Scanners and Cameras
{E211B736-43FD-11D1-9EFB-0000F8757FCD}
Scheduled Tasks
{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
Start Menu Folder
{48e7caab-b918-4e58-a94d-505519c795dc}
Temporary Internet Files
{7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
Web Folders
{BDEADF00-C265-11d0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F}
To change the features shown on the context menu, edit the value of "Attributes" and set it to one of the values below, the default value is "40 01 00 20".
File Features
50 01 00 20 - Rename
60 01 00 20 - Delete
70 01 00 20 - Rename and Delete
Edit Features
41 01 00 20 - Copy
42 01 00 20 - Cut
43 01 00 20 - Copy and Cut
44 01 00 20 - Paste
45 01 00 20 - Copy and Pase
46 01 00 20 - Cut and Copy
47 01 00 20 - Cut, Copy and Paste
For example to add the ability to Rename and Delete the Recycle Bin open [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder] and change the value of "Attributes" to "70 01 00 20".
The changes should take effect immediately.
Note: On Windows XP this tweak changes the File menu not the context menu. Access the features by right-clicking "Explore" -> "File" -> Rename or Delete. Both the Rename and Delete tweaks must be checked together before either tweak will display in Explorer.
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{GUID}\ShellFolder] Value Name: Attributes Data Type: REG_BINARY (Binary Value) Value Data: (70 01 00 20=rename/delete, 40 01 00 20=default)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
Windows XP can run slowly when attempting to access a folder that contains a large number of AVI (Audio Video Interleave) media files. This tweak speeds the process up by stopping Windows from extracting file information from AVIs.
Open you registry and find the key below.
To disable file information extraction rename the key and place a minus sign infront of the current name (i.e. "-{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}").
Restart Windows for the change to take effect.
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}]
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
Unfortunately Windows only gives you the limited options of center or tile for the placement of the desktop wallpaper. With this setting you can move the image anyway on your desktop. Open your registry and find the key below.
Create two new string values of 'Wallpaperoriginx' and 'Wallpaperoriginy'. If the values already exist then you simply modify them.
Set the value of 'Wallpaperoriginx' to equal the horizontal offset, and set the value of 'Wallpaperoriginy' to equal the vertical offset. Then either restart Windows, or change your background image through the Control Panel.
Note: The image is offset from the center of your desktop, so you can use positive and negative values.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] Value Name: Wallpaperoriginx, Wallpaperoriginy Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value) Value Data: Distance in Pixels
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
When a file or folder is encrypted it is normally shown using a different color in Explorer. This setting defines which color to use. Open your registry and find or create the key below.
Create a new Binary value, or modify the existing value, called "AltEncryptionColor" and set it according to the value data below.
Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer] Value Name: AltEncryptionColor Data Type: REG_BINARY (Binary Value) Value Data: RR GG BB 00 (default = 00 80 40 00)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
This tweak allows you to change the name and icon shown in Explorer for a specific drive letter. Open your registry and find the key below. If the key does not already exist then create it.
Within the main key create a new sub-key with a single letter representing the drive letter of the drive to be modified. (e.g. [HKEY...\DriveIcons\D])
Within the drive letter key create another sub-key called "DefaultIcon" (e.g. [HKEY...\DriveIcons\D\DefaultIcon]) and set the "(Default)" value to equal the fully qualified name of the icon file. If the file contains more that one icon follow it with a comma and the zero-based index of the icon (e.g. "c:\icons\myicons.dll,4").
Create another sub-key within the drive letter key called "DefaultLabel" (e.g. [HKEY...\DriveIcons\D\DefaultLabel]) and set it's "(Default)" value to equal the label for the drive letter (e.g. "My ZIP Drive").
For example:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Software
Microsoft
Windows
CurrentVersion
Explorer
DriveIcons
D
DefaultIcon
(Default) = c:\icons\myicons.dll,4
DefaultLabel
(Default) = My ZIP Drive
You may need to restart Windows for the change to take effect, or press F5 to refresh My Computer.
Note: The "DefaultLabel" value only works with Windows 2000 and higher.
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ DriveIcons] Value Name: Default Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
Fast user switching allows you to quickly switch to another user account without having to close any programs. This setting controls whether fast user switching is available.
Open your registry and find or create the key below.
Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called "AllowMultipleTSSessions" and set it according to the value data below.
Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
Note: Windows XP users must use the standard Welcome Screen logon method.
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon] Value Name: AllowMultipleTSSessions Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value) Value Data: (0 = Disable Fast User Switching, 1= Enable)
Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
You'll need the four Fedora Core 2 CDs, a machine, an Internet connection and the IP addresses of the gateway and for the machine itself.
2. Install Fedora Core 3
The installation process follows the same steps as for Fedora Core 1 (and earlier versions of Red Hat) so it's not necessary to explicitly repeat each step again. If you haven't done a FC install However, since this is a Web server, the choices you make in several steps are different, and those differences are explained here.
2.1 Installation type
Select the “server” installation. Fine tuning of the packages will come later.
2.2 Configure partitions
A Web server has different partition requirements than a desktop or a file server. For a machine with 26 GB of hard disk space,spread out over two drives, here's one possible configuration.
Boot is always 100 MB, unless you're so pressed for disk space that you need to reduce it further. /var/www is where Web server files go, so you'll want a lot of room there. Swap is usually twice the amount of RAM.
hda (12 GB)
- boot 100 MB
- /var/www 11,000 MB
- swap 500 (assuming 256 MB of RAM)
Reserve a fair amount of space for /tmp and /var, which hold files like logs and working files. Putting each of these in its
own partition means that, for example, a log file that runs out of control won't crash the rest of the system. Reserve a fair
amount of space for /home. And increase that if you're going to have other people maintaining their own home directories on
your Web server. The rest goes to the root partition.
hdb (14 GB)
- / 5000
- /tmp 2000
- /home 3000
- /var 2000
2.3 Ethernet configuration
If you're not using DHCP, you're going to need to configure your network card manually. In the Network Configuration step,select the Edit button to the right of the Network Devices list box. You'll uncheck the “Configure using HDCP” check box, and then enter the IP Address and Netmask for your Web server computer.
Once back in the Network Configuration step, you'll select the “Set the hostname” option button to “manually”, and enter the hostname for your Web server computer.
Finally, you'll enter the IP address for your Web server's gateway (often this is an IP associated with the router that the server is connecting to the Internet through), and the IP addresses for the DNS servers your Web server will be using.
You can verify and modify these settings through the System Settings | Network dialog as shown in Figure 1. You'll need to enter the root password in order to gain access to the dialog.
Figure 1. The Network Configuration dialog allows you to access and modify your network settings.
Select the Edit button in the Network Configuration dialog to view or change the IP addresses for the computer, as shown
in Figure 2.
Figure 2. The General tab of the Ethernet Device dialog allows you to view and change the IP addresses
Associated with the computer.
Select the DNS tab of the Network Configuration dialog, as shown in Figure 3, to modify your hostname as well as your
DNS settings.
Figure 3. The DNS tab of the Network Configuration dialog allows you modify the hostname and DNS settings.
3.4 Firewall and Services
Use the Firewall Configuration dialog to set up the basic firewall for your server. First, select the “Enable firewall” choice at the top of the dialog. Second, select the 'WWW (HTTP)', 'SSH' and 'Mail (SMTP)' services. Finally, if you're going to use HTTPS, enter the text string 443:tcp into the "Other ports" text box in order to allow HTTPS through on port 443. See Figure 4.
Figure 4. The appropriate settings for setting up a firewall on your Web server.
Also note that you'll need the "openssh-server" package for ssh.
3.5 Package Group Selection
Having selected the 'server' installation type earlier causes the following package groups to be automatically selected. (The number of packages selected out of the total number of available packages is shown in parens behind each section.)
text based ineternet (3/7)
server config tools (9/12)
web server tools (20/25)
winfs (2/2)
admin tools (11/12)
printing support (1/10)
Now go into the Web server tools section and add the following packages:
mod_auth_mysql
mod_auth_pgsql
php-mysql
php-pgsql
Now, since this is your first Web server, you'll want some extra help. Select the following sections to be installed in
addition to the server defaults just discussed, and add or remove individual packages in each section as noted.
X Window System (33/38): No changes
Gnome (34/40): Add gqview
Kde (14/15): Add kadmin
Graphical internet (4/14): Add quanta
SQL database server (4/6): Add MySQL-server
System tools (7/22): No changes
3.6 Log file
Once you're done with the initial installation, the installation log file is found in /root/install.log.
4. Get rid of unneeded services
Open Open System Settings | Server Settings | Services, and make sure that just the following services are running (for both level 3 and 5.)
acpid
anacron
atd
autofs
cpuspeed
crond
gpm
httpd
iptables
irqbalance
kudzu
mdmonitor
mdmpd
messagebus
microcode_ctl
network
portmpa
random
rawdevices
readahead
readahead_early
rhnsd
rpcgssd
rpcidmapd
rpcsvcgssd
sgi_fam
smartd
sshd
syslog
xinetd
You may choose to turn off xinetd as well.
5. Test the Web server's default page
It's time to test your Web server to see if it's actually a Web server or just a computer with grand aspirations. If you have to do
your testing on the Web server machine itself, open up a browser and enter
http://localhost/
into the address bar.
If you've got access to a different computer - ideally on a separate line - and you've got a separate domain set up on the Internet,
and pointed to the gateway IP in step 3.3, enter
http://www.yourdomainname.com
into the address bar. In both cases, you should see the Apache page, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. The default Apache page on Fedora Core.
6. Test the Web server with your own page.
Create your own index.html file and put it in /var/www/html and run the test (localhost or yourdomain.com) again - you should
see your own page instead of the Apache test page.
7. Secure the box by shutting off unneeded services
Run the commands
netstat -an | more and lsof -P –i to see what ports are open and what services are accessing them. The only ports that should be open are 22, 80, and, if
