Ten ways to improve the speed of your computer system

1.Let your PC boot up completely before you start with any applications.
2.Do not set huge file size images as your wallpaper. Refrain from keeping a wall paper if your PC is low on RAM (less than 64 MB).

3.Do not clutter your Desktop with a lot of shortcuts. Shortcuts aparts from looking tacky can also take up RAM. Every shortcut on the desktop consumes upto 500 bytes of RAM
4.Empty the recycle bin frequently. The files are not really deleted from your hard drive until you delete the files from the the recycle bin.

5.Delete the temporary internet files on regular ocassion.

6.Refresh the desktop after you close or shut down application. This will take care of any unused files from the RAM.


7.Defragment your hard drive once every two months. This will ease up a lot of space on your hard drive and rearrange the files so the applications runs swiftly and efficiently.

8.Always make 2 partitions in your hard drive. Install all large Softwares (like Photoshop, huge games, 3DS Max etc) in the second partition. Windows tend to use up all the available empty space in C drive as virtual memory when your Computer RAM is full. So strive to keep the C Drive as empty as possible.

9.While installing new Softwares disable the option of having a tray icon. The tray icons consume available RAM, and also slow down the booting of your computer Also disable the option of starting the application automatically when the PC boots. One can disable these options by going to Tools or preferences menu in your application.

10. Protect your computer from dust. Dust causes the CPU cooling fan to clog and slow down which heats up the CPU and affects the processing speed. Make use of compressed air to blow out any dust from the CPU.

How Your Mobile Phone can Help you in emergencies

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

1. Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

999 for UK.
100 for India
911 for US. Actually 911 can be dialed on all phones

Also in Australia , the Australian emergency number 000 can be dialled whilst your mobile phone keyboard is locked. This is another reason why 000 receives so many false emergency calls!

2. Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their mobile phone from your cell phone.

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editors Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a mobile phone!"

3. Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your mobile battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your mobile will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your mobile next time.

4. How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone!:

star-hash-zero-six-hash

* # 0 6 #

A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

Not only the above, but also in Australia your stolen phone is added to a "Stolen Mobile Phone" database, so if your phone is found later on it can be returned to you

Windows XP-Tips and tricks

Here are some hidden features of Windows XP and how you can utilize them:

Hidden Command Line Switch
Instructions - Go to "Start", "Run" and Type defrag c: -b to defragment the Boot and Application Prefetch information.


Hidden Install Creator
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type iexpress


Hidden Internet Conference Application
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type conf



Create a Log File
Instructions - Launch Notepad, Type .LOG on the first line, and then press Enter to move to the next line. On the File menu, click Save As, type a descriptive name for your file in the File name box, and then click OK. When you next open the file, note that the date and time have been appended to the end of the log, immediately preceding the place where new text can be added. You can use this functionality to automatically add the current date and time to each log entry.


Image Trails
Instructions - Open an image and hold down Shift then drag the image around to create an image trail.

10x Zoom
Instructions - Open an image and select the magnifying glass icon. Left-Click exactly on the line below the 8x.

Hidden Font Editor
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type eudcedit


Hidden Windows Media Player
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type mplayer2

Test Your AntiVirus Software, Antivirus software test

Creating A Test Virus:

Have you ever doubted if your anti-virus software is actually working? Would you like to see what happens when it detects a virus? Let us take an antivirus software test that doesn't need you to have a real virus.

First, open Notepad. Then copy and paste into it the text on the line below. (It must all be on one line.)

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

Then select File, Save, select All Files for the file type, then save the file as eicar.com.

Your anti-virus software may stop you from saving the file as eicar.com, which is an indication that it is working effectively. If your antivirus software doesn't raise an alert, try scanning the folder where you saved eicar.com. To see what happens if you try to run a file containing a virus, double-click eicar.com to open it.

Explanation:

The file eicar.com you have created is completely safe. It is not a virus. It is a standard antivirus software test file developed by the European Institute for Computer Anti-virus Research (EICAR). All anti-virus products are programmed to detect this file as if it was a real virus. Therefore you can safely exercise it to test whether your anti-virus software works, without being afraid of whether it will actually harm your computer.

Conclusion:

If your anti-virus product should fail to stop you from running the file, it will just display the text "EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE" in a DOS box. No damage will have been done, but you should perhaps consider using a better anti-virus product or antivirus software, because if it had been an actual virus, your computer system would by now be infected!

DVD scratch repair- how to fix scratch DVD

DVD scratch repair is the first thing that crops up in our mind when we see our favorite movie on DVD skipping, stuttering or not moving ahead. When you remove the DVD, you see some marks or scratches on the surface of the DVD. Here are some steps to fixing a scratched DVD:

1. The most popular home remedy for DVD scratch repair is by cleaning the DVD scratch itself. Take a bit of fluoride toothpaste and revolve the paste all around the surface of the DVD. After this, all you do is take a soft clean piece of lint-free(the ones used for cleaning the eyeglass) cloth and clean it. Insert the DVD and you should be able to play it without any problems.
2. Like toothpaste, cleaners, polishes and alcohol can all be effective as DVD scratch removers to some extent. Always use solutions that you use on glass, for instance Windex or the Amway glass cleaner. Do not use stuff that can be used to clean the floors or bathroom flooring. These can in fact harm the DVDs.
3. Solutions that are specially made for DVD scratch removal or DVD scratch repair are quite effective. The DVD repair kit comes with a DVD cleaning solution and a cloth. You can apply it on the DVD from the cloth and start cleaning from the center of the disk to the edge in a straight line. Do not clean your DVD in a circular motion but from the middle to the outside. Make sure you rub the DVD gently.
4. You can also spray the DVD cleaning solution onto the DVD and then run the DVD in the DVD player to give an all-round cleaning to the DVD disc.