Tips and Tricks on Computing, Internet, Software.

Speed up the Internet

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:27:00 +0000

Windows 2k/XP

1. First, open the Windows Registry using Regedit, and (after backing up) navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\ServiceProvider
2. Note the following lines (all hex dwords):
Class = 008 ( biggrin.gif - indicates that TCP/IP is a name service provider, don't change
LocalPriority = 1f3 (499) - local names cache
HostsPriority = 1f4 (500) - the HOSTS file
DnsPriority = 7d0 (2000) - DNS
NetbtPriority = 7d1 (2001) - NetBT name-resolution, including WINS
3. What we're aiming to do is increase the priority of the last 4 settings, while keeping their order. The valid range is from -32768 to +32767 and lower numbers mean higher priority compared to other services. What we're aiming at is lower numbers without going to extremes, something like what's shown below should work well:
4. Change the "Priority" lines to:
LocalPriority = 005 (5) - local names cache
HostsPriority = 006 (6) - the HOSTS file
DnsPriority = 007 (7) - DNS
NetbtPriority = 008 ( biggrin.gif - NetBT name-resolution, including WINS
5. Reboot for changes to take effect

2. Windows 9x/ME

1. The tweak is essentialy the same as in Windows 2000/XP, just the location in the Registry is slightly different. For a more detailed description see the Windows 2000/XP section above
2. Open the Windows Registry using Regedit, and (after backing up) navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\MSTCP\ServiceProvider
3. You should see the following settings:
Class=hex:08,00,00,00

LocalPriority=hex:f3,01,00,00
HostsPriority=hex:f4,01,00,00
DnsPriority=hex:d0,07,00,00
NetbtPriority=hex:d1,07,00,00
4. The "priority" lines should be changed to:
LocalPriority=hex:05,00,00,00
HostsPriority=hex:06,00,00,00
DnsPriority=hex:07,00,00,00
NetbtPriority=hex:08,00,00,00
5. Reboot for changes to take effect

3. System.ini IRQ Tweak - Windows 9x/ME ONLY

1. Find your Network Card's IRQ

1. In order to add the entry to your System.ini file, you'd first have to find your NIC's IRQ
2. Right-click on My Computer icon on your Desktop, then left-click on Properties (a shortcut for that would be to press the 'Windows' + 'Pause' keys). Navigate to Device Manager and double-click on Computer. Under "View Resources" you will find a list of IRQs, each with description of the device that's using it. Note the IRQ number used by your Network Adapter

2. Adding the entry to System.ini

1. Once you've found the IRQ of your Network Card, you need to reserve some RAM for its use, by adding an entry to the System.ini file. You can edit the file in any text editor, however the easiest way is to use Windows' built in "System Configuration Editor"
2. Navigate to Start > Run and type sysedit . Find the [386enh] Section in the System.ini file and add Irq[n]=4096 under it, where [n] is the IRQ number of your NIC and 4096 is the amount of RAM you want to reserve in Kbytes. We recommend using 4096, however you can experiment with different values if you want. Save changes in the file, exit and reboot for changes to take effect.
Note: If you choose to try different values, keep in mind that reserving too much RAM for your NIC will decrease the amount of RAM available for applications, while reserving too little might not give the desired effect

3. Additional Thoughts
1. The only negative effect of the System.ini IRQ tweak is that it will reduce the amount of RAM available for running applications a bit, by reserving some specifically for your Network Card's use. The gain in performance usually outweighs the negative effect by far, considering any Computer with 32Mb of RAM or more
2. This tweak may or may not work for you. It is not a documented tweak by Windows
3. Keep in mind that if you add hardware to your system the IRQ of the Network Adapter might change, in which case you will need to modify the setting in System.ini
4. In systems with multiple NICs, you might want to add the setting for both IRQs. Also, you could reserve RAM for other IRQs if you wish, just use common sense and don't forget it reduces the amount of RAM available for running applications
5. If you are using an USB device, it does not have a specific IRQ, however you can try adding the entry using the IRQ of the USB Controller
6. For internal Cable Modems, you'd have to add the entry using the IRQ of your modem, rather than the IRQ of a Network Card

RESULTS WILL VARY
No matter how good your systems may be, they're only as effective as what you put into them.

Convert to Basic and Dynamic Disks in WinXP.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:24:00 +0000

Windows XP Professional supports two types of disk storage: basic and dynamic. Basic disk storage uses partition-oriented disks. A basic disk contains basic volumes (primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives).

Dynamic disk storage uses volume-oriented disks, and includes features that basic disks do not, such as the ability to create volumes that span multiple disks (spanned and striped volumes).

General Notes
Before you change a basic disk to a dynamic disk, note these items:

You must have at least 1 megabyte (MB) of free space on any master boot record (MBR) disk that you want to convert. This space is automatically reserved when the partition or volume is created in Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional. However, it may not be available on partitions or volumes that are created in other operating systems.

When you convert to a dynamic disk, the existing partitions or logical drives on the basic disk are converted to simple volumes on the dynamic disk.

After you convert to a dynamic disk, the dynamic volumes cannot be changed back to partitions. You must first delete all dynamic volumes on the disk, and then convert the dynamic disk back to a basic disk. If you want to keep your data, you must first back up or move the data to another volume.

After you convert to a dynamic disk, local access to the dynamic disk is limited to Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000.

If your disk contains multiple installations of Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000, do not convert to a dynamic disk. The conversion operation removes partition entries for all partitions on the disk with the exception of the system and boot volumes for the current operating system.

Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

Before you change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk, note that all existing volumes must be deleted from the disk before you can convert it back to a basic disk. If you want to keep your data, back up the data, or move your data to another volume.

How to Convert a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk

To convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk:

1) Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.

2) Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

3) Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

4) In the left pane, click Disk Management.

5) In the lower-right pane, right-click the basic disk that you want to convert, and then click Convert to Dynamic Disk.

NOTE:You must right-click the gray area that contains the disk title on the left side of the Details pane. For example, right-click Disk 0.

6) Select the check box that is next to the disk that you want to convert (if it is not already selected), and then clickOK.

7) Click Details if you want to view the list of volumes in the disk.

8) Click Convert.

9) Click Yes when you are prompted to convert, and then click OK.

How to Convert a Dynamic Disk to a Basic Disk

To change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk:

1) Back up all the data on all the volumes on the disk you want to convert to a basic disk.

2) Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.

3) Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

4) Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

5) In the left pane, click Disk Management.

6) Right-click a volume on the dynamic disk that you want to change to a basic disk, and then click Delete Volume.

7) Click Yes when you are prompted to delete the volume.

8) Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each volume on the dynamic disk.

9) After you have deleted all the volumes on the dynamic disk, right-click the dynamic disk that you want to change to a basic disk, and then click Convert to Basic Disk.

NOTE:You must right-click the gray area that contains the disk title on the left side of the Details pane. For example, right-click Disk 1.

DVD Regions Information

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:21:00 +0000

The DVD region code identifies a DVD's compatibility with the players typically sold in a particular region.

Region 0 (or "region free") is compatible with DVD players from any region.

The majority of all current titles play only in one specific region unless otherwise noted. DVDs sold by Amazon.co.uk are encoded for Region 2 or Region 0. Region 2 DVDs may not work on DVD players in other countries.

Region 1 DVDs sold by Marketplace sellers

Region 1 discs are intended for use with standard DVD players in North America (Canada and the USA). In most instances they can also be played on compatible "multi-region" DVD players (also known as "chipped" or "region-free" players).

They also require an NTSC-compatible television. NTSC is the standard picture format in North America, and differs from the PAL format adopted in Britain and Europe. Region 1 DVDs are usually presented in NTSC format, so you should ensure that your TV is capable of reading the NTSC signal before purchasing Region 1 DVDs.

Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE)

Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE) has been added by some film studios (specifically Warner and Columbia) to selected Region 1 DVDs, with the intention of preventing these discs from playing on some multi-region DVD players. We are therefore unable to guarantee that all Region 1 discs will be compatible with all multi-region players.

Global DVD region countries

This is not a definitive list and is intended only as a guide.

Region 1 - US, US Territories and Canada

American Samoa, Canada, Guam, Palau, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Puerto Rico, Micronesia, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands

Region 2 - UK, Europe, Japan, South Africa and Middle East

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Yemen, Yugoslavia

Region 3 - Southeast and East Asia

Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Phillipines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Region 4 - Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America

Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, New Guinea, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, Tobago, Uruguay

Region 5 - Former Soviet Union, Indian sub-continent, Africa, North Korea and Mongolia

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, St. Helena, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Region 6 - China

Region 7 - Reserved for future use

Region 8 - International Territories (ships, planes, etc)

Changing the CMOS Battery

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:20:00 +0000

First the safety rules

The inside of a computer is a bad place full of electricity and sharp edges.
On the electricity side always when working on you computer make sure that it’s still plugged in to the power socket and the power is turned off, this is to ensure that any static
From you is discharged through the earth. The inside of most computer cases are unfinished metal and has very sharp edges so be careful.

The first signs of a battery failing are:-

1) your clock starts running slowly
2) when you boot (start) your computer it has a problem finding your hardware (no hard drive, no cd rom)

To change the battery you need the following tools

1) a X-point screwdriver
2) an anti-static strap(optional)
3) a new battery (seems logical)

Then unplug all the cables from the back of the computer as you remove them make a note where they came from. (So when you finished you can put them back)

Move the computer somewhere where you can work on it with ease

Remove the cover by locating the screws around the outer edge (back) of the computer
Some computer cases only require you to remove 2 screws on one side then a panel can be removed allowing you access to the computers insides, others you must remove 6 screws and remove the whole case by sliding it to the rear and lifting it off.

Now make sure that you read the safety instructions about static.
Look inside you will see a round silver thing that looks about the size of a 10p piece (quarter). This is the battery itself, carefully lift the retaining clip and slide the battery out. That’s it removed now go to your local computer retailer, electrical retailer (Tandy/Radio shack) taking the old battery with you and get a new battery.

Back to your computer insert the new battery by lifting the clip and sliding the battery in.

Reinstall your case and plug all the cables back (you did remember to label them didn’t you)

Now for the fun part.

You will now need to go into you bios….

Right the bios is the god of your computer.

To access it, when your computer first starts you will see a black screen with white text.

If you look carefully you will see a line that says something like "press del for setup" or some other key (F2 or ESC or tab) this will take you to god's house where you can make lots of changes to the way your machine works.

It is also the place where you can make your nice computer in to a rather expensive door stop so be careful and don’t go playing with anything.

You will now be presented with a blue screen with a lot of options on it,
The one we want is load optimised/default settings.

Press the F10 key and type y the computer should now reboot.

If every thing went well then your computer will now be up and running.

Another method: Keep computer running. Lay it on it's side and remove side cover to expose MoBo. Take any thin object, "small screwdriver, knife point, wood shiskabob skewer. Pull back the battery retaining clip. Toss the old battery in the junk recepticle, unless you belong to greenpeace and want to save the earth. Install the new battery. No need to reset bios becasue the compter supplies voltage to the cmos while it is running. Reset or resync clock with internet. Done!

Recover Data from a quick-erased CD-RW.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:17:00 +0000

Procedure used to recover data from a quick-erased CD-RW disc

1. Make a file of exactly the size of the cdrw disc's capacity (650MB in my case).
(this step may not be needed)

2. With Nero I created a new project and added the file to it so that I have the disc filled. I gues you can also fill up the disc with other files.
The reason why I fill the disc is because I want Nero to make a session that uses the entire disc. Like I wrote earlier in this thread I experienced that my CD-Drive refuses to read off the disc beyond the session's boundaries. When you quick-erase a disc there is no session anymore so the drive will not read at all. Burning a new session will overwrite the data and burning only a small session will NOT make the drive read the other data that is still on the disc.
The reason why I used the one big file is so that I could later on recognize which part of the disc was overwritten by this file because this file contained all zeros (0x00).

3. I pressed burn and selected disc-at-once. Then while Nero was burning the leadin I pressed cancel. My CD-Drive finished writing the lead-in and Nero reported an error.
This is what was accomplished however: Now the disc contains a session that says that the used disc size is the complete disc. Nero did not get to writing file because I cancelled it. Good thing because I don't want Nero to write any files because my old data will get overwritten!
I gues it works the same with different writing software. Another method that I used during a test was simply press the reset button of the computer when the burning software was done with writing the lead-in and started with the files.

4. I had to restart the computer after cancelling burning.
With the cdrw disc inserted I saw in "my computer" that windows recognized that the disc was 650MB, clicking on it gave an error. Good so far!

Now with IsoBuster you can extract the sectors from a disc to a file. This is what I did.
I gues that if you have data-recovery software at this point it will be usefull because now (if all went well;)) the CD-Drive WILL read data from the entire disc. Anyway, I used ISO-Buster because the files that I needed to recover where a bit odd for nowadays (.XM, .S3M, .MP3):
In IsoBuster I had to do several steps:

Step 1: Find out from and to which sector the drive will read
By choosing "Sector View" you can look at any given sector.
Here I found out what the first and the last sectors where that are readable. (Hint I used the method for the old game: "Gues a number below 100, I'll tell if it is higher or lower than what you gues")
Step 2: Extract the actual sectors
By choosing "Extract From-To" you can extract any given range of sectors to a file. My disc was a data-disc so I choose the first extraction type "User data, 2048 bytes/block...".

In the end I got a .tao file which was about 650MB. I ran several programs on it to look for files inside a file by searching for file-header-paterns:
1. Multi Ripper 2.80 (for DOS, for the .XM files. It does many other file formats as well (jpg,png, bmp,wav,etc,etc +100). Try google with this query: Multi Ripper 2.80. I still had the file from good old days but I saw several good search results)

2. Winamp for mp3.
Winamp will scan any file when you give it the extension .mp3 and play it as one big song (so I renamed the .tao file to .mp3). I used the discwriter to get a .wav and the Adobe Audition to manually cut and save my songs. I looked at the MP3 file format and it is hard to find an mp3 file in a big file because it has no clear header just a bunch of mpeg-frames in most cases for me . A lot of my files had no ID3v2 or ID3v1 tags... But after a couple of hours I recovered everything.

Finally a list of used stuff:

Software:
- IsoBuster v1.5
- Nero 6.3.0.3
- Multi Ripper 2.80
- WinAmp v5.02
- Windows XP Pro NL (patched up)

Hardware:
- NEC DVDRW ND1300A 1.06

Disc:
- some old 4 speed cdrw

Hack the WinXP Start Button

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:14:00 +0000

I've gotten so many requests on how to change the Windows XP Start button, I'm going to teach you how to hack it to pieces manually.
Before you get started, you might want to print out this page for easy reference.

Change the Start text

1. First of all, make sure you download Resource Hacker. You'll need this puppy to edit resources inside your Windows shell.

2. Locate explorer.exe in your c:\Windows directory. Make a copy of the file in the same directory and rename it explorer.bak.

3. Now launch Resource Hacker. In the File menu, open explorer.exe. You'll now see a bunch of collapsed folders.

4. Expand the String Table folder and then find folder No. 37 (folder No. 38 if you're in Windows Classic mode).

5. Click on resource 1033 and locate the text that says "Start." This is your Start button, and now you've got control over what it says! Change the "Start" text to your text of choice. You don't have a character limit, but the text takes up valuable taskbar space, so don't make it too long.

6. Click on the button labeled Compile Script. This updates the settings for your Start button. But nothing will happen until you complete through step #20, so keep going!

Change your hover text

7. While you're here, why not also change the text that pops up when your mouse hovers over your Start button?

8. Right now it says "Click here to begin." Well, duh! We already know that's where to begin!

9. Open folder No. 34 and click on resource 1033.

10. Find the text that says "Click here to begin" and change it to something cooler. Might I suggest "Click here for a good time, baby."

11. Click on the Compile Script button to update this resource.

Customize your Start icon

12. For an added bonus, you can also change the Windows icon to the left of the text, too.

13. Collapse the String Table folder and expand the Bitmap folder at the top of your folder list.

14. Click on folder No. 143 and click on resource 1033. You should see that familiar Windows icon.

15. Go to the Action Menu and select "Replace bitmap." Select "Open file with new bitmap", and locate the replacement image on your machine. Note: The image must have a .bmp extension and a size of 25 pixels by 20 pixels. Then click the Replace button.

16. Now that you've made your changes, save the file in your Windows folder with another name, such as newstartbutton.exe. Don't name it Explorer.exe, because that file is already being used by your system. Close all open programs and restart your system.

17. Boot into Safe Mode With Command Prompt by pressing F8 on startup. Then choose Safe Mode in the command prompt.

18. Log on as administrator and enter your password.

19. When the command prompt comes up, make sure you're in the right directory by typing "cd c:\windows" (without the quotes).

20. Now type "copy c:\windows\newstartbutton.exe c:\windows\explorer.exe" (no quotes). Type "yes" (no quotes) to overwrite the existing file, then restart your system by typing "shutdown -r" (no quotes).

When Windows relaunches, you'll see your new Start button in all its glory!

Difference between DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD-RW explained

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:13:00 +0000

There's DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and even DVD-ROM! So what's the difference between all of these different names, aren't all DVDs the same? Well, it's not quite that simple.

Let's first start with the most obvious difference: some have R and some have RW. The "R" stands for readable, while the "W" stands for writeable.

The main difference between DVD-R and DVD-RW, or DVD+R and DVD+RW is that the R disc formats can only be written to once, and then it is only readable and can’t be erased for the rest of its digital life. While RW discs are can be written to and erased many times, they are both readable and writeable.

"R" discs are perfect if they are only needed to be written to once, such as giving some files to a friend or transferring them between PCs. "RW" discs have their strength in the ability to be used many times over, which is great for routine system backups, etc. And naturally, the RW discs are slightly more expensive than the R discs, but you'll have to decide if the trade offs are worth the money.

Now, onto the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R. As I just described above, DVD-R & DVD-RW are sister discs, the difference being one is writeable once, while the other is writeable multiple times. The same thing is true for DVD+R & DVD+RW. So the question is, what's the difference between the plus and minus?

In order to explain this we must take a trip back in time. When DVDs were first being developed, there was no industry standard. Multiple companies were competing to develop what they hoped would be the dominant form of the future.

The DVD-R DVD+R difference can easily be summarized by the following:

* The DVD-R/RW standard was developed by Pioneer, and is used primarily by Apple and Pioneer. These "minus" discs can only be written to in one layer on the discs surface. In addition, this format is supported by the DVD forum, but is in no way an industry standard. DVD-R/RW discs are cheaper than the "plus" format.
* The DVD+R/RW format is supported by Philips, Dell, Sony, HP, and Mcft. These discs can be written to in multiple layers, giving them slightly better and more disc storage than the "minus" format. Because of this additional capacity, they are slightly more expensive than "minus" discs.

A couple final things to clear up is the difference between DVD-ROM and DVD+RW, or the other DVD formats I mentioned above. The DVD-ROM drive can only read DVDs, while the other DVD drives can read and write data to DVDs.

And naturally the DVD+RW CD+RW difference can be explained by the "DVD" or "CD" prefix. DVDs, on average, can store up to 4.7 GB of data, while a CD can only store about 700 MB of data, or about 15% of a DVD's capacity. While CDs are slightly cheaper, in my opinion, the benefits of DVDs are much greater.

So now that you've learned about the difference between DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and even DVD-ROM, which one is right for you? The easiest way to determine which is more beneficial is to watch the industry trends. A few years ago all pre-built computers were shipping with DVD-ROM drives. Today, most PCs have a burnable DVD drive.

I feel that the benefits of having a burnable DVD drive far outweigh any additional costs. They store much more data, and they are ideal for storing your home movies to watch on your DVD player.

My advice is to look at DVD burners that support all of the major formats I've mentioned above, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW. While a DVD drive that supports all of these formats may be slightly more expensive, it will allow you to use any type of DVD disc to burn to, and you'll be protected from any industry shifts to one format or the other.

How to get any Windows Password.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:10:00 +0000

This works on windows 2000 or windows xp or windows xp SP1 or SP2 or windows server 2003....

this works even if syskey encryption is employed...

if it is FAT filesystem...

just copy the sam file like stated in the first post to an empty floppy disk and take it home. I'll tell u what to do with it later... DON'T DELETE THE ORIGINAL SAM FILE. just remove its attributes. the sam file is a file called SAM with no extension. YOU MUST ALSO GET.... a file called SYSTEM which is in the same folder as SAM. both files have no extensions...

if it is NTFS....

u have to download a program called NTFSPro.... it allows u to read from ntfs drives... the demo version allows read only. the full version is read-write.... you use the program to create an unbootable disk (so u will still need another bootable disk and an empty disk) that has the required files to access NTFS.

use the boot disk to get into dos, then use the disks created with ntfspro to be able to access the filesystem, then copy the SAM and SYSTEM files to another empty disk to take home....

AT HOME: u have to get a program called SAMInside. it doesn't matter if it is demo version. SAMInside will open the SAM file and extract all the user account information and their passwords, including administrator. SAMInside will ask for the SYSTEM file too if the computer you took the SAM file from has syskey enabled. syskey encrypts the SAM file. SAMInside uses SYSTEM file to decrypt the SAM file. After SAMInside finishes, u still see user accounts and hashes beside them. the hashes are the encoded passwords. Use SAMInside to export the accounts and their hashes as a pwdump file into another program, called LophtCrack. it is currently in version 5, it is named LC5. the previous version, LC4 is just as good. u need the full or cracked version of the program. LC5 uses a brute force method by trying all possible combinations of letters numbers, and unprintable characters to find the correct password from the hashes in the pwdump file imported into it from SAMInside. This process of trying all passwords might take 5 minutes if the password is easy, up to a year if the password is long and hard (really really hard). LC5 howver, unlike LC4, is almost 100 times faster. both can be configured to try dictionary and common words before using all possible combinations of everything. Once the correct password is found, it will display the passwords in clear beside each account, including administrator.

Programs needed: SAMInside (doesn't matter which version or if demo)
LC4 or LC5 (lophtcrack)( must be full version)
NTFSPro (doesn't matter if demo)
any bootdisk maker

How to set up Direct Connect.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:04:00 +0000

Things you will need before we start:

CODE
DC++ http://dcplusplus.sourceforge.net/

Your Brain (some of you might have to dig it out and dust it off)

Note: This tutorial was written while using DC++ v0.241. Some things might change as versions progress

1. Installation

Ok, first, install the program. It should be awfully simple. There are 2 different types of installs: The Installer, and the Zip file. If you get the installer, simply run it and install DC++. If you get a zip, you'll have to create a program directory, and extract all the files in there. Then, for ease, place a shortcut to DCPlusPlus.exe on your Desktop or Start menu or wherever.

Then, double click DCPlusPlus.exe to start it up.

2. The First Thing You See
You'll be greeted with a window with all sorts of icons and windows and crap. Here is where I make sense of all this nonsense.

1. Public Hubs: This brings up the Public Hubs list, listing all the hubs that have registered (not all hubs have to register, there are likely to be hundreds not on the list. These are private hubs. DC++ used to host its own Hub lists, but due to bandwidth, it stopped. In order to receive the hub lists again, I suggest you go to
CODE
http://www.imperialnet.org
and sign up for their Public Hub list. I will tell you what to do with this later.

A Note about Hubs: Think of Hubs as P2P chat rooms. Connecting to a hub allows you to chat and download files from other users connected to that hub. It is completely decentralized, with downloads dependant upon the users, and not the hub. So if for any reason, a hub closes, your download will not be affected. Certain features, however, are dependant upon the hub, like searching and chatting.

2. Reconnect: This reconnects you to the hub you are currently connected to. If you are connected to multiple hubs, it will only reconnect to the one that is up front. Note that when you get disconnected from a hub, the program will automatically attempt to reconnect every 10 minutes or so. This button is so that you can force a reconnect, to reconnect earlier, or sometimes re-enter the hub for whatever reason.

3. Follow Last Redirect: Hub Operators have the ability to redirect any and all users. What the redirect function does, is it disconnects you from your current hub, and connects you to a different one. Redirects are often used when a hub you try to connect to is full, so the owner/op sends you to his friends hub. Redirects are also used to send you away if you do not share enough, or do not have enough open slots. I will talk more on Redirects, Shares, and Slots later.

4. Favorite Hubs: Think of this as your Favorites list in your Internet Browser. This brings up a window which stores all your Favorite Hubs. If you happen across a hub you really like and want to add it to your Favorites, the easiest way is to simply type /fav .

5. Download Queue: This displays your Download list. Files that you choose to download are displayed in this list. Along with information such as the User you are downloading from, the filesize, download status, download priority, and so-on.

6. Finished Downloads: This opens a window which displays all of your completed downloads. Note that the list is erased (but not your files) each time you close DC++.

7. Finished Uploads: Same as Finished Downloads, except, for Uploads. (The door swings both ways)

8. Search: This is what most of you will be using while connected to a Hub. Clicking this icon will bring up a search dialog, allowing you to select all kinds of variables to fine-tune your search. Keep in mind that sometimes, on slower hubs, searches might take some time. Don't be impatient, or you might not find what you are looking for.

Note on Searching: Many users make the mistake of entering a hub and asking in the chat if a anyone has a file. This is wrong. People will often times not respond, and if they do, they will suggest you use the search function.

9. ADL Search: Stands for Automatic Directory Listing. Using this function automatically lists files that you are looking for when you download a users filelist. This feature is very unreliable, and I do not recommend using it. It is not as effective as a regular search.

10. Settings: The takes you straight to the Settings window.

11. Notepad: DC++ has its own built in notepad where you can add snippets of information... a web address.. anything. Think of it as a little memo pad. Information is automatically saved once the notepad is closed.

12. Download Queue File Tree: This is the file tree for the download queue. Each time you open it, you must click your way to the directory you wish to save files to. It eventually leads to the default Download folder, and in my opinion, is nothing but a pain in the rear. You can toggle the use of the File tree by clicking the Check Mark below the field.

13. Download Queue Main: This is the main field where added downloads will appear.

14. Active Transfers: This area displays all of the running Downloads and Uploads. This is where you look to see what percentage a transfer is at, what speed it is downloading at, and any status it might be in.

15. Tabs: This area displays quick tabs of all open windows. Simply click a tab, and the window is brought to the front.

16. Status Bar: This displays various statistical information about your current DC++ session. It shows how many Slots are open/total. Your total bytes Downloaded and Uploaded. As well as the current Download/Upload speed, with the amount of Downloads and Uploads in Parenthesis. ( )

3. Configuring the Options

With a mild understanding of the icon bar, let's venture into the program options. Here I will further explain some of the finer things of Direct Connect.

General Tab

Personal Information

Nick (Required) : This is where you would type in your nickname. Think of this as your screenname. Pretty self-explanatory.
Email: Obviously, you could type your email in this field. You are not required to fill in this field, and many users do not. Chances are, if it's even filled in, it is not valid.
Description: Type in a description of the files you offer. If you plan upon sharing a bunch of games, type in Games, or something else easy to understand. Limit of 35 Characters.
Connection: Select the Speed of your Internet Connection. Do NOT Lie.

Connection Settings

Select the proper connection settings depending upon your connection. Here is some help:

Active: The usual connection mode, you can specify your IP if detection fails and a port of your choice if you need to. This mode will use a random port between 1025 and 32000 chosen anew on restart if you do not specify one.

Passive: Compatibility connection mode for users behind Firewalls they can't change to let DC++ connections through.
Only use this if Active is not working.

Note on Passive: A Passive user CANNOT connect or download to another Passive user.

Note on Routers: If you use a router, getting active mode to work can be a pain, but it is possible. First, discover your true IP by visiting /http://www.whatismyip.com. Take your IP address and paste it into the Active Mode IP Field. Then, set it to port 412 or 1412. Open your Router configuration and set the Router to forward TCP and UDP port 412 or 1412
(Thanks to Mannerheim, A.K.A. Pac-Girl, for the info)

Downloads Tab

Directories

Default Download Directory: This is where downloads will be placed by default.
Unfinished Downloads Directory: This is where files that have not yet completed will be temporarily stored. Once the file is complete, it will be moved to the Default Download Directory. This field is optional. If you leave it blank, all files are stored in the Default Download Directory.

Limits

Maximum Simultaneous Downloads: How many files you can be downloading at once. Set to 0 for No Limit.
Maximum Download Speed to Start New Downloads: Unfortunately, I don't understand what this setting affects. I simply leave it disabled. Sorry

Public Hubs List

Public Hubs List URL: Like I mentioned earlier. the list of public hubs the program retrieves is downloaded from a site. Here is where you specify the address. DC++ used to host the list, but has since stopped. I suggest you go to ttp://www.imperialnet.org and sign up for a personal public hub list. The link will be sent to you via email. You place the link in this field.
HTTP Proxy: If you wish to use a proxy when downloading the hub list.

Sharing Tab

Shared Directories

Here is where you specify what directories you want to share. 98% of Hubs on the Direct Connect network require you to share a certain amount of data. If you do not have at least 5gb or more or data to share, There is a good chance you will not get access to any hubs. Most good hubs require 10gb or more. Also, most hubs will kick you if you share certain files. These files include VOB files, WAV files, DLLs, and DATs. There are many other types of files hubs do not want you sharing. You might want to consult the hub rules when you enter, to make sure you are not sharing any of those files. Note that cannot share individual files, but only the folders that they are in.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT share your Windows Directory, your Program Files directory, or any other installed application/games directories. These directories house files that are useless to other users on the hub, and may get you promptly kicked and banned on the hub.

Automatically Open an Extra Slot if Speed is Below __kB/s: By default, this is disabled. If for any reason, your total upload speed drops below the specified kB/s, the program will automatically open another slot.
Upload Slots: This field is very important. This sets how many files may be downloaded from you at once. If you have 3 slots open, and a user starts downloading from you, you will only have 2 slots open. Many hubs require you have a total of 3 slots open, plus 1 slot per additional hub you are connected to. So, if you are connected to 3 hubs, and each one requires 3 slots, plus 1 per hub. You would end up requiring a total of 5 slots to be open. 3 for the first hub, and then plus 2 for the 2 other hubs. You need only have slots available. In the event all the slots fill up with downloaders, you are not required to open more. Some hubs have limits as to how many slots you can have open, so don't crank it up really high.

Appearance Tab

Colors

Select Window Color: Simple. Click the button to select the window color, for your background text. Preview is displayed in the window.
Select Text Style: Click this button to choose the Text Font, Color, Size, and Style that will be used when displaying text.

Options

Full Row Select in Lists: When viewing File Lists, this will highlight the entire row, instead of just the filename. Simply a personal preference, and does not affect performance in any way.
Filter Kick and NMDC Debug Messages: This option chooses whether or not to display the Kick messages and other minor messages displayed by the Neo-Modus Direct Connect Client. I prefer to have this option off.
Minimize to Tray: DC++ will minimize to the system tray as an icon, instead of the Task Bar
Show Timestamps in Chat by Default: This will make all chat entries appear with the time they were posted in front of them.
Confirm Application Exit: Asks if you really want to close DC++ when you Exit.
View Status Messages in Main Chat: Whether or not to view Status messages in the chat, or in PM (Sometimes not at all)
Show Joins / Parts in Chat by Default: This displays when users join and leave the hub you are connected to. On large hubs, this can get annoying.
Use System Icons when Browsing files: When you browse a users files, this will use you own system icons to display certain files. This slows down the process a little, but you hardly notice it. If you turn this off, DC++ uses its own custom icons for files.
Set Finished Manager(s) Tab to Bold when an Entry is added: If you have the Finished Downloads/Uploads Windows open, this will make the tab display bold text when such a transfer is completed.

Default Away Message

By Default, the DC++ client sets you to Away Mode when you minimize, and Back when you restore the window. This is the default message displayed.

Language File

DC++ can be configured with an XML file to display text in your preferred Language. Visit the DC++ website to download Language files, and set the path in this field.

Logs and Sounds Tab

Logging

Set the Directory in which logs will be saved to, and Check the aspects you wish you keep logs of. Do not type anything in the fields, simply check the option.

Sounds

Make an annoying sound every time a private message is received: Makes a sound every time someone sends you a private message
Make an annoying sound when a private message window is opened: Makes a sound every time a private message window is opened... duh

The annoying sound they are referring to is simply the Default System Beep. To change the sound, change your Default Beep in Windows.

Advanced Tab

Advanced Settings

Rollback: This is the amount of bytes that are rolled back and redownloaded when you resume a download. Useful for preventing File Inconsistencies in the event of a system crash or stupid firewall,but doesn't always work. Default is 4096.
Write Buffer Size: Anti-fragmentation feature, DC++ saves every X bytes to keep fragmentation low.
Client Version: What version number to report to hubs and users. I highly recommend you leave this blank.
Max Tab Rows: How many rows of window tabs to display before refusing to add more.
Auto Away on Minimize: Here is where you change whether or not DC++ should automatically set you to away when you minimize the window. If you do not turn this on, you will have to type /away and /back in the main chat to activate the away feature.
Automatically Follow Redirects: If an op or hub redirects you to another hub, having this checked will automatically redirect you. If not, you will be disconnected from the hub, and forced to press the "Follow Last Redirect" button to be redirected.
Clear Search Box after each search: This will clear the search box after you search for something.
Open the Public hubs window at startup: This will make the Public Hubs window appear automatically when DC++ is started.
Open the Download Queue Window at startup: Opens the Download Queue Window at Startup.
Automatically Search for Alternative Download Locations: When a download is added, it will automatically search for other results, depending upon filename and filesize. if it matches, it will automatically add the user as an alternative source. Using this feature sometimes causes problems, but often does more good than bad.
Popup Private Messages: Brings new PMs to the front, as opposed to leaving them in the background.
Ignore messages from users that are not online: Prevents you from receiving messages from offline users, like bots for instance. Turning this on is highly discouraged, as bots often send you important information.
Popup Messages from users that are not online: If you choose not to ignore the offline users, you can choose to simply have their message displayed in the main chat, instead of in a PM.
Remove Dupes completely from your share: In the event you share 2 of the exact same file, one of the files will be completely removed from your share (but not your hard drive). Regardless, DC++ will not count duplicate files towards your share.
Install URL Handler on Startup: With this checked, clicking on dchub:// links will open the hub in DC++
Use Small Send Buffer: In case Uploads slow your downloads a lot Mainly for dialup users, but some broadbanders might find it useful.
Don't Delete File Lists When Exiting: When you download someone's file list, it is temporarily stored in the DC++ folder until you exit the application. By default, the program deletes these files when you exit. Check this to keep those filelists. Keeping a file list might prevent you from seeing new files from that user. Keeping the lists is discouraged.
Automatically Disconnect users who leave the hub: When a user downloads a file from you and then leaves the hub he found you at, it is generally considered a bad thing, as it prevents you and anyone else in the hub from downloading off him (think Leecher). This feature disconnects users that are no longer in the hub once they download. This option is highly encouraged.
Show Progress Bars for Transfers: This displays a colored bar showing the progress of a transfer. Uses some CPU power, but most of you won't notice it.
Enable Automatic SFV checking: This option is very cool, although rarely used. If this option is enabled. DC++ will automatically check a downloaded file's CRC with the supplied SFV. If the file fails the check, the file is redownloaded. If it fails a second time, the current user is removed as a source and the program searches for alternatives. SFVs are only checked if they are in the same folder as the files you are downloading.
Automatically Refresh Share List Every Hour: When you start DC++, it creates a file list of all the files you are sharing. Sometimes, you can add or remove files from shared directories without the list being updated, and then your share amount isn't updated, nor are the files reported in your file list. This re-builds the file list every hour to ensure that it is current. To manually update your file list, type /refresh in the main chat.
Use antifragmentation method for downloads: Prevents files from being fragmented, avoiding file errors. This usually isn't a problem.

Go ahead and Click OK, and restart DC++.

4. Hub Lists, Connecting, and Favorites

With your DC++ properly configured, we are ready to rock. First, I hope you signed up and configured the url for the hub list, if not, scroll up and learn how. Go ahead and click the Public Hubs Icon and it will bring up the Public Hubs window. Give it a minute (depending upon your connection) and it will populate a huge list of hubs. These are all the Public hubs that the list you downloaded have responded to. You can use the Filter option to filter out key words in a hub's title or description. Let's connect to the Official AWB hub. To the lower right, you will find a Manual Connect Address field. In that field, type awb.no-ip.org:8888 and press connect. If you did not connect, it could be for a number of reasons:

1. The hub is down. Wait a few minutes and try again.
2. Your firewall is restricting access. Make sure you allow the DC++ program to bypass your firewall, or if you cannot set such a setting, you use the Passive mode.

Soon after, you will be connected to the hub, and the main chat will appear and display the Rules and News. I highly suggest you read over the information, as it will inform you about the Rules for users, and Recent News, as well as some Hub-Using information. Once you are done getting a quick feel, type /fav into the main chat. That will add this hub to your favorites. Now, to view your favorites, click the Favorite Hubs icon above. The window will open, and you will see the AWB Hub in the list. Notice the check mark next to the title. Checking a hub in the list means you will automatically connect to it when you start DC++. You may also right click on an entry and edit its information, as well as set a specific Nick and password that will be used when you connect to the hub. The password is only used for Registered users and Ops. Chances are, you are neither. Leave it blank.

5. The Main Chat Window

Now, sit back and stare at the main chat. Depending upon your settings, you might see users Joining and Parting. Sometimes the hub gets busy with chatter. Feel free to participate by adding your own input, but as always, don't be an ass.

Take a look to the right of the chat area. You should see a list with a bunch of names. This is the user list. you can scroll up and down, and left and right to view how much each user is sharing, their description, their connection type, and email. DC++ users will also have a <++ tag in their description. This tells you that they are using DC++, and also gives you a little information on their settings. Reading the <++ tag is as follows:

In order of appearance:
V: Client version
M: Mode, A = Active, P = Passive
H: Number of opened hub windows where they are not a registered member
S: Number of slots open.

You can hide the User list by unchecking the box below the field.

The user icons also play an important role. Normal users have a standard, green icon. Most users will have this icon. A DC++ user's icon changes to Blue on the first direct connection to that user. Passive users icons have a brick wall displayed on their icon, also showed on the first direct connection. Operators have a key in their icon.

Go ahead and right-click on a user in the user list. Notice how you can perform certain actions, like sending a private message, downloading that users file list, and granting them an extra slot. If for any reason that user tries to download something off you, and you don't have any free slots, you can temporarily grant that user an extra slot if you wish. Also note that you can right click on a name in the main chat to access the same options.

DC++ also allows certain commands to be typed in the main chat. Here is a list of all the commands:

/grant Grants a slot to the user of the pm window you type it in
/close Closes the current window
/help Displays a short help message
/refresh Refreshes your list of shared files
/away Specifies a message to auto-respond in PM's while you're AFK. If you do not specify a message, it displays the default one you set in your settings.
/back Turn away message off
/slots <#> Changes your number of slots to <#>
/clear Clears the main chat windows
/ts Switches timestamps in chat windows on and off
/showjoins Toggles joins/parts messages for the current hub
/search Searches for
/join Joins
/dc++ Gives a comment about DC++ and shows the URL where
you can get it
/fav or /favorite Adds hub to favorites (also works in pm's from that user, to add the user to your favorites)

The status area at the bottom of the main chat window is used to display various information, like The last hub message you recieved, The total amount of users in a hub, and total share amount that all users are sharing.

6. Searching, Downloading, and File Lists

Ok. Now lets start searching for something. Searching is simple, and effective. Go ahead and click on the Search icon above the main chat, and that will bring up the Search window. Here you can type in what you want to search for, the file size, the type, and whether or not to display only results from users with free slots. Trying to download a file from users without free slots forces you to wait in line until a slot becomes available. It is best to turn on this feature.

Go ahead and search for something. For testing, lets search for Red Faction 2. Type Red Faction 2 into the search, and press enter. You don't have to specify the file size, or type, those are usually if you are looking for a specific filename.

Depending upon your connection speed, you should get a few results. The results are categorized by User, Filename, Type, Size, Path of that file in the users share, Slots, Connection Type of that user, Hub the user is connected to, and Exact size in bytes.

To download a file, simply double click on it, or right click on it and choose Download. It is automatically downloaded to your default Download Directory. If you wish to download it to a different directory, you can Right click and choose Download to... The Download to... function is also useful when adding a source of a current download, but the filename is different, and the Auto-Find Sources function doesn't pull it up.

Now, if for any reason the file doesn't download, there are a few things to check:

A. Is the user still connected to the hub? If they aren't, the download will stop.
B. Does the user have free slots? If not, you will see "No Slots Available" in the status area.
C. If you see "All Download Slots Taken" that means you have filled up your download slots. To increase the limit, change your Maximum Simultaneous Downloads in your settings.
D. Are you in Passive mode? If so, the user you are downloading from might also be in Passive mode. A Passive mode user CANNOT download from another passive mode user. See why getting active mode to work is so useful?
E. In some situations, the file might become corrupted during transfer. Check the Download Queue and look at the Errors column of a download, to see any errors.
F. Your Router isnt configured properly

While you are on the Download Queue window, lets go over its functions. Like I mentioned earlier, this window lists all the downloads you have attempted. It displays the Filename, the Status, Size, Download Priority, the Users that are sharing the file (sources), and any errors during transfer.

The Download Priority is an interesting feature, allowing you to pause a download, as well as set a Priority in which to download a file. Obviously, Highest Priority files will be downloaded first. To Pause a download, right click on the download, and change the Priority to Pause. Then right click on the file and Close the Connection. If you close the connection without Setting the Priority to Pause, the Download will resume within a few minutes. To cancel a download, simply delete its entry in the Download Queue, and Close the Connection.

Ok. now, lets say you want to see all the files a certain user is sharing. You simply download that users file list. Right click on the users name in the userlist, Main Chat, or a search result from that user, and choose Get File List. It'll start downloading that users file list.

Note on File Lists: Certain small files can be transferred even when no slots are available. Since the makers of DC++ think it is stupid to have to fight for a slot when you are only downloading a small txt file, they allowed such files to bypass the slot limit, and transfer even when all slots are taken. Usually, the File Lists are one of these small files.

Once the file list is downloaded, it will automatically display. You can then navigate through the users shared files much like that on a normal windows machine. Double click a file to download it, or right-click to view extra functions.

7. Extras

There are a few extra features that DC++ offers, that really aren't important, but I'll discuss them anyway

First, click the file manu. you'll notice entries for all the Icons on the main window, and a few others. I'll Explain them.

Favorite Users: Displays your favorite users. Pretty simple. To add a user to your favorites, right click on their username, and choose Add to Favorites.
Search Spy: Lets you see all the search strings that users are sendind to your computer, as well as how many times it has occurred. Useful or spying.. not much else.
Open File List: In the event you have a saved file list, you can open it here. It is usually easier and much better to download it anew, in case it has become outdated.
Import Queue from NMDC: This is in case you previously used the Neo Modus Direct Connect client. This will import all your queued items, instead of you adding them manually.

Secret Codes of Mobile Phones.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:02:00 +0000

Siemens Mobile Secret Codes:

C25:

SP unlock *#0003*(secret code 8 digits)#

*#0606# shows you Secret Code, but only without SIM Card.

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

Resets language to automatic selection : * # 0000 # then Green button

Pin Out (electrical connections)

1- GND
2- SB
3- POWER
4- NC
5- TX
6- RX
7- CLOCK
8- DATA
9- GND MIC
10- HF MIC
11- AUDIO
12- GND AUDIO

Languages:

*#0000#+green phone - choose automaticaly
*#0001#+green phone - English
*#0030#+green phone - Greek
*#0031#+green phone - Netherlands
*#0032#+green phone - French
*#0034#+green phone - Spanish
*#0039#+green phone - Italian
*#0049#+green phone - German
*#0090#+green phone - Turkish

How to change PIN:

**04*old PIN*new PIN*new PIN#

How to check simlock status

*#0606# and then press left soft-key, you will see strange characters, then text ("brak blokad"). If you see for example 260-02, it means the phone is locked to Era GSM. In older models you can use *#06# and see the same information after clicking on left key (you will see IMEI and software version).

S4:

Monitor Mode - how to activate:

Press left soft-key, then 9 (SET UP) 8 (Phone Status). You will see IMEI number, then press left soft-key and in order 7684666 and red phone at the end (monitor mode has been activated). To read information from Monitor Mode - press left soft-key, then 5 (GSM SERVICE) and 6 (Monitor). Monitor mode turns off when you switch off the phone. You must activate it again if you want.

How to see date of software:

Press left soft-key, then 9 (SET UP) 8 (Phone status). You will see IMEI number, then press twice left soft-key, 98, left soft-key, 7684666, red phone (activates Monitor Mode), left soft-key, 56 (turns on Monitor Mode), left soft-key, 98, left soft-key, 7684666, hang up (red phone) >abck to "normal" and then left soft-key, 56.

S6, S8:

If you add to phonebook under 'own phone number' +12022243121 with namez (for example MMI), then you will see something smile.gif

S10, E10:

In phonebook enter +12022243121 as your own phone no. You will see a picture with sun, two palms and greetings.

S15e:

Monitor Mode:

Code: *#7436267*8378# (*#SIEMENS*TEST#)
Hold red phone button until it code disapears.
Menu 3.3.4 Choose frequency.
Menu 3.3.4.1 Automaticaly.
Menu 3.3.4.2 Choose GSM-900
Menu 3.3.4.3 Choose GSM-1800

Menu 10.1 MS info
Menu 10.2 Soft date
Menu 10.2.1 Software version.
Menu 10.2.2 EEProm version.
Menu 10.3 Tst and product info.
Menu 10.3.1 Handware data.
Menu 10.3.2 Date of manufacture
Menu 10.3.3 Service date
Menu 10.3.4 Date of repair.

S25:

Enhanced Full Rate
*#3370# turns on
#3370# turns off

Haft Rate Mode
*#4720# turns on
#4720# turns off.

Languages:

*#0000#+green phone - choose automaticaly
*#0001#+green phone - English
*#0030#+green phone - Greek
*#0031#+green phone - Netherlands
*#0032#+green phone - French
*#0034#+green phone - Spanish
*#0039#+green phone - Italian
*#0049#+green phone - German
*#0090#+green phone - Turkish

How to change PIN2?

**04*old PIN2*new PIN2*new PIN2#

What is my software version?

Menu 8-8-2 press left-softkey when you see IMEI number, or *#06# and then green phone button and then press left soft-key.

How to extend battery life:

IrDA - turn on only when you need.
Turn off automatic network search (6-3)Turn off Vibration alarm.

SP unlock *#0003*(secret code 8 digits)#

*#0606# shows you Secret Code, but only without SIM Card.

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

Resets language to automatic selection : * # 0000 # then Green button

S25, M35, S35, C35

SP unlock *#0003*(secret code 8 digits)#

*#0606# shows you Secret Code, but only without SIM Card.

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

Resets language to automatic selection : * # 0000 # then Green button

Secret Codes Of Nokia Mobiles:

Below we present secret codes of nokia mobile phones which are very useful for people who unlock phones and for amateurs of this topic. These special key sequences entered fromkeyboard of phone allow you to get some important information like IMEI number, release date, software version and much more. You can also choose default language, activatenetmonitor ect.

1610/1630

*#170602112302# (software version)

1610/1611

IMEI number: -*# 0 6 #
Software version: -* # 1 7 0 6 0 2 1 1 2 3 9 2 #
Simlock status: - # 9 2 7 0 2 6 8 9 #

2110

*#9999# (software version)

2110i/2110e

*#170602112302# or (depends on model)*#682371158412125# (software version)

NOKIA3110

*#06# -IMEI

*#3110# -Software version

##002# - allows to turn off voice mail.

*#7780# - restore factory settings

*#746025625#(or *#sim0clock#) - to check if clock of sim (SIM-Clock) can be stopped (SIM-Clock-stop is akind of standby mode which saces battery)

*#92702689# (or *#war0anty#) -"warranty code:"- you have to enter one of the following codes:

6232 (OK)displays month and year of production date (ie "0198")

7332 (OK) - displays date of last repair - if there is (ie. "DATE NOT SAVED")

7832 (OK) - displays date of purchase - if there is (ie. "DATE NOT SAVED")

9268 (OK) -displays serial number

37832 (OK) -sets purchase date in format MMYY (MM - month, YY - year)- attention: you can set it only once, so beware !

87267 (OK)-displays message "Confirm Transfer?" - meaning is unknown (?)

* # 9 2 7 0 2 6 8 9 # -Simlock info

*#31# (call) -sets if your phone no. will be hidden or not (works only in some networks)

*#76# (call) -sets if target phone number when you call should be displayed (works only in some networks)

*#77# (call) -(work s only in some networks)

*#33/35# (call -displays message "Service not active".

**31# (call) -your no. will not be showed to others when you make a call

3210

*#06# -IMEI

*#0000# -software version

*#92702689# (or *#war0anty#)- enters service mode.

*3370# -Turns on sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

#3370# -Turns off sound encoding system Enhanced Full Rate .

*4720# -Turns on battery save mode - saves about 30 % of energy.

#4720# -Turns off battery save mode.

xx# -Replace xx with desired phonebook entry - press # and you will see it on display.

51XX

*#06# -IMEI

*#0000# - Software version

*#92702689#( or *#war0anty#) Enter service mode.

*3370# -Turns on sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

#3370# -Turns off sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

*4720# -Turns on battery save mode - saves about 30 % of energy.

#4720# -Turns off battery save mode.

#pw+1234567890+1 -provider lock status

#pw+1234567890+2 -Network lock status

#pw+1234567890+3 -Provider lock status

#pw+1234567890+4 - SimCard lock status

NOKIA 61XX

*#06# -IMEI

*#0000# ;-*#99 99# (Nokia 6130)

*#92702689# (or *#war0anty#) Software versionEnter service mode.

*3370# -Turns on sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

#3370# -Turns off sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

*4720# -Turns on battery save mode - saves about 30 % of energy.

#4720# -Turns off battery save mode.

NOKIA8810

*#06# - IMEI

*#0000# -Software version

*#92702689# (or *#war0anty#) Enter service mode.

*3370# -Turns on sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

#3370# -Turns off sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

*4720# -Turns on battery save mode - saves about 30 % of energy

#4720# -Turns off battery save mode - saves about 30 % of energy

NOKIA99OO

*#06# -IMEI

*#682371158412125# -Software version

*#3283# -Displays week and year of manufacture, ie. 1497 means 14th week of 1997.

NOKIA 911O

*#06# IMEI

*#0000# SOFTWARE VERSION

*3370# Turns on sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

#3370# Turns off sound encoding system - Enhanced Full Rate.

*4720# Turns on battery save mode - saves about 30 % of energy.

#4720# Turns off battery save mode.

NOKIA 81XX

*#06# IMEI
*#8110# Software version
xx# Replace xx with desired phonebook entry - press # and you will see it on display

*#92702689# (or *#warOanty#)

"Warranty code:" - you have to enter one of the following codes:

9268 (OK) displays IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identification)

6232 (OK) displays date of manufacture in format MMYY (MM - month, RR - year)

7832 (OK) displays date of purchase

7332 (OK) displays date of repair or upgrade

37832 (OK) sets date of purchase in format MMYY (MM - month, RR - year) - attention: you can set it only once, so beware !!!

87267 (OK) transmits user data/move data do service PC

Motorola Codes:

Motorola 920
---------------

Press menu and type one of these numbers and press OK:

11 = Status Review
13 = Available Networks
14 = Preferred Networks
22 = Select Keypad Tones
25 = Require SIM Card PIN
26 = Language Selection
32 = Repetitive Timer
33 = Single Alert Timer
34 = Set IN-Call Display
35 = Show Call Timers
36 = Show Call Charges
37 = Call Charge Settings
38 = Reset All Timers
43 = Reset All Timers
45 = Show Last Call
46 = Total For All Calls
47 = Lifetime Timer
51 = Change Unlock Code
52 = Master Reset
53 = Master Clear (Warning!! May result in deleting the Message Editor!!!)
54 = New Security Code
55 = Automatic Lock
63 = Battery Saving Mode

Free call tip

1 Enter the phone number
2 Enter OK
3 Type *#06#
4 Press Button C
5 And finally press the button for power off.

You should now be able to talk without being billed.

The 54# Tip:

Type 1#, 2#........54# on the keypad (when you're not in the menu) to get the phone number used for with this key when speed dialing.

Motorola 930
--------------

Press menu and type one of these numbers and press OK:

11 = Status Review
13 = Available Networks
14 = Preferred Networks
22 = Select Keypad Tones
25 = Require SIM Card PIN
26 = Language Selection
32 = Repetitive Timer
33 = Single Alert Timer
34 = Set IN-Call Display
35 = Show Call Timers
36 = Show Call Charges
37 = Call Charge Settings
38 = Reset All Timers
43 = Reset All Timers
45 = Show Last Call
46 = Total For All Calls
47 = Lifetime Timer
51 = Change Unlock Code
52 = Master Reset
53 = Master Clear (Warning!! May result in deleting the Message Editor!!!)
54 = New Security Code
55 = Automatic Lock
63 = Battery Saving Mode

Free call tip

1 Enter the phone number
2 Enter OK
3 Type *#06#
4 Press Button C
5 And finally press the button for power off.

You should now be able to talk without being billed.

Motorola 930

The 54# Tip:

Type 1#, 2#........54# on the keypad (when you're not in the menu) to get the phone number used for with this key when speed dialing.

Motorola 6200
--------------

(Note: pause means the * key held in until box appears)
To activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 1 [pause] [ok]
You now have to press the [MENU] and scroll to the 'Eng
Field Options' function with the keys, and enable it.

De-activate RBS

To de-activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 0 [pause] [ok]
This only works with some versions of software.

These countries has been reported working:

UK (Orange)
AU

What's the use of RBS:

Get Distance From Base Station - Place a call, when it
is answered, press [MENU] until 'Eng Field Option' is
displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell', press [OK],
press [MENU] until 'Time Adv xxx' appears, where xxx is
a number. Multiply this number by 550, and the result is
the distance from the RBS (Radio Base Station), in
meters.

Get Signal Quality - press [MENU] until 'Eng Field
Option' is displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell',
press [OK], press [MENU] until 'C1' appears. This is the
signal quality. If it becomes negative for longer than 5
seconds, a new cell is selected.

Pin Outs

Numbered left to right, keypad up, battery down

1. Audio Ground
2. V+
3. True data (TD) (input)
4. Downlink - Complimentary data (CD) (input)
5. Uplink - Return data (RD) (output)
6. GND
7. Audio Out - on/off
8. Audio In
9. Manual Test - ???
10. Battery Feedback
11. Antenna connector

Motorola 7500
-------------

(Note: pause means the * key held in until box appears)
To activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 1 [pause] [ok]
You now have to press the [MENU] and scroll to the 'Eng
Field Options' function with the keys, and enable it.

De-activate RBS

To de-activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 0 [pause] [ok]
This only works with some versions of software.

These countries has been reported working:

IT (model: F16 HW: 5.2 SW: 2.1)

What's the use of RBS:

Get Distance From Base Station - Place a call, when it
is answered, press [MENU] until 'Eng Field Option' is
displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell', press [OK],
press [MENU] until 'Time Adv xxx' appears, where xxx is
a number. Multiply this number by 550, and the result is
the distance from the RBS (Radio Base Station), in
meters.

Get Signal Quality - press [MENU] until 'Eng Field
Option' is displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell',
press [OK], press [MENU] until 'C1' appears. This is the
signal quality. If it becomes negative for longer than 5
seconds, a new cell is selected.

Pin Outs
Numbered right to left, keypad up, battery down looking

1. Gnd
2. Pos
3. True data (TD) (input)
4. Complimentary data (CD) (input)
5. Return data (RD) (output)
6. Audio gnd
7. Audio out
8. Audioin

Motorola 8200
--------------

(Note: pause means the * key held in until box appears)
To activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 1 [pause] [ok]
You now have to press the [MENU] and scroll to the 'Eng
Field Options' function with the keys, and enable it.

De-activate RBS

To de-activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 0 [pause] [ok]
This only works with some versions of software.

These countries has been reported working:

ES, AU, NL, BE

What's the use of RBS:

Get Distance From Base Station - Place a call, when it
is answered, press [MENU] until 'Eng Field Option' is
displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell', press [OK],
press [MENU] until 'Time Adv xxx' appears, where xxx is
a number. Multiply this number by 550, and the result is
the distance from the RBS (Radio Base Station), in
meters.

Get Signal Quality - press [MENU] until 'Eng Field
Option' is displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell',
press [OK], press [MENU] until 'C1' appears. This is the
signal quality. If it becomes negative for longer than 5
seconds, a new cell is selected.

Pin Outs

Numbered right to left, keypad up, battery down looking

1. Audio Ground
2. V+
3. True data (TD) (input)
4. Downlink - Complimentary data (CD) (input)
5. Uplink - Return data (RD) (output)
6. GND
7. Audio Out - on/off
8. Audio In
9. Manual Test - ???
10. Battery Feedback
11. Antenna connector

Motorola 8400
-------------

(Note: pause means the * key held in until box appears)
To activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 1 [pause] [ok]
You now have to press the [MENU] and scroll to the 'Eng
Field Options' function with the keys, and enable it.

De-activate RBS

To de-activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 0 [pause] [ok]
This only works with some versions of software.

These countries has been reported working:

ES, AU, NL, BE

What's the use of RBS:

Get Distance From Base Station - Place a call, when it
is answered, press [MENU] until 'Eng Field Option' is
displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell', press [OK],
press [MENU] until 'Time Adv xxx' appears, where xxx is
a number. Multiply this number by 550, and the result is
the distance from the RBS (Radio Base Station), in
meters.

Get Signal Quality - press [MENU] until 'Eng Field
Option' is displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell',
press [OK], press [MENU] until 'C1' appears. This is the
signal quality. If it becomes negative for longer than 5
seconds, a new cell is selected.

Pin Outs

Numbered right to left, keypad up, battery down looking

1. Audio Ground
2. V+
3. True data (TD) (input)
4. Downlink - Complimentary data (CD) (input)
5. Uplink - Return data (RD) (output)
6. GND
7. Audio Out - on/off
8. Audio In
9. Manual Test - ???
10. Battery Feedback
11. Antenna connector

Motorola 8700
--------------

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

Activate RBS

(Note: pause means the * key held in until box appears)
To activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 1 [pause] [ok]
You now have to press the [MENU] and scroll to the 'Eng
Field Options' function with the keys, and enable it.

De-activate RBS

To de-activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 0 [pause] [ok]
This only works with some versions of software.

These countries has been reported working:

AU, IT, SG, DE, ES, ZA

What's the use of RBS:

Get Distance From Base Station - Place a call, when it
is answered, press [MENU] until 'Eng Field Option' is
displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell', press [OK],
press [MENU] until 'Time Adv xxx' appears, where xxx is
a number. Multiply this number by 550, and the result is
the distance from the RBS (Radio Base Station), in
meters.

Get Signal Quality - press [MENU] until 'Eng Field
Option' is displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell',
press [OK], press [MENU] until 'C1' appears. This is the
signal quality. If it becomes negative for longer than 5
seconds, a new cell is selected.

Motorola CD 160
---------------

Press menu and type one of these numbers and press OK:

11 = Status Review
13 = Available Networks
14 = Preferred Networks
22 = Select Keypad Tones
25 = Require SIM Card PIN
26 = Language Selection
32 = Repetitive Timer
33 = Single Alert Timer
34 = Set IN-Call Display
35 = Show Call Timers
36 = Show Call Charges
37 = Call Charge Settings
38 = Reset All Timers
43 = Reset All Timers
45 = Show Last Call
46 = Total For All Calls
47 = Lifetime Timer
51 = Change Unlock Code
52 = Master Reset
53 = Master Clear (Warning!! May result in deleting the Message Editor!!!)
54 = New Security Code
55 = Automatic Lock
63 = Battery Saving Mode

Free call tip

1 Enter the phone number
2 Enter OK
3 Type *#06#
4 Press Button C
5 And finally press the button for power off.

You should now be able to talk without being billed.

Motorola CD 520
----------------

Press menu and type one of these numbers and press OK:

11 = Status Review
13 = Available Networks
14 = Preferred Networks
22 = Select Keypad Tones
25 = Require SIM Card PIN
26 = Language Selection
32 = Repetitive Timer
33 = Single Alert Timer
34 = Set IN-Call Display
35 = Show Call Timers
36 = Show Call Charges
37 = Call Charge Settings
38 = Reset All Timers
43 = Reset All Timers
45 = Show Last Call
46 = Total For All Calls
47 = Lifetime Timer
51 = Change Unlock Code
52 = Master Reset
53 = Master Clear (Warning!! May result in deleting the Message Editor!!!)
54 = New Security Code
55 = Automatic Lock
63 = Battery Saving Mode

Free call tip

1 Enter the phone number
2 Enter OK
3 Type *#06#
4 Press Button C
5 And finally press the button for power off.

You should now be able to talk without being billed.

Motorola d460
--------------

#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

Activate RBS

(Note: pause means the * key held in until box appears)
To activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 1 [pause] [ok]
You now have to press the [MENU] and scroll to the 'Eng
Field Options' function with the keys, and enable it.

De-activate RBS

To de-activate RBS type: [pause] [pause] [pause] 1 1 3
[pause] 0 [pause] [ok]
This only works with some versions of software.

What's the use of RBS:

Get Distance From Base Station - Place a call, when it
is answered, press [MENU] until 'Eng Field Option' is
displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell', press [OK],
press [MENU] until 'Time Adv xxx' appears, where xxx is
a number. Multiply this number by 550, and the result is
the distance from the RBS (Radio Base Station), in
meters.

Get Signal Quality - press [MENU] until 'Eng Field
Option' is displayed, press [OK], select 'Active Cell',
press [OK], press [MENU] until 'C1' appears. This is the
signal quality. If it becomes negative for longer than 5
seconds, a new cell is selected.

Motorola V3688
---------------

#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

Enhanced Full Rate Codec (EFR):

To Enable EFR press [][][] 119 [] 1 [] OK.
To Disable EFR press [][][] 119 [] 0 [] OK

NOTE: Nothing appears on Screen.

Ericsson Mobile Secret Codes:

T10

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

>*<<*<* for checking the firmware revision information (software release)

>*<<*<*>> n-row text strings. if pressing yes you can check the phones text programming in currently selected language.

Shortcut for Last Dialed call menu

If you for some reason don't want to enter the 'Last Dialed calls menu' by using the 'YES' key you can use the following key
stroke instead: First '0' then '#'.

Access menu without Sim card

To access to the menu in your phone without having a card inside do the following: type **04*0000*0000*0000# When display say "Wrong Pin" press NO and you have access to the all menus: Info, Access, Settings, Calculator, Clock, Keylock On?, Mail, Phone book. NOTE if you try this on your phone may stop at Keylock On? menu and you´ll have to take your battery out to turn the phone on again. And this will not care about Phone lock!

A way to (un)lock your cell phone on to the network(subset):
1. Press <**<
2. Then on the display appear and give you two choices: Lock to Network ? and Lock to Network subset? (Use arrow keys to select)
3. Enter the NCK number (code is provided by the SP)
4. You have 5 attemps to do this
5. Then your cell phone will work 'only' with the network

Warning: The Service Provider (SP) Lock menu is used to lock the cell phone to the SP's SIM card. Once the cell phone is locked to a specific operator, if one inserts a SIM card from a different operator the phone will refuse to accept it! The cell phone will however accept another SIM card from the same operator. To activate/deactivate this lock one needs a special secret code that is not available to the end user. Your phone can be locked to a service provider FOREVER by doing this! If an invalid code is entered all five times, the menu will exit and be deactivated! Any further attempt to activate the NCK/NSCK lock Menu will result in the response "Not allowed"! However the NCK/NSCK lock can be recover through a direct clearing in the EEPROM.

Message Report

When you writing a message, place at the start of it the code *0# and continue with your message. It's job is like nokias report. It gives you information about the sended message.

T18

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) Information you get from the IMEI:

XXXXXX XX XXXXXX X

TAC FAC SNR SP

TAC = Type approval code
FAC = Final assembly code
SNR = Serial number
SP = Spare

To access SIM-Locking menu of your phone, press: < * [CLR] <
Be careful or you may lock your phone.

Message Report

When you writing a message, place at the start of it the code *0# and continue with your message. It's job is like nokias report. It gives you information about the sended message.

T28

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

>*<<*<* for checking the firmware revision information (software release)

>*<<*<*> 1-row text strings. if pressing yes you can check the phones text programming in currently selected language.

>*<<*<*>> n-row text strings. if pressing yes you can check the phones text programming in currently selected language.

The Service Provider (SP) Lock

The Service Provider (SP) Lock menu is used to lock the cell phone to the SP's SIM card. Once the cell phone is locked to a specific operator, if one inserts a SIM card from a different operator the phone will refuse to accept it! The cell phone will however accept another SIM card from the same operator.

To activate/deactivate this lock one needs a special secret code that is not available to the end user.

Here is how to activate the menu:

<**< Lock to Network? if pressing yes you have 5 attempts to enter NCK.

<**<< Lock to Network subset? if pressing yes you have 5 attempts to enter NSCK.

Warning: Your phone can be locked to a service provider FOREVER by doing this! If an invalid code is entered all five times, the menu will exit and be deactivated! Any further attempt to activate the NCK/NSCK lock Menu will result in the response "Not allowed"! However the NCK/NSCK lock can be recover through a direct clearing in the EEPROM.

Shortcut for Last Dialed call menu

If you for some reason don't want to enter the 'Last Dialed calls menu' by using the 'YES' key you can use the following key
stroke instead: First '0' then '#'.

Message Report

When you are writing a message, place at the start of it the code *0# and continue with your message. It's job is like nokias report. It gives you information about the sended message.

388

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

*#0000# to reset the phones menu-language to English.

>*<<*<* for checking the firmware revision information (software release)

>*<<*<*> 1-row text strings. if pressing yes you can check the phones text programming in currently selected language.(298 entries)

>*<<*<*>> n-row text strings. if pressing yes you can check the phones text programming in currently selected language.(160 entries?)

The Service Provider (SP) Lock menu is used to lock the cell phone to the SP's SIM card. Once the cell phone is locked to a specific operator, if one inserts a SIM card from a different operator the phone will refuse to accept it! The cell phone will however accept another SIM card from the same operator.

To activate/deactivate this lock one needs a special secret code that is not available to the end user. (not even to you... or is it ? in case please let me know!)

<**< Lock to Network? if pressing yes you have 5 attempts to enter NCK.

<**<< Lock to Network subset? if pressing yes you have 5 attempts to enter NSCK.

Warning: Your phone can be locked to a service provider FOREVER by doing this! If an invalid code is entered all five times,the menu will exit and be deactivated! Any further attempt to activate the NCK/NSCK lock Menu will result in the response "Not allowed"! However the NCK/NSCK lock can be recover through a direct clearing in the EEPROM.

Shortcut for Last Dialed call menu...

If you for some reason don't want to enter the 'Last Dialed calls menu' by using the 'YES' key you can use the following key
stroke instead: First '0' then '#'.

Access menu without Sim card ...

To access to the menu in your phone without having a card inside do the following: type **04*0000*0000*0000# When display say "Wrong Pin" press NO and you have access to the all menus: Info, Access, Settings, Calculator, Clock, Keylock On?,Mail, Phone book. NOTE if you try this on the GH688 your phone may stop at Keylock On? menu and you´ll have to take your battery out to turn the phone on again.

GA628

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

*#0000# to reset the phones menu-language to English.

*#103# then YES Time and date will be shown.

>*<<*<* for checking the firmware revision information (software release)

>*<<*<*> 1-row text strings. if pressing yes you can check the phones text programming in currently selected language.(298 entries)

>*<<*<*>> n-row text strings. if pressing yes you can check the phones text programming in currently selected language.(160 entries?)

The Service Provider (SP) Lock

The Service Provider (SP) Lock menu is used to lock the cell phone to the SP's SIM card. Once the cell phone is locked to a specific operator, if one inserts a SIM card from a different operator the phone will refuse to accept it! The cell phone will however accept another SIM card from the same operator.

To activate/deactivate this lock one needs a special secret code that is not available to the end user.

Here is how to activate the menu:

<**< Lock to Network? if pressing yes you have 5 attempts to enter NCK.

<**<< Lock to Network subset? if pressing yes you have 5 attempts to enter NSCK.

Warning: Your phone can be locked to a service provider FOREVER by doing this! If an invalid code is entered all five times,the menu will exit and be deactivated! Any further attempt to activate the NCK/NSCK lock Menu will result in the response "Not allowed"! However the NCK/NSCK lock can be recover through a direct clearing in the EEPROM.

Shortcut for Last Dialed call menu

If you for some reason don't want to enter the 'Last Dialed calls menu' by using the 'YES' key you can use the following key
stroke instead: First '0' then '#'.

Bat. level indicator when turned OFF

When the phone is turned off and the phone is not changing - the bat. level can be seen for a short period of time by pressing the 'NO' key quick once (it has to be quick!) and then wait for about 2 sec. The bat. level will now be shown in the display at its normal position.

Access menu without Sim card

To access to the menu in your phone without having a card inside do the following: type **04*0000*0000*0000# When display say "Wrong Pin" press NO and you have access to the all menus: Info, Access, Settings, Calculator, Clock, Keylock On?,Mail, Phone book. NOTE if you try this on your phone may stop at Keylock On? menu and you´ll have to take your battery out to turn the phone on again.

Alarm Clock Menu

Go to MissedCall Empty the list Press the -> key for a second or two The option Menu size turns up Choose 'yes' and go from there.

An alarm clock turned up too but it never rang. I think this was because there is no clock in the phone.

Free phone calls using the GA628

This trick has only been reported working on PREPAID GSM CARDS and in some countries and with some sw versions.
The prepaid GSM SIM CARD is a kind of "SIM card" which only has a sertant amount of credit on it (like a normal phonebox telecard)... if it can be traced? - we don't know...

Well..here's the trick you dial the no. normally and press YES. While "connecting" is shown on the screen, the following procedure should be carried out: Press CLR then 0 then # and then NO (twice) so as to switch OFF the phone. You can then still speak on the phone while it is switched off but the SIM card does not record your calls which will lead to FREE phone calls in some countries.. we hope!!

Another variant of the code

Make a Call, while the phone says Connecting type 083# (the position 83 must be empty! ), when phone says Pos Emtpy, press the NO key and turn off the phone.

If you can make the call with the phone turned off you will face a problem when you need to hang up the phone...the only way for you to do that is remove the battery...???

Hacking Windows XP Registry

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:59:00 +0000

Structure of Windows XP Registry :

When you will open the Windows XP Registry , you will see it's divided into two panes. On the left side there are Five main
Keys as shown below. These can be expanded to several Sub-Keys, which further has many Sub-Keys.

+HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

+HKEY_CURRENT_USER

+HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

+HKEY_USERS

+HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

Before you try out the Tweaks, learn how to Backup and Restore Windows XP Registry.
Types of Registry Backups :
It?s very important that before you do editing you make a backup of the current registry. If you ignore this warning, it might prove deadly for you?so better listen to me J
Open your registry. Go to Start>Run , type regedit . When you invoke the Export function from File>Export, you are given a choice of different file types that can be saved :
Registration Files (*.reg)
Registry Hive Files (*.*)
Text Files (*.txt)
Win9x/NT 4 Registration Files (*.reg)
All Files

Each one of the different file types above plays an important role in how the data you export is saved. Choosing the wrong type can give you unexpected results. So let me explain you quickly these file types.

Registrations Files : The Registration Files option creates a .reg file. This is the most well known file format used for backing up the registry. The Registration File can be used in two ways. As a text file it can be read and edited using Notepad outside of Registry Editor. Once the changes have been made and saved, right clicking the file and using the [Merge] command adds the changed file back into the registry. If you make additions to the registry using regedit and then merge the previously saved Registration File, anything that you've added via regedit will not be removed, but changes you make to data using regedit that previously existed in the saved Registration File will be overwritten when it is merged

Registry Hive Files : Unlike the Registration Files option above, the Registry Hive Files option creates a binary image of the selected registry key. The image file is not editable via Notepad nor can you view its contents using a text editor. However, what the Registry Hive Files format does is create an image perfect view of the selected key and allow you to import it back into the registry to insure any problematic changes you made are eliminated.

Text Files : This option does just as the name suggests. It creates a text file containing the information in the selected key. It's most useful purpose is creating a record or snapshot of a key at a particular point in time that you can refer back to if necessary. It cannot be merged back into the registry like a Registration File.

Win9x/NT 4 Registration Files : This option creates a .reg file in the same manner used by the Registration Files option. It's used by previous Windows versions and serves no purpose in XP unless you want to merge a key from XP into a previous version of Windows.

Out of the give above choices , the safest method of backing up registry is to use Registry Hive Files option. No matter what ever you do or goes wrong in editing, importing the image of the key will eliminate all changes.

**Note-> I have included the exact name/value between [ ] brackets. [ & ] should be ignored, only the data inside them should be considered.

1. Customize Windows Media Player Title Bar

Change the title bar to read Windows Media Player provided by , so if I had entered text ?Abhishek Bhuyan? , it would read: Windows Media Player provided by Abhishek Bhuyan

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft
Create the Key [WindowsMediaPlayer]
Create String value named [TitleBar]

Data Type: REG_SZ // Value Name: TitleBar
Double click TitleBar and Enter the text to be displayed in the title bar.

Exit Registry / Reboot

2. Minimize Outlook 2002 to the System Tray

If you frequently access Outlook during the day it?s more convenient to have it minimized to the system tray rather than invoking it each time you need to send/receive e-mail. This tweak minimizes Outlook 2002 to the system tray:

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Preferences

Modify/Create Data Type DWORD named [MinToTray]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

3. Specify Default IE Download Directory

This tweak changes the default directory where downloads initiated in Internet Explorer are stored on the system.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer

Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Download Directory]
Value Data: [Enter Path to Directory to be Assigned as Defualt for Downloads]

Exit Registry / Reboot

4. Force Use of Classic Start Menu

This tweak loads the Classic Start Menu and makes it impossible to change back to the Windows XP version

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Modify/Create the DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoSimpleStartMenu]
Value Data: [0 = Default / 1 = Force Classic Start Menu]

Exit Registry / Reboot

5. Hide/Show Internet Explorer Desktop Icon

By default, Windows XP does not show the Internet Explorer icon on the Windows desktop. Using the registry tweak below allows you to control whether or not the Internet Explorer icon is displayed.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoInternetIcon]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

6. Increase Menu Display Speed

When you click on the Start Menu there is some delay to display the contents , just for no reason. Effects are pretty though. The default speed can be adjusted with a quick registry entry.

The default value is 400. Set it to 0 and the delay is gone. If you are not able to adjust pick a number that suits your style and make the change.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Modify/Create String value of Data type REG_SZ Named [MenuShowDelay]

Value Data: [Default = 400 / Adjust to Preference]

Exit Registry / Reboot

7. Change the Location of Special Folders

This tweak allows changing the location of special folders on the system. Any of the folders listed in the registry key may be moved.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserShell Folders

Modify/Create String value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Various Folder Names]

Data Type: REG_SZ [String Value] // Value Name: Consult RegEdit for Folder Names

Value Data: [Move the folder to the new desired location using explorer, and then edit the matching folder in RegEdit to reflect the new folder location]

Exit Registry and Reboot

8. Faster Browsing in Windows Explorer on Network Computers

By default, a Windows XP machine connecting to a Windows 95/98/Me computer will search for scheduled tasks or enabled printers on the remote computer. Two sub-keys control this behavior. Deleting them will speed up browsing on the remote computer.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace

To Disable Scheduled Task Checking
Value Name: {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
Delete the sub-key in the left pane of Registry Editor

To Disable Printer Checking
Value Name: {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Delete the sub-key in the left pane of Registry Editor

Exit Registry / Reboot

9. Add Administrator Account to Log In Screen

When Windows XP is first installed it requires you to enter at least one name of a user who will access the computer. Once you create this name the default Administrator account vanishes. To access it, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete twice at the Welcome screen to retrieve the standard Windows 2000 logon dialog. Log on as Administrator from this point. To log the Administrator off, click [Start] [Log Off] and [Log Off] when the [Log Off Windows] selection box appears. The Log On screen with the available users will be displayed.

To Make the Administrator Account Always Visible on the Login Screen use this Registry Tweak.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCALMACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Administrator]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

10. Increase Internet Download Connections

Increase Simultaneous Internet Download Connections. Increases the number of allowed simultaneous connections to ten (10).

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server]
Setting for Value Data: [0000000a]

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [MaxConnectionsPerServer]
Setting for Value Data: [0000000a]

Exit Registry / Reboot

11. Connected Web Files and Folders

Connecting web files and folders allows a primary .htm or .html file to be moved in conjunction with files associated with the primary document. Once the primary document has been defined, create a sub-folder using the same name as the primary document but assign it a .files extension. Whenever the primary file is moved, the sub-folder will also move and remain as a sub-folder of the primary.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoFileFolderConnection]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Enabled (Default) / 1 = Disabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

12. Hide/Show My Documents Folder on Desktop

By default, Windows XP does not show the My Documents folder on the Windows desktop. Using the registry tweak below allows you to control whether or not My Documents is displayed.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}\ShellFolder

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Attributes]
Setting for Value Data: [Default = 0xf0400174 / Hidden = 0xf0500174]

Exit Registry / Reboot

13. Create a Hidden User Account

This tweak allows an account that is normally displayed on the Welcome screen to be hidden from view. To log on using the account it's necessary to use the Log On To Windows dialog box similar to the one in Windows 2000 i.e. press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Type Name of Account to be Hidden]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Account is Hidden / 1 = Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

While the account is hidden on the Welcome screen, note that the account profile will be visible in C:\Documents and Settings or wherever user profiles are stored as well as in Local Users and Groups.

14. Create Legal Notice Logon Dialog Box

In situations where you need users to read a legal notice before logging on, this tweak will create the caption for the notice.

Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LegalNoticeCaption]
Value Data for LegalNoticeCaption: [Type the Caption for the Dialog Box]

Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LegalNoticeText]
Value Data for LegalNoticeText: [Type the Data for the Legal Notice]

Exit Registry / Reboot

15. Manage Internet Explorer Error Reporting

This tweak removes the IE Error Reporting tool from appearing with the option to send browser debugging reports to Microsoft.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Note:- Create both values listed below and set according to the bold type for the tweak to function properly.

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [IEWatsonEnabled]
Value Data: [0 - Disabled / 1 - Enabled]

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [IEWatsonDisabled]
Value Data: [0 - Disabled / 1 - Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

16. Customize Logon and Security Dialog Title

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Welcome]
Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

17. Customize Logon Box Message

This is the message displayed on the Classic Logon box, not the XP ?Welcome? logon screen

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LogonPrompt]
Value Data: [Enter the text of the message]

Exit Registry / Reboot

18. Welcome Screen Logon Vs Classic Logon

This tweak specifies whether the Welcome screen or the Classic logon will be used to access Windows XP.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [LogonType]
Value Data: [0 - Classic Mode / 1 - Welcome Screen]

Exit Registry / Reboot

19. QoS (Quality Of Service) Bandwidth Reserve Setting

By default, Windows XP reserves 20% of the connection bandwidth for QoS traffic. This tweak allows the setting to be altered to a different percentage of connection bandwidth. If the system uses more than a single adapter for network connections, each adapter may be set individually by navigating to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Psched\Parameters\Adapters\{Adpater-ID} rather than HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Psched

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Psched

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NonBestEffortLimit]
Setting for Value Data: [Enter as a Percentage / Default Value = 20]

Exit Registry / Reboot

20. Enable/Disable Save Password in DUN

This tweak saves user passwords for Dial Up Networking so they do not have to be re-entered each session.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RasMan\Parameters

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [DisableSavePassword]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled (Passwords Saved) / 1 = Enabled (Passwords Not Saved)]

Exit Registry / Reboot

21. Change the Registered Organization/Owner of Windows XP

This tweak allows modification of the registered owner and organization of the Windows XP software.

Note:- This tweak has nothing to do with Windows Product Activation (WPA) and will not allow you to register illegal XP software.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [RegisteredOrganization] or [RegisteredOwner]
Setting for Value Data: [Modify the Values to Reflect Current Information]

Exit Registry / Reboot

22. Remove Links Folder in Favorites

The Links folder is part of Favorites whether it's being accessed through Internet Explorer or the Favorites menu in the Start Menu. This tweak will remove it from those locations.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar

Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LinksFolderName]
Value Data: [Set the String Value to a blank string]

Open Internet Explorer and manually delete the Links folder from Favorites Menu.
The Links folder will not be recreated.

Exit Registry / Reboot

23. Enable/Disable Active Window Tracking to Mouse Movements

When the mouse is moved over an open window it automatically sets the focus to that particular window. It does not bring the window to the foreground of the open windows.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [ActiveWindowTracking]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = ActiveWindowTracking Disabled / 1 = ActiveWindowTracking Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

24. Auto Disconnect for Internet Explorer

Use this edit to automatically disconnect from Internet Explorer after a specified length of time has elapsed. Use this trick on anyone whom you don?t like using your computer with net J

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Autodisconnect]
Value Data: [Enter a new disconnect time. Use Hexadecimal if you are unfamiliar with Binary]

Exit Registry / Reboot

25. Auto Reboot on System Crash

By default, when the Windows XP operating system crashes an automatic reboot of the system occurs. While this behavior can be convenient, the downside is the error message accompanying the crash is not visible. Often times this information can be a great help in troubleshooting the source of the crash. This behavior can be modified in two ways; via the registry or using the System Properties property sheet.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [AutoReboot]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = AutoReboot Disabled / 1 = AutoReboot Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

Open System Properties via Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > System

[System Properties may also be opened using the WinKey+Pause key combination]

Select the Advanced tab and then click Settings in the Startup and Recovery section

In System Failure section, clear the checkbox next to Automatically Restart

Click OK and OK to exit

26. Modify Control Panel Categories

Even if you like the new style for Control Panel, you might at times wish you could shift some items around into a different category. It's possible.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Extended Properties\{305CA226-D286-468e-B848-2B2E8E697B74} 2

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Choose one of the applets with .cpl extension]

Setting for Value Data: [Select the value from table below]

Other Control Panel Options 0
Appearance and Themes 1
Printers and Other Hardware 2
Network and Internet Connections 3
Sounds, Speed, and Audio Devices 4
Performance and Maintenance 5
Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options 6
Accessibility Options 7
Add or Remove Programs 8
User Accounts 9

Exit Registry / Reboot

To further customize the items that appear in the new Control Panel, do a search of your system for all files that end in .cpl extension. If they aren't already listed, you can add them with a new DWORD value and then assign them to a category of your choosing.

27. Enable/Disable Run Commands Specific to the Registry

This tweak controls the use of the Run command on the local machine

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Policies\Explorer

Create a DWORD value of Data Type REG_DWORD for each Run function that will be disabled.

Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableLocalMachineRun]
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableLocalMachineRunOnce]

Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableCurrentUserRun]
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableCurrentUserRunOnce]

Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]

Exit Registry / Reboot

28. Enable/Disable System Properties Access from My Computer

This tweak removes access to System Properties via My Computer as well as via Control Panel.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoPropertiesMyComputer]
Value Data: [0 - Display Properties / 1 - Hide Properties]

Exit Registry / Reboot

29. Uninstall Programs Manually

Just because Windows XP has the Add/Remove Programs feature it doesn't mean your application will appear in the list. Furthermore, even if it does appear, it's no guarantee that the uninstall feature will work. When you run across one of these situations the items listed below will help in getting rid of the application. Be aware that these steps may not remove everything associated with the application and can impact other applications on the computer. Have a backup or restore point and use caution.

Find the directory for the application and delete all the files in the directory. Delete the directory.

Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.

Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.

To remove the application entry from Add/Remove Programs (if present) open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.

Some applications have Services attached to them. If this is the case, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services, locate and delete the service.

In Windows Explorer, navigate to the individual user settings and delete program references. Common places to check would be:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.

C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.

[Do this for each User ID listed]

C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.

[Do this for each User ID listed]

If no entries were found in the previous step and the application launches automatically, navigate to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows

and delete the entry.

30. Create a right-click command prompt option

You can right-click a folder to get a list of actions you can apply to it. Here?s a way to create an action on that right-click menu that opens a command prompt window with that folder as the current directory. In a text editor such as Notepad, type the following exactly:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Cmd Here]

@=?Command &Prompt Here?

[HKEY_CLASSES-ROOT\Folder\shell\Cmd Here\command]

@=?cmd.exe /k pushd %L?

Save the file with any name you want, with a .reg extension. Then double-click the saved file and choose Yes to merge the file?s information into the Registry. You can delete the file. Right-click any folder and you?ll see the CommandPrompt Here option.

31. Adjusting System Restore values

The new System Restore feature in Windows XP automatically backs up a snapshot of your system, including your Registry, every 24 hours. It also saves restore points for 90 days. Neither of these values is directly editable in the System Restore program, but you can change them in the Registry. Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore

You?ll find an assortment of settings here. To change the interval between automatically created restore points, change the RPGlobalInterval setting. To change the number of days that a restore point is retained, change the RPLifeInterval setting.

System Restore time intervals are measured in seconds, not days, so you must convert the number of days you want into seconds. There are 86,400 seconds in a day, so multiply 86,400 by the number of days you want to determine the value. (There are 3,600 seconds in an hour, I hope you know)

32. Erase the swap file at shutdown

You might be concerned about someone browsing your users? swap files and gathering up little bits of their sensitive data. A remote possibility, to be sure, but it could happen. For that extra measure of security, go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Set the ClearPageFileAtShutdown DWORD to 1. This will make shutdowns take longer, because it overwrites everything in the swap file with zeroes. Don?t turn this feature on unless you have a serious security threat.

33. Delete the Files Stored on This Computer category in the My Computer window

In Windows XP, the My Computer window?s listing is broken down by categories: Hard Disk Drives, Devices with Removable Storage, and so on. One of these categories is Files Stored on This Computer, which appears at the top of the My Computer window. If a user doesn?t need it , you can get rid of it. To do so, go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\
NameSpace\Delegate Folders

Delete the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c55595fe6b30ee} subkey to remove the category.

34. Change the desktop cleanup frequency

Through Display Properties (Desktop tab, Customize Desktop button, General tab), you can turn on and off a feature that runs the Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days. You don?t have an option to set a different interval there, but you can change the interval in the Registry. To do so, go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\CleanupWiz

Change the Days Between Clean Up Value to some other number of days (in decimal format).

35. Sort menus alphabetically

When you install a new program for a user, it doesn?t find its place in the alphabetical Start menu hierarchy right away; it hangs out at the bottom for a little while. If your users employ the Classic Start menu, they can re-alphabetize it manually by right-clicking the taskbar and choosing Properties, clicking the Customize button next to the Classic Start Menu, and clicking the Sort button. With the Windows XP style of Start menu, however, you don?t have an equivalent button. To make Windows always alphabetize the list, remove the permissions from the Registry key that controls the sort order for the Start menu. To do so, go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder

Choose Edit | Permissions and click the Advanced button. Deselect the Inherit From Parent The Permission Entries That Apply To Child Objects check box and then click Copy when the Security dialog box pops up. Click OK and clear the Full Control entry for your account and all security groups you are a member of. Leave only Read permission.

36. Prevent programs from loading at startup

Remember back in the good old days of Windows 3.1 when you could open up the Win.ini file in a text editor and remove an item from the RUN= line to disable it from running at startup? With Windows 9x and above, the Win.ini file became less useful because 32-bit programs were set to run at startup from within the Registry instead.

One way to selectively disable programs from loading at startup is to use MSCONFIG (from the Run command) to deselect certain items. Another way to remove them is to edit the Registry directly. Consider the following locations:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

for applications that start up for all users

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

for applications that start up when the current user logs on

Remove the entry for a program by right-clicking it and selecting Delete to prevent it from loading.

37. Change categories in the Control Panel

Windows XP?s Control Panel is broken down by category in the default Category view, but the group to which an item belongs is not always obvious. If you disagree with Microsoft?s assignments, you can switch them around. To assign a different category to an item, go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Extended Properties\
{305CA226-D286-468e-B848-2B2E8E697B74} 2

Find the item you want to change and double-click it to bring up a dialog box. Change the item?s DWORD value to your preference. Use the Table given below as a guide (shown with decimal numbers, which is the way you should enter them).

DWORD value to set

Other Control Panel Options 0

Appearance and Themes 1

Printers and Other Hardware 2

Network and Internet Connections 3

Sounds, Speed, and Audio Devices 4

Performance and Maintenance 5

Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options 6

Accessibility Options 7

Add or Remove Programs 8

User Accounts 9

38. Grouping multiple open windows

Windows XP will group multiple open windows (IE windows for example) into one group on the task bar to keep the taskbar clear. This can be annoying at times - especially when comparing different web pages because you have to go back to the task bar, click on the group and then click on the page you want and then you only get one page because you have to click on each one separately. I think the default for this is 8 windows - any combination of apps or utilities open.

You can modify this behavior by adding this registry key at:

HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\

add a Dword value of type REG_DWORD named [TaskbarGroupSize]

modify "TaskbarGroupSize" entry to be the number of windows you want open before XP starts to group them on the task bar.

A value of 2 will cause the Taskbar buttons to always group

Another tweak is to disable or enable recent documents history. This can be done at:

HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\

this key should already be present - if it isn't you'll need to add it:

Add a Binary value of type REG_BINARY named [NoRecentDocsHistory]

modify it so that value reads 01 00 00 00

39. Disable Tips

To disable Ballon tips in Windows XP do this registry tweak

Go to : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Create a new DWORD value, name it EnableBalloonTips, and set it equal to 0. If EnableBalloonTips is already there and equal to 1, set it equal to 0. Quit the registry editor, log off, and log back on. Voila! Your computer will stop talking down to you.

40. Add/Remove optional features of Windows XP

To dramatically expand the list of applications you can remove from Windows XP after installation, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf and open the sysoc.inf file. {Opps , if you didn?t find the inf directory, you are right. It?s a hidden folder, so go to Tools>Folder Options> View , enable Show Hidden Files & Folders.}

[Version]

Signature = "$Windows NT$"

DriverVer=07/01/2001,5.1.2600.0

[Components]

NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4

WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7

Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7

Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7

NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7

iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7

com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7

dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7

IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7

TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2

msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6

ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7

fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7

AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7

RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7

IEAccess=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,ieaccess.inf,,7

Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7

AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7

CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7

MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7

AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7

Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7

MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7

ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7

[Global]

WindowTitle=%WindowTitle%

WindowTitle.StandAlone="*"

The entries that include the text hide or HIDE will not show up in Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, do a global search and replace for ,hide and change each instance of this to , (a comma). Then, save the file, re launch Add/Remove Windows Components,

41. Remove Windows Messenger

It seems that a lot of people are interested in removing Windows Messenger for some reason, though I strongly recommend against this: In Windows XP, Windows Messenger will be the hub of your connection to the .NET world, and now that this feature is part of Windows, I think we're going to see a lot of .NET Passport-enabled Web sites appearing as well. But if you can't stand the little app, there are a couple of ways to get rid of it, and ensure that it doesn't pop up every time you boot into XP. The best way simply utilizes the previous tip:

If you'd like Windows Messenger to show up in the list of programs you can add and remove from Windows, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf and open sysoc.inf (see the previous tip for more information about this file). You'll see a line that reads:

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7

Change this to the following and Windows Messenger will appear in Add or Remove Programs, then Add/Remove Windows Components, then , and you can remove it for good:

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7

42. Rename multiple files ( it is not a Registry tweak though. I thought this to be really cool, so I have put it here)

A new, small, neat feature for Windows XP deals with renaming files. I personally have always wanted the OS to include a way to do a mass file renaming on a bunch of files. You can now rename multiple files at once .Its really simple:

Select several files in Explorer, press F2 and rename one of those files to something else. All the selected files get renamed to the new file name (plus a number added to the end).

Linking Your Xbox To Your Computer

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:58:00 +0000

I. Introduction

Some basics and assumptions (the more you know, the more you UNDERSTAND):

Crossover cable: A crossover cable is needed to directly connect your computer and Xbox. You would plug one end of the cable to your computer and the other end into the Xbox, there are no devices in between. If you have a hub, switch, or router you will not need a crossover cable though some still will work with one. With connecting to hubs, switches, or routers you should use a straight-through cable. The image below shows the difference between the two:

To easily tell if you have a crossover or not, simply look at the two ends side by side. If all the pins, 1 through 8 on both ends are all the same color in the same order, you have a straight-through cable. If pins 1, 3 and 2, 6 are swapped you have a crossover cable. Notice the TX, RX as well. This shows why in pc to pc connections a crossover is required. Otherwise one pc will be transmitting over the same wire the other pc is trying to transmit on.

This guide currently gives configuration examples for setting up an FTP connection with Evox, Avalaunch, MXM, or UnleashX as your dash. It is also recommended to use FlashFXP as your FTP client though many others will work just fine.
You do not NEED an internet connection to FTP to your Xbox. When you ftp to your Xbox from a computer in your house to the Xbox in your house, no packets (data) need to go out to the internet and they shouldn't even try. The tricky part is when you want to be able to access the internet and ftp to your Xbox at the same time. How this is done and how difficult it is depends on the devices you have.
I will not list every baby step involved for how to set things, like every mouse click required. If you're not sure how to do something I've said to configure, see number 5 below.
If something is said in this guide that you don't understand or don't know how to accomplish it, try google. It is a search engine at http://www.google.com
For example, if I say "Run a command prompt" but don't mention how; don't go immediately posting in the forums asking how you run a command prompt. First, try searching in google, "how to run command prompt windows xp". I'm willing to bet you'll get your answer faster. Another example, just so we're clear, if I say "turn off your winxp firewall", you may search in google, "how to turn off windows xp firewall". Again, I'm betting your answer will come faster.
This guide now has configuration diagrams to help anyone having difficulty understanding the configuration examples I discuss. Some people simply do better with visuals. The key for the diagrams is provided below:

II. Configuration Examples
Find the configuration that best matches what you have. Reading them all anyway could help your understanding.

1. Computer Direct Connection to Xbox
In this configuration you have your computer and Xbox directly connected. This direct connection can either be with the crossover cable, or with a straight-through cable to a hub/switch and then another straight-through cable from the hub/switch to your Xbox. Both are 'direct' connections.

2. Computer with two NICs
In this configuration you have two NICs. One possibly going to a router or a cable or DSL modem, the other you wish to make a direct connection to your Xbox with. You also have the option of configuring your Xbox for live, xbconnect, or xlink by enabling it to get out to the internet through your computer.

3. Computer with one NIC and a router
In this configuration you should have your computer and Xbox connected to the router. The router's WAN port goes to your cable, DSL modem, or otherwise out to the internet.

PRE SETUP: Before you begin setting up your configurations you should cable everything up properly. Make sure your Xbox is booted up with the dash loaded as well so you can test the settings you will put in. If you are loading your dash from a CD or DVD, any changes you need to make to the evox.ini, avalaunch.xml, config.xml or mxm.xml you will need to re-burn onto the disk then reboot your Xbox with your new boot disk. When making changes to the evox network settings when booting evox from the hard drive, make sure you scroll all the way down when you are finished and select save and exit.
Setting up Configuration 1
This is the simplest setup. Even if you have one of the other configurations, if you are experiencing problems you can always try this to help troubleshoot. This configuration can be setup in two different ways as showed in the Configuration 1a and Configuration 1b diagrams.

Evolution X Dashboard
Basically you can setup the [Network] Section of your evox.ini to look like this:

[Network]
SetupNetwork = Yes
StaticIP = Yes
Ip = 192.168.0.3
Subnetmask = 255.255.255.0
Defaultgateway =
DNS1 = 0.0.0.0
DNS2 = 0.0.0.0

You may also have SkipifNoLink and you can set that to No. Also verify your [FTP] Section looks like this:

[FTP]
Enable = Yes
Password = xbox
IGR = No

MXM Dashboard

If you use MXM as your dash in your MXM.xml file you would want the section to look something like this:

false
192.168.0.3
0.0.0.0
0.0.0.0
255.255.255.0

Also just verify there should be an FTPServer section that looks like this:

21
False
F:

xbox
xbox

Avalaunch Dashboard

192.168.0.3
255.255.255.0
0.0.0.0
0.0.0.0
0.0.0.0

10.0.0.1
8080

Also for Avalaunch make sure you set the username to this:

UnleashX Dashboard

For UnleashX, edit the config.xml file to look like this:

192.168.0.3
255.255.255.0
0.0.0.0
0.0.0.0
0.0.0.0
Yes

Also make sure the FTP section in UnleashX is all enabled (which is by default) so it should look like this:

xbox
xbox
21
2
No
Welcome to XBOX FTP Server

If you boot evox with these settings you can verify your Xbox has the correct IP either by looking on a skin that displays it or in settings it will display it in blue text up top. You can also look in the other dashes if you have an IP, if not right on the front screen (via whatever skin you have) then under a settings sub menu. If you see No Link or No IP! Then either one of these settings is wrong, you don’t have it connected to your computer with the correct settings yet, or your crossover cable is bad.

Now on your computer go to the properties of the NIC that has a crossover cable connected to the Xbox. Click on the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and then properties. Enter the following:

IP Address: 192.168.0.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway:
DNS:
That's it. Simple huh? Now set up your FTP Client. For FlashFXP, install the program and run it. Click on "Site Manager" then click to create a new site. Name it Xbox or whatever and for the IP enter 192.168.0.3, verify the port is 21. The username and password are both "xbox", all lower-case and without the quotes. Go to options and uncheck any check marks on PASV or passive mode if you are using Evox. If you are using one of the other dashes you can leave PASV checked. Apply the settings and connect.

If you have your one NIC connection to the internet and just want to unplug that connection and plug in a crossover to your Xbox when you want to FTP there is an awesome way to automate changing your NIC settings from how they need to be set for the internet and how they need to be set for the crossover to the Xbox. Luckily someone has a perfect tutorial for that and its here: http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/switch-network.php

If you use Windows XP you shouldn’t even need to bother with making those scripts. If your one NIC is set to use dhcp for the internet and when you connect it to your Xbox you always change it to a static address you can enter that address in the Alternate Configuration tab of your NIC. So if you go to your NIC properties then select TCP/IP and hit properties you should see two tabs, a General tab and an Alternate Configuration tab. The General tab you would leave set for dhcp so when you plug into the internet it would work. The alternate tab you would enter settings needed to be connected to your Xbox. Now when you switch your internet connection to the crossover cable of the Xbox windows should detect your dhcp network is down and try using the configuration in the alternate tab automatically. In this way you never have to change your NIC settings even though you are changing from a dhcp internet connection to a static direct to Xbox connection.

If you are having problems connecting still please read the Troubleshooting Section.

Setting up Configuration 2

The configuration 2 diagram above shows the most common setup you would have with 2 NICs in your PC. The only difference between this and configuration 1 is that the second NIC would have a connection to the internet for you. Chances are this NIC to the internet is getting a public DHCP address like 64.238.121.12, or any such number. If this NIC goes to a router, you may wish to read configuration 3 and you may not need your second NIC at all. So when the NIC gets DHCP like this it is automatically assigned an ip, subnet, gateway, dns, etc. so you don't need to do anything else to it. The only "gotcha" with this configuration is that when you configure your second NIC that goes direct to the Xbox you may configure it in such a way that your computer tries to access the internet through that NIC instead of the correct one with the public DHCP. This is a routing issue and one way to ensure this doesn't happen is to configure the NIC with the connection to your Xbox exactly as in configuration 1, specifically making note that you DO NOT enter a gateway address. Your Xbox itself can also be setup just as in configuration 1. Refer to the Troubleshooting section if you are having problems and yet are set up as I described.

So if you connect one of your NICs to a router in this configuration you may be getting an internal IP like 192.168.x.x instead of an external IP address. If this is the case make sure the NIC that goes out to the Xbox is not given an IP address on the same subnet as the NIC going to your router. For example, when the NIC going to your router and out to the internet is getting an IP of 192.168.1.x and has a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 and the gateway on this NIC is the IP address of the router, then set the IP address of the NIC going to your Xbox to 192.168.0.x with a subnet of 255.255.255.0 and don't enter a gateway. Then make your Xbox have an IP address on the 192.168.0.x range, and again a gateway would not be needed.

**Advanced Option** If for some reason you would like both your NICs on the same subnet then you can still force the one going internet to be used by default for everything and the one going to the Xbox to only be used when connecting to the static IP of your Xbox. Open up a command prompt and type 'route print'. With route print you can see what route your data packets will take to try to access the internet or your Xbox. What you can do is manually add a route that tells your computer that anytime it tries sending anything to 192.168.0.3 it should use the NIC with the direct connection the Xbox, not the one that goes out to the internet. To do this run the route print command. The first thing you'll see is an interface list. It'll say something like:

Interface List 0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface 0x2 ...00 06 5b b8 e3 33 ...... 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet Controller 0x3 ...00 02 2d 26 2c 74 ...... Dell TrueMobile 1150 Series Wireless LAN Mini PCI Card
So in this case the NIC going to the Xbox is 0x2, which would be IF 2 in the command. To add the static route follow this pattern:

route ADD 157.0.0.0 MASK 255.0.0.0 157.55.80.1 METRIC 3 IF 2
destination^ ^mask ^gateway metric^ ^Interface

So in our example you would type:

route -p add 192.168.0.3 mask 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.2 METRIC 1 IF 2
to remove this at any time you would just type:

route delete 192.168.0.3
The other option you have if you want your Xbox to get out to the internet through your computer’s internet connection is to set up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on your computer. How to set this is up a good thing to google search. You can also try this page: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/connect/windowsics.htm for good details. Once set up the only thing to change is to put a gateway address in your evox.ini, avalaunch.xml, or mxm.xml file which should be your computer’s IP address, so the gateway you would use is 192.168.1.1 since that is probably what ICS will set your NICs IP address to.

Setting up Configuration 3

This is sort of like configuration 2 but instead of your NIC getting a public DHCP address it should be getting an internal private DHCP address. This address can be anything within this range: The blocks are 10.0.0.0. to 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255, and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255.

There are very high chances your router is giving out addresses somewhere in 192.168.0.x or 192.168.1.x If this is the case your computer should be successfully getting its DHCP address from your router and if you can plug your Xbox into that router as well then just change your evox.ini to have StaticIP = No. So in our first configuration example you would just have to change the files to be this:

Evolution X Dashboard
[Network]
SetupNetwork = Yes
StaticIP = No
Ip = 192.168.0.3
Subnetmask = 255.255.255.0
Defaultgateway =
DNS1 = 0.0.0.0
DNS2 = 0.0.0.0

Once you set StaticIP to be No, the ip, subnet, gateway, and dns values are no longer used. You can boot your Xbox and see what IP it is getting from DHCP and simply FTP to that address.

You can also still have your Xbox use a static ip so that you always no its IP address, even with a router that gives out DHCP. Just make sure the static IP you give it is on the same subnet as the DHCP addresses it is giving out. To do that, make your evox.ini like this:

[Network]
SetupNetwork = Yes
StaticIP = Yes
Ip = 192.168.0.3
Subnetmask = 255.255.255.0
Defaultgateway = 192.168.0.1
DNS1 = 0.0.0.0
DNS2 = 0.0.0.0

Here you've changed static ip back to yes and your gateway address should be the address of your router now. If your router is on a different subnet and by that I mean its ip is 192.168.1.1 and it is giving out dhcp address's of 192.168.1.x then you would make your evox.ini reflect those differences like this:

[Network]
SetupNetwork = Yes
StaticIP = Yes
Ip = 192.168.1.3
Subnetmask = 255.255.255.0
Defaultgateway = 192.168.1.1
DNS1 = 0.0.0.0
DNS2 = 0.0.0.0

MXM Dashboard

If you run MXM as your dash and want to use DHCP then the MXM.xml file's section should look like this:

True

255.255.255.0

Avalaunch Dashboard

If you run Avalaunch as your dash and want to use DHCP then make the section of the avalaunch.xml look like this.

192.168.0.180
255.255.255.0
192.168.0.1
195.159.0.100
195.159.0.200

10.0.0.1
8080

UnleashX Dashboard

For UnleashX, edit the config.xml file to look like this:

192.168.0.100
255.255.255.0
192.168.0.1
192.168.0.1
192.168.0.7
Yes

For all of the dash's configuration files, whenever you have them set to use DHCP, none of the other values you have defined below that are used. So if you have enabled DHCP then the IP address you see in the configuration file is NOT the one your Xbox will likely get. Also be careful if your router is giving out DHCP, and you want to give your Xbox a static IP so you know the IP address all the time then make sure whatever static IP you pick for your Xbox is not already an IP used by something else on your network given out by the router's DHCP range.

Xbox on the Internet

Do you want to…?

Access RSS news feeds on your Xbox
Successfully browse the internet with Linksboxs
Use a chat client from a dashboard
Anything else that requires the Xbox to get out to the internet
If these things aren’t working for you after setting up FTP to your Xbox following one of the above configurations then there could be a few reasons why. I’ll go over each configuration and describe what you MAY need to modify to get these working.

Configuration 1

With configuration 1a, you can NOT get out to the internet. You would need to either buy a router or another NIC for your PC. Once you’ve purchased one of those, your configuration will follow one of the others. With configuration 1b, you generally can NOT get out to the internet either. If you have this configuration and your PC can get out to the internet then it is probably getting a public IP address from your ISP. This assumes you have a hub or a switch and not a router. You can buy a router and then follow configuration 3, but if you don’t want any new hardware then you can probably only get your Xbox or computer on the internet one at a time. In other words when your computer has the IP from your service provider you can get on the internet. Then maybe you switch it to a private IP in order to FTP to the Xbox. Well to get your Xbox on the internet you’d have to get your Xbox that public IP from your service provider. Set your Xbox to use the same settings as your computer does to get that IP. If you aren’t using DHCP make sure you don’t forget to enter the DNS values otherwise addresses won’t resolve. Remember your computer should either have the private IP values or be turned off in order for your Xbox to successfully get the public IP from your service provider. Some ISPs will give you more than one public IP to use. If that is the case then your computer and Xbox can be on at the same time through the hub or switch.

Configuration 2

The last paragraph in configuration 2 from above describes using ICS to get your Xbox out to the internet. So this is the first step you would need to take. If you are using ICS and you have your Xbox set to use DHCP then it should be done. If, however, you have set your Xbox to a static IP and aren’t able to use linksboks or get the news feeds then chances are you are simply missing the DNS values. Go to a command prompt on your PC that can access the internet and run ‘ipconfig /all’ without the quotes. Look for the NIC that has the connection to the internet and look at the DNS values it has. Whatever they are, use those values in the static configuration of your dashboards network settings. So if you look at the examples I’ve given, most of the DNS values are either blank or set to 0.0.0.0. Just take the DNS IP’s from the ipconfig /all and replace the 0.0.0.0 in the Xbox configuration file with those new values. Save, reboot, and you should be all set.

Configuration 3

This configuration is very easy to get working as well. Again, if you are using DHCP on your Xbox then you shouldn’t be having any problems. If you are using a static IP in this configuration then, just like configuration 2, you are probably only missing the correct DNS values. Follow the same procedure as in configuration 2 to get the DNS values filled into your dash configuration file.

Other ways to Connect

There are a few other ways to connect to your Xbox without using an ftp client. I'd like to mention them here just to cover the 'networking' your Xbox topic but I'll link to the guides/tutorials that I think cover the connection the best. Also, all these other connections still use the ftp protocol, I'll cover telnet later.

You can map a network place on your computer to your Xbox so instead of needing to fire up an ftp app you could just go to windows explorer or a shortcut on your desktop to double-click and there is all your Xbox. Two tutorials have already been written that explain how to do this in Windows XP and Windows 2000.
For winxp: http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/map-xp.php
For win2000: http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/evoguide6.php - This guide uses webdrive to accomplish this on Windows 2000. Some other software I think would work as well is Internet Neighborhood Pro and FTP Desktop but I've tried none of them so can't recommend one over the other. If you find any freeware app that will provide this functionality let me know and I will try it out and add it here.

You can ftp to your Xbox direct from your web browser. Basically in your web browser instead of putting in http://www.website.com you would put in something like ftp://xbox:xbox@ and it should open right up to the contents of your Xbox folder structure. Nice and simple, no third party ftp client needed. A good guide for this can be found here: FTP using Internet Explorer and be sure to read the rest of the thread for some tips and answers to questions. There is also a tutorial on the tutorials page here: http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/ftp-ie.php. Please keep in mind this functionality is not limited to Internet Explorer only. Most browsers support typing in ftp:// instead of http:// if you want to ftp. I use the Opera browser and can connect the same way. If you ever forget the format to use to send the username and password in the address bar you can also (at least with IE and Opera) connect just by typing ftp:// and then you should get a pop up box prompting you for the username and password.
Xbox to Xbox Transfers

If you have two Xbox's and want to transfer directly between them there are a few ways to do it. For any way your Xbox's still need network connectivity between each other. You could set them up just like configuration 1 from above or even hook them up to a router and use DHCP.

If you use Avalaunch as your dashboard then the easiest way for you would be to use the File Manager that is built in. When you launch the file manager click start and select switch to remote. Move over to the right side now (which is the remote side) and hit start again. Now select add FTP Server. Enter the IP address info of your other Xbox. Once this is setup you should then be able to switch back and forth between local and remote sides and transfer your files.

If you don't have Avalaunch as your dash you can run a program called XB-FTP. This program you would launch as an app from one Xbox and it your FTP Client. The other Xbox you would leave booted into whatever dash you run and it would be the FTP Server. There is another application you can run on your Xbox called xToolbox. You can use this app to transfer between two Xbox's as well just go into its file manager once it loads and it should be self explanatory for you. Just make sure you edit the host.ini file with the applicable IP address's for your local and remote Xbox. If you have a PC you can also use the FXP method that is detailed here: http://forum.psxcare.com/support/showthrea...p?threadid=7239

You don't have to use XBMP, you can use any dash that supports PASV for this method.

Troubleshooting

First is to verify you are communicating with your Xbox. Run a command prompt and ping your Xbox IP address. In our example that would be 'ping 192.168.0.3'. Also, If you seem to have a connection that gets dropped every so often try to ping like this: 'ping -l 1024 -t 192.168.0.3', this will continuously ping your Xbox with 1024 bytes. Hit ctrl-c to end it. If you get any timed out then maybe you need a new Ethernet cable somewhere. If you can ping try a. and b. below, if you can't ping read that and the rest.

If you can ping but still have problems with FTP, make sure PASV is disabled in your FTP client if evox is your dash. Go to the help for your ftp client to figure out how to do it if you don't know how.

Make sure any firewall programs you run are turned off. Especially if you run Windows XP there is a default firewall that may be on. Its in the advanced properties of your NIC where you can uncheck the box for it to verify it isn't on. Also even if you think you disabled a firewall it could still be blocking ports. Crap Software firewall can behave this way. It does this to ensure no virus or rogue program can disable it. Instead of disabling Crap Software just add the IP address of your Xbox or even the entire subnet as Trusted. Then it will allow packets through.

If you can't ping make sure you check 1b, but also make sure you are using the correct Ethernet cables for your setup. Refer to the basics above about the crossover cable. Try pinging your local computer with these commands: 'ping 127.0.0.1' and 'ping localhost'. If you can ping these it's a good sign your TCP stack and driver for your NIC are loaded properly. If these do not ping correctly the first thing to try is to reload the driver for your NIC or search the manufacturer's website for an updated driver.

Try different ftp clients or make sure you are using the latest version of the client you have, especially if you are using the EvolutionX dashboard make sure you try FlashFXP if you are experiencing any problems.

Make sure you have the video cable plugged into the back of your Xbox (problem experienced by ndiguy). Note: the video cable doesn't have to be connected to your TV but does need to be connected to the back of the Xbox.

Run a sanity check if all else fails... make sure the settings you think are in your evox.ini are actually there. Run a command prompt on your pc and type 'ipconfig /all'. This will list all the settings all the NICs on your computer have. Verify they are all what you think they should be. When posting in the forums for more help try to include these two things in your post, it's a good first step.

If you get No Link! when you boot your Xbox make sure it is set to static ip. Verify the computer or whatever you have it connected to is booted up first and set up correctly. Then boot or reboot the Xbox. Make sure the cable and other hardware you are using is good. As a last resort, maybe your Xbox NIC is bad and needs replacing.

“I have two Xbox’s at home and two separate Xbox live accounts, but when they both try to play live at the same time one always gets booted or disconnected, what’s going on?” There could be a number of things but if you’ve checked everything else and think your network is all good, etc then whatever router you have these connected to could be handling PAT (port address translation) incorrectly. I know for a fact the current Linksys products will not handle this configuration properly. I also know that the Dlink DI-614 does handle this correctly and so would work with this configuration. If you have a different brand router and have this configuration let me know if it works or not for you so I can make a good list of who handles PAT correctly and who doesn’t.

Nothing seems to work for you? Post your problem on the Xbox-scene forums. In your post try giving as much info as needed. Describe how you have things physically connected. Post the network section of your dash’s configuration. Post an ipconfig /all from your computer (or just all IP information). Post any specific error messages you get, especially an FTP log if you can ping your Xbox but just can’t seem to login. Post what software you use on the Xbox and your PC. Finally, make a new thread for your problem, don’t post as a reply to someone else’s problem and don’t just PM someone you think will help.
FTP Speed Issues

Once people start using FTP the next problem they may have is the speed being too slow. The key to addressing this issue is to try everything! Change your configuration, change software, use every combination of my suggestions below. The more you do the better chance something will reveal itself as the culprit to your slow speeds. Here is a common list of things to check to help improve your speed:

Try the extended ping from number 1 in the troubleshooting section. If you get some replies and some timed outs during that ping this could slow down your speed. Replace your cable(s), update driver(s), try different NIC, etc.

In the advanced properties of your NIC you should be able to find the settings for the speed and duplex of your card. Change these settings and see if some combination gives you better speed than others. Start with speed of 100 and full duplex and cycle through 100/half, 10/full, 10/half.

Check how much free space you have on the PARTITION you are ftp'ing to. If you have an 80GB hard drive and it says you have 20GB left, that doesn't mean you have 20GB of free space left on that partition. That partition could have very little space left while another partition has 18GB left. There are some reports that with <2GB of space FTP speed drops. This is probably one of the most common issues with speed and ftp in general.

If you are using a wireless or usb NIC setup try going wired with standard Ethernet to see if that narrows down the problem for you. And if you were using DHCP try assigning a static IP to your Xbox instead. Also try changing the channel that your wireless is currently communicating on. There could be more interference slowing down your speeds on a certain channel. At least try channels 1, 6, and 11.

Try different software on both ends... experiment. All configurations will be different. Try different FTP clients, updating FTP clients and even try using a different ftp server on the Xbox. One post on the forums suggested that switches from Evox to nexgen increased ftp speeds to the F: drive. The Avalaunch dash seems to be a pretty stable and fast FTP Server as well.

Try different hardware... don't overlook this! For example, if you have a hub, try a new one or better yet get a switch.

If you are using FlashFXP (or maybe try this with any client), some forum posts have suggested that by changing the transfer packet size from 4096 to 2048 you could see a speed increase. Some people run fine at 4096 but I know of at least one instance where changing this value to 2048 has helped tremendously.

Suggestions from ILLusionsOfGrander member on xbox-scene:
Make sure the NIC on your PC is not just a 10 mbit NIC but a 10/100 mbit NIC. Using a 10/100 NIC as opposed to just a 10 can definitely increase transfer rates
If you go to the advanced settings of the NIC in your PC, some cards have a "Early TX Threshold" value. Upping this value from its default can also increase speeds. The example given was with a Dlink card and its default value was 8 and changed to 38. This increased the speed from 6500 kBps to 11000 kBps.
Wireless Xbox

I've noticed a few posts about how to get the Xbox on a wireless network so figured I'd touch on the subject here and give my thoughts on hardware to accomplish such a thing. First thing to consider is whether you want to use 802.11b or 802.11g. Discounting any other deciding factor you may have, and focusing solely on Xbox functionality, if you want to use your Xbox for ftp transfers and to play Xbox live then you'll be fine with 802.11b. If you think you'll want to stream movies or music to it and will want to do a lot of large (over 100mb) ftp transfers you'll want to go with 802.11g. With that...

There are two setups you can use to communicate with your Xbox wirelessly. The first and least common way would be in an ad-hoc fashion. This would be the exact same as using a crossover cable from the Xbox to your pc just without the actual cable. Basically your computer would have some sort of a wireless card whether USB, PCI, or if it's a laptop then a PCMCIA or mini-PCI. For your Xbox you would get a wireless to Ethernet bridge (I'll mention brands in the next paragraph) and basically just RTFM for how to set it up in ad-hoc mode to communicate to the wireless card in your computer. Again, this would be like using a crossover cable, only your computer and Xbox would communicate with each other.

The most popular way which most people would want to implement is with a wireless access point/router. From Linksys if you decided to go with 802.11b you could get model BEFW11S4, if you want 802.11g the WRT54G. From Dlink for 802.11b the DI-614+ is a good one and for 802.11g the DI-624. Now to get your Xbox to communicate wirelessly with one of these access point/routers you would need a wireless to Ethernet Bridge for it. From Linksys for 802.11b you could get a WET11 and for 802.11g the WET54G. From Dlink for 802.11b the DWL-810+ and for 802.11g the DWL-G810. From here it's really just a matter of reading the manual's (if you even need to) to get these bridges to associate to the SSID of your access point.

Now I'd like to say don't think these are the only products that work. There are many other companies with products that do the exact same thing. I just listed the most common of the ones I'd recommend using and if you look up the product you'll get an idea of what to look for from other companies. I'm also not a fan of the MS wireless Ethernet bridge devices. Currently, from what I've seen you need to configure it from the MS dash and with a modified Xbox this isn't always a good thing. However, obviously they will work just fine so feel free to check them out too.

Use an Email Client with GMail.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:53:00 +0000

Gmail's POP3 access lets you leverage third-party Email Clients like Outlook or Thunderbird, giving you the flexibility you want. Read on to see some quick tips inspired by "Edwin" and "Zavie" on configuring and accessing Gmail's POP3 access...

POP3 email clients are common, handy tools to enable you to manage your email online or offline. Here are several examples:

1. Outlook Express
Outlook Express is included with just about every Windows installation. Setup is simple, and though its interface is basic, it works well with Gmail.

2. Outlook (various versions)
I used Outlook 2003, and it worked like a charm with Gmail. It's robust, a business standard, and you have all of Outlooks advanced features available to you. The only down side is that for the personal user, it can be expensive, either standalone or as part of Microsoft Office.

3. Thunderbird
Thunderbird is an excellent solution. It's Open Source, free, cross-platform compatible, very stable, and feature-rich. I used the "Portable Thunderbird" version because of its portability, and it worked very well. For personal users, Thunderbird has probably more features than you will ever need.

4. Other Email Clients
Just about any modern POP mail client whould work, provided ot allows SSL connections. There are numerous examples that can be found with a Google search.

In all cases, the key to setting up your email client to work with Gmail is to ensure that you can connect using a Secure SSL Connection. These settings are typically found in the client's Accounts settings screens where you must define specific ports to access Gmail's POP3 server. Gmail has an excellent Help section that details the setup for most popular POP3 email clients. This is found by clicking the "Configuration instructions" link found in the "Forward and POP" screen of Gmail's settings.

OK. To setup Gmail to allow POP3 access, click on the "Settings" link in the upper right of any Gmail page. Next, click on the "Forwarding and POP" tab. Depending on how much email you want to manage via POP, choose the appropriate selection:

1. "Enable POP for all mail"
This will let you download all messages you have in your email account as well as any new email that arrives.

2. "Enable POP only for mail that arrives from now on"
This option lets you download only new email that arrives since the time you activate the POP setting.

The second setting, "When messages are accessed with POP" lets you determine how Gmail will handle the messages you download. How you use your email client and Gmail wuill determine the setting you want:

1. "keep Gmail's copy in the Inbox"
This option will leave all new email in Gmail's Inbox with "read settings" intact. This means that regardless of when you use your email client to receive messages, Gmail's Web client settings will always remain independent. Email messages are retained in your Gmail account. If you rely mostly on the Web client and use a POP3 clinet only occasionally, then this is the setting of choice. Think of this as a "parallel" setup with messages managed on both sides.

2. "archive Gmail's copy"
This option will automatically "Archive" the message (remove it from the Inbox and retain it in Gmail's All Mail view) when you download it using your email client. This is useful when you use your email client more then Gmail's Web client. The advantage of this setting is that it leaves the message on Gmail's server as a backup. You still have full Web access should you ever want to use Gmail's Web client.

3. "trash Gmail's copy"
This option deletes the email from Gmail's server once the message is successfully downloaded to your email client. This is useful if you use an email client exclusively, and don't want any email retained on Gmail's server.

Once you have selected your appropriate settings, click the "Save Changes" button. When you fire up your configured email client and receive messages, they will be downloaded seamlessly!

Back up your GMail.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:52:00 +0000

Gmail is an excellent service, but I sometimes get concerned about the security of keeping all my messages in one place. It's not a "privacy" concern, but a "data integrity" concern: If my Gmail account somehow gets corrupted or blown away, I don't have anything to fall back on...until now. By simply using Gmail's POP3 access, you can download your entire account for offline storage! Read on for some instructions and Tips inspired by "Edwin" and "Zavie" on backing up your entire Gmail account...

The thought of the possibility of losing over 3500 messages certinaly doesn't sit well with me, so I decided to investigate Gmail's POP Mail account options. By better understanding just how it works, you can leverage it to backup your entire Gmail account, and maintain that backup on an ongoing basis. I use the Gmail's Web interface exclusively because I like the flexibility of being able to access Gmail from wherever I am. But setting up an email client to automatically download any new email permits me to retain the Web access I love while maintaining a backup repository locally.

The first things to do are to activate Gmail's POP Download feature, and configure your POP3 email client to work with Gmail. See Gmail Tip #44: Using An Email Client for details.

This Tip has some repeated elements of that Tip, but it looks at using POP access from a different angle: Backups.

Here's the key to this Tip: In order to download ALL email from your account when you initiate a Send/Receive on your email client, you need to reset Gmail's POP settings. In Gmail's "Forwarding and POP" settings page, select the "Enable POP for all mail (even mail that's already been downloaded)" option and click the Save Changes button. This ensures that when you do your first download, ALL email will be sent.

If you have previoualy enabled POP Email, select the "Disable POP" and click the Save Changes button, and then re-select the "Enable POP for all mail (even mail that's already been downloaded)" option, and click the Save Changes button. This will reset Gmail's POP settings so that ALL email gets delivered via POP.

Please be aware of a few potential issues:

1. If you already have POP access enabled, resetting the account will re-download EVERYTHING, so you may end up with duplicates. Move any existing messages in your email client to a backup folder prior to resetting Gmail and downloading everyting.

2. If you are setting up yout email client for the first time and want to retain the email on Gmail's server, be sure that the setting "Delete email from server" in the Account setting is UNCHECKED, otherwise the email will be deleted from Gmail after it is downloaded.

3. When I initiated a Send/Receive session in both Outlook 2003 and Thunderbird (I didn't try Outlook Express) it only downloaded about 300-400 messages. Initiating another Send/Receive session downloaded another block of 300-400 messages. With over 3500 messages, I had to initiate about a dozen Send/Receive sessions, but when they all completed, everything downloaded. Over a broadband connection, it was quite fast.

4. When downloading with Outlook 2003, a number of the emails that were received had Today's date instead of the date the email was sent. It looks like this only applied to email that I sent, but I'll have to verify that--it was quite a few. The majority of messages, however, appear to have the proper dates. Thunderbird retained all dates properly.

Once all your Gmail messages are downloaded, your email client will be "synced" such that when you initiate additional send/receive sessions, only new email will download. To maintain the backup on an ongoing basis, just periodically initiate a send/receive session to bring in any new email. If you have a PC that is always connected to the Internet, leaving your email client running and setting your email client to auto-download any new messages will keep things always backed up locally nicely. If you use the email client as your primary method of Gmail access, then set the auto-download to something frequent like every 10 minutes. However, if you are using the email client like I do (as a backup tool) set the auto-download to initiate every few hours or just once or twice per day. In that case, you don't need to have it download frequently, just regularly.

Again, Gmail is an excellent service, but it's nice having the peace of mind that you can always have a backup.

Search for Ebooks and other files.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:53:00 +0000

Tired of websearching ? Want something to read ? You can find Ebooks (thousands of them) with this search..LIT files can be opened with Microsoft Reader (http://www.microsoft.com/reader/).

To see results; just write in the (http://www.google.com/) search engine the code:

filetype:lit lit (books|ebooks)

You can change the string to watever you want, ex. microsoft to adobe, iso to zip etc…

To see results; just write in the (http://www.google.com/) search engine the code:

inurl:microsoft filetype:iso

Notice I am only changing the word after the parent directory, change it to what you want and you will get a lot of stuff.

To see results; just write in the (http://www.google.com/) search engine the code:

"parent directory " /appz/ -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

And

"parent directory " DVDRip -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

And

"parent directory "Xvid -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

And

"parent directory " Gamez -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

And
"parent directory " MP3 -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

And

"parent directory " Name of Singer or album -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

Or

?intitle:index.of? mp3

You only need add the name of the song/artist/singer.
Example: ?intitle:index.of? mp3 jackson

Suppose you want a certain song to a singer and you can not find it; by this trick you can find the song in the original directory of the original web site.

To see results; just write in the (http://www.google.com/) search engine the code:

"index of/" "Top Gun" .mp3

This is a fabulous link. This is the secret link of the web site "Google" to search for any "Crack" you need.

Just write the following link in the address bar:

http://www.googlecrack.com/WWW/

Imagine that when you enter any web site, and you are surprised that when searching for any program in it you can not find it. By this fabulous trick, you can find the link for downloading any program in this site through any search engine.

For example, suppose you want to search for the program "Norton" in the web site www.download.com ; when you go to www.google.com and write the following code, you will be surprised that the "Google" search engine searches only in the site www.download.com. To do this:

Write in the address bar of the web browser this address: www.google.com.
When opening the web site; write in the search engine this code: "norton site: www.download.com", and press the button search or "ÃÈÍË".
As mentioned earlier: the code is easy, you just write in the place of the word "Norton"; any word you need to search for in the site followed in the code.
The code again is....
norton site:www.download.com

By the way, you can practice this code at any search engine.

Another trick is that you can force the search engine of the "Google" web site to search for a certain category like "Linux" topics. When you add any category after the Google link and write any thing in the search engine, you will surprised that the site searched for Linux only. For example, if you wrote the following code:
http://www.google.com/linux
As I mentioned in the code earlier, the site followed by the word "Linux". So the web site is forced for searching for the Linux topics only all over the internet.
By the way, don't forget to change "Top Gun" to any song you need to search for.

Search for Password for MySQL database.

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:37:00 +0000

This search brings up sites with "config.php" files. To skip the technical discussion, this configuration file contains both a username and a password for an SQL database. Most sites with forums run a PHP message base. This file gives you the keys to that forum, including FULL ADMIN access to the database. To see view the PHP files; there in lies the catch. Browsers are made to process the commands of PHP before display, so if no commands, nothing to show. You can't use that persay to get into the config file, but it would show potential threats if someone got into server anyway. (If that happens you're basically boned anyway, not much around that.

To see results; just write in the (http://www.google.com/) search engine the code:

intitle:index.of config.php

By the way, to know how to view the PHP file contents, you can use this code:

intitle:"Index of" phpinfo.php

Windows XP Startup and Performance Tweaks

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:35:00 +0000

Windows XP is now the predominant consumer OS of both gamers and power users. Sure, many of us still dual-boot with Win9x, because it is faster for many games, but the joy of a true 32-bit operating system with full consumer support is too much for many of us to remain loyal to NT 4.0 or Windows 2000. Now that Windows XP has matured past its infancy and many (but by far not all) of the bugs have been shaken out of it, Ars Technica brings you the first in a series of tweak guides for this illustrious and yet somewhat finicky OS.

This first guide aims to cover two main areas of contention: the boot process (sans the system services, which are an entire guide of their own) and a mishmash of general computing tweaks. The boot tweaks will be comprised of not only system settings, but also several under-utilized applications that can dramatically reduce load time. The general performance tweaks are simply various tweaks that do not quite fit in with the theme of this article, but still have a significant effect on system startup performance (because most any tweaks that one performs should have some kind of effect on the startup time of the system).

Before we begin, several pieces of laundry need to be aired out. To begin with, if you have already tweaked the services on the computer in question, please return them to the default settings. One of the applications I am recommending requires that several systems be enabled that most power users frequently disable (e.g., Task Scheduler). Once you have completed the tweaks mentioned in this guide, feel free to return said services back to your preferred settings, as they only need to be enabled for a short time.

DirectX explained

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:34:00 +0000

Ever wondered just what that enigmatic name means?

Gaming and multimedia applications are some of the most satisfying programs you can get for your PC, but getting them to run properly isn’t always as easy as it could be. First, the PC architecture was never designed as a gaming platform. Second, the wide-ranging nature of the PC means that one person’s machine can be different from another. While games consoles all contain the same hardware, PCs don’t: the massive range of difference can make gaming a headache.

To alleviate as much of the pain as possible, Microsoft needed to introduce a common standard which all games and multimedia applications could follow – a common interface between the OS and whatever hardware is installed in the PC, if you like. This common interface is DirectX, something which can be the source of much confusion.

DirectX is an interface designed to make certain programming tasks much easier, for both the game developer and the rest of us who just want to sit down and play the latest blockbuster. Before we can explain what DirectX is and how it works though, we need a little history lesson.

DirectX history
Any game needs to perform certain tasks again and again. It needs to watch for your input from mouse, joystick or keyboard, and it needs to be able to display screen images and play sounds or music. That’s pretty much any game at the most simplistic level.

Imagine how incredibly complex this was for programmers developing on the early pre-Windows PC architecture, then. Each programmer needed to develop their own way of reading the keyboard or detecting whether a joystick was even attached, let alone being used to play the game. Specific routines were needed even to display the simplest of images on the screen or play a simple sound.

Essentially, the game programmers were talking directly to your PC’s hardware at a fundamental level. When Microsoft introduced Windows, it was imperative for the stability and success of the PC platform that things were made easier for both the developer and the player. After all, who would bother writing games for a machine when they had to reinvent the wheel every time they began work on a new game? Microsoft’s idea was simple: stop programmers talking directly to the hardware, and build a common toolkit which they could use instead. DirectX was born.

How it works
At the most basic level, DirectX is an interface between the hardware in your PC and Windows itself, part of the Windows API or Application Programming Interface. Let’s look at a practical example. When a game developer wants to play a sound file, it’s simply a case of using the correct library function. When the game runs, this calls the DirectX API, which in turn plays the sound file. The developer doesn’t need to know what type of sound card he’s dealing with, what it’s capable of, or how to talk to it. Microsoft has provided DirectX, and the sound card manufacturer has provided a DirectX-capable driver. He asks for the sound to be played, and it is – whichever machine it runs on.

From our point of view as gamers, DirectX also makes things incredibly easy – at least in theory. You install a new sound card in place of your old one, and it comes with a DirectX driver. Next time you play your favourite game you can still hear sounds and music, and you haven’t had to make any complex configuration changes.

Originally, DirectX began life as a simple toolkit: early hardware was limited and only the most basic graphical functions were required. As hardware and software has evolved in complexity, so has DirectX. It’s now much more than a graphical toolkit, and the term has come to encompass a massive selection of routines which deal with all sorts of hardware communication. For example, the DirectInput routines can deal with all sorts of input devices, from simple two-button mice to complex flight joysticks. Other parts include DirectSound for audio devices and DirectPlay provides a toolkit for online or multiplayer gaming.

DirectX versions
The current version of DirectX at time of writing is DirectX 9.0. This runs on all versions of Windows from Windows 98 up to and including Windows Server 2003 along with every revision in between. It doesn’t run on Windows 95 though: if you have a machine with Windows 95 installed, you’re stuck with the older and less capable 8.0a. Windows NT 4 also requires a specific version – in this case, it’s DirectX 3.0a.

With so many versions of DirectX available over the years, it becomes difficult to keep track of which version you need. In all but the most rare cases, all versions of DirectX are backwardly compatible – games which say they require DirectX 7 will happily run with more recent versions, but not with older copies. Many current titles explicitly state that they require DirectX 9, and won’t run without the latest version installed. This is because they make use of new features introduced with this version, although it has been known for lazy developers to specify the very latest version as a requirement when the game in question doesn’t use any of the new enhancements. Generally speaking though, if a title is version locked like this, you will need to upgrade before you can play. Improvements to the core DirectX code mean you may even see improvements in many titles when you upgrade to the latest build of DirectX. Downloading and installing DirectX need not be complex, either.

Upgrading DirectX
All available versions of Windows come with DirectX in one form or another as a core system component which cannot be removed, so you should always have at least a basic implementation of the system installed on your PC. However, many new games require the very latest version before they work properly, or even at all.

Generally, the best place to install the latest version of DirectX from is the dedicated section of the Microsoft Web site, which is found at www.microsoft.com/windows/directx. As we went to press, the most recent build available for general download was DirectX 9.0b. You can download either a simple installer which will in turn download the components your system requires as it installs, or download the complete distribution package in one go for later offline installation.

Another good source for DirectX is games themselves. If a game requires a specific version, it’ll be on the installation CD and may even be installed automatically by the game’s installer itself. You won’t find it on magazine cover discs though, thanks to Microsoft’s licensing terms.

Diagnosing problems

Diagnosing problems with a DirectX installation can be problematic, especially if you don’t know which one of the many components is causing your newly purchased game to fall over. Thankfully, Microsoft provides a useful utility called the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, although this isn’t made obvious. You won’t find this tool in the Start Menu with any version of Windows, and each tends to install it in a different place.

The easiest way to use it is to open the Start Menu’s Run dialog, type in dxdiag and then click OK. When the application first loads, it takes a few seconds to interrogate your DirectX installation and find any problems. First, the DirectX Files tab displays version information on each one of the files your installation uses. The Notes section at the bottom is worth checking, as missing or corrupted files will be flagged here.

The tabs marked Display, Sound, Music, Input and Network all relate to specific areas of DirectX, and all but the Input tab provide tools to test the correct functioning on your hardware. Finally, the More Help tab provides a useful way to start the DirectX Troubleshooter, Microsoft’s simple linear problem solving tool for many common DirectX issues.

Performance Increase Through My Computer

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:32:00 +0000

1: Start > Right Click on My Computer and select properties.
2: Click on the "Advanced" tab
3: See the "Perfomance" section? Click "Settings"
4: Disable all or some of the following:

Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show Shadows under menus
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Use a background image for each folder type
Use common tasks in folders

There, now Windows will still look nice and perform faster

New PC or New Motherboard?

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:29:00 +0000

If you don't want to spend big bucks on a new PC, consider upgrading your old system's motherboard and CPU. This can boost the machine's performance and give you access to the latest technologies. It can also save you hundreds of dollars.

What you won't get is a new hard drive, optical drive, or operating system, though the new motherboard gives you the option of upgrading these components later. When you do it yourself, you choose the make, model, and cost that serve you best, rather than settling for what's preloaded in an off-the-shelf machine.

For as little as $200 to $350, you can purchase a motherboard with a new Pentium 4 or Athlon processor and 512MB of RAM. (Visit this link to check the latest motherboard prices.) That's hundreds of dollars less than the retail cost of a midrange PC that supports AGP 8X graphics cards, Serial ATA drives, and the other advanced features that your new motherboard is likely to offer.

Motherboard Buyers Guide

Size matters: Most desktop PCs sold in the last few years conform to the ATX form factor (as do most motherboards), but not all do. Many small or ultrabudget systems are based on other designs, and some PCs from HP/Compaq, IBM, and other big-name vendors aren't ATX-compatible. Refer to your computer's documentation to see if the new motherboard will fit inside its case.

Find the right CPU: The optimal combination of CPU price and performance may lead you to early versions of Athlon XP and Pentium 4 processors: Retail boxed versions of 1- to 2-GHz AMD Athlon XP processors cost less than $100, while Pentium 4 processors running at comparable speeds are less than $130. OEM versions of both (that's minus the fancy box, the cooling fan, and sometimes a warranty) may be priced considerably lower. Avoid older Pentium 4 processors with 256KB of L2 cache. CPUs with 512KB cache are faster and well worth the small added expense.

Be picky: Steer clear of no-name vendors and buy from established manufacturers only.

Pay for power: Your old PC's power supply may not have enough wattage or may lack the 12-volt amperage needed to run some Pentium 4 and Athlon motherboards. Check the new motherboard's requirements against the specs on your power supply. If in doubt, buy a power supply that generates 300 watts or more,

Faster is better: A motherboard's frontside bus speed is the rate at which data moves between the CPU and RAM. FSB speed can have a greater effect on overall system performance than listed CPU speed, which is a multiple of the FSB speed. The faster the FSB, the better.

Get it all: Your new motherboard needs PCI slots and USB ports, two UltraATA/100 connectors, parallel and serial ports (if you use these), and at least two DIMM slots for RAM (DDR RAM is best). For a little extra money, you can get Serial ATA, ethernet, RAID, FireWire, Wi-Fi, and other advanced features.

Sight and sound off: Some low-cost motherboards have sound and graphics functions built in. The quality of these integrated functions is often marginal. Make sure that any built-in sound and graphics can be disabled, and that separate audio and graphics boards can be added.

Minimize Your Mousing

For people in a hurry, every unnecessary mouse movement is an aggravation. Windows 2000, Me, and XP let you set the pointer to automatically move to commonly used buttons in dialog boxes. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel (or Start, Control Panel in XP), and click or double-click Mouse (choose "Printers and Other Hardware" first if you're in XP's Categories view, or "View all Control Panel options" if you're in Me's "commonly used" view). Now select Pointer Options, check the box labeled "Automatically move pointer to the default button in a dialog box" (the option's wording varies slightly in Windows 2000), and click OK.

Have Notepad In Send To

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:28:00 +0000

Many apply a registry tweak to have notepad as an option for unknown file types. We frequently see such files which are actually just text, but named with some odd file-extension. And then, some suspicious files which we want to make sure what the contents are. Well, in such cases where the registry tweak is applied, the downside happens to be that even some known files get associated with notepad - but no, all we want is to be able to open a file with notepad - the association part in such cases is unwanted interference. Also, notepad becomes a permanent fixture on the right-click menu - which is again an annoyance.

So what we do, is to have notepad as an option in the Send-To options, of the right-click menu in explorer. It fulfils the purpose to perfection (atleast, in my case). Here's what we do:

1. right-click desktop, choose "New >> Shortcut"
2. Type the location of the item - "notepad" - (that's all, no need to give path)
3. Next >> type name for shortcut - "Edit with Notepad"
4. Click finish
5. Now right-click this shortcut on the desktop, and choose properties.
6. Confirm that the "target" and "start in" fields are using variables - "%windir%\system32\notepad.exe" - (absolute paths will be problematic if you use this .LNK on machines other than your own)
7. Now, browse to "%UserProfile%\SendTo" in explorer (which means "C:\Documents and Settings\User_Name\SendTo\" folder)
8. And copy the "Edit with Notepad.lnk" file which you already created, to that folder.
9. So now, you can right-click on ANY file-type, and be offered an option to open with notepad, from the SendTo sub-menu.

So now, you just right-click on an .nfo or .eml or .diz file (which are associated with other programs, and are sometimes just plain-text files), and choose "Send To >> Edit with Notepad" and it will open in notepad!
No more botheration of applying registry tweaks for something as simple as this.

Hide Drives and Partitions

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:24:00 +0000

Do you have data on a partition or hard drive that you don't want tampered with or easily accessible to other users? Well, you can hide any drive/partition in Windows XP, NT, and 2000. That means that they won't show up in Explorer or My Computer.

If you want access to that drive from your user account you should create a desktop shortcut before proceeding. Once hidden, you can still access by typing the drive letter and a colon in Start/Run—for example, "D:" will bring up a folder of the contents on your D drive.

The easiest way with Win XP is to use the TweakUI power toy from Mcft. Go to Start/Run and type in "tweakui" (without the quotes).

Go to My Computer/Drives and uncheck the drive/partition(s) you want hidden. Click "Apply" or "OK" when finished.

For Win NT, 2000, and XP you can use the following Registry edit:

*Be sure to back up the Registry before proceeding

Open the Registry Editor by going to Start/Run and typing in "regedit" (without the quotes). Find your way to...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mcft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

Click on "Explorer".

Double-click the "NoDrives" key in the right column. If you don't find a "NoDrives" registry key, just right-click in the right pane and choose "New/DWORD Value" then name the key "NoDrives".

You'll see a value like "0000 00 00 00 00". This is where the fun starts. The four sets of double zeros (after the "0000") are where you'll enter the values for the drive/partitions. Now, stay with me on this—it's not as complicated as it sounds:

The first column is for drives A-H, the second for I-P, the third for Q-X, and the fourth for Y-Z.

The values for each drive are as follows:

1 - A I Q Y
2 - B J R Z
4 - C K S
8 - D L T
16 - E M U
32 - F N V
64 - G O W
80 - H P X

So, let's say you want to hide drive D. In the first column you would put "08". For drive K you would put "04" in the second column.

But what if you want to hide more than one drive in a column? Simply add the values together: D+E = 8+16 = 24. So in the first column you would put "24".

Still baffled? If you have XP then go get TweakUI and save yourself the math.

Whichever method you use, you can rest easy knowing that the files on that drive or partition are less accessible to other users.

Introduction

drbhatns@gmail.com (vin) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:56:00 +0000

This blog is my collection of tips and tricks on Computers, Software, Hardware, How-To.., Internet, Programming, Wi-Fi, Operating Software, Hacking, Cracking, Networking, different types of personal computers, pocket-pcs, cellular phones, information technology, broadband, computer games, playstation, free downloads, peer to peer software, file-sharing, laptop computers, notebooks, tablet pcs, computer game cheats, gps software, photo software, cad software, music software, free antivirus software, software engineering, fix the computer cpu speed, computer repair, computer wallpaper, dell computers, gateway computers, apple computers, Microsoft, Adobe, Norton and of course Google.

In short anything and everything transported using Ones and Zeros.