Blog For Tricks: Pc Tips

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10 Fast and Free PC Security Enhancements

Posted by Rahil Tuesday, March 15, 2011 2 comments

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

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

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate http://www.sygate.com/ and ZoneAlarm http://www.zonelabs.com/ offer free versions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fool keylogger and protect yourself from hackers

Posted by Rahil Wednesday, February 2, 2011 0 comments

when you surf net at public computers or net cafes…maybe it can be even at your friends house..etc.. there is a danger that a possible key logger software can steal your password, so i have come up with a simple and effective way to counter it…at least 50% …

lets see how simply you can fool a key logger,

When you choose passwords try using simple, capital & numbers as a combination..

when you enter them in a public computer rather than entering it in sequence try entering it in a combination

for this trick suppose my password is - hi2K1987 [DEMO password]

Now when you break your password into 3 combinations and enter them one after another (without using the backspace key) so what i did was i entered 2k first then using the mouse i went to the start of the password field and entered hi then i placed the cursor at the end and entered 1987 now simply the key logger is fooled.

he will read mah password as: delghi2k1987(fooled)

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Secure Yourself from Hackers & Hijackers

Posted by Rahil Wednesday, January 19, 2011 1 comments

Hackers and Browser Hijacking is one area of the Net that affects everyone at some stage.

In addition to having third party utilities such as SpyBot, Anti Virus scanners and firewalls installed there are some changes that can be made to Windows 2000/XP. Below are some details to make your system safer from hackers and hijackers.

Some of these tips require editing of the Registry so it is wise to either backup the registry and/or create a Restore Point.

1. Clearing the Page File at ShutdownWindows 2000/XP paging file (Sometimes called the Swap File) can contain sensitive information such as plaintext passwords. Someone capable of accessing your system could scan that file and find its information. You can force windows to clear out this file.

In the registry navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory Management and add or edit the DWORD ClearPageFileAtShutdown. Set it to 1.

Note that when you do this, the system will take much longer to shut down: a system with a really big Page File (! Gig or more) may take a minute or two longer.

2. Disable the POSIX and OS/2 Subsystem.
Windows 2000 and XP come with little-documented subsystems it at allow compatibility with UNIX and OS/2 systems These rues systems are enabled by default but so rarely used that they are best off bring disabled completely to prevent possible service hijackings.

To disable these subsystems, open the registry and navigate to HKEY LOCAL MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerSubSystems. Delete the subkeys Os2 and Posix. then reboot.

3. Never leave default passwords blank.
On installation, Windows 2000 sets up an Administrator account with total system access and prompts for a password. Guess what: by default, it allows that password to be blank. If a user doesn't want to type a password, he can simply click Next and the system will be an open door for anyone who wants to log on. Always opt for a password of some kind when setting up the default account on a machine.

4. Disable the Guest accountWindows XP comes with a Guest account that's used for limited access, but it's still possible to do some damage with it. Disable it completely if you are not using it. Under Control Panel, select User Accounts, click on Guest Account and then select Turn Off the Guest Account.

5. Install Windows In a different directory.
Windows usually installs itself in the WINDOWS directory. Windows NT 4 0 and 2000 Will opt for WINNT. Many worms and other rogue programs assume this to be the case and attempt to exploit those folders files. To defeat this install Windows to another directory when you're setting it up - you can specify the name of the directory during setup. WINDIR is okay; so some people use WNDWS - A few (not that many) programs may not install properly if you install Windows to another folder but t hey are very few and they are far between

6. Fake out hackers with a dummy Administrator account
Since the default account in Windows 2000 is always named Administrator, an enterprising hacker can try to break into your system by attempting to guess the password on that account. It you never bothered to put a password on that account, say your prayers.

Rather than be a sucker to a hacker, put a password on the Administrator account it you haven't done so already. Then change the name of the Administrator account. You'll still be able to use the account under its new name, since Windows identifies user accounts by a back-end ID number rather than the name. Finally, create a new account named Administrator and disable it. This should frustrate any would -be break-ins.Blog for tricks

You can add new accounts and change the names of existing accounts in Windows 2000 through the Local Users and Groups snap in. Right-click on My Computer, select Manager, open the Local Users and Groups subtree, look in the Users folder and right-click on any name to rename it. To add a new user, right-click on the containing folder and select New User. Finally, to disable an account, double-click it, check the Account is disabled box and click OK.

Don't ever delete the original Administrator account. Some programs refuse to install without it and you might have to log in under that account at some point to setup such software. The original Administrator account is configured with a security ID that must continue to be present in the system.

7. Set the Hosts file to read-only to prevent name hijacking.

This one's from (and to a degree, for) the experts. The HOSTS file is a text file that all flavors of Windows use to hold certain network addresses that never change. When a network name and address is placed in HOSTS, the computer uses the address listed there for that network name rather than performing a lookup (which can take time). Experts edit this file to place their most commonly-visited sites into it, speeding things up considerably.

Unfortunately hijackers and hackers also love to put their own information into it - redirecting people from their favorite sites to places they don't want to go. One of the most common entries in HOSTS is local host which is set 1770.0.1. This refers to the local machine and if this entry is damaged the computer can behave very unpredictably.

To prevent HOSTS from being hijacked, set it to read-only. Go to the folder %Systemroot%system32driversetc, right-click on HOSTS, select Properties check the Read-Only box and click OK. If you want to add your own entries to HOSTS, you can unprotect it before doing so, but always remember to set it to read-only after you're done.

8. Turn off unneeded Services
Windows 2000 and XP both come with many background services that don't need to he running most of the time: Alerter, Messenger, Server (If you're running a standalone machine with no file or printer shares), NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing, Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (the last two if you're not using Remote Desktop or NetMeeting), Remote Registry, Routing and Remote Access (if you're not using Remote Access), SSDP Discovery Service, Telnet, and Universal Plug and Play Device Host.
A good resource and instruction on which of these services can be disabled go to /http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/

9. Disallow changes to IE settings through IE
This is another anti hijacker tip. IE can be set so that any changes to its settings must be performed through the Internet icon in the Control Panel, rather than through IE's own interface. Some particularly unscrupulous programs or sites try to tamper with setting by accessing the Tools, Options menu in IE. You can disable this and still make changes to IE's settings through the Control Panel.

Open the Registry and browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER SoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftInternet ExplorerRestrictions. Create or edit a new DWORD value named NoBrowserUptions and set it to 1 (this is a per-user setting). Some third-party programs such as Spybot Search And Destroy allow you to toggle this setting.

You can also keep IE from having other programs rename its default startup page, another particularly annoying form of hijacking. Browse to HKEY.CURRENT USERSoftwarePolicies MicrosoftInternet ExploreControl Panel and add or edit a DWORD, Homepage and set it to 1.

10. Disable simple File Shares.
In Windows XP Professional, the Simple File Sharing mode is easily exploited, since it a little too easy to share out a file across your LAN (or the NET at large). To turn it off, go m My Computer, click Tools, Folder Option and the View tab, and uncheck Use Simple file sharing (Recommended). Click OK. When you do this you can access the Security tab in the Properties window for all folders; set permissions for folders; and take ownership of objects (but not in XP Home)

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How to Enable Hibernate in Windows XP, Vista

Posted by Rahil Sunday, January 16, 2011 0 comments

Hibernate is very cool feature.In windows environment, the hibernation is a built-in feature used to increases your work performance and also minimizes the windows startup time. For example, if you have to keep open a lot of files and windows applications then you can leave you system in hibernate mode without closing the open programs. When you restart computer after hibernation, all the running files and applications will be restore as you have left them. Windows store the all hibernated information in the Hiberfil.sys file using system root folder. The size of this file is roughly equal to the RAM of your system.
Follow the given steps to activate the hibernation in windows XP:
1.To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

2.First click on Start button> Control Panel, click on Performance and Maintenance then click on Power Options.
3.A new “Power Options Properties” dialog box will appear
4.Select Hibernate tab and then select the “Enable hibernation” check box to enable the hibernate feature.
If you system does not support the hibernation feature then the hibernation tab will not available .Click on Apply button to the changes then click on Ok button to end the configuration process. After enabling the hibernation feature click on Start button then click on “Turn off Computer”. In the “Turn off Computer” dialog box, press the “Shift” for some time and click on Hibernate button. Your system will take some time to complete the hibernation process.

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Tips for Internet Explorer

Posted by Rahil Wednesday, August 18, 2010 0 comments

Adding Favorites in IE
While viewing the site, hold CTRL and press D to add it to your favorites.
Search in IE
To Open the IE search utility use CTRL and E.
Searching On A Webpage Using Find in IE
To Open the FIND box to search the current document use CTRL and F.
History in IE
To Open the History utility use CTRL and H.
New Browser Window in IE
To Open a new Explorer window use CTRL and N.
Refresh in IE
Press the F5 key.
Free up Screen Space in IE
Want to view more of the screen? Get rid of toolbars by pressing the F11 key. To return the toolbars, press F11 again.
Text Size in IE
Text too small to read. Click Edit...Text Size and choose large or larger to increase the size.
Screen Capture
Want to capture what you're viewing on screen? Press the Prnt Scrn (Print Screen) key on the keyboard and open Word or PowerPoint. Click Edit...Paste (Ctrl + V).
Hold Ctr while using the scroll on the mouse wheel and enlarge the text. Holding Shift while using the scroll on the mouse wheel acts as the back arrow button in Internet Explorer.

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General PC Performance Tips

Posted by Rahil 0 comments

Windows's XP general PC performance tips can free up your computer's resources which will inherently make your PC a faster and smoother running machine. To identify more errors that you made need to extra tweaks or to use software to optimize you PC, you may want to try using a Registry Cleaners.
Adjust Visual Effect--by simply adjusting your visual effects your computer will perform better and allow faster desktop speed. Its one of the simplest and best general PC performance tips. Click here for step by step instructions

Better Performance Effect: Excellent

Remove Old Restore Points--If you are using the system restore function you will have a backup of various restore points. Clear the old ones to free up disks pace.

How to:
1.Start
2.Programs
3.Accessories
4.System Tools
5.Disk Cleanup
6.select the drive XP is installed
7.Click the More Options tab
8.Under the System Restore section, click the Clean Up

Better Performance Effect: Mild

Turn Off Remote Assistance--Windows XP lets you share control of your computer with someone else over a network or the Internet. This feature eats up your free space and resources turn it off for better performance. Check out Manage your Startup to turn this feature off.

Better Performance Effect:Good

Turn off Windows Indexing--The Indexing service uses the Cidaemon.exe process to index files this can eat up tons of CPU resources and free space.

How to:
1.Double-click My Computer, point to Explorer Bar on the View menu, and then click Search.
2. Click Change preferences, and then click Without Indexing Service.
3. Click No, do not enable Indexing Service, and then click OK.

Better Performance Effect: Excellent

Increase Virtual Memory--By increase your virtual memory you can use more resource for your RAM to work more efficiently. Click here to learn how increase Virtual Memory

Turn Off wall paper--This will make your desktop look bland but it will free up vital resources and speed up your desktop

How to:
1.Right-click on the desktop
2. Choose Properties
3. Click on the Desktop tab
4.Under "Background" choose "None"

Better Performance Effect:Good