Friday, December 19, 2008

Access xp user account if you forget your password

If you think that if you forget your login password for your account in windows xp, you can never recover it and reinstalling the operating system is the only option, then wait! Maybe you can try this out.

Boot your pc in safe mode. To do this, press F8 key several times while your pc begins to boot. If you do this right, you will see a screen which shows the different ways in which you can start your windows xp. Select the option to boot in safe mode using the up or down arrow keys. Now, when your xp in safe mode has started, go to control panel > administrative tools. Click computer management. Double click Local Users and Groups, double click the folder Users. Right click on the account name that is locked out, and click on Set Password. Leave the New Password box blank, also leave the Confirm Password box blank. Click OK then OK and finally reboot your system. Now you can access your user account in xp easily.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Stars Wars in Windows XP

Open the run dialog box from start menu in Windows XP. Type ‘telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl’ in the field(without quotes) and hit enter. As you hit enter a separate window will open and after a few seconds you will see the Stars Wars movie in the Microsoft Windows style! 

Go… try it yourself!


How to speed up your computer easily

Do you think your computer’s speed is getting slower and slower day by day? Does your pc takes ages to complete a certain task? If yes, then some of the tips mentioned below may help you speed up your pc.

If your hard disk is jam packed with data, it could possibly be the reason for your machines slow performance. If the partition of the hard disk containing your operating system is low on disk space, you better make some. Sometimes a lot of unnecessary programs take up a large amount of space. So, try to install those programs which use less space and less memory. Remove the programs that you no longer use from add or remove programs list. Disk Defragmenter is another utility available in windows xp which can increase your system speed. It is designed to increase access speed by rearranging files stored on a disk to occupy contiguous storage locations, a technique commonly known as defragmenting. The purpose is to optimize the time it takes to read and write files to/from the disk by minimizing head travel time and maximizing the transfer rate.

A virus can cause your system to slowdown or work inappropriately. Viruses are everywhere. They come through emails, p2p sites, or even through your friend’s cd. So it is always better to be guarded then seek cure afterwards. Keep your antivirus running all the time and make sure you have the latest virus definitions installed. After the removal of virus, you can see a visible difference in the performance of your machine. Some of the most popular antivirus available are NOD32, AVG Antivirus, Kaspersky, McAfee and Norton Antivirus.

Spy-ware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported software (Ad-ware). It is a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users. There are several large media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way, you don't have to pay for the software and the developers are still getting paid. If you find the banners annoying, there is usually an option to remove them, by paying the regular licensing fee. It tends to slowdown your pc’s performance considerably because of the various services being run by it. You can see them in the processes tab of task manager in xp. Some of the most popular spyware removal tools are :

Lavasoft Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/)

Spybot-S&D (http://www.safer-networking.org/)

Spy Sweeper v2.2 (http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/index.php)

HijackThis 1.97.7 (http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html)


Upgrading your computer’s RAM or simply memory makes a hefty difference in the speed of your pc. If you cannot remember the last time you upgraded your system’s memory then probably it’s time to. As you install newer and newer programs, the total memory usage increases. So the only option left is to upgrade it.