WinTricks

WinTricks is one of the largest and most up-to-date programs for Windows tips, tricks, and secrets available today. WinTricks includes tips/tricks for all versions of Windows, plus the Registry, Desktop, AOL, Laptop, and Internet. You will find that this program is easy to navigate and it has complete instructions on all of our Tips, Tricks, and Secrets. The newest version includes even more new tips/tricks and a new browser interface. Version 5.0a includes new browser interface, more new tips and tricks.

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Unable to Open Hard or USB Flash Drive ?????

In some situation especially when anti-virus program has cleaned, healed, disinfected or removed a worm, trojan horse or virus from computer, there may be error happening whenever users try to open or access the drive by double clicking on the disk drive icon in Explorer or My Computer window to try to enter the drive’s folder. The problem or symptom happens in hard disk drive, portable hard disk drive or USB flash drive, and Windows will prompt a dialog box with the following message:



windows script Host

Can not find script file autorun.vbs.

Sometimes you will be asked to debug the VBScript with error code of 800A041F - Unexpected ‘Next’.
or

Choose the program you want to use to open this file with:

In this case, the “Always use the selected program to open this kind of file” option is grayed out.
The symptom occurs because when autorun.vbs is created by trojan horse or virus. The virus normally loads autorun.inf file to root folder of all hard drive or USB drive, and then execute autorun.bat file which contains script to apply and merge autorun.reg into the registry, with possible change to the following registry key to ensure that virus is loaded when system starts:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Userinit=userinit.exe,autorun.exe
Finally, autorun.bat will call wscript.exe to run autorun.vbs.
When antivirus or security software detected the autorun.vbs file as infected, the file will be deleted or removed or quarantined. However, other files (autorun.*） and registry value still referring to autorun.vbs, and this document no longer exists, hence the error when users double click to open a drive folder.
To correct and solve this error, follow this steps:
Run Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del or right click on Taskbar)
Stop wscript.exe process if available by highlighting the process name and clicking End Process.
Then terminate explorer.exe process.
In Task Manager, click on File -> New Task (Run…).
Type “cmd” (without quotes) into the Open text box and click OK.
Type the following command one by one followed by hitting Enter key: del c:\autorun.* /f /s /q /a
del d:\autorun.* /f /s /q /a
del e:\autorun.* /f /s /q /a
c, d, e each represents drive letters on Windows system. If there are more drives or partitions available, continue to command by altering to other drive letter. Note that you must also clean the autorun files from USB fllash drive or portable hard disk as the external drive may also be infected.
In Task Manager, click on File -> New Task (Run…).
Type “regedit” (without quotes) into the Open text box and click OK.
Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Check if the value name and value data for the key is correct (the value data of userint.exe include the path which may be different than C drive, which is also valid, note also the comma which is also needed): “Userinit”=”C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,”
If the value is incorrent, modify it to the valid value data

Portable Apps for your USB Stick

What is a portable program ?

A portable program is a piece of software that you can carry around with you on a portable device and use on any other computer. It can be your email program, your browser, system recovery tools or even an operating system. The coolest part about it, is that all of your data and settings are always stored on a thumbdrive so when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.


Portable Office Software


Abiword (6.3 mb) - word processor (compatible with Microsoft word)
OpenOffice (65 mb) - free alternative to Microsoft Office (fully compatible with Ms Office docs)
PDF Viewers: Sumatra (1.1 mb) , Foxit PDF Reader (1.8 mb)


Portable Email Programs


Mozilla ThunderBird (6 mb) - very good email client (built-in address book, import/export, tons of addons)
Quick Mailer [20kb] - tiny program for sending quick e-mail messages


Portable Text and Voice Messengers


All-in-One (Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, etc.): Gaim [6.9 mb], Miranda IM [1.2 mb], Trillian [Win]
Skype - exlpains how to make skype portable

Portable Media Tools (Audio / Video)


Audacity (2.4 mb) - simple audio editor and recorder

VLC (9.3 mb) - powerful media player that plays almost all popular audio and video formats

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack with Media Player - another powerful media player for playing all conceivable formats

Portable Graphics Viewers and Image Editors


GIMP (8.6 mb) - free alternative to Photoshop

IrfanView [1013kb] - fast graphic viewer with basic image editing features

XNView [Win, Mac, Linux] - image viewer and converter (supports more then 400 image formats)

Portable Browsers and Internet Tools (FTP, Torrent Clients…)


Firefox (5.8 mb)

Opera

FTP Clients: Filezilla [2.3 mb], FireFTP [0.1mb]

TrayURL - bookmark manager

uTorrent - popular torrent downloader

Portable Security Software


Antivirus: ClamWin [5.9mb], Dr.Web CureIt [5.5 mb]
Keepass Password [1mb] - securely store and manage your passwords
Omziff [0.5mb] - lets you encrypt/decrypt a file, using secure encryption algorithms. Also includes a password generator, file shredder, file splitter and some more tools.
LockNote - simple text file that lets you store sensitive info with 256bit password encryption.
RoboFor2Go - secure password manager and form filler
Smart Sniff [57kb] - lets you inspect network traffic that passes via your network adapter.

Portable Games


Sudoku - popular puzzle game
Bricks2000 - popular tetris clone
Logix - something similar to minesweeper
Gem Drop - fast-paced puzzle game
GeneRally - 2D racing game
Nagaskaki - chess game
NarkoMania - cool minesweeper clone
NeverBall - part puzzle, part action game

Other Portable Utilities


7Zip [1.1 mb] - file archiver and compressor, supports 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, RAR and more
Registry Tweaker [1.52mb] - registry tweaking tool
Restoration [229kb] - handy program for recovering deleted (or formatted) files
YamiPod - powerful iPod manager (copy mp3/AAC files to and from your iPod, import/export playlists, search for songs, remove duplicates,..). More iPod tools
Drive Manager [1191 kb] - quick summary for each local and removable drive.
PStart - lets you organize and create menu-like list for quicker access to your portable programs.
SyncPAppX - script that syncs preferences between portable and local applications.
RQ Money - handy utlity to manage your credits and debts
SIW - a system analysis tool that tells you almost everything you need to know about a computer, i.e. hardware, configuration settings, etc.
WinAudit - one more analysis tool
Convert [155 kb] - fast metric unit conversion tool (distance, temperature, volume, time, speed, mass…)
UK Calender [321kb] - straightforward calendar with ToDo and reminders
CPU-Z - provides detailed info about your processor and other components
Country Codes [1358 kb] - a small database of country codes and additional information for all countries.
TreePad Lite [866kb] - personal database program, lets you store all your notes, emails, bookmarks, etc. into one well-structured file
StartupList [158 kb] - displays all items that are in any way related to your computer startup and are executed without any user interactions
eTextReader [279kb] - read plain text files provided by Project Gutenberg in a book-like manner.
Index Your Files [640kb] - provides an easy way to create index databases (of specified folders and drives) for quick file/term search
RockXP [768kb] - handy utility for retrieving Win XP’s product key
WhoisThisDomain [42kb] - view owner and registration info for any domain name

Portable Developer Tools (Techies Only)


Nvu (7.3 mb) - easy-to-use webpage editor. Simpler alternative to Dreamweaver and Microsft Frontpage
Server2Go - apache webserver (no configurations needed)
InstantRails[60mb] - contains Ruby, Rails, Apache, and MySQL, all preconfigured and ready to run.
Putty [0.9 mb] - lightweight telnet and SSH client
Follow-Me IP - displays your external IP address
XAMPP [25/17 mb] - integrated server package of Apache, mySQL, PHP and Perl. Just Unzip and Run
HTTP File Server - simple and easy-to-use file server for personal file sharing.
CurrPorts [46kb]- lets you view a list of ports that are currently in use, along with applications that use them
Hamachi
FTP Servers: Quick’n Easy FTP Server [355kb],

All-In-One Packages



PortableApps Suite [89.5mb] - includes 7 programs for essential needs (office, email, IM client, etc.) + cool Startup manager and backup utility

Portable Operating Systems (’HowTo’ Articles)


Mac OS Classic 7
Portable Linux: Knoppix, Ubuntu
Win XP

USB ThumDrive Tips


How to create a bootable USB key
Never Forget your USB Stick
QuickLaunch your USB workspace

That’s mainly it… In case you’re looking for something that wasn’t mentioned above, there are a couple of resources you may want to check out.

These are Portablefreeware.com and Tinyapps.org

Uninstall Symantec Norton Antivirus Client without Password

Norton AntiVirus Clients or Symantec AntiVirus Clients especially Corporate Edition Clients can be installed as managed network setup type by a Symantec AntiVirus Server. When a Symantec AntiVirus Client is managed, it will prompt for password when uninstalling client via local computer Control Panel Add or Remove Program applet. If you don’t know or forget the password, then the client is not able to uninstall or remove. And the SAV client uninstall password won’t work with server group password too, as if you enter that password, you will receive an invalid password message.


The client uninstallation password is different from the server group password, and it can be set by the administrator through the Symantec System Center for the client that is managed. If the client uninstallation password has not been set or changed specifically, it will still be the default password. Thus, first thing to try in order to successfully uninstall a Symantec Client Security program is by using the default password for the uninstalling clients, which is symantec.

In the cases where Symantec AntiVirus server has been taken down and no longer exist, or the client computer has no access to company network, or the default client uninstall password does not work, the following hack will enable you to remove Symantec Antivirus without using a password:

Open Registry Editor (regedit).

Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\VirusProtect6\CurrentVersion\Administrator Only\Security\
Change the value for useVPuninstallpassword key from 1 to 0.
Exit Registry Editor and now you can uninstall Symantec AntiVirus Client.
The trick should work on most version of Symantec AntiVirus client or Norton AntiVirus Client, including version 7, 8, 9 or 10.

TIPS AND TRICKS-PC RUNNING SLOW

Is your PC running slow?

Here are step-by-step instructions for a few things you can do yourself.

· Shutdown PC

· Remove temporary Internet files

· Cookies?

· Defragment

1. Remove temporary Internet files

From Internet Explorer Select Tools (at the top of your screen) then Internet Options Click on the Delete Files button. (You can also delete cookies here but wait for the next step if you aren't sure.)

2. Cookies

Cookies aren't all bad. They store your use rids and passwords and help sites identify you. If you delete all of your cookies you may have to enter your use rid and password again when you go back to a Web Site. Cookies don't generally store any secure information. You can view and delete cookies. From Internet Explorer Select Tools then Internet Options click on the Delete Cookies button. Or, copy and paste (or type) this location in the address bar at the top of your screen. You will see all of your cookies and can selectively delete the cookies you don't want stored on your PC. c:\windows\cookies Use the BACK ARROW in your Browser to get back to this page. More Cookies More cookies may be stored in your temporary files. Copy and paste (or type) this location in the address bar. c:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files Since we just cleaned out all of the temporary files the only files we see right now are dated today so we're not deleting these cookies

3. Get rid of PC Junk

Delete the temporary files from your PC. Look for a directory named TEMP. It's usually in c:\temp. You can go to "Run" and type in %temp% and it will bring up the temp files to erase. Click Start Run %temp%Hit "select all" and then delete. You can usually safely delete all of the files but don't delete any system folders. If it says "this is a system folder" don't delete it. Hit "select all" and then delete. You can usually safely delete all of the files but don't delete any system folders. If it says "this is a system folder" don't delete it. Note: You can do this right now while you are reading. Use the BACK ARROW in your Browser to get back to this page.

4. Get Rid of adware and Spyware

Use a good adware/spyware tool to find and delete infection.For example; Spybot Search and destroy, Adware se.

adware. Spyware gets downloaded without you knowing it and it tracks your keystrokes. Adware is attached to some programs that you download. It's the thing that gives you all of the popups. The Yahoo Toolbar with Anti-Spy is available as a Yahoo free download.

Download Google Toolbar Prefer Google? The Google toolbar eliminates annoying pop-up ads. Download Google Toolbar

5. Defragment

Reorganizing Your Hard Disk to Improve Speed System running slow? Time to do a defrag. Over time as you write to your hard disk the data gets fragmented, broken into separate pieces. You can optimize your hard drive by defragmenting. It may take an hour or more to run if you haven't defragmented your drive in a while. If the defrag takes a long time (more than an hour) that's a good thing. It means your PC needed to be defragmented. This is where you can really speed up your PC. A fragmented drive runs slow. We usually Defrag every few days. You might need it more often or less depending on how much you use your PC. Close or quit all other programs before running the defrag. Click Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Disk Defragmenter Or... Double-click on your desktop MyComputer. Right-click on the C: Right-click on Properties Select the Tools tab Defragment Now... Now you can select Defragment Now.... We usually check both boxes Rearrange and Check drive for errors.

Defragment never finishes?

If the Disk Defragment just hangs with 0% finished then you need to run it in Safe Mode. Hold down the Ctrl key while restarting. Release the Ctrl key when it says it's running in Safe Mode. Now try to run the Disk Defragmenter. It might work.

Why is My Computer Slow?

Slowdown culprits can include screen savers and custom cursors. Both can interfere with your system performance. Don't forget to shut your PC down every once in while. It will clean itself during the shutdown. Another step that will make your PC run faster is defragmenting your hard drive when it needs it.

How to remove WGA Notification

Click the download link below to download:

Download

RemoveWGA description

A small utility that enables you to remove the Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications tool

RemoveWGA will enable you to easily remove the Microsoft "Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications" tool, which is calling home and connect to MS servers every time you boot. Futures updates of this notification tool will (officialy) setup the connection rate to once every two weeks.

Once the WGA Notification tool has checked your OS and has confirmed you had a legit copy, there is no decent point or reason to check it again and again every boot.

Moreover, connecting to Microsoft brings security issue for corporate networks, and privacy issues for everyone. It is also unclear which information are transmitted (Microsoft published an official answer, but an individual study brought some questions).

All of that, along the fact that Microsoft used deceptive ways to make you install this tool (it was told you it was an urgent security update, whereas it is a new installation giving you no extra security) makes me calling this tool a spyware.

Also, Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications is different than Windows Genuine Advantage Validation. RemoveWGA only removes the notification part, phoning home, and does not touch the Validation part.

Here are some key features of "RemoveWGA":

· Tell you if the WGA notification tool is active on your system
· Allows you to remove the WGA notification tool from your system
· Accept the "-silent" command line parameter to silently check if the WGA notification tool is active on your system, and popup only if it is found (usefull for checking automatically at startup for instance)

Note: Some antivirus and antispyware programs flag RemoveWGA as being infected/malware, although the application is perfectly safe and does not pose a threat to your system. This is called a 'false positive'. The term false positive is used when antivirus software wrongly classifies an innocuous ( inoffensive ) file as a virus. The incorrect detection may be due to heuristics or to an incorrect virus signature in a database. [Similar problems can occur with antitrojan or antispyware software.]

Now, Any Business Can Tap 53 Million Facebook Users (For Free)

First off, if you have not yet heard of Facebook, thanks for exiting your cave. I'd like to heartily welcome you to the Internet. I think you'll like it here. :)

But seriously, here are some quick stats on Facebook which should be of interest to businesses:

1. More than 53 million active users

2. An average of 250,000 new users join every day.


3. About 34% of users work as professionals, sales, executives, educators or are in technical careers.

4. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook consists of users 25 and older.

Though Facebook started in the student demographic, it's quickly growing out of it. So, my guess is that if you have a product or service offering, chances are that at least a few of those 53 million active users (which spend about 20 minutes a day on the site) are prospective customers of your business. The question is, what do you do about it?

Until recently, only big businesses with big marketing budgets could setup a Facebook account for their companies and/or brands. Examples included Verizon, Walmart, Victoria's Secret and other well known companies. For these brands, Facebook users could become "fans" by adding the brand as a friend (much like they would add a person as a friend). This was pretty cool, but pretty expensive for those companies that wanted to tap into this feature.

Now, any business can create a Facebook profile, or business page, which any Facebook user can become a "fan" of. You no longer have to be a Fortune 500 company to afford this. It's free.

Here's how to do it:

Creating A Facebook Business Page

1. Visit this URL: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

2. Decide what the best category is for your business. (Spend a couple of minutes on this as you can't change it later easily).


3. Enter your business/product/brand name and click "Create Page".

4. At a minimum, I'd suggest entering a short description of your business and a website address. This is in the "Add Information To This Page" area. I'd also advise uploading your logo as a photo/image.

5. Click on your business name in the top left corner (it's a hyperlink) and then click "publish this page" (until you do this, nobody but you will be able to see your new Facebook business profile).

6. Finally, and this is important, from your new profile page, click "Add to my products". This way, you become the first "fan" of your business.

Now comes the fun part. Once you've become a "fan" of your business, your friends on Facebook (some of which are likely customers) will see a message in their home page. Something like "Dharmesh Shah is a fan of HubSpot". Hopefuly, some of your Facebook friends will befriend your business. Then, their friends will see a message, and so it goes…

If you want to see a sample Facebook business page, you can check out HubSpot on Facebook . In fact, you can even add HubSpot as a friend (once you visit the page, click on the "Add Product" link in the right column. There are two benefits to becoming a friend of HubSpot: One, you'll feel a positive glow of good karma. Two, you'll have my attention, and my gratitude.