Sunday, July 20, 2008

How To Use Your TV as a Computer Monitor

Many a time I have looked over at my 29" television and thought, why can't I just hook up my computer to that thing and play my PC games on a huge screen? I figured it would beat buying a huge monitor for a ton of cash, right? Well I looked into it and it can be done but there are some limitations that, in the end, might not make it worth your while. I will explain...

Identify your TV's input connections. Most TVs these days have three basic types of inputs. You have your coaxial cable input, the same as your cable box or satellite, an RCA composite input (the yellow, red and white inputs) and an S-video connector. Newer televisions might have Component Video, DVI, VGA or HDMI inputs but the ones listed above are more common.

Identify your computer's outputs. These days computer manufacturers are adding TV compatible outputs on their products so it's easy to hook it up quickly. The S-video in particular seems to be popping up on more and more computers. Mostly you will find the usual VGA output that the regular monitor hooks up to. The newer multi media computers of the near future will probably have all high definition outputs that connect directly to your TV, but for now we will deal with what most people have for both computers and televisions.

Find the appropriate adapter for your connections. You may need to get an adapter so you can hook up your computer to the TV. These have a VGA adapter on one end and (usually) a selection of hookups on the other (S-video, RCA composite and Component). The good thing about these is that you can take it from TV to TV and you'll be able to hook up to all of them. I highly recommend a wireless adapter. It costs a bit more but it's worth not having a big cable mess and not keeping your computer near your TV.

Connect your computer to your TV. If you have a TV compatible output on your computer, such as an S-video jack, just take an S-video cable and connect it to your computer and your TV. If you do not, then attach your VGA end of your adapter to your computer and use the RCA, S-video or Component Video cable to attach to your TV. After you've made all the connections, make sure you are on the correct TV video input. Press the input button on your TV or remote until you see your computer's signal.

Now, here is where you might get a little disappointed. Your TV's usual video signal is called NTSC (PAL if you live in Europe). This signal is different than the one generated by your computer. Computers use signals measured by pixels: 320x200, 320x240, 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024 or 1600x1200. Most TV's can only get about 500 lines of resolution, in computers this is like 500 vertical pixels. The video amplifiers in televisions cannot handle higher resolutions either. So when you factor these things together you are left with a maximum resolution of 640x480.

This is not the worst thing in the world because you can play games and watch video in lower resolutions no problem. It's just that you will never get close to the resolution your computer monitor will give you. Beware of some adapters that claim to give you more than 640x480, they just reduce the quality of the original television signal to compensate.

You can get an adapter for an HDTV that will give you higher resolutions but you need an HDTV and an adapter that costs usually 2-3 times more than your standard adapter. Any way you choose, it is not hard to use your TV as a computer monitor if you follow the few steps above.


(Originally by Harry McCaul at http://www.howtodothings.com/ )

Saturday, July 19, 2008

New Magazine free of Cost.

This is a new IT magazine and it is providing its print edition free of cost. So go get this
www.windowsworld.in

Go to the site map and select the topic of your choice. Just to give you an idea look at these

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Windows XP is still alive.


Windows XP is still available

After June 30th you can continue to have Windows XP Professional preinstalled on your new system.This option is called “Vista Downgrade Rights”. This service allows users who purchase Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate to keep using Windows XP Professional for as long as needed.


Your business may not be ready to change to Windows Vista® Business just yet, so Dell provides you with a simple solution with the Vista Downgrade Rights.


Is there any way to get Windows XP after June 30th?Customers may continue to get Windows XP Professional by exercising Downgrade Rights that come with Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate licenses. Dell has the ability to exercise “Windows Vista downgrade rights” on your behalf in the factory if your business is still reliant upon Windows XP and you’d prefer to have Windows XP Professional preinstalled on your PCs.


So, what are Windows Vista “Downgrade Rights”?Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate have what Microsoft calls “Downgrade Rights.” Downgrade Rights means that anyone with a Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate operating system can downgrade to Windows XP Professional provided they have the media for Windows XP Professional. Customers may use one operating system at any single point in time (cannot run both operating systems simultaneously unless an additional license is purchased). For customers who decide to exercise Downgrade Rights on their own, however, please note that Dell will only support the factory-installed operating system. Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium do not have this option, as they are not capable of downgrading to Windows XP.


What does it mean for Dell to exercise “Downgrade Rights” for me? Where can I find this option?When you are configuring your system online or through the help of one of our sales experts, you will have the opportunity to select which operating system you would like on your PC. When selecting your operating system, you will see an option called “Genuine Windows® Vista Business with Windows® XP Pro Downgrade Rights” and “Genuine Windows® Vista Ultimate with Windows® XP Pro Downgrade Rights.” With these options, you may purchase the licensed rights to Windows Vista but have Dell factory install Windows XP Professional. You will also receive a backup media disc for Windows XP Professional as well as the media for Windows Vista so you can upgrade when you’re ready. Furthermore, with these options Dell will provide technical support for the factory-installed Windows XP Professional image and your licensed version of Windows Vista.


Can I downgrade on my own?Yes, you can as long as you have your own Windows XP Professional media (i.e. from a prior purchase). However, Dell’s standard policy is to provide technical support on the operating system that comes pre-installed on your PC. Dell does not encourage you to change your operating system on your own as this can be a complicated process.


So, if I choose to have Dell downgrade for me, does that mean I can only get technical support on Windows XP Professional since that is what will be pre-installed?No, with this option Dell will provide technical support on both Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate (depending on which version you choose).


I don’t need Windows XP Professional, but I still want Windows XP Home Edition. Is there any way for me to get this from Dell?No, Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP MCE both End-of-Life (EOL) on June 30, 2008 and do not have the capability to transition to Windows Vista (i.e. these licenses do not include Downgrade Rights provisions). Microsoft created that capability only with Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate. Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium are unable to downgrade to Windows XP.


What do I do when I’m ready to upgrade my computer to Windows Vista?You will use the Windows Vista DVD provided to you to install Windows Vista on your computer. If you upgrade and then realize you’re not quite ready for Windows Vista yet, you also have the freedom to go back to Windows XP Professional using the Windows XP Professional CD provided with the downgrade service.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

How to Update Windows XP without Using Microsoft Update Site

Few people don't ever update their windows for..ahem...obvious reasons. For them there was Autopatcher. But since Microsoft has forced Autopatcher to close, these guys are in middle of nowhere.

But here is a little known but handy service "WindizUpdate.com" which allows you to update windows without visiting the MS site. It asks you to download a plugin to your browser to use the service. Basically it allows you to update your computer without IE and without transferring any personally identifiable information from your computer, few more advantages of using the service are listed on the WindizUpdate website, in future the service plans to provide driver updates along with windows update.

You can try the service but remember updating your computer from a non-Microsoft site can be dangerous, I have not tested it personally so I can't recommend it to you confidently. But if you do try it, please post your experience and comment here for others.

Following text is a direct lift from that site.

Why use WindizUpdate?
Not only will it keep you up to date with the latest updates from Microsoft, it will also keep software and drivers from other vendors updated. However, that functionality is currently missing.

Good reasons to use WindizUpdate
1. No personally identifiable information is collected from your computer.
2. No more unwanted spyware -- Microsoft Internet Explorer can finally be removed from your computer (if that were possible).
3. It lists just the updates you need.
4. If an update has been superceded by a newer one, it will not ask you to install the older one.
5. Using enhanced data from MBSA, WindizUpdate will find more security patches needed for your O/S than the "other" website.
6. If there is a security issue with a component that is not yet installed, it will not ask you to update it. For example, if you have not installed hyperterminal, it will not update it.
7. It is not restricted to just Microsoft products. Software from other vendors can also be updated.
8. Upgrading to the latest version of Internet Explorer is not considered a Critical Update!
Works on Windows versions no longer supported by Microsoft -- Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95
9. Our plugin is not an ActiveX control.
10. Integrated download manager with error detection -- you can cancel downloads at any time, and the next time you wish to install the cancelled update, it will continue from where it left off. Only corrupted sections of the file are redownloaded.

If you are still not convinced that WindizUpdate is the site for you, please check out our page titled "do we need to say any more?

Disadvantages
1. There is a delay from when new updates are released from Microsoft to when they appear on this site.
2. If you're using Internet Explorer, you will need to use Microsoft's Windows Update site for updates -- this site will be of no use to you.
3. You'll need to upgrade your browser if you're using MSIE 4.xx -- This site won't work, neither will Microsoft's.

I have given everything. Now its up to you do decide.

How to Make your folders invisible in Windows XP

If you want to create a private folder which is invisible to all then you can do it by hiding that folder. After making the folder, right click on it, select properties and in Attributes choose hidden. Your folder will be hidden, till someone go to Tool, Folder Option, View and select Show Hidden File and Folder. If you don't want to take this chance then given below is another option.

Step 1-Right Click on the desktop.Make a new folder

Step 2-Now rename the folder with a space (hold ALT key and type 0160).

Step 3-Now you will have a folder without a name.

Step 4-Right click on the folder>properties>customize. Click on change icon.

Step 5-Scroll a bit, you will find some empty spaces, Click on any one of them.

Step 6-click OK, and your folder will disappear.

Now you must know where is this folder otherwise you will never find it. Because its INVISIBLE.

How to Restore Show Desktop Icon in Quick Launch Taskbar

If you have accidentally deleted the Show Desktop icon which sits normally on the bottom left hand corner of the Quick Launch Taskbar. How to restore the icon?

1. Click Start, Run

2. Type the following command: regsvr32 /n /i:U shell32.dll

The Show Desktop icon file will reappear in Quick Launch task bar.

Configure MS Outlook to Leave a Copy of The Message on The Server

MS Outlook by dafault remove the messages from the servers after it downloads them to your computer. In case of system crash or any other reason if you have to reinstall the Windows then all messages will be lost. Now a days every E-mail service provider is offering tons of free space, so you don't have to worry about that. Also it is better to have a back-up.

To configure MS Outlook so as it does not delete the messages from the server

Step 1-Open MS Outlook, go to Tool and in the drop menu select Account Setting.

Step 2-Click on Change and the More Setting.

Step 3- Click on Advanced tab. You will see the option 'Leave a copy of message on the server'.
Select it. Click Ok. Now onward MS Outlook will not delete the messages from the server.

How to Configure MS Outlook

Well its really really easy. When you open the MS Outlook 2007 first time, it will open with a wizard. Just follow the instructions and your account will be set up. But in older version like MS Outlook 2003 or Office XP or when you want to configure second account manually in MS Outlook 2007 you may find some problem. For this follow these steps.

1. Open MS Outlook.

2. Click on Tool and under the drop menu select Account Setting.

3. Select New. Since most of us are using POP, IMAP, HTTP or Microsoft Exchange these all are selected by default. For Gmail, Yahoo, Rediff, Indiatimes mail etc this option is OK. Just click next.

4. Fill up your Name, Email address, password. click next. The wizard will automatically configure MS Outlook 2007 with your account now.

5. If you have to fill manually then for yahoo.co.in select (This is for India)

Incoming mail server (POP3)---pop.mail.yahoo.co.in
Outgoing mail server (SMTP)---smtp.mail.yahoo.co.in

6. For Gmail

Incoming mail server (POP3) --pop.gmail.com
Outgoing mail server (SMTP)--smtp.gmail.com

7. Rest all procedure will remain same.

How to Set Default Operating System

If you have more than one operating system installed on your computer then at the boot screen you get the choice of selecting the operating system. On computers having Windows XP and Vista installed, by default Vista is selected automatically if you do not choose XP, since Vista is the next generation OS. In this there is hardly anything to do. But if you have any other OS along with XP then you can set your default operating system. The default operating system is the one which is highlighted at boot screen, and if you do not press any key, this OS is the one which will be automatically loaded. So to set your default operating system.

Step 1- In XP right click on My Computer and click Properties

Step 2- On the 'Advanced TAb' under start up and recovery, click 'Setting'।

Step 3-Under 'System Start Up', in the 'Default Operating System' list, click the OS that you want to start when you turn on or restart your computer।

Step 4- Select the 'Time to display list of OS' check box, and then select the number of seconds for which you want the list to be displayed before the default OS is booted. The default time is 30 seconds.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

How to Lock Windows Workstation

If you are working on something confidential and suddenly you have to go and leave your
seat. You always feet jittery lest someone might read what you were doing. The solution
is to lock the windows workstation. for this you can create a shortcut

Step 1- Right click on your Desktop and select New/shortcut
Step 2-double click on the shortcut icon and in the given field type
rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
Step 3. Click Next and then click Finish.
There will be a shortcut now on your desktop with the name rundll32. Whenever you
double click on this icon, your window will sign off. You have a user's password and now
if you want to start it again, it will ask for password. Keep your password safe and no
one will be able to access your computer without your permission.

What ? you find it difficult ?
OK this was for the people who want to do something. Now the easiest option.
Press Windows Key + L that's it. Do it now and see what happens.

How to Disable Baloon Tips

Sometime we are fed up of all the baloon tips which XP keep throwing at us. Usually these
tips tell us something which we already know.

Take standard precaution of backing up your registry first.

To turn off balloon tips in applications that support XP Themes:
Step-1 Start Regedit

Step-2 Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\

Step-3 Create a DWORD value of EnableBalloonTips

Step-4 Give it a value of 0

Step-5 Close regedit and reboot.

How To Increase the Graphic Performance of XP

By default, WindowsXP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, slides etc to menu items.Most simply slow down their display.

To turn these off selectively:

Right click on the My Computer icon

Select PropertiesClick on the Advanced tab

Under Performance, click on the Settings buttonTo turn them all of,

select Adjust for best performance

My suggestion is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging

Another thing is Desktop theme and Wallpaper. They also use your precious resources.

If you have RAM less than 512 MB, then its better to turn these off.

If you seriously want to enjoy the Window XP in all its splender then I suggest,
you upgrade your RAM to atleast 1 GB and invest in a good graphic card.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

How to Use Classic Search in Internet Explorer

If you want to use the classic search engine in the Internet Explorer
Setp.1 Start Regedit
Step.2 Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
Step.3 If it is not there, create a String Value of Use Search Asst
Step.4 Give it a value of no

Or you can automate this process.
Step.1 Open Notepad.
Step.2 Copy and paste following
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]"Use Search Asst"="no"

Step.3 Save it as IE.reg on desktop or anywhere of your choice.
Step.4 Double click on it. When it asks Are you sure you want to add the information in..... to the registry? click Yes.
That it.

How to Add SafeBoot to the Boot Menu

Some of us really hate when the windows hangs up or behave impolitely (dont response to our queries) just because we installed a software/game etc which dont gel with it. Or there is some notorious Mr Virus/Malware/Spyware has entered and 'HijackThis' says remove it. But since its running in the background, its hard to remove it. Now we need to boot the system in safe
mode. For this we have to restart and keep pressing F8 and then select Safe Mode. You can add Safeboot as an option to the normal XP boot screen.

Step.1 Open a command prompt
Step.2 Copy the current c:\boot.ini to another name (just in case)
Step.3 With your favorite text editor (Notepad), edit c:\boot.ini
Step.4 Copy then edit the current boot line to another line. For example:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect might copy and then change to:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Safeboot" /fastdetect
Step.5 Start MSCONFIG
Step.6 Click on the BOOT.INI tab
Step.7 Highlight the second line with the additional name of Safeboot
Step.8 Check the /SAFEBOOT box with option you want
Minimal - Minimal set of drivers
Network - With Network Support
Dsrepair - Directory Services Repair
Minimal (Alternate Shell) - Standard Explorer Desktop
Step.9 You will now have this option every time you start XP

(I don't know whom to thank for this because I have seen it on many forum without
giving credit to anyone else. So I give the credit to all of them. They all are great.)

Friday, July 11, 2008

How to Remove Vista/Linux entry in Dual Boot Menu

So you have installed Windows Vista, of Linux along with your Xp in dual boot mode in the same way as has been described in some web site forum you visited. Now you are not happy with either Vista or Linux of you have space crunch or you were just testing these operating system and found them not to your liking. The question is how to remove them now. So you simply formatted the drive having Vista or Linux installation. Problem solved. No so fast. The boot entry remains. So whenever you are switching on your computer, you find it still asks to choose the Operating system, whereas you have only XP now.
To remove this entry and correct your boot menu follow these steps :

Step 1. Put your Windows XP installation CD in the CD drive and change BIOS setting to boot from CD.

Step.2 Restart computer. When it says Press any key to boot from CD. Do so.

Step.3 When asks for choice press R to enter recovery console.

Step.3 Fill up the username and administrative password when asked. This is the same username and password which you have filled during XP installation.

Step.4 Now the command prompt will open. Type fixmbr if asks for any confirmation say yes. Window will display its usual warning, ignore it and press yes. The message will come that a new mbr has been written.

Step.5 Now type fixboot and choose yes as in step 4.

Step.6 Reboot.

When your computer restarts, it will now show Vista or Linux boot choice.

How to Use Windows XP’S Inbuild Encrypt

Some of us are really worried about out data being read or copies by others. The fear is more so if you are keeping your personnel information on your Office computer. Now many of the offices have policies and other kind of Restrictions which prohibits installation of any software without the Permission, and when you go to boss for permission to install ‘Fine crypt’ or Other such software the boss says ‘Oho, so what do you have to hide here, huh?’ Tricky situation. Fortunately there is solution in windows itself.

Step 1. I assume you are working under your own user’s name.

Step 2. In command prompt type Cipher “X:\File name/E/A”

In this X is the driver letter (C,D,E Drive) File name is the name of the folder/file.
This will prevent all users- other than you to access this file/folder.
Step 3. To decrypt type Cipher “X:\File name/D/A”

The third party freeware is fine crypt which you can download from
www.finecrypt.net
it allow to choose from up to 10 different algorithms.

How to Automate the Night 2 AM to 8 AM Download on BSNL

BSNL offers it combo plan @ Rs. 500 per month, which gives you access to Broadband Internet up to 2 MBPS and a landline phone connection. This package includes 1GB of download upload limit. But it also offers night unlimited download from 2 AM to 8 AM. Now how to automate this night download so you don’t have to get up at 2 AM to start the download. There have been many tricks posted on different forums. But I like this one best.

Step 1. Open Notepad and type rasdial bsnl user’s name password
For example if your user name is imnoob_ngp and the password is the_12$ then you should type
This rasdial bsnl imnoob_ngp the_12$
Save it as connect.bat and put it in C: drive, so its safe.
It will become a batch file. Now whenever you double click on this file. Bsnl will connect.

Step.2 Download any of the following software
(a) Active alarm clock
(b) Atomic alarm clock
Step.3 Install the software. In the alarm menu set these 4 alarms

Click New—give it a label e.g wake up-select it to run daily-give the time 0200-and click wake computer Up from standby or hibernate. Next select New-give label Connect bsnl-Select it to run daily-give time 0205-click action tab-choose open application/file-in file name browse to the batch file you have created and select it .
Third alarm same way make to run Utorrent or your download manager.
Fourth alarm make to hibernate at 0755 AM.

Step 4-As a safety measure schedule your Utorrent to download between 2 to 8 AM only. If you want to download a file which is on a server with resume capability then you can use your download manager and schedule it to start download at 0210 AM and stop at 0754AM.

Step 5-Now put your torrent in Utorrent and direct download in your download manager.

Step 6-when you go to sleep, don’t switch off your computer, instead hibernate it. Now you can sleep peacefully. Your computer will wake up automatically at 0200, will connect to bsnl At 0205 and will start download thereafter automatically. Even if you do not wake up at before 0800 or you do wake up but are out for job, exercise or whatever, your computer will hibernate automatically at 0755 AM.

So say goodbye to night calls and sleep peacefully. At the same time you will be
astonished at the end of the month when your hard drive will indicate that its full now.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

How to Remove Arrow from Shortcuts on Desktop

Whenever you create any shortcut on the Desktop it will be associated with an arrow indicating that it’s a shortcut. For some people it can be annoying. To remove this arrow there is a simple registry heck.

Step 1. Back up your registry. (See my other posts on how to do it.)

Step 2. Open regedit and go to following entry

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTlnkfile

In this rename the IsShortcut registry value to AriochIsShortcut

Step.3 Reboot.

When the windows opens, you will not see any arrow on shortcuts.


Note :- lnkfile is LNKFILE

How to Save a Web Page

So you are at a web page which you want to save. It may have your account information, or some other information which you want to keep. This can be done in different ways.

First we can go to File tab and choose save or save as option. This will save the web page as a HTML file. It means when next time you want to open this file it will open in your default web browser. But you may loose the photos embedded in it or some other details.

The next option is to press Ctrl + A and then copy entire web page. Open MS word or Word Pad and paste it there. This process is lengthy and again you will lose the formatting of the web page.

The best option is to convert the web page into a PDF file. This PDF file for one web page may go into more than one page but it will remain almost all integrity of the web page with all photos etc as on the web page.

There are many free PDF converter available in the market, best being the Foxit PDF converter. It will create a PDF printer option. And any documents in any format, if it has print option, can be converted into PDF file.

To convert a web page into PDF , simply go to File and click Print. Choose Foxit PDF Printer and click ok. It will ask the standard question of selection location to save to. And your web page is saved in PDF format. You can use Foxit PDF converter to convert any document into PDF as long it has a print option.

or you can google for free PDF converter. They all work more or less the same way.

How to Change The Registered User in Windows XP

When you right click on My Computer icon and select Properties, then under General tab you see the name of the owner and name of the organisation. This is the same name which you have filled up during Windows XP installation. Now for whatever reason if you want to change the owner's name or organisation's name then follow these steps.

Its a registry hack, so its better that you back up your registry first.

1. Click Start-Run-type regedit and then click ok.

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version

3. Double click on Registered Owner and now you can change the existing name to any other name.

4. Double click on Registered Organisation and fill whatever name you want.

5. Close regedit.

6. Reboot.

Check now that owner's name and organisation's name has changed.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Activate Windows XP Offline.

So you have a legitimate copy of Windows XP. And now your OS has gone kaput for whatever reason. So what do you do ? You take out your Windows XP CD and go about reinstalling it. After the installation the XP says to activate it, or it will stop working after 30 days. Now you have already activated it many time and now you don't want to go through the hassle of making a phone call and explaining the man/machine whatever has happened till now. Looks messy.
Well you can avoid it. But there are few thing to remember.
1. Please use legitimate copy of Windows XP.
2. Use same CD ( product key) and on same computer (no configuration change).
3. You have to do it now, so you can help yourself in future.
Now you are ready. Go to My Computer-C drive-windows-system32
now look for and copy following files
wpa.dbl
wpa.bak

copy these files to CD/floppy or wherever you want.
After reinstallation, decline to activate XP and let the installation complete.
Restart and Press F8
Select minimum Safe Mode
Open system32 folder and rename the existing wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files.
(you can prefix these with new)
copy the wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files from your saved location to system32 folder.
Reboot.
Your XP should be activated now.

(I read about this trick in Digit magazine and at some of the forums)

HOW TO ENABLE CD/DVD AUTOPLAY FEATURE

Sometime we apply some patch e.g. the patch to use third party themes and any other programme, or a malware/virus/spyware etc which change/modify the registry and then you find that the CD autoply feature is not working. So you are fed-up of going everytime to My Computer and the clicking on you CD drive icon to start the movie CD which should have run automatically.
No problem. Just do the following.
Start-Run- type gpedit.msc
A window will open. Click Computer Configuration > Administrative>Templates>system
double click on Turn Autoplay Off in the right pane. ( The default is 'Not Configured")
Set it to Diabled. click Apply. Reboot the system.

This will work with XP Pro only.

DOS Command for 'System Restore' in XP

All of us know how to use system restore. For the newborn here it is how:-

Start-All Programme-Accessories-System Tools-System Restore

The window will open and the you can select if you want to restore your system or want 

to make a new system restore point. Choose restore system option. The calender opened

will have some highlighted dates and when you click on any of them, the right panel will

show the 'System Restore Point(s)' of that day. Choose any of them and click next. The 

computer will reboot and restore your system to that point.

But sometime this option is not available due to virus attack or some other reasons.

In that case we can use the 'Run' command. 

Start-Run- type -         %systemroot%\System32\restore\rstrui.exe

This will start the System Restore wizard as explain above.

Put Your Name in System Tray

Warning : Before applying any of the tricks in this blog please make a system restore point, or better make an image of your system. This is must to avoid any data loss or to counter any unstability in your system. I will post only the tricks which I have tested and found OK. But these are not my inventions. I have gathered these gems from various sites, friends, books, magazines etc. Hence please don't hold me responsible if you face any problem. So I say again, make a system restore point and make an image of your system with Acronis True Image, Norton Ghost or any such programme.

Now its a really easy trick. Its safe and can be undone anytime you want.

In the 'Control Panel' got to 'Regional and Language Setting' tab.

click 'customize' and in that click 'Time' tab.

Select 'AM' in the box and type you name instead.

Select 'PM' and do the same.

click 'Apply' then 'OK' and close all windows.

Now the system tray will show the time and after that instead of PM or AM your name will appear.

Any time you want to go back, just repeat the procedure above and revert to AM and PM in corresponding boxes. The clock will again show AM and PM instead of your name.