How to Test Your Antivirus ?

Your Antivirus is a very important software on your system. Never ever visit big bad world of Internet without an antivirus on your computer. But is your antivirus working fine ?? How to find out ?

There are many sites which let you check your antivirus. But you can test it yourself

1. Open Notepad.

2. Copy paste the following

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

3. Save it as fakevirus.exe

4. Your antivirus should immediately catch and delete it. If not then its time you change your antivirus.

How to Download from Rapidshare with waiting

If you want to download something from Rapidshare free account, then you have to wait between the two downloads. It is frustrating when you want to download a file which has more than one piece. But the workaround is very simple.

It will work if you have a dynamic connection. Generally internet provided by telephone companies like bsnl broadband are dynamic connection. It means your IP address is not fixed and it keep changing whenever you connect and disconnect. This feature is useful, as Rapidshare knows you by your IP address only.

All you have to do is after a download completes, switch off your modem and switch is on again after 10 seconds. When you connect to internet your IP address will change and Rapidshare will allow you to download the next file, because it will take you as a new computer.

How to change the Product Key in Windows XP

In order to change a Product Key you must have a valid copy of Microsoft Windows XP and a valid Product Key.

Steps

Open Internet Explorer (other browser won't work on this. Thanks Billy)

The first step is to go to the Genuine Microsoft Software self-help page, Update Your Product Key: Select Your Version of Windows.(You will have choice of XP, Vista and maybe Windows 7)

Select the Windows XP button to get to the Web page 

Carefully read this page. Microsoft suggests creating a restore point, which you must do, before making changes to your Windows XP installation. Note the gentle warning about sending information to Microsoft so the system can verify the validity of your operating system.

Assuming all of that is OK with you, click the I Understand check box and then click the Download button. You’ll see the typical Run, Save, or Cancel dialog

Select Run, Save, or Cancel.

The rest of the process is your basic follow-the-wizard instructions you should be intimately familiar with by now. Click Run

Yes, I am sure.

Confirm you want to run the applet and start the wizard

tart the wizard.

Click Next, and you will finally reach the screen (Figure F) where you will enter your new Product Key.

Enter the new Product Key.

When you are finished, click Next and then Finished on the next screen to restart Windows. Once Windows is running again, you will need to go through the standard activation procedure to complete the change of Product Key process.

Tricks for 3D Pinball in Windows XP

Games in Windows XP such as Solitaire, FreeCell, and Minesweeper are nice distractions — nothing blows off steam like a good round of 3D Pinball for Windows, especially in full screen mode with the volume cranked all the way up!

3D Pinball for Windows has nine rank levels, ranging from Cadet to Fleet Admiral. Complete each mission and advance to the next rank, but you go back to Cadet at the beginning of each game. Here are a few secret codes to get more enjoyment out of 3D Pinball. Note that the 3D Pinball window must be active for these codes to work.
Regain your old rank from a previous game by starting a new game and immediately typing rmax. Each time you type this secret command, you’ll advance one rank level.
Get an extra ball while the Awaiting Deployment message displays by typing 1max.
Activate the Gravity Well by starting a new game and immediately typing gmax.
Get an unlimited number of balls and essentially play for as long as you like by starting a new game and immediately typing bmax. Each time you lose a ball, a new one will appear. (While playing with an unlimited number of balls, none of the other tricks will work.)
Control the ball with your mouse by starting a new game and immediately typing hidden test. When you do, you can click the ball with your left mouse button and essentially drag it anywhere you want and rack up an unbelievable number of points.

Keep in mind that there isn’t a text box into which you enter these secret codes — you simply type them.

Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

How to Customize Windows XP's General tab

It’s easy to customize Windows XP’s General tab in the System Properties dialog box with your support contact information and your company’s logo or personal logo by using Notepad. 

1. Launch Notepad and type the following text, replacing the dummy information shown here with your own: 

[General]
Manufacturer=Pradeep's Computers
Model=1234567
[Support Information]
Line1=Call 123-12345 for technical support
Line2=Call 123-12345 for technical support
Line3=Call 123-12345 for technical support
Line4=Call 123-12345 for technical support
Save the file in the C:\Windows\System32 folder as Oeminfo.ini.
To add your logo to the General tab, create a 256-color BMP file that is 96 by 96 pixels in size.
SSave the file in the C:\Windows\System32 folder as Oemlogo.bmp.

After you create the files, you can check the results immediately by pressing [Windows][Break]. This will quickly bring up the System Properties dialog box.

Note: This tip applies to Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

How to speed up defrag operations in Windows XP

1.   The most simple way to speed up a defrag operation in Microsoft Windows XP is to restart the system before you launch the Defrag application. This allows the operating system to clear out the swap/paging file (may require a change in configuration for ultimate effect) and to reset it to the default size. This lets Defrag focus strictly on the necessary data on the hard disk, without having to stop and manage a huge swap file loaded with unneeded data.

2.   Another approach to speeding up a defrag operation in Windows XP is to configure it to occur immediately upon startup. You can do so easily with a simple registry edit.

Note: Before editing the Windows Registry   back up your Windows Registry. 

Follow these steps to start a defrag operation immediately upon startup:

Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

Go to: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
Right-click the RunOnce subkey and select New | String Value.
Name the value Defrag and press [Enter] twice.
Type Defrag.exe c: /f in the Value Data text box and click OK.
Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows.

The defrag operation will begin when you type your password and press [Enter]. (Keep in mind that values added to the RunOnce key are removed immediately after the command has been run.)

Note: This applies to both Windows XP Home and Professional editions.