Windows 7 Tricks

Windows 7 Tricks



1.Launch Taskbar Apps in a Cinch

You probably have all your favorite apps pinned to your taskbar. Launching each requires you moving your mouse all the way down and clicking. Boring!

An easier is to press the Windows key and the position of the app in the taskbar. For example, in the example below, I have Explorer in the first position. Pressing Win+1 will open it up right away. Oddly, using the numpad for this doesn’t seem to be working.

I wish I could multitask better

2. Search Within Documents

By default, Windows doesn’t search the contents of files that aren’t indexed. If you’re in a hurry and need everything searched, prefix your search keywords with content: and Windows will look for every instance of the word.

3. Change the ‘Shut Down’ Button Behavior

For people like me who hibernate on a whim, the shut down button in the start menu is an absolute hindrance. Two clicks to get what I want? Unacceptable. Fortunately, you can easily customize this behavior.

I still prefer XP's approach. Win followed by U and enter.

Go to your Control Panel, click Appearance and Personalization -> Taskbar -> Start Menu. Select the Start Menu tab and choose the Hibernate option and you’re good to go.

4. Enable Internet Searches from the Start Menu

A slightly impractical but still very useful tip. From the start menu, run gpedit.msc. In the window that opens up, go to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right page, you should find an entry called Add Search Internet link to Start Menu. Go ahead and enable it to see Windows display a Search the Internet link with every search.

As I mentioned, not very practical but at least saves you from opening a browser

5. Copy into the Command line

Let’s start off with a nerdy one. Often when you’re following a tutorial online, you’ll be asked to run a few commands in your command line. You coyly press Ctrl+V but uh oh. What’s this? Nothing happened.

To copy something into the command line, press Alt+Space which invokes the windows menu. Now go to the edit option and choose paste. Voila! To make it even shorter Alt+Space followed by E and P gets it done in four keystrokes.

6. Use the Volume Mixer to Granular Audio Control

Did you know Windows ships with the ability to control volume on a per app level? You’d usually control the volume by clicking on the speaker icon in your system tray. For the volume mixer, right click on the icon and choose the mixer. You’ll notice a window with options for your main playback device as well as each application that’s capable of outputting sound. In the example below, I have Firefox, and Winamp running.

Great song, if you're wondering.

As an added bonus, if there’s a ungodly sound blaring from you speakers and you don’t know where it’s coming from, the mixer is the place to check!

7. Create a Picture Slideshow on your Desktop

Tired of using the same wallpaper but tired of having to constantly change your wallpapers? Windows 7 has a solution.

The much easiest way is to select multiple images in an explorer shell anywhere, right clicking and choosing Set as Background. Windows will automatically cycle through the chosen images.

You're free to select as many as you want

If you’re itching for a little more control, right click anywhere on the desktop, choose Personalize -> Destkop Background and choose multiple images. You can now choose the interval between changes as well as the order in which they are shown.

8. Invoke the Run Utility in a Single Keystroke

As a power user, I’m constantly looking for getting things done quickly. The run utility is a big help in this aspect. Launching it is still a chore. The easier way? Win+R. Keep in mind that the utility is launched with user level permissions only.

Hola there, indeed!

9. Adding Additional Clocks

I work as part of a distributed team and I frequently have to look up times in different cities. To make this work in Windows 7, click the clock icon in your tray. Choose Additional Clocks in the windows that pops up and add the additional cities you want. Unfortunately, the additional times don’t exactly get displayed in your tray — you need to hover over the clock.

Yes, I'm writing this article this late.

10. Instant Window Docking

Do you have multiple windows open at a time and in need of some immediate organization? Press the Windows key and the left or right arrow key to dock that window to that portion of the screen.

Once docked, you can revert to your earlier position and size by pressing the Windows key and the opposing arrow key.

11. Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

Did you know you can launch your favorite applications through custom shortcuts? Let me show you how, it’s easy.

Great game and gets a thumbsup from me!

Just right click the application or its shortcut and click on Properties. Select the Shortcut tab where you’ll find a field for Shortcut Key. Just use a keystroke combo that doesn’t clash with existing shortcuts!

12. Maximize and Minimize Windows in a Heartbeat

Tired or too busy to click the maximize button? Windows provides you with a super quick shortcut: Win+Up key. What about minimizing, you ask? Win+Down key . Pretty nifty when you’re juggling lots of windows.

13. Clean Up Your Text Rendering

One thing I adore on OS X is the clean, crisp typography that it renders. While earlier versions of Windows struggled with this aspect, 7 is pretty spot on.

If you’re unhappy with the current way it renders text, you can always tune it up. Go to Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization and choose Adjust ClearType text under the Fonts category. The utility that pops up should walk you through setting up text rendering the way you want.

Pay attention to this tool -- it relies on user input for proper calibration

14. Turn Your PC Into a Wifi Hot Spot

Windows 7 ships with the ability to turn any run of the mill wifi adapter into a working, basic wifi router.

Setting it up is a matter of running two commands as well as clicking a few checkboxes. But for the sake of brevity, I’m not including the full guide today — you can find it here.

15. Tweak the Autorun Behavior

By default, Windows 7 pops up an autoplay window when you plugin new media. While a lot of people find it quite useful, it merely gets in the way for me.

Thankfully, you can tweak this behavior in a granular manner. Want your audio CDs to autoplay in Winamp but want your movie DVDs to open with VLC instead? Or want autoplay disabled on just your USB devices? Easy. Go to Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound. There you can find a separate section just for autoplay. The first link lets you tweak everything to your heart’s contents.

It's best to disable autoplay for software

16. Open Folders in New Processes for Added Stability

Folders are opened under the same process by default which, while more efficient, can cause issues when you’re dealing with an unstable file system. You can work around this issue by opening each folder in its own process. You can do so by pressing Shift when right clicking a folder and choosing Open in new process.

The approach is pretty similar to how browsers sandbox plugins and tabs.

17. Use the Inbuilt Black Box

Windows 7 ships with a utility that records the steps you’ve taken on the computer automatically including mouse clicks. You can use these recordings to speed up issues when you’re dealing with tech support.

Use the previously mentioned Win+R combo to bring up the run dialog and type in psr. Just click on the bright red button to get started with recording your steps.

This tool is a boon when you need tech support.

18. Remove the Recycle Bin from the Desktop

I tend to run a super tight ship on my desktop. No icons whatsoever. When I first started using Windows 7, the recycle bin was a thorn in my side. Vista let me right click and delete the entry but Windows 7 denied me that.

As I figured out earlier, the functionality is still present - just behind a couple of clicks. Right click on the desktop, choose Personalize and then Change Desktop Icons on the left side pane.

Uncheck the relevant entry and off the bin goes!

It should be apparent which options is relevant here

19. Insta-Lock Your Workstation

Do you have someone at the door in the middle of a financial transaction or something else sensitive? It’d be wise to lock your computer before leaving but it takes multiple pesky mouse movements and clicks to get it done.

There is a simple combo in 7 to instantly lock your desktop: Win+L. Really helps when you’re in a hurry and has saved me lots of times.

20. Minize All Open Windows

If you’re running a Rainmeter or otherwise widget heavy desktop like me and need to look at your desktop instantly to look something up, the traditional way is a bit of a chore.

Look no further than a quick Win+M which will instantly minimize all open windows. Win+D does roughly the same thing except it seems to render the widgets invisible as well.

21. Restore the Quick Launch Bar

I was one of those people who used the quick launch bar fervently in Vista. Even though, this feature is not enabled by default in 7, there is a quick workaround.

Right click your taskbar, choose Toolbars -> New toolbar. In the dialog that pops up, paste in %AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch. You can now tweak the bar’s position, enable/disable titles and the size of the icons.

Start here

22. Show the AM/PM Symbol in the System Tray

Depending on which locale you selected during installation, the time in the system tray may not display the AM/PM marker. Changing it takes only a few steps.

Go to Control Panel -> Clock, Language and Region and choose Change the date, time or number format. In the window that pops up, look for the Short time setting and change it to hh:mm tt

I still can't get over the way the yanks format their dates

23. Set the Taskbar to Show Text Along with Icons

The default taskbar is setup so that apps only display their icons. Which works for me but you may feel otherwise — specially if you’re feeling nostalgic about Vista.

aka Vista mode

To display each icon’s text as well, right click the taskbar and choose Properties. In the popup, change the Taskbar buttons setting to Never combine.

24. Disable Aero Peek

When you hover over the icon at the end of your taskbar, Windows displays renders just the borders for each window letting you take a look at your desktop — otherwise called Aero peek. This might be a performance killer if you run an older generation machine.

For those reading these captions -- again, some excellent music

To turn this off, right click your taskbar, choose Properties and uncheck Use Aero Peek.. This method seems to have a variable success rate so let me know how it’s working out for you.

25. Zoom in Effortlessly

For users who need to zoom into their screen quickly, here is an alternative that’s mouse free: Win plus + button. The Windows magnifier tool will kick in at 200% magnification. You can zoom in further or zoom out once done.

Yes, the tool really is this small. Works great though.

26. Shift Click for a New Instance of an App

Here’s a cool trick: if you have an app running that has an icon in your taskbar, shift or middle click on its icon and Windows will launch a fresh instance of the application.

As an added bonus, Ctrl + Shift + click will open an instance with admin privileges.

27. Automatically Reduce the Volume When a Call Arrives

I think a vast majority of our readers use our PCs to make voice calls. Windows 7 has lots of built-in functionality around this feature. Let’s take a look at one of the most practical.

When you’re using a PC to make calls and you have a sound producing app on the side, Windows 7 will automatically reduce the system volume. I prefer completing muting everything and that’s how I’ve set mine up. Here’s how.

Press Win+R and type in mmsys.cpl. This will take you directly to the Sound section of the Control Panel. Click on the Communications tab and choose Mute all other sounds. As expected, this will automatically mute everything but the call.

28. Move Your Page File

This is one of those fabled performance tricks told over the years: moving your system’s paging filr from the C partition to a separate hard drive gives you a nice little performance boost. I’ll let you google up about the whys but here is how to do it.

Open Control Panel -> System -> Advanced System Settings. Choose the Advanced tab and click on the settings button of the Performance category. In the popup, click on the Advanced tab and finally the change button. Uncheck the solitary checkbox and create a new page file in a different hard drive after selecting the No paging file option for the C partition. Phew!

29. Activate God Mode

Though the name is quite misleading, the fabled God mode is a neat trick. Invoking it is pretty easy. Create a new folder titled GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} and the folder’s icon will change to resemble a control panel and will contain a plethora of control options.

And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.

30. Shake to Minimize

This is another of those nifty little window management tricks. When you’re working on a cluttered desktop, grab the titlebar of a window and give it a vigorous shake and every other window will minimize meekly providing you all the focus you need.

As a bonus, Win+Home does the same thing.

31. Drag and Drop to Path Glory

When working in the command line, there are plenty of times where you need to provide the path to a specific file or folder. Compiling code, for example. Instead of typing it out, just drag the file into the command prompt and its path will automatically be inserted.

32. Enable Hidden Wallpapers

Considering wallpapers are, well, free this isn’t as impressive as I’d like but hey, hidden is hidden and unlocking equals dopamine. Right? Right?

Go to C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT and you’ll find it stuffed with folders named MCT-xx where xx is a named region. Each of these folders contains region specific themes and wallpapers. Go nuts. Or not. It’s your call, really.

Yay! Dopamine!

33. AutoArrange Your Desktop

You can ask Windows 7 to arrange your desktop by right clicking on the desktop and choosing View -> Auto arange. Once enabled though, you don’t have to go through all those clicks to re-arrange your desktop. Pressing and holding F5 does the trick!

34. Easier App Switching

Alt+tabbing is nice but there is an easier way to switch to your apps. Press the Windows key plus the position of the app in the taskbar. For example, if an app is placed first in your taskbar, press Win+1 and the app will get focus. If it’s not running, it will be launched, as mentioned earlier above.

35. Open a Command Prompt at a Specific Folder

Again, a tip that works out for devs. Press the the Shift key when right clicking on a folder and you’ll see additional options. One amongst them is Open command window here. Really helps if you don’t feel to comfortable with the command line.

That's the Ruby root folder, if you're interested.

36. Calibrate Your Screen

Windows 7 ships with calibration tools in built. While you google around for the long way, here is a quick tip. Press Win+R, and enter dccw.exe in the popup. The Windows Display Color Calibration tool will pop up to sort out your issues.

The calibration tool's welcome screen

37. Monitor Your Performance with Resource Monitor

Windows 7 is usually incredibly quick for me but if yours is acting out, here is a quick little tool buried in Win 7 to help you diagnose the issue.

Click on the start menu and type in resmon to launch the Resource Monitor. The tool provides you with an indepth look at what is eating your CPU cycles, memory and network.

Only video games and transcoding seem to make any kind of dent in modern CPus

38. Enable Checkboxes to Select Multiple Files

I think everyone knows to press the Ctrl key to make multiple selections. Here is a keyboardless way to make it happen.

Go to any folder, click on the the Organize button on the top and select Folder and search options. Go to the view tab and enable the Use check boxes to select items option. Once done, a small checkbox will appear next to each item letting you select multiple items with just a mouse.

Yes, I know the file names are incredibly chaotic

39. Navigate Your Taskbar With Your Keyboard

You can easily move through your taskbar directly through just your keyboard. Press Win+T to cycle through the taskbar icons. Once the initial combo has been pressed, you can also use the arrow keys to navigate your apps.

40. Launch Task Manager in the Proper Context

I bet you always press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up the venerable task manager. Have you noticed there is a slowdown before it launches?

While you can deal with the technicalities of why it happens here, here is a quick little shortcut that step around the entire process: Ctrl+Shift+Esc.

Simple FanRegulator Circuit

Simple Fan Regulator Circuit


Have you ever come across using a conventional fan voltage regulator to control the speed? Such type of regulator is called as resistance regulator which works on the principle of a rheostat or a resistance potential divider arrangement.

As the steps (of the knob on a regulator box) are decreasing, means that you are actually increasing the resistance of the circuit and hence the lower power is applied to the fan so that it becomes slower.

Obviously the power consumption by the fan will be less at lower speeds by this arrangement, but this is not an energy saving method. The voltage drop across the resistance is converted into heat losses (I2R) so the energy is dissipated in the form of heat.

This wastage of energy is more at high resistance or lower speed condition. Therefore, conventional fan voltage regulators have more energy losses.


conventional voltage regulator

Simple Electronic Voltage Regulator

Due to the advancement in power electronic technology, the alternative design of fan regulator (voltage regulator) can be easily implemented to reduce the energy losses that are caused by conventional voltage regulators. This type of voltage regulator is an energy saving device which uses TRIAC, DIAC and potentiometric resistance.

This method provides the step less control of the fan speed by deriving the required amount of power from the main supply at a given instant .Hence the power is conserved rather than wasted unnecessarily. Let us discuss briefly about this voltage regulator circuit and its working.


Electronic voltage regulator

Now we are going to build the voltage regulator circuit which is generally used to control the speed of the fan in our homes or offices. As we know that by varying the firing angle of the traic, the power applied through the load is controlled which is nothing but a concept of power control using TRIAC.

The same principle is applied to the voltage regulator circuit which we are going to discuss.

Required Components for Voltage Regulator Circuit

Resistor R1 – 10 K ohm
Variable resistance or potentiometer R2 – 100 K ohm
Polyester capacitor C1 – 0.1 µ F (For operating range of 500 V or above)
DIAC, D1 – DB2
TRIAC, T1 – BT136
A single phase ceiling fan or AC motor – 220 V, 50 Hz (ranges below 200 Watts)
Voltage Regulator Circuit Connection

Recognize the terminals of all the components for positive and negative terminal connections. Choose the ceiling fan or any AC motor provided it should be rated below 200 watts (According to the values of the components selected)
Take a zero board or printed circuit board (PCB) and connect the circuit as given in the below diagram.
The firing circuit consists of resistor R1, potentiometer R2, capacitor C1 and a DIAC. Connect the one terminal of the DIAC to the voltage divider combination of resistors and capacitor as shown in figure.
Consider the data sheet of TRIAC BT 136 for recognizing the terminals of TRIAC and to know the other detailed information. Connect MT1 terminal to the neutral while MT2 to one end of the AC motor or load. And connect the gate terminal to the other end of DIAC.
Connect the load or ceiling fan between the Phase or Line terminal of the AC power supply and MT2 terminal of TRIAC.
Circuit Diagram of Voltage Regulator using TRIAC,DIAC:



Operation of the Electronic Voltage Regulator Circuit

Before giving the power supply to the circuit, keep the variable resistor or potentiometer in maximum resistance position so that no triggering is applied to TRIAC and hence the TRIAC will be in cutoff mode.
Turn ON the power supply of the circuit and observe whether the fan is in standstill condition or not. Vary the potentiometer position slowly so that the capacitor starts charging at the time constant determined by the values of R1 and R2.
Once the voltage across the capacitor is more than the break over voltage of the DIAC, DIAC starts conducting. Thus, the capacitor starts discharging towards the gate terminal of TRIAC through DIAC.
Therefore, TRIAC starts conducting and hence the main current starts flowing into the fan through the closed path formed by TRIAC.
By varying the potentiometer R2, the rate at which capacitor is going to be charged get varied this means that if the resistance is less, the capacitor will charge at a faster rate so the earlier will be the conduction of TRIAC.
As the potentiometer resistance gradually increases, the conduction angle of TRIAC will be reduced. Hence the average power across the load will be varied.
Due to the bidirectional control capability of both TRIAC and DIAC, it is possible to control the firing angle of the TRIAC in both positive and negative peaks of the input.
Note:

As a safety measure, test the good working condition of this circuit by applying a low voltage supply like 24V AC or 12 V AC with a small load like a low wattage bulb before connecting to the mains supply.
If the load exceeds 200 watts, choose the higher watt capacity TRIAC in place BT 136 TRIAC.
Advantages of voltage regulator circuit

Continuous and step less control of the fan speed is possible
Power saving is achieved at all the speeds by minimizing the energy losses
Simple circuit which requires less number of components
Efficient as compared with resistive type due to lower power consumption
Cost-effective

Data Interpretation Tricks

Data Interpretation Tricks

Data Interpretation is easily the most neglected topic during CAT preparation. Most often, people assume that there is nothing they can do to improve their scores in DI and hence, do not try to work on this topic. Many people simply do not know how to prepare and hence, avoid this section. However, DI contains 10 out of 60 questions in CAT and properly attempting it can easily be the difference between 90 percentile and 99 percentile or above. With this in mind, we bring to you 10 tips to improve Data Interpretation Score in CAT.
1. Read the question carefully

The first and the most important step in solving any Data Interpretation question is to read the question carefully. You should read all the data that comes with the graphs or table in the question. Many a times, the data given below the graph turns out to be more important than most of the numbers in the graphs.

2. Analyze the Data Carefully

The next step should be to analyze the given graph/data carefully. Do not try to see the questions first and find out the answers accordingly. You will waste your time if you follow that method. Try to understand the graph. What is it about? Which years does it cover? Is the data in absolute terms or in percentage terms? What do the two axis signify?, etc. Look at the statistics for each graph, chart, table or pie diagram. Look carefully at the labels. Make sure you understand the central them of the data.

3. Don’t worry about too much data

Try to understand the question. Sometimes, the question contains lots of data that is unrelated and not required for answering the questions. When you look at the question you may get discouraged by the lengthy tables or by the amount of information below the graphs. But, if you were to understand what the data is about and then look at the question, you may find that you only have to use part of the data. Hence, it is important that you do not get disheartened by the size of the data and skip the question without looking closely at it.

4. Skip Questions that need too much Calculation

Some questions ask too much from you. They require lots of calculation in order to be solved. These questions are known as the speedbreakers. Such questions are best left alone, at least in the first round. Once you have finished solving all the easy questions and still have time for the section to end, you should attempt these questions. If you try such questions, you will lose your precious time on them and may not be able to attempt some simple questions that may follow. By attempting easy questions first, you will improve Data Interpreatation Score in CAT

5. Avoid Unnecessary Calculations

We have a habit from our school days to solve questions in a step by step method. This is a very good habit for school exams but a really bad habit when it comes to attempting CAT papers / mocks. There are many unnecessary calculations that we do which cost us a precious few seconds per question. Sometimes, there are many steps that can be skipped but we still do it as we are trained to solve in a step by step method. Learn to skip those steps.

6. Pay close attention to the units used

Sometimes, the questions will use a different unit for the question and another unit for the data. For example, the data given may be about sales volume in Millions. However, the question may ask about sales volume in lakhs. If you do not pay close attention to the unit, you may chose the wrong answer. Another question may talk about two roads for example and may give the time in hours in one case and minutes in another. Always convert the units into the ones asked. So, if the question asks how many minutes it will take, convert the data given in hours into minutes. Or if the question asks in hours, convert the data in minutes to hours.

7. Learn to Approximate

CAT is not about finding the exact answer always. Most of the times, the options given are far enough from each other to give you enough room for approximation. So, for example, if you are asked to divide 542678/181234, you can easily approximate that the answer will be somewhere around 3 by looking at the first 2 numbers only. 54/18 is 3. So, instead of dividing it and finding the accurate answer, try to find an appproximate answer. This will give you the correct answer more often than not. If however, the options are close, you will still be able to eliminate 1 or 2 options easily.

8. Do not assume anything

Sometimes there are questions which will ask us to find out something holistic data for which is not available. Always be alert enough to see whether the data given is enough to answer the question or not and do not go forward with answering the questions based on assumptions.

There is a joke on this which I am sure most of you may have heard. It goes something like this:

A man was driving with his son to some destination. Midway, they had an accident and the son was injured. The father took him to the hospital. The doctor there saw the boy and said “He is my Son”. How is this possible?

—> The Doctor is his mother.

Female Doctors do exist.

The joke relies on the fact that most people would assume the doctor to be a man. This leads to this riddle/joke’s punchline.

9. Dont attempt DI sets in the last 10 minutes

Last 10 minutes often bring with them anxiety and solving DI questions requires a cool head which aids analysis of data. Solving a set may prove costly as panic may kick in and if one is not able to solve the set it may lead to loss of time which otherwise could have been devoted to singlets.

10. Learn to skim through data

In recent years CAT/XAT have been giving sets which have a lot of data in them and all the data is not required to solve the questions. Skimming through the data and avoiding entanglement becomes an important part of the process. So focus on what is required in the question rather than forming tables/ consolidated form for all the data.

Repair Of CFL

Repair of CFL



Repair of electronics usually means change of capacitor C3 if he is brobek. When burns fuse, probably will be damaged transistors Q1, Q2 and resistors R1, R2, R3, R5. You can replace fuse with resistor R5. Failures can be multiplied. For example, when is shorted capacitor there can be thermally overloaded transistors and will be destroyed. Best transistors for replacing of original types are MJE13003, but it is not easy to find them. I replaced them with BD129, but they are not available now. There exists other variants like a 2SC2611, 2SC2482, BD128, BD127, but I am not sure if they will be long-life. Original transistors are not available on our market. If doesn't matter size of case TO220, it's possible to use transistors MJE13007.

CFL bulbs basically fail due to breakdown of some very basic electronic components, which are cheap, easily avliable, and easy to test. The components are Electrolytic Capacitors, Transistors, Diodes, Transformer, and Resistors.

The most difficult part of the repair work is to open the enclosure. After the enclosure is taken off it’s found that it has the CFL, Inverter Circuit, and the Housing of the circuit that contains the screwbase.Now the repairing starts with a visual inspection.

If you find any bulged electrolytic capacitor then desolder it out from the circuit and replace it with newer one having same or close capacitance measure, and a voltage rating at least or above 250volts.

Check the transistors. Not by a visual inspection, but by testing them using an ohm-meter. In some cases it might not work due to the base drive circuit. So it’s always recommended to desolder out the transistors, and then test them.

Test the inductor/transformer for open circuit, using an ohm-meter. Check the diodes for forward resistance reading. Make sure that it has no or negligible resistance reading when it is tested reversely. Also check for open circuit.

Have a close look at the resistors. If they appear to be charred, then desolder it out and test it for its resistance reading. In some cases it’s found that resistors open circuit.30% of the failure of CFL bulbs is caused by Open Circuit Resistor that is connected to the mains supply line. It’s basically a low ohm, 0.5 watts resistors.

And if all the above components are found to be ok, then have a continuity test on the Vacuum Tube. If it’s found open circuit then, you cannot do anything further, but can obviously quit the repair work.

Capacitor

C is for capacitor



It goes without saying that you should unplug the power cable and battery while doing a repair, but simply removing the power source doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance of getting shocked. Capacitors store charge. They can be found on power supplies and scattered throughout circuitry. While a shock from most capacitors in consumer electronics isn’t fatal, they can still give you a decent jump. When working with electronics, be sure not to grab capacitors directly or touch them with any conductive material.

If you plan on replacing a capacitor, you may need to discharge the capacitor first. If that’s the case, use our guide to build a capacitor discharge tool. Discharge time varies with size. It is important to give the tool enough time to discharge the capacitor completely.

Basketball Tricks

Basketball Tricks



1. The first of five cool basketball tricks is the first that most beginners learn. The Sweep consists of moving the ball in a sweeping motion across the midsection, after which the right foot is moved outside of the defender's right foot.

2. The next cool basketball trick is a freestyle trick which is affectionately named the Tornado. This trick is wicked to watch. In essence, the ball is passed above the defender's head tricking them into believing that the ball has been passed to someone else. The ball is shuffled to the other hand. A quick spin then leaves the defender in the dust.

3. The next cool basketball trick on the list of five cool basketball tricks is the box out. This trick basically consists of using your forearm to cause the rebound. This trick is great for beginners but is also used by many basketball greats in professional play.

4. The fourth cool basketball trick is a dribble. The crossover dribble is used by greats such as Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant. To utilize this dribble, step with the left foot and then move with your right foot. This will cause the defender to think you are going in one direction, but you will then go in the opposite direction.

5. The final cool basketball trick on the list of five cool basketball tricks is the Spin. This move is a classic. Basically, it involves dribbling with one hand, stopping and then rotating and dribbling with the opposite hand. This is one of the five coolest basketball trick because of its simplicity and ease of learning.

Basketball players of all levels can learn these five cool basketball tricks. They are fun to watch and exciting to do. Hard work and determination can yield great success as a basketball player. Once learned, all of the fun of being an accomplished basketball player can be obtained.

6. Set up a zig-zag pattern of cones on each side of the court and down the length of the court.

7. Have the players dribble around the cones with a low cross at each cone and a change of direction.

8. Send a basketball coach down the middle of the 2 dribble lanes holding up different number of fingers, changing after both players have correctly called out the correct number of fingers.

9. Each player is to call out the number of fingers the coach is holding up.

10. A little twist on this drill is to have them throw the coach the basketball only when all five fingers are held up noting the first player of the two to throw the ball.

11. We run the drill over with a spin move, behind-the-back move, and a between-the-legs move at the cone; doing the same thing with the coach holding up fingers.
We have found that this drill makes the players focus on the floor rather than looking at the ball and allows them to realize that they can dribble without looking at the ball.

Posted via Blogaway

Carrom Tricks

Carrom Tricks


Side Shot

This trick can be used to knock your carrom-men into a pocket or your opponents' carrom-men out of the way. Aim the striker so that it passes by your targeted carrom-man with just the side of your striker touching the side of the carrom-man. Flick the striker forward and as it passes by the carrom-man it will send the disc in the opposite direction of the side that was hit. For example, hitting the carrom-man on the right side will send it to the left. Use this to hit side pockets or to disrupt a possible move from your opponent.
Second Hit

If a carrom-man is blocking your shot to another disc on the board, turn your blocker into a makeshift striker. Line up the striker so that it forms a straight line to the targeted carrom-man that also passes through the blocking carrom-man. Flick the striker into the blocker to knock the blocker into your intended target. This shifts the position of two carrom-men at once.
Middle Shot

Useful at the start of a game when the carrom-men are gathered on the center of the board, the middle shot takes care of two carrom-men in one shot. When two carrom-men are directly adjacent to one another and touching, aim the striker at the space between the two. Flick the striker and when it hits, the two carrom-men should move in opposite directions. This can help you score two carrom-men in two different pockets in one shot.
Thumb Shot

Don't feel that you need to shoot with only one particular finger. Flick the striker with your thumb during a trick for a more powerful shot. Place your hand behind the striker and form a circle with your thumb and index finger with your thumb slightly behind it. Flick your thumb forward at the striker for a powerful shot
Alley Oop

When playing a doubles game of Carrom, you will be seated across from your opponent, meaning the two of you can work together to score shots. Use the alley oop trick to send carrom-men quickly into pockets. For example, lightly flick your striker at a carrom-man to knock it near a pocket on your side of the board. On your teammate’s turn, have him flick the set carrom-man into the pocket. Repeat to keep the board set in your favor.
1. Easy as 123

A trick shot that seems impossible at first, but once mastered is fairly easy. It involves the 1, 2 and 3 balls, and if the shot works out OK the 1 ball goes into the centre pocket off the 2 ball. The 2 ball then cannons into the corner pocket and with the spin, the 3 ball goes into the same pocket due to the carom from the cue ball. As said before, if you manage to perfect this shot you’ll reap the rewards.

2. Cue is Thicker than the Eye

Made famous by the legendary Fast Eddy Felson in the film The Hustler in which he played Minnesota Fats. Although technically a foul, this is a seemingly impossible quick fire shot. The idea is to get the 3 ball in the side pocket in spite of it been hindered by the 1 ball. You need to play this shot with a touch of confidence and a tight grip on the cue, it’s an extremely difficult shot, but if you have plenty of time on your hands you may surprise yourself.

3. Just Showing Off

This shot was made famous by Steve Mizerak in an advert for beer in the 1970’s. Basically five objects are clustered near the left side pocket and a hanging object in the lower right corner. Shooting the cue ball into the cluster pocketing all five balls and then the cue ball will travel 3 rails to pocket the ball that’s a hanging object.

4. Machine Gun 1

This shot issues a machine gun sound. To play the shot simply line some object balls in a row; a width away from the cushion. Fire the cue ball into the space between the balls and cushion, and whilst that ball is travelling, hit each one of the object balls to create a machine gun sound.

5. Machine Gun 2

A line of object balls are placed onto the table. The cue ball should be shot into a pocket with dead weight and the object balls are all potted into the same pocket directly one after the other. If done properly the cue ball should be the first ball to hit and the last ball to fall.

6. Machine Gun 3

A line of objects are placed in a row but not against the cushion, they are then shot around the table hitting three cushions in total and then into exactly the same pocket. This trick requires careful timing so newly shot balls do not collide with ones already in motion.

7. The Butterfly

A beauty of a shot if you pull it off. Simply group six object balls in the middle of the table in a butterfly shape, in one single shot each ball drops into a different pocket on the table, definitely one to impress the ladies with.

8. Up and In/The Boot Shot

Also known as ‘the boot shot’, this shot originated from World Trick Shot Champion, Mike Massey. Basically the cue ball is shot off the table and into a cowboy boot on the floor. In case you don’t have a cowboy boot handy, a trainer should be just fine.

9. The Dollar Bill Shot

This shot uses a banknote. Take the money and place it on the short rail near the pocket as a landing zone. Then hit the cue ball off eight or nine cushions, and fingers crossed, it should land with the ball’s edge over the banknote. The shot has been used as a tie breaker in Trick Shot Magic with whoever landing closest to the bill winning the match.

10. Cluster Shot

This shot could take months, if not, years to master. It pretty much involves defeating the seemingly impossible, and potting every ball in one shot. Explaining where each ball goes on the table is pointless, as there are a number of possible variations for where each ball could be placed. Mastering the trick to perfection is more a case of knowing your mphysics inside out, along with PLENTY of practice.

How To Reset Motorola Mobile Phone

How To Reset Motorola Mobile Phone

There can be times when you may need to Reset or Restore or Hard Reset your Motorola GSM Mobile Cell Phone to its original factory setting to solve several problems. Problems that need “RESET” may include:

Your Motorola Mobile Phone Gets or Got Locked.
You have forgotten the secret code or password of your Motorola Mobile Phone.
You Motorola Mobile Phone gets hanged too often.
In Motorola Mobile Phone Model W220, if it says “Subscriber Not Allowed” then do following to reset your mobile phone to restore the original factory setting and fix the problem:

Remove the SIM Card from your mobile phone.
Type the following password: *#**367628# and Call
The above step will start Master Reset.
After One Minute Type Following Code: *#**778337#
This will Reset your Motorola GSM Mobile Phone.
Notes: Before Resetting your Motorola Mobile Phone, take following precautions:

Take backup of contact list.
Take backup of all data including photos, videos, documents and any other data.
If any data is stores in the Phone Memory and you reset the mobile phone, all data will get lost.

abnazinfotech

GTA San Andreas Tricks

GTA San Andreas Tricks

Easy money 1

If you have gotten to the point of the game where you can recruit gangmembers, recruit some. Then, kill them. They won't fight back or try to escape! Do this again and again and you should have plenty of ammo and cash.

Easy money 2

An easy way to get money or a gun is to get into a car, speed up, look for a gang or cop, then when you are a few feet away from them jump out (press Triangle) which kills them....then get their stuff

Easy money 3

When you kill a drug dealer, you will net $2000. Drug dealers normally wear black jackets and stand still waiting for people to talk to them. Kill as many as you can find to build up your cash stash quickly.

Easy money 4

To get money easily simply go to a horse betting place and put all your money on the horse with the worse odds, if they win you'll get around 10-12 times your money back, if they lose simply re-load your game and try again.

Easy money 5

At the betting shop in Los Santos's Red country, access the betting machine near the wall and choose the horse with the worst odds. Place every dollar you've got and start the race, instead of watching it with hope for a victory tap the 'X' button as fast as you can. you SHOULD win, again repeat this process adding more and more money to the bet. Finally you will be rolling in it.

Easy money 6

Enter a strip club and stand directly in front of the main stripper, all the money the men throw at the stripper you will get because you are standing in front of her.

Easter egg: hoodlum notoriety

When you finish some missions (for example: 555 we tip) listen to the radio. You'll hear the person talking about the mission just passed.

Easter egg: rockstar cameos

In one of Zero's missions, where you have to use the machine gun to knock down the RC planes, you can see some action figures of rockstar characters like Tommy Vercetti, Lance Vance, as well as characters from other games in Rockstar's line-up during Zero's dialogue.

Arcade Games

Walk up to any arcade machine or console system in the game and press triangle, you will be able to play retroesque arcade games.

Change the size of the moon

Shoot the moon with the sniper rifle and it will grow until it reaches a certain size, then it will shrink when you shoot it again.

Funny License Plates

If you import a car at the docks, most but not all cars have plates that differ from normal ones. One says "our fergie", or "disco stu", and a really special one says "ea sucks".

True Crime Easter Egg

In Los Santos, at the Unity Station, look at the tunnel in which the train goes into. And look at the sign above it. Zoom into it with a sniper or camera. The sign reads: True Grime Street Cleaners.

Basketball Tricks

When you have a basketball in your hands tap triangle or square to do some little tricks.

Weapons (tier 1)

Press R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up while playing the game. You will see a message if the code has been entered correctly. The least powerful weapons in each category will be unlocked including the brass knuckles, bat, 9mm, shotgun, micro MP5, AK-47, rifle, rocket launcher,
Weapons (tier 2)

Press R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down (2), Left while playing the game. You will see a message if the code has been entered correctly. The knife, desert eagle, sawed-off, Tec-9, M4, sniper rifle, flame thrower, grenades, and the fire estinguisher, will be unlocked.

Weapons (tier 3)

Press R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down (3) while playing the game. You will see a message if the code has been entered correctly. The chainsaw, silenced 9mm, spaz, MP5, M4, sniper rifle, heat seaking rocket laucher, and remote explosives, will be unlocked.

Las Venturas: kick boxing moves

Go inside the gym and defeat its owner to learn kick boxing style attacks.

Los Santos: brass knuckles

When you first start the game, go to the underpass two doors from your house in the Ganton area. There are brass knuckles in the grass.

Los Santos: handgun

Go behind Sweet's house. In the corner will be a gun.

Los Santos: machine gun

Jump on top of Sweet's house, then jump on roofs towards CJ's house. On top of one will be a machine gun.

Los Santos: Uzi

There is an Uzi under the bridge in the waterway to the right of your house in the Ganton area when you exit it.

abnazinfotech

Lumia Tricks

Lumia Tricks


1. Control your Xbox 360

If you have an Xbox 360, you can use your Windows Phone as a controller, a keyboard and even as a mouse. To do this, first go into the games hub and run the SmartGlass app. If it's not there, download it from the Windows Marketplace.

With SmartGlass up and running, press the bottom right three full stops and then select 'connect to your Xbox'. Make sure your Xbox is on. You will know if the devices paired up without issue because you can see the option of 'Remote', the on-screen button you press to start using your Lumia 620 as a controller for your Xbox. If not, hit 'try again' and ensure both your phone and Xbox use the same Wi-Fi router connection.

Assuming all went to plan, you can now select between guide, controller, keyboard or browser control modes by pressing the left and right arrow, although the app will automatically adjust to the correct mode when needed, so you shouldn't need to. Now simply swipe left, right, up or down or make use of the on-screen buttons. Simple.

Now it's all working, what you see on your phone is played on the big screen. So when browsing Internet Explorer, you can swipe around with your finger and type using the Lumia 620's on-screen keyboard. Or just open up one of the SmartGlass supported apps like Netflix and choose something to watch and play or pause the action without the need for your traditional Xbox controller.

2. Tell everyone you're running late with one message

Rather than manually send everyone a message apologising for running late, if you were clever enough to invite contacts to the appointment, you can easily send out a warning. Go into calendar, select the appointment you're failing miserably to be punctual for and then press the '...' button in the bottom right.

Here you can see four options, one of which shows a stickman running. Press this and a pre-written email with a late message will pop up, with all involved contacts added in as a recipient. Now you can either edit the message to give a reason for being late or just hit send and it will go to everyone.

Note: This feature remains hidden if you're the only person attending the event, which makes sense.

3. Find your nearest petrol station and get you there

You don't need to buy a sat-nav app when you have a Windows Phone from Nokia -- the Nokia Drive app is built right in. This means you can get turn-by-turn directions when driving, and you don't even need a data connection.

Load up the Nokia Drive app or download it from the Windows Marketplace. Now select settings once the app is running and click Manage Maps. You'll see a + button -- click it and select the country you live in and then wait for the download to finish. Now you can enjoy directions without relying on data.

All you have to do now is jump back, select Set Destination, hit Search and type in petrol stations. The app will now list all the nearest filling stations in order of proximity. Select one and then you can either hit Drive To or swipe left or right between all the selections, with the map preview updating to show you where each option is. If you think you might need those directions again, hit the star icon to save it to your favourites.

4. Make animated GIFs for the Internet

You've seen those silly animated videos on the Internet, the ones that loop over and over. Great news! You can make your own with the Lumia 620.

To do so, find an animal doing something hilarious. Now go into your camera, either by pressing the icon or holding down the camera button for a second or so. Now hit the bottom button of the four if holding the phone in landscape, or the leftmost button in portrait -- it's the one comprised of two arrows. Now select the Cinemagraph app (if it's not there, same drill as before -- download and install from the Windows Marketplace).

Now it's just a case of holding the photo capture button down or pressing the screen to record. A circular loading bar will indicate how long you have before recording stops. Once done, you can then increase or decrease the length of the loop via a simple bar, and you can select areas to keep from moving using the reduce tool, which can create a creepy effect. Then save.

Finally, all you have to do is share it with the world via a Nokia account, which you can access by registering or using your Facebook details.

5. Locate nearby attractions using your camera

Augmented reality sounds like something from an early-90s sci-fi thriller with terrible CGI, but the clever technology allows you to find local attractions, points of interest and services with your Lumia 620's camera.

Download the City Lens app and open it up. Assuming you have a data connection of some sort, you will be prompted to do a figure of eight with your phone. Do this until the prompt goes away. Assuming all goes well, you can move or rotate on the spot and the direction of restaurants, pubs, shops and whatever else is nearby will show up in real time, depending on whatever you want to look for.

Places can be clicked on within the viewfinder. Doing so allows you to get directions and share the location. One final tip: put your Lumia 620 on a flat surface and you will get a bird's eye view of where you are.

6. Share files without any cables

It may be a budget smart phone, but the Lumia 620 comes with NFC -- short for near-field communication. This emerging technology allows you to transfer data, such as contact details and photos, between two NFC-capable phones simply by touching them together.

The feature can be found in the Settings page under Tap+Send. Enable it on the devices you wish to transfer files to and from and turn on Bluetooth, also located in Settings. Now, the devices will ask to be put together to pair up -- cuddle them together until a sound plays.

Now you just find whatever you want to share via NFC, press the '...' in the bottom right corner, then select Share, then Tap+Send. Then touch the devices together.

7. Turn your Lumia 620 into a router

Internet tethering wasn't a feature with Windows Phone 7 until a few updates in, but it's there and ready to go in Windows Phone 8. Known as Internet Sharing, the option can be accessed under settings.

So what does it do? In short, Internet Sharing basically makes your phone a sort of mobile Wi-Fi router that allows up to eight people to piggyback your 3G data connection with any Wi-Fi enabled devices. In theory, eight people with laptops could be browsing the Web thanks to your phone -- although don't expect incredible (or even usable) speeds if that many people get involved.

To use it, you simply turn the feature on and then select Setup. Now choose a Broadcast name that everyone you want to connect can identify and then choose a password to join your new network. Obviously only share this password with the people you want to connect, or you may end up with some unwanted guests cadging your data.

Now, people should see you listed as a potential Wi-Fi connection they can join by entering the password you've given them. Bear in mind all that data being munched up could be costly, so either ensure you have an unlimited tariff or keep the usage to a minimum.

8. Hide your caller ID

Don't want whoever you're calling to see your number? Go into your caller history and press the '...' in the bottom right corner. Now hit Settings, then 'Show my caller ID to', and select 'no one'.

9. Make it child friendly

Tucked away under settings is Kid's Corner, a new feature to Windows Phone that allows you to let your children use your Lumia 620 without fear of them emailing your boss embarrassing pictures, deleting your entire contacts list or buying an incredibly expensive app.

Simply go into Settings, find Kid's Corner and turn the feature on. Now follow the on-screen instructions, adding the games, apps, music and video you're happy for your kiddywinks to see. Those you want to keep them away from need to remain unticked.

Now you have the option to set a password for your lock screen. It's worth setting one, as it not only prevents your phone from being easily accessed if you lost it, it also keeps tech-savvy little rascals from adjusting the allowed content of Kid's Corner, defeating the point of it entirely. Once set, make sure you remember it and finish the setup.

Assuming all went well, accessing Kid's Corner is done by locking the screen, then pressing to unlock -- but instead of sliding the screen upwards, you swipe from right to left. You should see a screen labelled Kid's Corner. Now swipe from down to up. Here you'll see all the content you selected, ready for your lucky progeny to enjoy.

10. Put all your emails in one place

If you want to feed multiple email accounts into one inbox, you can make this happen very easily with your Lumia 620. Simply go into one of your email accounts you want to link -- it doesn't matter which one -- and then press the '...' button. Now select Link Inboxes and choose the other inbox you wish to merge.

If you decide you want to separate the new linked inbox, you can simply press our old friend '...' when viewing your emails and then select the Unlink option. Here you can also adjust inbox names if you wish to do so.

Note: Sometimes unlinking may require you to re-enter your password and login name for the non Hotmail email account, so bear that in mind (done also under Settings and Email+Accounts). Just give your freshly separated inbox a test by attempting to sync emails -- if it works, no problem. If not, at least you know why.

abnazinfotech

Computer Tricks

Computer Tricks



Computers have simplified our life to a great extent. Things that were impossible earlier can now be completed instantly thanks to computers. But, does this mean that a PC is all work and no play?

Obviously not! Here are some of the best tricks you can try out on your Windows based computer.
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1. Make your computer speak what you type

You can use your PC's built in features and some VBScript magic to create a simple program that will make your computer speak whatever you input to it. What are you waiting for? Head over to this post to start a conversation.

2. Find your computer's gender

Want to know if your PC is a male or a female? Simple. Try the previous trick to know if your computer is a 'he' or a 'she'.

On a serious note, this depends upon the voice you have selected in Microsoft Text to Speech options.

3. Lock Folders with password

Do you often have other people seeing your personal files? You can store them in a password protected folder so that only you can access them. Go see this post to know how to protect your personal files effectively.

4. Make your computer greet you every time you start Windows

A simple modification in the first trick will let you have an awesome computer said welcome that you can use to impress all your friends. Just read this post to make your computer welcome you in its own mechanical voice.

5. Have fun with Notepad

If you think that Notepad is just a basic text editor, then, you will be amazed by its capabilities. You can use Notepad to create everything from personalized logs to harmless viruses that are incredibly annoying. Go see this post to know just how useful Notepad is.

6. Command Prompt too has some tricks up its sleeves

So, you thought that Notepad has some tricks but not the command prompt? If you thought so, then you would be surprised to see all the cool stuff you can do with the Windows Command Prompt. Just see this post to get impressed.

7. Change your Processor's name

Are you bored of your old processor and want a new one with a staggering name? Change its name to something extraordinary to get that something special for your PC.

8. Make a Keyboard Disco

Use some VBScript coding to create a live disco using the LED keys on your keyboard. See this post to know how your keyboard can turn into a disco.

9. Use your Keyboard as Mouse.

You know you can use your mouse as keyboard using the On-screen keyboard. What if I tell you that it is also possible to do the reverse? Just read this post to see how.

10. Use Keyboard Shortcuts to get work done in no time

Use some amazingly useful keyboard shortcuts to greatly increase your efficiency when working on a Windows computer.

11. Wallpapers:

They slow your whole system down, so if you're willing to compromise, have a basic plain one instead!
12. Drivers:

Update your hardware drivers as frequently as possible. New drivers tend to increase system speed especially in the case of graphics cards, their drivers are updated by the manufacturer very frequently!

13. Minimizing:

If you want to use several programs at the same time then minimize those you are not using. This helps reduce the overload on RAM.

14. Boot Faster:

The 'starting Windows 98/XP' message on startup can delay your booting for a couple of seconds. To get rid of this message go to c:\ and find the file Msdos.sys. Remove the Read-Only option. Next, open it in Notepad or any other text editor. Finally, go to the text 'Options' within the file and make the following changes: Add BootDelay=0. To make your booting even faster, set add Logo=0 to remove the Windows logo at startup.

15. Restart only Windows:

When restarting your PC, hold down Shift to only restart Windows rather than the whole system which will only take a fraction of the time.

16. Turn Off Animations:

Go to Display Settings from the Control Panel and switch to the Effects Tab. Now turn off Show Windows Content While Dragging and Smooth Edges on Screen Fonts. This tip is also helpful with Windows XP because of the various fade/scroll effects.

17. Faster Start-Menu Access:

Go to the Start menu and select Run. Now type Regedit and hit Enter. The Registry Editor will appear on the screen. Now, open the folder HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. You should see a MenuShowDelay value. If you don't then do the following: right click on a blank space in the right pane and select New\String. Change the name in the new value to MenuShowDelay. Now that we have the MenuShowDelay value, double click on it and enter 0 in the value data field. This sets the start menu delay to 0 milliseconds.

18. Resolutions:

If you are willing to do anything for faster performance from your PC, then try lowering your display resolution. The lower it is, the faster your PC.

19. Turn off Active Desktop:

Go to your Display Properties and switch to the Web tab. Uncheck View My Active Desktop As a Web Page. Since the Active Desktop option under Windows 98 uses a lot of system resources, this option can have a dramatic effect on the speed of the whole system.

20. Defragment Often:

Windows 98's Defrag tool uses Application Acceleration from Intel which means that when you defragment your drive, data is physically arranged on the drive so that applications will load faster.

21. Take your PC to Bed:

Using the Advanced Power Management feature under Windows 98 gives you the option to use the sleep command. That way, you can send your PC to sleep instead of shutting it down and then restarting it. It's as simple as pressing a button and then pressing the same button to wake it up. You can tell Windows after how many minutes/hours of inactivity to automatically sleep the machine in the Advanced Power Management section of the Control Panel.

22. Faster Internet Access:

If you use the internet for reference and the sites you visit are rarely updated then try the following. In IE (the same can be done in Netscape) go to Tools, Internet Options. Next, click on Settings... in the Temporary Internet Files section. Finally, select Never for the first option and double the amount of storage space to use, click OK!

23. Benchmarking:

Benchmarking can be very useful when run frequently. It can tell you how your PC's components are performing and then compare them to other machines like yours. For example, when you overclock your PC, you want to know how much more speed you have and whether it is stable. All this and more can be discovered using benchmarking. An excellent piece of software for doing this job is SiSoft Sandra which can be found in the Downloads File Archive!

24. Refresh the Taskbar without restarting:

If you in some way change the taskbar, either in Regedit or elsewhere, you can refresh the task bar without restarting. Hold down Ctrl Alt Del, and double click on Explorer. Say Yes to close Explorer, but no to closing Windows. This will refresh the Taskbar and system tray.

25. Quick CD Eject:

Instead of pushing the button on your drive, right-click your CD drive letter in My Computer and click on Eject. This will also remove any icons that have become associated with the CD drive.

26. Start Up Programs:

Windows can be slowed down when programs run on start up. To eliminate this, check your Start up folder. You can access it from the start menu: Start, Programs, Start Up. Another way to eliminate programs from loading even before Windows actually starts is by doing the following: Click on Start, then Run. Type msconfig. It will take quite a long time for this program to load, but when you finally see it on your screen, explore the different tabs. They all have to do with how quickly your PC boots, so select what you want, and uncheck what you don't want!

27. Fonts:

When Windows starts, it loads every single font in the Fonts folder. Therefore, the more fonts you have, the slower the booting process. To get rid of unwanted fonts, simply go to the Fonts folder under c:\windows and remove whatever you don't want. Fonts that have a red letter 'A' as their icon are system fonts, so don't delete them.

28. Stretching Wallpapers:

Don't "stretch" your wallpaper in Windows 98 since it actually slows Windows down when you drag icons around on the desktop.

29. RAM Matters:

If you have less than 32MB then you should seriously think of upgrading it to at least 64MB. Windows runs much more smoothly with 64MB or higher and tends to use less hard disk space for virtual memory.

30. Partitioning:

A very nice little thing you can do to boost system performance. By partitioning your hard drive, splitting one physical drive into several logical ones, you can gain several advantages. 1. If you get a virus or you accidentally format a drive, not all will be lost. 2. By placing the swap file (Win386.swp) on a separate drive, The swap file will be less fragmented and thus, faster. 3. Place Windows on a separate drive and whenever you need to reinstall it, you rest assured that your data is safe on a separate drive. Partitioning can be done using a few programs such as FDisk which comes with DOS. However, FDisk formats everything on the hard disk before partitioning. Alternatively, you can use Partition Magic from Power Quest to partition your hard disk without losing your data.

Top Ten Tips to Improve System Speed
1. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any applications.

2. Refresh the desktop after closing any application. This will remove any unused files from the RAM.

3. Do not set very large file size images as your wallpaper. Do not keep a wallpaper at all if your PC is low on RAM (less than 64 MB).

4. Do not clutter your Desktop with a lot of shortcuts. Each shortcut on the desktop uses up to 500 bytes of RAM

5. Empty the recycle bin regularly. The files are not really deleted from your hard drive until you empty the recycle bin.

6. Delete the temporary internet files regularly.

7. Defragment your hard drive once every two months. This will free up a lot of space on your hard drive and rearrange the files so that your applications run faster.

8. Always make two partitions in your hard drive. Install all large Softwares (like PSP, Photoshop, 3DS Max etc) in the second partition. Windows uses all the available empty space in C drive as virtual memory when your Computer RAM is full. Keep the C Drive as empty as possible.

9. When installing new Softwares disable the option of having a tray icon. The tray icons use up available RAM, and also slow down the booting of your PC. Also disable the option of starting the application automatically when the PC boots. You can disable these options later on also from the Tools or preferences menu in your application.

10. Protect your PC from dust. Dust causes the CPU cooling fan to jam and slow down thereby gradually heating your CPU and affecting the processing speed. Use compressed air to blow out any dust from the CPU. Never use vacuum.

Maintaining your computer is the key to keeping it healthy and fully working and of course, fast. Windows 95 has most of the tools for maintaining your PC, but Windows 98 extends the possibilities and makes it even less of a hassle. If you follow the list below and run the programs listed frequently, you will be guaranteed to have a maintained computer at no extra cost. There are, however, other programs in the market with stronger engines, but then again, they're not free (stop smiling...) Most of these programs can be found under the Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools folder.

Computer Maintenance tips for keeping it healthy

1. Disk Defrag: It is advisable to run Defrag under Windows 95 once a month or when you add/remove programs. However, under Windows 98, you can run it every week if you want because it has a new engine, which means that the more you run it, the faster your computer will get. What happens is that your programs are placed on your hard disk in a way so that the ones you use most often are easier for the hard disk to find and run. Make sure that the 'make my programs run faster' is ticked in the 'Settings' window in Defrag.

2. Scandisk: Running a thorough check is good once a month in both Windows 95 and 98. Run this once a month if you feel that your hard disk takes a long time to load programs. A standard check is very fast and checks for basic disk problems concerning files and folders and lost fragments. It takes an average 2 minutes to complete so try running it often.

3. Disk cleanup: This one is good for seeing how much disk space is being used up by unnecessary files that are in the recycle bin, temp folder, or in temporary internet folders. You can then remove them!

4. RegClean: A simple but effective piece of software this is. You can download it for free from Microsoft's web site. It is also available on many magazine cover disks. Reg Clean takes about a minute to check the registry. Then it asks whether you want to clean out redundant or orphan file. This usually helps the computer to get rid of files that have been left behind by uninstalled programs.

5. Windows update: It's a good idea to use Windows Update to make sure your computer has all the latest fixes, patches and updates. You can do so by clicking on its icon in the Start Menu under Windows 98.

6. Tweak ALL: A very handy program that allows to change settings, which cannot be changed using Windows alone!
Computer Tricks Every Geek Should Know

We've talked before about the things every computer user should know how to do, but we geeks are special: we want to go above and beyond, to explore every nook and cranny of our system and make everything easier. Here are ten ways to do just that.

1. Find New Uses for the Programs You Already Have

Chances are, you've probably already found a few awesome tools and added them to your productivity arsenal, but most programs can be used for more than just their inteded purpose. The file-syncing Dropbox, for example, is also great for monitoring your home computer, printing files from afar, and even downloading stuff with BitTorrent. Savvy folks can use Gmail to store files in the cloud or find out if someone's stolen your laptop. Any tool can become multipurpose if you know its ins and outs.

2. Use the Command Line Like a Ninja

Using the command line isn't as exciting as it looks in the movies, but it can be a very useful tool (in fact, some tools are just better in the command line). It's pretty easy to learn, too—check out our command line primer for beginners to learn some basic commands. Once you've got that down, read up on the best shortcuts that help you navigate the command line like a ninja. Those guides apply to UNIX-based systems like Linux and OS X, but if you're a Windows user you can grab something like Cygwin to get a similar experience (or, if you want a more Windows-centric tool, try Powershell).

3. Read and Understand Your Resource Usage

When your computer starts acting a little slow, a lot of people jump to their resource monitor to see what's causing problems. However, just looking at a bunch of charts and graphs isn't going to tell you what's wrong unless you really know what you're looking for. High CPU is a common problem with one app slowing your system down, and as soon as you close it, the issue should go away. High network activity could be the cause of slow internet or slow file transfers over the network. RAM usage, however, is where a lot of people get thrown off: high RAM usage isn't inherently a bad thing. Know the difference between good and bad RAM usage before you start blaming processes. If you want to keep an eye on your resources, check out our favorite system monitors for Windows, Mac, and Linux, too.

4. Run Everything on a Schedule

Stop performing all that system maintenance yourself and set it all up to run on a schedule. With Windows' built-in Task Scheduler, you can run just about any kind of task—whether it's maintenance, picture uploads, or even a simple alarm—through Windows' built-in tools (in fact, it's one of the best Windows 7 features you've probably forgotten about). Mac users looking for something similar should check out Tasks Till Dawn.

5. Know Your OS's Hidden Features

Every operating system has hidden things lying under the hood, you just have to know where to look. Windows users should check out the hidden features of Windows 7 and Windows 8, while Mac users should peruse the hidden features of OS X Lion and Mountain Lion. If you want to find even more, you can often find them in Windows' Registry or in OS X's terminal. System tweakers like Ultimate Windows Tweaker, OnyX for Mac, and Ubuntu Tweak are also great places to find secret features.

6. Learn to Crack Passwords (and Protect Yourself)

Everyone should know how to create a secure password, but responsible geeks can take it a step further by learning how to break into a comptuer. This skill—whether used on a Windows machine or a Mac—can really help you understand how computer thieves and hackers will try to get at your data. Learning the process means you know how to protect yourself against the process—not just with strong passwords but with encryption and other settings tweaks that keep thieves out. Similarly, you may also want to learn how to crack a Wi-Fi network's WEP and WPA password.

7. Navigate Everything With Your Keyboard

There are certain basic keyboard shortcuts everyone should know, but if you really want to use your computer more efficiently, you can take it so much further. Learn the most common shortcuts for your favorite programs, like Gmail, Microsoft Word, basic text boxes, and even Facebook. After a little while, you'll be able to blow through menus and text boxes with unbelievable speed. Check out our guide to becoming a keyboard ninja, complete with a bunch of cheat sheets to help get you off the ground.

8. Run a Basic Linux Distribution

Even if you don't want to switch operating systems, knowing a few Linux basics can be really handy. With a live CD on hand you can troubleshoot your machine, revive an old, slow PC, and make your way through Linux-based DIY projects. Check out our five-part guide to getting started with Linux, and be careful—it can be quite the rabbit hole once you get into it!

9. Squeeze More Power Out of Your Hardware

With a bit of tweaking, you can push your hardware past its original limits and get some pretty serious bang for your buck. When it comes to your PC, you can overclock your processor and video card, and even install OS X on non-Macs by building a Hackintosh. And, while you're at it—even though it isn't a computer trick specifically—you should try turning your $60 router into a $600 router with DD-WRT.

10. Program Your Own Dead Simple Scripts

You don't need to learn an entire programming language to write advanced scripts. Windows users can do a ton of awesome stuff with AutoHotkey, from creating simple keyboard shortcuts to controlling their PC remotely. To get started, just check our beginner's guide to AutoHotkey and our list of the best AutoHotkey tricks. Mac users don't have anything quite like AutoHotkey, but you can do quite a bit with the built-in, insanely easy-to-learn AppleScript. If you aren't the coding type, check out Automator on the Mac and its clone, Actions on Windows

When all is said and done, this is probably way more than 10 tricks, but if you don't know any of the above, they should keep you busy for awhile. If you have an idea we didn't list, be sure to mention it in the comments below.

abnazinfotech

Whatsapp Tricks

Whatsapp Tricks


WhatsApp is definitely the best chatting app ever made for Android & iPhone. Though there are many other apps competing with WhatsApp which are hiring filmstars to get you to use them, I don’t see WhatsApp losing its market anytime soon. And that’s why I decided to write this piece where in I’ll share some useful WhatsApp tricks. I’ll cover some interesting things you can do with WhatsApp.

WhatsApp Tricks ~ Top 12

Use WhatsApp Without Your Mobile Number

Do you have a mobile number but for some reason do not want to use it on WhatsApp? Do you often indulge in group chats with several unknown people to whom you don’t wanna reveal your phone number? Do not worry. You can do that. Here’s how:

If you are already using WhatsApp, uninstall it from your device completely. You can keep the SD card files i.e. the images if you want. Download and install it again.
Now when you open WhatsApp it’ll ask you to verify your phone number. It automatically sends a verification message to its server. But if this happens your number gets registered with them. So block your message service. You can simply put your phone on flight mode so that all network connections are disabled. You can alternatively change the message center number. Remember the old one of course.
It’ll ask you to choose an alternate method to verify. Choose ‘Verify through SMS’ and give your email address. Click on ‘Send’ and without waiting even for a second click on ‘Cancel’. This terminates the authorization process.
Now you have to spoof that message. You can try this for Android and Fake-a-Message for iOS.
Go to your Outbox -> Copy the message details to spoofer app -> Send it to spoofed verification.
Use the following details.
To: +447900347295
From: +(Country code)(mobile number)
Message: Your email address
A message will be sent through that spoofed number. You can use this number to connect with your friends.
I don’t know if you should be using this or not. I don’t find it useful anyway.

Hide WhatsApp Last Seen Time

WhatsApp is the best chatting app. The only problem with it is that it doesn’t allow you to hide your last seen time from your friends or stalkers. WhatsApp for iPhone does, but it’s Android, Windows and BB counterpart doesn’t. I mean to say there isn’t an inbuilt function to do it. But here’s how you can hide your WhatsApp last seen using additional apps or tricks. I already have a detailed article in place so I won’t write all that shit again. You can simply follow the previous link.

Recover Deleted Messages

Recover deleting messages on WhatsApp is now possible. WhatsApp by default stores all your conversations and activity on your SD card. This is helpful if you ever lose your messages or to hack into your friend’s messages after they’ve deleted it from WhatsApp. You can simply go to: SD card -> WhatsApp -> Databases and look for two files named – msgstore-yyyy..dd..db.crypt and msgtore.db.crypt. The first file contains all the messages you’ve sent or received in the last seven days while the second file contains all messages sent or received on that day. You can retrieve those files easily. You can open them using a simple text editor.

Send Two Images in One

Have you received an image where at first you see a hot chic and when you click on the image you get to see a monkey? There’s no trick but an app to do it. Try Magiapp tricks for WhatsApp for android and FhumbApp for iPhone. Using them you can hide your best pics inside others. Unfortunately there’s not much you can do if you own a Windows phone or BlackBerry.


Get Contacts Profile Pictures

When you are checking out your friend’s profile picture there’s no way to store it. WhatsApp doesn’t provide an option to save the image. Of course you can take a screenshot, but then you’ll have to crop the unnecessary part. Do not worry. You can find all those images in SD card -> WhatsApp -> Profile Pictures. The images will be associated to you friend’s mobile number and not his name. Have an easy time searching for the image ;)

Change Your Friends’ Profile Picture

Nah, you’ll not be making the change globally, but changing your friend’s profile picture only on your phone is sufficient to scare the hell outta him. Here’s how you can do it.

Choose a profile picture for your friend. Use Google Image search for cute looking monkeys and donkeys or weird looking people.
Resize the image to 561×561 pixels and name it with your friend’s mobile phone number.
Save the image in SD card -> WhatsApp -> Profile Pictures. Overwrite an existing image if required.
Disable WiFi and data network. If you don’t WhatsApp will automatically update the picture. Now show it to your friend who’ll panic instantly!
Create a Fake Conversation

Noticed the fake conversations between Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid and Suresh Raina prevailing on Facebook? Ever wanted to do that yourself? With the help of an app like WhatSaid you can easily create fake conversations and play pranks on your friends. Don’t use it to spoil someone’s life though, please.

Send PDF, APK, ZIP & More

Unlike most chat apps, WhatsApp doesn’t allow you to send documents. But with an additional app like Cloud Send you can send PDFs, APKs, Word documents and more using WhatsApp.

Hide Your Profile Picture

I’m not really sure why you’d want to hide your profile picture. No one looks that bad to be not seen by people. Anyways with an application like WhatsApp Plus, you can hide your profile picture on Android. WhatsApp Plus is not available on the Play Store and there are several fakes available online so make sure you download it from a reliable source like the one I shared. A better way is to not set a profile picture if you don’t want others to see how you look on screen. Thus you’ll save on memory!

Stop Automatic Media Download

By installing the same app, WhatsApp Plus you can stop WhatsApp from downloading images automatically.

Update: You no longer need to use WhatsApp Plus to prevent auto-downloading of images or other media. WhatsApp now allows you to control it from the pap itself. Simply go to Settings -> Chat Settings -> Media auto-download -> Check ‘When using mobile data’, ‘When connected on WiFi’ and ‘When roaming’ one by one and uncheck all the sub-options!

Find Out Your WhatsApp Statistics

Want to know who texts you the most? Want to know if that girl or guy has a crush on you? Find it using WhatStat. It shows you everything in neat organized graphs. I first came across this app when a friend uploaded some graphs he had created using WhatStat on our college group on WhatsApp. If you’d be satisfied with limited data you can also view your statistics by going to Settings -> Account -> Network Usage.

Change Phone Number Linked With WhatsApp

Bought a new sim card? Want to change your old number associated with WhatsApp without losing access to the groups you had joined? Here’s how you can do it. Go to Settings -> Account -> Change Number -> Type both your old and new phone number and hit ‘Done’.

These are just a couple of interesting things you can do with WhatsApp. As I end this post I’m still looking for more WhatsApp tricks and I will continue to share all of them here as I come across them. If you’ve any WhatsApp tricks to share for any platform just comment and I’d be more than happy to include it in this list with proper credits. Stay tuned!

abnazinfotech

How To Reset Lg Mobile Phone (GSM)

How to Reset LG Mobile Phone (GSM)

There can be times when you may need to Reset or Restore or Hard Reset your GSM LG Mobile Cell Phone to its original factory setting to solve several problems. Problems that need “RESET” may include:

Your LG Mobile Phone Gets or Got Locked.
You have forgotten the secret code or password of your LG Mobile Phone.
You LG Mobile Phone gets hanged too often.
In such cases you will have to reset your mobile phone to restore the original factory setting and fix the problem. Below are the steps to Reset your LG Mobile Phone:

Remove the SIM Card from your mobile phone.
Type the following password: 2945#*#
The above step will display some options on your LG Mobile Phone.
Select the “RESET” Option.






abnazinfotech

MTS Mobile Phone Insert Room Card Problem And Solution

MTS Mobile Phone Insert Room Card Problem and Solution

In MTS Mobile Cell Phones, sometimes it asks to “Insert Room Card“. This is most common problem in many MTS Mobile Phone Handsets. In order to solve this problem, you need to RESET The Mobile Phone.

Here is how to Reset your MTS Mobile Phone and solve “Insert Room Card” problem and many other problems that needs to RESET the mobile phone:

Type: *#0203#
This will display a message on the screen with several options.
Select RESET
Now your MTS Mobile is Reset and the problem is solved.

abnazinfotech

Mobile Phone Virus Protection

Mobile Phone Virus Protection

Mobile cell phones, mainly Android Smartphone and iPhone are highly sensitive to virus attacks. Hackers, malware distributors, spyware distributors and even antivirus companies try to spread and inject different virus to mobile phones for different reasons. These viruses can collect and transmit sensitive personal data and bank details to unauthorized people who can misuse them. Therefore, it is extremely important to protect your mobile phone mainly Android smartphone and iPhone from these virus attacks.

There are different free and paid antivirus and spyware protection software and apps available on Google Play for Android and iTunes for iPhone. I personally use the free antivirus apps to protect my Android smartphone from virus attacks. Most of these software and apps work good on most brand of mobile phone including – Samsung, China Mobile Phones, Motorola, HTC, Sony, Alcatel, LG, Panasonic, Huawei, ZTE, Spice, Lava, Sony Ericsson, Micromax etc.

Mobile Phone / Smartphone from Virus

A mobile phone or smartphone virus is very similar to a computer virus. The only difference is that computer virus attacks and targets computers while a mobile phone virus attacks and targets mobile phones. A mobile phone virus is programmed in a way to target cell phone and spread by various means.

These malicious Viruses can transmit sensitive data to unauthorized people or damage and corrupt important data or even erase data.

How Does Mobile Phone Virus Get Spread

Common ways in which viruses spread are:

Bluetooth
MMC Card
Internet
How to Protect Mobile Phone From Virus

There are simple ways to protect your mobile phone / smartphone from virus attacks:

Always keep Bluetooth switched-off. Switch ON only when required. It is better to keep your handset in hidden mode and make visible only to authorised people.
Never open any Bluetooth messages or file sent by any unknown source. It can be a virus.
Always download content from trusted sources.
Most branded mobile phones will flash warning for virus. Pay attention to these messages.
Always install a good anti-virus software / application in your mobile phone.
Use MMC memory card wisely with care. Scan any MMC card before and after inserting it into your mobile phone.
Visit only trusted websites while browsing the internet.






abnazinfotech

How To Reset IPhones

How to Reset iPhone (All Models) – Soft Reset / Hard Reset / Factory Reset

Many a Times you may need to reset your iPhone for several reasons like to fix minor or major problems and bugs, to erase data before selling, problems with touchscreen, buttons or switches. The first thing to learn here is that there are 2 (TWO) different types of RESET Options in an iPhone or any other Brand of Smartphone. The reset process mentioned below are applicable to all models / generations of iPhone including – Original iPhone, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G.

The two reset options are:

Soft Reset – This option is suitable if the iPhone starts giving minor problems. Soft reset clears the memory of the iPhone thus fixing most minor problems. The reason for these minor problems could be buggy apps or bad apps that keep crashing. Soft reset of the iPhone will clear the memory and fix the problems. Soft reset does not delete or removes ant data or information, apps, songs, contacts etc from the iPhone.
Hard Reset – Hard Reset and Factory Reset are same thing. This option should be the last choice when no other tips and tricks work. Hard Reset resets the iPhone to its factory settings. This means that after hard reset, your iPhone will be in the same condition as it was shipped from the factory. There is different procedure to do a full “hard reset” and this will erase or delete everything from the mobile phone and restore the iPhone to its factory settings.
iPhone Soft Reset Process

Simultaneously press and hold the Home button located at the center bottom of the iPhone and the Sleep/Wake button located at the top of the iPhone.
Continue holding both buttons until the iPhone shuts down and again restarts. The process could take about 10 to 20 seconds. Once the iPhone shuts down, you can leave the buttons.
After 10 to 20 seconds you will see the Apple logo on the screen.
Now the iPhone will take some time to reset everything. Sit down until you
Now the soft reset of your iPhone is done.
iPhone Hard Reset / Factory Reset Process

Go to “Settings“
Select “General“
Scroll down and select “Reset“.
Here you will find few options like – Reset All Settings, Erase All content and Settings, Reset Network Settings.
For Hard Factory Reset, select “Erase All Content and Settings“
The iPhone will ask for pass code / password.
Enter the password and confirm.
Now the phone will start the reset process which could take few minutes. Sit down and allow the phone to reset itself.
Once hard reset is done, your iPhone will be same as it was shipped from the factory.
If you updated the iOS, then after reset, the iPhone will have the LAST Version of iOS.






abnazinfotech