Sometimes there are things you'd just rather keep to yourself. Windows has encryption functionality built into the file system, but it's a) not very robust and b) a proprietary part of the NTFS file system. I prefer the TrueCrypt Foundation's TrueCrypt, a free and open-source encryption system that can create encrypted volumes out of a file on disk or a physical drive (such as a USB drive).
Most of the program's functions (like creating encrypted volumes) are wizard-driven and easy to use, even if you know nothing about encryption. The encryption algorithms it uses are fully documented industry standards, such as Triple DES and Blowfish, so the encryption itself is not going to be a weakness. You can even set up a USB thumb drive or an external hard drive with its own copy of TrueCrypt if you want to take your encrypted files with you to a machine that doesn't have TrueCrypt installed. (Note that you'll need administrative access on the target computer for this to work.)
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
CD/DVD burning
CD/DVD burning
For a long time, I was a fan of Nero Ultra Edition, and it's still one of the better commercial suites for CD and DVD burning. It crams quite a few audio and video disc mastering features into a single $79 package, including support for Blu-ray authoring (not just burning data, but creating playable BD-AV discs). But the sheer size of Nero -- and the fact that I barely used many of the features in even the most basic version of the program -- compelled me to look elsewhere.
ImgBurn
The small, lightweight ImgBurn. (Click for larger view.)
I've since settled on ImgBurn from Lightning UK, a freeware application with just the right mix of features. Aside from being able to do the simple and obvious stuff like burn and compile disc images, it includes some fairly advanced features. You can specify where to put a layer break when burning dual-layer DVDs; there's already support for HD-DVD and Blu-ray drives; you can set manufacturer-specific options such as overspeed burning, depending on what drive you have installed; and much more.
One major drawback to ImgBurn is that it doesn't burn audio CDs. That's not something I've done for a long time, but if you want to burn audio CDs, check out Ashampoo's Burning Studio, which has a 30-day trial and a $40 price tag. Aside from burning video and audio CDs, it rips from audio discs to multiple formats, has elaborate backup and restore functions, and (my favorite) lets you modify existing bootable discs with minimal hassle.
For a long time, I was a fan of Nero Ultra Edition, and it's still one of the better commercial suites for CD and DVD burning. It crams quite a few audio and video disc mastering features into a single $79 package, including support for Blu-ray authoring (not just burning data, but creating playable BD-AV discs). But the sheer size of Nero -- and the fact that I barely used many of the features in even the most basic version of the program -- compelled me to look elsewhere.
ImgBurn
The small, lightweight ImgBurn. (Click for larger view.)
I've since settled on ImgBurn from Lightning UK, a freeware application with just the right mix of features. Aside from being able to do the simple and obvious stuff like burn and compile disc images, it includes some fairly advanced features. You can specify where to put a layer break when burning dual-layer DVDs; there's already support for HD-DVD and Blu-ray drives; you can set manufacturer-specific options such as overspeed burning, depending on what drive you have installed; and much more.
One major drawback to ImgBurn is that it doesn't burn audio CDs. That's not something I've done for a long time, but if you want to burn audio CDs, check out Ashampoo's Burning Studio, which has a 30-day trial and a $40 price tag. Aside from burning video and audio CDs, it rips from audio discs to multiple formats, has elaborate backup and restore functions, and (my favorite) lets you modify existing bootable discs with minimal hassle.
Archiving/compression
The native .zip file integration in Windows Explorer is OK, but most people want something with more features than that. For a long time now, my favorite third-party archiving tool has been Rarlab's shareware WinRAR.
Its proprietary .rar archive format does a far better job of compressing than vanilla .zip does, and includes compression algorithms for audio and images -- ones that aren't already compressed, that is. (Note that while the .rar format is great for your own use and is becoming increasingly widespread, you can't yet assume other users will have a program that understands .rar files.) The trial is free (albeit with nag boxes when the 40-day trial period expires), and a single-user license will cost you $29.
A new contender that's completely free and open source is Igor Pavlov's 7-Zip, which includes your choice of multiple compression algorithms, AES-256 encryption for archives, multithreaded performance for multicore systems and compatibility with existing .rar archives. If you're a convert from WinRAR, you don't have to recompress all your old files. The interface is also similar enough to WinRAR that you can switch from one to the other without too much trouble.
Its proprietary .rar archive format does a far better job of compressing than vanilla .zip does, and includes compression algorithms for audio and images -- ones that aren't already compressed, that is. (Note that while the .rar format is great for your own use and is becoming increasingly widespread, you can't yet assume other users will have a program that understands .rar files.) The trial is free (albeit with nag boxes when the 40-day trial period expires), and a single-user license will cost you $29.
A new contender that's completely free and open source is Igor Pavlov's 7-Zip, which includes your choice of multiple compression algorithms, AES-256 encryption for archives, multithreaded performance for multicore systems and compatibility with existing .rar archives. If you're a convert from WinRAR, you don't have to recompress all your old files. The interface is also similar enough to WinRAR that you can switch from one to the other without too much trouble.
What’s AutoPatcher
How many times did you have to leave your computer, after a format, to download the updates you had before it? How many times did you have to go do something else, leaving your friend’s computer download the load of updates with their poor little dial-up modem? How many times have you wished for the updates to be portable from one computer to another and not require but a few mouse clicks to install?
If you’re the “computer guy” of the pack, no doubt the answer to the above questions was “I’ve lost count”! And if you have one or two computers you should consider yourself lucky as well. Think of what would happen if you had to update ten or twenty computers daily!
Is there any way to avoid all this trouble?
Besides the updates one finds on Windows Update (which are not portable), Microsoft also issues special updates (called administrative updates or network install updates), which do not require an Internet connection present during the installation process. The user however will have to answer to a series of (for the most part identical) questions. Even this can be an annoyance since it requires the user’s presence for quite some time.
The solution!
AutoPatcher is based on the functionality of these special updates, automating their installation process. This way, with only a few mouse clicks and two minutes of your time, AutoPatcher is able to continue with the installation of the items you selected. In short, AutoPatcher combines the advantage of both Windows Update (presentation and description of updates and automated installation), and the special administrative updates (portability and installation without the need of an Internet connection).
Update N computers in 1,2,3!
Using AutoPatcher is really easy. The most difficult part of the procedure will probably be the downloading, because, due to its size, it’s not something a 56k modem owner would go for. Typically, an AutoPatcher release weighs about 200-300MB, since it includes all the updates in one big package.
1. Downloading
Since there are quite a few releases, your choice must be based on the following criteria:
* Version
Each release targets a specific version of Windows. Choose the right one for the system your updating.
* Language
An equally important piece of information is the operating system’s language. Unfortunately, international versions of Windows (such as Greek Windows) use different updates from the ‘base’ English version, so the English AutoPatcher releases cannot be used on Greek Windows. Note this is not so with Windows Vista!
* Type
o Core releases, these are the main releases which contain the bulk of the patches.
o Update releases, these allow you to update a Core release with additional patches as new ones are created.
o Addon packs, these add additional patches and addons (such as ’sunjava’) not distributed in the main Core release or Update releases.
2. Extraction & burning on CD
After downloading you’ll have to extract the file’s contents in order to run AutoPatcher. This procedure is taken care of by the installation program, and shouldn’t trouble you at all. If you want to burn AutoPatcher on a CD (so it can run directly off the CD), just burn the contents of the folder in which you extracted the contents of the file you downloaded.
3. Installation
The last step is the most important. AutoPatcher will now install the items you selected and, after a restart, your system will be up-to-date and ready to be used. This procedure is divided in 4 stages, though your presence is only needed during the item selection (it can be done 100% unattended):
* Loading
* Item selection
* Installation of the selected items
* System restart
VISIT WWW.AUTOPACHER.COM
If you’re the “computer guy” of the pack, no doubt the answer to the above questions was “I’ve lost count”! And if you have one or two computers you should consider yourself lucky as well. Think of what would happen if you had to update ten or twenty computers daily!
Is there any way to avoid all this trouble?
Besides the updates one finds on Windows Update (which are not portable), Microsoft also issues special updates (called administrative updates or network install updates), which do not require an Internet connection present during the installation process. The user however will have to answer to a series of (for the most part identical) questions. Even this can be an annoyance since it requires the user’s presence for quite some time.
The solution!
AutoPatcher is based on the functionality of these special updates, automating their installation process. This way, with only a few mouse clicks and two minutes of your time, AutoPatcher is able to continue with the installation of the items you selected. In short, AutoPatcher combines the advantage of both Windows Update (presentation and description of updates and automated installation), and the special administrative updates (portability and installation without the need of an Internet connection).
Update N computers in 1,2,3!
Using AutoPatcher is really easy. The most difficult part of the procedure will probably be the downloading, because, due to its size, it’s not something a 56k modem owner would go for. Typically, an AutoPatcher release weighs about 200-300MB, since it includes all the updates in one big package.
1. Downloading
Since there are quite a few releases, your choice must be based on the following criteria:
* Version
Each release targets a specific version of Windows. Choose the right one for the system your updating.
* Language
An equally important piece of information is the operating system’s language. Unfortunately, international versions of Windows (such as Greek Windows) use different updates from the ‘base’ English version, so the English AutoPatcher releases cannot be used on Greek Windows. Note this is not so with Windows Vista!
* Type
o Core releases, these are the main releases which contain the bulk of the patches.
o Update releases, these allow you to update a Core release with additional patches as new ones are created.
o Addon packs, these add additional patches and addons (such as ’sunjava’) not distributed in the main Core release or Update releases.
2. Extraction & burning on CD
After downloading you’ll have to extract the file’s contents in order to run AutoPatcher. This procedure is taken care of by the installation program, and shouldn’t trouble you at all. If you want to burn AutoPatcher on a CD (so it can run directly off the CD), just burn the contents of the folder in which you extracted the contents of the file you downloaded.
3. Installation
The last step is the most important. AutoPatcher will now install the items you selected and, after a restart, your system will be up-to-date and ready to be used. This procedure is divided in 4 stages, though your presence is only needed during the item selection (it can be done 100% unattended):
* Loading
* Item selection
* Installation of the selected items
* System restart
VISIT WWW.AUTOPACHER.COM
Saturday, December 19, 2009
View Admin At welcome Screen
By default windows XP doesn't show the Administrator in the user list at the welcome screen. Here's a way to get around it.
Now head up to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\Userlist
create a new DWORD entry and name it as Administrator and change its value to 1.
exit and reboot for the changes to take effect.
To change it back change its value to 0 or simply delete the key.
Note ::::::: "To enter in registry for this tip GOTO--> RUN --> enter 'regedit'
Caution :::: "Make sure take Backup before registry editing""
Now head up to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\Userlist
create a new DWORD entry and name it as Administrator and change its value to 1.
exit and reboot for the changes to take effect.
To change it back change its value to 0 or simply delete the key.
Note ::::::: "To enter in registry for this tip GOTO--> RUN --> enter 'regedit'
Caution :::: "Make sure take Backup before registry editing""
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