Sihina Tips House..............

[sihina_lahiru]

More than Tips..

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::l ove::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::lov e::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love: :love::love:

[sihina_lahiru]

Have you "lost" a hard drive or partition in your computer?

Have you "lost" a hard drive or partition in your computer?

If there is a (hidden) recovery partition on the drive you should start a thread asking for advice before trying TestDisk.

The situation with a "lost" hard drive typically arises after Windows has been reinstalled or when a slave/external drive is moved to another computer.
If the drive/partition shows up in Device Manager and Disk management, but NOT in "My Computer", chances are that it is "only" the partition table that is missing or corrupt.

You can use a freeware program called TestDisk to repair the partition table and get access to your data again.
TestDisk will not change or delete any of your data if you follow the instructions below.

This guide is written for Windows, but you can use TestDisk with Linux and Mac as well.


Try this to repair the partition table:

The newest version of Test-Disk, 6.11 is available here (http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download)

Download the Windows version of TestDisk (http://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk-6.10.win.zip).
Unzip the downloaded file to your C: drive.
Open C:\testdisk-6.10\win > double click the "testdisk_win" icon. http://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk_doc/testdisklogo-clear-100.gif


The program runs in a command window and doesn't have to be installed.

Each of the steps (A, B, C etc) below corresponds to a new TestDisk window.
Use the keyboard's arrow keys to navigate.



At the first window, select “No Log” and press the <Enter> key.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32319d1218193792-attachments-1-1.jpg
Select which drive to analyse, choose “Proceed” and <Enter>.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32320d1218193800-attachments-1-2.jpg
Select partition type – Intel if it’s a PC then <Enter>.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32321d1218193810-attachments-1-3.jpg
Select “Analyse” then <Enter>. The drive will be analysed.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32322d1218193818-attachments-1-4.jpg
Select “Quick Search” at the next screen, then <Enter>.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32323d1218193826-attachments-1-5.jpg
Press “Y” if the partitions were created under Vista – “N” if not.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32324d1218194121-attachments-2-6.jpg
TestDisk should say “Structure OK”. If so, press <Enter>.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32325d1218194130-attachments-2-7.jpg
Select “Write” and press <Enter>.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32326d1218194136-attachments-2-8.jpg
Press “Y” to confirm.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32327d1218194143-attachments-2-9.jpg
Press <Enter>.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/attachments/hard-drive-support/32328d1218194150-attachments-2-10.jpg



Close TestDisk and RESTART the computer.
The drive/partition should now be fixed and your data available again.

[sihina_lahiru]

How to boot/install Windows 7/Vista from USB Flash

Here is how you can create a bootable USB drive to install Windows 7 on your system.


1.Download Windows 7 Beta

Save the file on your Desktop.

2.Format a 4GB USB thumb drive
http://i39.tinypic.com/fk2xxh.jpg


My computer-->Removable disk(F)-->Right click and choose Format using the NTFS file system

3.Extract the Windows 7 ISO file
http://i39.tinypic.com/5armfo.jpg
First Install WinRAR, 7zip will work too
Right click on ISO file and choose “Extract to ” as shown in the above picture.


4.Copy BootSect.exe
http://i42.tinypic.com/1zebdr5.jpg
Open the extracted folder and open the “boot” folder, inside which we’ll find a file called “bootsect.exe” that we’ll need to use.Copy the file (CTRL+C) and then open up “Computer” or “My Computer” and double-click your C: drive.We’re going to paste (CTRL+V) that “bootsect.exe” file right into C: so we can easily access it in a moment.


5.Make the Drive Bootable
Programs > Accessories and then right-click on Command Prompt and choose “Run as administrator.”
http://i43.tinypic.com/29wwo5z.jpg
Inside cmd, type and enter the followings:

1. cd\
2. bootsect /nt60 f:
We’re assuming the drive letter of your USB thumb drive is F:, so replace “f:” in the above phrase with whichever letter is assigned to your particular thumb drive. Hit enter and you should see:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2j360di.jpg
The thumb drive auto-load when you boot up your computer.

6.Copy the Windows 7 files to the thumb drive
Now, copy all the files from the Windows 7 folder to the USB drive.
Change the first boot device to your USB drive in the BIOS.
Reboot the computer.You should be able to install Windows 7 from your USB flash drive now.

[sihina_lahiru]

How to use Driver Robot for Free, No Crack, No Serial, it Really WORKS...

hi there, today i am going to show you How to use Driver Robot for Free, No Crack, No Serials, for any drivers like if u have Win7 and you don't have Drivers for Win7, that Really Helped me with Sound Drivers, and others http://www.katzforums.com/images/smilies/grin.gif..

Ok now Go to this Link and Download Driver Robot.

Quote:
http://driverrobot.com/download/
After Downloading, Install It.

After Installing it Open it, and Click Start Scan.

http://i48.tinypic.com/20qyz5w.jpg

After the Scan Finnished, click on Exporter, and than Click Export.

http://i49.tinypic.com/dmxoqd.jpg

Save the HTML File to Desktop, and Open It.

You can close now Drive Robot, you don't really need it anymore.

After Opening the HTML File, Click >> GET DRIVERS.

http://i50.tinypic.com/j950k0.jpg

There are the Results for you Drivers, all drivers that you need, to download the drivers click on the Blue Link.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2mhepp3.jpg

There you go.. Thank you Very Much.

[sihina_lahiru]

Encoding, editing of x264 mkv movies using Megui, mkvmerge

This guide is split into following parts:
1.) Setting up Encoder.
2.) Encoding.
3.) Editing of Output file







1.) Setting up Encoder

You Must Have Following 5 Files First

(a) Megui.
Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=640547) Code:
http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?group_id=156112&use_mirror=jaist&filename=megui-0_3_1_1014.exe&a=6828498
(b) Avisynth.
Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=640547) Code:
http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?group_id=57023&use_mirror=nchc&filename=Avisynth_258.exe&a=41520716
(c) Profiles.
Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=640547) Code:
http://rapidshare.com/files/204452745/allprofiles.rar
(d) Nero AAC Codec.
Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=640547) Code:
http://rapidshare.com/files/204452928/neroaac.rar
(e) Mkvtoolnix
Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=640547) Code:
http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/win32/mkvtoolnix-unicode-2.5.1-setup.exe

After downloading the above files follow these steps :-

1. Install Megui, Avisynth and Mkvtoolnix.
2. Copy all 3 Nero AAC files to the Megui directory
By Default - "C:\Program Files\megui"
3. Run Megui and update it.
http://i42.tinypic.com/2j3i0iw.jpg
4. Close Megui.
5. Copy the "allprofiles" folder and paste it in Megui directory
By Default - "C:\Program Files\megui". Replace the allprofiles folder with new one.
6. Now run Megui and we are ready to encode some movies. :wink:
http://i41.tinypic.com/dbpff6.jpg

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------






2.) Encoding

1. Run Megui and click file-->open and browse to the source video file.
2. Wait few seconds and then avisynth will open with video previewer (see images below).
http://i44.tinypic.com/k9garo.jpghttp://i39.tinypic.com/algfly.jpg


3. Enter the desired output resolution (must be mod 16)*
*mod 16 resolution - Both height and width pixels must be completely divisible be 16. Example - Here 720x352 resolution is used and 720/16 gives remainder as 0 and also 352/16 gives rem. 0 so that means it's a mod 16 resolution.
4. You can crop screen if u see black borders (in our case we don't need it).
5. Click Save and you will be returned back to megui.


http://i40.tinypic.com/24xmdsl.jpg



6. In video section select one video profile. For best result use "x264: HQ-Slow" or "x264: Unresteicted 2pass HQ".
7. Select file format as MKV.
8. In audio section select audio profile"Nero AAC: NDAAC-HE-64kbs".


http://i41.tinypic.com/2wmql1g.jpg



9. Click config and check the "adaptive bitrate" and set it to @35kbps. You can also use 40kbps but 35kbps works fine for me.


http://i42.tinypic.com/2ed3xch.jpg



10. Click "Auto Encode" and a new window will apppear.
11. Select conatiner as "MKV" and enter "average bitrate" as per the desired output file size (Remember 30minutes = 100mb). When done click "Queue".
12. Now click "Queue" tab at top of the encoder and click start. http://i39.tinypic.com/r9fz9f.jpg


http://i43.tinypic.com/28qq6t.jpg



13. Now comes the most difficult part which is to wait :mrgreen: . Encoding process has now begun so be patient. Time taken in encoding depends on many factors such as your pc's config., source's resolution, output file's resolution, o/p file size etc. On my pc a normal dvdrip takes an average time of 4-5 hours.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



3.) Editing


TO EDIT MKV FILES I USE MKVMERGE.

In this section I will tell you how to:-

(a) Add or remove subtitles.
(b) Making samples/splitting a file.
(c) Join files.
(d) How to sync. an mkv file.

but before that run mkvmerge.

(a) Add or remove subtitles.


http://i44.tinypic.com/wu5u8l.jpg


Adding

1. Click "add" button to add a video file.
2. Now simply drag the subtitle file to the "tracks" box in mkvmerge or click the add button to add sutitle file.
3. Select output folder.
4. Click "start muxing".

Removing

1. Add your file.
2. Uncheck the subtitle file from the "tracks" box.
3. Select output folder.
4. Click "start muxing".



(b) Making samples/splitting a file


http://i41.tinypic.com/2wly1wl.jpg


1. Add the file that you want to split.
2. Now click "Global" tab at the top of the mkvmerge.
3. Tick the "enable splitting" option and choose the way* you want to split it.
*Take the cursor above each box for more info about it.



(c) Join files


Now if you want to join two or more splitted files into a single file then add the first part of file and then click "append" to add 2nd part and so on you can append a no. of files. Select o/p folder and click "start muxung".

(d) How to sync. an mkv file.

One common problem that arises after encoding a movie is that sometimes we gets file at output which is a bit out of sync. So, we can make it in sync using mkvmerge.

http://i40.tinypic.com/i1jw9t.jpg


Suppose that in our movie the sound is lagging beind video with duration 300ms. Then,


1. Add your file.
2. In "track" box click on video file and then "Format specific options". In "Delay (in ms)" enter 150.
3. Now in "track" box click on audio file and then "Format specific options". In "Delay (in ms)" enter -150.
4. Select o/p folder and click"start muxing"

Similarly, if video is lagging behind audio then in that case we would use -ve value for video file and +ve value for audio file.


This is how process goes:

http://i39.tinypic.com/2rr486u.jpg





Note:-This guide has been tested for as per use on windows xp 32 bit and works. You may face some problems if you are using some other operating system.


Quote:
Credit to the person who has made this guide

[sihina_lahiru]

Windows 7 Tip and Tweaks

Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Let's kick off with keyboard shortcuts – the first thing every power user must memorize with working with a new operating system.
Alt + P



In Windows Explorer, activate an additional file preview pane to the right side of the window with this new shortcut. This panel is great for previewing images in your photos directory.
Windows + + (plus key)
Windows + - (minus key)





Pressing the Windows and plus or minus keys activates the Magnifier, which lets you zoom in on the entire desktop or open a rectangular magnifying lens to zoom in and out of parts of your screen. You can customize the Magnifier options to follow your mouse pointer or keyboard cursor. Keep in mind that so far, the Magnifier only works when Aero desktop is enabled.
Windows + Up
Windows + Down

If a window is not maximized, pressing Windows + Up will fill it to your screen. Windows + Down will minimize that active window. Unfortunately, pressing Windows + Up again while a window is minimized won’t return it to its former state.
Windows + Shift + Up



Similar to the shortcut above, hitting these three keys while a window is active will stretch it vertically to the maximum desktop height. The width of the window will however stay the same. Pressing Windows + Down will restore it to its previous size.
Windows + Left
Windows + Right





One of the new features of Windows 7 is the ability to automatically make a window fill up half of your screen by dragging to the left or right. This pair of shortcuts performs the same function without your mouse. Once a window is fixed to one side of the screen, you can repeat the shortcut to flip it to the other side. This is useful if you’re extending a desktop across multiple monitors, which prevents you from executing this trick with a mouse.
Windows + Home

This shortcut performs a similar function to hovering over a window’s peek menu thumbnail in the Taskbar. The active window will stay on your desktop while every other open application is minimized. Pressing this shortcut again will restore all the other windows.
Windows + E



Automatically opens up a new Explorer window to show your Libraries folder.
Windows + P



Manage your multiple-monitor more efficiently with this handy shortcut. Windows + P opens up a small overlay that lets you configure a second display or projector. You can switch from a single monitor to dual-display in either mirror or extend desktop mode.
Windows + Shift + Left
Windows + Shift + Right

If you are using two or more displays (and who isn’t, these days?), memorize this shortcut to easily move a window from one screen to the other. The window retains its size and relative position on the new screen, which his useful when working with multiple documents. Utilize that real estate!
Windows + [Number]

Programs (and new instances) pinned to your Taskbar can be launched by hitting Windows and the number corresponding to its placement on the Taskbar. Windows + 1, for example, launches the first application, while Windows + 4 will launch the fourth. We realize that this is actually one key-press more than just clicking the icon with your mouse, but it saves your hand the trouble of leaving the comfort of the keyboard.
Windows + T



Like Alt + Tab (still our all time favorite Windows specific shortcut), Windows + T cycles through your open programs via the Taskbar’s peek menu.
Windows + Space



This combo performs the same function as moving your mouse to the bottom right of the Taskbar. It makes every active window transparent so you can view your desktop. The windows only remain transparent as long as you’re holding down the Windows key.
Ctrl + Shift + Click

Hold down Ctrl and Shift while launching an application from the Taskbar or start menu to launch it with full administrative rights.
Ctrl + Click

Hold down Ctrl while repeatedly clicking a program icon in the Taskbar will toggle between the instances of that application, like multiple Firefox windows (though not browser tabs).

Calibrate Text Rendering and Color

The first thing you need to do after a clean install of Windows 7 on a laptop is to tune and calibrate CleartType text and Display Color. Windows 7 includes two built-in wizards that run you through the entire process, pain free.

Launch ClearType Text Tuning by typing “cttune” in the Start Menu search field and opening the search result. You’ll go through a brief series of steps that asks you to identify the best-looking text rendering method.

For Display Color Calibration – very useful if you’re using Windows 7 with a projector or large-screen LCD – search and launch “dccw” from the Start Menu. It’ll run you through a series of pages where you can adjust the gamma, brightness, contrast, and color of the screen to make images look their best.


Better Font Management and a New Graceful Font

Font management is much improved in Windows 7. Gone is the “Add Fonts” dialog , replaced with additional functionality in the Fonts folder. First, the folder shows font previews in each font file’s icon (viewed with Large or Extra Large icons). Fonts from a single set will no longer show up as different fonts and are now combined as a single family (which can be expanded by double clicking the icon). You can also toggle fonts on and off by right clicking a font icon and selected the “hide” option. This will prevent applications from loading the font (and therefore save memory), but keep the file retained in the Font folder.

A new font called Gabriola also comes bundled with Windows 7, which takes advantage of the new OpenType and DirectWrite (Direct2D) rendering.
The Gaming Grotto is a Less Ghetto

One of our biggest pet peeves of Windows Vista is the Games Folder, which we not-so-affectionately refer to as the Gaming Grotto. Games for Windows titles and other game shortcuts would automatically install to this directory, which we could only access with a Start Menu shortcut. The concept wasn’t bad except for the fact that it prevented us from starting a game up from the Start Menu search bar. We could call up any other program by typing its name in the Start Menu field except the games installed to the Games Folder. Fortunately, this oversight is fixed in Windows 7.


Become More Worldly with Hidden Wallpapers

Windows 7 Beta comes with the Betta fish as its default desktop wallpaper, but it also includes six desktop backgrounds catered to your region (as identified when you first installed the OS). US users, for example, get six 1900x1200 images showing off famous National Parks and beaches. The available wallpapers for other regions are still included in a hidden folder.

To access these international wallpapers, bring up the Start Menu search bar and type “Globalization”. The only result should be a folder located in the main Windows directory. You should only be able to see “ELS and “Sorting” folders here so far. Next, search for “MCT” in the top right search bar. This will display five new unindexed folders, each corresponding to a different global region. Browse these folders for extra themes and wallpapers!


Take Control of UAC

Despite good intentions, User Account Control pop-ups were one of the most annoying aspects of Vista, and a feature that most of us immediately disabled after a clean install. UAC in Windows 7 displays fewer warnings, but you can also fine-tune its notification habits by launching the UAC Settings from the start menu. Just type “UAC” in the Start Menu search field and click the result. We find that setting just above “Never notify” gives a comfortable balance between mindful security and incessant nagging.

Calculate your Mortgage and Other Maths Tricks

Wordpad and Paint aren’t the only upgraded programs in Windows 7. The reliable Calculator applet has been beefed up to do more than just basic arithmetic. In Vista, the Calculator had Standard and Scientific modes. Now, you can toggle between Standard, Scientific, Programmer, and even Statistics modes.



In addition, the Options menu lets you pull out many new automated conversation tools, such has Unit Conversion (ie. Angles, Temperature, Velocity, or Volume) and Date Calculation (calculate the difference between two dates). More templates give you the ability to crunch Gas Mileage, Lease, and even Mortgage estimates based on any variables you input.


Track Your Actions with Problem Steps Recorder

The primary reason for releasing the Windows 7 Beta was for Microsoft’s developers to get feedback from users. (Notice the glaring Send Feedback link at the top of every window?) In addition, the devs have built in a diagnostic tool called Problem Steps Recorder that combines screen captures with mouse tracking to record your actions. You can launch this program from the Start Menu by typing “psr.exe” in the search field.



Hit the Record button and Problem Steps Recorder starts tracking your mouse and keyboard input while taking screenshots that correspond with each new action. Stop recording and your session is saved to an HTML slide show recreating your steps, in which you can add comments and annotations. It’s particularly useful if you need to create a tutorial for a computer-illiterate relative.
Explore from “My Computer”

Windows Explorer’s default landing folder is the Libraries directory, but some of us are more comfortable with using “My Computer” as the default node, especially if we use multiple hard drives and external storage devices.

To change the default node, find Windows Explorer in the Start Menu by typing “explorer” in the Start Menu search field and right click the first result. Select “Properties”. Under the Shortcut tab, the Target location should read: %SystemRoot% and the Target should be: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe



Paste the following in the Target field: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

New instances of Explorer will open up to “My Computer”. You’ll need to unpin and replace the existing Explorer shortcut from the Taskbar to complete the transition. Just right-click the icon, hit, “Unpin this program from the taskbar” to remove it, and then drag Explorer from the Start Menu back into place.
Burn, Baby, Burn

No more messing around with malware-infected free burning software – Windows 7 comes loaded with DVD and CD ISO burning software. Double-click your image file and Windows will start a tiny program window to help burn your disc. It’s a barebones app, but it works!

Reveal All of Your Drives

If you use built-in memory card readers in a 3.5” drive bay or on your Dell Monitor, empty memory card slots will not show up as drives in My Computer. But that doesn’t mean they’re not still there! To reveal hidden memory card slots, open up My Computer. Press Alt to show the toolbar at the top of the screen, and go to Folder Options under Tools. Hit the View tab and uncheck the “Hide empty drives in the Computer folder” option.


Arrange Your Taskbar (System Tray, Too)

The programs that you pin to your Taskbar can be moved around to any order you want, whether they’re just shortcut icons or actually active applications. We recommend moving frequently used programs and folders to the front of the stack, so it’ll be easily to launch them with the aforementioned Windows + [number] shortcut. The Taskbar, if unlocked, can also be dragged to latch to the left, right, or even top of your desktop. Windows 7 improves side-docked Taskbar support with better gradient rendering and shortcut support. It really works well if you’re using a widescreen monitor.

Just as the Taskbar icons can be rearranged at will, the icons in the System Tray (actually called Notification Area) can be dragged and set to any order as well. Hidden Icons can be dragged back into view, and you can hide icons by dropping them into the Hidden Icon well – which is easier than working through the Notification Area Customization menu.
Bring Quick Launch Back from the Dead

The Quick Launch is superfluous with the presence of the updated Taskbar, but you can still bring it back with the following steps:

• Right-click the Taskbar, hover over Toolbars, and select New Toolbar.
• In the Folder selection field at the bottom, enter the following string:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
• Turn off the “lock the Taskbar” setting, and right-click on the divider. Disable “Show Text” and “Show Title” and set the view option to “Small Icons”.
• Drag the divider to rearrange the toolbar order to put Quick Launch where you want it, and then right-click the Taskbar to lock it again.


Cling to Vista’s Taskbar

Let’s start with the bad news: Windows 7 eliminates the option to use the classic grey Windows 2000-style Taskbar. You’re also committed to the modern version of the Start Menu. But the good news is that you can still tweak the Taskbar to make it run like it did in Windows Vista – replacing the program icons with full names of each open app.



Right-click the Taskbar and hit properties. Check the “use small icons” box and select “combine when Taskbar is full” from the dropdown menu under Taskbar buttons. You still get the peekview thumbnail feature of the Taskbar, and inactive program remain as single icons, but opened programs will display their full names. Combine this with the old-school Quick Launch toolbar to complete the Vista illusion.


Banish Programs to the System Tray

All active programs show up as icons on the Taskbar, whether you want them to or not. While this is useful for web browsing or word processing, your taskbar can get cluttered up with icons you would normally expect to be hidden away, like for Steam or a chat client. You can keep active instances of these programs hidden away in the System Tray/Notification Area by right-clicking their shortcuts, navigating to the Compatibility tab, and selecting “Windows Vista” under the Compatibility Mode drop-down menu. This only works for programs that would previously hide away from the Taskbar in Vista.

Accelerate your Start Menu

The Start Menu hasn’t changed much from Vista, but there are some notable improvements. The default power button is thankfully changed to Shut Down the system, as opposed to Hibernation, as it was in Vista. This can be changed to do other actions from the Start Menu Properties menu.

Additional customization brings Videos and Recorded TV as links or menus to the right side of the Start Menu, next to your Documents, Music, and Games. Feel free to mess around the Customization options since you can always return to the default Start Menu settings by clicking the “default” button at the bottom.

[sihina_lahiru]

Windows 7 Tip and Tweaks

Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Let's kick off with keyboard shortcuts – the first thing every power user must memorize with working with a new operating system.
Alt + P



In Windows Explorer, activate an additional file preview pane to the right side of the window with this new shortcut. This panel is great for previewing images in your photos directory.
Windows + + (plus key)
Windows + - (minus key)





Pressing the Windows and plus or minus keys activates the Magnifier, which lets you zoom in on the entire desktop or open a rectangular magnifying lens to zoom in and out of parts of your screen. You can customize the Magnifier options to follow your mouse pointer or keyboard cursor. Keep in mind that so far, the Magnifier only works when Aero desktop is enabled.
Windows + Up
Windows + Down

If a window is not maximized, pressing Windows + Up will fill it to your screen. Windows + Down will minimize that active window. Unfortunately, pressing Windows + Up again while a window is minimized won’t return it to its former state.
Windows + Shift + Up



Similar to the shortcut above, hitting these three keys while a window is active will stretch it vertically to the maximum desktop height. The width of the window will however stay the same. Pressing Windows + Down will restore it to its previous size.
Windows + Left
Windows + Right





One of the new features of Windows 7 is the ability to automatically make a window fill up half of your screen by dragging to the left or right. This pair of shortcuts performs the same function without your mouse. Once a window is fixed to one side of the screen, you can repeat the shortcut to flip it to the other side. This is useful if you’re extending a desktop across multiple monitors, which prevents you from executing this trick with a mouse.
Windows + Home

This shortcut performs a similar function to hovering over a window’s peek menu thumbnail in the Taskbar. The active window will stay on your desktop while every other open application is minimized. Pressing this shortcut again will restore all the other windows.
Windows + E



Automatically opens up a new Explorer window to show your Libraries folder.
Windows + P



Manage your multiple-monitor more efficiently with this handy shortcut. Windows + P opens up a small overlay that lets you configure a second display or projector. You can switch from a single monitor to dual-display in either mirror or extend desktop mode.
Windows + Shift + Left
Windows + Shift + Right

If you are using two or more displays (and who isn’t, these days?), memorize this shortcut to easily move a window from one screen to the other. The window retains its size and relative position on the new screen, which his useful when working with multiple documents. Utilize that real estate!
Windows + [Number]

Programs (and new instances) pinned to your Taskbar can be launched by hitting Windows and the number corresponding to its placement on the Taskbar. Windows + 1, for example, launches the first application, while Windows + 4 will launch the fourth. We realize that this is actually one key-press more than just clicking the icon with your mouse, but it saves your hand the trouble of leaving the comfort of the keyboard.
Windows + T



Like Alt + Tab (still our all time favorite Windows specific shortcut), Windows + T cycles through your open programs via the Taskbar’s peek menu.
Windows + Space



This combo performs the same function as moving your mouse to the bottom right of the Taskbar. It makes every active window transparent so you can view your desktop. The windows only remain transparent as long as you’re holding down the Windows key.
Ctrl + Shift + Click

Hold down Ctrl and Shift while launching an application from the Taskbar or start menu to launch it with full administrative rights.
Ctrl + Click

Hold down Ctrl while repeatedly clicking a program icon in the Taskbar will toggle between the instances of that application, like multiple Firefox windows (though not browser tabs).

Calibrate Text Rendering and Color

The first thing you need to do after a clean install of Windows 7 on a laptop is to tune and calibrate CleartType text and Display Color. Windows 7 includes two built-in wizards that run you through the entire process, pain free.

Launch ClearType Text Tuning by typing “cttune” in the Start Menu search field and opening the search result. You’ll go through a brief series of steps that asks you to identify the best-looking text rendering method.

For Display Color Calibration – very useful if you’re using Windows 7 with a projector or large-screen LCD – search and launch “dccw” from the Start Menu. It’ll run you through a series of pages where you can adjust the gamma, brightness, contrast, and color of the screen to make images look their best.


Better Font Management and a New Graceful Font

Font management is much improved in Windows 7. Gone is the “Add Fonts” dialog , replaced with additional functionality in the Fonts folder. First, the folder shows font previews in each font file’s icon (viewed with Large or Extra Large icons). Fonts from a single set will no longer show up as different fonts and are now combined as a single family (which can be expanded by double clicking the icon). You can also toggle fonts on and off by right clicking a font icon and selected the “hide” option. This will prevent applications from loading the font (and therefore save memory), but keep the file retained in the Font folder.

A new font called Gabriola also comes bundled with Windows 7, which takes advantage of the new OpenType and DirectWrite (Direct2D) rendering.
The Gaming Grotto is a Less Ghetto

One of our biggest pet peeves of Windows Vista is the Games Folder, which we not-so-affectionately refer to as the Gaming Grotto. Games for Windows titles and other game shortcuts would automatically install to this directory, which we could only access with a Start Menu shortcut. The concept wasn’t bad except for the fact that it prevented us from starting a game up from the Start Menu search bar. We could call up any other program by typing its name in the Start Menu field except the games installed to the Games Folder. Fortunately, this oversight is fixed in Windows 7.


Become More Worldly with Hidden Wallpapers

Windows 7 Beta comes with the Betta fish as its default desktop wallpaper, but it also includes six desktop backgrounds catered to your region (as identified when you first installed the OS). US users, for example, get six 1900x1200 images showing off famous National Parks and beaches. The available wallpapers for other regions are still included in a hidden folder.

To access these international wallpapers, bring up the Start Menu search bar and type “Globalization”. The only result should be a folder located in the main Windows directory. You should only be able to see “ELS and “Sorting” folders here so far. Next, search for “MCT” in the top right search bar. This will display five new unindexed folders, each corresponding to a different global region. Browse these folders for extra themes and wallpapers!


Take Control of UAC

Despite good intentions, User Account Control pop-ups were one of the most annoying aspects of Vista, and a feature that most of us immediately disabled after a clean install. UAC in Windows 7 displays fewer warnings, but you can also fine-tune its notification habits by launching the UAC Settings from the start menu. Just type “UAC” in the Start Menu search field and click the result. We find that setting just above “Never notify” gives a comfortable balance between mindful security and incessant nagging.

Calculate your Mortgage and Other Maths Tricks

Wordpad and Paint aren’t the only upgraded programs in Windows 7. The reliable Calculator applet has been beefed up to do more than just basic arithmetic. In Vista, the Calculator had Standard and Scientific modes. Now, you can toggle between Standard, Scientific, Programmer, and even Statistics modes.



In addition, the Options menu lets you pull out many new automated conversation tools, such has Unit Conversion (ie. Angles, Temperature, Velocity, or Volume) and Date Calculation (calculate the difference between two dates). More templates give you the ability to crunch Gas Mileage, Lease, and even Mortgage estimates based on any variables you input.


Track Your Actions with Problem Steps Recorder

The primary reason for releasing the Windows 7 Beta was for Microsoft’s developers to get feedback from users. (Notice the glaring Send Feedback link at the top of every window?) In addition, the devs have built in a diagnostic tool called Problem Steps Recorder that combines screen captures with mouse tracking to record your actions. You can launch this program from the Start Menu by typing “psr.exe” in the search field.



Hit the Record button and Problem Steps Recorder starts tracking your mouse and keyboard input while taking screenshots that correspond with each new action. Stop recording and your session is saved to an HTML slide show recreating your steps, in which you can add comments and annotations. It’s particularly useful if you need to create a tutorial for a computer-illiterate relative.
Explore from “My Computer”

Windows Explorer’s default landing folder is the Libraries directory, but some of us are more comfortable with using “My Computer” as the default node, especially if we use multiple hard drives and external storage devices.

To change the default node, find Windows Explorer in the Start Menu by typing “explorer” in the Start Menu search field and right click the first result. Select “Properties”. Under the Shortcut tab, the Target location should read: %SystemRoot% and the Target should be: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe



Paste the following in the Target field: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

New instances of Explorer will open up to “My Computer”. You’ll need to unpin and replace the existing Explorer shortcut from the Taskbar to complete the transition. Just right-click the icon, hit, “Unpin this program from the taskbar” to remove it, and then drag Explorer from the Start Menu back into place.
Burn, Baby, Burn

No more messing around with malware-infected free burning software – Windows 7 comes loaded with DVD and CD ISO burning software. Double-click your image file and Windows will start a tiny program window to help burn your disc. It’s a barebones app, but it works!

Reveal All of Your Drives

If you use built-in memory card readers in a 3.5” drive bay or on your Dell Monitor, empty memory card slots will not show up as drives in My Computer. But that doesn’t mean they’re not still there! To reveal hidden memory card slots, open up My Computer. Press Alt to show the toolbar at the top of the screen, and go to Folder Options under Tools. Hit the View tab and uncheck the “Hide empty drives in the Computer folder” option.


Arrange Your Taskbar (System Tray, Too)

The programs that you pin to your Taskbar can be moved around to any order you want, whether they’re just shortcut icons or actually active applications. We recommend moving frequently used programs and folders to the front of the stack, so it’ll be easily to launch them with the aforementioned Windows + [number] shortcut. The Taskbar, if unlocked, can also be dragged to latch to the left, right, or even top of your desktop. Windows 7 improves side-docked Taskbar support with better gradient rendering and shortcut support. It really works well if you’re using a widescreen monitor.

Just as the Taskbar icons can be rearranged at will, the icons in the System Tray (actually called Notification Area) can be dragged and set to any order as well. Hidden Icons can be dragged back into view, and you can hide icons by dropping them into the Hidden Icon well – which is easier than working through the Notification Area Customization menu.
Bring Quick Launch Back from the Dead

The Quick Launch is superfluous with the presence of the updated Taskbar, but you can still bring it back with the following steps:

• Right-click the Taskbar, hover over Toolbars, and select New Toolbar.
• In the Folder selection field at the bottom, enter the following string:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
• Turn off the “lock the Taskbar” setting, and right-click on the divider. Disable “Show Text” and “Show Title” and set the view option to “Small Icons”.
• Drag the divider to rearrange the toolbar order to put Quick Launch where you want it, and then right-click the Taskbar to lock it again.


Cling to Vista’s Taskbar

Let’s start with the bad news: Windows 7 eliminates the option to use the classic grey Windows 2000-style Taskbar. You’re also committed to the modern version of the Start Menu. But the good news is that you can still tweak the Taskbar to make it run like it did in Windows Vista – replacing the program icons with full names of each open app.



Right-click the Taskbar and hit properties. Check the “use small icons” box and select “combine when Taskbar is full” from the dropdown menu under Taskbar buttons. You still get the peekview thumbnail feature of the Taskbar, and inactive program remain as single icons, but opened programs will display their full names. Combine this with the old-school Quick Launch toolbar to complete the Vista illusion.


Banish Programs to the System Tray

All active programs show up as icons on the Taskbar, whether you want them to or not. While this is useful for web browsing or word processing, your taskbar can get cluttered up with icons you would normally expect to be hidden away, like for Steam or a chat client. You can keep active instances of these programs hidden away in the System Tray/Notification Area by right-clicking their shortcuts, navigating to the Compatibility tab, and selecting “Windows Vista” under the Compatibility Mode drop-down menu. This only works for programs that would previously hide away from the Taskbar in Vista.

Accelerate your Start Menu

The Start Menu hasn’t changed much from Vista, but there are some notable improvements. The default power button is thankfully changed to Shut Down the system, as opposed to Hibernation, as it was in Vista. This can be changed to do other actions from the Start Menu Properties menu.

Additional customization brings Videos and Recorded TV as links or menus to the right side of the Start Menu, next to your Documents, Music, and Games. Feel free to mess around the Customization options since you can always return to the default Start Menu settings by clicking the “default” button at the bottom.

[sihina_lahiru]

21 Photoshop Tutorials for newbie

http://i44.tinypic.com/sgk4dy.jpg

21 Photoshop Tutorials for newbie
Mp4 | 900x600 | 29.99fps | 500MB

Many of designers want to learn about Photoshop tips and techniques. Today, i have a collection of absolutely astounding tutorials. These tutorials will help you on your way to becoming a master digital artist, so if you’re looking to improve your skills.

Download Links

Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1734997) Code:
http://hotfile.com/dl/35483495/944fc82/TT.part1.rar.html
http://hotfile.com/dl/35483543/6dad13f/TT.part2.rar.html
http://hotfile.com/dl/35483618/6a69862/TT.part3.rar.html
http://hotfile.com/dl/35483649/81fb49e/TT.part4.rar.html
http://hotfile.com/dl/35483676/d9752d3/TT.part5.rar.html
No Password

[nelik]

best thread

[sihina_lahiru]

best thread
thx machan.........

[sihina_lahiru]

Digital Tutors Building Websites with Dreamweaver 8

http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp315/sweet2looi/155lc2a.jpg

Begin building standards-based websites in 3 hours of project-base
training. Perfect for beginner to intermediate users.

Popular highlights include:

* Site and FTP Settings
* Remote Views
* Designing with Tables
* CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
* Library Elements
* Modifying Behaviors
* Swap Image Effects
* Pop-up Windows
* Binding XML Data
* Flash / Fireworks Round Trip Process
* Custom Templates
* Integrating Flash and Video
* Design Notes
* Reports
* CGI Scripts

Lesson Outline:
1. Introduction and project overview
2. Building your first web page
3. Defining the Site and FTP settings
4. Uploading files to the server and working with remote views
5. Working with tables
6. Adding color to nested cells
7. Building the page header and using Code / Design views
8. Getting started with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
9. Creating External CSS
10. Using CSS to change HTML Tags
11. Creating Float Styles and DIV Tags
12. Using CSS to apply rollover effects to text, exploring hyperlink styles
13. Creating library elements
14. Adding the header graphics and editing library elements
15. Adding and formatting content for the main page
16. Formatting page content using tables
17. Resizing and resampling images, using macro commands and rollover effects
18. Modifying behaviors
19. Creating a gallery page with rollovers and Swap Image effects
20. Adding Flash Video and building pop-up windows
21. Creating a Contact Us page and building a form
22. Connecting the Contact Us Form to a CGI script
23. Binding XML data to your web pages
24. Flash Fireworks round trip process
25. Creating pages with custom templates
26. Tips / Tricks: Working with library elements and flash text
27. Tips / Tricks: Working with Flash Buttons
28. Tips / Tricks: Using Design notes
29. Tips / Tricks: Using Reports
30. Tips / Tricks: Using layout images
31. Tips / Tricks: $10 off of your hosting package
32. Tips / Tricks: Guides Zoom settings, closing


Download link:
http://hotfile.com/dl/33863543/23e3f...-BB3D.rar.html (http://hotfile.com/dl/33863543/23e3f2b/Digital.Tutors.Building.Websites.with.Dreamweaver. 8-BB3D.rar.html)

[sihina_lahiru]

Make a Shortcut for the Safely Remove Hardware Dialog

Source: Tweaking Windows (http://www.rajeshpatel.net/make-a-shortcut-for-the-safely-remove-hardware-dialog/)

If you often use removable USB devices like a flash drive, you are probably already familiar with the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon that sits in the system tray. The problem for many people is that the icon is small, and clicking it just right to bring up the menu is a pain. Can’t we just make a shortcut to bring up the dialog?

Yes we can, and it’s really quite easy.

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp220/rahul964/image73.png

More information here..... (http://www.rajeshpatel.net/make-a-shortcut-for-the-safely-remove-hardware-dialog/)

[sihina_lahiru]

A really cool Google trick!

1. Go to Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=255342) Code:
http://www.google.com
2. Click "images"
3. Fill in "bikes, flowers, cars" or any other word.
4. You will get a page with alot of images thumbnailed.
5. Now delete the URL on the addressbar (example: Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=255342) Code:
http://images.google.nl/images?hl=nl&q=flowers&btnG=Afbeeldingen+zoeken&gbv=2
)
6. Copy the script down here, and paste it in your adressbar http://www.katzforums.com/images/smilies/grin.gif!

Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=255342) Code:
javascript:R= 0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI= document.images ; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i<DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=Math. sin(R*x1+ i*x2+x3)* x4+x5; DIS.top=Math. cos(R*y1+ i*y2+y3)* y4+y5}R++ }setInterval('A()',5); void(0)
--

Enjoy!http://www.katzforums.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

[Suvin1122]

Maximum Broo......keep it up...Patta thread ekak....

[sihina_lahiru]

Simply Save YouTube Videos to Your Computer

Simply Save YouTube Videos to Your Computer


http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/kiss-youtube-download.jpg
(http://www.kissyoutube.com/)
Kiss YouTube (http://www.kissyoutube.com/) is a new site in the crowded niche of YouTube download service, which sets itself apart by making it as simply as humanly possible to download YouTube videos to your computer. After watching a YouTube video and deciding you want to keep it, go up to your browser’s address bar and type “kiss” after “www.” (http://www.%e2%80%9d/) and right before “youtube.com”. Hit enter, and you’ll be able to download the video. Quote:
“While you are watching a video clip on the youtube website, just add the word “kiss” to the video URL in your browser address bar and hit enter. The video is ready to be saved on your computer in FLV format.
“For instance, if the Youtube URI is something like youtube.com/watch?v=ls1954aa, you can download the clip by adding the word “kiss” in front of the youtube.com domain name. Hence the final address becomes kissyoutube.com/watch?v=ls1954aa which will have the link to save that clip.”

[sihina_lahiru]

Rename your digital photos automatically in Windows XP

Rename your digital photos automatically in Windows XP Unless you really have a lot of time on your hands, I doubt you want to go through the massive folder that contains your European vacation photos and rename them Europe_1.jpg, Europe_2.jpg, and so on down the line. If you're running Windows XP on your computer, you don't have to do this. Simply apply this hack to quickly apply a meaningful label to every picture in the folder. * First, open the folder and select View > Thumbnails. * Click the last picture in the folder you want to rename, hold down the Shift key, and click the first picture; this will select them all. * Right-click the first photo, and select Rename from the drop-down menu. Windows XP will highlight the filename for the first photo, enabling you to give it a descriptive name. After you type in the name, click the white space outside of the photo and watch as Windows applies the name with a sequential number to each picture in the folder.

[sihina_lahiru]

Maximum Broo......keep it up...Patta thread ekak....
thx kollo..............:love::love::love:

[sihina_lahiru]

Put your name on the tookbar(secret folder)

Right click the Taskbar > Toolbars > New Toolbar > Make a new Folder and name it with your name i.e. iXXi and then select it. Now you have your name in the Taskbar. If you want you can hide that folder by going to properties and check hidden now you have a secret folder. http://www.katzforums.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[sihina_lahiru]

How to Get Virtual Desktops on Windows XP

Virtual desktops are an excellent tool for anybody who likes to multitask. They allow the user to run multiple desktops simultaneously from any laptop or desktop computer, which you can switch between at the touch of a button. Each of these desktops can have its own background and have its own applications loaded.
I like to use it as an easy way to separate my business applications from my leisure ones. It doesn't come standard in XP, but there is some perfectly safe and easy to use software out there that will give you up to 4 desktops to work with.
First, go to the Microsoft PowerToys download page (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx), and select DeskMan.exe from the right side of the screen (the file it actually downloads will be called DeskmanPowertoySetup.exe).
http://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/clip_image002.gif
Then double click the file and select "Complete" install. It usually doesn't take very long.
http://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/clip_image004.gif
Now it's installed, so let's test it. Go to the bottom of the screen and right click on the taskbar, then select toolbars. You'll see there's now an option for Desktop Manager. Click it.
http://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/clip_image006.gif
This brings up the desktop manager toolbar, which integrates with your taskbar and looks like this:
http://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/clip_image008.gif
You guessed it, each one of those four buttons corresponds to a different desktop. The green button on the left pulls up a view that previews all four and allows you to select between them. Right clicking on any of the buttons brings up some options to set different backgrounds for each desktop, or to assign shortcut keys for easy access.
http://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/clip_image010.gif
And just like that…
http://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/clip_image012.gif You've got four desktops! Simply click on any of the desktops in the preview screen above to bring that one to the front. (Note there is also a way to get virtual desktops in Windows Vista, but that's another article.)

Download Virtual Desktop Manager from microsoft.com (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx)

[sihina_lahiru]

Make your desktop a website

First of all open notepad and write down this code:

<html>
<body>
<iframe
src ="http://www.katzforums.com"
width="100%" height="100%">
</iframe>
</body>
</html>|

and then save whenever you wish with .html.After you have saved go to desktop with right-click Properties-Desktop(tab)-Browse or Control Panel-Appearence and Themes(for removing this desktop backrground)and select your html file which is saved by you. You'll see you can directly go to a website without open a web browser,writing...
Here is a sreenshot i did on my desktop:
http://i28.tinypic.com/2w7jo81.jpg

Have a great time http://www.katzforums.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Rovin]

Maxxa thread bro.. :D Keep It up R+ :D

[sihina_lahiru]

Change processor name

Go to

start>
run>
type regedit>
hkey_local_machine>
hardware>
discription>
system>
central processor>

on right hand side right click on processornamestring and then write anything u want in that textbox.

[sihina_lahiru]

Maxxa thread bro.. :D Keep It up R+ :D
:love::love::love::love:

[sihina_lahiru]

Clean Your RAM & Make Your Comp Speed Better

Clean Your RAM & Make Your Comp Speed Better

Clean your RAM
You may recognize that your system gets slower and slower when playing and working a lot with your Desktop or a laptop. That’s because your RAM is full of remaining progress pieces you do not need any more.
Open the notepad and type

FreeMem=Space(64000000)
in this file and save it as RAMcleaner.vbs [ You should choose the “All Files” option when u save it ]

Run the file and ur RAM may be cleaned :>
Of course u can edit the code in the file for a greater “cleaning-progress”.

FreeMem=Space(128000000)

just try it out.. it worked for me.

[djtwinz]

Really good work, keep it up..

[xpgeek]

maxxxxaaaaa keep it up

[sihina_lahiru]

Really good work, keep it up..
thx kolla

[sihina_lahiru]

maxxxxaaaaa keep it up
:love::love::love:

[sihina_lahiru]

Monitor to Strobe Light

This isn't so much a tutorial as just something that is cool, I found out about it and would like to share the experience =].

It's simply a website that will flash lights on your monitor causing a strobe light effect, not perfect but it's still pretty cool to turn your monitor into a strobe light on demand =]. It helps if you press F11 to get the full screen web browser when you do this, just make sure you won't get seizures and stuff like that, I would hate to be responsible for that.

Anyway, here is the website. Very simple to follow.

Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=576120) Code:
http://www.bobshowto.com/fun/strobe-light.htm
---

Oh, something I forgot, in case you can't find out how to start it, move your mouse to the upper left corner of the screen once you hit "Start Strobe" and a control panel will show up.

[sihina_lahiru]

how to put movies onto xbox360 threw a external hardrive or thumbdrive

hey all its been awhile since ive posted on here but i have seen alot of ppl having trouble with playing videos threw a external or thumb haha i also ran into this prob till today so heres my method

1.format your external into fat32 format so xbox can read it
2.convert all video files that you would like to view into wmv format also
3.now place your videos onto the drive with no specfic file name
4.plug into your xbox go to video library then portable device or media then find your files an play
5.enjoy

[sihina_lahiru]

More Windows 7 tips part 3

30. Hiding the Windows Live Messenger icon
If you use Windows Live Messenger a lot, you'll have noticed that the icon now resides on the taskbar, where you can easily change status and quickly send an IM to someone. If you prefer to keep Windows Live Messenger in the system tray, where it's been for previous releases, just close Windows Live Messenger, edit the shortcut properties and set the application to run in Windows Vista compatibility mode.

31. Customise UAC
Windows Vista's User Account Control was a good idea in practice, but poor implementation put many people off - it raised far too many alerts. Fortunately Windows 7 displays less warnings by default, and lets you further fine-tune UAC to suit your preferred balance between security and a pop-up free life (Start > Control Panel > Change User Account Control Settings).

32. Use Sticky Notes
The Sticky Notes app is both simpler and more useful in Windows 7. Launch StikyNot.exe and you can type notes at the keyboard; right-click a note to change its colour; click the + sign on the note title bar to add another note; and click a note and press Alt + 4 to close the note windows (your notes are automatically saved).

33. Open folder in new process
By default Windows 7 opens folders in the same process. This saves system resources, but means one folder crash can bring down the entire shell. If your system seems unstable, or you're doing something in Explorer that regularly seems to causes crashes, then open Computer, hold down Shift, right-click on your drive and select Open in New Process. The folder will now be launched in a separate process, and so a crash is less likely to affect anything else.

34. Watch more videos
Windows Media Player 12 is a powerful program, but it still won't play all the audio and video files you'll find online. Fortunately the first freeware Windows 7 codecs package [shark007.net/win7codecs.html] has been released, and installing it could get your troublesome multimedia files playing again.

35. Preview fonts
Open the Fonts window in Windows XP and Vista and you'll see the font names, probably with icons to tell you whether they're TrueType or OpenType, but that's about it. Windows 7 sees some useful font-related improvements.

Open the new fonts window and you'll find a little preview for every font, giving you a quick idea of how they're going to look.

The tedium of scrolling through multiple entries for each family, like Times New Roman, Times New Roman Bold, Times New Roman Bold Italic and so on, has finally ended. There's now just a single entry for each font (though you can still see all other members of the family).

And there's a new OpenType font, Gabriola, added to the mix. It's an attractive script font, well worth a try the next time you need a stylish document that stands out from the crowd.

36. Restore your gadgets
Windows 7 has tightened up its security by refusing to run gadgets if UAC has been turned off, so limiting the damage malicious unsigned gadgets can do to your system. If you've disabled UAC, miss your gadgets and are happy to accept the security risk, though, there's an easy Registry way to get everything back to normal. Run REGEDIT, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Sidebar\Settings, create a new DWORD value called AllowElevatedProcess and set it to 1. Your gadgets should start working again right away.

37. New WordPad formats
By default WordPad will save documents in Rich Text Format, just as before. But browse the Save As Format list and you'll see you can also save (or open, actually) files in the Office 2007 .docx or OpenDocument .odt formats.

38. Protect your data
USB flash drives are convenient, portable, and very easy to lose. Which is a problem, especially if they're carrying sensitive data. Fortunately Windows 7 has the solution: encrypt your documents with an extension of Microsoft's BitLocker technology, and only someone with the password will be able to access it. Right-click your USB flash drive, select Turn on BitLocker and follow the instructions to protect your private files.

PROTECT YOUR DATA: Your USB flash drives can easily be encrypted with BitLocker

39. Minimise quickly with shake
If you have multiple windows open on your desktop and things are getting too cluttered, it used to be a time-consuming process to close them all down. In Windows 7 you can use the Aero Shake feature to minimise everything in seconds, using a cool mouse gesture. Grab the title bar of the window you wish to keep open and give it a shake, and rejoice in a clear desktop area.

40. Configure your favourite music
The Windows 7 Media Centre now comes with an option to play your favourite music, which by default creates a changing list of songs based on your ratings, how often you play them, and when they were added (it's assumed you'll prefer songs you've added in the last 30 days). If this doesn't work then you can tweak how Media Centre decides what a "favourite" tune is- click Tasks > Settings > Music > Favourite Music and configure the program to suit your needs.

41. Customise System Restore
There was very little you could do to configure System Restore in Vista, but Windows 7 improves the situation with a couple of useful setup options.

Click the Start orb, right-click Computer and select Properties > System Protection > Configure, and set the Max Usage value to a size that suits your needs (larger to hold more restore points, smaller to save disk space).

And if you don't need System Restore to save Windows settings then choose the "Only restore previous versions of files" option. Windows 7 won't back up your Registry, which means you'll squeeze more restore points and file backups into the available disk space. System Restore is much less likely to get an unbootable PC working again, though, so use this trick at your own risk.

42. Run As
Hold down Shift, right-click any program shortcut, and you'll see an option to run the program as a different user, handy if you're logged in to the kids' limited account and need to run something with higher privileges. This isn't really a new feature - Windows XP had a Run As option that did the same thing - but Microsoft stripped it out of Vista, so it's good to see it's had a change of heart.

43. Search privacy
By default Windows 7 will remember your PC search queries, and display the most recent examples when searching in Windows Explorer. If you're sharing a PC and don't want everyone to see your searches, then launch GPEDIT.MSC, go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Explorer, double-click "Turn off display of recent search entries..." and click Enabled > OK.

44. Tweak PC volume
By default Windows 7 will now automatically reduce the volume of your PC's sounds whenever it detects you're making or receiving PC-based phone calls. If this proves annoying (or maybe you'd like it to turn off other sounds altogether) then you can easily change the settings accordingly. Just right-click the speaker icon in your taskbar, select Sounds > Communications, and tell Windows what you'd like it to do.

45. Rearrange the system tray
With Windows 7 we finally see system tray icons behave in a similar way to everything else on the taskbar. So if you want to rearrange them, then go right ahead, just drag and drop them into the order you like. You can even move important icons outside of the tray, drop them onto the desktop, then put them back when you no longer need to keep an eye on them.

46. Extend your battery life
Windows 7 includes new power options that will help to improve your notebook's battery life. To see them, click Start, type Power Options and click the Power Options link, then click Change Plan Settings for your current plan and select Change Advanced Settings. Expand Multimedia Settings, for instance, and you'll see a new "playing video" setting that can be set to optimise power savings rather than performance. Browse through the other settings and ensure they're set up to suit your needs.

47. Write crash dump files
Windows 7 won't create memory.dmp crash files if you've less than 25GB of free hard drive space, annoying if you've installed the Windows debugging tools and want to diagnose your crashes. You can turn this feature off, though: browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\CrashControl, create a new DWORD value called AlwaysKeepMemoryDump, set it to 1, and the crash dump file will now always be saved.

[sihina_lahiru]

How To: "Extract Movies w/WinRar, Burn & Play Movies/Videos" For The Complete Newb

How To: "Extract Movies w/WinRar, Burn & Play Movies/Videos" For The Complete Newb

This is written for help using winrar in the purpose of being able to get movies from .rar files. ,playing them on the computer and burning them to disc for the complete Newb/Beginner.

So you got yourself a copy of Winrar and you don't really know how to use it. Well, if this is your case then read on if not this isn't for you. Unless you would like to know how to play the extracted movie if so skip on to "Playing A Movie After Extraction". or if you want to learn how to burn the movie to disc skip to "Burning To Disc".


Extract Movies w/Winrar

I'm assuming you have a copy of Winrar installed and working on your computer. If not then get yourself a copy and come back. You can find a full working version of Winrar on many of my threads.

First things first open up WinRar (double click on it). It should look something simular to the below image.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/WinRaraddpic-1-1.png

Well, locate "File" Click on it and select "open archive" double click on it.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/Winraropennewarchivejpg.jpg
Now browse to where all parts of the movie were saved in the same folder. Open it.

Find the first part of all the .rar files. Click on it in the list to highlight it, then locate "Extract To" Click on it.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/WinRarfirstrarextractjpg.jpg

A new window will open.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/Winrarnewwindowextractjpg.jpg
select where you would wanna save it. By default it will save it to the folder in which the .rar files were located.

Now click "OK". Your movie/video or whatever will begin the extraction process and put whatever it was that was compressed in the .rar files into the folder that you specified.

A box like below will show up,
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/Winrarextractingpopupbarjpg.jpg
When this is finished check the folder you extracted to. There should be either a folder, a media file, iso, ect.. But I'm just gonna be talking about movies.

So you would have a movie/media file in a certain format. : avi, mpg, wmv, ect.. What to do with these?

Note: If you wanna extract the files quicker, locate the first part to the movie. Right click on it and select "open with" then "default program" Locate WinRar click on it to highlight it then make sure there is a click in the box that says "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file". Click "ok".

Now whenever you doubleclick on the first rar part of a movie, it will open up winrar.

or

Just right click the first part and select extract here. And it will extract to the same folder as all of the parts.



Playing A Movie After Extraction.

Well, what you would do to view these on a computer would be a "media player". If you have windows you most likely have windows media player already installed on your computer. You could right click on the movie file and select play and see if it will play like that or you could get yourself "VLC Media Player"or "GOM Player". Either one will do but I'm gonna talk about VLC.

VLC Media Player is one of the best media players out there as it can play just about any video/media file format. On a very rare occassion it won't.

You can download it here: Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1276428) Code:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
On that download page you will be presented 3 different packages. I myself like the last option as everything is extracted already in a folder. But, many would go with the first option "Windows Self Extracting".

If you do the first option read on. otherwise skip on to 3rd Package.

You will get a .exe file named "vlc-1.0.3-win32.exe" Locate it and double click on it.

The Installer Wizard will start and guide you through in how to save vlc on your computer. First select the lanquage in which you would like to use from the drop down box and then click ok. Ok, so a new window.

Click Next to Continue, Read the License Agreement and Agree. Select "Recommended" as Type of install or whatever you prefer, click next, select where you wanna save. Now VLC media player will start the install. When finished you can open up vlc right away.

Now that you have vlc media player installed open it up. Go to "Media" and click on it. From the list select "open file" locate the folder that you saved the extracted movie to. Find the media file of the movie and open it up. There you go you can watch movies now.

3rd Package

This is the download where everything is already extracted into a folder.

Open up the folder, There should be another folder open that up as well. Now, just look through the list for "vlc" Application. Double click on it to open up vlc media player.

Select, "Media" and click on it. From the list select "open file" locate the folder that you saved the extracted movie to. Find the media file of the movie and open it up. There you go you can watch movies now.


NOTE: after having vlc media player installed the next time you extract a movie and get a media file, just right click on the file, select "open with" then "choose default program". Unclick the box that says "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" unless you always wanna use vlc media player to play that certain type of file. Locate VLC media Player, Click on it to highlight it and select ok. This will open up movies in a quicker manor.

Now that you have done that, right click on another movie and select "open with" again, now in that box should be a choice of vlc media player for quick access. You will need to set this up with other media files. But, once set up for all video/media file formats, it is a simple thing to watch movies/videos.


Codecs:
Now some movies are coded a certain way, in order to play some of these files after extraction you will need a specific codec to play the specified video file. Yeah, you could find the exact one you need and just install that one, but a codec pack is a better choice.

There are many codec packs out there. I myself like to use "ffdshow". Another one is "K-Lite". Just do a simple search and download and install one of the codec packs or one of your choice whatever suites you.

Now you will be able to play just about any movie/video without a hickup.



Burning To Disc

If you would like to burn the extracted movie to a DVD-R and watch on a DVD player, PS2 or whatever...read on

In order to be able to play the movie you got after extraction on a DVD player, there are several things in which you will need to do.

First you need to change the format so that it will be readable, Second you need to be able to burn these new formats to a disc. Well, figuring out how to do all this stuff would be quite the task, but thanks
to software all this can be done for us.

The Software Application I'm talking about is "Convertxtodvd". This will convert the movie to a format that can be read on a dvd player and will burn it for you as well. All you need to do is follow what I am
about to say below.

First get yourself a full working version of "Convertxtodvd" Install it. Do not use demo or you will get watermarks in your dvd.

After installed open it up. It should look something like this.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/convertxtodvdopenjpg.jpg

Now locate "File" click on it. Select "Add Video Files". Locate the folder that has the movie you want to convert and burn. Open up the movie and you will see it added to the list in convertx.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/convertxtodvdmovieinlistjpg.jpg

Now what you wanna do is locate "settings" click on it, and click on "DVD Specification". It will look like this.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/convertxtodvddvdspecificationsjpg.jpg
Set your "Format (Video Standard)" to what region the DVD-player uses that you will be playing the burnt disc on. Set "DVD Resolution" to "automatic". Unless you like fullscreen like me go with "Full D1". And set "Aspect Ratio" to Automatic. Unless you want full screen like me or have a 16/9 screen tv.

Now click on "Video Processing". It will look something like this.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/convertxtodvdvideoprocessingjpg.jpg
Set "De-Interlacing" to Automatic. Set "Video Resize Methed" to Automatic or Stretch: Video resized to TV screen size if you want full screen. Set "Resize filter" to "Fast Linear (VSO). For "Multicore Processor: Max number of used cores" set to one if you have one CPU or if you have two and want to do other stuff while converting the movie. or two if you have a dual-core/quad-core processor. I stick with one myself.

Now locate "Encoding" click on it. It will look something like this.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/convertxencode.jpg
Set "Encoding options" to Automatic. Set "Target size" to DVD-5, Set "Conversion priority" to Normal or whatever you choose. I go with higher myself, the higher you set this the more resources convertxtodvd will use making it harder to do anything while running it.

This of course depends on your ram,cpu and such. If you have a single cpu on your computer it's best to let convertxtodvd do it's job without doing anything else on the computer. This will help ensure everything to go well. Even a two-pass encoding for the more older computer users may be best.

Now locate "Burning" It will look something like this.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/convertxtodvdburningjpg.jpg
Check the box "Burn result to DVD/ as ISO file in working folder" Then select the drive of your DVD-Rom from the dropdown list and set the speed to 4x. To help ensure a proper burn to a disc, setting any higher
most likely will cause several issues when playing the burnt disc.

Set the "Default DVD Label" to whatever you want and this will show in the menu(you can change this manually if you want). With all the boxes leave them all unchecked unless you would like one of those things to happen everytime. Set "SAO options on DVD-R" to Automatic.

Now locate "DVD Menus". It will look something like this.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/eojpek/convertxtodvddvdmenusjpg.jpg
Select a "Default template" from the dropdown box or browse computer for one's you downloaded. I myself like the Black Mirror with video.

Set "If a text label is too large in the menu,then" to Reduce the text.

NOTE:
If you wanna do this manually to change the name that will show up on the menu. Just go to movie in convertx click on the little box with the plus sign next to the movie on the list. This will drop down a list. click on the plus(+) sign for "In Title Menu" Now double click on the T. In the box type the name of the movie and click the checkmark to apply the changes.

Next, check the last three boxes or select something you prefer then click "OK". Everything done thus far will be your default for Convertxtodvd.

What I just provided above for convertxtodvd is a basic setup to burn a movie to disc.

Now since all of that is outa the way. You will be back to the main convertxtodvd window with your movie added in the list. Insert a DVD-R or DVD+R disc into your dvd-rom drive. (I like DVD+Rs myself for burning movies.) Now you can click "Convert" and start the converting process. This will take a extended amount of time depending on your RAM, CPU power and whatnot.

or

You could add another movie to the list so you have two movies on one disc. I tend to on occasions put two movies on one DVD+R, so I don't use as many of my discs. Depending on the size of the movies you may want to just put two hour 1/2 movies when doing this. If you have bigger movies, the quality may shun from what you may be looking for. Try to go to 3:15 max for total time of both movies together as the quality will still be great and will save you DVD discs.

NOTE: The quality will change depending on how many video files you add to the list. SP (Short Projects) Up to 110min, MP (Medium Projects) Up to 148min, LP (Long Play) 148 minutes or more. What this means is the more files you add the poorer the quality will be.

Now after conversion is done a window will show up to burn to disc. If left alone and you put or had dvd-/+ disc in your drive it will count down from a timer and start automaticly to burn to disc.

Once finished burning DVD, put it into a DVD player and see if it works. If so congrats!!! If not then you did something wrong.

Troubleshooting:

Why won't the DVD play on my dvd-player?

Because you may have not set the region/format right in settings under "DVD specification", Format. Make sure this is set right for the dvd-player you are gonna wanna watch the dvd with.

If you buy cheap DVD+/- discs in those 50packs at a cheap price, expect cheap results. What you expect? You get what you pay for, right? lol Many of these cheap discs in these 50packs are duds. Meaning you can't burn to them, they're shitty discs.

I bought a cheap 50 pack at office depot and I was only able to burn on 10 of the discs.

Go for better discs, pay the price needed to get results you expect.

Because you may have used a cheap brand of dvd-/+rs. I tend to use sony discs myself, on a rare occasion I will get some crappy discs in the 50 pack.

Maybe because your dvd-player doesn't like the type of disc used. Try a different disc, if you used a dvd-r try a dvd+r instead. Some dvd-players only like certain discs. If that doesn't do anything try
a different brand name.

You could try to burn at a slower speed or just make sure that you let the burning process just do it's course without doing anything else on the computer.

If that still doesn't help try burning the folder created by convertxtodvd with a different burning application such as "imageburn". nero ect...This has fixed burning issues with me about 99% of the time.



NOTE: If you have a older computer or a single processor I suggest you leave convertx to do it's job and not do anything on the computer while converting and burning to insure a proper conversion and burn.

Also if you have low RAM, it's best to have other applications closed before using convertxtodvd.



Anyways, I hope you find this helpful in extracting movies from rar files, playing the movies on your computer, and burning a movie to disc.

eojpek1

[sihina_lahiru]

Dual booting Linux and Windows

This tutorial or "how to" deals with one way of dual booting Linux and Windows,
This is how its done on mine,
Ammendments and slight adjustments will be needed for other pc's,

For this tutorial i will be using the Mandriva linux operating system and Windows xp operating system,

First - as this process involves opening the body of a pc then only more advanced people familiar with the internals of a pc should attempt this

The tools needed--



An anti-static wrist strap,
A working tower or desktop pc with windows xp installed to an ide drive,
A spare ide drive (with 4 screws),
A phillips (crosshead) screwdriver,
A copy of mandriva linux on cd,
About an hour of time,



Mandriva linux will need to be downloaded from here (http://www2.mandriva.com/downloads/).
It will be downloaded as an image file (.iso) so will need to be burnt to cd,
A "how to" on burning a disk image can be found here (http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/HOW-TO-BURN-IMAGE-TO-DISC-t177373.html)

Now that you have your Mandriva linux cd leave it in the cd tray and shut down your pc,
Turn off the power supply unit and switch the power off at the wall,

Removing the windows xp hdd

Unscrew the (usualy) 4 screws at the back of the pc and take the side covers off your pc case,
Connect the anti-static strap to your wrist and the pc case,
Locate the xp hdd,
Remove the white molex power supply connector from the back of the hdd,
Remove the ide cable from the back of the hdd,
Unscrew the 4 screws (2 on each side) on the hdd and take out the hdd
This hard drive needs to be changed from master (or cable select) to slave using the jumper (a little plastic 'cap') located at the back of the hdd,
There should be a diagram on top of the hdd to show the positions,
Put the hdd in a safe place as it won't be needed for about another hour.

On the spare ide hdd

Make sure the jumper is set to master,
Locate the hdd in the pc,
Screw in the 4 screws (2 on each side),
Connect the end of the ide ribbon cable to the hdd (noticing the raised section that locates into the cut out at the back of the hdd),
Connect the white molex power connector,
Switch the power on at the wall and power supply unit,
Take the anti-static strap off,
Turn the pc on.

If your pc does not boot into the Mandriva linux cd then you will need to change the boot order in your bios to boot from cd/dvd first
(there are different ways of doing this, as this "how to" is for the more advanced user then i suspect that the user will know how to do this)

When you have booted to Mandriva linux, double click on 'live install' and follow the instructions,
Note - use the whole disk at default settings
A reboot will be needed (and prompted) to complete and finish install
Write down the 2 passwords (1 x user and 1 x root)
Shut down your pc when install is complete

Dual booting

Turn off the power supply unit and switch the power off at the wall,
Connect the anti-static strap to your wrist and the pc case,
Locate the Windows xp hdd in the pc,
Screw in the 4 screws (2 on each side),
Connect the middle of the ide ribbon cable to the hdd (noticing the raised section that locates into the cut out at the back of the hdd),
Connect the white molex power connector,
Take the anti-static strap off and remove it from your pc,
Replace the side covers on your pc and screw the 4 screws back in,
Switch the power on at the wall and power supply unit,
Turn the pc on.

You will now boot into Mandriva linux again,
Click on K (where the start button is in Windows)
Navigate to Applications > Tools > Terminal
In the Terminal window type

Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1576817) Code:
su
Press enter
You will be asked for your root password, type it in (you will see nothing happening in the Terminal window)
Press enter

Now type
Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1576817) Code:
kwrite /boot/grub/menu.lst
Press enter

kwrite (linux version of notepad) will open with your menu.lst (lst = list not first)
Leaving a line at the bottom of the list type (the title can be anything you want, windoze is just what i use)

Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1576817) Code:
title Windoze
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
Save and exit

Type
Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1576817) Code:
reboot
Press enter

When your pc boots up you will now have an extra option called 'windoze',
By default you will boot into Mandriva linux (this can be changed),
Use the up and down arrow and enter on your keyboard to choose Windows.

This is the way that i boot,
I make no promises that this will work for everyone,
Modify your pc at your own risk,
Thank you for listening

[sihina_lahiru]

:Make Windows XP Genuine::. l .::No Download Necessary



Click Start
Then press Run

Write: Notepad
When Notepad is opened
Copy the below content and paste on Notepad window



Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1386325) Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
"CurrentBuild"="1.511.1 () (Obsolete data - do not use)"
"ProductId"="55274-640-1011873-23081"
"DigitalProductId"=hex:a4,00,00,00,03,00,00,00 ,35, 35,32,37,34,2d,36,34,30,2d,\
31,30,31,31,38,37,33,2d,32,33,30,38,31,00,2e,00,00 ,00,41,32,32,2d,30,30,30,\
30,31,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,86,56,4e,4c,21,1b,2b,6a ,a3,78,8e,8f,98,5c,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,dd,da,47,41,cc,6b,06,00,00,00,00,00,00 ,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,38,31,30,32,36,00 ,00,00,00,00,00,00,b5,16,\
00,00,83,83,1f,38,f8,01,00,00,f5,1c,00,00,00,00,00 ,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00 ,66,e5,70,f3
"LicenseInfo"=hex:33,b7,21,c1,e5,e7,cd,4b,fd,7 c,c6 ,35,51,fd,52,57,17,86,3e,18,\
d3,f4,8c,8e,35,32,7b,d1,43,8d,61,38,60,a4,ca,55,c9 ,9a,35,17,46,7a,4f,91,fc,\
4a,d9,db,64,5c,c4,e2,0f,34,f3,ea

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents]
"OOBETimer"=hex:ff,d5,71,d6,8b,6a,8d,6f,d5,33, 93,f d
After you've done that
Click File
Then click Save as

Save named as license.reg in desktop
Now in your Desktop you will see an icon likes this http://users.telenet.be/bluepatchy/miekiemoes/images/reg.gif,Open it

Then will ask: Are you sure you want to add the information in C:/Documents and Settings/../Desktop/license.reg to the registry.
Press Yes
Be secure you've got the below message "Has been succesfully entered info the Registry"
Reboot your computer.




To see if worked go to:
Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1386325) Code:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/WhyValidate.aspx

[sihina_lahiru]

Solving audio sync with some mkv files



Since the introduction of the mkv file i have had audio sync problems (with some not all) when converting the mkv to dvd.When i play the original mkv file with VLC player there is no audio problem and it plays perfect but as soon as i convert it to DVD using ConvertX to DVD the audio is out of sync.My only conclusion is that who ever encoded it originally did something wrong.Now i have come up with a solution that works some of the time thanks to JustME for guiding me to here

Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1565962) Code:
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MKVtoolnix


When you use the program MKVtoolnix it allows you to delay the audio by miliseconds and remuxing it.It is a very cool program for other editing as well , like adding or removing subtitles and other stuff.Now as far as fixing the mkv's with the audio problems you have to experiment with the program by how much the audio is out of whack.First download MKVtoolnix from here -

Check Download Links (http://tubenow.net/link-checker/?url=www.katzforums.com/showthread.php?t=1565962) Code:
http://www.videohelp.com/download/mkvtoolnix-unicode-2.4.2-setup.exe
Here's how to do it:

Open up MKVmerge. Under Input select the mkv file by clicking "add".
You will now see 2 or 3 tracks , Video , Audio and sometimes Subtitles.
Now highlight the audio track (usually AAC or AC3)
Next look for "Format Specific Options"
Now where it says delay (in ms) input 20 or 30 ms.
Now where it says "Output name" You have to rename the file (i usually just add mux 1 to the file name)
Finally click "start muxing"
Now convert the mkv to dvd and check the audio sync.



Like i said you have to maybe try it a few times to get the right sync.I usually try 20 or 30 ms at first which has worked well for me on some but not always.Maybe try 40 or 50 ms or whatever it needs.It only takes approx a minute to re-mux it.I hope this helps some of you with this problem that i have had.Thanks to all of you that have tried to help me with this issue.

[sihina_lahiru]

Customise your USB memory stick

Open Notepad and type in the following

[autorun]

icon = *******.ico

label = *******

Change the ***** next to icon to what ever the icon is you want to use
ie. monkey.ico

Change the ***** next to label to whatever you want to name your USB stick
ie. Monkeyweasels USB

so using my examples you end up with:

[autorun]

icon = monkey.ico

label = Monkeyweasels USB

Now save this on the root of your USB Drive with the name

autorun.inf

Also place the icon you chose to use in the Root of your USB Drive

Next time you plug in your USB Drive it will appear with the new icon and name

Hide them by...

* right-clicking both inf file and icon
* choosing Properties...
* then tick the box entitled Hidden and
* Click OK

[sihina_lahiru]

More windows 7 tips (part 4)

48. Find bottlenecks
From what we've seen so far Windows 7 is already performing better than Vista, but if your PC seems sluggish then it's now much easier to uncover the bottleneck. Click Start, type RESMON and press Enter to launch the Resource Monitor, then click the CPU, Memory, Disk or Network tabs. Windows 7 will immediately show which processes are hogging the most system resources.

The CPU view is particularly useful, and provides something like a more powerful version of Task Manager. If a program has locked up, for example, then right-click its name in the list and select Analyze Process. Windows will then try to tell you why it's hanging - the program might be waiting for another process, perhaps - which could give you the information you need to fix the problem.

49. Keyboard shortcuts
Windows 7 supports several useful new keyboard shortcuts.

Alt+P
Display/ hide the Explorer preview pane

Windows Logo+G
Display gadgets in front of other windows

Windows Logo++ (plus key)
Zoom in, where appropriate

Windows Logo+- (minus key)
Zoom out, where appropriate

Windows Logo+Up
Maximise the current window

Windows Logo+Down
Minimise the current window

Windows Logo+Left
Snap to the left hand side of the screen

Windows Logo+Right
Snap to the right hand side of the screen

Windows Logo+Home
Minimise/ restore everything except the current window

50. Faster program launches
If you've launched one instance of a program but want to start another, then don't work your way back through the Start menu. It's much quicker to just hold down Shift and click on the program's icon (or middle-click it), and Windows 7 will start a new instance for you.

51. Speedy video access
Want faster access to your Videos folder? Windows 7 now lets you add it to the Start menu. Just right-click the Start orb, click Properties > Start Menu > Customize, and set the Videos option to "Display as a link". If you've a TV tuner that works with Windows 7 then you'll appreciate the new option to display the Recorded TV folder on the Start menu, too.

52. Run web searches
The Windows 7 search tool can now be easily extended to search online resources, just as long as someone creates an appropriate search connector. To add Flickr support, say, visit I Started Something, click Download the Connector, choose the Open option and watch as it's downloaded (the file is tiny, it'll only take a moment). A "Flickr Search" option will be added to your Searches folder, and you'll be able to search images from your desktop.

A multitude of other ready-made searches, such as Google and YouTube, can be downloaded from the windowsclub.com website.

53. Schedule Media Centre downloads
You can now tell Windows Media Centre to download data at a specific time, perhaps overnight, a useful way to prevent it sapping your bandwidth for the rest of the day. Launch Media Centre, go to Tasks > Settings > General > Automatic Download Options, and set the download start and stop times that you'd like it to use.

54. Multi-threaded Robocopies
Anyone who's ever used the excellent command-line robocopy tool will appreciate the new switches introduced with Windows 7. Our favourite, /MT, can improve speed by carrying out multi-threaded copies with the number of threads you specify (you can have up to 128, though that might be going a little too far). Enter robocopy /? at a command line for the full details.

55. Load IE faster
Some Internet Explorer add-ons can take a while to start, dragging down the browser's performance, but at least IE8 can now point a finger at the worst resource hogs. Click Tools > Manage Add-ons, check the Load Time in the right-hand column, and you'll immediately see which browser extensions are slowing you down.

56. An Alt+Tab alternative
You want to access one of the five Explorer windows you have open, but there are so many other programs running that Alt+Tab makes it hard to pick out what you need. The solution? Hold down the Ctrl key while you click on the Explorer icon. Windows 7 will then cycle through the Explorer windows only, a much quicker way to locate the right one. And of course this works with any application that has multiple windows open.

57. Block annoying alerts
Just like Vista, Windows 7 will display a suitably stern warning if it thinks your antivirus, firewall or other security settings are incorrect.

But unlike Vista, if you disagree then you can now turn off alerts on individual topics. If you no longer want to see warnings just because you've dared to turn off the Windows firewall, say, then click Control Panel > System and Security > Action Centre > Change Action Centre settings, clear the Network Firewall box and click OK.

58. Parallel defrags
The standard Windows 7 defragger offers a little more control than we saw in Vista, and the command line version also has some interesting new features. The /r switch will defrag multiple drives in parallel, for instance (they'll obviously need to be physically separate drives for this to be useful). The /h switch runs the defrag at a higher than normal priority, and the /u switch provides regular progress reports so you can see exactly what's going on. Enter the command

defrag /c /h /u /r

in a command window to speedily defrag a system with multiple drives, or enter defrag /? to view the new options for yourself.

59. Fix Explorer
The Windows 7 Explorer has a couple of potential annoyances. Launching Computer will no longer display system folders like Control Panel or Recycle Bin, for instance. And if you're drilling down through a complicated folder structure in the right-hand pane of Explorer, the left-hand tree won't always expand to follow what you're doing, which can make it more difficult to see exactly where you are. Fortunately there's a quick fix: click Organize > Folder and Search Options, check "Show all folders" and "Automatically expand to current folder", and click OK.

60. Faster file handing
If you hold down Shift while right-clicking a file in Explorer, then you'll find the Send To file now includes all your main user folders: Contacts, Documents, Downloads, Music and more. Choose any of these and your file will be moved there immediately.

61. Create folder favourites
If you're regularly working on the same folder in Explorer then select it in the right-hand page, right-click Favourites on the left-hand menu, and select Add to Favourites. It'll then appear at the bottom of the favourites list for easy one-click access later.

62. Disable hibernation
By default Windows 7 will permanently consume a chunk of your hard drive with its hibernation file, but if you never use sleep, and always turn your PC off, then this will never actually be used. To disable hibernation and recover a little hard drive space, launch REGEDIT, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Power, then set both HibernateEnabled and HiberFileSizePerfect to zero.

[sihina_lahiru]

How to Attract a Girl Who Already Has a Boyfriend

What if the girl you dreamed of already has a boyfriend? Don’t worry. May be you still have a chance.

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Tell me how you feel about it.

Cheers.

[sihina_lahiru]

Basic MS-DOS Commands

ADDUSERS Add or list users to/from a CSV file
ARP Address Resolution Protocol
ASSOC Change file extension associations
ASSOCIAT One step file association
AT Schedule a command to run at a later time
ATTRIB Change file attributes

BOOTCFG Edit Windows boot settings
BROWSTAT Get domain, browser and PDC info

CACLS Change file permissions
CALL Call one batch program from another
CD Change Directory - move to a specific Folder
CHANGE Change Terminal Server Session properties
CHKDSK Check Disk - check and repair disk problems
CHKNTFS Check the NTFS file system
CHOICE Accept keyboard input to a batch file
CIPHER Encrypt or Decrypt files/folders
CleanMgr Automated cleanup of Temp files, recycle bin
CLEARMEM Clear memory leaks
CLIP Copy STDIN to the Windows clipboard.
CLS Clear the screen
CLUSTER Windows Clustering
CMD Start a new CMD shell
COLOR Change colors of the CMD window
COMP Compare the contents of two files or sets of files
COMPACT Compress files or folders on an NTFS partition
COMPRESS Compress individual files on an NTFS partition
CON2PRT Connect or disconnect a Printer
CONVERT Convert a FAT drive to NTFS.
COPY Copy one or more files to another location
CSVDE Import or Export Active Directory data

DATE Display or set the date
Dcomcnfg DCOM Configuration Utility
DEFRAG Defragment hard drive
DEL Delete one or more files
DELPROF Delete NT user profiles
DELTREE Delete a folder and all subfolders
DevCon Device Manager Command Line Utility
DIR Display a list of files and folders
DIRUSE Display disk usage
DISKCOMP Compare the contents of two floppy disks
DISKCOPY Copy the contents of one floppy disk to another
DNSSTAT DNS Statistics
DOSKEY Edit command line, recall commands, and create macros
DSADD Add user (computer, group..) to active directory
DSQUERY List items in active directory
DSMOD Modify user (computer, group..) in active directory

ECHO Display message on screen
ENDLOCAL End localisation of environment changes in a batch file
ERASE Delete one or more files
EXIT Quit the CMD shell
EXPAND Uncompress files
EXTRACT Uncompress CAB files

FC Compare two files
FDISK Disk Format and partition
FIND Search for a text string in a file
FINDSTR Search for strings in files
FOR /F Loop command: against a set of files
FOR /F Loop command: against the results of another command
FOR Loop command: all options Files, Directory, List
FORFILES Batch process multiple files
FORMAT Format a disk
FREEDISK Check free disk space (in bytes)
FSUTIL File and Volume utilities
FTP File Transfer Protocol
FTYPE Display or modify file types used in file extension associations

GLOBAL Display membership of global groups
GOTO Direct a batch program to jump to a labelled line

HELP Online Help
HFNETCHK Network Security Hotfix Checker

IF Conditionally perform a command
IFMEMBER Is the current user in an NT Workgroup
IPCONFIG Configure IP

KILL Remove a program from memory

LABEL Edit a disk label
LOCAL Display membership of local groups
LOGEVENT Write text to the NT event viewer.
LOGOFF Log a user off
LOGTIME Log the date and time in a file

MAPISEND Send email from the command line
MEM Display memory usage
MD Create new folders
MODE Configure a system device
MORE Display output, one screen at a time
MOUNTVOL Manage a volume mount point
MOVE Move files from one folder to another
MOVEUSER Move a user from one domain to another
MSG Send a message
MSIEXEC Microsoft Windows Installer
MSINFO Windows NT diagnostics
MSTSC Terminal Server Connection (Remote Desktop Protocol)
MUNGE Find and Replace text within file(s)
MV Copy in-use files

NET Manage network resources
NETDOM Domain Manager
NETSH Configure network protocols
NETSVC Command-line Service Controller
NBTSTAT Display networking statistics (NetBIOS over TCP/IP)
NETSTAT Display networking statistics (TCP/IP)
NOW Display the current Date and Time
NSLOOKUP Name server lookup
NTBACKUP Backup folders to tape
NTRIGHTS Edit user account rights

PATH Display or set a search path for executable files
PATHPING Trace route plus network latency and packet loss
PAUSE Suspend processing of a batch file and display a message
PERMS Show permissions for a user
PERFMON Performance Monitor
PING Test a network connection
POPD Restore the previous value of the current directory saved by PUSHD
PORTQRY Display the status of ports and services
PRINT Print a text file
PRNCNFG Display, configure or rename a printer
PRNMNGR Add, delete, list printers set the default printer
PROMPT Change the command prompt
PsExec Execute process remotely
PsFile Show files opened remotely
PsGetSid Display the SID of a computer or a user
PsInfo List information about a system
PsKill Kill processes by name or process ID
PsList List detailed information about processes
PsLoggedOn Who's logged on (locally or via resource sharing)
PsLogList Event log records
PsPasswd Change account password
PsService View and control services
PsShutdown Shutdown or reboot a computer
PsSuspend Suspend processes
PUSHD Save and then change the current directory

QGREP Search file(s) for lines that match a given pattern.

RASDIAL Manage RAS connections
RASPHONE Manage RAS connections
RECOVER Recover a damaged file from a defective disk.
REG Read, Set or Delete registry keys and values
REGEDIT Import or export registry settings
REGSVR32 Register or unregister a DLL
REGINI Change Registry Permissions
REM Record comments (remarks) in a batch file
REN Rename a file or files.
REPLACE Replace or update one file with another
RD Delete folder(s)
RDISK Create a Recovery Disk
RMTSHARE Share a folder or a printer
ROBOCOPY Robust File and Folder Copy
ROUTE Manipulate network routing tables
RUNAS Execute a program under a different user account
RUNDLL32 Run a DLL command (add/remove print connections)

SC Service Control
SCHTASKS Create or Edit Scheduled Tasks
SCLIST Display NT Services
ScriptIt Control GUI applications
SET Display, set, or remove environment variables
SETLOCAL Control the visibility of environment variables
SETX Set environment variables permanently
SHARE List or edit a file share or print share
SHIFT Shift the position of replaceable parameters in a batch file
SHORTCUT Create a windows shortcut (.LNK file)
SHOWGRPS List the NT Workgroups a user has joined
SHOWMBRS List the Users who are members of a Workgroup
SHUTDOWN Shutdown the computer
SLEEP Wait for x seconds
SOON Schedule a command to run in the near future
SORT Sort input
START Start a separate window to run a specified program or command
SU Switch User
SUBINACL Edit file and folder Permissions, Ownership and Domain
SUBST Associate a path with a drive letter
SYSTEMINFO List system configuration

TASKLIST List running applications and services
TIME Display or set the system time
TIMEOUT Delay processing of a batch file
TITLE Set the window title for a CMD.EXE session
TOUCH Change file timestamps
TRACERT Trace route to a remote host
TREE Graphical display of folder structure
TYPE Display the contents of a text file

USRSTAT List domain usernames and last login

VER Display version information
VERIFY Verify that files have been saved
VOL Display a disk label

WHERE Locate and display files in a directory tree
WHOAMI Output the current UserName and domain
WINDIFF Compare the contents of two files or sets of files
WINMSD Windows system diagnostics
WINMSDP Windows system diagnostics II
WMIC WMI Commands

XCACLS Change file permissions
XCOPY Copy files and folders

[sihina_lahiru]

The Best Computer Tips and Tricks: System Tweaks

Disable System Restore

You can gain a lot of drive space by disabling System Restore. (You should already have a backup regimen in place before you do this.) In Vista, right-click My Computer, select Advanced system settings, click the System Protection tab, and uncheck any drives. In XP, right-click My Computer, then under System Tasks, click on "View system information." Click on the System Restore tab and click the box next to "Turn off System Restore on all drives" to disable it.


Configure Windows Update

Windows Update is great, but if it's set on autopilot, it will download updates that require a reboot, then pester you forever to install them, and eventually reboot on its own. Change the Windows Update settings (in the Windows Security section of the Control Panel) to download updates but ask you whether to install them.


Disable Delete Confirmation

You can disable the confirmation that pops up whenever you delete something by right-clicking the Recycle Bin and selecting Properties. Uncheck the delete confirmation box, click Apply and then OK, and you're done. Also, you can bypass the Recycle Bin entirely by holding down the Shift key while deleting files.


Disable Windows Animations

Sliding Window animations look cool, but you can improve system performance by disabling them completely. Right-click My Computer and go to Properties. In Vista, select Advanced system settings, or click the Advanced tab in XP. Click Settings in the performance box and uncheck any box that says animate, slide, or fade.


Create a Custom Toolbar

If you're constantly accessing a particular folder, you can add it to your taskbar for quick access. Right-click the taskbar and scroll to Toolbars, then select New Toolbar. It will open an Explorer window, so browse to your folder and select it. It's also handy to add My Computer as a toolbar.

[sihina_lahiru]

Create Your Own Logon Message

You can create a message that will appear when you log on to your computer.

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.

In the Registry Editor, drill down to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Right-click LegalNoticeCaption, click Modify, type My Windows XP Machine, and then click OK.

Right-click LegalNoticeText, click Modify, and then type your message.

Close the editor and your new message will appear at every log on.

This tip applies to computers that are part of a domain. For stand-alone or peer-to-peer networks, the custom screen appears just before the Welcome screen.

You may need to have an administrator account on your computer to make changes to the registry. Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. At the very least, you should back up any valued data on the computer before making changes to the registry.

Enjoy

[sihina_lahiru]

56 Run Commands

Accessibility Controls
access.cpl

Accessibility Wizard
accwiz

Add Hardware Wizard
hdwwiz.cpl

Add/Remove Programs
appwiz.cpl

Administrative Tools
control admintools

Adobe Acrobat (if installed)
acrobat

Adobe Designer (if installed)
acrodist

Adobe Distiller (if installed)
acrodist

Adobe ImageReady (if installed)
imageready

Adobe Photoshop (if installed)
photoshop

Automatic Updates
wuaucpl.cpl

Bluetooth Transfer Wizard
fsquirt

Calculator
calc

Certificate Manager
certmgr.msc

Character Map
charmap

Check Disk Utility
chkdsk

Clipboard Viewer
clipbrd

Command Prompt
cmd

Component Services
dcomcnfg

Computer Management
compmgmt.msc

Control Panel
control

Date and Time Properties
timedate.cpl

DDE Shares
ddeshare

Device Manager
devmgmt.msc

Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)*
directx.cpl

Direct X Troubleshooter
dxdiag

Disk Cleanup Utility
cleanmgr

Disk Defragment
dfrg.msc

Disk Management
diskmgmt.msc

Disk Partition Manager
diskpart

Display Properties
control desktop

Display Properties
desk.cpl

Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected)
control color

Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility
drwtsn32

Driver Verifier Utility
verifier

Event Viewer
eventvwr.msc

Files and Settings Transfer Tool
migwiz

File Signature Verification Tool
sigverif

Findfast
findfast.cpl

Firefox (if installed)
firefox

Folders Properties
control folders

Fonts
control fonts

Fonts Folder
fonts

Free Cell Card Game
freecell

Game Controllers
joy.cpl

Group Policy Editor (XP Prof)
gpedit.msc

Hearts Card Game
mshearts

Help and Support
helpctr

HyperTerminal
hypertrm

Iexpress Wizard
iexpress

Indexing Service
ciadv.msc

Internet Connection Wizard
icwconn1

Internet Explorer
iexplore

Internet Properties
inetcpl.cpl

Internet Setup Wizard
inetwiz

IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration) ipconfig /all

IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents) ipconfig /displaydns

IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents) ipconfig /flushdns

IP Configuration (Release All Connections) ipconfig /release

IP Configuration (Renew All Connections) ipconfig /renew

IP Configuration (Refreshes DHCP & Re-Registers DNS) ipconfig /registerdns

IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID) ipconfig /showclassid

IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID) ipconfig /setclassid

Java Control Panel (If Installed)
jpicpl32.cpl

Java Control Panel (If Installed)
javaws

Keyboard Properties
control keyboard

Local Security Settings
secpol.msc

Local Users and Groups
lusrmgr.msc

Logs You Out Of Windows
logoff

Malicious Software Removal Tool
mrt

Microsoft Access (if installed)
access.cpl

Microsoft Chat
winchat

Microsoft Excel (if installed)
excel

Microsoft Frontpage (if installed)
frontpg

Microsoft Movie Maker
moviemk

Microsoft Paint
mspaint

Microsoft Powerpoint (if installed)
powerpnt

Microsoft Word (if installed)
winword

Microsoft Syncronization Tool
mobsync

Minesweeper Game
winmine

Mouse Properties
control mouse

Mouse Properties
main.cpl

Nero (if installed)
nero

Netmeeting
conf

Network Connections
control netconnections

Network Connections
ncpa.cpl

Network Setup Wizard
netsetup.cpl

Notepad
notepad

Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed)
nvtuicpl.cpl

Object Packager
packager

ODBC Data Source Administrator
odbccp32.cpl

On Screen Keyboard
osk

Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed)
ac3filter.cpl

Outlook Express
msimn

Paint
pbrush

Password Properties
password.cpl

Performance Monitor
perfmon.msc

Performance Monitor
perfmon

Phone and Modem Options
telephon.cpl

Phone Dialer
dialer

Pinball Game
pinball

Power Configuration
powercfg.cpl

Printers and Faxes
control printers

Printers Folder
printers

Private Character Editor
eudcedit

Quicktime (If Installed)
QuickTime.cpl

Quicktime Player (if installed)
quicktimeplayer

Real Player (if installed)
realplay

Regional Settings
intl.cpl

Registry Editor
regedit

Registry Editor
regedit32

Remote Access Phonebook
rasphone

Remote Desktop
mstsc

Removable Storage
ntmsmgr.msc

Removable Storage Operator Requests
ntmsoprq.msc

Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof)
rsop.msc

Scanners and Cameras
sticpl.cpl

Scheduled Tasks
control schedtasks

Security Center
wscui.cpl

Services
services.msc

Shared Folders
fsmgmt.msc

Shuts Down Windows
shutdown

Sounds and Audio
mmsys.cpl

Spider Solitare Card Game
spider

SQL Client Configuration
cliconfg

System Configuration Editor
sysedit

System Configuration Utility
msconfig

System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately) sfc /scannow

System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot) sfc /scanonce

System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot) sfc /scanboot

System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting) sfc /revert

System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache) sfc /purgecache

System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x)
sfc /cachesize=x

System Information
msinfo32

System Properties
sysdm.cpl

Task Manager
taskmgr

TCP Tester
tcptest

Telnet Client
telnet

Tweak UI (if installed)
tweakui

User Account Management
nusrmgr.cpl

Utility Manager
utilman

Windows Address Book
wab

Windows Address Book Import Utility
wabmig

Windows Backup Utility (if installed)
ntbackup

Windows Explorer
explorer

Windows Firewall
firewall.cpl

Windows Magnifier
magnify

Windows Management Infrastructure
wmimgmt.msc

Windows Media Player
wmplayer

Windows Messenger
msmsgs

Windows Picture Import Wizard (need camera connected)
wiaacmgr

Windows System Security Tool
syskey

Windows Update Launches
wupdmgr

Windows Version (to show which version of windows)
winver

Windows XP Tour Wizard
tourstart

Wordpad
write



Enjoy http://www.katzforums.com/images/smilies/wink.gif