No matter how you look at it, a PC never feels fast enough, and when it comes to Vista, everything seems to take too long.
Copying files, searching for documents, connecting to a wireless network and waiting for it to start are all frustrating.
The good news is that we've got a stonking selection of speed tips, tricks and tweaks for you.
Whether you're using a desktop or a laptop, here are some handy tweaks you can make, services you can turn off and much more to help you get things done faster.
1. Clean out old files
In Performance Information... click Open Disk Cleanup to delete redundant files. Then click Start, enter 'defrag' in the search box and press Enter, click Defragment Now, and wait while your hard drive is optimised.
2. Tame the Sidebar
The Sidebar is fun, but the more gadgets you add, the more system resources they'll consume and the slower your PC will be. Remove gadgets you don't need, or right-click on the Sidebar, select Properties and clear Start Sidebar to disable it altogether.
3. Disable unused devices
Click Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Device Manager, right-click hardware you don't need - an unused network adapter? - and select Disable. However, disable the wrong thing and your PC won't reboot, so if in doubt, leave it.
4. Disable unwanted services
Type 'Services' in the Search box and press Enter to see what's marked as 'Started' and running on your PC. Services you may not need that start anyway include the Distributed Link Tracking Client (which maintains NTFS file links over a network) and the Tablet PC Input Service (unless you're using a Tablet PC). Double-click a redundant service, set its Startup type to Disabled, and it won't be relaunched when you next boot. Again, some services are vital to your system, and disabling them will stop it from booting altogether. Take advice from sites like Black Viper, and if you're in doubt about something, leave it running.
5. Troubleshoot long boot times
If your PC is up to date, but you're suffering really slow boot times (over three minutes) then there could be a hardware or driver issue. Try removing everything apart from your monitor, keyboard and mouse. Or if you're currently unplugged from your network, reconnect and see what happens.
6. Check for errors in the Event Viewer
Find clues in the Event Viewer (type 'eventvwr' in the Search box and press Enter). Expand the Windows Logs part of the tree and browse the Applications and System logs. Scroll down to the last time you booted and look for error messages that might explain why your PC is performing poorly.
7. Remove system tray clutter
Take a look at all those icons in your system tray. For every essential item like your antivirus program, there will be something else, like QuickTime, which probably doesn't need to be there at all. Right-click or double-click that icon, look for ways you can tell the program not to load, and benefit from a little extra speed.
8. Check running tasks
Some background programs will run anyway, and could be tying up more memory or processor time than you realise. To find out, right-click the taskbar, select Task Manager > Processes. Now just watch for a while. Assuming you've sorted by CPU use, you'll now see background processes pop up as they run. If you spot something you don't recognise that's taking up 10 per cent or more CPU time, right-click it and select Properties to find out more. Once you've discovered which program owns this process, check the documentation to find out if you really need to run it.
9. Get rid of unwanted startup programs
Launch Windows Defender and click Tools > Software Explorer to see the programs that load when Windows starts. Don't automatically delete them all, but if you're positive a program is unnecessary, click it and select Disable to stop it loading.
10. Trim the fat with Autoruns
Every program that starts up with your PC extends the boot time. Some programs are essential, but others aren't. Trim them back with free program Autoruns. Autoruns has a whole series of tabs - each of these display start-up programs according to their category. Switch to the Logon tab. Before you remove anything, right-click on it and choose Search Online to find out more. Once you've been able to verify that a disabled entry isn't important, you can opt to remove it completely - to do so, right-click and choose Delete. Click Yes when prompted. This action should prevent future memory loss.
11. Update your drivers
If you are experiencing any kind of performance issues, checking you're running the latest drivers should always be one of your first ports of call. The drivers provide the link between the hardware inside your PC and what you experience, and companies constantly update them to iron out bugs and optimise performance. Search the manufacturer's web site for the latest editions of your drivers.
12. Tweak advanced settings
Even if there's no new driver for a device, you may still be able to squeeze more speed out of it. Click Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Device Manager, then expand the Network Adapters section, right-click an adapter and select Properties > Advanced. You'll probably find all kinds of settings that aren't available anywhere else, and it's much the same for any device with an Advanced tab.
13. Stop the Search index
The Indexing Service is a handy way to speed up searches, but if you rarely go hunting for files this can be turned off. Open Computer, right-click on the hard drive and clear the Index This Drive box.
14. Turn off legacy support
Launch REGEDIT, and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\currentcontrolset\Control\filesystem. Set ntfsdisable8dot3namecreation to 1 and it won't create DOS-style shortened versions of file names; setting ntfsdisablelastaccessupdate means Windows won't update the Last Accessed date on a folder when you view it. Both tweaks will help improve drive performance a little, but could break old software.
15. Get more speed from your SATA drives
You can squeeze a little extra performance from a SATA drive by going to Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > System > Device Manager > Hard Drives, then right-clicking your drive, selecting Policies and checking Enable Advanced Performance. Beware: Microsoft says this increases the chance of data loss if the drive loses power. Only do this if you have backup like a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) or are willing to take the risk.
16. Plain but speedy
Click Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Performance Information and Tools > Adjust visual effects > Adjust for best performance to speed up PCs with a sluggish video card. Check Enable transparent glass if that's a little too plain.
17. Give ReadyBoost a go
Slower PCs may benefit marginally from using a USB drive as a ReadyBoost drive - but it's no substitute for adding more RAM. Before you start you need to make sure your USB memory card is up to the job. You'll need a minimum of 256MB storage and a maximum of 4GB, and it needs to be capable of specific speeds: 2.5MB per second for random reads and 1.75MB per second for random writes. ReadyBoost will test your memory when you first plug it in and, if it's not up to scratch, ReadyBoost will refuse to use it.
18. Remove SP1 uninstall files
If you're running short of space and Service Pack 1 is causing you no trouble at all, and you're sure you'll never want to remove it, then use the tool that Microsoft has provided to clear the 800MB of uninstall files. Simply type vsp1cln.exe into Start Search and press Enter to launch it. It'll erase your old files, free up some disk space and you can get on with enjoying your faster, more reliable PC.
19. Roll back to a faster, happier time
System Restore enables you to roll back Windows Vista to an earlier point in time without affecting your files. You can run it from within Windows Vista or in Safe mode by clicking Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > System Protection > System Restore.
20. Turn off System Restore
In Windows Vista you can set restore points, so you can return to a state of PC peace if things get a little stormy. However, setting these points takes lots of disk space and processing power, and so if you suffer poor performance turning off this safeguard might give you the extra boost you need. Be sure to back up regularly, though - and strike tip 19 off your list if you do turn off System Restore.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
tips and tricks to speed up your Vista PC
Ebay Secrete
eBay - What is eBay : -
eBay home page is the gateway to all the auctions currently running on the site. To find something to bid on either browse through the merchandise categories or use the search box to find specific items.
Interface is very user friendly so will not go into details.
How to find pages to report problems on eBay:
It is very easy to find an item for auction but where do you go if you want to retract a bid, report a deadbeat bidder, change your credit card billing information, or find out more about selling or shipping? Fortunately,Site Map page can help in this regard. We can land on this page by clicking the Site Map link above the Navigation bar on the eBay home page. eBay's Site Map
contain links to more than a hundred different page. You can find most of these hard to find pages right here in sitemap.
How to contact Ebay Support:
It is not very easy to reach eBay support page from ebay's home page. You can go directly to the Contact Customer Support page, located at pages.ebay.com/help/contact_inline. Here you'll find a Submit Email form into which you can enter your question. Click the Submit button and your question is sent to eBay support staff, who will respond via e-mail.
Getting support from EBay Community:
If you find official support is not good enough now where to go ? ebay has a huge community of users which can be really helpful in case of and query or trouble with ebay. You access all of eBay's discussion forums from the eBay Community page (pages.ebay.com/community/).
Let eBay Do Your Bidding for You :
Many new users think that eBay work like real-world auctions,where one person makes a bid, then someone else ups that bid, then the first person has to come back with another bid to stay in the running.but eBay works differently, here auction process is automated. on Ebay you don't have to keep biddingevery time someone else enters the auction; you can let eBay handle all bidding activity for you.
How to do this in eBay: When you place a bid, you just enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay-which may be a lot higher than the current bid price. eBay will keep your maximum bid secret, and bid for you only the minimum amount necessary. When another user bids, eBay will respond (as your proxy) by placing a new, higher bid for you. If the other bidder goes higher, eBay continues to respond in kind until your maximum bid level is reached.
When that happens eBay drops you out of the bidding and lets you know (via e-mail). At that point you can call it a day or decide to enter a new maximum bid and start the process all over again.
Bidding Tips on Ebay:
Users usually bid an even dollar amount-$5 or $10 or whatever.You can win a lot of auctions by bidding a few pennies more. i.e instead of bidding $20, bid $20.05. This will help outbiding the $10 guys. You'd be surprised how many bids are won by that odd penny!
How to create great-looking item listing on Ebay:
To create great-looking item listing apply a pre-designed theme to the entire listing.These themes include special text formatting, color backgrounds, and graphics; the special effects are added automatically to your standard item title and description.
eBay alows you to apply themes from the Sell Your Item page using Listing Designer tool. You'll pay 10 cents to use the Listing Designer. It helps you to make your listing stand out from the millions of others on the eBay site.
Bidding secrete use pictures :
You include photographs of your items in the auction listings. Shoppers like to see pictures of things before they buy; pictures definitely add to the appeal of any auction item. Make sure the photograph is sized to no more than 300 × 300 pixels.
eBay offers many different photo-hosting options. Your first photo is free, but each additional photo will cost 15 cents each. You can also choose to create a slide show of multiple pictures (75 cents). To insert photos into your listing, you'll want to work your way to the Pictures & Details page, scroll down to the Add Pictures section, Then, in the Picture Layout section, select the options you want-Standard, Slide Show, Supersize Pictures, or Picture Pack.
How to payment from Accept Credit Cards on eBay :
This problem is solved by the emergence of PayPal, a middleman service (owned by eBay) that facilitates the processing of credit cards in online auctions. You can sign up for PayPal free from here. When you sign up for the PayPal service, your auction winners can use their credit cards to pay PayPal; PayPal then pays you (after deducting a fee).
Fees are charged only when one of your auctions winners pays via PayPal. (The buyer doesn't pay any fees; only sellers do.) Fees are either 2.2 percent or 2.9 percent of the total amount paid, depending on your volume level. Signing up for PayPal is a virtual necessity if you're a serious eBay seller.
How to Re-list an Unsold Item-for Free :
When you have an item on eBay that doesn't sell. eBay lets you re-list the item in a follow-up auction-and it won't charge you an insertion fee for the new auction. To re-list an unsold item, go to the original item listing page and click the Re-list This Item link.
How to get a Refund from eBay If Your Buyer Doesn't Pay :
Every now and then you get a winning bidder who drops out of sight and doesn't pay. When you get a deadbeat bidder, you're stuck with an unsold item , you still owe eBay the insertion and final value fees, even though you didn't get paid. Unless, that is, you let eBay know that you got hosed. You can get a refund on your final value fee if you report the deadbeat bidder to eBay.
The proper procedure is to file a Non-Paying Bidder Alert between 7 and 45 days after the end of the auction. You file the alert by going to the Site Map page and clicking the Request Final Value Fee Credit link. After a Non-Paying Bidder Alert is filed, you have to wait another 10 days before you can request a refund of your final value fee. Again, you have to request the refund; go to the Site Map page and click the Final Value Fee Request link.
How to block a bidders from Your Auctions :
If you think you have a deadbeat bidding in one of your auctions, you can block that user from bidding in any of your auctions. Go to the Site Map page and click the Blocked Bidder/Buyer List link. When the Bidder/Buyer Management page appears, scroll to the Blocked Bidder/Buyer List section and click Continue. When the Blocked Bidder/Buyer List page appears, add the buyer's user name to the list; separate multiple names with commas.
Make Things Easier with ThirdParty Auction Management Tools :
For really high-volume seller, thre are several third-party auction management sites. Some of the common Auction Management Sites are:
www.andale.com : "Quick Packs" from $10.95 a month (40 listings); individual services priced separately
www.auctionhawk.com : From $12.99 a month
www.auctionhelper.com : 1.95 percent of sales (min. $0.15, max. $1.25), plus $0.02 per transaction; $10 min. monthly fee
www.auctionworks.com: 2 percent of sales (min. $0.10, max. $3.00); $14.95 minimum monthly fee
Amazon Secrete Tips and Tricks
Amazon - Introduction to Amazon : -
Amazon offers millions of items for sale in most major product categories. Amazon got its start selling books.today Amazon is more than a bookstore.
You do not need Credit Card to pay on Amazon :-
A credit card is not mandatory when you're purchasing at Amazon. While it's certainly the most convenient way to pay, it's not the only way to pay. In addition to the standard method of entering your credit card information online, Amazon lets you call in your credit card number over the phone or pay by check or money order. These options are all available on every order form when you check out.
Don't Know What to Buy Someone? Use Amazon's Gift Wizard :-
When you have no idea what to give you frien on birthday, let Amazon figure out what they'll like by using Amazon's Gift Wizard. You access the Gift Wizard,go to See More Stores ->Gifts Store and then clicking the By Recipient link.Now you need to enter some information about the person (like male, female, or a kid) for which you wants to by a gift. At the end of the process you'll have a short list of recommended items.
Shop at Amazon from Your Cell Phone :-
If you have an Internet-enabled cell phone, you can shop at Amazon from just about anywhere using the Amazon Anywhere service. You can direct your cell phone's Web browser to the Amazon Anywhere site and place your order over the wireless Internet. To do so, visit www.amazon.com/phone/. One use of Amazon Anywhere is to compare prices when you're out shopping at a bricks-and-mortar retailer.
Read Books Online :-
Amazon includes samples from books-in some cases, complete chapters! That's right, many book product listings include sample text that you can read on your computer screen. Just click the Look Inside This Book link under the cover picture and then browse through the available pages. You'd be surprised at the amount of content you can read for free-without making a single purchase!
Earn Money from your web site :-
To earn money from Amazon you need to join Amazon Associates program. When visitors follow your link over to Amazon and make their purchase there, you'll earn commissions on all items sold. Amazon Associates earn money for every item their visitors buy from Amazon- as long as they get to Amazon from a link on the Associate's Web site. The commission rate varies according to volume and other variables, but averages around 5 percent, with a maximum of 15 percent under certain conditions.
All you have to do is sign up for the program, put a few links to Amazon on your Web site, and let Amazon do the rest. You can even include a link to the Amazon Shopping Cart, so that visitors can purchase from Amazon directly from your site.
Joining the Amazon Associates program is free; go to associates.amazon.com to learn more and sign up.
Sell Your Stuff on Amazon : -
If you actually have products to sell, Amazon will help you sell them.
Amazon Marketplace :If you have something to sell-even if it's just a used book or CD-the Amazon Marketplace is the place to be. Marketplace items are listed in the Marketplace store. Customer pay Amazon, and then Amazon informs you of the sale and transfers payment. You ship the item to the customer.
You pay 99 cents to list an item in the Marketplace and then pay Amazon a percentage of the final selling price. Each listing lasts for 60 days.
Use Amazon to Find Movie Showtimes :-
Here's a service you'd never imagine Amazon would offer-movie showtimes. You can even have Amazon send you regular e-mails containing this showtime information. go to www.amazon.com/movies/ tp check movie showtimes. Enter your zip code and Amazon will list all your nearby theaters and their schedules. This page also includes links to current movie trailers that you can play on your desktop.
Money saving tip - Combine Your Orders for Free Shipping :-
When you order more than one item, you can choose to group all the items into a single shipment, which reduces your shipping charges. In fact, if your order runs $25 or more of qualifying products, you're eligible for free Super Saving Shipping-assuming you've chosen this group shipping option.
Search tips - Sort Your our Search Results :-
By default, the results of an Amazon product search are displayed with featured items first, and then sorted by sales level. Search can sorted by pulling down the Sort By list then and selecting one of these options:
* Featured items
* Bestselling
* Average customer review
* Price (lowest to highest)
* Price (highest to lowest)
* Publication date
* Alphabetical (A to Z)
* Alphabetical (Z to A)
Create a Personal About You Page :-
If you want people to know a little more about you, Amazon lets you create your own personal About You Web page on the Amazon site. You can use this page to display a short bio, picture, and your Wish List. To create an About You page, select the Your Store tab in the Amazon navigation bar and then click the Your About You Area link.
Set the Alerts That Amazon E-Mails to You :-
Amazon lets you manage the promotional e-mail messages (called Amazon Alerts) that it sends to you. You do this by going to the Your Account page, scrolling down to the E-Mail Notifications section, and clicking the Managing Your Alerts link. Your current alerts will be listed; modify or delete these alerts as appropriate, then click the Update button.
Tips and Tricks about Google
I have been quite fascinated by Google ever since they started out as a search engine. Over the time Google has become an indispensable tool for any serious geek. I will describe a few techniques that I use. They have been collected from various help pages, chat rooms and books. If you find any error please point it out.
1.) Common queries:
So how will you effectively use Google. Take this example. A friend of mine was asking me over yahoo messenger what is a blog. I told him to search on Google and find out. He tried this.
blog
Alas the answer was there but lost in thousands of links. He alerted me that he can't find an answer. I told " Ok , Let me see What is wrong? ". I tried this
What is blog
The answer was right there.
While formulating search queries you must be specific as far as possible. A query like Linux vpn howto can yield a different result than vpn howto. Google seems to be intelligent enough to understand some human thought chain. So while making queries be a bit descriptive and formulate a properly worded query. Google ignores some of the common words such as 'the' 'and' 'a' etc while performing a search.
2.) How to formulate a good search string :
Google uses AND logic for the queries by default. If you search linux vpn howto google searches for pages containing linux AND vpn AND howto. You can put OR logic in the search box like this
linux OR vpn OR howto
You can exclude some terms using "-"
linux vpn -installation
Try ( linux vpn - installation ) and see how it is different from the above query. You can group a set of terms by enclosing them in brackets. It is also possible to combine AND and OR operators.
It may be noted that Google is not case sensitive regarding search strings. Linux, LINUX and linux produces the same results. However the operators such as AND and OR are case sensitive.
3.) Searching for a file :
Suppose you want to search for pdf documents only. You can do this by attaching a filetype modifier to your query. A typical query can look like this
vpn filetype:pdf
Google can recognize most common filetyes.
4.) Searching only at a site :
This is similar to file type modifier. Try this VPN site:ibm.com
Then try vpn site:edu filetype:pdf You can get some interesting result by trying this query
linux site:microsoft.com
5.) Searching in URLs and Page titles :
You can search in urls using inurl modifier. Try inurl:smb.conf
Similarly you can use intitle modifier.
6.) Searching in Google cache :
If you are looking for some old web site you can directly search in Google cache.
Try cache:slashdot.org and see the cached pages.
7.) Looking for definitions :
This can be handy if your school going kid pesters you for his home work.
Try
define:watt
It bring out definitions from around the web.
8.) Looking at Google advanced search :
I think it is one link that most people try to ignore. It is designed for commoners. Almost all the options I mentioned above are available through advanced search.
The preferences page is also worth a visit. It uses cookies to set preferences such as number of search results to be displayed, language preferences etc.
9.) Finding the price of some geek gadget :
Google has a companion site called froogle.com. Its interface is exactly similar. But it returns prices across various stores in the US. This feature can be very useful if you plan to buy some strange hardware. Let us hope that froogle.co.in will appear soon.
10.) Google Calculator :
In the google search :
Type in an equation: (100+4567*10-200=)
What is the square root of 267? (sqrt(267))
11.) Google labs :
Google is very innovative and always tries to introduce new features. You can see some of the upcoming features at labs.google.com . Also Google conducts a puzzle champion ships annually.
12.) Google Sets :
Google sets is an interesting feature currently available at http://labs.google.com/sets.
Have a look at the page. You will see a number of text boxes. Enter some words which belongs to a set of items and search. Google will complete the set.
I typed in the names of following linux distributions " Mandrake" "Suse" " "debian" and hit larger set button. Google provided a huge list of linux distributions.
Tricks for Private BitTorrent Sites
he first thing to notice when you join a private BitTorrent site is the eye-popping quality of the torrents. Each one is carefully culled, hand-picked through a strict moderation process. However, before you start hammering away on that download link - here are a few things you need to know.
On private torrent sites, everything revolves around ratios. A 1:1 ratio (or 1.0) means that you’ve downloaded exactly the same amount of data as you’ve uploaded. Thus a 0.80 ratio indicates that you’ve uploaded less than you’ve downloaded, which is hurtful to the health of the torrent. Inversely, a 3.0 ratio means you’ve uploaded 3 times more data than you’ve downloaded. Strive to achieve at least a 1.0 ratio - each site will have specific consequences for members who maintain a ratio of less than this. Attain a ratio over 1.0 and the rewards shall follow you into the P2P afterlife.
If you’re brand-new to a private site, it will be difficult in the beginning to acquire a 1.0 ratio. Luckily, users are given a ‘grace’ period to achieve this. Since there are so many more seeds than leechers (a total flip-flop from public BT sites), it becomes harder to upload to others - due to the fact that there are fewer people to share with.
So why go through all the trouble to keep an honest ratio? Because deep down, you’re an upstanding denizen of file-sharing society! Aside from that shameless pat-on-the-back, good ratios offer many perks, including an upgraded account on the tracker (i.e. VIP status), higher download speeds, free “invites” for your friends, and no waiting periods associated with accounts in arrears.
Here are Ten Tips to get your ratio in top-shape as fast as possible:
1. Start out with Smaller Files
Initially, opt for smaller (i.e. under 1 GB) files for downloading. This gives you a greater chance of someone coming along after you and downloading the same torrent (and you’ll be able to upload to them). Obviously a 700MB movie file will be more appealing to other site members than a 30GB ‘Blu-Ray’ rip.
2. Jump on the ‘Newly Released’ torrents
This is a great tip for increasing your ratio in a hurry. Camp out in your favorite private BT site, and refresh the torrent listings frequently. Newly added entries will have many more leechers than seeds, so you’ll be able to share (upload) more data. To maximize this tip, select smaller files - the “TV Episode” category works great for this.
3. Select Files that have a High ‘L’ or upload number
This is important. When selecting torrents, base your initial selections on a high number of leechers (the more, the better). This will ensure you have many avenues to upload to during (and after) the transfer. When starting out on a new private BT site, we would even go so far as to say that you should download torrents that you don’t want - just start grabbing torrents that have lots of leechers. Once your ratio get over the 1:1 (1.0) mark, delete them.
TIP: If one of your seeding torrents remains popular, leave it running in µtorrent permanently. This will always help to boost your upload ratio.
4. Avoid ‘Zero-Leech’ torrents
When you’re new to a private site, steer clear of the ‘zero-leech’ torrents - it is impossible to increase your share ratio when there are no other downloaders. When viewing a list of torrents, look for the “Leecher” column (or just “L”) and avoid anything that has a zero ( “0″ ) in it. After your account ratio has become relatively stable, now is the time to snag whatever you want.
5. Leave some tasks running in uTorrent
After the completed download of a torrent, leave the task running (as a seed) in µtorrent to increase your upload statistics. Don’t delete (or move) the files of a running task! You can, however, extract (unRAR) the files, or copy the files from one place to the next. In the event of a movie/video file - you’ll be able to “burn” or “extract” the *.avi file (or even play it on the PC) without affecting the seeding torrent.
TIP: Always keep a few things running as ’seeds’ in your BT client. If you notice that they aren’t uploading, replace them with newer ones.
6. Go for the ‘Freebie’ downloads
Many private sites will offer “free” torrents that won’t count against your download statistics (thus, your ratio will remain unchanged). Grab these freebies - especially when searching for torrents on a new account.
7. Use ‘Credits’ to purchase…
A popular feature among superior private BitTorrent sites is the addition of a ‘credits’ feature for account holders. Credits can be used to ‘purchase’ VIP status, increased sharing ratios and other perks. Not all sites are the same, but some credits can be acquired just from staying active in their IRC channel, or from just having the torrents available for download in your BT client.
8. Do NOT try to ‘cheat’ the Private Trackers
There are a variety of ratio cheating tips available out there, but don’t be tempted. Trackers are fairly sophisticated and ever-evolving. If you get caught cheating, you won’t even be warned - it’s a permanent ban for you and bye-bye for good.
9. Set a proper Upload Limit
Setting a proper upload limit in the BT client makes all the difference! You’ll want to supply a high enough limit to maximize uploading, but not have it eat into your download bandwidth. The general rule is to set it at 80 - 85% of your upload limit. To figure this out, visit www.speedtest.net and conduct the simple test. Results are shown in kilobits, so divide the result by 1/8 and then multiply that by 0.85. This will give you the proper number in KB/s (KiloBytes).
In µtorrent, go to OPTIONS > Preferences… > Connection and enter your upload rate. Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes. While your in that same ’settings’ page, make sure to use a port number from the good list (e.g. 49152 - 65535).
10. And if all else fails…donate
Most sites allow for monetary contributions to keep up with the server costs. If you enjoy a particular site immensely but cannot seem to be able to approach a decent sharing ratio (due to turning off your computer at night, going to work, or sharing your computer with your kids, wife, husband or siblings), think about donating. In most cases even a not-so-generous gratuity will robustly affect your account status - plus you’ll feel good about helping out the BitTorrent community.
Other Tips - Follow ‘The Rules’
Yeah, we know: you hate rules! That’s why you probably moved out of your parents’ basement. Rules are probably why some turned to P2P.
Nevertheless, rules are an important aspect to private BT sites - they ensure healthy torrents and blazing-fast download speeds for all. Each site will have their “rules” posted - the link is usually not hard to find. Below are some general rules / tips that pertain to any private BitTorrent site:
Use an ‘Accepted’ BitTorrent client
Not all private trackers are the same - and each one has different rules in regards to which BitTorrent client is on the “allowable” list. Most sites recommend µtorrent, but only specific versions (or builds) of it. If you stick with v1.6.1 or the latest version v1.7.7 (recommended), you can’t go wrong with ANY private site (avoid any versions in between these numbers). And do not use BitComet on private trackers.
Proper BitTorrent client configuration:
Many trackers recommend that you disable DHT and Peer Exchange (PEX) in your BT client’s settings. To do this in µtorrent, go to OPTIONS > Preferences… > and select the BitTorrent tab. Remove the three checkmarks that pertain to DHT and PEX (see image below):
o not ‘Hit & Run’ a Private BT site:
A ‘Hit & Run’ (or H&R) is when someone joins a private tracker, and downloads as much as they can before making off without uploading to a proper ratio. While this practice is frowned upon even on public sites such as mininova.org, it is deplorable to private sites. This can (and sometimes will) lead to your IP address being banned from the site - forever.
Tips and tricks for start-ups
The internet is lastly like a wild west. We move from the east coast and it seems like we are still far away from the Pacific Ocean. Instead of the run for a ground, we reserve the domain names. The cost of establishing your own business in the internet is nowadays very cheap or even free and there is plenty of people with various specialization, who saw the gold in establishing their own web page. If you have the vision how to put particular process on the web and make the money on it, you just need to give it a name, find doers who code it and partner who will host it. This causes that number of enterprises, which did not have a chance in the past, have the chance to exists now. Very good sample of it, are the survey services and web page like http://webankieta.pl/ - one man can do a change.
The reality is not though so colorful and most of start-ups die quickly. If you think about starting your own business and you do not want to finish it as the silent tomb, consider couple of points below...
The internet is lastly like a wild west. We move from the east coast and it seems like we are still far away from the Pacific Ocean. Instead of the run for a ground, we reserve the domain names. The cost of establishing your own business in the internet is nowadays very cheap or even free and there is plenty of people with various specialization, who saw the gold in establishing their own web page. If you have the vision how to put particular process on the web and make the money on it, you just need to give it a name, find doers who code it and partner who will host it. This causes that number of enterprises, which did not have a chance in the past, have the chance to exists now. Very good sample of it, are the survey services and web page like http://webankieta.pl/ - one man can do a change.
The reality is not though so colorful and most of start-ups die quickly. If you think about starting your own business and you do not want to finish it as the silent tomb, consider couple of points below...
1. ALWAYS FOCUS ON CLIENTS OR POTENTIAL CLIENTS – do not loose yourself having a fun watching your desings becoming true; that is a business and business is where the money is. Most of start-ups bankrupt before the first invoice appears – if you cash your first client you WON the first and the most important point.
2. Keep your costs low at the beginning – if you fail you will not loose too much and you will have the strength to start up something new. Pump up the money in the working business - if you cash the first invoice, there will be a time to invest money.
3. Check the competition – you always think you have invented something unique, but there is number of smart people over the world, who do amazing things and you must position your idea among them. Very good way to do it, is to discuss with various people and learn to convince them why your idea is better than the others. If you do it couple of times, it means you truely have something.
4. Find the partner – if you can not convince at least one of your friends to the enterprise, it means that you are probably Don Kichot. No... even he had a partner - Sanczo Pansa. Yes... If plan long journey, you should not do it alone.
5. Leave the solution opened and do not spend too much time on details – the only thing which you can be sure of is THE CHANGE
6. Do the nice graphics – if you do it smart the cost of it is low and this is what clients like.
7. Create the prototype as soon as possible so you can quickly show it to the potential clients and ensure what they truly need. There is a big difference between talking about the solution and showing it. That is also about the agile approach and if it is possible the best way to create the product, is to do it iteratively with your client.
8. Reserve quickly nice domain names – it is quite cheap and you never know who may buy it before you, when you start to discuss it with peoples.
9. The best way to promote you idea over the web is to get the partnership with one of big national portals or worldwide vortals. The other option is to buy the positioning service, which will let your dot-com be found, when people search for certain words in Google, but… you will have a time for it later on. You should find your first client personally at the beginning.
10. When you consider the technical realization of the project ask about proposals couple of companies and verify they offer with some of your technical friend or independent consultant. Set up the key criteria like performance or security and ask straightforward how possible doers plan to realize it. Higher the cost of realization is – more formal the process should be.
Start-ups are exiting and challenging, even when that is a high risk mission. Everybody wants to be a cowboy. If only you will put the attention more on your cows and less on a revolver, everything should be fine ;)
to get the most out of your iPod's battery
To get the most out of one charge of iPod's battery, install the latest iPod software, use the Hold switch, and keep iPod at room temperature.
Products Affected
iPod
Update to the latest software
Make sure you have installed the latest version of iPod software.
Use the Hold switch
Set the Hold switch on iPod and its remote to the Hold position whenever you are not using iPod. This will keep iPod from accidentally waking from sleep and playing songs if its buttons are pressed while in a pocket or bag.
Keep iPod at room temperature
To get the most out of one charge of iPod's battery, install the latest iPod software, use the Hold switch, and keep iPod at room temperature.
Products Affected
iPod
Update to the latest software
Make sure you have installed the latest version of iPod software.
Use the Hold switch
Set the Hold switch on iPod and its remote to the Hold position whenever you are not using iPod. This will keep iPod from accidentally waking from sleep and playing songs if its buttons are pressed while in a pocket or bag.
Keep iPod at room temperature
iPod's battery works best when iPod is at room temperature, generally near 20° C, but you can use iPod anywhere between 0° to 35° C (about 32° to 95° F). If you have left iPod in the cold, let it warm up to room temperature before waking it from sleep. Otherwise, a low-battery icon may appear and iPod will not wake from sleep. If after warming up, iPod does not wake from sleep, connect the power adapter, and press the Menu and Play/Pause buttons until the Apple logo appears.
* Do not leave iPod in a vehicle's interior when parked in the sun. Temperatures may reach up to 150° F (65 °C).
* Do not leave iPod exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time.
Additional tips
Charging
iPod fast-charges the battery to 80 percent of capacity in an hour. However, it can take 4 hours to fully recharge the battery. Even in sleep, iPod uses a small amount of current, and the battery slowly empties. Stored at optimal storage temperature, the battery will empty in 14 to 28 days.
* Do not charge iPod while it is in a carrying case or cover.
* You should charge iPod when it has fully discharged even if it won't be used right away.
Pause iPod when unattended
If you leave iPod unattended, press Play/Pause to pause the song. If left playing, iPod will continue to play songs until the battery is drained--particularly if the repeat setting is set to One or All. Put iPod to sleep to save battery life. Press the Play button until iPod goes to sleep.
Backlighting
Backlighting can use a lot of battery power. If you don't need to use backlighting, turn it off. Choose Settings > Backlight Timer > Off.
Equalizer
Turning off the Equalizer will extend your battery life. If you don't wish to use the Equalizer turn it off. To turn off the Equalizer, choose Settings > EQ > Off
Avoid changing tracks
Avoid changing tracks by pressing the Previous/Rewind or Next/Fast-forward buttons. If you frequently change tracks by pressing the Previous or Next buttons, iPod has to turn on the hard drive to open the songs. This uses a lot of battery power.
Use compressed songs
iPod's cache works best with songs of average file sizes (less than 9 MB). If your audio files are large or uncompressed (including AIFF format), you may want to compress them, or use a different compression method, such as MP3 or AAC, when importing them into iTunes. Also, consider breaking very long songs or tracks into shorter tracks that have smaller file sizes
How Secure Is Your Domain?
Problems at RegisterFly.com shed light on loose oversight of Net addresses
When Kevin Medina and John Naruszewicz joined forces nine years ago, the Internet was like an untamed frontier. There was little to discourage Medina, the owner of an office-cleaning business in New Jersey, and Naruszewicz, a recent high school dropout, from joining the dot-com gold rush. The tiny company they started, RegisterFly.com Inc., ultimately became a midsize registrar of Internet addresses for more than 200,000 customers, including entertainer Michael Jackson. Now a messy fight between the two for control has brought RegisterFly to its knees and prompted angry calls for better oversight of the Web registry industry.
Problems at RegisterFly.com shed light on loose oversight of Net addresses
When Kevin Medina and John Naruszewicz joined forces nine years ago, the Internet was like an untamed frontier. There was little to discourage Medina, the owner of an office-cleaning business in New Jersey, and Naruszewicz, a recent high school dropout, from joining the dot-com gold rush. The tiny company they started, RegisterFly.com Inc., ultimately became a midsize registrar of Internet addresses for more than 200,000 customers, including entertainer Michael Jackson. Now a messy fight between the two for control has brought RegisterFly to its knees and prompted angry calls for better oversight of the Web registry industry.
The RegisterFly.com saga sheds light on a little-understood but vital corner of the Internet. Domain-name registrars receive fees from individuals and businesses to record Web names that start with "www" and end with ".com," ".net," or the like. The registration industry has grown at a gallop, from 145 players in 2000 to more than 860 last year. Many operate smoothly, charging a few dollars to register new names, renew annual registrations, or transfer them, then pass that information on to a handful of registries that keep master lists of names.
But some unruly outfits have also appeared, while the industry goes virtually unregulated. "We need to tame the wild wild West and bring control and regulation to this business," says Sam Flanders, president of 2wmc.com Consulting Group Inc. and a RegisterFly.com customer.
After months of customer complaints about poor service, RegisterFly's problems came to a boil in February when Naruszewicz and another company director fired Medina as chief executive. They accused him of stealing from customers to pay for luxury cars, a penthouse apartment in Miami's posh South Beach, and a liposuction operation. Medina, who denies the accusations, regained the helm on Mar. 9 after a U.S. District Court judge ruled that he was the sole owner. But in the meantime the company Web site was operating fitfully. Some 75,000 customers had lost control of their domain names, according to a court filing. Many are trying to transfer their accounts to other registrars but haven't been able to get RegisterFly to respond.
'TRAIN WRECK'
RegisterFly customers aren't just mad at the company. They fault the International Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN), a private nonprofit organization sanctioned by the U.S. and other nations to accredit registrars, for not moving fast enough to investigate and take action. It was only after a year of eroding service that ICANN on Feb. 21 threatened to revoke RegisterFly's accreditation. "ICANN knew what was going on, yet they waited and let this train wreck happen," says Philip J. Corwin, counsel for the Internet Commerce Assn., which represents companies that own domain names.
ICANN insists it acted as quickly as possible. Until February, the organization lacked evidence that RegisterFly had violated its contract with ICANN by failing to pay fees and by replacing the names of the registrees with Kevin Medina's name, according to ICANN. The group gave RegisterFly a deadline of Mar. 14 to set things right or face de-accreditation. But ICANN, based in Marina del Rey, Calif., has limited powers. The U.S. Commerce Dept. asked it to monitor the operations of registrars, not oversee customer service complaints.
Still, the organization sees the RegisterFly mess as a call to action. Paul Twomey, ICANN's chief executive, plans on proposing reforms at a meeting of ICANN's board and interested parties in Lisbon during the week of Mar. 26. For one thing, he would like ICANN to have more say over the activities of companies downstream from the registrars, known as resellers, who also sell domain names. RegisterFly was a reseller until it became a registrar in its own right last year. Twomey also favors establishing a training-certification regime for registrars. These would be the first significant reforms for ICANN since it was established in 1998.
10 Tricks With A USB Thumb Drive
Any ordinary USB memory device can do a lot more than you probably thought it could. It can carry programs, encryption and even a full installation of Windows XP! Here is our tenlist for the coolest things you can do with a USB thumb drive:
Take your programs with you
We all know how frustrating it is when we take your files to another computer just to discover that the software required to read the files is not installed.
Here’s the simplest solution - take your programs with you - on your USB thumb drive. Here’s how to do it with Portable Apps:
1. Go to the Portable Apps website and download the installer, choosing the software you want to carry along.
2. Run the installer and install the software to the root of your USB thumb drive.
And you’re done! As soon as you connect your thumb drive into a computer, Portable Apps will open up automatically.
Surf anonymously
With Portable Apps and Firefox, you can surf the web without leaving any trace on the computer you are using. If you want extra security, install a Firefox security plugin such as FoxyProxy. To iput Firefox onto the drive, just copy-paste the Firefox folder from you computer, or install Firefox onto the thumb drive.
Set a program to run automatically (autorun)
Using autorun, you can set a program to start up automatically when you connect the drive to a computer. You can also use the same script for a data CD-ROM. Note that some computers have autorun disabled for security purposes. [Here's how to disable autorun.]
Open up notepad and paste the following script:
[autorun]
ShellExecute=filename
Label=description
UseAutoPlay=1
Make sure you replace filename with the full path to the file. For example, a file called program.exe in a folder called “programs” on the thumb drive would be /programs/program.exe
Replace description with a short description of the program, for example, My Jukebox or Mozilla Firefox.
Save the file as autorun.inf, making sure you select “All Programs” from the save menu, not “Text document”!
Help! I’m lost!
Ever lost a USB drive? Even if you haven’t, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll lose a few during your life. And with all the important information on it, it could be a disaster to have it fall into someone’s hands.
A good idea is to encrypt all the information on the drive, but you would still want it back, wouldn’t you? Luckily, the folks at the Daily Cup Of Tech have come up with a solution.
Save a program called “Help! I’m Lost!” on the drive, that a finder just can’t get around opening. The program opens a message box with your personal “I’m lost” message. It’s a good idea to offer the finder a bigger reward than the drive itself, so that they’ll be interested in contacting you.
Hide the drive inside something
Why not surprise your friends and co-workers by sticking something that looks like a broken USB cable into the computer’s USB drive?
You’ll be sure to get a few shocked faces when you start to play a movie from it.
The guys from Technobuzz.net show us how to do it. (You are gonna need an unbelievably small thumb drive for this…)
Secure your PC
Just like with an RFID badge, you can use a USB drive to lock and unlock a PC. Insert it to begin working and pull it out when you’ve finished, locking the computer. There are several programs for this . Rohos, a commercial program and WiKID, a semi-open source one.
If you really need to secure your computer with a USB drive, I suggest you give Rohos a try, as WiKID is rather complicated.
Portable jukebox
Don’t just carry the music with you, also carry the player! You can install audio programs such as WinAmp and CoolPlayer+ on your thumb drive. Just unextract the ZIP folders to the USB drive.
If you want the jukebox to start up automatically when you connect the memory stick to the computer, use the autorun feature shown tip 3 and point it to the exe of your audio player.
Encrypt your data
If you carry any sensitive indormation on your USB memory stick, a good idea is to encrypt it. Hardware-level encryption will help, but it will cost extra. You can get a free program to encrypt your data just as securely. For this I recommend TrueCrypt, but most others will also do.
You will need admin access on the computer you want to use your encrypted thumb drive on, so this it’s usability a little.
Run a standalone OS for dedicated tasks
The easiest OS to boot from a USB drive is probably Linux. There are many small capacity Linux versions out there that will fit on your drive. The best 3 are Puppy Linux, Damn Small Linux and Webconverger.
Make sure you select a version that needs less space than your USB drive’s maximum, so you have room for files and software.
And this leads us nicely to the final tip…
Run Windows itself from a USB thumb drive
Modifying Windows to work on a USB drive is quite difficult, but luckily there are some tools that will do it for us. Note that you will need a separate Windows license for this, as Microsoft only lets you use one for each single computer, and a USB drive is treated by them like a computer…
What you’ll need:
1. A licensed copy of Windows
2. A USB device, min. 1GB (We recommend a USB hard disk, as a flash memory stick will become unusable after 100000 writing processes. Assuming that only 2 processes are used per second, the drive will last only 60 days with 8 hours of work each day… A hard disk doesn’t have this problem.)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Jembut ireng
Jembut ireng is a term for majapahit trop to conquer all kingdoms in Soutieas asia
Read More......Sunday, February 8, 2009
Legend of The Moon Goddess in China
Legend of The Moon Goddess in China
It is said that on this very special day the moon would appear fullest, and it would shine the brightest. All the maidens of China, both young and old, would pray to the moon goddess to deliver to them the men of their dreams. The maidens would offer moon cakes, cookies, and fruits, and they would also burn incense and candles as a gesture of worshipping the moon goddess, Chang O.
In the Chinese astrology, the moon represents the female, and the sun represents the male. Both the Moon and the Sun represents Yin and Yen. Many believe that the moon goddess, Chang O, possess special power to enrich the lives of lovers on earth. The following is a story that was told to me by my grandfather when I was a little girl…
In a time long long ago, young lady Chang O lived with her father, the Jade Emperor, in heaven where all the good people and the fairies lived. They were all very happy until one day Chang O had accidentally broken a valuable porcelain jar. The Jade Emperor was angry at Chang O’s carelessness and punished her. He sent her down to earth to where the ordinary people lived, and he made a rule that Chang O could only come back to live in heaven if she had contributed some valuable services on earth.
When Chang O came to earth, she was sent to a poor farmer to be one of his family members. As she grew older she became a very beautiful young lady. A skillful hunter, Hou Yi, an expert archer from another village heard about Chang O’s beauty and came to look for her, and soon they became friends.
Life on earth in the village was peaceful, until one day, when the villagers woke up and were surprised to find 10 suns in the sky. The earth became a very warm place. Being the skillful archer he was, Hou Yi stepped forward to save the earth. He skillfully shot down 9 suns, and left one in the sky. He had become the instant hero who had saved the earth. The King had awarded him a respectable rank inside the palace. Shortly afterwards, Hou Yi had become the King’s successor and became the King. He married Chang O.
However, Hou Yi was greedy and immortal. He thought about how good it would be if he could live and enjoy his life forever. He commanded his followers to create a form of medicine that could prolong his life. One day, one of the followers came forward with a pill. He told Hou Yi to hold onto the pill, and warned him not take it until he was told to do so. Hou Yi was very happy to receive the pill and hid it inside a box underneath his pillow.
One day, while Hou Yi was away from the palace, Chang O accidentally found the pill in the box, and wondered what it was. She swallowed the pill purposely. When Hou Yi discovered what his wife had done he flew into a rage. Chang O was frightened by his anger, so she jumped from the chamber’s window to escape, but instead of falling to the ground, she found that she was actually flying up into the sky!
She flew higher and higher, and angry Hou Yi tried to shoot her down with his bow and arrow, but it was in vain. Chang O flew higher and farther away from the earth, and soon she had reached the moon.
The Queen mother of heaven heard about what had happened and punished Chang O. She gave her a rabbit as companion, and a wood cutter to cut the tree of immortality on the moon. She was told that when the tree of immortality is cut down, then Chang O will be allowed to go back to earth to continue on her mission of earning merits for the valuable service in order to go back to heaven.
That was long, long time ago, and still the tree of immortality has not been cut down. Every time Chang O makes a cut, the tree heals itself.
Now, whenever there’s a full moon, if we happen to look up into the sky, we can still see the shape of the tree, and the wood cutter, Chang O, who is still there cutting the wood. Chang O has not been able to come back to earth yet to complete her mission.
And this is the story of the legend of the moon goddess and the moon festival told to me by my grandparents.
The moral of this story: it teaches us not to be greedy, and not to take something that doesn’t belong to us. If Hou Yin had not been greedy about finding a pill that could make him live forever, he would never had gotten the pill; and if Chang O had not purposely swallowed the pill that didn’t belong to her, she would not have to be sent to live in the moon for so long.
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Valentine's Day Story
St. Valentine's Story
Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.
Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!
Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favorite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.
One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.
I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
Laugh for Health
At Laugh for Health, our goal is to help our clients achieve the best quality of life possible. We understand that one solution does not fit every situation so we take the time to listen and learn about each client's needs and preferences.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated On february 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's Card. Presenting Flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian Martyrs namedValentine. The day became associated with Romantic Love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High middle Ag, when the tradition of courtley love flourished.
An alternative theory from Belarus states that the holiday originates from the story of Saint Valentine who upon rejection by his mistress was so heartbroken that he took a knife to his chest and sent her his still-beating heart as a token of his undying love for her. Hence, heart-shaped cards are now sent as a tribute to his overwhelming passion and suffering.
The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th-century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.
The U.S. greeting cards Associatiom estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.
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