Ad-Aware Adds Antivirus, Scheduled Scans to Free Version

Windows only: After fading from the spotlight a bit, spyware removal tool Ad-Aware keeps rolling out improvements like faster scans and Outlook integration. Now, they've also added the long-awaited virus scanning and automatic scheduler to the free version.
It used to be that the free version of Ad-Aware was crippled in order to make you pay for a full license, but in an age of lots of great free antivirus and anti-spyware software, it seems Ad-Aware has taken the hint and added these fairly basic features to the free version. Before, if you wanted the free version, you'd need a separate antivirus program and you'd need to start your malware scans manually—not exactly ideal. However, among all their other recent additions, Ad-Aware has put their scheduler and Sunbelt-powered Antivirus scanner in the free version, likely hoping to compete with the other popular, free security suites out there. Hit the link to check it out, and let us know what you think of all the latest improvements in the comments.
Ad-Aware is a free download for Windows, though also has Plus and Pro versions available for $30 and $50, respectively.

 Download :


Wanna Trial or Full Version of Ad-Aware E-mail :sasi.soft@yahoo.co.in 
  tags: life hacker tips&tricks, Ad-Aware Adds Antivirus, Scheduled Scans to Free Version,download hack tips in blog ,ad-aware download

Move Windows Between Monitors with MonitorSwitch [Freeware]

Move Windows Between Monitors with MonitorSwitch [Freeware]

Published by : K.Sasikumar

Do you have a multiple monitor setup ? I do – and I love it. I can’t begin to imagine how I ever managed without it.
As you know, moving windows between the monitors can be a tedious task, if you always drag them back and forth.

Now I’ve come across a freeware tool, that allow you to move windows between monitors with a single click.

It’s called MonitorSwitch and work on all Windows Platforms. And best of all it’s Freeware…

MonitorSwitch adds two custom buttons in the caption bar of any windows, allowing you to move the window to the next or previous monitor.

                                           
                                           |DOWNLOAD|

 

Tricks for hacking g-mail and google maps

 Published By[sasikumar]

|DOWNLOAD|

When Did You Last Install Windows:

When Did You Last Install Windows?

PUBLISHED BY[sasikumar]

How often do you like to install your Windows Operating System.
I like to reinstall twice a year (more so when I break it!).  To me, it keeps the system running nice and weeds out any imperfections.
Many people have never reinstalled and will undoubtedly run like molasses.  Others like to reinstall every few weeks.
What’s your preference?
 
Download this vbs script to show you when you last reinstalled Windows. (Works for XP, Vista & 7)
Head over to the forums and let us know how, why, and when you reinstall Windows.

 |DOWNLOAD|

Disable “Reopen Last Browsing Session” feature in IE8 [How To]

Disable “Reopen Last Browsing Session” feature in IE8 [How To]

Published by[sasikumar]

Internet Explorer 8 comes with a series of new features. One of those is the ability to reopen your last session. This can be a good feature whenever the browser crashes or you accidentally close the browser in the middle of a research where you have lots of open pages (some of which you don’t remember the direct url for). Of course there has always been the History list – but now you can retrieve your last session with one click (Found in the TOOLS menu).

However – there might be situations or security issues involved where you don’t want anyone to be able to do just that. Then you can turn off the “Last Browsing Session” all together.

NOTE! I didn’t manage to get this to work on my system, but It might be due to the fact that I run a 64-bit system. So in case it may help you, here is how:

As with many tweaks (i’m sure this one will turn up in every tweak utility sooner than later) you’ll have to edit your registry. Just remember to take a backup copy before you start.

1. Open Internet Explorer and delete your browsing history (Security, Delete Browsing History)
2. Open Regedit (from the Start-menu)
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ Recovery
4. In the Right pane, right-click an empty space and select NEW, DWORD (32 bit) value
5. Name the new Value: NoReopenLastSession
6. Double Click your new entry, and set the value field to 1 (one)
7. Close The Registry Editor
8. If MSIE is still open you close it and restart to make the changes take effect.

And there you have it.

Protect your Computer with a USB Flash Drive [Freeware]

Protect your Computer with a USB Flash Drive

Predator, let you do exactly that !
PROGRAM: PREDATOR

Published by [sasikumar]

PROS: PREDATOR locks your PC when you are away, even if your Windows session is still opened. It is very easy to use and the security seems to be very good.

CONS: Dark interface, makes it hard to read. Tho several users can have their own key it cannot be used to Log In to different User Accounts, which would have been a great asset.

VERDICT: If you are looking for a simple way to protect your Computer while you step away from it. This what you need.

PRICE: Freeware and Paid Version ($29)

VERSION REVIEWED: 2.1.0.468

Security Required

Security is always an issue wetter you are working on your Home Computer or you are at work. This is why password protection was invented – to prevent unauthorized access to computers and systems. This is why most Company Networks have the message “This Computer is Locked!” when you are away from your workstation.

If the network requires many users with passwords and security it is a daunting and tiresome task to maintain the ever-changing usernames and passwords. Now, this can be done easier and simpler, using Predator.

PREDATOR locks your PC when you are away, even if your Windows session is still opened.

Simple User Control

Predator allows you to lock or unlock a computer by inserting or removing a USB Flash Drive. Once installed you can control who has access to the computer by administering Flash Drives.

It uses a regular USB Flash Drive as an access control device, and works as follows:

• you insert the USB drive and run PREDATOR (autostart with Windows is possible)
• you do your work…

When you’re away from your PC, you simply remove the Flash Drive. Once removed, the Keyboard, Mouse and Windows Task Manager are disabled. If you want, you can set the screen to dim down, making it obvious that the computer is locked, or you may also make it appear turned off all together.

When you return to your Computer, insert the Flash Drive and your Computer goes back to normal.

One on Several or Several on One…

One Flash Drive can be set to access several computers and Several Flash Drives can be set to access one computer. The system checks the inserted Flash Drive on a custom interval and even changes the access key on a regular basis, thus preventing unauthorized people to gain access by copying the Flash Drives .

Warnings and Logs

A new feature (for those who have used this a while) is the ability to send warning of unauthorized access attempts by SMS or Email. This function require that you have a Twitter Account.

If someone attempts to breach your security you can also make your Computer go haywire with your optional sounds or alarms, which is useful for computers in a public area.

Conclusion

I like it!

Within one minute of installing Predator, I was protected. The software feels light, it takes no CPU what so ever and the only visible proof of its existence, is a small green pulsating dot in the Taskbar. Which in Windows 7 disappears in the “hidden Icon” section after a few minutes.

I plugged out my Flash Drive and after about 30 seconds My computer was locked down. The time it takes to completely lock depends on two things. How often you set Predator to monitor your Flash Drive, and how long ago it checked it.

Suggested Improvements

As with everything else, there are a few things I would like to change or add. The Graphics Designer in me, would love to see the product in a more user-friendly color scheme. The software GUI is dark and not very inviting and it could use a few touches here and there. I do keep in mind that it’s a settings panel and not an environment of which you are going to stay much.

As function goes, if Predator would take a step up, and also include User Account Control. You could let people access their own User Account when plugging in their own Flash Drive. Then you would get the total Network Security Solution. And then it would truly be what we see in Hollywood…

Download Predator

Predator comes in two versions; a Free Version and a Professional version. It also supports 32-bit and 64-bit architecture. You can read more about Predator by Clicking Here!

Download Predator

GIMP – A Powerful Yet Free Photoshop Alternative

GIMP – A Powerful Yet Free Photoshop Alternative

PROS: Free, feature-filled graphical editing
CONS: Not made by Adobe?
VERDICT: Almost all of the tricks at none of the price. Unless you are a professional, GIMP will be a great all-inclusive tool for you.
PRICE: Free
VERSION REVIEWED: 2.6.7














Download : GIMP

GIMP Features

Overview

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is an open-source Photoshop alternative. I’ve used GIMP on many occasions and find it to be a powerful tool for “the rest of us”; meaning those that can’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on graphical editing software we’ll only use some of the time. It only takes a minute to download and with the amount of help available on their website only takes a couple uses to learn fairly well. I’ve been able to edit and retouch digital photos with GIMP along with creating my own images from scratch – including images with advanced shadow and lighting effects.

Storyboard animation

This is a cool feature I just learned about. You can create different images and arrange them in a storyboard and use this tool to animate them. Can anyone say stop-motion photography?

Photo editing

GIMP has great tools for photo retouching including red-eye correction, color balancing, advanced cropping, among other advanced tools to correct barrel distortion and vignetting. You can also use the channel mixer to create stunning black and white pictures where you can choose one color to stand out. GIMP also has a magic-wand-esque tool to match colors and cover up imperfections in photos (or the people in them!)

Graphical authoring

Not only can you edit pictures, you can use GIMP to create your own images.

Extensive online documentation

Because GIMP is open-source, there is no user’s manual. Instead, they have created online tutorials to help beginners and even advanced users of GIMP learn new “tricks”. These are a great place to start, as they teach all of the basics and help uncover hidden features you didn’t even know GIMP had.

File format support

In addition to being supported on various versions of Linux, Mac OS X, and almost all versions of Windows, GIMP supports a huge number of file formats. You can even open and edit Photoshop .psd files!

Conclusion

It’s not a mistake that GIMP has been included on list after list of “must-have” freeware for your PC. It’s a powerful program that will help you accomplish many things. I highly recommend you download it and give GIMP a try!

Add a folder to the Windows 7 Taskbar [How To]

Add a folder to the Windows 7 Taskbar [How To]

Provided by[sasikumar]

In the Old days I used to place my most used folders as menu items in my Window Taskbar. And I recently re-discovered this function and fell in love with the idea all over again. If you have one folder that you constantly access it can be annoying to always “go look” for it or to have it waste space as an open folder in your taskbar – so why not add it as a taskbar item.

As I’m spending a lot of time here on mintywhite, writing, there is one folder I am constantly saving images and other useful items into, now I can access that folder without leaving what ever it is that I’m working on.

Here’s how:

1. Right Click on the Windows Taskbar
2. Choose Toolbars
3. You can choose from the list of toolbars or (as we’re going to) make your own. Click New Toolbar.
4. Locate and open your folder (in my case it’s called MintyWhite)
5. Click Select Folder.

How to use it:

You can access your folder items in two ways:

• If you are looking for one file in particular, click on the small arrow-icon next to the folder name. This will Expand the folder as a menu.
• If you want to open the folder in Explorer, Right Click the name, and choose Open Folder.

Good luck using your new Taskbar menu

Office 2010: Modify The Ribbon [How To]

Office 2010: Modify The Ribbon [How To]

Provided by[sasikumar]

Ever since I saw the new ribbon in Office 2007 – I hated it. I looked around and found me a freeware add-in that brought back the old and familiar menu-system. Then came Microsoft Office 2010, and the ribbon had begun to grow on me, don’t get me wrong I still use my old and trusty pre-2007 menu add-In, but not so much any more.

Why, you ask ? First of all, Microsoft has simplified the ribbons, made them more intuitive. Secondly; I can now change them to my liking and need, by adding my custom Tabs, Groups and Commands. In this tutorial I am going to use Microsoft Excel 2010, but the procedure is the same in all Office Programs. Here’s How:

In a earlier post on Microsoft Outlook 2010, I mentioned that they have put all the settings and options in the new File-menu. In Outlook the menu is Orange, In Excel its Green and Word is Blue and so on. But I’m rambling, let’s get started.

1.Click the Filemenu Button

2.Click Options, then Customize Ribbon
















Now you’ll see two pull-down menus. The left one has all the commands that are available in your Office Program (in this case Excel). The right pull-down menu shows the Ribbon with its current settings. Each Tab in the Ribbon can expand or close. Each Tab can be hidden or Visible in the Office environment.

Tab and Group, what are they ?

Underneath the Ribbon View there are two buttons; New Tab and New Group. A small explanation is in order:

• Tabs are the headers displayed in the Ribbon, like File, menu, Insert, Page Layout etc.
• While Group is the Dividers within the Tab that you use to show which commands belong together.

Adding a Tab

We are going to make a brand new tab on the Ribbon with some of the functions that are NOT in the Ribbon now. The Tabs can contain Functions, Commands and Custom Macros.

1. Click New Tab. A New Tab has been added to the Right Pane, containing a new Group.
2. Right-Click the new tab, and choose Rename. Call it “My Functions

1. Right-Click the new Group, choose Rename. Call it “My Commands”. You may also give it an Icon (why I don’t know).
2. In the Left Pull-down Menu, Choose Commands NOT in the Ribbon, to display available functions.

I find the following Commands: Button (Form), Combo Box (Form) and Combo List (Edit)
Click each one, then the Add button to add this function to my Custom Group

NOTE!
You can only add Commands in Custom Groups, not into the existing Office Groups. You may add a Custom Group to an existing Tab, but not add Commands to the existing Office Groups.

Removing Tab, Group or Command

To Remove a Tab, Group or Command, Right Click it and choose Remove.
NOTE! You can only remove your Custom added Tabs, Groups and Commands.

Exporting / Importing Custom settings

You may save your customizations for later import or to share with other Office users. Click The Import/Export button and choose your action. Then follow the on-screen instructions.

And there you have it. Remember to Click the OK button when you’re done.

Change Your DNS settings, Windows XP [How To]

Change Your DNS settings, Windows XP [How To]

Published by [sasikumar]

If you want to improve your Internet Security, you might want to consider changing your DNS settings. If you are concerned with speed and are constantly tweaking your system to squeeze more juice out of your Internet connection, then you should also look to your DNS provider.

There are many different providers of DNS (Domain Name Servers) available on the Internet, from the one you get using your ISP, to Google, UltraDNS, OpenDNS etc.

In this tutorial I am going to show you how to change your DNS settings in XP, no matter which DNS provider you choose. In the tutorial I am however going to assume that you have set up an account at OpenDNS.

Changing DNS settings

1. Click Start-Button and Open The Control Panel.
2. Locate and open Network Connections
3. Double-Click your default Network Connection from the available list
4. Click Properties
5. Highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click on Properties again

1. Click on: “Use the following DNS server addresses”
   The text fields below will be enabled
   Type in DNS IP addresses you have obtained from the DNS provider

1. Example:
   Preferred DNS server address for Open DNS is: 208.67.222.222
   Alternate DNS server address for Open DNS is: 208.67.220.220
2. Click OK
3. Close any open dialogue window and Control Panel
4. Restart all Browsers

Can’t Delete a File? Use the Command Prompt [How To]

Can’t Delete a File? Use the Command Prompt [How To]..[Tips &tricks brought to u by sasikumar]

 Have you ever experienced that windows won’t allow you to delete a file, presumably because some service or dll is still using it ? Even when you know for a fact that it’s not in use ? Or maybe you have tried to delete a folder, but you couldn’t because a “File in the selected folder is still in use by Windows” ?

Oh, I can hear you: “yes, but I use the “take ownership” function that I’ve added to my Context menu”. ALAS, Sometimes not even that will work – what then ? Do you have to Reboot your computer to be able to delete that file ?
Earlier, Harry had an article about the Command Prompt  and his top ten commands. One of those were the command we are looking to use now: DELETE (DEL).

The Command Prompt (cmd.exe) is what’s left of the old DOS (Disk Operating System) and some of us are old (shudders) enough to have actually used it as our main OS. Okay, enough of that.

Delete Troublesome files

This tutorial requires that you open the Command prompt as an Administrator and that you can access the folder from Windows.

1. Click the Start-button and type CMD in the search field (Do NOT press Enter)
2. When you see the program in the list, right-click on cmd.exe and choose Run as Administrator. This will open the Command Prompt Window with Administrative Privileges.
3. In you Windows Explorer, open the folder you want to delete or remove a file from. Click on the Adress-field to reveal the true folder path.
4. Highlight the path from the Colon (:) and to the end as shown here)

1. Right-Click the Highlighted part, and choose Copy (or Press Ctrl+C)
2. Go back to your Command-Window and type: CD\ (This will open the Root Folder)
3. Now Type: CD\ and Paste in the path using Right-Click, Paste (Ctrl+V will NOT work).
   Like this: CD\testfolder
4. To make sure you are in the correct folder you can type: DIR. This will show you the folder contents.

9. To delete the file causing you problems, type: DEL[filename] /F /Q.
   Like this: DEL filename.dat /F /Q.
   The F means: Delete File even IF it’s reported as Read Only.
   The Q means: you don’t have to Confirm.
   If you want to delete all files in the folder, you can use wildcards instead of Filename
   like this: DEL *.* /F /Q

Delete Folder which Contains Troublesome File(s)

Sometimes you need to delete the problem file before you delete the folder, but this is what you do:
Follow steps 1 through 6 above then continue here:
In The Command-Window type:  RmDir /S /Q [Paste in path using Right-Click, Paste], Press Enter.
Like this: rmdir /S /Q c:\testfolder   












Folder and contents will be gone forever.          

Create Photo & Video DVDs with Windows DVD Maker

Create Photo & Video DVDs with Windows DVD Maker

[Tips brought to u by sasikumar]

Windows DVD maker comes bundled with Windows 7 and makes great photo and video DVDs with minimal effort. If you’d like to create a photo and video DVD to capture and store memories to share with friends, this guide will show you how.

Create a Photo & Video DVD

To create a photo and video DVD:
1. Click the start button, type DVD, and click Windows DVD Maker.

2. Click Choose Photos and Videos.

3. Browse your hard drive for videos and pictures you’d like to include, and put them in the order you would like to see them in.

After you select your videos, you can customize the menu text, menu, and slideshow.                                                                                  

4. Click Customize menu. From here, you can change the font used, pick a video that runs in the background of the menu, and even add music.

 

5. once you’ve customized the menu and the slideshow to your needs,you are ready to burn a DVD. Click Burn.

Your DVD is now ready to share with friends and family (be sure to check it in your own DVD player first.) I wish this program was available to me in the past; there have been many times when I’ve created DVD with rickety software and nothing I’ve used use is both as simple and as solid as Windows DVD maker.