Thursday, March 20, 2014

Google - I'm Feeling Lucky Tricks & Jokes

Google - I'm Feeling Lucky Tricks & Jokes

Google is the search engine of choice for most users. This is well represented by the fact that Google averages one billion unique visitors every month. A reason for this popularity is Google's characteristic to integrate simplicity with usability.

Another major reason for this popularity is Google's minimalistic homepage, which consists of a search bar and two buttons, Search and I'm Feeling Lucky. We all know what the search button does, it takes us to a search results page consisting of top ten results that match our query. The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on the other hand takes you to the top ranking page in the search results for a particular query.
Im feeling lucky

Some webpages use this behavior to create some amazing and funny results. Here is a list of few such keywords that have some funny websites at the first position in Google. To use these tricks, openGoogle's homepage, type in the phrase and hit the I'm feeling lucky button. To use the I'm feeling lucky button, you have to disable Google Instant.

Google Gravity
I am feeling lucky, Google
The force of gravity is non-existent in cyber space. Google gravity makes you realize how Google would have been if gravity had been effective on the internet as well. Just type Google gravity in the search bar and press the I'm feeling lucky button. This will take you to the Google gravity page which, at first look, might appear to be the Google homepage itself. Wait for a few seconds and you will realize why this Chrome experiment is called Google gravity. Although the website lists it as a Chrome experiment, it works on Mozilla Firefox as well, although it does not work on IE8 and previous versions of IE.

Google Sphere
Want to see images on Google dance in circular motion? Google sphere is the phrase for that. This phrase will take you to the Google sphere Chrome experiment. Google sphere is a modified version of Image search that adds a bit of fun to your regular search. This Chrome experiment, just like the previous one, works on Chrome, Firefox and IE9.

Epic Google 
Epic Google will take you to a growing version of Google that will continue to increase in size until it becomes too large to read.

I'm feeling lucky tricks
Enable Pirate language in Google
Remember the Facebook Pirate language trick? Google too has their own pirate version to compete with that of Facebook's. Just use the Google Pirate phrase or directly head over to Google Pirate.

Google Rainbow
This phrase will take you to a Google search homepage in which each element changes its color rapidly to create the rainbow effect. The search result page obtained for queries is very annoying too as it contains a very loud color combination of red, blue and green.

Annoying Google
Want to get annoyed while searching on Google? This one is for you. This phrase will take you to a Google search homepage with each word having alternate capital and small letters making everything a bit too hard to read.

2204355 
Are you already familiar with the age old internet prank called rick-rolling and want to discover something new? Chicken rolling is for you. Try this new way of trapping unsuspecting internet users by typing the code 2204355 in the Google search box and hitting the "Lucky button."

LOL Limewire 
Type in LOL Limewire in Google and you will be taken to a .swf file claiming that you are a pirate and telling you to "do what you want cause a pirate is free." Funny!

Google funny feeling lucky tricks
Find Chuck Norris
This one is for all fans of Chuck Norris jokes. We all know that you don't find Chuck Norris, he finds you. The find Chuck Norris phrase proves the fact further.

Who is the cutest?
Want to know who is the cutest person in the world? Just use this phrase. This one will definitely make you smile.

Most of these websites are not owned by Google. They were created independently to achieve these effects.

Google Tricks, Easter Eggs & Secrets

Google Tricks, Easter Eggs & Secrets

Google's engineers love to hide some pretty cool tricks at the most unexpected places. Add to that Google's policy of giving 20% of working time to its engineers to do what they want, and you have a search engine filled with lots of entertaining Easter eggs and tricks.

Sadly, most of these tricks are still a secret, but every now and then, Google employees leak these cool insider pranks and the whole world gets to know about them. Here, I have created a list of all such known Google tricks and Easter eggs that are still "working."
Google Tricks

Kerning
Kerning means adjusting the spacing between characters. So, how would you expect Google to describe it? Literally, off course. When you search Google for Kerning, the spacing of the word Kerning is changed as compared to that of other words. This only works with personalized results disabled.

Conway's Game Of Life
Conway's Game Of Life is a game that indicates how cellular life evolves based on the initial configuration. If you search Google for Conway's Game of Life, you will get a results page with the game running in the background.

Jason Isaacs
Just search for Jason Isaacs and Google will return a page saying Hello to him. This only works on Google UK. This is a reference to Kermode and Mayo's Film reviews which greets Jason with hello every week.

Bacon Number {Actor Name}
Kevin Bacon is a famous hollywood actor who was quoted as saying that he has worked with everybody in hollywood or somebody who has worked with them in 1994. This led to many websites being launched about his claim in 2007. Bacon seeing this immense response launched a charitable website called Six Degrees, which is based on a theory that everyone in hollywood has worked with Kevin Bacon through a chain of six acquaintances or less. An actor gets as many degrees as he is distant from Kevin Bacon's movies in terms of people in the chain of acquaintances.

Google too has now involved Six Degrees of Bacon in its search results. For example, searching Google for Bacon Number Johnny Depp gives Depp's Bacon number to be 2.

Google knows how to celebrate the holidays
Searching Google for a holiday will make Google return a page decorated with items representing that holiday. For example, searching Google for Christmas returns a page decorated with Christmas lights. This also works for Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Halloween and Festivus. These Easter Eggs based on a festival are only activated when that festival is near.

Zerg Rush
Search Google for Zerg Rush and you will see the O's of Google attacking the search results page. They will attacking every result one by one. There is a health bar which indicates how injured a search result is. You can also kill these O's by clicking on them. They also have health bars which indicates their health. You get points on the basis of how many O's you kill. The aim of this game is to beat as many O's as possible.

Zerg Rush Google Easter Egg

Askew or Tilt
Ever had the chance of searching Google for Askew or Tilt? If you have, then you already know what comes up. If you haven't, do it now and you will see the search results page literally tilt to give you a better idea of what these words mean. This will work only if you use latest browsers which support HTML5 and CSS3. So, Internet Explorer users, use Firefox, Google Chrome or Safari for a while to use this.

Do a barrel roll
Google Tricks & Easter Eggs
'Do a barrel roll' in its true sense means to do a 360 degree spin. Google takes practical demonstrations way too seriously for this one and literally spins the search results page to give you a clearer idea of the meaning of this phrase. Don't believe me? Go search Google for Do a barrel roll now and see your world turn around.

This Easter egg is apparently a tribute to Star Fox, a video game series developed by Nintendo, because searching Google for Z or R Twice also does the barrel roll, just like in Star Fox. Many bloggers interpreted a lot of different things from this, but Google clarified that this fun trick was created by a Google Engineer solely for the purpose of entertaining users along with showing the power of new HTML5 and CSS3 technologies. Like the previous Easter egg, this will only work in modern browsers.

Binary, Octal and Hexadecimal Number systems
Another one of those literal Google Easter eggs. If you search Google for "Binary""Octal" or"Hexadecimal" (without quotes) with Search Plus Your World disabled, Google will show the number of results in the same number system. For example, searching Google for hexadecimal will return the number of results like in the image below.

Octal, Binary & Hexadecimal

Recursion
The "Did you mean?" feature of Google often helps many users to get to the right results when they type something different from what they intended to search. If you search Google for recursion, the same feature takes you to an endless loop of clicks all linking to the same results page thereby completing recursion, which occurs when something calls itself. Seriously geeky.

Recursion Google Easter egg

Anagram
Another one of those "Did you mean?" Easter eggs. Search Google for Anagram and Google will instantly ask whether you meant "Nag A Ram" which is one of the anagrams of the word "anagram." Google really shows their word-playing skills with this one.

Asking Google to define Anagram makes Google ask if you meant nerd fame again.

ASCII Art
Are you a fan of ASCII art? Google surely is. Search Google for ASCII art and Google will greet you with a search results page having an ASCII version of the Google logo at the place where normal logo should have been. This Easter egg does not work anymore. When it did work, it looked like the image given below.
ASCII art Google Easter Egg

Google Calculator Easter Eggs: The loneliest number
Google Secrets
Do you know which is the loneliest number? Ask Google Calculator. Search Google for the loneliest number and the in-search Google Calculator will give one as the answer, which apparently is a tribute to the Harry Nilsson's song "One."

Once in a Blue Moon
Google Tricks Easter Eggs
Ever wondered how much is 'once in a blue moon'? You must have heard this phrase often but Google calculator will give you the exact value of this phrase and surprisingly, it denotes frequency rather than time. Go search Google for this to get "1.16699016 × 10-8 hertz" as the answer.

The number of horns on a unicorn
Want to know the number of horns on a unicorn? Google calculator can help. Searching Google for the number of horns on a unicorn will give 1 as the answer.

Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the universe and everything
Google Easter eggs
Google is omniscient. Even the "answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything" is known to Google. Just search Google for the above phrase and Google calculator will give you an answer. What are you waiting for? Just go to Google and find the true meaning of life.

[Pause to give you the time to search]

Surprised by the answer (42)? This is a reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a popular novel based on a radio show (by the same name) of the late seventies. Google engineers surprised you with these tricks, didn't they ?

Use Keyboard as Mouse

Use Keyboard as Mouse [How To]

If your mouse is not working and you don't wish to wait till you get a new mouse, you would definitely like to know how you can use your keyboard as your mouse. It is easy to use your mouse as keyboard in Windows using the On Screen Keyboard utility, but it is also possible to do the reverse.

Keyboard Mouse

All you need to do is:

Windows XP Users:-
  1. Go to Control Panel.
  2. Then click on Switch to Classic View.
  3. Then Click on Accessibility Options.
  4. Then Click on the Mouse Tab.
  5. Select Use MouseKeys.
  6. Click on OK.
  7. Then activate NumberLock (by pressing the NumLk key).
  8. You should hear a beep sound.
  9. Now you can control the mouse pointer using the arrow keys on the numeric keypad.
use keyboard as mouse


Windows 8Windows 7 and Vista Users:

  1. Open Ease of Access Center by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Ease of Access, and then clicking Ease of Access Center. 
  2. Click Make the mouse easier to use.
  3. Under Control the mouse with the keyboard, select the Turn on Mouse Keys check box.

You can also increase the acceleration and speed of your mouse movements according to your needs.

You can alternately press the Alt+Shift+Num Lock combination to instantly activate the mouse keys.


Laptop Keyboard Mouse

For laptops, this will only work if your laptop keyboard has a numeric keypad or alternative keys which you can enable by pressing the Number Lock Key or the Function key.

On my laptop, number 6 key of the numeric keypad moves the mouse pointer left, number 4 key moves the mouse pointer right, number 2 key moves it down, number 8 key moves the mouse pointer up, number 5 and + key serve as right click while the number 0 key works as left click...

Cool Keyboard Tricks (Windows) : Make a Disco

Cool Keyboard Tricks (Windows) : Make a Disco

Keyboards usually have small LEDs which indicate whether different types of locks are activated or not. Here is a trick to use the lights of your keyboard in a more creative manner in Windows.

This trick uses a simple Visual Basic Script which when activated makes your Scroll lock, Caps lock and Num lock LEDs flash in a cool rhythmic way which gives the perception of a live disco on your keyboard.

Keyboard tricks

To make your own live disco, follow the steps given below:-

1. Open Notepad.
2. Copy paste the exact code given below:-

Set wshShell =wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "{CAPSLOCK}"
wshshell.sendkeys "{NUMLOCK}"
wshshell.sendkeys "{SCROLLLOCK}"
loop
3. Save the file as Disco.vbs or "*.vbs".


Cool Keyboard Tricks

Double click on the Saved file to see the LED lights on your keyboard go crazy and make your own cool disco.

This trick has been tested on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 and found to be working perfectly.

You can disable the keyboard disco by starting Task Manager and ending the wscript.exe process...

How hackers hack Facebook Account & How to stop them ?

How hackers hack Facebook Account & How to stop them?

Facebook is, undoubtedly, the most popular social networking website with more than 500 million active users. Due to its popularity, many hackers (or should I say crackers?) are actively involved in hacking Facebook accounts of unsuspecting users. This article outlines the many strategies that such hackers use to gain access to Facebook accounts of hundreds of users each day and how you can stop them from hacking your account.

hack facebook account
Facebook is one of the prime target of hackers!

Email Address Hack

I have always been puzzled by Facebook's leniency in this matter. All a hacker needs to do is know your email address and he will be displayed  a confirmation showing your name even if he enters the wrong password. How easily a hacker can then hack your Facebook account if he 'guesses' your password (if you use a weak password) or answers your security question! This is something I hope Facebook improves on quickly. Until Facebook does so, here are some tricks you can use to protect yourself from this vulnerability.

How to safeguard your Email Address?
Just follow these steps:-

  1. Hide your Email Address from everyone by going to Edit Profile>Contact Information>Clicking on the icon beside your email address> checking 'Only Me'.
  2. Change your primary email address to a one that is only known to you by going to Account Settings>Email> and changing your primary email to the new one (known only to you) and removing your previous email address.
  3. For additional security, when in Account Settings, check 'Secure browsing' and 'Send me an email when a new computer or mobile device logs into this account' and click Save.

hack facebook

A hacker at work!

Phishing

Phishing is one of the easiest ways to trick users into giving out their login credentials. All a hacker does is setup a webpage similar in design to that of the Facebook homepage, attach a server sided script to track the username and password entered and store it in a log. Sending people emails stating that someone tagged a photo of them on Facebook in the same format as Facebook and giving a link below to the phishing website further reduces the chances of it being detected as a fake. Sometimes, spam Facebook apps, like those promising to tell who viewed your Facebook profile, automatically post links to phishing websites. A new trend amongst phishers is creating Facebook look-a-like widgets for stealing user's login credentials.

How to prevent yourself from being phished?
At all costs, avoid clicking on suspicious links. Moreover, always check the URL in the address bar before signing in. Avoid logging in through various "Facebook widgets" offered by websites and blogs. Instead, use Facebook's homepage to sign in. Always try to use Safe Search while searching. If you do manage to get phished, report the website so that others may get a warning before visiting it.


hack facebook password

Keylogging through Keyloggers

Keylogger is a type of computer virus that tracks key strokes. Keyloggers can be installed remotely on a computer system by a cracker to record all the activity that is going on the victim's computer. Keylogging gets more easy if the hacker has physical access to the victim's computer.

How to stop keyloggers?
Install a good antivirus and update it frequently. Do not click on suspicious links and avoid downloading illegal software. Also, avoid installing free toolbars and other such spam software. Always scan third-person's flash and pen drives before using them on your computer.


Social Engineering

Social engineering involves using any trick to fool the user into making himself vulnerable to exploits. This could involve anything from sending spoof emails, pretending to be from Facebook, telling you to change your password to 12345678 to a hacker maliciously getting out the answer to your Security Question in a friendly chat or discussion.

How to prevent yourself from being socially engineered?
Stay aware during chats and discussions. Use a tough security question, preferably one whose answer you would never disclose to anyone. Moreover, Facebook, or any other company for that matter, will never ask you to change your password to 12345678 or do something as silly as asking you to send out your login details to prove that you are an active user. Always think before taking actions and your e-life on Facebook will be safe from hackers looking to hack Facebook accounts...
 OR WATCH DIE HARD 4 ..... I think you'll get a bit of knowledge by the movie... :P

Make Undeletable, Unrenamable Folders - Windows

Make Undeletable, Unrenamable Folders...!

Have you ever wondered how you can make a folder which neither can be deleted nor be renamed. Well, if you have, then you have come to the right place. With this trick, you will be able to create folders in Windows which cannot be renamed or deleted.

Basic Concept
The basic concept behind this trick is the use of Keywords. Keywords are reserved words in any programming language that cannot be used as names of variables. Windows also uses certain keywords in its programming. Some of them are con, aux, lpt1, lpt2, lpt3, lpt4, lpt5, lpt6, lpt7, lpt8 and lpt9.

Make Undeletable and unrenamable folders

A Test
To test this concept, make a new folder in Windows and try to give it a name same as any keyword suggested above.

Result
Windows will not rename your folder to any of the keyword given above.

Trick
So the question arises, how can we make a folder with a keyword as its name? The solution to this problem is included in Windows itself. As we know that Windows has evolved from D.O.S.(Disk Operating System), its commands can be used in Windows. You can use D.O.S. Programming in Windows to create a folder with a keyword as its name using the steps given below:-

  1. Click on Start.
  2. Click on Run. Type in "cmd" without quotes.
  3. In the Command Prompt Window that opens, type the name of the drive you wish to create your folder in the format <drive-name>: and press Enter. e.g. If you wish to create the undeletable folder in D drive, type "D:" without the quotes. Note that the folder cannot be created in the root of C:/ drive (if C: is your system drive).
  4. Type this command- "md con\" or "md lpt1\" without the quotes and press Enter. You can choose any of the keywords given above as the name of your folder.

Now Windows will create an undeletable, unrenamable folder in the drive you entered in Step 3. However the folder can be renamed to another keyword using Windows Explorer.

Deleting the Folder 


Although it is not possible to manually delete the folder, you can delete the folder by typing "rd con\" or "rd lpt1\" in Step 4 instead of "md con\" or "md lpt1\".

Windows Compatibility: This works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Try it yourself to create one such folder which can neither be deleted nor be renamed....!

Notepad Tricks: Cool Notepad tricks for Windows

Notepad Tricks: Cool Notepad tricks for Windows

Notepad, the text editor that comes bundled in Windows is an excellent tool for text editing. But that is not the only thing for which notepad is famous. It is also famous for its tricks and hacks. Here is a roundup of some of the best and coolest tricks that you can try using Notepad.

Matrix Falling Code Effect - Notepad CMD (.BAT) Tricks

Inspired by the movie Matrix, this falling code trick is extremely popular on social networking websites. Copy and paste the code given below in Notepad and save the file as "Matrix.bat" or *.bat.

@echo off
color 02
:tricks
echo %random%%random%%random%%random%%random%%random%%random%%random%
goto tricks

Notepad tricks
Matrix Falling Code Effect - Notepad Trick

Upon running the bat file, you will see the "Matrix falling code" effect.

Make Your Keyboard Type (Any) Message Continuously-VBS Trick

This VBS trick can make any of your friend's keyboard type any message continuously. Open Notepad, copy the code given below and save the file as Tricks.vbs or *.vbs. You will need to restart your computer to stop this. Try this after closing all important programs.

Set wshShell = wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "This is a Virus. You have been infected."
loop
Send this file to your friends as an email attachment to see the fun.


Notepad Virus

Create a Harmless Funny Virus with Notepad-Continuously eject CD/DVD drives

This VBS trick will create a code which will continuously eject all your connected Optical drives. If you put them back in, it will pop them out again. Copy this code and paste it in Notepad as Virus.vbs or *.vbs.

Set oWMP = CreateObject("WMPlayer.OCX.7")
Set colCDROMs = oWMP.cdromCollection
do
if colCDROMs.Count >= 1 then
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count - 1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count - 1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
End If
wscript.sleep 5000
loop

Double click to open this file and you will be impressed by this awesome trick.

Make a Personal Diary(Log) with Notepad (Easter Eggs)

Notepad Diary
Notepad Diary
You can use this trick to create a personal log with Notepad which will automatically include the current date and time before your note. To do so, open Notepad and type .LOG in capital letters and press Enter. Save the file. Now, every time you open this file, notepad will automatically insert the current time and date before the note. Just enter your note and save the file each time after making an entry.

All these Notepad tricks are totally harmless and would not harm your PC in any way.  To close any of the VBS trick given, open task manager and close the wscript.exe process. These tricks work on Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP... 
 

                                                     " Don't Forget to Share,like & Comment "

Make your Computer Talk

Make your Computer Talk

Have you ever wondered how can you make your computer speak whatever you input to it like in the movies? Would it not be fun? If only it was possible! Rejoice, because now it is possible. Well, if you wish to know how to do this, then you have come to the right place. With this trick, you can create a script in Windows which will make your computer speak whatever you input to it.

To create one such talk script, follow the steps given below:-



Steps
  1. Open Notepad.
  2. Copy and paste the exact code given below.
          Dim Message, Speak
          Message=InputBox("What do you want me to say ?","Speak to Pc - By Tusshar Nagda")
          Set Speak=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
          Speak.Speak Message
        3. Click on File MenuSave As, select All Types in Save as Type option, and save the file as Speak.vbs or "*.vbs".
        4.  Double click on the saved file, a window will open like the one in the image. Enter some text in enter text column and click OK.

    Now your Computer will speak / talk what you typed in Step 4. Try it yourself.

    Windows Compatibility: This VBS file can be executed on all versions of Windows including Windows XP,Windows VistaWindows 7 and Windows 8.

    Personal Experience: I personally showed this trick to many of my friends and they were literally left awestruck. You too can impress your friends by making your PC talk and be the Computer Wiz.

    Windows Karaoke

    Turn Your PC to Karaoke Player with Windows Karaoke

    Want to have some fun with U-Sing-Along karaoke? you don't need to buy a fancy karaoke machine which, most likely, will disappoint you by the low audio quality but high... limitations.

    I've seen many pricey karaoke machines out there that play thousands of songs, all from one single DVD disc. But the video scenes are boring since they're shared within the song tracks. The Midi audio quality from these players is not what you want (that's why such many songs can be stored in one single disc). And... it's impossible to manage the list of song tracks on the disc, for example, when you want to add your favorite songs or remove ones that you dislike.
    This Windows Karaoke is a free software for non-commercial uses, so help yourself and enjoy. Feel free to send me comments/suggestions, as well as any questions you may have. Thanks to TheComputerTricks.com for their sponsorship.
    With Windows Karaoke, you can turn your desktop or laptop to a karaoke machine, or even connect it to your home theater system. I suggest that you connect your laptop/desktop audio (line-out) to a mixer, which allows you to plug in a microphone. Then feed the audio from this mixer to your home theater system.
    You can also use this player to play other media types such as MP3, movies, etc...
    Download a copy of Windows Karaoke here.
    System Requirements:
    • Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or newer.
    • MS .NET Framework (recommend 3.5 or newer)
    • Windows Media Player 9 or newer, which is available in most recent computers.


    Installation:
    • Installation is easy, just double-click on the Setup.exe and follow the instructions.


    Configure Windows Karaoke:
    1. Launch the Windows Karaoke after installation.
    2. Press "Ctrl" Key for Configuration window.
    3. Configure the keyboard keys. Some keys are fixed and cannot be changed (i.e. Stop, Play, etc...)
    4. Manage your song list:
      • Select "Song List" tab, then either import a song list (in *.csv) format, or add song tracks manually. (Make sure you enter correct paths for the song tracks)
    5. Set your language:
      • Select "Others" tab, then change your language.
    6. Click "Save & Exit" to save you changes and exit.


    Some Tips:
    • To select a song track to play or sing:
      • Press the key that you assigned to "Play a select song".
      • Enter the song number on the pop-up window and hit "Enter"
      • To cancel, hit "Escape"
    • To select a song track to add to waitlist:
      • Press the key that you assigned to "Queue a select song".
      • Enter the song number on the pop-up window and hit "Enter"
      • To cancel, hit "Escape"
    • To play all the tracks from the beginning:
      • Press the key that you assigned to "Play All Songs".
    • To browse the list of all tracks for selection:
      • Press the key that you assigned to "Browse All Songs".
      • Use arrow keys (Left/Right/Up/Down) to navigate to the song you like.
      • To select the song to play: Press the key that you assigned to "Play a select song".
      • To select the song to add to waitlist Press the key that you assigned to "Queue a select song".
    • To stop while a track is playing:
      • Press "Escape".
    • To pause/resume while a track is playing/pausing:
      • Press "Pause/Break".
    • To exit the program:
      • Press "End". (at any screen)


    Screenshots:
    • Song List Menu:

    • Add Song to PlayList:


    FAQ's:
    1. Q: What types of files does Windows Karaoke play?
      A: Windows Karaoke uses the Windows Media Player on your computer to play the video/audio, so it plays most of the video/audio file types such as AVI, MPG, MP3, WAV, etc..
    2. Q: Where can I buy Windows Karaoke?
      A: Windows Karaoke is free, you can download a copy here.
      Windows Karaoke is sponsored by TheComputerTricks.com, you can provide support by clicking on any ad on the site. Your support is greatly appreciated.
    3. Q: Where can I get the karaoke song tracks?
      A: There are many sources that you can get karaoke song tracks. You can either download them from the internet, or extract them from DVD/VCD discs.
      There are some software you can use to extract those tracks from a DVD to individual *.avi or *.mpg files. I personally use Handbrake.
      With many VCD karaoke discs, you can simply copy those *.DAT files from the disc and rename them to *.mpg.
      If you extract the tracks from a DVD, video codecs DivX or XviD could help reduce the size of your video files.
    4. Q: Can I use a remote control?
      A: Sure you can. You can use any USB remote and map the buttons to the keyboard keys. Some Media Center Edition (MCE) remotes are available on ebay.
      You might need a keymap utility to map the remote buttons to keyboard keys. Some of them are also free.
      Check out "LM Remote Keymap", "Intelliremote", "HIP" (Human Interface Programmer)
    5. Q: Can I use this on my home theater?
      A: Feed the audio from your desktop/laptop to your home theater, then you're good to go. You'll need a cable that goes from your PC line-out (or headset) to the RCA plugs on your receiver/mixer


    We can't get smarter without sharing, so sign in & comment 

    Wednesday, March 19, 2014


    Recover Deleted files, Undelete Files in Windows with Free Tools

    Have you ever deleted a file that you did not wish to and wanted to recover it but did not find it in the recycle bin? You probably deleted it permanently with Shift+Delete or emptied the Recycle Bin. Now what? Don't worry, you may still have a chance to get it back. This article lists some free software that can recover deleted files from your hard drive or any other storage device instantly.

    But how do the software mentioned below undelete deleted files?
    recover deleted files
    When files are deleted, Windows does not delete them from your hard disk. It marks the storage space as empty for new data to be written and deletes the index entry that tells the location of those files. Unless, new files are written on that space, the deleted files are still recoverable. That's what allows these software to recover deleted files. They just modify the data attached by Windows to deleted files to say these are 'regular' files.

    There are many free software that allow users to do this. Some of them are given below:-

    1) Pandora Recovery
    recover deleted files in Windows
    Pandora Recovery is a free software that offers a wizard based interface for recovering files. It allows you to browse a drive's individual folders to look for deleted files. It also allows you search for a deleted file based on its name, file size, creation date and last access time. Its deep scan allows you to recover files that other software might have missed. Although deep scan does not return a file's original name and location, it still is effective to recover data from drives with corrupted file tables and drives that were recently formatted. It can even recover data from CD's and DVD's.

    2) TOKIWA DataRecovery
    undelete files in Windows
    At just over 200KB, TOKIWA DataRecovery is the smallest file recovery program in the market. It supports undeletion from FAT 12, FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS file systems. It also supports recovering NTFS compressed and EFS encrypted files. This software supports Windows and is portable as well. It also has a file shredder that allows you to wipe out files in a manner that they cannot be recovered again.

    3) Recuva
    undelete files
    Another great freeware, Recuva offers a wizard based interface to unerase files. Recuva offers scanning deleted files based on their type (music, pictures, videos etc.). It also allows deep scanning in case a file you deleted is unrecoverable via normal search. Like TOKIWA DataRecovery, Recuva also offers securely deleting files. Recuva also has a portable version that you can keep in your flash drive.

    All of these recovery software support recovery from memory sticks, digital camera cards and MP3 players. They support undeleting all types of pictures, software, movies and documents from both FAT and NTFS formatted drives . They work on Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

    Some important tips to increase the chances of getting your deleted files back:-

    1) When a file is deleted accidentally on a storage device, make sure that you don't do anything on it as doing that would increase the chances of new data being written over your deleted files; which would make file recovery impossible.

    2) If you have deleted files on your main computer (the one you are using right now), do not browse the internet, download new software or shut it down. Keep it running and go to another computer, download one of the software mentioned above that is portable and save it on a flash drive. Then plugin the flash drive in your current system and perform file recovery. Regardless of whether you accidentally delete files a lot or not, make sure to always have that software in your flash drive in case you accidentally delete important files.

    3) If one software fails to recover your deleted file, it does not mean that another one wouldn't recover it too...

    Shutdown Your Computer or a Remote PC  via Command Prompt

    Most of us shutdown our computers using the power button given in the Start menu. Some of us use the physical power button on our machines. Very few people actually use other means of shutting down a computer and even less is the number of people who use the command prompt to shutdown a computer.

    A reason for this is that most of us don't know that the command prompt can be used to not only shutdown, restart or log off our computer instantly but also to shutdown a remote computer provided you have administrative access. It can also be used to hibernate a computer and give a comment containing the reason for shutdown. This post will show you how to do all this.

    Required
    A computer running Windows (XP, Vista, 7 or 8) with the command prompt working perfectly, i.e. not disabled by a virus.

    Initial Steps 
    1) Press Windows Key + R.
    2) Enter CMD and press Enter.

    This will start the command prompt. Follow the instructions below depending on what you want to do.

    Shutdown Local Machine (Your Computer)
    Type "shutdown -s" without the quotes in the command prompt and press Enter. Shutdown is the command being executed and the switch -s tells the computer to shutdown.

    Restart your Local Computer 
    Type "shutdown -r" in the command prompt and press Enter. In this case, the command switch -r is telling the computer to restart after shutdown.

    Log Off the Current User
    Type "shutdown -l" in the command prompt and press Enter. The -l command switch tells the computer to log off.

    Shutdown a Remote Computer
    Type "shutdown -s -m \\name of the computer" in the command prompt and press Enter. Replace \\name of the computer with the actual name of the remote computer you are trying to shutdown. As mentioned earlier, you must have administrative access to the computer you are trying to shutdown. To know if you have administrative access, press Windows key + R and then type the name of the computer and press Enter.

    Note: If you don't remember the name of the remote computer, you can look for it by opening a list of all the computers you are connected to by executing "net view" in command prompt.

    If you can connect to the computer, you will be asked to login with your username and password. Upon entering them, a window will display the list of all the directories available to you. This should help you know whether you can or cannot shutdown the remote computer.

    Hibernate a Local Computer
    Type in "Rundll32.exe Powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState" without the quotes and press Enter. Your computer should hibernate, if it does not, then you must enable hibernation to do this.

    Shutdown your or a remote computer after a specific time
    Type "shutdown -s -t 60" to shutdown your computer after 60 seconds. Upon executing this, a countdown timer displaying a warning message will be shown. This command uses the -t command switch followed by a variable (which is 60 in this case) which represents the number of seconds after which the computer will shutdown.

    Display a Message containing the reason for shutdown
    Type shutdown -s  -t 500 -c "I am tired. I don't want to work anymore." (with the quotes) in the Command Prompt and press Enter. The -c switch is used in the code to give the reason for shutting down and what is followed in quotes will be displayed in the dialog box as the reason. This can be used to display all sorts of funny messages. One example :-

    Skynet has become self aware. John Connor did not stop me. You can not use your PC anymore.

    Stop a System Shutdown
    Type "shutdown -a" and press Enter. This will stop the system from shutting down if the countdown to shut down has not reached 0...

    Make your Computer Welcome You...!!

    Do you watch movies? Have you always loved the way how Computers in movies welcome their users by calling out their names? I bet that you too would want to know how you can achieve similar results on your PC and have a computer said welcome.

    Then you are at the right place, this article describes exactly how you can make your computer welcome you like this.

    With this trick, you can make your Computer welcome you in its computerized voice. You can make your Windows based computer say "Welcome
    to your PC, Username."

    Make Windows Greet you with a Custom Voice Message at Startup

    To use this trick, follow the instructions given below:-

    1. Click on Start. Navigate to All Programs, Accessories and Notepad.
    2. Copy and paste the exact code given below.
    Dim speaks, speech
    speaks="Welcome to your PC, Username"
    Set speech=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
    speech.Speak speaks
         3.  Replace Username with your own name.
         4.  Click on File Menu, Save As, select All Types in Save as Type option, and save the file as Welcome.vbs or "*.vbs".
         5.  Copy the saved file.
         6.  Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (in Windows XP) and to C:\Users\ {User-Name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (in Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista) if C: is your System drive. AppData is a hidden folder. So, you will need to select showing hidden folders in Folder options to locate it.
         7.  Paste the file.



     Make your Computer Welcome you at startup

    Now when the next time you start your computer, Windows will welcome you in its own computerized voice.

    Note: For best results, it is recommended to change sound scheme to No Sounds.
    You can change the sound scheme to No Sounds by following the steps given below:-
    1. Go to Control Panel.
    2. Then click on Switch to Classic View.
    3. Then Click on Sounds and Audio Devices.
    4. Then Click on the Sounds Tab.
    5. Select No Sounds from the Sound Scheme option.
    6. If you wish to save your Previous Sound Scheme, you can save it by clicking Yes in the popup menu.
    7. Click on OK.
    Change Sound Scheme to No Sounds

    Try it yourself to see how it works. In my personal opinion, this is an excellent trick. Whenever I start my PC in front of anybody and the PC welcomes me, the fellow is left wondering how brilliant a computer do I have...

    How to Hack Windows 7 Administrator or User Password ?


    Yes, there kinds of Windows 7 password hacker ways with which you can get pass windows 7 login screen even when you forgot windows 7 login password.


    Hack Windows 7 Password without Software


    There are 2 types of account on Win 7 by default. There is local account or Windows live or hotmail account. The former stores the login on PC, while the latter connects to the online hotmail or live email id. Here I would like to show you Windows 7 password reset with default Windows 7 administrator account.

    Tip 1: Hack Windows 7 Login Password with Default Windows 7 Administrator Account


    First you need to boot Win 7 in safe mode as it is disabled in normal mode. When you are in safe mode, this default Windows admin account enabled to login Win 7 with a blank password. The you can remove the forgotten user account under users in control panel. Below is step by step guide for you:

    1. Press on the F8 key while you start Windows 7 until your PC displays the boot menu.
    2. Select Safe Mode option and press the Enter key
    3. Then a login box appears, click on Administrator in the username box and leave the password field as blank, click on OK to login.
    4. Now you can open Control Panel, then in User Accounts you can reset any user password easily.

    Tip 2: Hack Password Windows 7 with Password Reset disk


    It seems quite simple to hack Windows 7 password if you have Win 7 password reset disk. Assure that you have created it in advance. Otherwise, you change to hack Windows 7 password is over. Now you lost Windows 7 password, it is time for you to find it and use it. It is easy to reset Windows 7 password with it, what you need to do is follow the step by step wizard to create a new login password to the current user.

    If the above Windows 7 password hacker methods don’t work at all for you, don’t worry. These windows 7 password hacker methods in the above list are helpful, but might be unsuitable for your case. In this condition, you can have a try Windows password reset tool designed for Win 7.

    Hack Forgotten Windows 7 Password with Software


    One of the popular Windows 7 password hacker tool which is confirmed to replace your forgotten windows 7 password with blank so that you can login without entering any password, it is Windows Password Key.

    Windows Password Key resets any Windows password, such as Windows 8/7/Vista/XP/2012/2011/2008/2003/2000. It can hack domain passwords as well. No matter how complicated your Windows 7 password, Windows Password Key can reset it within 4 minutes. It’s easy to use, whether for beginners or advanced users. And it comes with ready-only and non-destructive designs to make sure it has no data loss on your computer. You can go to its official website to for more information: www.lostwindowspassword.com ....


    Monday, March 17, 2014

    Top 10 Free Software To Install On Your New Windows PC :

    A new Windows computer needs good software if the user wants to make the most out of his machine. Windows 7 does come bundled with useful tools, but that isn’t enough. The millions of consumer software vendors around the world would have gone out of business if that were the case.
    This post will talk about top 10 free software that one must install on his new Windows computer. I’ve tried to limit the article to only those tools which, in my opinion, should be the first 10 tools one should install and use on a new PC. If you have other opinions and suggestions for tools, which I am sure a lot of you would, I urge you to share them in the comments so that all our readers can take a look at them.
    So, lets begin with the list.

    1. EASEUS Partition Master


    EASEUS partition manager is a nifty tool to create and manage disk partitions on Windows systems. Even if you created partitions during the setup process, and know how to use the disk management console to create partitions, I’d recommend you download and keep this tool. That’s because it offers some amazing features like resize, merge or split partitions, convert FAT to NTFS, convert primary partition to logical and vice versa, and much more.
    The personal edition of the tool is free. It has professional and business editions too..

    2. PC Decrapifier


    Most of the branded laptops and desktops come bloated with proprietary (and useless) software which you should get rid of if you want your computer to function properly in the long run. Hence the old and trusted PC Decrapifier becomes a must-install software for new Windows computer owners to weed out junk software and make space for better stuff. Here’s our guide on cleaning up a new PC with PC Decrapifier.

    3. Macrium Reflect or Windows Backup and Restore


    We have previously talked about the importance of creating a system image and how to create it using the built-in Windows backup and restore center (you should also create a system repair disc). Now, this might not be available in all editions of Windows so I’d suggest a worthy, and more powerful alternative called Macrium Reflect. Use it to create an initial system image, and for other such tasks as you start using the computer.

    4. Ninite


    Ninite will cover the “how to install” part when installing new stuff on your PC. This all-in-one installer lets you pick software and install them at one go. And the choices of course are very diverse. Check out our previous guide on batch installing programs with Ninite.

    5. Revo Uninstaller


    Revo Uninstaller remains my tool of choice to clean uninstall applications and programs from my Windows PC. It’s far better than the default Add/Remove programs tool. A must-have software for sure. Check out our guide on using Revo Uninstaller to uninstall programs.

    6. CCleaner 


    You didn’t think I’d give a miss to CCleaner in this list, did you? I am yet to find a better tool to perform a routine PC maintenance and get rid of temporary files and data. The tool is as amazing as it ever was. In fact, better, as it continues to be regularly updated. And as you’d have guessed, we wrote a guide on using CCleaner too.

    7. Microsoft Security Essentials


     Microsoft Security Essentials might go down in history as one of the best free software released by this tech giant. This tool has given a number of antivirus vendors, especially those who provide full-fledged free versions, a run for their money. It can protect your PC from viruses, spyware and malware.

    8. Dropbox or Syncback SE


    The thing about data backup is that people tend to procrastinate on it, which ultimately ends up in a crisis situation when they have lost important data, and had no backup whatsoever. Hence an online backup tool like Dropbox, and an offline sync and backup tool like Syncback SE is included in this list of immediate installations for a new PC. Get either, or both of them. I use both – Dropbox for online backup and Syncback to keep my data synchronized with an external hard drive.

    9. Recuva


    Recuva is an excellent (and free) software to recover deleted files. But why do we need it now? That’s because there’s a lot of deleting and uninstalling happening with CCleaner, Revo Uninstaller, PC Decrapifier and all. If you suddenly delete something that you shouldn’t, and then want to recover it, you would have this tool to fall back on. Our tutorial on using Recuva will provide more information on using this tool.

    10. VLC and Chrome / Firefox

    Lastly, but by no means the leastly (or least, whatever), we have our usual suspects – VLC media player and Chrome and / or Firefox, which I am clubbing together in the same point. Oh, and you don’t need to install these separately because Ninite will take care of that. Just make sure that you tick their names in Ninite before you start off with the installation. And while you are at it, check out our posts on Chrome and Firefox.