Share Miner

This is a good treat for the downloaders from Megaupload, Rapidshare, and so on.

Share Miner is a good site which combines almost all upload servers which helps in downloads effectively.

Provide the file name that you need and select the engine from which you need the search result and start the download.

eFax software

Fax (Facimile) is one of the important thing in sending and receiving information.

Even though some of us follow the old method of sending and receiving fax, here is a new web based faxing.

eFax helps in sending and receiving the fax in your computer.

Take a look at the download here.

You can configure the settings and get the fax that is sent to you directly to your inbox and you can also send a fax from your inbox.

This software provides the history of fax messages, which is very very useful for us.

Broadcast of fax, receive our voice mail by email and online fax storage is also available with this piece of software.

Microsoft RSS feeds

Here after there is no need to keep searching for the latest Knowledge Base (KB) that is released by Microsoft.

You can make it come to your desk by subscribing to the RSS feed.

See here to take a look at the list of Microsoft products which provides RSS link that can be subscribed.

Techies can keep themselves updated with the other products too with this provision.

Windows Vista Hardware Assessment

World is ready to use Windows Vista. But there is something some might miss while trying Windows Vista.

It is nothing but the checking our computer for compatibility for Windows Vista.

Microsoft provides a tool which performs three activities like:

* Hardware Inventory.
* Compatibility Analysis.
* Rediness Reporting.

Click here to download the Vista compatibility check utility from Microsoft.

Novell's OpenXML Translator

Novell's OpenXML Translator is available and you can download it.

This supports Microsoft's OpenXML documents (.docx) to open and save using OpenOffice.org

OpenXML helps us create and open the documents in any application like MS Office or OpenOffice.

Windows Live Toolbar

Windows Live Toolbar helps you browse better

• Start a search from any web page
• Get better protection against phishing scams and viruses
• See instant previews of maps and weather from any web page
• Personalize your web experience with custom buttons
• Use Windows Desktop Search to instantly find information on your PC

Download the Windows Live tool bar and feel the search!!!

Search Companion Starts If You Double-Click a Folder

Before you work with Registry, try to backup and start with the steps.

SYMPTOMS
If you double-click a drive or folder, Search Companion may start and the drive or folder may not open. If you configure settings for other actions that are associated with drives or file folders (for example, Open Command Window Here or Print Directory Listing), Windows may perform one of these actions instead of starting Search Companion.

NOTE: If you configure the Single-click to open an item (point to select) setting in Windows, this problem may occur if you single-click a drive or folder.

CAUSE
This problem occurs when you open the Edit File Type dialog box for the Drive or File Folder registered file types. For example, this problem occurs for folders if you complete the following procedure:
1. Open the folder, and then click Folder Options on the Tools menu.
2. Click File Folder in the Register file types list, and then click Advanced.
3. After you perform this procedure, the None setting is removed from the value data for the Default string value in the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
NOTE: This problem occurs even if you do not create a new action, edit existing actions, or change the default action in the Edit File Type dialog box.

RESOLUTION
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To resolve this problem, edit the registry to set the value data for the Default string value in the registry keys that are described in the "Cause" section of this article to none:
1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate and then click the Default value under the following keys in the registry if this problem occurs with folders:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
If this problem occurs with drives:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell
3. Click Modify on the Edit menu.
4. Type none in the Value data box, and then click OK.
5. Quit Registry Editor.

Style XP

Lot of users want their Windows XP to look nice with different style and need to make it more attractive.

Try Style XP to make your Windows XP to look more attractive and make it comfortable with your imagination.

This Style XP helps in changing the BootScreen, Login Screen, Visual Style, Themes, Icons, Screensavers, Cursors, Transparency and Backgrounds.

There are a lot of users who love to make their Windows XP to look as Windows Vista.

Take a look at ThemeXP and download the theme you want and apply it with Style XP and enjoy working.

A lot more Web sites are offering the logons, bootscreens, themes, etc. I'll keep updating this post whenever I come across any new good Web site with these downloads.

Yahoo Messenger Plugin

Here is a good treat for the hunger developers who keep making the small plug-ins.

Check here to download the Yahoo Messenger SDK, documentation, Plug-in gallery, etc.

Yahoo proides the full documentation and already there are a lot of plug-ins available for Yahoo Messenger.

Developers who missed it, take it from now.

Waiting for more plug-ins from our developers.

Vista Yahoo Messenger

The new Windows Vista is in market and people started using it.

As usual, we have some compatibility issue with the third part utilies and they are working hard to bring a Vista compatible version or a build.

Let them work for it and in the mean while, let's take a look at the messenger that is getting ready for Vista.

Yahoo does a real good work with this build and the messenger really looks pretty good. It really makes a user to stay in it.

Hats off to Yahoo messenger's Vista version.

File Extensions

In our day-to-day life, we see a lot of files in our computer and work with it.

Sometimes, if we get a new file and when Windows asks for the program to open the file, only at that time we think about the file's extension.

No need to worry about the peculiar extensions that are coming in this world.

Check here to know what the extension really means and what is the application that we have to use to open it.

This Web site really provides all the information about a file type, its use and provides a detailed description about it.

Know the different extensions and be benifited with the information available.

QVGA in Mobiles

Now-a-days, we can see mobiles with QVGA displays which are more
attractive and soothing to our eyes.

When seeing the word "QVGA" everybody will be eager to know what it is
and to learn about it more.

QVGA stands for "Quarter Video Graphics Array".

Most often the displays are in a "portrait" alignment and are referred
to as 240 × 320 as the displays are taller than they are wide.

The name is derived from the fact that it offers 1/4 of the 640 × 480
maximum resolution of the original IBM VGA display technology, which
became a de facto industry standard in the late 1980s.

QVGA works typically with 15-30 frames per second.

At higher resolutions the "Q" prefix sometimes means "Quad" or four
times the display resolution (e.g. QXGA which is 2048 × 1536).

Promoting Thunderbird

If anybody needs to promote Thunderbird, check here to get the code to display the image and direct link to get Thunderbird.

There are lot of Thunderbird lovers and keep others come into our Thunderbird community.

People must understand that there is an worthy free mail client, which is really effective than Microsoft's Outlook or Outlook Express mail clients.

Download Thunderbird and feel the bird's fly in you while using it.

Mobile Price

Before we buy a mobile, check in the Web site for the model, its features and price.

Here are links to help you with this.

Take a look at the Indian mobile price list.

Compare the features in this mobile list.

Security Settings to Audit Active Directory

5 of the more important security settings that need to be audited to protect your computers at the highest level.

To discover incorrect security settings, some key security settings to be audited for Windows Active Directory enterprise.

5 of the more important security settings that need to be audited to protect your investment at the highest level.

Windows Active Directory Security:

Standard attacks launched on Windows environments which these security settings can help protect against, if configured correctly.

1. Password Policies:

Password policies for an Active Directory domain are initially configured in the Default Domain Policy Group Policy Object (GPO).

Check with your security policies to determine what these values have been set to for your enterprise. If you have not set, here are some recommended values:

Password Policy Setting	Recommended Value Range
Enforce password history	12 to 24 passwords remembered
Maximum password age	30 to 90 days
Minimum password age	1 to 3 days
Minimum password length	7 to 14 characters
Password must meet complexity requirements	Enabled
Store password using reversible encryption	Disabled

2. Account Lockout Policy:

Account lockout policy controls what happens when a user fails to remember their password.

Following table illustrates some best practice values for these settings:

Account Lockout Policy Setting	Recommended value range
Account lockout duration	9999 (this can also be set to a lower number, such as 5, but should never be 0)
Account lockout threshold	3 to 5
Reset account lockout counter after	9999

Settings are stored in the Default Domain Policy GPO, a tool such as DUMPSEC or a domain controllers’ Local Security Policy should be analyzed.

3. Enterprise Admin Group Membership:

Members of the Enterprise Admins are an essential group for an Active directory enterprise. Members of this group can perform global changes to “enterprise” type of functions.

Members of this group also have control over all user accounts, group accounts, and computer accounts in entire domain.

To audit this group, need to check in one domain Active Directory forest. This group should be limited to only a few administrators. I suggest this group has no members on a daily basis.

DUMPSEC does an excellent job of auditing this group. Also, use the Active Directory Users and Computers to view groups and users that have membership in this group.

4. Schema Admins Group Membership:

Admins group can modify the Active Directory schema, which affects all domains in the forest.

This group can have no members on a daily basis. By limiting the members, or eliminating them, changes can be better managed and controlled.

5. Domain Admins Group Membership:

The one group that has global control over all users, groups, and computers in a single domain is the Domain Admins group. This group is very powerful and used on a daily basis. The members of this group should also be limited, but typically not empty.

ClearType Tuner for Windows

Our eyes gets strained by seeing the sharp fonts in our computer.

Windows XP introduced an excellent smoothing effect for these fonts which will make us work for more hours by seeing the smooth edged fonts.

Microsoft also provides download for ClearType Tuner Powe Toy.

You can also download it from Softpedia.

Once the ClearType Tuner is installed, you can see that in Control Panel and run the wizard. Microsoft also provides online ClearType Tuner.

Here are the steps to enable the normal ClearType in Windows XP:

* Right-click on the empty space in Desktop and choose Properties.
* Select the Apperance tab and click on the Effects button.
* Put a check mark in box above the ClearType drop down.
Apply the changes and see the difference.

The normal ClearType that comes with Windows XP does not give that much clarity. So try to download the utility from Microsoft and see the difference.

Recover Outlook mails

The following steps are to Recover deleted as well as shift deleted mails from MS Outlook which are 1 week old.


Condition: Perform the below thru the admin login only.


1) Go to the RUN from startup and Type regedit

2) Expand the HKEY_Local Machine -> Software -> Microsoft -> Exchange ->Client ->Options

3) Click on the Options

4) A list of three items will be opened to the right handside with three fields Name,Type &
Data

5) Simply Right click below the three items

6) 'New' option will be opened

7) Select the "DWORD value" and a new list will be created

8) Rename the file to be "DumpsterAlwaysOn" ( note that D , A & O are in caps)

9) Double click on the new file(DumpsterAlwaysOn)

10) A menu will be opened, now give the value data =1 and select the hexadecimal

11) Now restart the Outlook and click on the place from where u need to recover

12) For ex : click on Inbox or sent items from where u need to actually recover the mail.

13) Now go to "Tools" from outlook and select the "Recover Deleted mails"

14) Shift deleted mails are back for u now!