Fix Prompt when Clicking on Partition

Dad told me that there's a problem in my desktop, so finally, I got to switch on that desktop and tried to fix it. Dang, when I double-clicked on a partition, a prompt window appeared, asking me to choose from a list of programme to open from. This thing is damn annoying. Normally, people will just treat it as a virus/trojan case, and Right Click > Explore to get into the partition, until the PC is reformatted. But, this thing can be fixed!


Did some research, and found a few ways. The easiest way is as follows:

Metohd 1

1. Go to Start > Run.


2. Type regedit to go into the registry and edit them.


3. The Registry Editor window will appear. Press Ctrl+F to bring out the search box.

4. In the search box, type mountpoints2. We are looking for MountPoints2 folder in the registry.


5. Delete the folder when you found it. Search through the whole registry and double-search. Restart you PC afterwards.


6. This will do for some cases. If the problem still persists, try the next method.

Method 2

1. Click Start > Run.
2. In the box, type cmd to get into command prompt.


3. In the command prompt, the path is set to Documents and Settings\Admin. Type cd\ to go to the partition your windows is installed in, in my case C drive.


4. Then type attribute -r -h -s autorun.inf. This is to search for autorun.inf that the virus/trojan had concealed even if you had 'Show hidden files' option checked in the 'Folder and search options'.


5. Next, type del autorun.inf to delete autorun.inf.


6. If you have more than one partition, change to that partition by typing the alphabet of that drive, in my case e:. Repeat steps 4. and 5., then restart your PC.


There are still some other methods, including using Fix Drive. You can read them here.

Ooops, look at the time! Gotta sleep now, nitez~~




Sincerely,
Blue-Wingz

Little Windows Prank

I'm back, from a long semester!! Was sooo excited when I got back that I asked my mom to bring me and have kolok mee stragiht after I enter the car. Boy, how satisfying it was, but too bad I forgot to take picture, if not I can show them to a bunch of people (if I name them, they will kill me, definitely).

The finals this semester was quite okay, but I'm afraid I can't score in Chemistry 2 and General Psychology, especially GP, where my coursework is so damn low that I wanna cry. I just hope I can pass them both, and get at least B+ for the other 3 subjects.

Accidentally came across a nice prank when I'm fixing my desktop few hours ago. This prank is simple, and all you need is just a few simple steps (applicable only to Windows Vista and Windows 7):

1. First, just look for PrintScreen key on your keyboard and press it.


2. Paste the captured picture in any programme you want. For me, I use Paint. Photoshop is just too much for this simple task. Save it in any format you want, but not Photoshop image.

3. Right click on your desktop. Then go to View > Show desktop icons. Uncheck the Show desktop icons.


4. Your desktop should look empty like this (depending on your wallpaper, of course!):


5. Open your folder, where the captured picture was saved just now. Right click on the picture, then choose Set as desktop background.


6. You're done! You can now scare your friends off! The first thing that crosses their mind will most probably be: OMG! Virus!

You can still do this prank for Windows XP (lazy to get printscreens from my desktop, so use your imagination):
1. First, like the one above, press PrintScreen on your keyboard.
2. Save the captured picture in Paint.
3. Create a backup folder in My Documents, or anywhere that you know that can't be found easily (don't be that stupid and put it on the Desktop).
4. Drag all the icons on the Desktop and drop them in the folder you just made.
5. Delete all icons on the desktop.
6. Look for your captured image, then make it as the desktop background.
7. Voila!! You're done!!

P/s: For Windows Vista and Windows 7, please uncheck the Show desktop gadgets. For Windows XP, place your Recycle Bin at the same position as the printscreened image (too bad Recycle Bin is accessible).

Well, that's for now. Gonna sleep soon.



By,
Blue-Wingz

Disabling UAC

Feeling frustrated when you are using your Windows, especially Windows Vista? Just copying your stuff from a pendrive to your hard disk, you'll have click 'continue' every time when the message jumps out. But hey! Do you know that you can switch off that notice, and then that prompt will be gone forever? I sometimes pity those who doesn't know this and have to give in and click are few more times, getting frustrated and irritated.

There are few ways to siwtch this off. For example editing your Regedit but let's not go that way as your PC will be GG-ed if you accidentally deleted something else. The easiest way is to go to your Control Panel. In the search box situated at the top right corner of your window, type UAC, as indicated by the red square in the picture below. Unfortunately, it will be a bit different for Vista users, so I will include it later.


Next, click on Change User Account Control settings(underlined in red colour in the picture above). A window will pop out. Depending on your personal liking, you can toggle the bar up or down. In this case, you want to switch off the prompt message, so drop the bar to the last or second last level, and you're done!


There is a little difference between Windows Vista and Windows 7. Vista users have to click on User Accounts and Family Safety(indicated in red circle in the picture below) before typing UAC in the search box.


Click on it, then uncheck Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer. Restart your computer when you are prompted to do so, then you are done! But there will be a small warning message popping out every time. You can just ignore it by changing your setting in your control panel.

*************************************************************************************

Today is Thursday, and yes! I had Chemistry today! Here are some moral values I 'learnt':
1. Go amazon.com to order Roxxxy. It costs only USD7k.
2. MU is gay(because of 'man united'). Man City is also gay(city with man only).
3. Arsenal is the best(大炮车).
4. A girl can only get 6 boyfriends at most. One boyfriend for each day. Sunday is a holiday.
5. Girls should look for Lewis base boyfriends.
6. You reach Nirvana when you watch porn.

Yeah, that's all for today. Nitez~~



By,
Blue-Wingz

Windows 7

Windows 7 has been launched here for a few months now, since October 2009. The launching of Windows 7 ends the regime of Windows Vista, which lasted only 3 years, way shorter than Windows XP which served for 8 years. Some doubted the quality and performance of Windows 7 as they fear it will just be the repitition of Windows Vista.

Luckily, Windows 7 turned out to be better than Windows Vista. There are few versions of Windows 7 released, Starter, Home Basic(not released within this region), Home Premium, Professional(business Windows) and Ultimate. You can say that Windows 7 is the 'Vista version' of Windows XP, as it is simpler and more user friendly compared to Windows Vista, thus Your PC, simplified. It uses less in RAM, normally 40% when you have 6 windows open. The processor normally remains less than 5% if you are just idling and doesn't fly to more than 60% when you switch on a programme like Photoshop.


Windows 7 removed some features in Windows Vista and added some features not found in Windows Vista. You can have a look over here and here! A mascot for Windows 7, Nanami Madobe, is created prior to the launching of Windows 7 in Japan, voiced by 水樹奈々! Why 水樹奈々? Simply because 奈々 sounds like 7(七) in Japanese. Why 'Madobe' then? In Japanese, windows is translated into 'mado'. Thus, Nanami Madobe literally means Windows 7, with the additional 'mi' to sound girly and 'be' to sound like a first name.


Here are some features of Windows 7:
Point your mouse cursor at the small rectangular box at the end of the taskbar, you will get to the desktop. Windows key + D does the same.


If you don't want to go to click on desktop but you wanted to look at what is on your desktop, just hold Windows key and spacebar.


Hold ALT + TAB key will allow you to switch between windows. With AeroPeek, a nicer windows switching can be done with Windows key + TAB(also in Windows Vista). And of course, you will need to enable AeroPeek in order to do this.


Some other combinations also can be done(some are included in Windows Vista) -
Windows key + U brings out Ease of Centre.


Windows key + P brings out external display options.


Windows key + F turns on Search window.


Windows key + X brings out Windows Mobility Centre(may differ between units).
Windows key + R turns on Run window.


Windows key + G selects gadgets on your desktop.

Windows key + L logs off user.

Windows key + E brings out Computer.

Winodws key + + zooms in where your courser is while Whidows key + - zooms out.


Windows key + upward arrow maximizes a window while Windows key + downward arrow minimises a window.

Windows key + left arrow snaps the window to the left while Windows key + right snaps the window to the right.

AeroPeek is automatically enabled when you have a GPU. Aeropeek is normally disabled if you are having an onboard graphic VGA(lower Intel Graphic Accelerator XXX)[red rectangular box]. Some may find the grouping in in the taskbar annoying. Changes can be made by selecting the option where the red circle indicates.


Well, I'll say Windows 7 FTW!! If you want to use Windows in a 64-bit platform, be sure that your processor can support 64-bit operations. 64-bit can fully utilize your RAM of more than 4GB, not like 32-bit platform, which can only supports up to 4GB of RAM, but only 3GB usable. Wanted to change to Windows 7? No problem, if and only if you bought your lappy or desktops in the period of July till December with Windows Vista preinstalled, write to your manufacturer and they will issue a copy of Windows 7 to you(Home Premium and above only). Be sure to do a clean install if you are upgrading from Windows XP or lower. You can just upgrade directly if you are using Windows Vista. Get more info in Microsoft's official page.

I'm stopping here, have to finish my reports...




Regards,
Blue-Wingz

iPhone 3GS

At last, iPhone3GS has reached our country. Everyone knows this place always launches stuff later than other places, but it is launched here earlier than I expected, by the company that launched iPhone3G package locally, Maxis. Don't worry, iPhone3G is still available. The letter 'S' in for the iPhone3GS basically represents 'speed'. The word 'speed' is used as everything you do on an iPhone3GS is practically 2 times faster than a iPhone3G. It is also more responsive and improved 3D graphics.


iPhone3GS is a lil bit heavier than iPhone3G, though you can say it is insignificant as the difference is only 2 grams. It now offers a bigger capacity of 16GB and 32GB and you can have one more colour to choose from other than the original black colour, white. For user's sake, Apple upgraded the camera to 3MP with autofocus, which is a bit shameful for iPhone3G as it doesn't have one for such a 3-in-1 phone.

Apple added an additional digital compass and voice control into the iPhone3GS too, and prolonged the battery life of the phone. With iPhone3GS, you can now talk +2 hours more than the old iPhone3G in 2G, +3 more hours when using Wi-Fi, +3 hours for video playback and +6 hours for audio playback. Of course these are just approximate and varies from every user.

The other features and specifications for iPhone3GS are basically the same as iPhone3G.You can go and check the iPhone3GS out in Apple's official website. For information about packages offered by Maxis regarding iPhone3GS can be found in the official Maxis webpage.

Windows MicroXP v0.82

Ever heard of MicroXP?? No?? MicroXP is a special edition of Windows XP. The latest version, Windows MicroXP v0.82 is released last year, and you know what? The total size of the WINDOWS folder is only about 199MB!! Yes, 199MB, plus the CD size of 99.9MB, it is one of the smallest Windows XP installation. Despite the small size, it can truly run 99% of the programmes and games that are working on normal XP. Until now, there is still no reports on any programmes or games not working in this Windows version.

This install includes stuffs that are found in normal XP, for instance default XP drivers for Ethernet/Sound/SCSI/RAID. It has all keyboard layout choices kept and Service Pack 3 final slipstreamed into it. LAN Networking is now possible by using the 'Map Network Drive' and just put the computer name of the computer you want to network with. Digital Cameras and Scanners can also now be used. The ISO file size is also the same as the previos versions, which is 99.9MB. There is one thing that disappoint me, that is that all languages are kept, except Chinese and Japanese (which I often use) and also Korean.

Installation time of corse differs from computer to computer, but it won't take long - about 5 minutes is enough to get this Windows installed and ready to use. The following info is taken from this page:
RAM Usage On First Installation............ 27.7 MB
Handles.................................... 1355
Threads.................................... 110
Processes.................................. 11
WINDOWS Folder............................. 182 MB
Items In System32.......................... 670
ISO File Size.............................. 83.3 MB

This is what I got from Mininova:
RAM Usage On First Installation ........... 39 MB
Handles ................................... 2229
Threads ................................... 157
Processes ................................. 15
Entire Install Size ....................... 205MB
Documents and settings folder size ........ 3.19 MB
Program Files folder size ................. 2.79 MB
WINDOWS folder size ....................... 199 MB
Files In System32 ......................... 815
ISO File Size ............................. 99.9 MB

Here are some services that are remained in MicroXP and are enabled by default, so they can be used straight away:
Cryptographic Services
DCOM Server Process Launcher
DHCP Client
Event Log
Logical Disk Manager
Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service
Network Connections
Plug and Play
Print Spooler
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
Remote Access Connection Manager
Remote Procedure Call
Server
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telephony
Windows Audio
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
Windows Installer
Wireless Zero Configuration
Workstation

Contents of the folder eXPerience on Desktop:
Desktop Icon Layout (Lets you save your desktop icon layout)
Driver Install Tool (Easily install all your drivers, see ReadMe)
Keyboard Settings (Quick access to Regional and Language options)
Networking Guide (Shows how to get connected to your networked PC's)
Registry Backup (Make a complete backup of the registry in one click)
Services Config (Files to enable and disable functionality)
ShrinkXP Scripts (to remove any items you do not want or need)
Web Browser (Browzar, to download a full browser of YOUR choice)
Windows Media Player 11 (This is just a readme file about WMP11)

But before, you have to know that the install is a greatly reduced installation of Windows XP SP3. Please read the following if you are interested in installing them:

[WHAT YOU CANNOT DO]

- SINGLE USER ONLY -

You cannot add any additional users. Do not try to add more users, otherwise your main account that is used by default (Administrator) will become the new account and after logging in, you will not have any desktop theme (not even Classic) and the whole account will be ruined. You'll probably have to install Windows again because if you make a new account it replaces Administrator and tries to log you in with Default User - the problem with this is - there is no Default User anymore.

- NO NATIVE SUPPORT FOR FTP SITES -

There is no built in support for downloading from FTP sites, try using Filezilla or WS_FTP if you need to do that. Even just Opera or Firefox can probably do it. This functionality is gone because the Application Layer Gateway service is gone, along
with ALG.EXE that normally runs in Task Manager, taking up about 6Mb RAM for what amounts to no reason.

- NO VISITING WINDOWS UPDATE -

You cannot visit Windows Update with this version of Windows because Internet Explorer is removed. You can manually download updates from Microsoft and you can also use the alternative Windiz Update website through Opera or Firefox. Because so
much has been removed from this edition of Windows, you are not likely to be any more safe installing updates for Windows.
NOTE: Because this edition of Windows uses a patched winlogon.exe in order to remove the oembios.bin file, you really should not update Windows anyway, in case
winlogon.exe gets replaced by an update. There are more details about this in the eXPerience folder on the desktop once MicroXP is installed.

- NO FAST USER SWITCHING -

Apart from you only being able to have the one account anyway (Administrator) the ability to do Fast User Switching is also removed.

- NO PASSWORD STORAGE/AUTOCOMPLETE -

Windows will not save stored passwords, however, this only really applied to Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, which are removed. You will be fine using Firefox or Opera web browsers and Thunderbird email client for emails. Those are self contained programs and take care of storing your passwords by themselves.

- NO CD-ROM AUTOPLAY -

When you insert a CD that would bring up a screen to install the program contained on the CD, this does not happen in this version of Windows, you will have to explore the CD manually and run whatever file it is that runs the program's setup, usually
setup.exe on the root of the CD. If the CD has a file called AUTORUN.INF then open that file and look at which .exe file is listed in AUTORUN.INF

- NO SMART CARD DETECTION -

- NO SCHEDULED TASKS -

You cannot set programs, like AntiVirus or Hard Disk Defrag programs to run in the future IF they need the Scheduled Tasks service in Windows. If you are going to run those types of programs you will have to manually scan or defrag whenever it is convenient. Despite this, one program that will schedule its operations is Perfectdisk defrag, you do not need Task Scheduler for this program to run a scheduled defrag.

- NO REMOTE DESKTOP -

There is no Remote Desktop in this version of Windows because the Terminal Services service is removed.

- NO THEMES -

You cannot have the Luna (Blue/Olive/Silver) desktop theme in this version of Windows, the only theme you can choose is Windows Classic which it is already set to by default. You can however install Windowblinds if you want to and it will work fine, Windowblinds does not rely on the Themes service. You could even make MicroXP look like Vista with the Ironjer AeroGlass The Remix V4. Use v4 not v5 of that if you use it.

- NO UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY SERVICE -

I always thought UPS Service delivered parcels but apparently not, if you have this type of device then it will not work on this version of Windows. A UPS is only used for emergencies like if you have a power cut - thats if you even have such a device.

[WHAT YOU CAN DO]

- PROGRAMS -

You can still install and run just about all the programs and games that you can run on a normal installation of XP. There is a text file in the eXPerience folder on the desktop that has a list of programs that work and includes some that don't work (not many). Even Office 2007 installs on this version of Windows.

- GAMES -

Up to now, there has not been one single report of any game not working on MicroXP. Gaming is what this edition of Windows is all about, it gives better benchmarks than any other version of Windows I have ever tested.

- LAN NETWORKING -

At last - MicroXP now has the ability to browse your local network. All you need to know is the computer name of the computer you want to connect to and thats about it, just right click My Computer and choose Map Network Drive. All computers can see each other even if every computer in the network is running this MicroXP.

- CAMERAS AND SCANNERS

Now in MicroXP it is possible to use a digital camera (USB only, no Firewire) or a scanner. Tested and working with a Fuji FinePix 6MP camera. The Photo Printing Wizard is not included, neither is the wizard to download photos from the internet, but the rest of the functionality for cameras and scanners is as complete as in full Windows. My favourite saying: whats missing, you're not gonna miss! Print photos with Photoshop or maybe even Irfanview. Ctrl+P to print works in every single program that supports it, so its not like we ever needed the photo printing wizard, which only ever made all images I fed through it A4, even small images, so it actually did not even work, unless I skipped a button but there really are no buttons to skip in that wizard, its useless.

- DIAL-UP CONNECTION -

You can still use a Dial-Up connection (Broadband or old 56k modem). This is the one major flaw in other stripped out operating systems, a lot of UK users still use a modem with broadband... in this edition, RAS Dial-Up/PPPoE/DSL/ADSL connectivity is OK as well as old 56k modems. Yes, try this install on a Pentium II or even an old 486 might run it! They had 75Mhz processors and 8Mb RAM with 4Mb graphics cards.

- WEB BROWSER -

This installation already includes a basic web browser called Browzar that uses a few core files left from Internet Explorer. No, Internet Explorer is not included, but select files included in this installation that come from Internet Explorer are vital to running Windows. Its also Internet Explorer related files that allow you to open CHM files, which you can do in this edition of Windows. This Browzar web browser is only here so you can at least get online and download Firefox, Opera, Netscape or whatever browser you want. This not only saves space on this CD, but you get to choose what web browser you want to use and you get the latest version not an old and possibly insecure version. Flash v9.0.124.0 for Firefox and Opera is included, so Google Video and YouTube work straight away in whichever browser you install.

- PASSES WGA CHECKS -

If you go to download for example, Windows Media Player 11 from Microsoft's downloads section, you will need to validate windows by running the GenuineCheck.exe file that Microsoft asks you to download as part of the Windows Genuine Advantage checks. Its fine to do this, don't be scared of your key being blacklisted.

- WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER 11 -

You can install Windows Media Player 11 in this edition of Windows.
NOTE: Because the file WMPLOC.DLL is not in system32, Windows Media Player 11 will say that it could not complete setup or words to that effect. IGNORE THIS ERROR! Windows Media Player 11 is fully working after you install it and get that error, Windows Media Video type formats stream in Opera and Firefox still - so you can ignore that installation error. Just make sure if you install Windows Media Player 11 to have the Cryptographic Services service enabled. Windows Media Player 11 needs that service started to install. After installing Windows Media Player 11 you can then disable Cryptographic Services if you wish, like a lot of stuff in Windows, it doesn't really do anything important.

- WMV STREAMS -

Once you have installed Opera, Firefox, Netscape or the browser of your choice, as long as you install Windows Media Player 11, you can stream Windows Media Videos from websites like the BBC's News website, or anywhere that has WMV streams. This is possible because there are three DLL files added to the Windows Media Player folder in Program Files. Don't worry, theres no Windows Media Player there, it only contains the vital DLL files for streaming compatibility in Firefox and Opera if you install Windows Media Player 11. Note that you do need to install Windows Media Player 11 to view .WMV movies in web pages.

- FLASH -

If you install Opera or Firefox web browser(s) in this special MicroXP edition of Windows, you can go visit YouTube or Google Video without even having to install Flash Player. You can just watch the videos right away.

Anyway, if you are interested, you can google it. For me, I got it from Mininova and it is fully seeded (for now xD). Good luck everyone, need to go to the library now lol.


By,
Blue-Wingz

Easy RealMedia Producer v1.94

I've been using Easy RealMedia Producer for a few years. It is a handy programme that can be used to generate RM/RMVB files from other file types (preferabble AVI). It can also generate MKV files. ERMP has a very easy-to-use interface, so it is perfect for me to encode. The files encoded will have almost the same quality as the original file, depends on what settings you choose. Since someone don't know how to use, so I have to put up these stuffs. Hope it helps.

First Google ERMP v1.94. It can be found easily. If you are that idiotic and you can't find it, try this link.

After finishing the installation, launch ERMP v1.94. Click on the settings button, and it should be like this:


Select RealVideo 10 for the Video code. For a better quality of audio sound, I chose 128 Kbps Stereo Music - RealAudio 10. Check the Loss Protection check-box.


Check Use VBR. I left the Max Bitrate as 900Kbps, but you can make it 1000Kbps if you want to. Leave the AvgBitrate as 450Kbps. You can do some calculations for the size of your encoded file by clicking the Calculator button.


At the Clip info tab, check Same As FileName if you want the file name to be the same or just type in your desired file name for the file you want to encode. You can write your name in the Author tab or just leave it blank. For example, I typed my name in the Author tab and filled the CopyRight and Keywords.


For the Output tab, check Same as Input Path or Specify a File Name if you want the end product to be in another file. Lastly, click SaveAsDef, then you don't have to reconfigure the next time you use ERMP.


Then, drop any file you want to encode into the blank space. Click the Start button for it to start encoding. If you want your computer to shut down after encoding, just check the Shutdown PC check-box. The encoding will take about half an hour for a normal episode of anime, so take your time and enjoy!!

**By the way, I only have K-Lite Mega Codec pack installed in my computer. You can use CCCP Codec Pack instead of K-Lite, but you will need to install Real Player or Real Alternative (Real Alternative is included in K-Lite). I don't like Real Player though, it sucks big time (Not the .rmvb files, only the player xD).

*Friendly reminder: Easy RealMedia Producer v1.94 does not work on Windows 7. Try Format Factory.*


By,
Blue-Wingz

Internet Explorer 8 BETA 2

I just found out that Micrsoft had already realeased Internet Explorer 8 BETA 2 in August, so I went to download it yesterday. I know it is a BETA version, but at least it is the second BETA, where most of the common bugs are fixed compared to the first BETA version. Well, after installing and rebooting, I quickly try my hands on the new IE.

The design is more or less the same as IE7, but it has an extra row of commands. There are also few more added functions, such as translating a sentence with Windows Live. Another function, the Compatibility View function, located at the left side of the Refresh button, enable us to view websites designed for older generation of web browsers.


Another thing that I like the most is the InPrivate function. Just press Control + Shift + P, and a new page will be launched with the InPrivate icon beside the Smart Address Bar (that is what they call it for IE8), or you can click Safety > InPrivate Browsing at the top right corner of the browser. What does this InPrivate thing do? This function enable you to view pages without saving cookies, temporary Internet files, history and other datas. This helps prevent the websites you previously visit to automatically share info with other sites, so that web surfing is safer.


The only thing that I'm not satisfied is that it creates another task in task manager, slowing down your computer. Suppose you launch an IE and open a tab (Control + T), the process in task manager should only show one iexplorer.exe (as in IE7), but for IE8, it shows 2 iexplorer.exe, eating up more than 100M of memory if there are two tabs (shown in image below). Maybe this is what Microsoft forgot when they are developing IE8. I hope that this problem will be fixed when the real IE8 is released.


If you feel like it, you can try download it and try it out yourself. As for me, I'm quite satisfied with it. I don't think it will validate your Windows since it did not validate mine xD. For more info, get it from:
Download Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 without WGA Validation

**P/s: It seems like I found an error. When I copy an address and paste it in the Smart Address Bar, IE8 crashes. I don't know about it, but is anyone encountering the same problem?

Sincerely,
Blue-Wingz