How to delete files that are used by other programs in windows XP/Vista? Vista Tips and Tricks

This tip will help you to delete the files and folders that are being used by another programs and applications, for example a virus affected file. You have tried to delete such kind of files or folders and received the any following messages.

• Cannot delete file: the file is in use by the other program
• Cannot delete file: There has been a sharing violation
• Cannot delete file: The file is in use by another program or user
• Cannot delete file: Disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
• Cannot delete file: The source or destination file may be in use

Normally, a windows restart will allow you to delete such files or folders that are being used by other program, but if you want to manage it without restart your computer then simply you need to download a freeware tool called Unlocker.

You can download this tool for any windows version using Unlocker link. Download it and run the easy setup.

After installation, right click on file or folder that you want to delete and select the option Unlocker.

If your requested file or folder is used or locked by other application then a small window listing of lockers will appear.

Here simply click on “Unlock All” button and now you can easily delete this file.

10 tips for securing your PC

10 tips for securing your PC

1. Update / patch ALL your software every now and then!

2. Check / adjust ALL your settings so they are safe, since they ARENT by default!

3. Use firewall, like ZoneAlarm!

4. Use good passwords: at least 13marks long, containing both letters and numbers. Remember to chance your password every few months atleast!

5. Get good anti-virus & Spyware softwares and keep it updated!

6. Don’t open or execute files that you are not 100% sure are absolutely safe no matter where or how you get them.

7. Wipe your historyfiles (like cookies, internet history and temporary files, etc.), logs and personal files, with specific wiping program (like Eraser) instead of just deleting them.

8. Use encryption to enhance your privacy! Use encrypted email (like Hushmail or Ziplip) and encrypt sensitive files on your computer (PGP).

9. Don’t use public computers for anything you need to type in your logins, they usually have Trojan horses that capture your passwords.

10. Don’t assume anything. If you don’t know, find out! If you cant or don’t understand, ask someone who knows! There’s nothing more dangerous than doing something you don’t really know anything about. That’s the best way to cripple your system or get a Trojan horse on your computer!

How To Customise Your Start Button

First you need a tool called “Resource Hacker“. This free program allows you to change resources in any .exe file such as “Explorer.exe“, which includes the [Start] button’s Label. You can visit Download.com and search there for “Resource Hacker“. After you download it, follow the guide here:

Step 1:

A – Run “Resource Hacker” and open the file “%windir%\Explorer.exe“.

B – You see a Tree of all Resources in this file, expand the “String Table“

C – Find the “start” and replace it with your own text. then press the [Compile Script] button.

D – Save “Explorer.exe” as “MyStart.exe” DONT save it as Explorer.exe, do “save as..” and give it a new name.

E – Quit “Resource Hacker“.

Use Notepad As a Diary

Want to write your diary on your computer? You can do it without using any software.

1. Open Notepad

2. Type “.LOG”

3. Save it

4. Now every time you open this file notepad will automatically insert date and time to the last line of the file. You can type anything after that line and save it. In this way you can use it as a diary.

Password Protect Your Excel Files

Password to open the document:

If it is applied then you have to give the correct password to open the workbook. Otherwise you cannot open the workbook.
Password to modify the document:
If it is applied then you have to give the correct password to modify the workbook. Otherwise your workbook is opened but you cannot modify the workbook. It means that your workbook becomes read-only.

To apply a password to MS Excel document, follow the given steps:

1. Open the file
2. Click on Tools menu and select “Options” from the menu.
3. Select the “Security” tab.
4. Enter “Password to Open”
5. Enter “Password to Modify”
6. Click On OK
7. Verify the passwords by re-entering both of them.
8. Save the document and close it
9. Re-open the document and check the passwords.

[HOW TO]Turn Monitor off using keyboard

If you are using a Desktop computer then it’s easy to turn On or Off your monitor screen. But still if you are lazy enough to stretch your hand to the monitor screen we have one cool small application to make your life easier.

PushMoitorOff is a tiny app which allows you to control your monitor screen from your keyboard. This tool comes handy for laptop users too. As most of the laptops don’t have the different On/Off button for the screen. So those who believe in saving energy can use this tool when needed.

The app is very easy to use. Whenever you feel like turning on/off your monitor you just have to press Shift+f1. You can change this shortcut key also using the options provided in the software.

Download PushMonitorOff (211 KB)

This has been linked to other web site for your easy access.

 

Different ways to shutdown ur pc

There are so many different ways to turn off your Windows XP computer, let’s look at some of them:

1. The standard approach – click the Start Button with your mouse, then select the Turn Off menu and finally click the Turn Off icon on the Turn Off computer dialog. blink.gif

2. Press Ctrl+Esc key or the Win key and press u two times – the fastest approach.

3. Get the Shutdown utility from Download.com – it add the shut down shortcuts for you. Else create them yourself using approach 4.

4. Create a shutdown shortcut on your desktop. Right click on the desktop, choose New Shortcut and type shutdown -s -t 00 in the area where you are asked to specify the location of the program file. Now you can just double click this icon to turn off the computer. The best location would be your quick launch bar.

5. Press the Win key + R key to open the run window. Type shutdown -s -t 00. [s means shutdown while t means the duration after which you want to initiate the shutdown process].
If some open processes or application won’t let you turn off, append a -f switch to force a shut down by closing all active processes.

6. Win+M to minimize all windows and then Alt+F4 to bring the Turn Off computer dialog.

7. Open Windows Task manager (by right clicking the Windows Task bar or Alt+Ctrl+Del) and choose Shut down from the menu. Useful when the Windows are not responding.

8. open task manager—>click on shutdown—>hold the ctrl key and click on Turn off::::::: pc will be turned off in 3 secs.. fastest method other than hard shutdown

11 ways to make your computer faster

Your computer running Windows isn’t running in the same speed that it used to run when you first used it. It’s slower, crappy, takes a while to start and tests your patience like anything. There are many reasons for this, let’s try fixing up a few things on your slow Windows PC:

Slow Start Up.

There can be a variety of reasons to Windows loading slow during start up. Go to Run, type msconfig and hit enter. Under the ‘Start Up’ tab, uncheck the unwanted programs and press OK. Things should be a bit fine the next time Windows boots.
Another program worth mentioning here is StartUp Delayer which will help in setting after how much time programs should be loaded after Windows boots. For instance, you could set your instant messenger program to load 50 seconds after Windows starts up.

Slow Loading Start Menu.

If the Start Menu items are loading slowly, you can open the Registry Editor by typing in the Run menu ‘regedit.exe’ and pressing Enter. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Look for MenuShowDelay, and double click to edit the value. The lower the number specified, the faster the Start Menu will load.

Slow Right Click Context Menu

Probably the Windows Right Click menu on your computer is loading slow because too many programs added unwanted entries there. Just download this program called Mmm, install it and then modify your context menu to remove unwanted items to speed it up.

‘Send To’ Menu Slow Send To Menu

If the Send To menu loads slowly, you can type ’sendto’ in the Run Dialog, and remove unwanted items in the Explorer Window that appears. This should add some speed to it.

Slow Defragmentation

The Windows Defragmenter can’t get any slower. You need to have an alternative to the Windows Defragmenter, and Defraggler is just one of the best ones available in the market. It’s free, and works like a charm and can speed up defragmentation manifold.

Slow loading My Computer Window

my-computer.jpg If the My Computer Window loads slowly, in the Explorer Window, go to Tools >> Folder Options >> View and uncheck ‘Automatically search for network folders and printers”

Slow loading Add or Remove Programs Applet

This is one of the most annoying piece of programs present in Windows, it takes ages to load if you have a considerable number of programs installed on your computer. You can either use the all-in-one CCleaner for this purpose, or get MyUninstaller that comes as a speedy replacement for Add or Remove Programs.

Slow Ending of Unresponsive Programs

If you’ve clicked on ‘End Task’ if any program is running unresponsive, you might have noticed that the program is not terminated immediately. You can alter this by going to Run >> regedit.exe >> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ and change this value to 1000.
Disable Animations and Appearance Overhauls to maximize performance
If you’re a serious performance junkie, you probably won’t bother about eyecandy. Go to System Properties in the Control Panel. Click ‘Advanced’, then ‘Performance’ and click ‘Adjust for best performance’. This might boost your PC’s performance up a bit.

Additional Tips:

- Always keep your computer clean. Remove Junk and Unnecessary registry entries. Use CCleaner for this purpose, one excellent tool that just does what it says.
- Don’t keep installing software. Install a program only if it really serves you a purpose.
- Keep as less programs as possible running on the System Tray. This essentially means reducing the number of programs that start during Windows start up.
Thanks to Makeuseof.com

10 Must-Have apps for your USB PenDrive

Having portable apps in Pen Drive is must for computer geeks.No need to install this softwares in your PC. Just double click on them and they are ready to use.Here is the list of 10 must have portable freewares.

1. Mozilla Firefox Portable Edition

Carry the “safest browser in the world” with you, also have your extensions, bookmarks and addons ready to use any time.
Download firefox portable

2. VLC Media Player Portable

Best media player supports almost all popular media file formats. Now take it with you anywhere you go.
Download VLC player portable

3. Pidgin Portable

All-in-one instant messaging (supports AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo, Gtalk, etc)
Download Pidgin Portable

4. ClamWin Antivirus Portable

If you are a tech-geek you must be already having this on your thumb drive, free professional antivirus to keep your PC safe anytime, anywhere.
Download ClamWin AntiVirus

5. Notepad++ Portable

Must have tool for programmers and developers. It’s main syntax highlighting feature makes it look different from other common text editors.
Download Notepad++ Portable

6.7-Zip Portable

Now uncompress all types of compressed files with this cool free app. This is one of the most popular freeware now made portable.
Download 7-zip Portable

7.CCleaner Portable

Free, easy to use and very useful application. Cleans scrap files from your system in few minutes. Makes you PC run faster.
Download CCleaner portable

8.Utorrent

Download torrent files from anywhere you go.Tiny bittorrent client.
Download Utorrent

9.Restoration

Recover accidentally deleted files – even after they were deleted from the recycle bin.
Download Restoration

10.Foxit Reader

Foxit Reader is a small and fast PDF viewer that is compatible with PDF Standard 1.7. It includes Javascript support, interactive form filler, annotation tools and built-in text converter.
Download Foxit Reader

How to remove programs not listed in “Add/Remove Programs”

This problem can occur if the program you installed creates a registry key name that is longer than 60 characters in length. Add/Remove Programs only lists program names it locates up to the point it encounters this situation.Follow the steps given to solve the problem.

• Go to C:\Windows\Inf folder. In the right pane, scroll down to sysoc.inf. Open it with notepad. It will look like…

[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7

• The word “HIDE” in an entry hides that application from your Add/Remove Programs dialog box. To add ms messenger to the Add/Remove menu, delete the word HIDE from its entry. Don’t delete the “,”(comma) after it.
• Save the file and restart your machine and now you can see that app listed in the add/remove programs list.

ENJOY

Password protect your PenDrive with USB Safeguard

We often have some personal documents/data in USB stick which we don’t want anybody else to read or access. In this case it is necessary to password protect your sensitive data. This can be done by using the portable USB Safeguard. USB Safeguard is a freeware which can help you to keep your personal data password protected.
USB Safeguard is a software to encrypt and protect data with a password on your removable pen drives using the AES 256 bits encryption.

It does not only encrypts your files, it also has ‘Safe Internet Browsing’ option to surf safe on web and removes all Internet traces like URL history, typed URLs, typed passwords in web forms and etc. Built in file shredder – i.e. wiping the contents of the original pre-encrypted file – and more.
Main features :

* Runs with any USB pen drive
* No installation required
* Easy drag & drop file adding * Built in file shredder
* Secure your data if drive is lost


Download USB Safeguard(740 kb)

Wallpapers for PC(All OS ) & Mobile Phones

Here are some Links for Wall papers for u r pc....!(This is for all OS)

www.space.com/php/multimedia/downloads/wallpapers/

http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper/index.php?sort=downloads

http://www.download.com/Wallpaper/3150-2049-0.html

http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/download/wallpaper.html

http://delarge.co.uk/wallpaper/

www.elgorithms.com/downloads/chaoswallpaper.php

www.selu.edu/resources/media/wallpaper/

www.zedge.net

How to make your Desktop Icons Transparent

To make your Desktop Icons Transparent, use the below method.

 

Go to control Panel >

System>

Advanced >

Performance area >

Settings button Visual Effects tab

"Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop"

Now the icons will become transparent.

Download Mobile tones & others

Check this Link for u r Favourite Mobile Tones, Games, Applications, Software's and others stuff for u r mobile phone. You can download directly to u r phone or to u r pc.

http://www.mobango.com

Note: Free registration is required.

increase u r browsing speed

Hi friends,

1. Go to Start-> Run-> and type gpedit.msc

2. Expand the Administrative Templates branch

3. Expand the Network tab

4. Highlight QoS Packet Scheduler

5. Click on Limit Reservable Bandwidth and check the enabled box

6. Then Change the Bandwidth limit % to 0 %

Once you have done this click apply and restart your PC. After rebooting you should see a noticeable improvement in your net speed.

Locking Folder without any Software

Many people have been looking for an alternative way to lock folders without the use of any alternative software. So, here you go.

Open Notepad and copy the below code and save as locker.bat. Please don't forget to change your password in the code it's shown the place where to type your password.
Now double click on locker .bat
First time start, it will create folder with Locker automatically for u. After creation of the Locker folder, place the contents u want to lock inside the Locker Folder and run locker.bat again.

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

******************
cls
@ECHO OFF
title Folder Locker
if EXIST "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Locker goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM
echo Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N)
set/p "cho=>"
if %cho%==Y goto LOCK
if %cho%==y goto LOCK
if %cho%==n goto END
if %cho%==N goto END
echo Invalid choice.
goto CONFIRM
:LOCK
ren Locker "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
attrib +h +s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo Enter password to Unlock folder
set/p "pass=>"
if NOT %pass%== type your password here goto FAIL
attrib -h -s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
ren "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" Locker
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Locker
echo Locker created successfully
goto End
:End

How to "kill" a program which is not responding?

How to "kill" a program which is not responding?

In this post you will come to know How to "kill" a program which is not responding?

When a program is not responding everybody gets angry.
But how to instantly close it without getting errors or even restart the pc?
Here it is:
1.ctrl+alt+del
2.click on the program that is not responding
3.hold ctrl and press "end task"

That is all.The program will close in less than 10 seconds and you will be happy again.

Note: In vista you don't need to hold ctrl

Get Videos from Google Docs into PowerPoint

Now consider another possible case – you spent lot of effect preparing an elaborate presentation inside Google Docs with several YouTube clips but how do you import all this into PowerPoint.
While Google Docs does provide an "Export as PPT" option, the problem with this format is that it converts all embedded YouTube clips into static images which is something you don’t want.

Insert YouTube videos from Google Docs into PowerPoint
There’s however a simple workaround – just publish that Google Docs presentation as an HTML slideshow and then insert it like a web page in PowerPoint using the live web plug-in. Thus you can play YouTube clips inside PowerPoint though they are part of your Google Docs presentation.
Another advantage of this approach is that if you change any of the clip in your original Google Docs presentation, it will be reflected in the PowerPoint presentation as well

Browse the Web Faster on a Slow Internet Connection, Internet Tips and Tricks

If your current Internet speed is very slow and you are living in an area where broadband connections are still not available, here are some ideas to help you download web pages faster on your computer. You may use the same tips to improve your web browsing experience on a sluggish USB modem.

Surf the Web Faster on Slow Internet

1. Turn off web images, the Adobe Flash plug-in, Java Applets and JavaScript from your browser settings as these files are often the bulkiest elements of any web page.

2. Increase the size of your browser cache. If the static parts of a site (like background graphics, CSS, etc) are stored in the local cache, your browser can safely skip downloading these files when you re-visit the site in future thus improving speed.

3. Sometimes the slow DNS server of your ISP can be a bottleneck so switch to OpenDNS as it can resolve website URLs into IP addresses more quickly. If you aren’t too happy about OpenDNS redirecting your Google queries, follow this simple hack.

4. Finch can serve a light-weight version of any website in real-time that is free of all bells and whistles. For instance, the New York Times homepage with all external resources can weigh more than a MB but Finch trims down the size by 90% so the site loads more quickly on a slow web connection.

5. Flinch (mentioned at #4) is good for reading regular websites but if you just need to check the latest articles published on your favorite blogs, use BareSite. This service will automatically detect the associated feed of a website and render content quickly inside a minimalist interface.

6. The Google Transcoder service at google.com/gwt/n can split large web pages into smaller chunks that will download more quickly on your computer (or mobile phone).

7. Monitor your Internet speed to determine hours when you get the maximum download speed from the ISP. Maybe you can then change your surfing schedule a bit and browse more during these "off peak" hours.

8. You can use a text browser like Lynx or Elinks for even faster browsing. It downloads only the HTML version of web pages thus reducing the overall bandwidth required to render websites.

9. When searching for web pages on Google, you can click the "Cache" link to view the text version of a web page stored in the Google Cache. Alternatively, install this GM script as it adds a "cached text only" link near every "Cached" link on Google Search pages.

10. Move your web activities offline as far as possible. You can send & receive emails, write blogs and even read feeds in an offline environment. Also see: Save Web Pages for offline reading.

11. You can interact with websites like Flickr, Google Docs, Slideshare, etc. using simple email messages. Uploading a new document to Google Docs via email would require less bandwidth than doing it in the browser because you are avoiding a trip to the Google Docs website.

12. Applying the same logic, you may also consider using tools like Web In Mail or Email The Web as they help you browse websites via email. Just put the URL of a page (e.g., cnn.com) in the subject field of your email message and these services will send you the actual page in the reply.

13. Bookmarklets are like shortcuts to your favorite web services. You neither have to open the Gmail Inbox for composing a new email message nor do you have to visit Google Translate for translating a paragraph of text. Add relevant bookmarklets to your browser bar and reduce the number of steps required to accomplish a task.

14. Use the netstat command to determine processes, other than web browsers, that may be secretly connecting to Internet in the background. Some of these processes could be consuming precious bandwidth but you can block them using the Firewall.

15. Use URL Snooper to determine non-essential host names that a website is trying to connect while downloading a web page. You may block them in future via the hosts file or use Adblock Plus to filter out advertising banners on web pages.

16. If you don’t want to spoil your web surfing experience by stripping images and other graphic elements from a web page, get Opera Turbo. It will first fetch the requested web page on to its own server and then send it to your machine in a compressed format. Opera Turbo won’t change the layout of a web site but can lower the image resolution so that they load faster on slow Internet.

17. Change the user agent of your desktop browser to that of a mobile phone like Apple’s iPhone or Windows Mobile. This will help you browse certain web sites like Google News, WSJ, etc. much faster because they’ll serve you a light-weight and less cluttered mobile version of their sites thinking you’re on a mobile phone.

How to Connect a PC or Laptop to a TV ?

How to Connect a PC or Laptop to a NON-HDTV

• Connect one end of the 7-pin S-Video cable to the S-Video input on your laptop or desktop PC.
• Insert the other end of the S-Video cable to the S-Video input on your TV.
• Connect the single connector end of the audio cable to the line-out or speaker-out connector on your PC. (In case you have sound card)
• Connect the 2 RCA connectors on the other end of the audio cable into the audio input on your TV (color-coded red and white for left and right audio channels).
• Turn on your TV first.

Video shows How to Connect a PC or Laptop to a TV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Connect a PC or Laptop to a HDTV

• Connect one end of the VGA cable to the VGA input on your laptop or desktop PC.
• Insert the other end of the VGA cable to the VGA input on your TV.
• Connect the single connector end of the audio cable to the line-out or speaker-out connector on your PC.
• Connect the 2 RCA connectors on the other end of the audio cable into the audio input on your TV (color-coded red and white for left and right audio channels).
• Turn on your TV first.

Diagram Showing How to Connect a PC or Laptop to a TV

If you are having an issue where you have only the background of your PC monitor on the TV screen but not the application you are running, check your settings in Control Panel/Display Properties/Settings/Display to see if you need to change the Monitor from 1 to 2.