There is free software called ping, its like norton ghost but its not... it makes an image of your partition, it basically compresses your hard drive into a gzip files with is like 3 times smaller

so if u have 90 gigs of old work and stuff u can make a backup witch is 30 gig and when a major virus kills your system or infects infrastructure files can pop the CD in and restore your computer, every byte will be the way it was when you made the back up, the only thing different is the time on your computer witch is in the bios, and u Can actually backup your bios settings too. i even used ping to replace my hard drive. it was hard and ha bugs but i found a way.

(note: I'm posting this to help people protect their computers, not to promote ping)

Requirements:
--> A second storage device that will keep the image, make sure its large enough.
--> ISO burner
--> blank CD.

if you don't have a ISO burner you heres a download link for the free ISO burner i used: http://freeisoburner.com/FreeISOBurner.exe

you can buy a blank CD in you local computer store.

How to:

--> Download ping(i got the direct link so you don't have to register your email):http://ping.windowsdream.com/ping/Releases/3.00.02/PING-3.00.iso

--> Use ping ISO file with your CD burning software to make a bootable disk.

--> Your done, ping should be ready for use.

To make a image:

--> Insert the disk into your computer

--> Boot from the disk

--> Follow on screen instructions to make an image

when ever you get a serious virus you can restore the computer to its previous state, the only negative thing is, if you did some work since you made the image, it will be lost.

To restore computer:

--> Insert the disk into your computer

--> Boot from the disk

--> Follow on screen instructions to restore your computer.

Note:

you can not save a partition on itself so you must connect a second storage device.

the time to make an image varies on your hardware.

hackers are going to hate me

If you want to save your files to your hard drive, so after a format you dont have to download them all again, here's How:

- Logon to Windows Update

- Choose Windows Update Catalogue (left hand pane)

- Choose Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems (right hand pane)

- Choose your version and language then Search

- Choose one the following:

- Critical Updates and Service Packs
- Service Packs and Recommended Downloads
- Multi-Language Features (0)





- Once chosen simply click on what you want to download and then back at the top click Review Download Basket

- You are taken to the next page where at the top you can specify where the downloads are to be saved.

- Click Download now. Each patch will make a directory under the root of the folder you saved them to.

Once finished you need to go to where you saved the file (s) to and then simply install all your patches.

Ever wanted a quicker way to shutdown XP without navigating through the start menu, or using a third party shutdown utility Here is a script that will do just that.

• Right click the desktop and choose New Shortcut. Copy and paste this script or type it in.

%windir%System32shutdown.exe -s -t 0

• Choose Next and name it whatever you like. I name mine OFF. Click Finished. Right click and choose properties and pick a Icon for it if you'd like.
  

• I use a wall light switch Icon. I drag mine into my QuickLaunch toolbar for one click shutdown.

Enjoy!

Note: The last character in script mentioned above is a "0" (Number Zero) and not a "o" (Alphabet)

This is a registry tweak which actually reduces the startup delay of your WINDOWs from a default 48 Seconds to a limited 4 Seconds.
Thus  reducing the overall startup time to approximately 10 Seconds.

SO here is how the trick goes:

• Click on the start button then press "R" (without quotes) it will take u to Run.
  

•  type "Regedit" (without quotes), and press enter. This will open Registery Editor

• Now look for the key
  

HKEY_LOACAL_MECHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex

• Now there find the Key Called "Startup Delay" (without quotes) on the right hand side column.
  

 

• Double Click On It
  

• Now where it says "Base" Change it to "Decimal"
  

• Now its Default Value Is 4800000
  

• Change The Value To 40000
  

Almost done with the tune-up. !!
 

• Now close the Registery Editor and Restart Your Computer
  

You'll See The Result

Comments Apriciated

• Kindly Note:
  

Its better if you take a backup of your registry before trying some registry tricks.
To know about registry backup and restore CLICK below !!

- Manual steps to BACKUP the registry in Vista & XP.

- Manual steps to RESTORE the registry in Vista & XP.

There may be many shortcuts for getting you more evenly placed with your systems, but this one is just about it for da lazy bones out there...

The fastest and the quickest way to shutdown your system...Check this out...

1. Press the Start button on keyboard (Windows Symbol button --> Between Control and Alt on right hand side)

2. Press the letter 'u' twice from your keyboard.

That's it !!

Your system is fast going to sleep.

(Note: This trick does not speed up the shutting down process, but just a shortcut to shutdown a system)

This tutorial trains you to create your very own system cleaner, free from advertisements and possible threat of adwares & malwares. And its totally free of cost...

So why not give it a try....

Use this 'tutorial' to clean your:

*.tmp
*._mp
*.log
*.gid
*.chk
*.old
*.bak and ?

Temporary Internet Files? ,etc...

Step 1:
Start with making a new txt file. (Notepad)

Step 2:
Paste this code in the txt file:

@echo off
echo =============================================================
echo know U'r System Cleaner
echo ===========================================================
echo waiting
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.tmp
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*._mp
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.log
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.gid
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.chk
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.old
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\recycled\*.*
del /f /s /q %windir%\*.bak
del /f /s /q %windir%\prefetch\*.*
rd /s /q %windir%\temp & md %windir%\temp
del /f /q %userprofile%\cookies\*.*
del /f /q %userprofile%\recent\*.*
del /f /s /q ?%userprofile%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\*.*?
del /f /s /q ?%userprofile%\Local Settings\Temp\*.*?
del /f /s /q ?%userprofile%\recent\*.*?
echo complete!
echo ===========================================================
echo Visit knowursystem,blogspot,com for more Tips, Tricks and Hacks,
echo ===========================================================
echo. & pause

Step 3:
Now save the file as "Cleaner.bat"

Step 4:
Double Click on it to run ur Cleaner.

 
Windows uses 20% of your bandwidth! Get it back

A nice little tweak for XP. Microsoft reserve 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..)

Here's how to get it back:

1.) Click Start-->Run-->type "gpedit.msc" (without the quotes).

This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:

2.) Local Computer Policy-->Computer Configuration-->Administrative Templates-->Network-->QOS Packet Scheduler-->Limit Reservable Bandwidth

3.) Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the 'Explain' tab :

4.) "By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."

5.) So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO. This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.

That's It !!

works on XP Pro, and 2000

other OS not tested.

Windows Vista

1.) Click Start

2.) Type "systempropertiesprotection" (Without Quotes) in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

3.) If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.

4.) In the System Properties dialog box, on the System Protection tab, click System Restore,
In the System Restore dialog box select Choose a different restore point, and then click Next

5.) Select the restore point that you want to use, and then click Next.

6.) Confirm your restore point, and then click Finish System restore restores the selected Windows Vista configuration and then restarts the computer.

7.) Log on to the computer. When the System Restore confirmation page appears, click OK..




Windows XP



1.) Click Start, click Run.

2.) Type "%SystemRoot%\System32\Restore\Rstrui.exe"(Without Quotes), and then click OK.

3.) On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next .

4.) On the Select a Restore Point page, click the system checkpoint. In the On this list select the restore point area, click an entry that is named "Guided Help (Registry Backup)," and then click Next. If a System Restore message appears that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make, click OK.

5.) On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration and then restarts the computer.

6.) Log on to the computer. When the System Restore confirmation page appears, click OK..

Windows Vista

1.) Click Start

2.) type "systempropertiesprotection" (without quotes) in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

3.) If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.

4.) Wait for Windows to search for available disks and most recent restore points. In the System Properties dialog box, on the System Protection tab, click Create,

5.) Type a name for the restore point and then click Create.
After the restore point has been created successfully, click OK two times.

Note: If System Restore is turned off, click to select the local disk, click Apply and then click Create.




Windows XP

1.) Click Start, click Run.

2.) Type "%SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe" (without quotes), and then click OK.

3.) On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Create a restore point, and then click Next .

4.) On the Create a Restore Point page, type a name for the restore point and then click Create

5.) After the restore point has been created, click Close.

Note: If System Restore is turned off, you receive a message that asks whether you want to turn on System Restore now. Click Yes. Then, in the System Properties dialog box, click to clear the Turn off System Restore check box, click OK, and then repeat this step.


Source: Microsoft.com

Hey Friends, if u want to see Star wars movie in ur computer system then, follow the steps:-


1. Ur operating system should be XP.

2.Then connect to the internet.

3.Then finally type " telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl " into the RUN menu.





















Microsoft hid a version of Star Wars done entirely with ASCII in the Windows XP operating system.

Step #1:
Open Notepad and copy the below code.

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

Step #2:
Save as locker.bat.

Thats it !!....your folder lock is ready for use !!



Now, How to use this customized Folder lock:

Step #1
First things first, right click the locker.bat file you just created and Open With "Notepad" (or with any of the editing tools you have.). Find the line:

if NOT %pass%==type your password here goto FAIL

Approximately 24th Line in the code. Type in your password where it says "type your password here" (without quotes). For Example:

if NOT %pass%==sevenwonders goto FAIL

Here, sevenwonders is the password. Save it.

Customising is Over !!


How to use the Customised Folder Lock:

Step #1
When you run the Locker.bat file for the first time, it will automatically create a folder named "Locker" in present working folder.


Step #2
Copy the important files in the Locker Folder.

Step #3
Double Click on the "locker.bat" file again. It will prompt you :

Are you sure you want to lock the folder ?

Step #4
Press Y for Yes or N for No.

Thats it....your Folder is locked.




To unlock the folder follow the below steps:

Step #1
Double Click on the Locker.bat once again. It will prompt you for the password.

Step #2
Enter the password you entered in the locker.bat file earlier while creating the BATCH file.

Step #3
Press Enter...

Your folder is back again !!

Do you share a computer with other users and want some extra security on your folders? There are two ways to password protect a folder built into Windows XP (for other Windows flavors, there are some freeware/shareware programs out there).

Trick #1 
If you have a log in password for your account, this can be used to protect folders from other users. Your hard drive must be formatted using NTFS (which it probably is unless you're dual booting with another operating system). Here's what to do...

Right-click the folder that you want to make private and choose "Properties" (or Alt+Double-click). Go to the "Sharing" tab and check the "Make this folder private" box.




Click Apply . If you do not have a password on your account, a box will pop up asking if you want to assign a password. This must be done if you want to make the folder private, so click Yes . You will need to use your password to log on to your computer from then on.






Type in a password then confirm it. Click the "Create Password" button then close the Password window.

Click OK in the Properties dialog box.

Now anyone else logged on to your computer can't access that file without knowing your password.

Trick #2
 If the Folder is Zipped you can give it a unique password.

Just double-click the zipped folder. In the top menu select File then click "Add a Password".






Type a password into the Password box. Then again in the "Confirm Password" box.



Now, you are the only person who can access files in this folder. The folder can be opened allowing the files to be seen, but you are the only one who can access them.

Don't you feel more secure now?

Credit : WorldStart.com

This is a good program that is able to kill all kinds of processes by pressing a hotkey whether hung or not.

SuperF4 kills the currently selected program when you press Ctrl+Alt+F4. This is different from when you press Alt+F4. Alt+F4 only asks the currently selected program to exit, allowing it to decide for itself if it really want to.

You can also kill a process by pressing [the windows key]+F4 and then clicking the window with your mouse. Note that the mouse cursor does not change to reflect that SuperF4 is in this mode. You can press escape or the right mouse button to exit this mode without killing a program.



SuperF4 should be able to kill all kinds of processes, whether they are hung or not. Beware though, SuperF4 effectively kills the program and doesn’t give it a chance to save unsaved work etc…



There’s another tool that moo created which is able to execute specified exe with commands when you click ctrl+alt+del. It is sort of like a launcher for the hotkey ctrl+alt+del. All you need to do is to download CtrlAltDel, extract it and run CtrlAltDelAction.exe followed by the command. An example is C:\>CtrlAltDelAction.exe taskkill /F /IM hl2.exe