Windows Vista Tricks: Using USB Flash Drives as RAM

Windows Vista has a new performance feature called ReadyBoost. This feature enables the use of a USB storage device instead of the slow paging file on your hard disk when you’re low on physical memory (RAM). The logic is simple - the USB storage device is faster than your hard disk drive, and you can boost significantly your computer performance, if you use Windows Vista operating system.

In order for ReadyBoost to work in Windows Vista, your USB storage device must meet the following requirements:
’ The device must have at least 64MB storage.
’ The device must be USB 2.0 compatible.
’ The device must have a minimum read speed of 3.5 MB/s.
’ The device must have a minimum write speed of 2.5 MB/s.

Follow these steps to enable ReadyBoost:
1. Plug in USB storage device.
2. Go to Computer, right-click on the removable storage device and select Properties.
3. Click on the ReadyBoost tab.
4. Select Use This Device and set the amount of space to use for the system file.
5. Click OK.

Edit Any Website within your Browser

Tothepc is one of the cool computer related sites, giving interesting insights and tips to the computer users who want to get beyond the list of the normal widely-used applications.

The current trick, presented by Tothepc, will give you opportunity to edit any website from convenience of your browser. Check the image below:

Note that “Google acquired by Techno Life @ tothepc.com” on the image above is NOT result of editing in Photoshop or any other graphics editor. It is a work and magic of a developed javascript.

It is true. You can edit any website within web browser without any external software. Here are the three simple steps to edit any website within your browser: either Internet Explorer, or FireFox.

1. Open any website (for example, http://www.google.com as on the image) in web browser.
2. After website loads completely, delete the URL from address bar.
3. Then paste the following javascript code in address bar instead. Click here to grab the code. After you paste the code in the address bar, hit the enter key and start editing the webpage.

Really cool trick. And impressive outcomes…

Hide Folders on you PC: Fast and Easy Windows Trick

On your computer, you can hide your folders from the common view without any particular software utilities. This way, you can keep your information private and hidden from prying eyes of other computer users, which is especially useful when computer is shared.

Suppose you want to hide a folder named ABC which is in located on the hard drive D: of your computer.

Go to the command prompt:

Start ---> Run ---> cmd --> D:

After changing the location from default hard drive C: to D:, type the following command to change the folder attributes to hide it.

D:/>attrib +h +s abc

To make the folder visible, the attributes can be altered back. Type

D:/>attrib -h -s abc

 When folder is hidden with this trick, the folder can be found even if you make advanced searches or even change the folders menu options to show all hidden files.

Source: http://trickscafe.blogspot.com/2008/08/hide-ur-folders-in-just-few-steps.html

Free Photos for your Passport

I you are dedicated user of the multiple free services on the Web, you might noticed that there are more and more companies, entering the marketing niches that for long were not even considered as are that can benefit from online assistance. The reviewed service is one of those, offering you opportunity to cut costs for password photos you need for foreign passports. ePassportPhoto.com is the Internet passport photo booth, and its primary goal to put an end to the passport photo rip-off. There is no reason you should have to spend valuable time and money just to get a simple, compliant set of passport photos.

Especially useful feature, offered by this free service, is the fact that the system currently supports the proper legal government requirement of over 60 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe (and many in between, such as Australia, France and Germany). For example, if you’re a citizen of China living in Canada or a citizen of Israel living in the US, ePassportPhoto.com will help you create passport photos that comply with the requirements of your home country. Site will arrange the photos from the file you upload and upon preparing the right format, will allow you printing them at convenience of your home, on your own printer.

You might ask what the catch is. You can choose premium service, including human validation, printing and shipping, available at a reasonable price of $5.99.

Free International Phone-to-Phone Calls

With fast development of the VoIP services, there might be a day in the nearest future that you would not be needed worry about paying any of your telephone calls, as your Broadband connection will be sufficient for all your needs. For now, there multiple companies that offer you free phone calls as promotion, or trial, or in exchange for you watching or listening the advertisements. Not all of them worth mentioning however, as the complications, poor quality of calls, or low value of offered freebies on many sites do not look attractive enough to attract visitors attention.

PokeTalk looks different. The company offers free international calling to over 55+ countries worldwide, and the list of the covered locations is growing fast. No headphones or microphone required, all you need is an internet browser and regular or mobile phone line. And that is a big help for those who does not want to use PC-to-phone or PC-to-PC communication. There is limitation, but it looks quite reasonable: you can make up to 50 calls per month, with a limit of 10 minutes per call. Your call quota is renewed on the first day of every month.

The service makes its money through advertising dollars which explains why the call is free. However, the good thing is that the advertising is not embedded in the phone call itself, but is displayed on the website that is facilitating the call.

3 Steps to make a call:

1. Free Sign Up on PokeTalk (registration is required to use the service)
2. Confirm your registration through a link sent to your email.
3. When ready to make a call, place the number you want to dial as well as your own, and then PokeTalk takes over and does the rest of the work for you! After pressing call, your phone will ring instantly and then automatically you will be connected to the person you are dialing. Note that both numbers will not be dialed at the exact same time so you do not have to worry about the person you are calling picking up the phone before you do. Only after you answer call the service will connect you to the number supplied.

A very useful feature is that service covers both landline and mobile phones.

Video Tutorial:

PokeTalk free phone calls

MeBeam - Free Video Conferencing and Chat

I am sure; there are many people, who could find a proper use of the new online service I will present today - MeBeam.

MeBeam is a chatroom platform with built-in audio and video capabilities. This means you get a real time group conversation going with your friends around the world - it looks like you are in the same room with these people. To start a chat - just type in a title for your room (name should be between 4 and 16 characters). Make sure your webcam is adjusted properly and test your microphone. Invite your friends by pressing the Invite People button. Up to 18 people may join in on the conversation. Users may upload files (no larger than 30mb) for others in the room to share.

Is that easy? Note that there were no requirements to register, sign in, etc. That is true, you can open your video conference anytime with any people, and no registration is required to use the absolutely free services offered. Note one more outstanding feature: you do not need to upload and install any software. MeBeam represents purely Web Application, as far as you have Flash software installed on your PC (almost everyone has it nowadays).

So, just need a microphone, webcam and speakers to enjoy the conference and chat. However, even those requirements are not mandatory. You can participate without video cam or microphone as well (probably missing some fun), as the chat window is integrated as well.

Free Video Conferencing and Chat

Review the video presentation from Tech Chat on the basic advantages of this service:

Free Video Conferencing and Chat

But there the advantages of the free service just begin. There are multiple plugins available to add the feature to other great free services, as Skype, Google Talk, Pidgin, MSN, MySpace, and others.

But there is more - MeBeams little brother, MiniMe - a portable version of MeBeam that you can use on top of your blog, web page, or forum. Please keep in mind, this is a pre-alpha release and may not work all the time. MiniMe can handle 4 people in your room, but will generate an unlimited number of sub-rooms automatically. To add MiniMe to your site, copy and paste the code, and remember to name your room.

4 Steps to Change Startup and Shutdown Sounds on your Computer

You boot up and shut down your computer quite frequently. And every time you have to listen the same built-in sounds files - again and again. The same annoying audio files, which other millions of people listen on the daily basis. Do you know that you can stop that forever. Here is the solution, now you use any of your favorite voice or music or dialogue as your computer shutdown and start up.

The hack to be implemented in 4 simple steps.

Step 1

Choose the track which you want to play at start-up and shutdown jingles. There are following limitations to the chosen file:

* It should be in .WAV format.
* The size of file should not be too big. Try to choose or make the file of no mote than 1 Mb, otherwise your startup process will take a bit longer.

If the file you want to make your start-up or shutdown is not in .WAV format, you can easily convert it using any audio converter, available on the market.

Step 2

Rename the chosen files as “Windows XP Startup.WAV” and “Windows XP Shutdown.WAV” respectively.

Step 3

Go to the directory “C:\WINDOWS\MEDIA” and locate there files with the same names “Windows XP Startup.WAV” and “Windows XP Shutdown.WAV”. Move these files to some other locations for backup purposes, in case you will need to revert back these sounds some time in the future.

Step 4

Move the new files you prepared to the directory, where the Operating system retrieves the sounds from: “C:\WINDOWS\MEDIA”. On next reboot, you will get your favorite sound clips activated.

5 Steps to Reset Administrator Password

Occasionally, we have to deal with customer computers, when the original administrator account is modified, and nobody can enlighten us on the new administrator user name and password. There are multiple ways to regain control on the computer by resetting the master administrator password, including boot-up disks and Floppies.

There is one of the ways to do the job easy, with no additional software or deep computer knowledge. Password resetting procedure consists of 5 simple steps.

1. First reboot Windows XP in safe mode by re-starting the computer and pressing F8 repeatedly as the computer boots up. If you missed the right moment, you will need to repeat the attempt.

2. Then (in safe mode) click Start and then click Run. In the open box type the words exactly as following (without quotes) - control userpasswords2.

3. You will now get a pop-up window with full access to all the user accounts, including the administrators account. From here, you will be able to reset the lost or forgotten password.

4. Just click the administrators’ user account, and then click Reset Password.

5. At this moment, you will have to add a new password in the New password field, and the Confirm new password as well. Confirm the new chosen password by clicking OK.

All Done!