Saturday, 22 June 2013

Why the 64-bit Version of Windows is More Secure



Most new PCs have been shipping with the 64-bit version of Windows — both Windows 7 and 8 — for years now. 64-bit bit versions of Windows aren’t just about taking advantage of additional memory. They’re also more secure than 32-bit versions.
64-bit operating systems aren’t immune to malware, but they do have more security features. Some of this also applies to 64-bit versions of other operating systems, such as Linux. Linux users will gain security advantages by switching to a 64-bit version of their Linux distribution.

Address Space Layout Randomization

ASLR is a security feature that causes a program’s data locations to be randomly arranged in memory. Before ASLR, a program’s data locations in memory could be predictable, which made attacks on a program much easier. With ASLR, an attacker has to guess the correct location in memory when trying to exploit a vulnerability in a program. An incorrect guess may result in the program crashing, so the attacker won’t be able to try again.
This security feature is also used on 32-bit versions of Windows and other operating systems, but it’s much more powerful on 64-bit versions of Windows. A 64-bit system has a much larger address space than a 32-bit system, making ASLR that much more effective.

Mandatory Driver Signing

The 64-bit version of Windows enforces mandatory driver signing. All driver code on the system must have a digital signature. This includes kernel-mode devices drivers and user-mode drivers, such as printer drivers.
Mandatory driver signing prevents unsigned drivers provided by malware from running on the system. Malware authors will have to somehow bypass the signing process through a boot-time rootkit or manage to sign the infected drivers with a valid certificate stolen from a legitimate driver developer. This makes it more difficult for infected drivers to run on the system.
Driver signing could also be enforced on 32-bit versions of Windows, but it isn’t — likely for continued compatibility with old 32-bit drivers that may not have been signed.
To disable driver signing during development on 64-bit editions of Windows, you would have to attach a kernel debugger or use a special startup option that doesn’t persist across system reboots.

Kernel Patch Protection

KPP, also known as PatchGuard, is a security feature only found on 64-bit versions of Windows. PatchGuard prevents software, even drivers running in kernel-mode, from patching the Windows kernel. This has always been unsupported, but it’s technically possible on 32-bit versions of Windows. Some 32-bit antivirus programs have implemented their antivirus protection measures using kernel patching.
PatchGuard prevents device drivers from patching the kernel. For example, PatchGuard prevents rootkits from modifying the Windows kernel to embed themselves in the operating system. If an attempt at kernel patching is detected, Windows will immediately shut down with a blue screen or reboot.
This protection could be put into place on the 32-bit version of Windows, but it hasn’t been — likely for continued compatibility with legacy 32-bit software that depends on this access.

Data Execution Protection

DEP allows an operating system to mark certain areas of memory as “non-executable” by setting an “NX bit.” Areas of memory that are supposed to hold data only will not be executable.
For example, on a system without DEP, an attacker could use some sort of buffer overflow to write code into a region of an application’s memory. This code could then be executed. With DEP, the attacker could write code into a region of the application’s memory — but this region would be marked as not-executable and could not be executed, which would stop the attack.
64-bit operating systems have hardware-based DEP. While this is also supported on 32-bit versions of Windows if you have a modern CPU, the default settings are more stringent and DEP is always enabled for 64-bit programs, while it’s disabled by default for 32-bit programs for compatibility reasons.
The DEP configuration dialog in Windows is a bit misleading. As Microsoft’s documentationstates, DEP is always used for all 64-bit processes:
“System DEP configuration settings apply only for 32-bit applications and processes when running on 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows. On 64-bit versions of Windows, if hardware-enforced DEP is available it is always applied to 64-bit processes and kernel memory spaces and there are no system configuration settings to disable it.”

WOW64

64-bit versions of Windows run 32-bit Windows software, but they do it through a compatibility layer known as WOW64 (Windows 32-bit on Windows 64-bit). This compatibility layer enforces some restrictions on these 32-bit programs, which may prevent 32-bit malware from functioning properly. 32-bit malware will also be unable run in kernel mode — only 64-bit programs can do that on a 64-bit OS — so this may prevent some older 32-bit malware from functioning properly. For example, if you have an old audio CD with the Sony rootkit on it, it won’t be capable of installing itself on a 64-bit version of Windows.
64-bit versions of Windows also drop support for old 16-bit programs. In addition to preventing ancient 16-bit viruses from executing, this will also force companies to upgrade their ancient 16-bit programs that could be vulnerable and unpatched.
Given how widespread 64-bit versions of Windows now are, new malware will likely be capable of running on 64-bit Windows. However, the lack of compatibility can help protect against old malware in the wild.

Unless you use creaky old 16-bit programs, ancient hardware that only offers 32-bit drivers, or a computer with a fairly old 32-bit CPU, you should be using the 64-bit version of Windows. If you’re not sure which version you’re using but you have a modern computer running Windows 7 or 8, you’re likely using the 64-bit edition.
Of course, none of these security features is foolproof, and a 64-bit version of Windows is still vulnerable to malware. However, 64-bit versions of Windows are definitely more secure.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
send2raheel@yahoo.com
send2raheel@engineer.com
sirraheel@gmail.com
send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 
http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/

Friday, 21 June 2013

Pros & Cons of HTML5



HTML5 is the latest in internet development. In this article lets discuss the pros and cons of adapting to HTML5.
What is HTML5?
HTML5 is the freshest adaptation of the HyperText Markup Language that was advanced in the late 80′s so as to
depict records that interfaced to one another. In it’s intial days, HTML’s role was to help describe
a content’s structure and to allow linking of contents for eacy navigation.

Basically HTML5 has new syntactical features, which include the <video>, <audio>, and <canvas> elements, as well as the integration of SVG content. Due to these new elements, it will be very easy to integrate multimedia and graphical content to web without using flash and third party plugins. There are also another new elements like <section>, <article>, <header> and <nav> which enrich the semantic value of the document. Other major advantages of HTML5 are described below.
PROs
1. Inbuilt
Due to usability purpose the web sites made by developers are highly interactive nowadays and for this developers need to include fluid animations, stream video, play music and Social Network sites like Facebook and Twitter into the websites. Till now they have only the option to integrate it with the help of Flash or Silverlight, Flex or javascript like tools. But these consume so much time to develop and even the complexity of web application also increased. But now with the help of HTML5 it is possible to embed video and audio, high quality drawings, charts and animation and many other rich content without using any plugins and third party programmas as the functionality is built into the browser.
2. Neater Code
HTML 5 will enable web designers to use cleaner, neater code, we can remove most div tags and replace them with semantic HTML 5 elements.
3. Standardized Semantics
Now it is easy to see which parts of the page are headers, nav, footers, aside, etc as the tags are specific for these all and most importantly know what their meaning and purpose is in whole the format. By using HTML5 elements we can increase the semantic value of the web page as the codes are very standardized.
4. Fancier forms
HTML5 enables designer to use more fancier forms. Even it makes form validation native to HTML, User interface enhancements and reduced need for JavaScript (only needed in browsers that don’t support form types). There will be different type of text inputs, search and different fields for different purpose.
5. Consistency
As websites adopt the new HTML5 elements we will see more greater consistency in terms of the HTML used to code a web page on one site compared to another. This will make it more easier for designers and developers to immediately understand how a web page is structured.
6. Improved Accessibility
Different technologies can elaborate on the features with the help of HTML5, as they can Immediately make more detailed understanding of the structure of a page by take a look at HTML5 elements it has.
7. Fulfill  the need of Web application
Many new features and standards have emerged as part of HTML 5. Once you detect the available features in today’s browsers, you can take advantage of those features in your application. Main focus of HTML5 is to make easier application with easy front-ends, drag and drop tools, discussion boards, wikis and other useful elements.
8. Offline Application cache
All browsers have some kind of caching m After a sometime, you open up your laptop and click the Back button in the browser hoping to see the previous page that was opened. However, as you are not connected to the internet and the browser didn’t cache the page properly, you are unable to view that page. You then click the Forward button thinking that at least that page will load, but it doesn’t. You need to reconnect to the internet to be able to view the pages. HTML 5, thankfully, provides a smarter solution. While building the site, the developer can specify the files that the browser should cache. So, even if you refresh the page when you are offline, the page will still load correctly. This sort of caching has several advantages like offline browsing, files load much faster and reduced load on server
9. Client-side database
While cookies have been used to track unique user data for years, they have serious disadvantages. The largest flaw is that all of your cookie data is added to every HTTP request header. This can end up having a measurable impact on response time. So a best practice is to reduce cookie size. With HTML5 we can do better  by using  sessionStorage and localStorage(two different storage in HTML5) in place of cookies. It is not a permanent database, but enables you to store structured data, temporarily.
10. Geolocation support
With help of Geolocation any one can find out where you are in the world and sharing that information with people. There is different ways to figure out where you are — your IP address, your wireless network connection, which cell tower your phone is talking to, or dedicated GPS hardware that calculates latitude and longitude from information sent by satellites in the sky. But The new HTML5 geolocation APIs make location, whether generated via GPS or other methods, directly available to any HTML5-compatible browser-based application.
CONs
I wish we could all be using HTML5 today, but the reality is that there’s a few problems that prevent the language from use in modern websites.
Browser Support
The main problem with HTML5′s acceptance is that only modern browsers support it. By modern, I mean almost everything except for Internet Explorer. The new version…IE9 offers excellent support, but as of this writing it’s not quite out of beta. Even if it were, the majority of people will still use older versions of IE for quite some time. There are things you can do to make the language play nice with older browsers, but none of them are perfect.
The Language is a Spec
Another problem is that although parts of the language are very stable, the language itself is considered a work in progress, so technically, any of the elements could change at any time. The language is not expected to be completed for several years, which complicates things further. Thankfully, a lot of the language is considered stable and ready to use. I think it’s such a great move forward, that you should develop a Graceful Degradation approach to writing your HTML. That simply means writing HTML that will work with older browsers, but will offer users with more modern browsers an enhanced experience.
Media Licensing Issues
Another ugly fact about HTML5 is that because of licensing issues, rich media has to be compressed in multiple formats in order to be compatible with most browsers. So you’ll probably use something like mp3 audio for webkit browsers (safari, chrome), and ogg for mozilla (firefox) browsers. It involves a bit more work and it is a pain, but hopefully those issues will be resolved soon.


Microsoft And Oracle Will Announce Major Cloud Computing Partnership Next Monday



Microsoft And Oracle Will Announce Major Cloud Computing Partnership Next Monday

Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer, its Azure chief Satya Nadella and Oracle’s president Mark Hurd are holding a joint press conference next week, just two days before Microsoft’s Build developer conference is scheduled to kick off in San Francisco. The press event follows Oracle’s earnings call that featured remarks by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison about a series of major partnership announcements next week, including one with Salesforce.com.

“Next week we will be announcing technology partnerships with the largest and most important SaaS companies (software-as-a-service) and infrastructure companies in the cloud,” Ellison said during the call.

With this press conference slated for Monday, questions are bubbling about what these companies have planned. Adding to the speculation: Oracle is starting to promote its 12c database technology, which the company announced last October and which Larry Ellison said today that companies will use for years to come. 12c is a pluggable in-memory database, which sounds strikingly similar to SAP HANA.

Industry observers I talk to say that it’s possible the two companies are planning their own big data initiative to compete with Pivotal and its mega-partnership with GE. Would that emerge as a separate company? That’s the path that EMC followed when it spun out several of its product groups and those from VMware. Cloud Foundry was part of that spin-out.

But the SAP angle has interesting possibilities. SAP has aligned closely with Amazon Web Services. Oracle could be looking to Microsoft to be its partner for big data, in-memory computing. For Pivotal, its effort is as much about big data as it is about application development. They also face SP as a competitor in the space.

In any case, it’s going to be an interesting week.


To root your Android Mobile just do the following steps


To root your Android Mobile just do the following steps

1. Copy the Root.zip file (download below) into your sd card. You can even put it in a folder if you want.

2. Turn your phone off

3. Boot your phone into recovery mode. To do that, hold HOME+POWER buttons. When the screen turns on and you see the Samsung logo, let go of POWER but keep holding HOME. After the Galaxy Ace logo shows up and disappears, you should enter recovery mode. You can let go of HOME now.

4. Now in recovery mode, you can scroll up and down using the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons and select using the HOME button.

5. Scroll to the second option “apply update from sdcard” and press HOME to select.

6. Scroll to the Root.zip file and select it (if you put it in a folder, find and open that folder and then select Root.zip

7. After it’s done installing, select “reboot system now” and wait for the phone to reboot

8. To check if your phone is rooted, go to you app drawer and look for an app called superuser with an icon of a pirate android with cross bones. If you see it, your phone is rooted.


Congrats! You’ve officially rooted you galaxy ace!!
Now what if you want to go back to unrooted for some reason , or just for the heck of it?? It’s easy. Very similar to rooting

You can also unroot the device bye these steps.

1. Download unroot.zip (below) and put in sd card

2. Turn off the phone and boot into recovery (refer to step 3 above)

3. Install the unroot.zip (similar to step 5 and 6 above)

4. Restart phone (incase you’re THAT stupid, refer to step 7 above)

5. Look in the app drawer and if all went well, the superuser icon should no longer be there!!!


Android Secret Codes



Android Secret Codes (SGH-T999)
Universal
*#06# -- IMEI

Samsung Dialer - [Source] [here] and in thread
*#0*# -- SensorDiagnotics [1]
*#03# -- NAND Flash S/N
*#80# -- Touchscreen noise test (warning do not press power button)
*#251# -- Wakelock ON
*#250# -- Wakelock OFF
*#350# -- Reboot
*#526# -- WLAN Engineering Mode
*#528# -- WLAN Engineering Mode
*#745# -- RIL Dump Menu
*#746# -- Debug Dump Menu
*#0011# -- ServiceMode [1]
*#0228# -- Battery status
*#0283# -- Audio packet loopback test
*#0289# -- Audio/speaker test (Melody Test Mode)
*#0514# -- SysDump (System Dumps, logs, etc)
*#0588# -- Proximity Sensor test
*#0589# -- Light Sensor Test Mode
*#0673# -- Audio/speaker test (same as 0289)
*#0782# -- Real Time Clock Test
*#0842# -- Vibration Test
*#1575# -- GPS Control Menu
*#2263# -- RF Band Selection
*#2663# -- Touchscreen FW and version
*#2664# -- HW touchscreen test
*#3264# -- RAM CHECK (Version number)
*#4327# -- HDCP INFO (True/ false)
*#7769# -- PROXIMITY SENSOR TEST
*#7284# -- Phone Utility (USB Settings)
*#7353# -- Self Test (Menu of 12 tests to use)
*#7594# -- Factory mode Enable shutdown on long press
*#8888# -- Service Mode (Read FTA hw version)
*#9900# -- System Dump Mode
*#9999# -- SW Versions (AP, CP, CSC, FTA SW)
*#22235# -- ACCELEROMETER SENSOR INFO
*#86824# -- TOUCH KEY SENSITIVITY
*#5238973# -- LCD TYPE
*#232331# -- BT test
*#232332# --
*#232337# -- BT address
*#232338# -- WLAN MAC address & PS mode
*#232339# -- WLAN Engineering Mode test (TX & RX modes) (same 526)
*#272886# -- Auto Answer Selection
*#3214789# -- GCF Mode Status
*#8736364# -- OTA Update Menu
*#7412365# -- Camera Firmware Standard (Front/Rear Cam FW)
*#7465625# -- Personalization (Lock Status settings)
*#22558463# -- Reset Total Call Time
*#12580*369# -- Main Version (AP, CP, CSC, RF cal, HW Rev) (similar to 9999)
*#197328640# Service Mode
*#3282*727336*# -- System and Storage Information (Data Usage Status)
*#273283*255*3282*# -- Adjust/Fill Message, Contact, Call Log, etc Limits
*#273283*255*663282*# -- Data Create SD Card
*#7328735824# -- LOT ID


Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
send2raheel@yahoo.com
send2raheel@engineer.com
sirraheel@gmail.com
send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot
http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/

Monday, 17 June 2013

Laptops Tips and Tricks


Make Your Own Power Plan
Windows laptops include a few preset power plans for maximizing battery life, but you can also customize your operating system's power-management features (in Windows XP, under Power Options in the Control Panel; in Vista, under Mobile PC in the Control Panel). Setting aggressive targets for when the display turns off and when the machine goes into sleep or hibernate mode will help your battery last longer.

Limit Your Connection
When you aren't actively using your notebook's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WWAN, or other wireless connections, turn the radios off (via the hard switch, if your PC has one, or using the appropriate utility), so they don't run down the battery while they keep searching for a signal. Also, use USB-attached devices sparingly while you're mobile.

Track it down
Thousands of laptops are reported stolen every year. Our advice? Prepare for the worst by investing in tracking software like Absolute Software's Lojack for Laptops, CyberAngel Security, or the free TheLaptopLock. These utilities can pinpoint a registered notebook's location once it connects to the Web, increasing your chances of recovering your system.

Dim the display
A laptop's biggest battery-life-sucking component is its LCD display. To eke out more juice when you're off the plug, turn down your panel's brightness to the lowest level your eyes can stand. Most notebooks have a Function key combo—or even a dedicated hot key—for a quick crank-down. (You can also adjust brightness in Display Settings under Control Panel.)

Keep It Cool
Thanks to their small, cramped cases and tiny vents, laptops are prone to overheating. Unfortunately, using your notebook on your lap—or on top of a blanket that protects your lap from your scalding-hot notebook—can seriously stifle ventilation and make matters worse. To help keep temperatures in check, opt for a lap desk or a laptop cooling pad that won't conduct heat or block your laptop's vents.

Back Up Everything
Constant movement puts computer components at risk, and because of their portability, laptops suffer a lot more wear and tear than desktops. All of that on-the-go use increases the risk of hard drive failure, so make sure you back up the data on your laptop to an external hard drive, thumb drive, or home server on a regular basis. Portable hard drives like the Western Digital Passport Elite make it easy to back up your data on the road.

Cover Your Keyboard
Keep liquids away from laptops at all times. That rule often gets broken, of course, and accidents happen. Should that accident end up on your laptop's keyboard, however, you could end up with more than just a mess: Liquids that seep through your notebook's keys can fry its components. Protect your notebook from spills with a custom-built, plastic keyboard cover from ProtecT Laptop Covers.

Buy a Bag
If you plan to carry your notebook with you, the most useful accessory you can buy is a laptop bag. They're available in a number of styles and prices; for maximum protection, we recommend investing in a model with a built-in padded sleeve. If you want something less conspicuous (thieves have been known to target obvious-looking laptop bags), cover your laptop in stand-alone sleeve and stow it in your backpack or briefcase.

Let It Accumulate
When you move your laptop from a cold to a warm environment, and vice versa, don't boot up until your system reaches room temperature. Sudden temperature changes can cause condensation to build up inside the notebook case; turn it on too quickly, and the moisture could damage your system's inner components.

Wireless Home Networking



Fix Connectivity Issues
It sounds crazy, but 95 percent of all Internet connectivity problems can be solved by power-cycling both the router and the modem. Turn them both off, and then turn the modem back on first. Once its "sync" or signal light comes on, turn on your router.

Use Encryption
You've probably heard this before, but it bears repeating: Always enable your router's wireless security! Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption is the oldest (and weakest) form of security; the newer (and stronger) Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and WPA-2 are the best protection available today for home users.

Update Your Router's Firmware
All routers include internal read-only chips with embedded instructions that can be updated by the manufacturer. Router manufacturers generally update a product's firmware to increase performance as well as to resolve bugs and security issues, so it's wise to keep your router's firmware up-to-date. Check the manufacturer's Web site for the latest updates.

Boost Your Wireless Signal
If walls and distance are causing wireless signal degradation, you can do a few things to boost it. Move your router to higher ground—the signal radiates downward. You can also try a signal extender (or repeater), which boosts the signal. Finally, high-gain antennas will work, but they only focus the signal in one direction.

Change Admin Password
Every router has a well-known default password that's used to access the router's browser-based configuration page. Most setup wizards will make you change this password, but not all do. If not, be sure to change it yourself to prevent unwanted hangers-on from changing your network's settings.

Go Back to Factory Settings
If you've lost or forgotten your router's login credentials, you can get around this predicament by resetting the router to its factory settings. Do this by holding down the button on the back of it for 30 seconds. Next, look in the manual for the default user name and password, and then change them on your router's browser-based configuration page.

Disable SSID Broadcast
Unless you disable it, your router broadcasts its service set identifier (SSID)—the name of your network—which allows your neighbors to see (and attempt to gain access to) your network. Instead, disable broadcasting, making the network appear as "SSID not broadcast." Access the unnamed network by typing in the SSID name when prompted.

Change the Default SSID
Change your pre-defined, default SSID—leaving it as "Linksys," for example, tells the world that you haven't configured your router, which invites attackers.

Filter by MAC Address
Every piece of networking gear includes a unique "fingerprint" called a media access control, or MAC, address. You can configure your router to filter connections using these addresses so that only your computers can connect to your network. Most routers will show you connected devices, so adding an adapter's MAC address is a one-click process.

Step Up to 5GHz
The majority of today's networks operate in the crowded 2.4GHz frequency range, which is shared by microwaves, cordless phones, and other home networks. To avoid possible interference, many new routers are capable of broadcasting at 5GHz, which has 23 wide-open channels as opposed to 2.4GHz's three non-overlapping channels.

Limit Your Number of DHCP Clients
Most people use their router as a DHCP server; when clients connect, the router dynamically assigns IP addresses from a large pool of addresses. Limiting that list to the number of clients in your home, however, will help prevent interlopers from hopping onto your network.

Use Your Router's Firewall
Two features make most hardware firewalls more powerful than software firewalls: stateful packet inspection (SPI) and network address translation (NAT). SPI examines packets' content and behavior before granting access, and NAT hides all PCs connected to the router from the Internet, "translating" their IP addresses into private ones that are unreachable from outside the firewall.

Change Your Channel
Wireless B and G (and some N) routers operate at the 2.4GHz frequency, which only has three non-overlapping channels: 1, 6 and 11. By default, your router will most likely be using one of these channels, and the bad news is so your neighbors' routers as well. If you experience dropped connections, sluggish performance or both, a good first step is to switch the channel. If it's set to channel 1, go to 11. If it's set to 6, try either 1 or 11 for best results.

Let Windows Control Your Wireless Networks
If a network adapter's software takes control of your wireless network, it can be difficult to put Windows back in charge. First, click Start, then Run, then type services.msc. Scroll down to Wireless Zero Configuration and start the service. Right-click your wireless connection, select view available networks, and then click advanced settings on the left. Click the wireless networks tab, and check "Use Windows to Configure my wireless network settings."

Disable File Sharing in Public
If you're in a public place with a Net connection, it's a good idea to disable File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks. In the properties of your network adapter, uncheck the appropriate box. It's also a good idea to switch your notebook's wireless radio off if you aren't using it.

Tuesday, 11 June 2013

How to Open and Use Steps Recorder in Windows 8?




Steps recorder is a very useful tool, that captures and records the steps you performed for doing a certain task. If you have to help out your friend with certain PC problems and troubleshoots, use the steps recorder to record the steps you are performing and the best part of this tool is that the entire record is saved in the form of a zip file containing an MHTML format document, which can be mailed or shared with as many persons as you want.

One thing that must be remembered is that, it captures screen shots, and gives a description of every step performed but does not capture anything you type on any document. The tool is undoubtedly useful as it captures full screen shots of the screen. The following tutorial will help you to open and use steps recorder in Windows 8.
Steps to Open and Use Steps Recorder in Windows 8

1. Press Windows+R to open Run window and type psr.exe and press Enter.

2. Now to change Settings, click on the arrow beside the Help button and click on Settings.

3. The first option that appears is the Output File. If you do not want to be prompted for saving the record, give a name to the output file. Giving an output file name is always recommended, as the default output name doesn’t allow you to preview the steps after you stop the recording process. So click on Browse, go to the location where you want to save the file and then name the file.

4. To enable screen capture, check option Yes or No and the corresponding screenshots. Click OK.

5. To start record click on Start Record.

6. To stop recording, click Stop Record.

7. After recording is done, you will find a zip file of the same name as you gave it before starting recording. Once you extract the files you will find a MHTML Document. Double click to open it. The screenshots will appear as shown in the preview image.

10 small pieces of information before the arrival of Windows 8.1


1. RELEASE OF WINDOWS 8.1 PREVIEW VERSION:

June 26, 2013

2. OFFICIAL NAME:

Windows 8.1 is the official name. Although there has been speculations that the name would be Windows Blue but Microsoft has announced officially the name to be Windows 8.1

3. FROM WHERE TO GET WINDOWS 8.1:

Windows 8.1 will be a free update to the users of Windows 8 and hence, you will not have to buy it. Windows 8.1 will be available from June 26, 2013 at the Windows Store. A high speed internet connection is mandatory.

4. CLOUD POWERED OPERATING SYSTEM:

The updated version will be powered by SkyDrive cloud computing service. So an extra facility will be provided at every step by asking you the location where you will save your files.

5. WHAT IS THE KIOSK MODE ?

Kiosk mode enables you to lock down an application to a particular device so that the device it cannot be used in any place where you want to restrict its use. It’s a good utility

6. MULTI-APPLICATION ACCESS:

Multiple application can be opened at the same time and the screen in split into the number of blocks as the number of opened applications.

7. WHAT IS MIRACAST SUPPORT?

At the TechEd North America, Microsoft Corporation announced that Miracast support will be another feature added to Windows 8.1. Quoted from the announcement of the company “Present your work wirelessly without any dongles needed; simply project your content to a Miracast-enabled device by pairing the device through Bluetooth or NFC. Miracast will then use the available Wi-Fi connection to let you lean back and project wire-free,” the company has announced. So, it is clear that project and content presentation will found a new dimension.

8. BROADBAND TETHERING:

Broadband tethering is turning a Windows 8.1 tablet or a phone or a computer to a hotspot WiFi router.

WiFi DIRECT PRINTING:

Windows 8.1 facilitates peer to peer connection between a Windows 8.1 computer and a WiFi Direct Printer to print documents without the aid of any additional software.

9. NFC TAP-TO-PAIR PRINTING:

Printing via Near Field Communication is made possible. No separate printer is required to be bought and installed to avail this facility. An NFC tag is to be assigned to a printer to make the operation successful.

10. IMPROVISED PC SETTINGS AND DRIVERS:

Lot of changes have been brought up with the new version including PC Settings, a new Search screen, All Apps Screen and Start Screen coupled back to back and many more. The details of the PC settings have been discussed in other articles of our news section. Although it is heard that Start button is going to come back, but the video launched by Microsoft kept us clueless about it. Moreover, Microsoft has blocked many of the legacycode that were used in hacks and tweaks to bring back the start button.

Microsoft Windows – The perfect imperfect OS


Many persons have been bashing Microsoft for years over its Windows operating system.  From Windows 1.0 to Windows 8 the critics have been very vocal (myself included), especially when the OS does not work as flawlessly as one would expect it to, but is the bashing fair and justified?
While I have to admit that there should be some bashing taking place, we should also recognize that it is almost impossible for Microsoft to release a perfect operating system when there are so many variables to cater for in terms of hardware components and application software combinations.  Mind you, I am not saying that Microsoft should just be allowed to churn out crappy software and not have us let them know how we feel about it – Windows Me and Vista comes to mind, but that’s a whole other story.
Case in point – I have quite a few friends who are “proud” owners of Apple computers and they’re always yapping about how good the OS is and how they do not experience half as many errors as they used to experience on Windows-based computers and everything is so buttery smooth and sometimes I wish they would just listen to themselves and realize how silly they sound.  Be it the MacBook, iMac or Mac Pro it is really just one device made by one company running that company’s operating system, i’m surprised that there are any OS problems at all, but we all know only too well that Apple computers do have OS woes as well.
When one considers the amount of different companies involved in bringing Microsoft Windows-based computers to consumers worldwide, it is amazing that there aren’t more issues than we currently experience.  In all fairness, if Microsoft took the Apple approach and made a single Windows system with components that they handpick we would have Windows computers that are as smooth and as good as Apple computers (leave the Surface tablet out of this), but as long as some manufacturers keep putting crappy hardware components into their systems we will continue experiencing problems on our windows-based systems albeit that the bashing should not just be directed at Microsoft, but at these OEMs as well.
So what are your thoughts on the issue?  Did I just spew out a mouthful of tech-bs or is there merit to the line of thought?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section and remember to subscribe if you’d like to receive email notifications whenever a new article is posted.

Thursday, 6 June 2013

10 Tips to make your Laptop Battery last longer



Computer Laptop Battery Care and Usage Tips for getting more from a notebook battery.

1. Turn off Wi-Fi and BlueTooth - Most laptops have shortcut keys to instantly disable wireless networking.

2. Don't play computer games, music or DVD movies - Multimedia activities drain laptop batteries.

3. Disconnect all external device like PC Card modems, Firewire, USB devices and optical drives. Use the notebook touchpad instead of an external mouse.

4. Adjust your screen brightness - Dimming your display saves battery power.

5. Tweak Windows Power Options - Choose a Laptop power scheme that turns off the notebook monitor and hard disk after 10 minutes of inactivity.

6. Decrease or mute the Laptop Speaker Volume.

7. Turn off all scheduled tasks.

8. Turn off Auto-save features in Microsoft Office and other applications.

9. If your PC has a built-in wireless card, turn it off or disable it when not in use.

10. Programs that are run from a CD or DVD can be copied to and run from the hard drive, which typically consumes less power than an optical drive.

Looking for the longest battery life laptop ? Actually, many factors affect the amount of time that a laptop battery can deliver power before it must be recharged.

How to extend laptop battery life? Here are some more tips to improve your notebook's battery life:

1. If you do not use your laptop for extended periods of time (a week or more), remove the battery pack from the laptop.

2. Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing temperatures. Do not leave your battery in your car in the summer. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold ones can't create as much power.

3. Make sure to plug your laptop charger adapter into a UPS and not directly into a power outlet or surge protector.

4. If you have a nickel-metal hydride battery, completely drain and recharge the battery once a month to maximize its capacity to hold a charge.

5. Fully charge new battery packs before use. New pack needs to be fully charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before it can condition to full capacity.

6. For laptops that work as Desktop Replacement, the battery should be re-installed every 3-4 weeks and allowed to fully discharge.

7. Leaving a battery in a laptop while using an electrical outlet for long periods of time will keep the battery in a constant state of charging up and that will reduce the life cycle of the battery.

Battery-saving sleep modes: Should I use Stand By or Hibernate

Standby mode
Use standby to save power when you will be away from the computer for a short time while working - your monitor and hard disks turn off, all applications and open files are stored in RAM. When you want to use the computer again, it comes out of standby quickly, and your desktop is restored exactly as you left it.

Hibernation Mode
Use hibernation to save power when you will be away from the computer for an extended time while working - your computer shuts down to save power but first saves everything in memory on your hard disk. When you restart the computer, your desktop is restored exactly as you left it.

When you choose Start, Turn Off Computer in Windows XP, your options are Stand By, Turn Off, and Restart. To Hibernate, place the cursor over Stand By, then hold down Shift and click.


Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
send2raheel@yahoo.com
send2raheel@engineer.com
sirraheel@gmail.com
send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot
http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/

How to Take Good Care of Your Laptop Computer

  1. Keep liquids away from your laptop. As tempting as it might be to drink coffee, soda, water or any other liquid near your laptop, accidents can happen all too easily. Spilled liquids may damage the internal components or cause electrical injury to the laptop. Short circuits can corrupt data or even permanently destroy parts. The solution is very simple: Keep your drinks away from your computer. Even if you're careful, someone else might bump into your desk or you. Or you can use a cup with a cover on it, so even if it does spill, the liquid doesn't go any where!

  2. 2
    Having an available antivirus software would help. Even if you know what you download, it may contain a virus that can lead to a circuit error in your system hardware or slowness in the software.
  3. 3
    Keep food away from your laptop. Don't eat over your laptop, the crumbs can go down between the keys in the keyboard and provide an invitation to small bugs. The crumbs can also damage the circuitry. Worse, it makes the laptop look dirty if there are crumbs and food stains on it.

  4. 4
    Always have clean hands when using your laptop. Clean hands make it easier to use your laptop touchpad and there will be less risk of leaving dirt and other stains on the computer. In addition, if you clean your hands before use, you will help reduce wear and tear on the coating of the laptop caused by contact with sweat and small particles that can act upon the laptop's exterior underneath your wrists and fingers.

  5. 5
    Protect the LCD display monitor. When you shut your laptop, make sure there are no small items, such as a pencil or small ear-phones, on the keyboard. These can damage the display screen when shut; the screen will scratch if the item is rough. Close the lid gently and holding from the middle. Closing the lid using only one side causes pressure on that hinge, and over time can cause it to bend and snap.

  6. 6
    Hold and lift the computer by its base, not by its LCD display (the screen). If you lift it by the screen part alone, you could damage the display or the hinges attaching it to the base. The display is also easily scratched or damaged by direct pressure – avoid placing pressure on it.

  7. 7
    Don't pull on the power cord. Tugging your power cord out from the power socket rather than putting your hand directly on the plug in the socket and pulling can break off the plug or damage the power socket. Also, if you have the power point near your feet, avoid constantly bumping into the plug or you could loosen it and eventually break it.

  8. 8
    Don't roll your chair over the computer cord. Stick the cord onto your desk with tape or a special computer cord tie which can be easily undone when you've finished using the laptop. Always try to keep most of the cord away from the floor or your legs; sometimes you can be so engrossed in what you're doing that you move your legs and forget the cord is there.

  9. 9
    Plug in accessory devices into their proper slots. Always look at the symbols on the laptop carefully before inserting devices. Jamming a phone line into an Ethernet port or vice versa could damage the sockets, making it impossible to use them again. It is very important to observe this step.

  10. 10
    Handle any removable drives with care. Floppy drives or CD drives that have been removed from your laptop can easily get crushed, dropped or pressed if you are careless. Put them straight into a bag or a storage box/case for safe keeping if you are not putting them back into the laptop.

  11. 11
    Insert drives into their slots carefully and at the correct angle. Pushing the wrong drive into a socket, or at an angle, or even upside down can jam it.

  12. 12
    Check to see if labels are affixed securely before inserting media into your laptop computer. Media such as CDs, DVDs or floppy disks should not have any loose label parts that might jam inside the laptop drive. Never insert undersized CDs, as these can damage the disk player permanently.

  13. 13
    Don't expose your laptop to rapid temperature changes. When bringing your laptop indoors during winter, don't turn it on immediately. Instead, let it warm to room temperature first. This will avoid any potential for damage to the disk drive from condensation forming inside the machine. Avoid heat from sunlight as well.

  14. 14
    Don't leave your laptop in a car. Not only do the insides of cars experience large temperature swings that could damage a laptop, but a laptop (or laptop bag) is an inviting target for a smash and grab thief.

  15. 15
    Have the unit cleaned annually to remove internal dust. Get this done by a computer professional. If dust accumulates, the system cannot cool itself correctly. Heat can destroy the motherboard.

  16. 16
    Avoid placing heavy materials, such as books, on top of your laptop and keyboard. This can push the LCD screen into the keyboard, and will eventually damage it. Also, the CD-ROM insert will also be squished and, eventually, will break.

  17. 17
    Use a properly-sized laptop case. Whatever you use to carry your laptop around in, be it a case, a bag or something you have made yourself, make sure that it it large enough to contain the laptop. This will avoid scratching, squeezing or even potentially dropping it.

  18. 18
    Look into getting a laptop bag. Many breaks happen because of laptops being dropped or bumped. A bag greatly reduces the risk of damage.

  19. 19
    Use and store in a well-ventillated area. When you are using your laptop, do so in a place that has a constant air-circulation. Lots of people ruin their laptop by using it in an enclosed area and thus making the laptop overheat. It also helps if you store it in a well circulated area.

  20. 20
    Use an old tooth brush to clean the area around the exhaust fan screen. If that gets plugged up, air flow is diminished and overheating can occur.

  21. 21
    Try and keep the laptop on a flat, clean surface. This prevents damage to the laptop. This step can be hard, particularly if you are going out with your laptop, but if there is a flat surface available to put your laptop on then do so.

  22. 22
    Don't use your laptop on the bed. Repeated use of the laptop on the bed will cause the fans to suck up the dust and debris which lies in the bed, ultimately blocking the fan. Refrain from this by using the laptop somewhere else than the bed.


    Thanks & Regards,

    "Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
    Raheel Ahmed Khan
    System Engineer
    send2raheel@yahoo.com
    send2raheel@engineer.com
    sirraheel@gmail.com
    send2raheel (skype id)

    My Blog Spot
    http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/ 

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