4 Tips To Help You Fix The Windows Blue Screen Error

If you’ve ever experienced the blue screen error, affectionately called the “blue screen of death,” then you’ll know that it isn’t the greatest experience in the world. It usually means that there’s something somewhat seriously wrong with your system. The problem with trying to come up with a blue screen error fix is that so many things can cause it. For the average computer user, this can mark the end of the computer.

Well, I’m here to walk you through a few steps you can take to troubleshoot your computer whenever you experience this blue screen error. Sometimes, the problem isn’t quite as serious or complicated as people think. It could be as simple as the fact that some hardware you installed created a conflict. Maybe a virus messed up the registry. Or maybe a driver file is corrupt. I’m going to show you how you can check for the most common issues that cause this error.

Boot In Safe Mode

The first thing to do when you get the blue screen is to power down the computer. When you boot it back up, press the F8 key before the Windows screen appears. This will boot the computer into the Advanced Options screen where you can choose advanced boot options. Press the down arrow until “Safe Mode with Networking” is enabled and press enter. If you believe that you’re dealing with a virus that instantly connects to the Internet when you boot your computer, then go with just “Safe Mode” instead.

Make Sure You’re Clean With These Free One-Time Scan Antivirus Tools [Windows]

It sucks to be constantly bombarded by computer-related threats, whether they’re spyware, malware, viruses, keyloggers, or whatever else. A popular way to combat this problem is to install an antivirus solution that sits in the background and keeps you safe. But no matter what resident solution you’re using, it might not catch each and every infection. That’s where the one-time-scanner steps in.

I am a big fan of one-time-scanners because you can scan whenever you want. Instead of being surprised by a system scan that lags everything down, you can plan your activities and fit the virus scan in where it’s most convenient for you. You may not need a daily defender; instead, a manual weekly scan may be enough for you.

So if you’re looking for the best online antivirus scan and anti-malware tools that free can buy, check these programs out. One of them is bound to fulfill your needs.

Comodo Cleaning Essentials

Available on Windows XP, Vista, and 7 for 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

As a company, Comodo has impressed me quite a bit in recent years. They have over 30 products that are useful for home use, e-commerce, small businesses, large enterprises, and social media. They cover fields from cloud backup to SSL certificates to Internet security to firewall and VPN programs. If it’s Internet-related, they probably have a product for it.

So you can imagine how unsurprised I was when I learned they had a computer cleaning toolkit. The program itself looks simple, clean, and does what it’s meant to do – scan your computer for virus and malware threats and quarantine them.

Suffice it to say that Comodo Cleaning Essentials is not the best scanner available, even in the free software market, but it’s quick and painless. It’ll detect the most serious of threats, but some of the more mundane ones will slip through on occasion.

How to Improve Clarity of the Texts Displayed On Your Screen?

1. First go to your windows start menu and then in the search box there at the bottom, type this command “display”. This will launch the display correction window of the control panel as shown in image 1.

2. Here you can see there are several settings on the left hand side of the screen that you can use to adjust and make the picture quality of your display come good. Since we are talking about improving the text quality right now, we are going to choose the option “adjust clear type text” and hit enter on it. This will launch the next screen as shown in image 2 below.

How To Automatically Keep Windows 7 Clean Of Obsolete Files

Windows has a way of collecting virtual dust, a circumstance that has not changed considerably in Windows 7. These obsolete files take up space and contribute to hard drive fragmentation. While neither of this is a big issue, it is an annoyance, one that you can easily take care of.

In this article I will show you a simple way to regularly and automatically clean your Windows 7 system. This won’t require you to install yet another cool tool and is thus low on system resources. At the same time you will also learn how to automatically run other tools for other tasks.

There are several tools that can remove temporary files and keep your computer free from clutter, for example CCleaner. However, these programs themselves take up hard drive space and consume system resources, thus adding to the problem rather than solving it. In fact, Windows comes with an accessory utility called Disk Cleanup, which does a pretty good job at freeing up space on your hard drive by removing temporary files, emptying the Recycle Bin, and deleting other obsolete files.

Top Internet Security Programs

Nowadays, almost everyone has a PC at home and internet connection has become a need of people of all ages. Though reliable anti-virus or anti-spyware software is installed, it is inevitable that we still have threats to the computer. In today’s computer world, internet security does not allow the information to be accessed or compromised by other individuals. The initial way to secure information is encryption and maintaining passwords.
A password should be confidential and not be revealed to other person. Internet Security can be achieved through following steps. Internet service provider should be from a genuine source. If there is availability, try to choose an internet service provider that offers online virus, spam and content filters. All these will secure the internet service from not allowing the infection to enter the computers. A variety of software like stop spam, filter content for kids, manage cookies, pop-up and pop-under ads and trip up phishing is available to clean the browser. Routers provide the security from internet by using network address translation technique. Routers are of low cost and complexity and provide the same service as that of a conventional internet service. Protection for computers is necessary because there are more than one million malwares that are estimated to be discovered in 2010 alone. Any one is exposed to malware attacks. Anti-Viruis programs ase essential on every computer.

Dept. of Posts applies for banking licence

The Department of Posts, on Thursday, submitted an application before the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a licence to offer full-fledged banking services.

“We have approached the RBI today [Thursday], and hopefully having met all the conditions of RBI, an in-principle approval might be given. If it is given, I think, it will be a revolutionary step because it will bring banking, subject to Cabinet approval, to the doorstep of the ordinary man in this country,” Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal told PTI.

The RBI is in the process of granting fresh banking licences and has set July 1 as the deadline for applying.

The Department of Posts has plans to start 50 bank branches in the first year and scale it to a total of 150 branched in five years.

The Department of Posts has started inter-ministerial consultations for seeking Cabinet approval on around Rs.1,900 crore fund requirement to start Post Banks. The total amount includes Rs.500 crore paid-up capital required under new banking licence guidelines. 

News: PTI , The Hindu

How to Use the Windows Snipping Tool to Create Screenshots?

It is increasingly becoming a necessity these days for PC users to get quality screen shots, so that you can insert these real-time screen capture images to your documents or the blogs or the websites. Specifically if you are writing blogs with step-by-step instructions like me, this is even more important to have reasonably good screen capture software installed on your PC.

There are quite a few good screen capture software available in the market. The most widely used one of course is called “Snagit” that can do additional things other than screen capture like image editing, marking images with arrows, symbols and text, and also crate PDF files in one go. Snagit will definitely cost you money and at this moment if you don’t want to spend any money on this, Windows 7 has already provided you with a tool called “Snipping Tool” by which you can also produce screen shots easily real quick.

How To Use The Snipping tool in Windows

• To launch snipping tool, you need to go to the windows start menu first and then go to “all programs” and then to “accessories”. You will see the snipping tool there as shown in image 1 below.

How to Create a Home Network in a Windows 7 Environement?

What is a Home Group?

Homegroup creates a network environment by which one can share files including videos, pictures, music, documents and even a printer with other people in your home network. Depending on the kind of access you provide to your homegroup users, they will be able to view your shared files, copy or even modify them. You need a Windows 7 based PC of course, in which a homegroup needs to be created first, and then anyone can join this group and share files provided their PC’s also have chosen “Home” as their network location and running Windows 7. If a homegroup is already created by someone else, you can join in anytime to share your stuff. You can also make your homegroup password protected so that everyone cannot get in there, in case if you feel few people in your home aren’t worthy of getting a chance entering your home network.

How to Create a Home Network?

If you are all set to configure the homegroup with me in your Windows 7 PC, lets carry out the following steps;

1.  Let’s go to the control panel first by clicking on your windows start menu and then clicking on control panel on the right hand side of the start menu. You will reach the screen as shown in image 1 below. Make sure the “view by” tab at the top right corner is set to “category”.

3 Quick & Easy Ways To Hide A Folder In Windows 7

Privacy is hard to come by these days. Whether you are sharing a computer or are generally suspicious of peers who occasionally have access to your computer, you may have the desire to store sensitive information or private files in a safe place. This article provides a summary of three quick and easy ways to hide folders in Windows 7.

Note that none of these solutions will effectively hide your data from knowledgeable users. For truly sensitive and confidential data, I recommend more advanced solutions, which not only hide or luck, but also encrypt your data. For pointers, please see the additional resources section below.

1. Hide Folders

Windows offers an easy way to quickly hide folders from unsuspecting eyes. This method requires that Windows does not show hidden files and folders. So to begin with, you have to check this setting:

• Open Windows Explorer (open any folder) and go to > Tools > Folder options…
• Within Folder Options switch to the > View tab.
• Under > Files and Folders find the option > Hidden files and folders and select >Don’t show hidden files, folders, or drives.
• Click > OK and proceed to hiding a folder.

How can I reset my Windows 7 Administrator password?

Tip one: Reset Laptop Windows 7 Password with Windows 7 Installation CD

1. Insert the installation disk to your locked computer, restart. When following interface appears. Cllick“Repair your computer”.

2. A dialog with several options pops up, click Command Prompt.

3. When a Command Prompt black screen appears, type “copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe” and press Enter. Then type “copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe” afterwards press Enter key.

4. Restart your computer. On the login screen, tap Shift key five times and you’ll see a command prompt screen in administrator mode. OK, type “net user UserName NewPassword” (replace the UserName and UserPassword with which you wanna) and press Enter key. The user password will be replaced with new one. Close the window and then you can login your laptop Windows 7 with new password.

8 Hidden Tools In Windows 7 You Still Might Not Know About

Windows 7 is by no means a new operating system. If fact, Windows 8 is already out there and available for those who wish to try it. This why I was doubly surprised to realize that there are still some hidden tools in Windows 7 I did not know about.

If you’re a serious Windows fan, you probably know about these hidden gems already, but if you’re just a regular person who’s been using Windows 7, you might be surprised at some of the things that are built into Windows 7 and require no further download.

Snipping Tool

There are tons of simple screen shot tools out there, but did you know there’s a rather good one built into Windows? Simply start typing the word “snipping”  in the Windows search to find the snipping tool. With it, you can take 4 kinds of screenshots – full-screen, window, rectangular or free-form.

Speed Up Internet Connection Using Google Public DNS

Here I am sharing a tutorial on how to Speed up Internet Connection using Google Public DNS. This works with all the Windows i.e Windows XP , 7 and 8.

What we are going to do here is that we will change our DNS . A good DNS helps you in internet speed,remove page loading errors, faster downloads and many more features. The two best DNS services available are Open DNS and Google Public DNS. But here we are going to use Google Public DNS.

What is DNS ?

First of all you need to know what is DNS. DNS is an abbreviation for Domain Name System. DNS is naming system for computers ,websites etc. connected to the Internet. What DNS basically does is that it translates host-names into IP addresses to locate computers and Websites on the Internet.

For example all the websites such as Google, Facebook and all other websites have their own IP addresses and the computer servers use these IP addresses to locate the website and open it into your browser.

Beware Fake Microsoft Security Essentials

>Microsoft Security Essentials is fake. Well, it is and it isn’t. Microsoft Security Essentials is a free antimalware protection program from Microsoft, but a new malware threat identified by security software vendor F-Secure is also masquerading as Microsoft Security Essentials. You want to avoid that one.

The new malware attack is distributed through a drive-by download as either hotfix.exe or mstsc.exe–both reasonably benign and almost legitimate sounding file names that might not raise red flags with some users.

The “alert” from the threat steals the Microsoft Security Essentials brand, including the little blue fortified castle icon. The software then displays a seemingly comprehensive list of antimalware solutions–including all of the top names that users are familiar with such as Trend Micro, McAfee, Panda, and Symantec– and identifies those that are capable of detecting and blocking this nefarious threat.

Maintenance checklist for Windows Server 2003

Daily Operations Checklist

Checklist: Performing Physical Environmental Checks

Use this checklist to ensure that physical environment checks are completed.

Task:

·         Verify that environmental conditions are tracked and maintained.

·         Check temperature and humidity to ensure that environmental systems such as heating and air conditioning settings are within acceptable conditions, and that they function within the hardware manufacturer's specifications.

·         Verify that physical security measures such as locks, dongles, and access codes have not been breached and that they function correctly.

·         Ensure that your physical network and related hardware such as routers, switches, hubs, physical cables, and connectors are operational.

Checklist: Check Backups

Task:

·         Make sure that the recommended minimum backup strategy of a daily online backup is completed.

·         Verify that the previous backup operation completed.

·         Analyze and respond to errors and warnings during the backup operation.

·         Follow the established procedure for tape rotation, labeling, and storage.

·         Verify that the transaction logs were successfully purged (if your backup type is purging logs).

·         Make sure that backups complete under service level agreements (SLA).

·          Checklist: Check CPU and Memory Use

·         Use this checklist to record the sampling time of each counter.

7 Computer Tips You Won’t Learn From Your Mom

Tthis article talks about ways to avoid parental surveillance, it’s really written for parents. We want you to know how your kids might use the computer in ways you don’t approve of. Accordingly, each section ends with tips for parents on how to prevent abuses.

Computer Tips 1—Browser Privacy Mode

Most modern Web browsers now ship with a privacy mode which changes how the browser stores data.

One key feature of privacy mode is that the browser doesn’t store any history data. As soon as you close the browser, it deletes any browsing history from that session, so parents can’t see where on the Web their kids have been.

10 Best and free remote desktop sharing software's

I

f you are someone who often need access to your home computer from your office or you provide technical support to your customers or sometimes dear ones. The remote desktop sharing software helps you solve the queries remotely and save your day from travelling and frustration.

Here I have listed some of the best and free remote desktop sharing software's which can help youconnect remote computer anywhere around the globe using Internet connection. If you use this utility regularly, then you can also bookmark this page for your reference.

Logmein Free Provides access and control of remotely located workstations with complete liberty. Logmein Free helps you to access any computer seamlessly and gives facility to control your peripherals like Keyboard and Mouse. Logmein is very popular, fast and secure remote control utility for your computers. Using free version of Logmein you can only access the computer and work on it, and can be upgraded to pro version with many more facilities.

List of Best and free Software, Utility and Tool for System Administrators

As a professional System Administrator your job becomes easy with the below listed tools, whether you are dealing with issues related to Desktop, Server or Network you will find something related for you which could be used in daily troubleshooting task

Process explorer

Process monitoring tool for windows operating systems, unlike task manager it provides vast amount of information for running process and  detailed information on DLLs, threads, handles and TCP/IP connections. It is a advanced process management utility and replacement for task manager

Link : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-in/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx 

Belarc Advisor 

A 3402 Kilo Bytes file size of free tool to do your system inventory . The software builds a in-depth profile of installed hardware and software, network, Installed hotfixes, status of anti-virus , you can use your Web browser to view the details.

• Works with Operating systems:  Server (Both 32 and 64 bit) : Windows server 2012, 2008, 2003 Windows 8, Windows 7, windows 2008 R2,  Windows Vista, Windows server 2008, Window server 2003, XP, 2000, NT 4, Me, 98, and 95. Both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows are supported.
• Works with browser Versions : Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and others.

Link : http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

10 Common PC Maintenance Errors That You Can Avoid

PCs still require maintenance, as much as we wish they were magic boxes that did all the work for us. Unfortunately, many people make mistakes when it comes to maintaining their PC. These mistakes could result in hardware damage, security breaches, data loss, money spent unnecessarily, and general system instability.

We generally cover lists of things you should do, but knowing what not to do can be even more important. We’ll cover some of the most common mistakes so you can avoid them and keep your PC running like new.

Not Updating Your Operating System and Software

Keeping your computer’s software updated is important. Operating systems, browsers, and their plug-ins in particular are frequently updated with security fixes. If you’re running an unpatched version of Windows, outdated version of Firefox, or vulnerable of java, your computer is at risk.

Be sure to keep your software updated. Set Windows to automatically install updates or at least inform you of them, leave your browser set to automatically install updates, and ensure Flash, Adobe Reader, Java, and other browser plug-ins you have installed are set to update automatically. Don’t disable these auto-updating features — they help keep your PC secure.

Windows Domains and Workgroups

A Windows 2000/2003/XP Professional machine can be either a member of a Domain or a Workgroup.  The full benefits of Windows 2000/2003/XP can only be achieved by placing all of the computers on the network into domains. N.B. In order to utilise all of the features of Windows 2x domains, computers must be running either Windows 2000/XP Professional or Windows 2000/2003 Server families.

Workgroups

In a Workgroup configuration, computers are connected but there is no central control.

Although files and folders may still be shared, security policies have to be set at each individual computer.

How to Setup Software RAID for Windows Server 2003

Today I’m going to show how to setup a software RAID for Windows Server 2003. Yes, Windows Server 2003 has a built-in function that almost similar to Software RAID function.

Please make sure before this installation, you will need 2 identical hard disk with same space connected to the server. But the truth is, you don’t need to same hard disk with the same space amount, but as long as you partitioned the space equally then it would be good as well. But for beginner, it is better to get a hard disk that got the same space quantity, less percentage that you would get yourself confused.

Below are the steps on how to enable the Software RAID inside Windows Server 2003:

1)  Install the Windows server 2003

2) After the installation has finished, click on Start button and right-click on My Computer. Select Manage and click on it:

 

What is Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

In order for communication to occur on a network  all parties must use a common language. In IT networks this is known as a protocol.  There are many different protocols available for computer networks. The most common and widely used being TCP/IP.

TCP/IP is the standard protocol that is used on the internet. In order for any network to access the internet you must use the TCP/IP protocol suite. TCP/IP is required by Active Directory. For this reason, TCP/IP is the default protocol for Windows XP and 2003.

Protocols

Reference is often made to the TCP/IP stack. This consists of layers of mini applications which perform the discrete job of  sorting and filtering the data packets picked up by the NIC and then passing the packet on to the next layer for further processing. Eventually a coherent message pops out of the top of the stack into the operating system for the user to read. The reverse is also true i.e. converting of the reply into data packets that can be sent over the network media.

Free Start Menus for Windows 8

Windows 8 is the newest operating system from Microsoft that is both fast and innovative. But unfortunately one problem exists, the normal start menu has disappeared from this version and many users do not like that.

Therefore people are searching for free start menus to add into windows 8 so they can be more comfortable using this version.

Free Start Menus for Windows 8

ClassicShell

ClassicShell is a veteran among all the start menus listed here. It was born even before Windows 8, and can be used to replace the start menu on Windows 8, 7 and Vista. The menu is customisable  has the search box of Windows Vista and 7 in addition to the usual menu items, is able to skip the Metro (tablet interface) screen, can be used to disable the Metro hot corners, supports jump lists, shut down the computer, etc. It has been translated into some 35 languages (at the time this review was written). ClassicShell has other optional features for Windows Vista and 7 (which you can elect not to install when setting up the software). The program is released under the MIT License, and is therefore open source.

Wakeup Tips

It's hard to get used to waking up early because often have a habit of staying up late or waking up throughout the night to make you dubbed the "evening" or "night owl". This becomes a problem when you have a duty to be done in the morning.You need more motivation to forgo "night owl" and start being a morning person or a "morning person"?Several studies indicate that "morning person" actually happier than the "night owl". And the morning was reported to be feeling healthy and vibrant.Making the transition from the "night owl" a "morning person" may not be easy, but there are some simple steps you can take. Here are 7 ways:

How to Focus on Learning

So that we can focus, efficiently and effectively in a subject, then let us not hate these subjects. So we can not assume that a subject such as the wind.Understanding that students have an obligation to learn, then we must be responsible in carrying out duties.

Here are some tips or ways that we can love all the subjects:


Don't be indifferent or unconcerned with subjects

When we already feel like a subject, then we have shut ourselves to the science that is taught by the teacher. Maybe we would be indifferent to the ongoing learning activities such measures actually harm ourselves. We will never be able to master the lesson and when we are determined to avoid it.Though difficult, try to pay attention to the teacher's explanation. If upon entrance we are still experiencing unfamiliarity in the materials, then ask a question to the teacher. Remember that teachers will always help and teach the patient premises to their students who do not understand.

Train yourself to always think positive for teachers

The teaching profession is a noble job. Teachers act as facilitators and motivators to help, guide, and direct their students acquire learning and education. We need to know that the teachers who nurture us be the generation of quality. There was no hope of a teacher, the teacher just wants to be appreciated by the students. That is the duty of every student to teacher. Avoid negative thoughts about teachers. Learn to have a positive perception of the teacher. Let our hatred towards teachers make learning our spirit or passion is lowered and less.