20110730

Silicon Empire - Burn,Copy,Backup & Manage Tools


Silicon Empire is set of tools to Burn, Copy, Backup, Manage and optical discs like CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays. When you start working with silicon Empire everything done easily and quickly with high quality. You Burn, Copy, Mount your discs in few clicks and short time.

Install silicon empire on ubuntu 11.04(Natty)
Download the deb packages first
Once you have deb packages you can double click to install

How To Install qBitTorrent


The qBittorrent project aims to provide a Free Software alternative to µtorrent. Additionally, qBittorrent runs and provides the same features on all major platforms (Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, OS/2, FreeBSD).



Open the terminal and run the following commands
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:hydr0g3n/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install qbittorrent

How to install wireshark 1.6.1 on Ubuntu using PPA


Wireshark is the world’s foremost network protocol analyzer. It lets you capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network. It is the de facto (and often de jure) standard across many industries and educational institutions.

Open the terminal and run the following commands
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:n-muench/programs-ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install wireshark

How to Install Firefox 8 in Ubuntu via PPA


Firefox 8 recently found its way into the nightly build channel. According to a recent study by extremetech.com, Firefox 8 is already 20% faster than Firefox 5 in almost every metric and has got a drastically reduced memory footprint as well.

How to Install ???


sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-mozilla-daily/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install firefox-trunk

20110728

Top 10 free PC programs




There are millions of free and open source projects available, many of them better than any commercially available product. Below is a short listing of what we think is the best out there, broken down into ten categories.






Anti-virus and malware protection
Most PC users realize that they need protection on their computer or may have an installed anti-virus program from their computer manufacturer. What most don't realize is that there are free programs that are just as good and in some cases better than the commercial products. Below are our recommendations
Anti-virus program: Avast! or AVG
Malware / Spyware protection: Malwarebytes

Backup solutions
There are dozens of free and commercially available backup programs for computers. Unfortunately many of those backups are stored locally, meaning if your house were to catch fire, get robbed, or if you lost your backup discs all your data would be lost. This is why when dealing with important data we suggest users use online backup services.
Online backup solution: Mozy * or Dropbox
* Free 2GB of online backup for personal use

Browsers
Although Microsoft Internet Explorer comes pre-installed on Windows computers. There are several excellent free alternatives that everyone should try. These free alternatives can often be faster, have more options, and in many cases be more secure than Internet Explorer.
Internet Browser: Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome

Compression utility
When downloading files on the Internet you'll eventually encounter a .zip, .rar, or other compressed file. Dealing with these files can be easy with our below free file compression utility.
File compression utility: 7-Zip

Disc ripper and creation utility
Creating an audio or data CD/DVD, ripping the data from an audio CD, or creating a CD from a .ISO file can also be done freely using our below free recommendation.
CD burner / ripper utility: CDBurnerXP

E-mail
E-mail is yet another service that can be done freely. Most users today use online e-mail solutions like the one listed below. However, for those still using an e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook we strongly suggest one or both of the below suggestions.
E-mail client: Mozilla Thunderbird
Online e-mail: Gmail

FTP, SFTP, and SSH Utility
Users who maintain their own web page or need to upload or download files to or from a server will have to use an FTP utility or a SSH client. There are many commercial programs capable of doing this but our below free recommendations beats them all.
FTP client: Filezilla
SSH client: Putty

Image editor, paint program, and picture organizer
There are many great free solutions for editing, creating, and organizing your images on your computer. Many of the programs capable of doing these tasks can be several hundred dollars, but all of the below programs are completely free.
Image editor: GIMP
Paint program: Paint.net
Picture organizer: Google Picasa

Multimedia
There are dozens of different multimedia programs with different capabilities and limitations. Below are our top free multimedia programs for watching video files and recording audio.
Audio editing and creating tool: Audacity
Video and DVD Player: VLC

Office Suite
An Office suite such as Microsoft Office is often one of the most expensive programs that a user can install on their computer. Why install these expensive programs when there are free solutions that are just as good.
Office suite: OpenOffice
Notepad / Source code editor: Notepad++

Top 10 computer mouse tips for Beginners


Most computer users don't take full advantage of the computer Mouse. Below are computer mouse tips and secrets that help you get the full potential of your computer mouse and increase your overall productivity while on the computer.


Shift key and mouse click
Many text editors and programs allow you to highlight all or portions of text using the Shift key and the mouse. For example, place the cursor at the beginning of a paragraph, hold down the Shift key and click at the end of the paragraph to highlight the full paragraph.

Take full advantage of the scroll wheel
The mouse wheel is not just a wheel, it can also be used as a button. Pressing down on the wheel will act like a third mouse button. This can be used to open a web page in a tab by clicking the wheel on any link and can also be used to close a tab by clicking the wheel on any open tab.

Today, everyone is fully aware of a mouse wheels ability to scroll up and down on a page. However, this wheel can also do so much more, as shown below.

Quickly Zoom in and Out on a web page, word document, excel spreadsheet, etc. by holding down the Ctrl key and scrolling up to zoom in and down to zoom out.

Move forward and backwards while browsing the Internet by holding down the Shift key and scrolling up and down. Scrolling down goes back and scrolling up goes forward.


Select with double and triple click
Any word can be easily selected by double-clicking the word. If you want to highlight the whole paragraph, click the mouse button three times on any text in the paragraph.

Use the right-click
Take full advantage of the right-click any time you highlight text or wish to view the properties of an object. For example, if you highlight a file or text, you can right-click that highlighted item copy it and then right-click anywhere else to paste it.
 If you right-click on any file or text and drag it while continuing to hold the right button, when you let go you will be given the option to move or copy that file or text. This saves you the extra step of having to right-click where you want to paste the item.
 While in a browser pressing and holding Ctrl while clicking on any link will open that link in a new tab.

Ctrl key and mouse click or highlight
While holding down the Ctrl key you can left-click to select multiple objects or highlight multiple sections of text. For example, in Microsoft Windows you could hold down the Ctrl key and click to select multiple files at once. If you wanted to highlight different parts of a paragraph or web page, you could also hold down the Ctrl key and select each section you wanted to copy.
 Mozilla Firefox users can also hold down the Ctrl key and individually click on each cell in a table they wish to copy or drag their mouse down a row to select just that row or text without selecting any of the other text in that table.

Use the mouse side buttons
Many new computer mice have buttons on the side of the mouse. These buttons can be programmed to do anything, however, by default the left-thumb button can be used to go back on a web page. This makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable since you do not need to move the mouse cursor to the browser back arrow button in order to go back a page.

Use the Windows Snap To feature
Take full advantage of the Windows mouse Snap To feature, which will automatically move your mouse to buttons that appear in a dialog box. For example, if you delete a file or close a window you may get a prompt asking you if you are sure you want to perform the task. With the Snap To feature enabled, the mouse cursor automatically moves to the Ok button, so all you will have to do is click the mouse button if you agree. This saves you the time of having to move the mouse cursor over to the Ok button and then click Ok. To enable this feature open the Mouse properties under the Windows Control Panel and check the Snap To check box under the Pointer Options tab.
Tip While changing this feature we also suggest looking at other available options in the Mouse settings. For example, increasing the Motion speed can also help increase your productivity while using the mouse.

Manage the open window with the mouse
Double-click the top title bar of any window to maximize a window or if it is already maximized resize it to a window. You can also double-click the icon for the window in the top-left corner of the window to close that window.
Move the mouse with your keyboard
Instead of using the mouse that came with your computer you can also enable Windows to use the number pad as a mouse.

Customize your mouse
Finally, if you have a mouse with more than two buttons, installing the included mouse software will allow you to customize the mouse even more. For example, if you don't use the side buttons to move back and forth in a web page change it to something you do more often, such as switching between open windows or opening the calculator.

20110726

WindowsXP Interface Tips XVI


42. Use XP File Compression to Save Space
If hard disk space is getting tight on your system, Windows XP includes a built in file compression feature which can save considerable space. To activate file compression on a file or folder highlight the file or folder you want to compress, right click it and select 'properties.' Hit the 'advanced' button at the bottom of the screen.
Choose the 'compress contents to save disk space' option. Hit 'ok' twice and you will be prompted to apply the compression to just that file or folder or any subfolders and files that may exist under it. Choose and click 'ok.'
Windows will compress the contents of the file or folder (which may take a while on a slower PC). You will notice the icon text of the compressed folder is now blue to indicate its status.


43. How to Check if There is a DVD Decoder Installed in the PC
If you want to check if you have DVD decoding software installed, or what decoder you actually have, this quick tip can help.
Open the command prompt ('start\run' then type 'cmd') and type 'dvdupgrd /detect'. This will pop up a window on the desktop with information on your decoding software or lack of same.


44. Learn to Love XP Safe Mode
Many users have no idea what the 'safe mode' feature of most Windows operating systems is for. This is a pity, because it could end up costing them some serious money if they run into problems with Windows. The Windows XP safe mode is one of the best (and easiest to use) diagnostic and troubleshooting tools for Windows XP.
The most important feature of safe mode is that it loads Windows with a minimal set of drivers and software. If you are having problems with a faulty driver or auto running program that will not let you boot into Windows normally, safe mode can let you get around this and eliminate the problem from within the Windows environment. This is not all that safe mode can do for you. For more details, check out detailed guide to using the Windows XP safe mode.


45. Use the Program Compatibility Toolkit
If you are having trouble getting a particular application to run in Windows XP, Microsoft might have a solution for you. The company has made a free tool available that automatically edits settings for hundreds of Windows-XP-incompatible programs to allow them to run properly. This application Compatibility Toolkit can be found here.


46. Use the System Restore Utility From 'Safe Mode Command Prompt.'
The Windows XP system restore utility is extremely useful for rescuing your system from various software disasters that might befall it, but it does have some limitations. The most major of these is the fact that it cannot be invoked from the repair console, and can only restore the most recent save point when chosen from the XP boot menu. This means that if your system will not boot fully into Windows or into safe mode you are out of luck. Well not quite.
It's possible to start the system restore utility from the 'safe mode command prompt' boot option of Windows XP. This gives you one more option for rescuing your system, since this safe mode may load where other Windows XP boot options do not.
To invoke the system restore utility from the safe mode command prompt, type 'c:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe. For more information about the Windows XP safe mode and how to use it, see guide to WindowsXP Safe Mode.

WindowsXP Interface Tips XV


40. Alter Your Windows User Name
If you'd like to change the user name you entered when installing Windows (not your current user name, but the 'owner' name entered for license purposes during the install process), here's a quick registry edit to accomplish just that.
To change your registered user name open Regedit and navigate to:
'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WindowsNT\Current Version\'
Double click the 'RegisteredOwner' value and change it as desired. You can also change the company name by editing the 'RegisteredOrganization' value.


41. Adding 'Safe Mode' to the Boot Menu
If you find yourself using Windows XP's alternate safe mode or VGA mode options often, you may want to add these options to the Windows XP boot menu.
Adding safe mode or VGA mode to the boot menu will cause the menu to be displayed every time you start Windows with options shown for normal startup and whatever other modes you have chosen. You can choose one of the options to boot XP a specific way.
To add safe mode or VGA mode to the Windows boot menu open the 'run' prompt ('start\run') and type 'c:\boot.ini'. This will bring up the boot.ini file in notepad. This file is used by XP to determine boot options, among other things.
Under the '[operating systems]' heading, copy the current entry, and paste another version of it into the next line. For example: 'multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect'.
Now edit the quoted area of the pasted version so it is different from the original line and informative. You might want to change "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" to "Safe Mode boot" on your safe mode entry, for example. If you want to add an entry for VGA mode, repeat the above steps again and edit the third entry appropriately to represent VGA mode.
Save the file, open the run prompt again and type MSCONFIG. Go to the 'boot.ini' tab.























You will see your new additions here. To enable safe mode on the boot menu, highlight the entry you created for safe mode, then check the '/safeboot' boot option. To enable VGA mode, highlight your VGA mode entry then check '/basevideo.' Click 'ok' then restart. The boot menu will pop up allowing you to choose between normal, safe and VGA modes of booting XP.

WindowsXP Interface Tips XIV


37. Disabling Startup Password
If you are the only user of your system and you are tired of entering the username and password each time you login, you can disable this requirement.
To do this go to 'start\run' and type 'control userpasswords2'.
Uncheck the 'user must enter a user name and password to use this computer' checkbox.
Note that this is not recommended for systems that connect to the Internet via broadband connections due to security concerns.


38. Remove Orphaned Software Applications from Add/Remove Programs
Sometimes, even after you have uninstalled a program, it remains as an option in the 'add or remove programs'control panel application. This can happen due to poor coding or an error in the un-installation process. To clean these orphaned entries up, a registry edit is called for.
To delete orphaned program entries open Regedit and navigate to:
'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall'
Look for the offending program entries and delete them. Note that some programs may be listed with a string of letters and numbers. Open the value inside these keys to see the actual name of the program.


39. Troubleshooting Shutdown Issues
Does your PC not shut down automatically, instead stopping at the 'it is now ok to shut down your computer' screen? Here's a couple of quick resolution to the two most common causes of this problem in Windows XP:
Open Device manager (right click on 'my computer' and select 'manage' then 'device manager.'). Go to the 'view' menu and select 'show hidden devices.' Look for the 'APM/NT Legacy Node' entry. If it is disabled, enable it and try to shutdown your PC again.
If this did not help, go to'start\control panel\power options' If you have an 'APM' tab, make sure the option 'enable advanced power management support' is checked.
If neither of these steps are applicable, you may wish to try updating your motherboard's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). See  Guide to the BIOS for the quick run through on how to do that.