Davy Blog

On occasion you will need to edit the hosts file on your machine. Sometimes because of an attack or prank, and others so that you can simply and freely control access to websites and network traffic.

hosts files have been in use since ARPANET. They were used to resolve hosts names before DNS. hosts files would be massive documents used to aide the network name resolution.

Microsoft kept the hosts file alive in Windows networking which is why it varies very little whether used in Windows, OS X or Linux. The syntax stays mostly the same across all platforms. Most hosts files will have several entries for loopback. We can use that for the basic example for the typical syntax.

The first part will be the location to redirect the address to, the second part will be the address that you will want to redirect, and the third part is the comment. They can be separated by a space, but for ease of reading are typically separated by one or two tabs.

127.0.0.1 localhosts #loopback

Now let’s look at accessing the hosts files in the different operating systems…

Windows 8 or 8.1

Unfortunately Windows 8 makes it annoying to open apps as administrator — but it’s not too difficult. Just search for Notepad, then right-click on Notepad in the search results list, and choose to run it as administrator.



Once you’ve done so, open up the following file using the File -> Open feature.

c:windowssystem32driversetchosts

Then you can edit as normal.

Windows 7

To access the hosts file in Windows 7 you can use the following command in the Run Line to open notepad and the file.

notepad c:windowssystem32driversetchosts

Once notepad is open you can edit the file. In this example we will block Facebook. To do this just enter in the following after the # mark.

0.0.0.0    www.facebook.com

Now that you have edited your Hosts file make sure to save it.



Now notice if we try to access Facebook in IE we can’t get to the page.



We also were not able to get to it in Google Chrome… (check notes at the end). Also for more info on editing your Hosts file, check out The Geek’s article on how to create a shortcut to quickly edit your Hosts file.

Ubuntu

In Ubuntu 10.04 and most Linux distro’s you can edit the hosts file directly in the terminal. You can use your favorite editor or even open your favorite GUI text editor. For this example we will use VIM. Like Windows 7, Ubuntu’s hosts file is located in the /etc/ folder, though here it is in the root of the drive. In order to edit the file you will need to open it as root which is why we use sudo here.



Now that it is open we can edit it to redirect Facebook into nothing. You will notice that with Ubuntu there is also a section for IP6. For most needs you will only need to edit it the top section and ignore the IP6.



Now we can save the file and try to go to Facebook.com. Just like in windows we will see that we are now redirected to a site that does not exist.

Mac OS X (Any version)

In OS X, accessing the hosts file is very similar to Ubuntu. Begin in terminal and use your favorite editor, even is you wish to call a GUI text editor, it is easier to do so from terminal.



The file will look a bit more like Windows, only with a little less explanation. Again we are going to redirect Facebook.



This time it seems that 0.0.0.0 is a loopback and will direct you to the computers Apache test page.

Notes

There are some things to note from this walkthrough that we did notice. When tested it, Chrome did not use the hosts file in any operating system but we were able to block Facebook in Chrome by adding www.facebook.com. Also, make sure to place and extra line after the last entry for the section.

This should get you started in understanding the Hosts file and how it can help protect your computer. You can use it to block sites that you don’t want a PC to be able to access. If you have more suggestions for any of the operating systems we coved, then leave a comment and let us know!

Source fromhttp://www.howtogeek.com

It’s happened to everybody at some point—you go to install a new application, and Windows tells you to reboot first. Or reboot after. Or it asks you to close out of every other application first. Why does it do that?

In today’s geek lesson we’ll explain exactly why Windows can be so irritating with all this rebooting, and hopefully give you a better perspective into why things work this way.

So Why Are Installers Annoying?

The short answer is that most installers are annoying because they either aren’t written very well, or they integrate too deep into Windows to be able to copy system files and start everything necessary without a reboot.

The problem is compounded because Windows applications often use DLL (dynamic link library) files that are shared between more than one application. It’s a nice idea, but when it comes to installing and uninstalling applications it can be irritating to need to reboot. The really sad thing is that many applications these days are completely self-contained and aren’t replacing built-in Windows DLLs, but their installers still make you reboot.

Here’s a couple of instances where installers might be annoying:

• If the application you’re installing needs to copy new versions of files that are currently in use by another application, it will either prompt you to close all other applications, or it will make you reboot.


• If there’s a previous installation or Windows Update that has pending changes requiring a reboot, some installations will fail and ask you to reboot first.


• If the application you are installing has a plugin for another application, like an Explorer context menu addition, or a browser plugin, it will prompt you to reboot or close the other applications.


• Sometimes badly written installers will ask you to reboot because they don’t start up the required services on their own.

Let’s take a closer look at some of these instances, so you can fully understand what’s going on.

In-Use Files Need to be Copied on Reboot

If the application installer needs to copy some files but they are currently being used, or are system files in the case of Windows Update, it will utilize a Pending feature in Windows that allows an installer to specify that a file operation happens after a reboot, and before everything in Windows has started up.

The installer will write a key to the following location in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession Manager
PendingFileRenameOperations

If you’ve received an error saying that you need to reboot first, you can open up this key and you’ll see all of the files that need to be replaced on the next reboot.



You probably do not want to mess with the contents of this key, or else things will quickly start to become weird. There are some very rare instances where this key doesn’t get emptied even after multiple reboots, and you might have to wipe the contents of the key—but you should probably avoid doing that unless you are very certain.

Installation Already In Progress

Some installers won’t start up if there’s a current installation in progress, so they will check the following key to see if there’s an installation already happening:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionInstallerInProgress

I don’t have a screenshot for this one, but you can get the idea from the name of the key.

Windows Update Makes You Reboot

If you’re getting a message saying that you can’t install an application until you restart your computer, it’s because of Windows Update requiring a forced reboot. So, for example, if you’re getting this error message:



It’s because you probably clicked Postpone when you saw this dialog pop up:



If you head into the registry, you’ll see that there’s a RebootRequired key at this location in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows
CurrentVersionWindowsUpdateAuto Update

There’s a whole bunch of GUID values over on the right-hand side, and while they don’t pertain to anything in the registry, the fact that they are there is what is triggering that message.



Technically you could probably export the contents of the key, install the application, and then put them back—but it could break something, and rebooting isn’t that painful is it?

---

So now you’ve learned a little more about why application installers work the way they do. Is there anything else you’d like to know? Explain your frustrations in the comments, and we’ll see if we can’t shed some light on them.

Source fromhttp://www.howtogeek.com

Suppose you have a music folder that contains all songs by your favorite singer. Would it not be great if instead of the plain white background, you could add the singer's image as the background of this folder?

It is relatively easy to add background images to folders using a simple desktop.ini trick just as easily as you can change your Desktop's background.

Desktop.ini is a system file that is used to customize the appearance and behavior of folders in Windows. We can use this ability of desktop.ini files to add backgrounds to folders just by adding a few lines of code.

This is how the background in folder looks like.

Steps for adding backgrounds to Folders

1. Open Notepad.


2. Copy and paste the following code:-

[{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}] iconarea_image="location of the image"

1. You need to slightly modify this code on Windows Vista and Windows 7 as the ability to add folder backgrounds has been removed. So, if you use these versions of Windows, install AveFolderBG and then, replace [{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}] with [AveFolder] in the above code. To install this app, extract all the files and then, open the folder according to your installation of Windows (32 bit or 64 bit), right click install.bat and select Run as Administrator.


2. In this code, iconarea_image is the parameter where the location of your image will go.


3. Save the file as desktop.ini.


4. Place this file in the folder where you want your personalized background.


5. On Windows XP, you need to add system attribute to the folder where you want a background. To do this, open command prompt and execute "attrib +s D:Music" (without quotes) if "D:Music" is the location of your folder. If there are spaces in the location of your folder, you need to add double quotes around it. Windows Vista and 7 users need not add system attribute to folders.


6. You might need to log off and log back on for the changes to take effect. Sometimes, AveFolder app fails to work in which case, you will need to restart Windows Explorer. I recommend you to create a System Restore point in case you do not like the results.

You can hide this desktop.ini file if you feel that it is something that should not be visible in your folder.

Tip: I am using this trick to have a personal picture as the background of the root folder of my flash drive. So, whenever I connect it to my Windows PC, the picture is displayed as the background. You can also do this but you should have the image in the drive itself. As you cannot assign a static location to the iconarea_image parameter (as the drive could be G:/ on one computer while F:/ on the other), you need to add the image's dynamic location. To do this, add "/{location of the image in flash drive}" as the value of iconarea_image. For example, if your image is located in the Pics folder in the flash drive, you need to have this value as:-

iconarea_image=/Pics/Image.jpg

It is important to note that the background to your flash drive will only be displayed on computers running Windows XP (if you have used the code for XP) or those computers running Windows 7 and Windows Vista that have AveFolder installed. Sadly, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 do not support this trick. Also, there is no way to make the background of your flash drive visible on all computers unless you modify your flash drive to automatically install this app on every PC you plug it in.

If this trick does not work for you, do add a comment.

Sources http://www.tweakandtrick.com

You have a flash drive or probably an external hard drive that currently has FAT32 file system and you want to change it to NTFS, because FAT32 does not support handling large files (over 4GB) or it is just simply old for your taste but there is just one problem, you don't want to lose your saved data. This article is for you then as it explains exactly how you can achieve seamless transition from FAT to NTFS without involving any data loss.


While it is generally recommended to use the NTFS file system because of its stability, security and lesser defragmentation time, most of us end up using FAT32 because that is what most disks are preformatted with. Unless, we notice the “Not enough disk space error” despite disk space being available, we don't bother to change the file system. Moreover, most of us don't change it because of the risk of losing important data and lack of time (read laziness). As Microsoft was aware of this scenario, they added a capability in the command prompt to overcome this by executing a simple command. There are many software that support this too but the Convert command is one of the easiest ways to do so. Follow the steps below to know how:-

Important: While this method works perfectly, I would still advise you to backup your data in case anything goes wrong.

FAT 32 to NTFS Conversion Steps

1) Go to Computer, and note the name of the drive whose file system you wish to convert.
2) Click on Start.
3) Type cmd in the search bar if you use Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows Vista. If you use Windows XP, click on Run and then execute cmd.
4) Execute "chkdsk h: /f " (without quotes) where H is the letter of the drive to undergo conversion. This checks the drive for errors and fixes them automatically.
5) Execute "Convert H: /FS:NTFS" (without quotes). H is again the letter of the drive to be converted.
6) The command prompt will start the conversion process and after a few minutes, CMD will say that conversion was successful.
7) You can check it in the properties of the drive through right click<Properties.

This command can also be used to convert FAT16 disks and works on Windows 8, Windows 8.1,Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows Vista. I converted my flash drive's file system using these steps and it worked flawlessly. It is interesting to note that this method cannot be used to reconvert NTFS file system back to FAT32. To reconvert back to FAT32, you will need to format the entire drive which will definitely cause data loss.

Sources http://www.tweakandtrick.com

Here are some tips which will enable you to make your PC more secure.

Anti-virus

1. Never, ever turn off the resident protection of your antivirus even if it decreases performance. Upgrade if necessary.

2. Keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Use the automatic update feature of your anti-virus and try not to ignore the "Do you want to update now" message however often it might pop up.

3. Even if you update regularly and you have not seen any suspicious activity on your PC, do a deep scan at least once a month.

4. Always create an emergency boot disk and keep it in a safe place.

5. Run a deep scan in safe mode at least once every two months to kill viruses that would otherwise remain hidden.

Firewalls

1. If you are unsure about the alert displayed by your firewall, try searching it on the internet.

2. A firewall is a powerful tool that requires an understanding of how the program works and exactly what it is doing and whether it is secure or not. Reading the help files is extremely important in successful configuration of your firewall.

3. If you are running a third party firewall,be sure to turn off the Windows Firewall.

4. You can temporarily disable a firewall by right clicking the icon in the tray. This is handy when you know a site is one you can trust but your firewall is blocking it. But remember to re-enable it as soon as possible.

5. Read firewall notices carefully when they pop up so that you don't let a bad thing in or prevent good traffic.


Anti-Spyware

1. You should regularly check for updates. Enable the automatic update feature.

2. Remember to do a scan every now and then, or schedule scans if your program allows it. If you don't want to sit that long for scans to complete, use a single folder for all your downloads, then scan only that folder, Windows installation folder and the Registry. Alternately, you can do a quick scan if your program allows it.


Anti-Spam

1. Be patient with anti-spam software, it will get better over time.

2. Even if it looks that your anti-spam software is working great, periodically check the 'Spam' folder for good mail. None of the anti-spam software is perfect right now.

3. Don't give your anti-spam software too much rules, because it will not learn anything then. It is better if it learns on its own.

For a complete article on securing your PC, visit How to improve Cyber Security.

Sources http://www.tweakandtrick.com

Do you watch movies? Have you always loved the way how Computers in movies welcome their users by calling out their names? I bet that you too would want to know how you can achieve similar results on your PC and have a computer said welcome.

Then you are at the right place, this article describes exactly how you can make your computer welcome you like this.

With this trick, you can make your Computer welcome you in its computerized voice. You can make your Windows based computer say "Welcome to your PC, Username."

Make Windows Greet you with a Custom Voice Message at Startup

To use this trick, follow the instructions given below:-

1. Click on Start. Navigate to All Programs, Accessories and Notepad.


2. Copy and paste the exact code given below.

Dim speaks, speech
speaks="Welcome to your PC, Username"
Set speech=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
speech.Speak speaks

3.  Replace Username with your own name.
4.  Click on File Menu, Save As, select All Types in Save as Type option, and save the file as Welcome.vbs or "*.vbs".
5.  Copy the saved file.
6.  Navigate to C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsStartup (in Windows XP) and to C:Users {User-Name}AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup (in Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista) if C: is your System drive. AppData is a hidden folder. So, you will need to select showing hidden folders in Folder options to locate it.
7.  Paste the file.

Now when the next time you start your computer, Windows will welcome you in its own computerized voice.

Note: For best results, it is recommended to change sound scheme to No Sounds.
You can change the sound scheme to No Sounds by following the steps given below:-

1. Go to Control Panel.


2. Then click on Switch to Classic View.


3. Then Click on Sounds and Audio Devices.


4. Then Click on the Sounds Tab.


5. Select No Sounds from the Sound Scheme option.


6. If you wish to save your Previous Sound Scheme, you can save it by clicking Yes in the popup menu.


7. Click on OK.

Try it yourself to see how it works. In my personal opinion, this is an excellent trick. Whenever I start my PC in front of anybody and the PC welcomes me, the fellow is left wondering how brilliant a computer do I have.

Sources http://www.tweakandtrick.com

There is a software that is WAT(windows activation Technologies ) from the window 7 which is responsible for the checking the window is genuineness of window so then after removing  the WAT(windows activation Technologies) files then the system will have no need for the genuine keys that make it active cause without the  WAT(windows activation Technologies) it will always Genuine.

How To Make Window 7 Is Genuine 100 % Working Trick

Posted by Noman Ramzan , 21 Comments so far

Download Free Softwares

How To Make Window 7 Is Genuine 100 % Working Trick Free 2013

Well in previously I was explained that how to make HOW TO MAKE WINDOW XP SP2 OR SP3 ISGENUINE so now finally after the request of my friend’s and Reader I can try to explain that how can you crack the window 7.

there is a software that is WAT(windows activation Technologies ) from the window 7 which is responsible for the checking the window is genuineness of window so then after removing  the WAT(windows activation Technologies) files then the system will have no need for the genuine keys that make it active cause without the  WAT(windows activation Technologies) it will always Genuine.

 

 REQUIREMENT AND BENEFIT Of Window 7

 

1) Instead of the 30 days of a trial version you can use the window 7 use for the life long
2)Its works with the all version of the window 7

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

 

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate

 

Microsoft Windows 7 starter

 

3) Its compatible with the 32 bit and also for the 64 bit file system .

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

 

After that you will not be able to update the window and if you do so it might do inactive your window and if any update of the window find that your OS is the pirated .

 

So here are the crack tools

 

1.      1.  Remove WAT Download CLICK HERE

     HOW TO CRACK THE WINDOW

Window 7 cracker are the very easy to use that you can use it without. Having knowledge about the system now what you have to do is just simple Download the WAT (windows activation Technologies) and then

 

1. Extract

2. Then Open rw.exe

3. Then click on the button "remove WAT"

4. Then finally wait for your computers to the reboot then the computer no longer have to a genuine status.

SO IF YOU LIKE SO COMMENT BELOW

IMPORTANT NOTE: i am not responsible for any Damage and mistake . So try to your own risk

- See more at: http://mybasictipsntricks.blogspot.in/2013/01/how-to-make-window-7-is-genuine.html#sthash.Fg06jve1.dpuf

How To Make Window 7 Is Genuine 100 % Working Trick

Posted by Noman Ramzan , 21 Comments so far

Download Free Softwares

How To Make Window 7 Is Genuine 100 % Working Trick Free 2013

Well in previously I was explained that how to make HOW TO MAKE WINDOW XP SP2 OR SP3 ISGENUINE so now finally after the request of my friend’s and Reader I can try to explain that how can you crack the window 7.

there is a software that is WAT(windows activation Technologies ) from the window 7 which is responsible for the checking the window is genuineness of window so then after removing  the WAT(windows activation Technologies) files then the system will have no need for the genuine keys that make it active cause without the  WAT(windows activation Technologies) it will always Genuine.

 

 REQUIREMENT AND BENEFIT Of Window 7

 

1) Instead of the 30 days of a trial version you can use the window 7 use for the life long
2)Its works with the all version of the window 7

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

 

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate

 

Microsoft Windows 7 starter

 

3) Its compatible with the 32 bit and also for the 64 bit file system .

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

 

After that you will not be able to update the window and if you do so it might do inactive your window and if any update of the window find that your OS is the pirated .

 

So here are the crack tools

 

1.      1.  Remove WAT Download CLICK HERE

     HOW TO CRACK THE WINDOW

Window 7 cracker are the very easy to use that you can use it without. Having knowledge about the system now what you have to do is just simple Download the WAT (windows activation Technologies) and then

 

1. Extract

2. Then Open rw.exe

3. Then click on the button "remove WAT"

4. Then finally wait for your computers to the reboot then the computer no longer have to a genuine status.

SO IF YOU LIKE SO COMMENT BELOW

IMPORTANT NOTE: i am not responsible for any Damage and mistake . So try to your own risk

- See more at: http://mybasictipsntricks.blogspot.in/2013/01/how-to-make-window-7-is-genuine.html#sthash.Fg06jve1.dpuf

How To Make Window 7 Is Genuine 100 % Working Trick

Posted by Noman Ramzan , 21 Comments so far

Download Free Softwares

How To Make Window 7 Is Genuine 100 % Working Trick Free 2013

Well in previously I was explained that how to make HOW TO MAKE WINDOW XP SP2 OR SP3 ISGENUINE so now finally after the request of my friend’s and Reader I can try to explain that how can you crack the window 7.

there is a software that is WAT(windows activation Technologies ) from the window 7 which is responsible for the checking the window is genuineness of window so then after removing  the WAT(windows activation Technologies) files then the system will have no need for the genuine keys that make it active cause without the  WAT(windows activation Technologies) it will always Genuine.

 

 REQUIREMENT AND BENEFIT Of Window 7

 

1) Instead of the 30 days of a trial version you can use the window 7 use for the life long
2)Its works with the all version of the window 7

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

 

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate

 

Microsoft Windows 7 starter

 

3) Its compatible with the 32 bit and also for the 64 bit file system .

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

 

After that you will not be able to update the window and if you do so it might do inactive your window and if any update of the window find that your OS is the pirated .

 

So here are the crack tools

 

1.      1.  Remove WAT Download CLICK HERE

     HOW TO CRACK THE WINDOW

Window 7 cracker are the very easy to use that you can use it without. Having knowledge about the system now what you have to do is just simple Download the WAT (windows activation Technologies) and then

 

1. Extract

2. Then Open rw.exe

3. Then click on the button "remove WAT"

4. Then finally wait for your computers to the reboot then the computer no longer have to a genuine status.

SO IF YOU LIKE SO COMMENT BELOW

IMPORTANT NOTE: i am not responsible for any Damage and mistake . So try to your own risk

- See more at: http://mybasictipsntricks.blogspot.in/2013/01/how-to-make-window-7-is-genuine.html#sthash.Fg06jve1.dpuf
How To Make Window 7 Is Genuine free

 REQUIREMENT AND BENEFIT Of Window 7

1) Instead of the 30 days of a trial version you can use the window 7 use for the life long

2)Its works with the all version of the window 7
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate

Microsoft Windows 7 starter

3) Its compatible with the 32 bit and also for the 64 bit file system .

IMPORTANT NOTE:

After that you will not be able to update the window and if you do so it might do inactive your window and if any update of the window find that your OS is the pirated .

So here are the crack tools

1.      1.  Remove WAT Download CLICK HERE


HOW TO CRACK THE WINDOW

Window 7 cracker are the very easy to use that you can use it without. Having knowledge about the system now what you have to do is just simple Download the WAT (windows activation Technologies) and then

1. Extract
2. Then Open rw.exe
3. Then click on the button "remove WAT"
4. Then finally wait for your computers to the reboot then the computer no longer have to a genuine status.


SO IF YOU LIKE SO COMMENT BELOW

IMPORTANT NOTE: i am not responsible for any Damage and mistake . So try to your own risk

Source fromhttp://www.mytrickyzone.blogspot.com

Suppose you wish to watch a movie or share a slide-show of pictures with your family on your PC but have a screen that leaves much to be desired. In such a situation, you can connect your computer to a television screen to allow your entire family to enjoy comfortably.


There are many ways in which you can connect your laptop/ computer to a television. However, the overall video quality will be different for different methods. You can choose which one to use based on the quality or the availability of hardware. The first step is to know what type of ports and connections your TV and computer have. If you already know the type of ports and connections available on your hardware, you can directly jump to Step 2. If not, then the different types of ports are explained in detail below:-

1) RCA/Composite: The oldest and the lowest quality connection available. They are the Yellow, Red and White connections most of us are familiar with. Yellow is used for composite video, white for left analog audio and red for right analog audio.

2) S-Video: S-Video or Super Video offers slightly better quality than Composite connections. As it is one of the oldest type of connections available, most televisions and computers have it. There are two types of S-Video ports, one containing 4 pins and the other containing 7 pins. This type of connection is used only for video. So you will need to connect an audio cable from your computer's headphone jack to the red and white audio inputs on your TV if you want audio to work.

3) VGA(Video Graphics Array): Most computers and televisions have a VGA port. It offers much better quality than S-Video and should be preferred if you have a HDTV. Older CRT TVs however, will not have a VGA port and will require a PC to Television converter. Just like S-Video, VGA also does not support audio and will require an additional audio cable.

4) DVI: Digital Video Interface offers much better quality than VGA connections. Most laptop computers and HD TVs will have these connections. Just as the name suggest, this type of connection can be used only with digital TVs. Also like the previous two, DVI connections also require the use of an audio cable for audio to work.

5) HDMI: The highest quality connections available. Most HD TVs will have this connection, however, chances are that your computer would not. If your computer happens to have a HDMI connection port, this should be preferably used. If your computer doesn't, you can use an HDMI to DVI adapter to convert HDMI to DVI.

Step 2: Once a common type of port between the two devices is recognized, you will need the right connector cable to physically connect them. The different types of connector cables are pictured above. If you do not find two matching types of connection ports, you will need an adapter to make the connections type match.

Step 3: After connecting the two devices, on your TV, select the external input with which your TV is connected to the computer. It may be HDMI1 or AV1 depending on how you have made the connection. This is much similar to how you select input from your DVD player.

If you have followed the steps correctly, your TV should now be displaying your computer's screen.

Important: If your computer is not recognizing the external display, you must connect the TV before starting your computer. If the picture appears distorted, you will need to change the screen resolution of your TV by altering the display settings from your computer. Most older TVs will support only one display resolution while newer TVs will support plenty of them.

Sources  http://www.tweakandtrick.com

Having a slow computer is not something most users fancy, but that is what most of us end up with after prolonged usage despite having the latest hardware. Understandably, there are also a few of us who are trapped with a low-end PC and are forced to get as much out of it as possible. This article caters to both these type of users as it not only explains how to make your computer as fast as it was when new but also how to reduce the footprint of your system to utilize your PC's current system resources in the best possible way.

First thing first. Make sure your PC isn't infected by a virus, worm or other malware

Anyone who has used an infected computer will verify how painfully slow a computer becomes when infected by a virus. More tech savvy users will counter that an infected computer's speed depends upon the type of malware. To be honest, it does. However, based on my personal experience, I can say that while some malware are designed specifically for making computers slow and unresponsive, most malwares tend to decrease a computer's performance.

If your computer is infected, the first thing you need to do is deep scan your entire hard drive to remove all traces of the virus. Also, scan your secondary storage devices to make sure that they are clean as well. Additionally, make sure to follow best security practices to avoid getting infected in the future.

 

Remove unused and unnecessary programs

Now that we are sure that your computer is not slow because of a virus, you need to get rid of all the unnecessary programs that you have installed on your PC. To remove these programs, go to Programs in the Control Panel and uninstall your unnecessary programs one by one. If you are like most Windows users (including me) and are having a tough time figuring out which programs to uninstall as all of them seem important, follow this rule: If you have not used the program in the last month, it probably is unnecessary. It is better to uninstall that program given that you can reinstall it whenever required. It also is a good idea to remove all the useless software that came bundled with your computer. If you want, you can remove unused Windows features as well to further tone down your operating system.

Try faster alternatives to your everyday programs

If you use applications that require too much computing power to operate, you are better off replacing them with applications that do the same job as them but faster. Few resource hogging applications that you can replace are:-
1) Most resource intensive antivirus software can be replaced with the lightweight Microsoft Security Essentials.
2) Microsoft Office can be replaced with OpenOffice, an open source alternative that also has loads of amazing additions.
3) Adobe Reader can be replaced with the free Foxit Reader.
4) The newer versions of Internet Explorer are pretty fast. However, if you have been using an older version, it is time to upgrade IE or replace it with either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. This will also give you faster internet speeds.

Remove unnecessary startup programs

Startup programs are the programs which start automatically each time a user logs on. Not only do they result in a slow startup, but they also run persistently, until you close them manually, continuously consuming valuable system resources (CPU and RAM) while they are running. So, disabling unnecessary startup items results in both a faster startup and a more responsive computer, as these applications not running continuously means more RAM and CPU will be available for the operations you perform on the computer.

To disable unnecessary startup programs, type msconfig in the search bar in Start menu (in Windows 7 and Windows Vista) and on the Start screen in Windows 8 and 8.1. On Windows XP, type this in the Run dialog box. This will start the System Configuration utility. Click on the Startup tab and disable all the applications that you think are not essential on your computer's startup. Restart your computer to see the changes. Keep in mind to not disable your security products as that will make your computer more susceptible to getting infected.

Restart your computer often

This is assuming that you continuously use your computer for long periods of time. Each time when you close a running program in Windows. it frees the memory that the program was occupying. However, it may so happen that some parts of the memory do not get freed which results in less system resources available to you to use which ultimately results in a slower PC. When you restart your computer, these occupied spaces in the memory get freed. Although, this memory issue has been somewhat fixed in recent versions of Windows, it still is a good idea to reboot your computer at least once a day.

Check your hard drive for errors

Over time, as you use your computer, chances are that some errors might creep in your hard disk which negatively affect your computer's performance. The best way to solve this issue is by using the inbuilt Disk Check utility available in all versions of Windows. To use it, execute chkdsk /r in the Command Prompt. Remember to open the Command Prompt as an administrator. It might prompt you to restart your computer. Execute Y to restart your PC. The chkdsk/ r command scans your computer's hard drive for errors and recovers readable data. Depending upon the size of your hard disk, this step might take some time. This step might increase your computer's performance phenomenally if there are a lot of errors on your hard drive.

Make sure you have enough free space

System speed is not only dependant upon CPU and RAM. If your hard drive is above 95% full, you will notice that your system hasn't been running at the fastest speed. This happens because Windows require empty space for swap files to increase in size and also as space for temporary files. It is imperative that the more cluttered and filled a hard drive is, the more difficult it is to read. To solve this issue, delete unnecessary data or move it to external storage devices.

Repair protected Windows system files

As you use your computer, it is possible that one or more system files get damaged or get corrupted which might effect your system's performance in a negative way. Thus, it is important to check that all your system files are original and behaving as they should. The best way to check your operating system's files is through the System File Checker. To run the System File Checker, open Command Prompt as an Administrator and execute sfc /scannow. This command will check all your system files and if it finds that some of them are modified or corrupt, it will replace them with the original. This step can take anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes but is one that you should perform especially if your system has ever been infected by a virus.

Disable unnecessary visual effects

The visual effects that make your computer look beautiful also slow it down considerably. So, if you want to get the best performance out of your computer, you should disable all these visual effects. To disable these visual effects:-
1) Press Windows Key+R to launch the Run dialog box.
2) Execute sysdm.cpl.
3) Go to the Advanced tab in the following Window and click on Settings in the Performance section.
4) Then encircle Adjust for best performance. If you want to use visual styles and themes, check it (located at the very end of the list).
5) Click on Apply to apply the changes.

Disabling these visual effects could lead to a considerable improvement in your system's performance especially if you are on Windows 7 or Windows Vista and using the Aero interface without a graphic card.

Do not run multiple antivirus programs

Make sure that no more than one antivirus program is running on your PC. An antivirus's resident protection takes a lot of resources. So, having more than one antivirus program would bring about a significant reduction in your computer's speed.

Disable sound schemes

Whenever you perform an action in Windows, a sound is played to indicate it. Although it leads to a better user experience, it also contributes towards slowing your PC down. To make your PC a lean work machine, you should disable these sounds. To disable these, open Sounds from the Control Panel or alternately type mmsys.cpl in the Run dialog box. Go to the Sound tab and select "No Sounds" from the Sounds scheme dropdown list and click Apply.

Update Windows and make sure that you are using the latest drivers for your hardware

Having all the updates ensures that your computer is running the best possible version of your operating system and your hardware is being utilized by the best possible code. Also, an updated operating system makes you more secure against future intrusions by performance reducing malware.

 

Use a Registry Cleaner to keep your Registry in good shape

The Windows Registry is a place which keeps information about all installed programs and active system files on your system. Over time, as you install and uninstall programs, the Registry can get filled with useless entries which might increase its size making it difficult to read. This happens because most uninstallers don't remove the program's Registry entries during an uninstall. Also, the larger the Registry is on your computer, the more time Windows will take to start.

To solve this issue, use any free Registry cleaner to remove useless entries. Depending upon the number of entries in your Registry and its size, you might see a significant increase in your computer's performance.

Delete Temporary Files

Temporary files are stored in your computer as Windows operates. They are files that contain your recently accessed files list, log files, your internet history, form history, cookies and temporary internet files. Over time, the number of these files increases and cleaning them becomes important. You can use CCleaner (mentioned above) to clean them or the inbuilt Windows Disk Cleanup utility by executing cleanmgr.exe in the Run dialog box. You can also schedule a disk cleanup to ensure that it happens automatically.

Disable Windows Search Indexing Service

The Windows search indexing service scans all the files and folders on your system and stores information about them in a database to make searches faster. Naturally, this results in consumption of resources. If you don't use Windows Search often or are willing to trade faster searches for a faster computer (as you should), disable the indexing service. To disable it, execute services.msc in the Run dialog box. In the work area on the right side, locate Windows Search service and double click on it. In the following Properties dialog box, select Disabled from the Startup type dropdown and click OK. Restart your computer. Your searches will be slow but your computer will be faster than ever.

Check Device Manager to look for hardware conflicts

Open Device Manager to see that all the connected hardware are functioning properly. If you find a hardware conflict, take the necessary steps to resolve it. If the conflict cannot be resolved, disconnect the problematic hardware until you find a solution.

Change to High Performance power scheme

If you are running your computer on a battery and notice that it is running slow, change the power scheme to high performance to increase system speed. Keep in mind that it will increase the amount of power consumed by your computer. To change the power scheme, open Power Options from the Control Panel. You can directly search for Power Options in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 from the Start Screen/Menu.

Check if your computer is overheating

If your computer is overheating, then it is possible that it is causing your computer to run slowly. This is because most modern processors slow down when the computer is overheated to allow the computer to cool down.

To prevent your computer from overheating, make sure that the cooling fan works properly and that there is no dust clogging the air vents as it will prevent air flow which will result in poor cooling. Clean your computer's case with a light brush and place it somewhere where it can be effectively cooled by air. If you use a laptop, a cooling pad might be of help.

Defragment your hard drive

When Windows stores a file on your hard drive, it does not look for a single place to store your file as a whole. Instead, it stores the fragments of the file randomly, i.e storing them at whatever empty space it can find the quickest. Due to this, the fragments of a single file can be scattered all across a hard disk. A hard drive that has many files distributed like this is called as fragmented. Naturally, this results in slower file access times because Windows needs to find all these pieces and put them together (something like a jigsaw puzzle) before the file can be accessed.

This is what defragmentation corrects. When you defragment a hard drive, the scattered pieces of a file are put together and stored on the hard disk in continuous cells (assuming a hard disk to be made up of a large number of cells with each cell representing a particular storage space).

To defragment your hard drive, you can use the in-built Windows Disk Defragmenter utility. It can be searched on the Start Screen in Windows 8 & 8.1 and is located at Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools in older versions of Windows.

Use ReadyBoost to increase the speed of your Windows computer

If you are running a computer that does not have enough RAM, using a flash drive with the ReadyBoost technique can and will give you significant improvement in speed. As with ReadyBoost, your flash drive becomes a cache that stores files that you might immediately require giving you faster access times than if those files had been stored on a hard disk.

Keep in mind that ReadyBoost depends upon the condition of your flash drive and was intended to increase speeds of devices which were short on RAM. If you already have a sufficient amount of RAM, chances are that you might see very little to no improvement in speed by using it.

Reinstall Windows

This is one of the more drastic methods and should only be used if all the methods mentioned above fail to bring any significant increase in your computer's speed.

If you haven't reinstalled Windows in a really long time, it is possible that because of constant use, the system has got bogged down with useless clutter in a way that no amount of tweaking will fix its condition. Then, reinstalling Windows is the only option.

Reinstalling Windows brings about a definite increase in speed but gives you a new PC without all your software and customization. Modifying it according to your needs will take a lot of time though but that is something you must sacrifice for a faster PC.

If you use Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, you can refresh your PC without affecting your installed apps and settings. To refresh your Windows 8 PC, open Update and Recovery by going to Change PC Settings from the Settings button that appears when you move your mouse pointer to the right side of your screen. Under it, click Recovery. Then under Refresh your PC without affecting files, click Get Started.

Upgrade to a solid state HDD

Although solid state hard drives are a lot faster for writing and reading data than older optical hard drives, their heavy price is something that keeps them out of the range of many. Still, if you do manage to get one for your PC, the change in speed will be immediately visible.

If all else fails, get more RAM

RAM or the Random Access Memory contains all files of the currently running programs that are immediately required by the computer. Accessing files from the RAM is much faster than doing the same from a hard disk. This means that more the RAM you have, more the programs you can run without compromising on speed. RAM upgrades do not cost much and are one of the best ways to speed up a slow computer.

Sources  http://www.tweakandtrick.com