Information Portal, Tech News, Data Recovery

Clear Windows memory without restarting

2007-10-27T21:59:00.000+05:45

If you are running windows based computer you’ll know, like many others than after a while your system will in doubt start running slow. Most people will restart their computer to remove and idle processes. But if there’s a simpler way, why restart every time windows decides it doesn’t like you today?

1. Right click on an empty spot on your desktop and select New - Shortcut.

2. Type %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks in the box.

3. Click Next.

4. Give your shortcut a nice name like “Clear Memory”.

5. Click Finish and you’re done.

Now whenever your computer starts running slow click this shortcut to clear out your memory and get your computer running at a normal pace again.

Scientists Invent 30 Year Continuous Power Laptop Battery

2007-10-04T07:32:00.000+05:45

Your next laptop could have a continuous power battery that lasts for 30 years without a single recharge thanks to work being funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The breakthrough betavoltaic power cells are constructed from semiconductors and use radioisotopes as the energy source. As the radioactive material decays it emits beta particles that transform into electric power capable of fueling an electrical device like a laptop for years.

Although betavoltaic batteries sound Nuclear they’re not, they’re neither use fission/fusion or chemical processes to produce energy and so (do not produce any radioactive or hazardous waste). Betavoltaics generate power when an electron strikes a particular interface between two layers of material. The Process uses beta electron emissions that occur when a neutron decays into a proton which causes a forward bias in the semiconductor. This makes the betavoltaic cell a forward bias diode of sorts, similar in some respects to a photovoltaic (solar) cell. Electrons scatter out of their normal orbits in the semiconductor and into the circuit creating a usable electric current.

The profile of the batteries can be quite small and thin, a porous silicon material is used to collect the hydrogen isotope tritium which is generated in the process. The reaction is non-thermal which means laptops and other small devices like mobile phones will run much cooler than with traditional lithium-ion power batteries. The reason the battery lasts so long is that neutron beta-decay into protons is the world's most concentrated source of electricity, truly demonstrating Einstein’s theory E=MC2.

The best part about these cells are when they eventually run out of power they are totally inert and non-toxic, so environmentalists need not fear these high tech scientific wonder batteries. If all goes well plans are for these cells to reach store shelves in about 2 to 3 years.

Zero Dollar Agnitum Outpost Security Suite PRO

2007-09-25T23:04:00.000+05:45

I found a promotion offered by Agnitum and PC Magazine Greece that is giving away free Agnitum Outpost Security Suite PRO genuine license key. In order for you to request for the license key, you need to have the promotion code printed in PC Magazine Greece. If you’re not living in Greece or you don’t have money to buy the magazine, don’t worry as you can get the promotion code here.

Just follow the simple steps below to generate your free Agnitum Outpost Security Suite PRO genuine license key:

1. Go to http://www.agnitum.com/promo/pcmagreece/

2. Enter the following promotion code: AWLPN-33NH4-CC44W-SK8W4-44C7Y

3. Enter your Full Name (to be used for the registration information)

4. Enter your email (You can enter a fake email because you'll get the serial number after hitting the Send button)

Agnitum Outpost Security Suite PRO is a very bulky program because it contains firewall, ID theft prevention, Anti-virus, Anti-spyware and Anti-spam. It's everything in one. If you don't have a fast and powerful computer, I'd advice you not to install on your computer. Sorry, Windows Vista is not supported.

Do take note that the trial version offers 30 days free trial and the free genuine license key will only extend for another 40 days which gives a total of 70 days to use. I've tried setting the date on my computer 1 year ahead and Agnitum Outpost Security Suite PRO expired. I then went back to the page to generate a new key, applied it and it still says expired. From what I've tested, the key is not renewable. Once you've reached 70 days and no matter how many times you generate a new key, it will still show expired. However, maybe the server is able to recognize the current date and will only generate a 70 day license key starting from today's date. If you generate the key tomorrow, the 70 days license key's will start from tomorrow. This is just a guess and I have not tested this concept.

By the way, I found a serial number from Team YAG (Agnitum.Outpost.Security.Suite.PRO.v2007-YAG.zip), just google for the exact filename and you will get the download link and it is able to license Agnitum Outpost Security Suite PRO for 590 days! If a person knows how to search and use cracks, I bet he will definitely go for Team YAG's license key instead of the free 70 days genuine license key.

[ Download Agnitum Outpost Security Suite Pro 2007 ]

Inside of Windows Vista Service Pack 1

2007-09-02T09:37:00.000+05:45

"Now is the time and the time is now." This is the introduction Microsoft Product Manager Nick White tied to the company's first initiative designed to make public details about the first service pack for Windows Vista.

Carrying somewhat of the weight of a slogan, the time reference is far away from the impulse built into the Wow. I don't know if you still remember but "Wow is Now" was made synonymous with the launch of Vista in late January 2007. Quite a limp Wow, outperformed in the Vista delivery by the impact of Apple's iPhone for example and a marketing campaign which failed to gain or even keep a healthy momentum. Seven months after the consumer launch of Windows Vista the Wow is referenced less and less having faded into the background, while the operating system is slowly grinding and eroding Windows XP from its dominant position on the operating system market instead of dislodging it as an obsolete and expired platform.

Wow Reloaded, No Sooner than Next Year
Microsoft's second take at the Windows Vista Wow is scheduled for the first quarter of 2008. The company failed to put an accurate date on the release but just because it is not entirely up to Microsoft. "We’re targeting the first quarter of 2008, but the exact date really depends on feedback we receive from testers and the work we put into making sure we understand the feedback we receive," explained Jon DeVaan, Senior Vice President of the Windows Core Operating System division at Microsoft. Of course that the Redmond company, in its long tradition of hinting (notice that I am not using the term leaking, and have opted for an euphemism) future development directions, revealed the 2008 release date for Vista SP1 since the Financial Analyst Meeting 2007 in July. Notice that in the chronological enumeration of client and server milestones for the 2008 fiscal year, Vista SP1 is placed well after Windows Server 2008, formerly codenamed Longhorn. Although since July Microsoft indeed postponed the release to manufacturing Windows Server 2008 until the first quarter of 2008, the launch date remains set at the end of February 2008.

So your best estimates are that, if Microsoft delivers Vista SP1 at the end of February, you still have to wait six months beginning now for the refresh. In other words Microsoft has made a decisive move to catalyze Vista adoption before the service pack drops. It remains to be seen if the decision will or will not prove a gambit for the Redmond company. And just in case that you are hopping for Vista SP1 before Windows Server 2008, don't! The reason? Well the first service pack for Vista and Windows Server 2008 are intimately connected, via the 6.1 kernel.

"Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 have been built from the same fundamental source code base since the beginning. Many of the core files are identical between the two products, although each product has unique features, specific individual files and functional behaviors that are appropriate for the intended customer uses for the specific product. For example, Windows Media Center only appears in Windows Vista, while Active Directory or Windows Clustering only appear in Windows Server 2008. Examples of common files shared between the two operating systems are the kernel and core OS files, the networking stack, file sharing. In the past year since the Windows Vista public release, the common files in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 have been continually improved based on customer beta feedback, customer deployments, and Microsoft internal testing," explained Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc.

Windows Server 2008 is currently in Beta 3 stage and Microsoft was planning to RTM its last 32-bit server operating system by the end of the year. This is no longer the case. And currently the company's best estimates for Windows Server RTM are the first quarter of 2008. Coincidentally, the first quarter of the upcoming year is also the release date for Windows Vista SP1. Right... there is little coincidence here. At this point in time Microsoft plans to make the full beta of Vista SP1 available for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers by the mid September. The company will also deliver a public testing build around the time it will move into the release candidate phase of the SP1. Indications point to later this year, but that is anyone's guess right now.

Vista SP1 - The Dying Breed of the Service Pack
Vista SP1 will not be a vessel for new features. This just to know what not to expect from the service pack. In no manner is Vista SP1 a repeat of Windows XP Service Pack 2. As a matter of fact XP SP2 was an exception from the service pack course over at Microsoft and in this respect not even SP3 will bring anything new to the platform launched in 2001 and last updated in 2004. But this does not mean that Microsoft is not growing Windows Vista. In this regard the company downplayed service pack releases as only an accessory to its update infrastructure. Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), the Download Center are all applauded as viable alternatives to the traditional service pack. This does by no means imply that Microsoft will discontinue the practice of refreshing its software products through the release of service packs.

According to Microsoft nowhere is the continuous evolution of Windows Vista outside of service pack releases more evident than in the areas of application compatibility and device driver support. Programs featuring the Works with Windows Vista or certified for Windows Vista logo programs have increased steadily in volume from 254 in November 2006, the month the operating system was released to businesses, to 652 in January, to 1,709 in June and to 2,076 in July. As far as device drivers are concerned, at the end of July Vista included over 2.2 million items, up 700,000 from the 1.5 million drivers supported in November 2006.

source: news.softpedia.com

Ultimate Windows Vista ScreenSaver For your PC

2007-08-25T21:28:00.000+05:45

A top notch Windows Vista screensaver is coming to your desktop, not from Microsoft's Ultimate Extras website, but courtesy of the design firm Jackson Fish Market.

You have been able to read recently of a new Microsoft search project and experiment dubbed Tafiti. Essentially, Tafiti is a marriage between Live Search and Silverlight and an interesting approach all the way. In terms of an alternative perspective over search, Tafiti offers users the Tree View. A fully animated tree environment with orbiting search results. And believe it or not, this is the best that Microsoft has to offer in terms of screensavers for Windows Vista since the launch of the operating system. Because the Live Search/Silverlight Tree View is designed to act as a dynamic desktop screensaver.

"In the simplest terms, the Tafiti tree view is a screensaver. We haven’t done the work (yet?) to wire it into the machines actual screensaver mechanism, but we think about it as a passive way to browse more deeply into search results. (...) As the tree spins, the leaves start to turn fall-like. And as each leaf turns from orange to red it finally reaches an end point, turns green again, and the next web result shows up. In this fashion you can leave the tree running for some time as it browses very deep into the search query specified. The longer you let the tree run, the deeper you are browsing into the result set," revealed Hillel Cooperman, one of the founders of Jackson Fish Market.

You might have noticed that I keep referring to Microsoft although the tree view is in fact the work of the Jackson Fish Market. Well, first off, Tafiti is a Live Search and Silverlight combination, and in this context its connection to Microsoft cannot be denied. And second, the Jackson Fish Market reeks of Microsoft. Hillel Cooperman for example is a former Microsoft design director. And the design firm also features Tjeerd Hoek, former Design Director of Windows User Experience (UX) at Microsoft and Jenny Lam User Experience Designer both of them heavyweights during the Windows Vista development.

"If you have two monitors you could set up the Tafiti tree to run on the second monitor while you do your main work on your first. After several minutes you’ll be deeper into the result set than 99.99% of users ever go. And of course, when you get to something interesting you can check it out. I know this is kind of an esoteric feature, but we think there’s something interesting there in terms of browsing the Live Search index in a deeper way than most users ever do. It was also cool that Microsoft was willing to let us experiment with a feature that’s a little different than what people might expect. Anyway, that’s the intention of the Tafiti tree view," Hillel concluded.

Erase Your Data Securely without Any Recovery option

2007-08-25T21:07:00.000+05:45

When you delete a file, it is not gone forever, and any file removed from the Recycle Bin can be easily recovered! The Windows delete function does not clear the space where the deleted file has been located but only marks an entry in the directory (folder) as deleted. All data and information about the file still remains on the disk and can be restored! Old data will be available until another file overwrites it (uses the same space on the disk). The only way to prevent data from being recovered is to overwrite it.

I've seen tools that is able to wipe out hard drives entirely to prevent people from recovering any files and also tools that can delete a particular file and that file can't be recovered anymore. For the first time I am seeing an innovative FREE tool which is able to scan your hard drive and only make the recoverable files UNRECOVERABLE. Meaning it won't touch any of your existing files.

Disk Redactor is a COMPLETE WIPE utility that lets you securely erase any old ( deleted ) files and prevent them from being recovered. All your private sensitive insecurely erased information will be wiped from free unused space on your drives to ensure complete data destruction.

The functions that Disk Redactor performs are wiping all free unused space on your disks, and writing a big file with zeros to overwrite all old (deleted) files on your drive. After using Disk Redactor, all old data will be erased completely without any chances for its recovery.

Only takes 3 steps to prevent your confidential data from being recovered.

1. Run Disk Redactor
2. Use the Wipe Disk button to select the disk you wish to wipe (erase deleted files) and answer Yes to confirm.
3. Wait until the progress bar reaches 100%

It's free, easy to use and useful. I've checked that Disk Redactor is portable. You can simply copy DiskRedactor.exe to your USB flash drive from the program's folder which is located at C:\Program Files\CEZEO software\Disk Redactor by default.

Note:Disk Redactor does not delete an old filenames. You will be able to see the deleted filenames but content of the files will be wiped out and can't be recovered.

[ Download Disk Redactor ]

Comparision of Windows Vista Home Basic vs. Home Premium vs. Business vs. Ultimate

2007-08-21T21:40:00.000+05:45

Microsoft applauded shipping in excess of 60 million Windows Vista licenses in the operating system's first six months of general availability. However, the Redmond company is right on track to correct this little slip up.

Windows Vista will not continue to sell this well, at least not if Microsoft can help it. Just take a look at the handicapped comparison graphic included towards the bottom of this article, courtesy of the U.S. Vista Business official webpage. Now, in the past it has been demonstrated that Microsoft did not know its own operating system. That was of course in Canada, but still, it appears that ignorance is contagious and that state borders are no boundaries, or impediments.

It's beyond me why Microsoft is doing itself a disservice, but the company does excel in putting together some Wow-less comparisons between its main editions. Case in point: Windows Vista Home Basic vs. Home Premium vs. Business vs. Ultimate. Well... as far as the accuracy, the compelling argument made by the graphic, the marketing insight, the deep knowledge of its latest operating system, the exemplary resources, features and capabilities chosen to advertise the Vista editions, I have only one thing to say about the comparison... I really like the nuances of blue. I do think that they could have gone with turquoise instead, and that it would have proven a better choice, but hey, nobody's perfect and Microsoft excels in its flaw fiesta.

The comparison itself is obviously a complete strike out. Well... if the point was to underline that there is little to no difference between Vista Home Basic and Home Premium and between the Business and Ultimate editions, then Microsoft got it absolutely right. Otherwise, the Redmond company really, really drives nothing home... The main differences between Home Basic and Home Premium seem to be Windows Aero, Tablet PC capabilities, Windows Meeting Space, Windows SideShow and the ability to easily set up a network projector. Get your five Vista features for just $40! Because that's the gap that separates the $199 Home Basic and $239 Home Premium. And I have yet to see users convinced to upgrade to Vista because of Vista Aero and the SideShow.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

source: news.softpedia.com

Lower CPU Usage automatically

2007-08-20T09:20:00.001+05:45

There are many times when a process will hog your CPU, such as when converting audio/video files, or working with compressed archives. Because these processes completely consume the CPU, your system becomes sluggish to respond and using the computer for other tasks becomes impossible while these processes are running.

You either wait for the process to finish or kill the process if you urgently need to use the computer for other tasks. There is a better way than this two that is to lower the process priority of the tasks that's causing the high CPU usage. By default, all processes are at Normal priority. You can set it to Realtime, High, AboveNormal, Normal, BelowNormal and Low in Windows Task Manager. Problem is, when your computer is sluggish, it's tough to open up Windows Task Manager and set the process to Low.

What you need is a program that can detect high CPU usage and automatically set it to Low priority and then set it back to Normal once it is no longer hogging on the CPU usage.

ProcessTamer is a FREE and super efficient utility for Microsoft Windows XP/2K/NT that runs in your system tray and constantly monitors the cpu usage of other processes.

When it sees a process that is overloading your CPU, it reduces the priority of that process temporarily, until its CPU usage returns to a reasonable level.

You'll see a balloon tooltip in your system tray whenever Process Tamer adjusts or restores the priority of an application, so you'll always know what it's doing and why.

Of course there are times when you probably won't want Process Tamer to change process priorities, such as when playing games or if you are burning a cd/dvd on a slow computer; just right click its tray icon and UNCHECK enable. Or you can also specify override rules for specific applications in order to tell the program to ignore them, force them to high or low priorities, or even to kill them as soon as they are found running.

Very useful tool. Although it's free, the author of this tool encourage users to generate a free license key from his website. I've tried setting the clock 1 year ahead and the most I got was a popup asking me to generate a free license key. I am still able to use this tool even though I did not enter any license key.
[Download ProcessTamer]

Secure Your Remote Desktop Connection

2007-08-20T09:12:00.000+05:45

With all the emphasis on security for Remote Desktop for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, here's an easy way to secure Remote Desktop.

Remote Desktop normally runs on port 3389. This is the port the Remote Desktop client connects to on default and this is the port hackers scan to find open Remote Desktop connections. By changing this port number, you essentially hide your Remote Desktop connection from hackers who scan port 3389. Then no one will be able to connect your computer through Remote Desktop unless they know the port it runs on.

To change the port number that Remote Desktop uses, you must edit a registry key. The registry key you must edit is located at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Terminal ServerWinStationsRDP-Tcp

This key is stored in a hex value so you must use a decimal to hex conversion tool such as the built in windows calculator (choose your desired port number and convert it to hex before you update the key).

You may need to reboot your computer for the change to take affect and also don't forget to update your firewall if you have one with the new port number.

To connect to your computer through Remote Desktop with an alternate port, enter the IP address or DNS name as you did before with one small modification, add :port number (i.e. if the port is set to 8989: instead of using 192.168.1.1 use 192.168.1.1:8989).

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Enable Remote Desktop Behind Firewall or Routers

2007-08-16T16:34:00.000+05:45

Systems administrators have many options for connecting to another Windows system and working with it as if they were sitting right at the keyboard. These include the Remote Desktop feature in Windows, as well as VNC and its remote control software derivatives, which often include features developed using VNC's code base.

A recent VNC derivative is CrossLoop. CrossLoop deploys VNC in a way that makes it possible for any two PCs to talk to each other without an administrator or user having to change firewall settings or open ports on routers. This is done by using servers provided by CrossLoop to "kick-start" the connection between the two machines, which is done through a tunneling protocol secured with 128-bit Blowfish encryption.

CrossLoop's workings are straightforward: Installation is lightweight and the program works on all versions of Windows, including Vista. If you run the program as a host, it generates a random per-session 12-digit access code, which you provide to whoever needs access to the system. Taking remote control of a system without the other party's explicit authorization is impossible.

Wallpapers on the host are automatically disabled (and then restored) to speed up the connection. This means that when you connect to the remote computer over a Crossloop connection, the wallpaper used by the remote user is not echoed on the local machine,so it's that much less information to transmit.

CrossLoop features that are not supported in Remote Desktop include file transfers or the switching of control from the host to the server.

Note: The first time you host access to your system, you might need to grant permission to CrossLoop to work with any software firewall installed on that machine. However, hardware firewalls will not need to be set up in any way. If for some reason you want to confine all traffic to port 80, simply hold down the Alt key when clicking "Connect" in the client.

The application's licensing structure is a twofold one. The VNC components are licensed under the GNU GPL, but the CrossLoop networking components are proprietary and closed-source, although free for use. Put another way, you can use CrossLoop freely without paying at this point, but the key components of the program are not open source.

Prevent Windows XP Re-Activation

2007-08-16T14:52:00.000+05:45

The time may come that you'll need to reinstall your Windows XP,it could happen. Maybe you'll add a new motherboard or hard drive. Maybe you'll get constant errors and problems that just won't go away. Or perhaps you're a neat freak who wants to rid yourself of clutter and start fresh with a clean operating system. If you do reinstall Windows XP, then you'll need to re-activate it too—that is, unless you keep this tip handy ;-)

See, the first time you activated XP it created a file called "wpa.dbl" that lives in the WINDOWS\system32 folder. By creating a backup of this file on disk, you can simply put it back into the folder after reinstalling XP and avoid the whole re-activation hassle. Here's how...

Go to My Computer then select your Hard Drive (usually drive C).
Go to the WINDOWS\system32 folder and scroll way down until you find the wpa.dbl file.

Right-click and choose "Send To" then either Floppy Drive (make sure you have a disk in) or CD-R/RW.

Now, when you reinstall Windows XP you'll come to the activation screen—decline to activate and let the install finish.

Restart your computer in Safe Mode (keep hitting F8 at start-up then when the Advanced Boot Options menu appears arrow down to Safe Mode).

Find your way back to the WINDOWS\system32 folder. It's a good idea to rename the wpa.dbl file you're replacing just in case you run into problems, so call it something like "wpa.nothing".

Get the backup disk and copy the old wpa.dbl file back to the WINDOWS\system32 folder and reboot.

Now you have You Windows XP is up and running again.

Hacking And Unlocking the IPhone: Guide

2007-08-13T17:36:00.000+05:45

A CROATIAN HACKER under the handle Sassha published a guide in hackint0sh, a fast growing internet forum for all those lads that want to be fashionable in areas without AT&T Cingular service.

This hack includes using your SIM card (has to be SuperSIM - V1, U types), SIM Reader/Writer, SilverCard and some nice files to download. Unlock work on computers equipped with both Mac OS (separate procedure) or Windows operating systems.

After the unlock, the phone uses regular GSM or EDGE network for cellphone connectivity, or Wi-Fi connection point when EDGE connection is not available. However, there is just one small fallback - YouTube does not work. Given the limited number of results that you get on YouTube anyways, this does not seem to be a great loss.

The funniest thing of them all is the fact that you have to use iTunes to activate the iPhone, while that service is not available in Croatia at all. This is due to the fact that Europeans have more strict regs about interoperability and that Apple Croatia has other things on its mind in August. But hey, it's not that Croatia has Nokia Club as well. It's only a 4.5 million people market that owns over three million cellphones.

Ah well, at least the Iphone works.

Hacking Guide of IPhone:

You will need:

1. an iPhone
2. SIM Reader/Writer (Infinity USB Unlimited, Dynamite Programmer,etc.
3. SilverCard
4. Your SIM card (It must be a V1 ,U must be able to get Ki number)
5. Download - http://simemu.gsmhosting.net/SIM_EMU_6.01_CFG_v2.1.zip
- http://www.kinforce.com/down/kinforc...rsim/ws109.zip

1. ::Getting IMSI,ICCID & Ki number from your SIMs::

Step 1 - Your(V1)SIM

1. Put your carrier SIM card in programer
2. Run Woronscan
3. Click on "Tasks" tab then on "IMSI select" u will get a IMSI number, write it down.
4. Click on "Task" tab then on "ICC select" u will get a ICCID number, write it down.
5. Click on "Tasks" tab then on "Ki search", in pop-up window just click "Search", and wait,Ki extraction has began.(I was waiting for mine 40 min ) When u get it, write it down.

Step 2 - Getting IMSI from AT&T SIM card which came with an iPhone

1. Put your AT&T SIM card in programer
2. Click on "Tasks" then on "IMSI select" u will get a IMSI number, write it down.
3. Close Woronscan
4. Remove SIM from programer

Now You have all "data" to make SuperSim.

::Making SuperSim::

1. Download & extract - http://www.rapidshare.com/files/4749..._iphone_u1.rar
1.a Put your Silvercard in programer
2. Run Sim-Emu 6.01 Configurator v2.1
3. Click on Configure tab
4. Click "Read from disk" button
5. Browse to your downloaded Flash&EEPROM files, first double click on SIM_EMU_6.01_iphone_u1.HEX and then double click on SIM_EMU_6.01_iphone_u1_EP.HEX, now they are loaded,positions 0 and 9 are red colored,thats fine.

6. In position 0 , type in data which u got from your carrier SIM with Woronscan - IMSI,Ki & ICCID!
For ADN/SMS/FDN# type 161, 15, 4, for SMS Centre type in your carrier SMS center number.

7. Now select position "9", here type IMSI from AT&T SIM card ,and PIN1 ,PUK1 same like in position "0" ,NOTHING ELSE!
8. In "Config mode" check "Files" circle check button
9. Click on "Write to disk" button,u'll be asked to save new created SuperSim Flash&EEprom files,Save it!
10. Write those NEW created Flash&EEprom files on Silvercard with your programmer software!
11. http://www.mobileshop.org/usertech/simcutting.htm

2. ::Making your iPhone SuperSim compatible::

Step 1
MAC - http://www.hacktheiphone.com/iphone_...dding_mac.html
WIN - http://www.hacktheiphone.com/iphone_...g_windows.html

Step 2
WINDOWS users - For already "fake activated" IPhones ,put the AT&T SIM that it came with IPhone in it or deactivation in step 12. will not work!In "Step 15" when U are filling in fields ,for ICCID use your carrier SIM ICCID not AT&Ts! When u download a "custom activator v0.2" DO NOT PROCCED to Step 16! At this point remove AT&T SIM card from IPhone(still connected to computer),put in your SuperSim AND THEN procced to Step 16.!

MAC users - In step 18. type your carriers SIM ICCID where needed

You will get Activated iPhone with your SuperSim! iPhone will say "Locked SIM", Don't panic!, its only a PIN lock, tap unlock---type PIN 1111. U can disable or change PIN later in Settings--Phone--SimPin.

MAC - http://www.hacktheiphone.com/iphone_...intel_mac.html
WIN - http://www.hacktheiphone.com/iphone_...r_windows.html

EDIT: Added link to new SIM_EMU_6.01_iPhone_u1(Thanx Vladimir_CDI)
EDIT: Removed step to disable PIN in Woronscan,added info how to disable PIN in iPhone

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Get Indexed on Google and Creating Backlinks

2007-08-12T09:54:00.000+05:45

Social Bookmarking:
Submit your new website URL to the top social bookmarking sites first, before submitting to Search Engines, your pages will be indexed within days not months! Add 'tags' to your bookmarks so surfers can find your link when they search. Submit pages on a regular basis to stay at the top of site lists, creating more traffic.

Top Social Bookmarking Sites:
* StumbleUpon
* de.licio.us
* Furl
* Technorati
* soc.ialize.us
Search Engines:

Optimize keywords in your meta titles, descriptions, keywords, anchor text, header tags, image alt text. Use keyword generators to create the best keywords possible. Like Good Keywords v.2, Google Sandbox Keyword Tool. Write articles with keywords throughout your content. Make the articles informative and interesting. Submit your URL to link directories, article sites, social bookmarking sites, and other links back to your site, to increase your page rank.

Top Search Engines:
* google.com
* yahoo.com
* msn.com
* search.com
* altavista.com

Link Directories:
Link Directories are an important part of gaining quality links back to your site. A directory is organised into categories and subcategories. Human editors review each directory submission and evaluate the site's quality and relevance. Success only comes when you submit a high quality site to the proper category. Because the directory submission process is so specific to each particular directory, your website must be submitted manually.

Top Link Directories:
* Yahoo
* DMOZ
* SoMuch
* AbiLogic
* Pegasus

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Top SEO Techniques

2007-08-10T21:50:00.000+05:45

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are methods that aid in the improvement of a website's ranking in the listings of search engines. There are different kinds of listings that are displayed in the results pages of search engines, such as paid inclusion, pay-per-click advertisements, and organic search results. Utilizing SEO can increase the quantity of site visitors that acts on the activity that the site intends.

Sites have different goals for search optimization. Some sites search for all kinds of traffic. A SEO strategy that is broad in scope can be advantageous for sites that cover broad interest, such as directories and periodicals. On the other hand, majority of the sites attempt to maximize their pages for a high quantity of very specific keywords that radiate the possibility of a sale. Usually, focusing on well-chosen traffic produces sales leads of desirable quality, and allows advertisers to pull in more business.

The importance of having a high rank for an advertiser's site cannot be emphasized enough. Unfortunately, many site owners believe that their site has a high-ranking, when the truth is exactly the opposite. Others who are aware that they do not possess enough presence in search engines do not know that it is possible to achieve the ranking they want, and that they can get it through means that are a lot easier and more efficient.

So what are the techniques that advertisers must employ to maximize their optimization and garner the site activity and profits that they seek? Here are some of the most useful ones.

1. Title tags should be written in a creative way. It should be created with the strongest keyword targets as the basis. It is the most important tag of a web site when it comes to optimization. The specific keyword of the web site that is being optimized should be the one that is placed in the title tag. It goes without saying that every site should have its own title tag.

2. Carefully select the words and phrases to be assigned to Alt tags. Alt tags are not really mandatory, but they are provided for text browsers because images do not get displayed in web browsers, and it is the Alt tags that give information to the users about its significance. The rule in Alt tags is fairly simple: only key phrases or key words should be put in Alt tags, overdoing may cause a site to disappear in search results or get banned from it indefinitely.

3. Manage keyword density. Keyword density is the percentage occupied by keywords or keyword phrases in a web page. Ideally, keywords are used once in the title tag, the heading tag, and in bold text. Keywords should be placed at the top of the page, and phrases can be inserted in every paragraph, depending on how long the paragraph is.

4. Determine the appropriate page size for the site. Speed is a vital element to the success of a site, and it important to both online visitors and the search engines. It is recommended to limit web pages under 15K.

5. Create rich themes for the pages. Search engines are increasingly getting particular about themes. Content should be created as often as possible, and the pages should be maintained to 200 to 500 words. The content should be created in relation to the market, and should be linked to the other related content present on the site.

6. Make the site's design attractive to the viewer. All efforts in optimization will be in vain if the site is poorly designed and if its contents are hard for viewers to read. There should be more text content than HTML content in the web site. Viewers should be able to use the pages in all major browsers. It should be noted that most search engines veer away from JavaScript and Flash.

7. Stay away from the bad techniques. Utilizing them could get a site blacklisted from the search engines. Spamming is a no-no, and the following techniques are considered spamming: doorway and identical pages, tiny or invisible text, cloaking, usage of keyword phrases in author tags etc.

Advertisers should keep in mind that simplicity is the basis of a successful SEO campaign. Sites should be easy for viewers to locate, follow, and read, and should contain relevant content. Following the techniques above will prove worthwhile for site owners in the future.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Proactive VOIP Security Monitoring

2007-08-09T22:04:00.000+05:45

Converged VoIP and data networks are costing enterprises a lot of money, but still they're left with one question: "Is it secure?"

For Alphonse Edouard, IT vice president for Dune Capital Management, an investment firm, VoIP has become a cornerstone of business. So ensuring its security is imperative.

"For a great deal of what we do, voice is very important," Edouard said.

Dune Capital Management started by deploying VoIP. "Then the 'work anywhere' concept came into play," he said.

Dune needed a way to ensure call quality and to monitor the network to guarantee that it's secure.

"We all know VoIP is very susceptible to hackers," Edouard said. In the past, he has used QRadar from Q1 Labs to monitor flow data and network traffic. Eventually, he started to monitor VoIP quality of service (QoS). But as Dune Capital became more and more dependent on VoIP, the company needed to ensure that enough bandwidth was allotted and also had to find a way to monitor VoIP traffic separately from data traffic, though the two share a network.

A new QRadar module specifically designed for monitoring VoIP networks fit the bill, Edouard said. The VoIP module combines network behavior analysis and security event correlation to monitor across the network protocol, application and security services layer of a VoIP network.

According to Q1 Labs vice president of marketing Tom Turner, companies are struggling to monitor VoIP traffic together with the security devices that protect it. Turner said that without effective monitoring, VoIP is subject to bandwidth contention and traffic jitter while also opening itself up to potential security threats such as toll fraud, man-in-the-middle attacks, and denial of service (DoS) or other IP PBX attacks.

QRadar's VoIP module gives users a set of security event correlation rules, application signatures and specific VoIP security reports. These are designed to help users better monitor their VoIP application traffic and correlate events from security devices protecting the network, while detecting and reporting on threats specific to VoIP applications and servers.

"Voice is an increasingly critical component of customer networks," Turner said. "In order to correctly monitor and secure VoIP applications, customers need to be able to unify their view of the network, the applications on that network and the security products that defend those applications."

The module offers:

* VoIP correlation rules, which correlate events taken from multiple VoIP source devices such as call managers, IP PBXs and voice gateways. The rules detect toll fraud attempts and DoS conditions against PBXs and other voice control services.
* Daily, weekly and monthly VoIP-event summary reports, which detail the number of VoIP-associated security and policy events that are being created on a network, an indicator of overall VoIP network health.
* Executive VoIP reports, which offer a high-level look at VoIP network activity, VoIP security event data and network behavior data in a combined overall view.

Edouard said he can monitor traffic at the port to compare charges against the phone bill. The module also leverages not having 10 different products monitoring the VoIP and data network, detecting anomalies, sounding alerts and generating reports.

"I can ensure that all calls are crystal clear and everything works fine," he said. "I can also ensure that VoIP traffic is secure."

Easy ways to Lose Your Data

2007-08-08T22:29:00.000+05:45

Disk drives are marvelous devices. Especially when they go “clunk” and stop working. I’m not kidding: at least you know your data is hosed. I prefer that to the silent data corruption you don’t find out about until you can’t access a file or your OS starts freezing. Or a RAID rebuild fails.

Silent data corruption is common

You just don’t know it. Many low-end RAID controllers don’t report problems, figuring you’ll never notice. If you do notice, months later, what is the chance that you’ll know it was the controller’s fault?

Back up is better than insurance

Insurance is designed to protect you against damaging but uncommon events. But data loss is very common. Backup isn’t insurance. It is simple digital hygiene. You’ll use it again and again.

What are disks made of?

Hard drives sit at the bottom of a stack of hardware and software that usually gets your data from your CPU to the disk and back. But there are a lot of places where things can go wrong.

Here’s a partial list:

Media: those beautifully plated silver disks are subject to a couple of major problems:

* Flipped bits: when a read-only track sits next to frequently written track, the extraneous magnetic field from the writes weakens the magnetization of the read-only bits until your disk can’t read it. Normally disk ECC corrects these errors, but not always.

This is why disk fanatics periodically zero-out their disks and reload all their data. I’m not recommending this, just noting the practice.

* Physical problems, like a piece of dust, can scratch the disk and/or create enough heat so the head stops reading momentarily. Depending on severity the disk may remove that block from use or begin a death spiral into oblivion.

Wear out: disks have a lot of moving parts. In a 7200 RPM drive the disks are spinning 120 times per second compared to the 500 RPM of a CD drive. After a few years the motor can start to go. It may become slightly erratic, so some bits get squeezed and others get smeared.

The arm that moves the heads may can move dozens of times per second. When the bearings get loose it can go off track and corrupt data on adjacent tracks.

Electrical: if the drive power supply fails your drive will shut down. But if it is slowly degrading it can create extra heat or power surges that affect already marginal components. Component failures leading to sudden death are not seen by SMART reporting, which is one reason why SMART isn’t much use.

source: blogs.zdnet.com
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Advantage of Pirated Windows Vista Over Genuine Vista

2007-08-08T22:01:00.000+05:45

Recently Microsoft had a 50% price cut for Home Basic and Home Premium Editions of Windows Vista. The price cut is mainly targeted at China which has the 2nd highest software piracy rate in the world after Vietnam.

The reason is to compete with pirate software market. Pirated version is better, why buy an expensive genuine copy? Here are some views of people who are using pirated version.

Consider these facts:
Genuine Vista

1. Limited number of re-installtions of Windows Vista.
2. Activation via internet or phone activation.
3. Hardware upgrade problems.
4. It’s expensive.

Pirated Vista

1. No re-installations problem.
2. No any kind of activation, easy to install cracks, pre-cracked Windows Vista.
3. No one cares if your hardware changes.
4. Yup. It’s totally free saving you some bucks :P

No features are missing with pirated Windows Vista. They are identical. Why buy genuine?

Why buy a real copy of Windows Vista?? Activation is the pain in a$$. You can install your pirated copy of Windows Vista many times as you like, with a genuine copy you have to do a phone activation and explain them why you need to reinstall and of course there’s only a limited number times you can do this. Also if you feel like upgrading your hardware with “genuine” copy of Vista installed, think again because you license for Windows Vista might be taken away and having to reactivate since Windows Vista activation system keeps track of your hardware and suspect that you have pirated Vista installed same thing might happen if you install drivers for your hardware.

As you can see pirated vista gives you more flexibility and easier installation. You see that by buying genuine copy is just having to activate and run into license problems.

Windows Genuine Advantage???? Think again, Windows Genuine Disadvantage sounds right to me.

Note: Though this post is very interesting in knowing about Pirated Windows Vista, being myself an Open Source Software user i recommend everybody to use Genuine Windows Vista. I know how hard it is to develop a software... SO YOU CAN HELP STOP PIRACY AND PIRATED SOFTWARE.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Get Rid Of UAC on Windows VIsta

2007-08-06T09:27:00.000+05:45

If you’ve used Windows Vista for more than 3.7 minutes, you know what UAC (User Account Control) is..

It’s the obnoxious, nagging popup window that will be your life for the next 3-5 years unless you switch back to XP in frustration, or to a better OS like… OS X, Suse, Ubuntu, or even XP.

Note: Disabling UAC will lead to a less secure system, so be warned.

Windows need your permission to annoy the crap out of you:

There’s a quick way you can enable or disable this annoying window from the command line:

Disable UAC

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Enable UAC

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

After you enable or disable UAC, you will have to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

VoIP bandwidth fundamentals Part II

2007-08-04T21:56:00.000+05:45

Calculating the bandwidth for a VoIP call is not difficult once you know the method and the factors to include. The chart below, "Calculating one-way voice bandwidth," demonstrates the overhead calculation for 20 and 40 byte compressed voice (G.729) being transmitted over a Frame Relay WAN connection. Twenty bytes of G.729 compressed voice is equal to 20 ms of a word. Forty bytes of G.729 compressed voice is equal to 40 ms of a word.

The results of this method of calculation are contained in the next table, "Packet voice transmission requirements." The table demonstrates these points:

* Bandwidth requirements reduce with compression, G.711 vs. G.729.
* Bandwidth requirements reduce when longer packets are used, thereby reducing overhead.
* Even though the voice compression is an 8 to 1 ratio, the bandwidth reduction is about 3 or 4 to 1. The overhead negates some of the voice compression bandwidth savings.
* Compressing the RTP, UDP and IP headers (cRTP) is most valuable when the packet also carries compressed voice.

Packet voice transmission requirements
(Bits per second per voice channel)
Codec Voice bit rate Sample time Voice payload Packets per second Ethernet
PPP or Frame Relay
RTP cRTP
G.711 64 Kbps 20 msec 160 bytes 50 87.2 Kbps 82.4 Kbps 68.0 Kbps
G.711 64 Kbps 30 msec 240 bytes 33.3 79.4 Kbps 76.2 Kbps 66.6 Kbps
G.711 64 Kbps 40 msec 320 bytes 25 75.6 Kbps 73.2 Kbps 66.0 Kbps
G.729A 8 Kbps 20 msec 20 bytes 50 31.2 Kbps 26.4 Kbps 12.0 Kbps
G.729A 8 Kbps 30 msec 30 bytes 33.3 23.4 Kbps 20.2 Kbps 10.7 Kbps
G.729A 8 Kbps 40 msec 40 bytes 25 19.6 Kbps 17.2 Kbps 10.0 Kbps
Note: RTP assumes 40-octets RTP/UDP/IP overhead per packet
Compressed RTP (cRTP) assumes 4-octets RTP/UDP/IP overhead per packet
Ethernet overhead adds 18-octets per packet
PPP/Frame Relay overhead adds 6-octets per packet

The varying designs of packet size, voice compression choice and header compression make it difficult to determine the bandwidth to calculate for a continuous speech voice call. The IP PBX or IP phone vendor should be able to provide tables like the one above for their products. Many vendors have selected 30 ms for the payload size of their VoIP implementations. A good rule of thumb is to reserve 24 Kbps of IP network bandwidth per call for 8 Kbps (G.729-like) compressed voice. If G.711 is used, then reserve 80 Kbps of bandwidth.

If silence suppression/voice activity detection is used, the bandwidth consumption may drop 50% -- to 8 Kbps total per VoIP call. But the assumption that everyone will alternate between voice and silence without conflicting with each other is not always realistic. Silence suppression will be discussed in a later tip.

Most enterprise designers do not perform these calculations. The vendor provides the necessary information. The designer does have some freedom, such as selecting the compression technique for voice payloads and headers, and may be able to vary the packet size.

How can voice compression save bandwidth?
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) started with the transmission of analog speech. This worked well for decades until the areas under city streets became saturated with copper cables, one copper pair per call. Starting in the 1950s, AT&T Bell Labs developed a technique to carry more voice calls over copper wire. They developed digitized voice technology through which 24 digital calls can be carried on two pairs of copper wire, thereby increasing the carrying capacity of the cables twelvefold. The voice is digitized into streams of 64,000 bps per call. The technology is called a T1 circuit and the bandwidth for the 24 calls is 1.544 Mbps. This worked well for domestic connections. The T1 technology then became the mechanism for long-distance domestic transmission.

Most of the early voice compression technologies were designed for undersea cables, where bandwidth was limited and expensive. Voice compression technologies were created to reduce this bandwidth requirement. Voice compression is also used for digital cell calls, operating at about 8 Kbps instead of 64 Kbps. So voice compression is not new.

As the PBX market has moved into an IP-based environment, voice compression has become attractive for WAN transmission. Voice compression can be used on a LAN, but since LANs have so much available bandwidth, it is not commonly applied to the LAN.

The quality of a PSTN voice call provides enough analog bandwidth to understand the speaker in any language. It is also enough bandwidth for speaker recognition. The analog bandwidth delivered by the PSTN is about 3.4 KHz. This is considered toll quality. Voice compression can reduce the speech quality and may affect speaker recognition, so there is a limit to how much bandwidth reduction is possible before callers complain about voice quality.

The CODEC (COder/DECoder) is the component in an IP phone that digitizes the voice and converts it back into an analog stream of speech. The CODEC is the analog-to-digital-to-analog converter. The CODEC may also perform the voice compression and decompression.

There are several voice digitization standards and some proprietary techniques in use for VoIP transmission. Most vendors support one or more of the following ITU standards and avoid proprietary solutions:

* G.711 is the default standard for IP PBX vendors, as well as for the PSTN. This standard digitizes voice into 64 Kbps. There is no voice compression.

* G.729 is supported by many vendors for compressed voice operating at 8 Kbps, 8 to 1 compression. With quality just below that of G.711, it is the second most commonly implemented standard.

* G.723.1 was once the recommended compression standard. It operates at 6.3 Kbps and 5.3 Kbps. Although this standard further reduces bandwidth consumption, voice is noticeably poorer than with G.729, so it is not very popular for VoIP.

* G.722 operates at 64 Kbps, but offers high-fidelity speech. Whereas the three previously described standards deliver an analog sound range of 3.4 kHz, G.722 delivers 7 kHz. This version of digitized speech has been announced by several vendors and will become common in the future.

It is important to note that all of the voice digitization transmission speeds are for voice only. The actual transmission speed required must include the packet protocol overhead.

The quality of a voice call is defined by the Mean Opinion Score (MOS). A score of 4.4 to 4.5 out of a possible 5.0 is considered to be toll quality. Voice compression will affect the MOS. An MOS below 4.0 will usually produce complaints from the callers. Cell phone calls average about 3.8 to 4.0 for the MOS. The following table presents the voice MOS for different standard CODECs:

Standard Speed MOS Sampling delay per phone
G.711 64 Kbps 4.4 0.75 ms
G.729 8 Kbps 4.2 10 ms
G.723.1 6.3 Kbps
5.3 Kbps 4.0
3.5 30 ms

This table illustrates two points. First, as the voice is compressed, the voice quality (MOS) decreases. The MOS in the table does not include network impairments such as jitter and packet loss. These impairments will further reduce the voice quality. The VoIP network designer should choose a compression technique with a higher MOS so the network impairments will not reduce the voice quality to an unacceptable level.

Second, voice compression also adds delay to the end-to-end call. The table shows the sampling delay for one phone. This delay is doubled for the two phones of a call. This end-to-end delay needs to be limited. As compression increases, the delay experienced in the IP network needs to decrease, which increases the cost of transmission over the WAN, but not the LAN. The delays shown in the table are the theoretical minimum. The actual delays experienced will probably exceed 30 ms, no matter what compression technology is implemented. This delay will vary by vendor.

The conclusion is that digital voice compression is worth pursuing for VoIP transmission on a WAN, but it comes with some costs in voice quality reduction and increased end-to-end delay.

VoIP bandwidth fundamentals Part I

2007-08-04T21:24:00.000+05:45

Bandwidth requirements for Voice over IP can be a tricky beast to tame until you look at the method and factors involved. This guide investigates what bandwidth means for VoIP, how to calculate bandwidth consumption for a VoIP network and how bandwidth can be saved by using voice compression.
After this some questions may arise in your mind like:

What about bandwidth for VoIP?
Voice over IP (VoIP) is the descriptor for the technology used to carry digitized voice over an IP data network. VoIP requires two classes of protocols: a signaling protocol such as SIP, H.323 or MGCP that is used to set up, disconnect and control the calls and telephony features; and a protocol to carry speech packets. The Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) carries speech transmission. RTP is an IETF standard introduced in 1995 when H.323 was standardized. RTP will work with any signaling protocol. It is the commonly used protocol among IP PBX vendors.

An IP phone or softphone generates a voice packet every 10, 20, 30 or 40ms, depending on the vendor's implementation. The 10 to 40ms of digitized speech can be uncompressed, compressed and even encrypted. This does not matter to the RTP protocol. As you have already figured out, it takes many packets to carry one word.

The shorter the packet, the shorter the delay

End-to-end (phone-to-phone) delay needs to be limited. The shorter the packet creation delay, the more network delay the VoIP call can tolerate. Shorter packets cause less of a problem if the packet is lost. Short packets require more bandwidth, however, because of increased packet overhead (this is discussed below). Longer packets that contain more speech bytes reduce the bandwidth requirements but produce a longer construction delay and are harder to fix if lost. Many vendors have chosen 20 or 30ms size packets.

RTP packet format

The RTP header field contains the digitized speech sample (20 or 30ms of a word) time stamp and sequence number and identifies the content of each voice packet. The content descriptor defines the compression technique (if there is one) used in the packet. The RTP packet format for VoIP over Ethernet is shown below.

Ethernet
Trailer Digitized
Voice RTP
Header UDP
Header IP
Header Ethernet
Header

RTP can be carried on frame relay, ATM, PPP and other networks with only the far right header and left trailer varying by protocol. The digitized voice field, RTP, UDP and IP headers remain the same.

Each of these packets will contain part of a digitized spoken word. The packet rate is 50 packets per second for 20ms and 33.3 packets per second for 30ms voice samples.The voice packets are transmitted at these fixed rates. The digitized voice field can contain as few as 10 bytes of compressed voice or as many as 320 bytes of uncompressed voice.

The UDP header carries the sending and receiving port numbers for the call. The IP header carries the sending and receiving IP addresses for the call plus other control information. The Ethernet header carries the LAN MAC addresses of the sending and receiving devices. The Ethernet trailer is used for error detection purposes. The Ethernet header is replaced with a frame relay, ATM or PPP header and trailer when the packet enters a WAN.

'Shipping and handling'

In reality, there is no Voice over IP. It is really voice over RTP, over UDP, over IP and usually over Ethernet. The headers and trailers are required fields for the networks to carry the packets. The header and trailer overhead can be called the shipping and handling cost.

The RTP plus UDP plus IP headers will add on 40 bytes. The Ethernet header and trailer account for another 18 bytes of overhead, for a total of at least 58 bytes of overhead before there are any voice bytes in the packet. These headers, plus the Ethernet header, produce the overhead for shipping the packets. This overhead can range from 20% to 80% of the bandwidth consumed over the LAN and WAN. Many implementations of RTP have no encryption, or the vendor has provided its own encryption facilities. An IP PBX vendor may offer a standardized secure version of RTP (SRTP).

Shorter packets have higher overhead. There are 54 bytes of overhead carrying the voice bytes. As the size of the voice field gets larger with longer packets, the percentage of overhead decreases -- therefore the needed bandwidth decreases. In other words, bigger packets are more efficient than smaller packets.

Header compression

Cisco has created a header compression technique that is now the standard called RTP header compression. This technique actually compresses the RTP, UDP and IP headers and significantly reduces the RTP, UDP and IP overhead from 40 bytes to between 4 and 6 bytes. The bandwidth consumption for compressed voice packets can be reduced by nearly 60%. This technique has less value for large uncompressed voice packets. The header compression technique is not recommended for the LAN implementations because there is typically more than enough bandwidth for voice calls. The header compression technique should be considered for the WAN implementations, where bandwidth is limited and much more expensive.

Calculating bandwidth consumption for VoIP
The bandwidth needed for VoIP transmission will depend on a few factors: the compression technology, packet overhead, network protocol used and whether silence suppression is used. This tip investigates the first three considerations. Silence suppression will be covered in a later tip.

There are two primary strategies for improving IP network performance for voice: Allocate more VoIP bandwidth (reduce utilization) or implement QoS.

How much bandwidth to allocate depends on:

* Packet size for voice (10 to 320 bytes of digital voice)
* CODEC and compression technique (G.711, G.729, G.723.1, G.722, proprietary)
* Header compression (RTP + UDP + IP), which is optional
* Layer 2 protocols, such as point-to-point protocol (PPP), Frame Relay and Ethernet
* Silence suppression/voice activity detection

THIS ARTICLE WILL BE CONTINUED AS PART II.

VOIP Performance Testing Fundamentals Part II

2007-08-03T09:42:00.000+05:45

3. Analyze call quality with technical metrics
Once VoIP traffic is running in an accurately emulated virtual environment, the team can apply metrics such as mean opinion score (MOS) to pinpoint any specific places or times where voice quality is unacceptable. Typically, these trouble spots will be associated with observable network impairments -- such as delay, jitter and packet loss -- which can then be addressed with appropriate remedies.

4. Validate call quality by listening to live calls
Technical metrics alone can be misleading, since the perception of call quality by actual end users is the ultimate test of VoIP success. So the virtual environment should be used to enable the team to validate firsthand the audio quality on calls between any two points on the network under all projected network conditions. Again, a call generator can be used so that testers can act as the "nth" caller at any location.

5. Repeat as necessary to validate quality remedies
A major advantage of a virtual environment is that various fixes can be tried and tested without disrupting the production network. Testing in the virtual environment should therefore be an iterative process, so that all bugs can be fully addressed and the rollout of VoIP in the production environment can be performed with a very high degree of certainty.

6. Bring in end users for pre-deployment acceptance testing
Since voice quality is ultimately a highly subjective attribute, many VoIP implementation teams have found that it is worthwhile to bring in end users for acceptance testing prior to production rollout. This greatly reduces the chance of the dreaded VoIP mutiny syndrome, where end users balk at call quality despite the best efforts of IT and the fact that call quality meets common industry standards.

7. Continue applying the above best practices over time as part of an established change management process
To maintain VoIP quality over time, IT organizations must incorporate the above best practices into their change management practices. This is essential for ensuring that changes in the enterprise environment -- the addition of new locations, the introduction of a new application onto the network, a planned relocation of staff -- will not adversely impact end-to-end VoIP service levels.

It's important to note that while a virtual network test bed will pay for itself by virtue of its support for VoIP and convergence alone, this technology has many other uses that deliver substantial ROI. These uses include the development of more network-friendly applications, better planning of server moves and data center consolidations, and improved support for merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. These significant additional benefits make emulation technology an extremely lucrative investment for IT organizations seeking both to ensure the success of a VoIP project in the near term and to optimize their overall operational excellence in the long term.

Cool Ways to Earn Money Online From Home

2007-08-02T09:25:00.000+05:45

Listed below were the overview of general ideas on how you can earn money online, whether part time, full time and/or working from the comfort of your home. These ideas doesn’t promised you that you will become rich, however, it may be the case if you dedicate your time an effort. These methods requires your skills (be sure you have at least one and be able to identify what is it), time, hardwork, dedication and patience. If you don’t have these needed qualities, just don’t read further anymore.

Some ways are nice, some are boring, others might be totally for an internet newbie (the intended audience) and there may be others that are repeatedly mentioned but at least these are legal and can let you have at least a single cent (no, it should be more than that). These are just ways and ideas - promotion, marketing and specifics on how to earn in a certain program is not covered here, thus your earning potential greatly depend on you.

1. Create website.
Your website may range from content-rich site, membership subscription sites, forums, gaming, anime downloads, directories of all kind, proxy, image and file hosting, video streaming and a list many to mention. You can monetize it through various methods such as selling advertising space, contextual ads, affiliate banners, membership subscriptions, pay per download, etc. The way you monetize your site will depend on what kind of site you are going to build.

2. Google Adsense and Other Contextual Advertising Programs.
The most basic way to monetize your website is to have contextual ads in your website from third-party advertising networks. Google Adsense (the hottest and most preferred in the industry), Yahoo! Publisher Network (YPN, US only), Bidvertiser, and Clicksor are only few of those ad networks that delivers contextual ads to your website. You just simply put a code in your pages where you want the ads to appear, and if your visitor(s) click on that ads, you will get paid. Please take note that you may not able to place ads from those specified networks to your site together. For example, you cannot have Adsense and YPN displayed together in your website. Please read their rules/terms carefully.

3. Affiliate Programs / Associate Programs.
Act like a salesman and get paid for selling someone else’s products or services. Affiliate Programs payments may vary, it’s either pay per sale, pay per lead, commissions from second tier, etc and you will also be paid by percentage or a fixed price. Just sign up with the affiliate program you like such as Commission Junction, Clickbank, LinkShare, ShareASale, etc. You will then be given an affiliate link (provided with advertising materials) that you can promote. Once a purchased or a sign-up occur through your affiliate link,you will earn a percentage of the amount that the company selling the product earns on that sale.

4. MLM ( Multi Level Marketing ).
This works much like of an Affiliate Programs, selling others’ products and services. However, on MLM, you will also get paid on your affiliates’ affiliates (downlines) commissions, multi level. But the MLM business model has a bad image and is considered by most as a Pyramid Scheme which is not true since it depends on the company that runs the business. Please make a due deligince before entering into an MLM business. TIP: Don’t join a program if it requires you to pay before you can join them.

5. Blogging.
The easiest way to monetize your blog is through Google Adsense. Other way of monetizing your blog is by selling advertising space (whether direct or through a third-party such as Text Link Ads). The new way to monetize your blog is by blogging itself. You will be get paid to blog on certain products and services and/or providing reviews. Some companies that offers this kind of monetizing your blog are PayPerPost, ReviewMe and SponsoredReviews.

6. Freelancing.
If you’ve got the skills, freelancing is enough for you to have a steady flows of income working from the comfort of your home. Though there is much competition in the freelancing industry, your success will rely mainly on your skills and dedication. Some freelancers offer their services to Rent-a-Coder, Scriptlance, Getafreelancer and eLance. However, most of successful freelancers didn’t exists in freelance websites stated above . Why? Because it’s the job that will find and look for them - they will not looking for jobs, they simply accept or refuse job offers. Below are some of the few freelancing jobs that you can do whil staying at home.

* Logo / Icons Design / Illustrations
* Web Design
* Web Development
* Programming
* Scripts Installation
* Searh Engine Optimization (SEO)
* Article Writing
* Article Submissions
* Directories Submissions
* Social Bookmarking Submissions
* Language Translations
* Business Consulting

6. Turnkey Sites.
Some people are busy enough that they can’t create the site that they want to have. Develop turnkey sites that most of the people demand. Ask them what they want and provide them immediately what they need. An example that offer this kind of service is Prozilla.

7. Sell Your Established Sites.
If you can’t manage anymore one of your sites, sell them. Usually, asked for a 12-month revenue price when selling them.

8. Create A Product.
Make product(s) that are in demand today and in the future. It could be an eBook, software (preferred a web-based software), photographs or something that is innovative and sell them.

9. Reselling Digital Products.
If you can’t create your own product, then buy from someone and resell them. Be sure that you will get resell rights when buying them. These products may include eBooks, Private Label Articles, databases, website templates and softwares.

10. Resell Web Hosting.
Buy a reseller web hosting account and act like you own a web hosting company.

11. Free Web Hosting.
In relation to #10, if finding clients to your own web hosting is too hard for you, offer it as free. While this is free, you can still earn through putting advertisements on your users’ website. The advertising income you can generate will surely more than enough the monthly fee of your reseller account.

12. Resell Domain Names

13. Give Freebies / Build A List.
Build a site that will offer free stuff such as eBooks, images, templates and among others. Let them register first (even only a name and an email) and forced opt-in them to receive email messages from you before they can get your freebies. If you have something to promot one of these days, you have already prospects!

14. Forum Posting.
Owners of a new forum have problems on growing their forums. Some new forum owners will pay you to post on their forum. Although, this is not quite a good income, but it could some up if you have the skills to write and post.

15. Forum Moderation.
When a forum grows into a large community, the owner might need some staff to monitor his forum. Usually, they will pay a forum moderator by percentage of the revenue that the forum generates.

16. MySpace Bulletins.
Join MySpace, build a lot of freinds and send them bulletins promoting your products or affiliate links. If you have no products to send to them, sell your bulletins to others.

There are still a lot more ways on how to earn money online. But mainly they fall under #1 which is creating your own website. Please comment to share your ideas on how we can make money online.

VOIP Performance Testing Fundamentals Part I

2007-08-01T23:35:00.000+05:45

VoIP network performance testing can mean the difference between a VoIP system working at a high level QoS and a weak system that runs so poorly customers could take their business elsewhere. This guide discusses why it is important to run regular performance testing and some of the ways it can be done.
Voice over IP (VoIP) technology offers a wide range of benefits -- including reduction of telecom costs, management of one network instead of two, simplified provisioning of services to remote locations, and the ability to deploy a new generation of converged applications. But no business can afford to have its voice services compromised. Revenue, relationships and reputation all depend on people being able to speak to each other on the phone with five 9's reliability.

Thus, every company pursuing the benefits of VoIP must take steps to ensure that their converged network delivers acceptable call quality and non-stop availability.

A virtual network test bed is particularly useful for taking risk out of both initial VoIP deployment and long-term VoIP ownership. Essentially, such a test bed enables application developers, QA specialists, network managers and other IT staff to observe and analyze the behavior of network applications in a lab environment that accurately emulates conditions on the current and/or planned production network. This emulation should encompass all relevant attributes of the network, including:

* All network links and their impairments, such as: physical distance and associated latency, bandwidth, jitter, packet loss, CIR, QoS, MPLS classification schemes, etc.,

* the number and distribution of end users at each remote location and

* application traffic loads.

This kind of test bed is indispensable for modeling the performance of VoIP in the production environment, validating vendor claims, comparing alternative solutions, experimenting with proposed network enhancements, and actually experiencing the call quality that the planned VoIP implementation will deliver.

Following are seven best practices for applying virtual network test bed technology to both initial VoIP deployment and ongoing VoIP management challenges:

1. Capture conditions on the network to define best-case, average-case and worst-case scenarios
Conditions in a test lab won't reflect conditions in the real-world environment if they are not based on empirical input. That's why successful VoIP adopters record conditions on the production network over an extended period of time and then play back those conditions in the lab to define best-, average-, and worst-case scenarios. By assessing VoIP performance under these various scenarios, project teams can readily discover any problems that threaten call quality.

2. Use the virtual network to run VoIP services in the testing lab under those real-world scenarios
Once the network's best-, average-, and worst-case scenarios have been replicated in the test environment, the project team can begin the process of VoIP testing by running voice traffic between every set of endpoints. This can be done by actually connecting phones to the test bed. Call generation tools can also be used to emulate projected call volumes.

Improving VOIP Call Quality

2007-07-31T21:18:00.000+05:45

If the problem is echo and it is happening within your building – return loss in your cable plant is the likely culprit – you can buy an expensive echo canceller or have your cables reterminated and tested (generally FAR cheaper). If the problem is jitter and delay, the solution could be as simple as putting your voice equipment on a VLAN and increasing the priority at which those packets are transmitted. You will also want to look at a few other things like making sure that your subnet is not too large, that all of your devices handle QoS and that they are layer 3 devices.

How can a business ensure VoIP quality of service (QoS)?

The first step is to be sure that your routers and switches support QoS, because many of the older ones do not. Second you will want to be sure that your network is healthy. You should turn SNMP (V3) on and monitor your network for a period of time (ideally 30 days as this covers end of month processes and other high traffic times). Look for bit errors, retransmissions, discards, etc. Correct any problems there. Make sure that your cabling is not the cause of any of these errors and that it tests out to be at least category 5e. Then you may also want to put your voice devices on their own VLAN if you have numerous devices. These processes will help ensure that your QoS goals are met. Your installation company will help with the setup of your switches to ensure QoS there as well.

A VoIP phone can send calls over the internet and data network as opposed to the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) network. Also the VoIP is packet switched as opposed to circuit switched which means that the transmission is different.

You can get your VOIP call through your firewall in the following way:
You can get VoIP through a firewall. How you do that will depend on the type of VoIP traffic you want to get through the firewall and the particular firewall you are running. I think where this confusion comes from is from places like hotels that are blocking traditional VoIP packets from being transmitted.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

The Simpsons Movie sparks spam blast

2007-07-31T21:08:00.000+05:45

Spammers are jumping on the success of The Simpsons Movie to trick e-mail users into validating their addresses, so they can then send them more spam.
Since the launch of the movie on July 27 spammers have been sending messages with an embedded picture of Homer Simpson in his underwear. The text asks if the recipient plans to see the new movie and to fill out a related survey by following an embedded link. If the recipient clicks on the link, the Web site records the e-mail address – now knowing that there is a valid user – and sends the address more spam.

The spam message also promises to award a prize to those who fill out the survey, according to antispam vendor SpamFighter, which `caught The Simpsons Movie spam in its filters.

While this new spam blast uses a hot pop-culture topic to entice recipients, the purpose of the spam is a throwback to the early days of e-mail abuse. Unlike phishing scams of late that try to extract personal or financial information from users or e-mails with hidden malware that installs bot nets on unsuspecting PCs, the Simpsons’ scam does nothing more than validate the legitimacy of the address, and then spam some more.

Another recent abuse that used the release of a Harry Potter novel and film to entice recipients was also comparatively benign; the W32/Hairy-A worm infected PCs and displayed a file that said “Harry Potter is dead,” among other messages, but didn’t download malware or attempt to extract information from the user.

Search TV Episodes on Bittorent Sites Easily

2007-07-31T09:24:00.000+05:45

Are you a TV show freak? You'd love to watch every episode of TV shows but couldn't because you don't have the time to watch it when it's airing on TV? You can easily download them from torrent but then it's a tedious task going from websites to websites searching for the latest episode. Imagine searching latest episodes for 100 TV shows on 10 different torrent websites... I wouldn't imagine anyone doing that!

Well now you can! I found a FREE program that is able to automatically find new episodes for your favorite TV shows. Currently it is able to support searching for exactly 100 types TV shows. Some of the examples are Desperate Housewives, Lost, Heroes, My Name Is Earl and etc... I've never seen an easier way to search for latest TV episodes.

ted, Torrent Episode Downloader can find episodes of any TV show you like to watch.

It uses RSS and Bittorrent technology to get you the newest episodes as fast is possible. ted is free, easy to use and works on almost all computers. Ted checks feeds from TorrentReactor, Mininova, TVRSS, The PirateBay, Mr. Twig and Isohunt for new episodes of tv shows.

Once ted found a new episode, it will announce to you on your system tray. Then ted will fire up your favourite bittorrent client and your client will start downloading the episode. How cool and easy is that?

Other than that, ted also has a schedule checking feature. If you know that the latest episode of Heroes is being aired every Monday, you wouldn't want to waste your bandwidth by letting it check for new episode everyday. Just schedule ted to check for the latest episode of Heroes on Monday and Tuesday.

Ted works on Windows, Linux and Mac systems that have Java Runtime Environment 5.0 installed. You will also need a bittorrent client, like Azureus, µTorrent or Bitcomet to actually download the episodes.

Note: Watch out for the new version of ted 0.9 which to be released in the coming week! It will have new features and lots of improvements. In the meantime, you can go ahead and use the version 0.8 and then upgrade to 0.9 when it's out.

Download ted 0.8
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Easily Convert Files to PDF For Free

2007-07-23T22:25:00.000+05:45

Sometimes I do need to convert my documents to PDF from time to time but not often. Since I don't convert my documents to PDF all the time, I don't want to waste my hard drive space to install a PDF printer driver and memory resources to keep it running in background all the time. I know that drivers loads up in Windows and it'd make my computer slightly slower. My solution when I want to convert documents to PDF is to use a free online service that enables me to upload files for free and instantly convert my document to PDF without downloading or installing any driver or software.

PrimoOnline is a free online conversion to PDF without any effort! All you need to do is browse for the file that you want to convert to PDF, enter your email address because after conversion, PrimoOnline will send the PDF to the email. Finally click the "Get PDF" button. Only 3 STEPS!

The Pros of PrimoOnline:
1. No download or installation required
2. Easy and effortless.
3. It's FREE
4. No limit of document file size for upload

The Cons of PrimoOnline:
1. You can't protect the PDF with password
2. No options at all
3. You might be afraid to upload your sensitive document to PrimoOnline

A total of 83 file types that can be converted into PDF.
123, bmp, cgm, csv, dbf, dif, doc, dot, dxf, emf, eps, gif, hwp, jpeg, jpg, jtd, jtt, met, mml, odb, odf, odg, odm, odp, ods, odt, otg, oth, otp, ots, ott, pbm, pcd, pct, png, ppm, pps, ppt, psd, pts, ptt, ras, rtf, sda, sdc, sdd, sdp, sdw, sgf, sgl, sgv, slk, smf, stc, std, sti, stw, svm, sxc, sxd, sxg, sxi, sxm, sxt, sxw, tga, tif, tiff, txt, vor, vor, wb2, wk1, wks, wmf, wpd, wps, xbm, xls, xlt, xlw, xml, xpm

[Convert Files to PDF ]

If you're need to convert your files to PDF very often or you require advance options, then you can use PrimoPDF. PrimoPDF is a desktop version of PrimoOnline but it's more powerful. It is a FREE tool for high-quality PDF creation, comprising a user-friendly interface that enables printing to PDF from virtually any Windows application.
PrimoPDF features:
* Completely free, not just a trial version, and no user registration is required.
* Ability to optimize PDF output for screen (online viewing), print (standard laser printers), ebook, and prepress.
* Resultant PDF output conforms to the PDF 1.4 specification.
* Secure PDF files with 40- or 128-bit encryption.
* Add document information (e.g. title, author, subject, keywords) to converted PDF files.
* NEW: Full support for 64-bit machines.
* NEW: Double byte character support.
* NEW: Support of non-TrueType fonts.
* NEW: Enhanced support for Microsoft Windows 98, ME, XP and Vista as well as improved PDF viewing support on non-Windows platforms.
* NEW: Ability to merge/append PDF files upon conversion.

[Download PrimoPDF]

Tweak Windows Vista Bubbles Screen Saver

2007-07-23T22:18:00.000+05:45

As with each versions of Windows OS, all Windows Vista editions bundled with some official screen savers. However, not all of these Vista screen savers allow users to easily configure its display behaviour via the Screen Saver Settings dialog box. The Bubbles screen saver is one of them.

Though, you can tweak or change the Windows Vista Bubbles screen saver to display Material Glass or metallic bubbles that look alike M&M Chocolate!

How to tweak or change Vista Bubbles screen saver settings?

1. Open Windows Vista Command Prompt with administrative privilege,

2. Turns on the Vista Command Prompt “copy and paste” function,

3. Copy and paste the following one-line Vista Console Registry Tool command (Reg.exe) into the Vista Command Prompt window

REG ADD HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Screensavers\Bubbles /v MaterialGlass /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

4. Press ENTER key to execute the Reg.exe command, which will forcibly create a 32-bit DWORD registry key called MaterialGlass in that Vista Bubble registry path with default value zero.

That’s the way to turns Vista Bubbles screen saver to display Material Glass bubbles (or metallic bubbles). At first glance, I thought there were M&M Chocolates in my Vista Desktop :-)!

Other than the Material Glass bubble, you can also set or tweak Vista Bubble screen saver to display real-transparent bubbles rather than the default semi-transparent bubbles.

Again, you need to execute the following Reg.exe command (Vista Console Registry Tool) to add one 32-bit DWORD registry key called ShowShadows with default value zero.

Before adding ShowShadows registry key, you need to delete Material Glass first:

REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Screensavers\Bubbles /v MaterialGlass /f

Next, adding ShowShadows key to enable a true transparent Vista Bubbles screen saver:

REG ADD HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Screensavers\Bubbles /v ShowShadows /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Likewise, to delete ShowShadows key, execute this Reg.exe command:

REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Screensavers\Bubbles /v ShowShadows /f

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Video over IP: What the voice manager needs to know

2007-07-20T10:05:00.000+05:45

Like voice over IP (VoIP), video over IP has been both popular and challenging since the days of the dotcom boom. We've lived through several generations of hype and equipment, and now that most customers are a little more sophisticated, buyers and IT departments are a little more realistic about when and how their users will use the video systems. In this tip, we'll highlight a few of the decisions voice managers or network managers may need to make in this arena.

Video over IP categories

Here is a brief description of a few broad categories of video over IP.

Streaming: This is typically used for one-way distribution of video content, such as broadcasts from the CEO to the employees, mandatory safety videos, diversity training, and so on. A popular feature of streaming deployments is the ability to store video near the edges of the network and have users access it "on demand." This is the sort of video that benefits greatly from multicast.

Conferencing: Whether two people or two rooms or six rooms, this is the "talking heads" variety of video over IP. Many older conferencing systems skip the IP part and run the video over ISDN.

Telepresence: This is a relative newcomer. It attempts to offer a more realistic experience with video that is high-definition, images that are life-sized, spatial sound, and other features. In theory, this allows participants to pick up all the body language and much verbal and non-verbal communication that was unavailable with traditional videoconferencing.

Now, for those things to know...

Endpoints: These are the devices on which you watch the video. At a minimum, they'll include a video camera and a TV of some sort. Your options here range from large "room systems" that are dedicated fixtures usually involving a complete remodeling of the conference room in question, laptops or desktops with a video player and webcam, and lots of things in between.

The major decision here is the tradeoff between the convenience and features of "video to the desktop" with the low cost of a shared system in a conference room. If you want to run video to the desktop, make sure that you have your LAN prepared and you're ready to deal with various user issues, such as support when they're trying to run 30 applications at the same time and complaining about poor frame rates, or when they're mobile.

Transport: This is how you're going to get the video from one endpoint to the next. Assuming you want to use IP, your options here are basically to use your organization's data WAN or to build a dedicated video-only network. ISDN is still an option -- and may be a good one depending on what region of the world you're in.

External gateway: This is how you would connect to video systems not on your corporate network. First, you need to determine whether this is a requirement. That is, is there someone you need to do videoconferencing with who isn't in your organization? If so, your options are to set up your own gateway on the Internet or with ISDN circuits, or to purchase a gateway service from your WAN provider or another service provider.

Integration: This is how your video system connects to other IT systems. Popular options include connecting your video system to your email and calendaring application so that users can schedule meetings and conference rooms, or connecting it to instant messaging systems and other data collaboration systems to make it easier to use and to let users share images or work together on a PC application.

More specific things a VoIP manager needs to know deal with video's effect on QoS and potential integration with VoIP. First, QoS Video traffic does need prioritization and protection against data traffic, and when you have both voice and video traffic, it can be challenging to figure out how much bandwidth to size your queues for. You'll want to make sure you have your Call Admission Control worked out before you deploy. Second, if you have both VoIP and videoconferencing, there's a good chance some of your users will want the videophones and the ability to have voice-only participants in your video conferences, where the voice participants are using VoIP in your network.

No Public Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta anytime soon

2007-07-20T09:27:00.000+05:45

"There will be a Windows Vista service pack and our current expectation is that a beta will be made available sometime this year. Service packs are part of the traditional software life cycle — they’re something we do for all Microsoft products as part of our commitment to continuous improvement, and providing early test builds is a standard practice that helps us incorporate customer feedback and improve the overall quality of the product.

Service packs are just one example of the work we do to constantly improve the Windows experience. We also deliver improvements to Windows via Windows Update, which is an excellent channel for providing our customers with the most significant updates as they happen. And, since Windows Vista launched, we have continued working with partners to improve overall device coverage and application compatibility. There are now more than 2.1 million supported devices and more than 2,000 logoed applications for Windows Vista. We think customers will have a great experience using Windows Vista today.”

So the only release that's occurring is a limited Beta to a very small, very select group of advance customers. A public version of the Beta is not being released this week, nor next, nor in July, nor anytime in the immediate future.

source: bink.nu

Google Plans Search Service for Mobile Content

2007-07-17T21:22:00.000+05:45

Google Inc. is developing a new search service for cellphones that will help consumers find and buy ringtones, games and other mobile content as the Internet company pushes more deeply into wireless, people familiar with the matter say.

Google already offers cellphone users a version of its popular engine for searching the Web. Now the company wants to go beyond just looking up Web pages, effectively becoming a gateway for finding and paying for mobile media content.

With the new system, users would search for a piece of content -- say, a U2 ringtone -- and get back a list of providers as well as links enabling them to easily purchase the material. Eventually, Google would charge companies for high placement in the search results, much the way it offers "sponsored links" on computer Web searches, the people familiar with the plans say.

The company has been working for months with content providers -- including large entertainment companies and smaller mobile-media aggregators -- to index their material and make it available via mobile search. But the project has been marred by a series of technical delays, people familiar with the matter say, illustrating that there's a learning curve as Internet giants adjust to the peculiarities of the mobile world. It isn't clear how soon Google plans to launch the service.

The Internet company has considered including a social-networking component that would let users of the company's Gmail email service exchange content, a person familiar with the initiative says. Overall, the service would work much like the Google Product Search service, formerly known as Froogle, people familiar with the situation say. A spokeswoman for Google declines to comment.

Google's plans to broker the sale of mobile content like ringtones and games could become a threat to large cellphone operators like Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., especially if Google enables customer payment through eBay Inc.'s PayPal or its own online Checkout service. The operators have built their own storefronts to sell such material, and they would prefer to hold on to consumers' attention and spending. If billing goes through the carriers instead, appearing on customers' monthly bills, carriers could actually benefit because they usually get a significant cut of such transactions.

Though mobile content is still a small market, it is growing quickly. Global sales of music, video, ringtones and other content reached $27.4 billion last year, and they are expected to grow to $59.3 billion by 2011, according to the technology-research and consulting firm Yankee Group.

Google has lately been sparring with Verizon and other operators in Washington over Google's proposal to have regulators open up wireless networks to more services from Internet companies and others. Google has also made a series of moves lately to beef up its presence on cellphones. The company recently began testing a service -- similar to its AdSense platform on the Internet -- that will broker ads for other mobile Web sites. Last month, its YouTube unit made a version of its video-sharing Web site available for Apple Inc.'s iPhone. And the company has said it's working on new software applications for cellphones as well as a software platform for such devices on which other developers could build.

Other Internet companies have also been pushing into mobile lately. In June, Yahoo Inc. launched a partnership with the U.K.-based carrier Vodafone Group PLC to show banner ads on cellphones for such companies as Ford and Nissan. In a small deal it didn't announce publicly, Yahoo also recently acquired a small company called Actionality that brokers ads for applications and games that can be downloaded to cellphones. Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, meanwhile, acquired mobile advertising provider Third Screen Media in May.

When it comes to searches on cellphones, Internet companies like Google and Yahoo have been competing with start-ups like Medio Systems Inc. and JumpTap Inc. The lure for all providers is the potential ad revenue that could be generated by sponsored links alongside search results. Revenue from search ads is still tiny, but Google and others see it growing down the road.

The start-ups have snagged early deals with U.S. wireless operators like Verizon Wireless, Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA and Alltel Corp. The carriers integrate the start-ups' search tools into their handsets to make it easier for consumers to find content in the carriers' mobile storefronts and to look up local businesses. Microsoft Corp. is the only major Internet company to land such a partnership with a U.S. carrier, a pact with Sprint Nextel that provides a search bar customers can use to find everything from ringtones on Sprint's storefront to local restaurants.

Translating Internet search to the cellphone screen isn't trivial. While consumers search the Web for just about everything on PCs, cellphone users are usually interested in a much narrower universe of information, such as sports scores, the phone numbers of local businesses and media downloads like games and wallpaper.

The small cellphone screen limits the space to display results, so search providers have to be as precise as possible in determining what a user wants.

Google's mobile search isn't promoted by carriers, but consumers are beginning to discover it. Google has a separate search service that lets users send a text message to "googl," or 46645, to look up a local business.
Source: here

VOIP Market Evolves in Year 2007

2007-07-12T16:22:00.000+05:45

VoIP will have its year in 2007, according to recent studies by Infonetics Research.

And while it seems that every year is billed as VoIP's, Infonetics is quick to point out that IP PBX sales are increasing rapidly as TDM sales enjoy a small increase that will lead to an inevitable plummet.

"A number of important developments are sure to inject a jolt or two of excitement into the enterprise telephony market this year," said Infonetics' directing analyst Matthias Machowinski.

So far this year, sales of pure IP PBX systems have increased 3% in the first quarter over the previous quarter and are up 76% from the first quarter last year. Also, traditional TDM PBX phone system sales saw a slight jump in revenue in 2007's first quarter, after five consecutive quarterly losses. But TDM PBX sales are positioned to decline steadily through 2010, with a compound annual growth rate dropping into negative percentages.

According to Machowinski, key developments in the VoIP market this year will further stoke the VoIP fervor. As overall enterprise telephone revenue is on track for another year of double-digit growth, the first quarter of 2007 saw worldwide total PBX/KTS system sales inch up 1% and rise 8% compared with the previous year.

By 2010, the telephony market will have reached the $11.9 billion mark.

Hybrid PBXs will also see dramatic growth, as hybrids represented 63% of all PBX/KTS system line shipments worldwide in the first quarter of this year. That is expected to increase to 72% by 2010.

And though growth is expected, Infonetics was quick to point out that the enterprise telephony market in 2007's first quarter was flat in North America, weak in Europe, and strong in Asia Pacific.

As for market leaders, Avaya, which was recently bought out by two private equity firms to the tune of $8 billion, was the market share leader in IP PBX revenue for the first quarter this year, followed closely by Cisco and Siemens. Cisco maintains the lead in IP desk phone and soft phone sales, however, with more than half of the units shipped worldwide.

And the evolving market, with Microsoft and other major players poised to make key VoIP and unified communications related announcements this year, will fuel VoIP growth even further, Machowinski said.

"Microsoft is launching OCS [Office Communication Server] 2007, and the question on everybody's mind is: What's the market impact?" he said. "Will buyers abandon their PBXs in favor of a pure unified communications solution? We don't think so, at least for the short term."

Unified communications deployments and Microsoft's push toward software-heavy VoIP deployments could change the market's direction, but vendor consolidation will also strongly influence where telephony moves.

"Also, vendor consolidation is heading up again: Inter-Tel and Mitel are planning to merge," Machowinski said. "And then there's ShoreTel's IPO, which is just around the corner. So this should be an interesting year for the PBX market."

By Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

The M&S suit that can control your iPod

2007-07-10T10:08:00.000+05:45

It is the first suit which is so loud that it needs its own volume control.

In fact this classic black pinstripe suit actually appears rather conservative, until the electronic wizardry hidden beneath the lining is revealed.

The £149 Marks & Spencer iPod suit has a 'smart-fabric' control pad for the iconic MP3 player sewn into the material.
The £149 iPod suit has a 'smart-fabric' control pad for the MP3 player sewn into the material

Inside the left lapel are a series of controls for the level of sound and to skip backwards and forward through tracks.

These controls are attached to a cable that also runs beneath the lining and simply plugs into the iPod, while the suit - a gadget geek's dream - also has a special iPod pocket.

Even the suit lapels have special loops to hold the wires for the earphones, so avoiding the normal cats cradle of connections.

More....

* iPod sales can identify property hotspots

The Marks & Spencer hands-free iPod suit - in wool with added Lycra and electronic wizardry - is going into nine stores.

The wired for sound 'hands-free' jacket comes in at £90, while the trousers are another £59.

The suit itself is made by Bagir Ltd, while the 'smart-fabric' technology has been developed by the British technology company Eleksen.

Eleksen, based in the old Pinewood Studios where James Bond films were made, has developed a series of smart-fabric devices, including a full-size keyboard.

It connects wirelessly to a PDA or smart phone and allows users to access the web or compose and send emails.

The beauty of the portable keyboard, which runs on two AAA Batteries, is that it weighs only 68 grams and rolls up into your pocket when you're finished.

While the iPod suit seems like a major innovation, it is considered just the first step in a new era in fashion that marries fabric with technology.

Scientists are working on TV screen technology using materials that are so thin and flexible that they can be worn like clothes.

These could connect wirelessly to the internet via a pocket smart phone and display moving images, changing colours or designs to match the mood of the wearer.

Last year, Time magazine nominated the Hug Shirt as one of the inventions of the year.

Embedded in the shirt are sensors that feel the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the sender.

These are then transmitted via the mobile phone network to someone else - a loved one - wearing another Hug Shirt who could be anywhere in the world.

Consequently, it is possible to send hugs or a caring touch of the arm, even a pat on the back, thousands of miles across the world.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Disable Windows Vista Run Command

2007-07-10T09:30:00.000+05:45

Since Windows 95, the Windows Run command has been one of the common components in the Start menu.
Windows Vista Run command can be disable or turn off from the Vista Start menu

It exist to allows user executing a Windows program without open up the Command Prompt window or browse through the Start menu or Windows Explorer, as long as the program specified can be found in the common paths or paths in the %PATH% environment variable!

However, the Run command is gradually becomes less important in Windows Vista with the introduction of Instant Search feature! In fact, it’s an optional command that user can explicitly turn it on or off.

If you’ve accidentally turned off or disabled the Run command in Windows Vista and miss it so much later, following are the steps to turn it on again. Likewise, you may purposely turn off or disable the Run command in Windows Vista start menu too:

1. Right-click the Vista Orb (the new Vista Start button) and select Properties to bring up the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box,

2. In the Start Menu tab, either the Start Menu or Classic Start Menu option is selected. Either way, click the Customize button, locate and disable / enable check-box that labeled as Run Command (if Start Menu option is selected) or Display Run (if Classic Start Menu is selected).

3. Click OK to close the dialog box, and DONE!

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Download iPhone Ringtone For Nokia N73

2007-07-08T09:27:00.000+05:45

Eventually, the most expected Apple iPhone has successfully hit the store on last Friday, 29th of June!

Apple Inc iPhone is dubbed as a revolutionary smartphone at the earlier of 21st century!

Steve Jobs dream of finding at least one Apple gadget in everyone pocket might be materialized soon after the successful launch of iPhone in the US territories, but not that soon for the rest of regions around the world.

Anyway, it’s not too bad if you can install some original iPhone ringtones on your Nokia N73 (or any other non-Apple iPhone), before Apple Inc is ready to sell its next profit-sucker at outside of US!

Jason Romero via My Digital Life that said have ripped off the so-called original iPhone ringtones for everyone, as long as your cellphone supports MP3 format of ringtone!

With much curiosity and excitement, I’ve downloaded them to try on my Nokia N73. To be frank, I can’t tell that these are really the genuine iPhone ringtones, but I’m certainly don’t find them attractive or impressive as I can imagine on Steve Jobs artist-minded masterpiece!

Moreoever, most of the ringtones are terrible soft, even after I set the volume to maximum level! As such, I guess that these are actually microphone recording (of original iPhone rightone?) rather than software-ripped ringtone.

Indeed, the Nokia N73 bundled ringtones are much better! But, what’s wrong to try them on your own and comment it, since the ringtones are non-chargeable!

How To Pick The Right Backup Software

2007-07-06T09:28:00.000+05:45

SmartSync Pro
http://www.deprice.com/smartsyncpro.htm

SmartSync Pro is a universal tool to backup and synchronize your important data to the same drive, different drive, removable ZIP/JAZZ drive, network volume or even remote computer. To make the application automatically copy new and modified files to some destination, you just need to setup the profile using easy to use wizard just once. The profile defines what, where and when to copy. Obsolete files will be also removed when they are not needed. If source data are destroyed or lost, they can be recovered with one mouse click.

Genie Backup Manager
http://tinyurl.com/aua8s

GBM Pro is perfect for users of all computer comfort levels. Novice users will find it easy to create their first backup job in matter of minutes after installing the software, thanks to its intuitive wizard-based user interface, while advanced users will appreciate the software's extended flexibility and features such as preserving NTFS Alternative Data Streams, Email notification, Self executable backup sets, and scripting capabilities (GRunScript and GenieScript).

HandyBackup
http://www.deprice.com/handybackup.htm

Handy Backup is an easy-to-use program designed for an automatic backup of your critical data virtually to any type of storage media including CD-RW devices and remote FTP servers. You can use Handy Backup to make a reserve copy of any valuable data on your system. Special addons are provided to facilitate the backup of MS Outlook, system registry and ICQ files. Restoring is as easy as clicking a button, but you can also use a number of advanced options. The program can be also used to synchronize files between two computers on a network.

Backup4All
http://www.deprice.com/backup4all.htm

The software performs all four fundamental backup types: full backup, differential backup, incremental backup and mirror backup. Using the wizard you can easily set up any backup configuration you wish. You can define powerful file filters and schedule your backups any way you want. Once a backup is performed, you can see what files have been changed since the last backup using the explorer-like tree view or you can read the statistics about the next backup execution. You can use the context menu from the tree to run standard actions associated with the file type.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Send Unlimited Free SMS Anytime Anywhere

2007-07-04T09:23:00.000+05:45

Sending 100% Free SMS Worldwide through CallWave using Yahoo Widget seems to be limited now. When I first discovered this service, I was able to send unlimited SMS. I guess when it became popular, they had to have some kind of restrictions to prevent abuse. Just like what happened to ICQ SMS service many years ago.

This is a website which is able to send unlimited FREE SMS, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. The only catch is that you and the person you want to send SMS to(recipient) must be a member of the website. A simple 3 minute sign up is all it takes to start sending free SMS.

mobiK, the website that allows you to send free SMS from either an Internet Browser or a mobile phone to most world destinations. You need Adobe Flash player in order to load the mobiK's SMS sender interface on your browser.

mobiK is able to provide free SMS because they've partnered with selected sponsors in a number of world regions. Each message you send is appended with an "ad tag" from their sponsors.

One very useful feature on mobiK is that you can add your friend's cellphone number into Contact. To send message to multiple recipients, simply drag or double click the contacts that you've saved, type your message and click on the Send button. In just a few seconds, all your friends will receive your message.

Sometimes when you send an SMS message you will get the response "Blocked. No ad sponsor". mobiK will only deliver SMS to the regions supported by their advertising sponsors. If there is not a sponsor in the region where you are sending your SMS, the message cannot be delivered.

If you go through mobiK FAQ's page, it is quite outdated. mobiK has updated their website to version 2 and a lot has changed. When I use mobiK about 2 months ago, I can only send SMS. Now, I can even collect "K" points to redeem free stuff by inviting friends to join mobiK, completing surveys or enter competitions. One of the prize is invite 50 friends and get a $50 iTunes gift certificate!

Before the update, when you use mobiK to send a text message to your friend, your friend wouldn't know that it's coming from you. You'll have to make sure that you identify yourself in the message. Now mobiK has updated their system and it shows your cellphone number instead of the word "Mobik". There is no need to guess which of your friend sent this SMS to you anymore! Moreover, having your number displayed allows your friend to easily reply your message without keying in your number.
Sign up Link For Mobik

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Web-based SSH Shell for the Apple iPhone

2007-07-01T10:33:00.000+05:45

WebShell communication features two circuits: the circuit from the webbrowser to WebShell (which is secure with https), and the circuit from WebShell to the ssh server (which is secure with ssh). Therefore, the whole system is secure to eavesdropping of third-parties. However, WebShell has to decrypt, reformat, and re-encrypt data in order to function. This is not an issue when you install WebShell on your own server. However, when using the live demo server on this page, remember that a cleartext copy of your traffic is available to me, the administrator of this service. I do not log session data, but please consider this fact when accessing sensible services.

WebShell is a web-based ssh shell for the Apple iPhone.

It is written in Python and is very easy to set up on Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, Solaris, and any Unix that runs python 2.3. It is based on Ajaxterm.

Use the forum, if you have any questions or comments.
Live app

(Limited to 10 minutes at most, no session data is logged, please read the security section below for more info)

Try it out here.

Special note: the user interface requires symbols that might not render well in Internet Explorer or Firefox. Check the screenshot below to see what it should look like.

Screenshot

Download & Install

Get it here: WebShell-0.2.2.zip

To install, issue these commands:

cd WebShell-0.2.2
./ajaxterm.py

Then, point your browser to this URL: http://localhost:8022

For remote access, it is strongly recommended to use https SSL/TLS. It is simple to configure if you use the apache web server using mod_proxy. Please check the Ajaxterm site for instructions on how to set this up.

It is also recommended to run WebShell within a dedicated user account.
Security

WebShell communication features two circuits: the circuit from the webbrowser to WebShell (which is secure with https), and the circuit from WebShell to the ssh server (which is secure with ssh). Therefore, the whole system is secure to eavesdropping of third-parties.

However, WebShell has to decrypt, reformat, and re-encrypt data in order to function. This is not an issue when you install WebShell on your own server. However, when using the live demo server on this page, remember that a cleartext copy of your traffic is available to me, the administrator of this service. I do not log session data, but please consider this fact when accessing sensible services.
History

WebShell is developed by mressl - a t - umich. edu.

It is based on AjaxTerm. The client-side has been heavily modified to suit the iPhone user interface.
News

2007-06-30: The buttons are not correctly displayed on the iPhone. I'm working on it. Fixed.
Help

WebShell needs your help!

It would be great if you could send in good pictures of what WebShell actually looks like on an iPhone. Also tell us how well it works. Thanks!

The server also needs to be tested against security intrusions and attacks, and the user interface can always get a touch of improvement. If you have any idea, just drop a line!

You can check out the development page here.

Source: here

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Stop Virus From Running Automatically

2007-07-01T09:18:00.000+05:45

Many worms and trojans make changes to the registry to so that it can automatically start whenever you boot up your computer and also to avoid easy detection by disabling Windows Task Manager, Registry Editor and etc... You can easily restore all those tools by using Remove Restriction Tool (RRT).

I just recently found out that a virus can actually make some changes on your registry so that the virus will run automatically whenever you execute a file. Imagine, the virus will be loaded each time you run an executable (EXE) or a batch (BAT) file. Just last week I was cleaning a computer that was infected by Brontok. After finished scanning, cleaning the virus and restoring the changes made by virus, the Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition still pops up notification stating that Brontok virus is found and automatically deleted. This happens EVERY TIME I run an executable file.

Now I found out how it works and also how to disable the virus from running automatically whenever I run any file.

This happens when a virus change one or more of the shell\open\command keys. If these keys are changed, the worm or Trojan will run each time that you run certain files.

For example, if the \exefile\shell\open\command key is changed, the threat will run each time that you run any .exe file. This may also stop you from running the Registry Editor to try to fix this. They may also change a registry value so that you cannot run the Registry Editor at all.

I've done a test by adding Notepad.exe path in \exefile\shell\open\command key. Then I tried running any EXE file, it will launch the EXE file with notepad! For Brontok virus, it loads a backdoor file called "shell.exe". You won't even notice anything abnormal when you run an EXE file.

Thanks to Symantec Security Response for creating a script that is able to easily reset these registry values to their default settings.

What is inside the script:

[Version]
Signature="$Chicago$"
Provider=Symantec

[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=UnhookRegKey

[UnhookRegKey]
HKLM, Software\CLASSES\batfile\shell\open\command,,,"""%1"" %*"
HKLM, Software\CLASSES\comfile\shell\open\command,,,"""%1"" %*"
HKLM, Software\CLASSES\exefile\shell\open\command,,,"""%1"" %*"
HKLM, Software\CLASSES\piffile\shell\open\command,,,"""%1"" %*"
HKLM, Software\CLASSES\regfile\shell\open\command,,,"regedit.exe ""%1"""
HKLM, Software\CLASSES\scrfile\shell\open\command,,,"""%1"" %*"
HKCU, Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System,DisableRegistryTools,0x00000020,0

Of all the shell\open\command keys, the exefile key is being used most frequently. When your computer starts, it loads a lot of EXE files. When you start a program, it also loads EXE file. The rest are seldom used unless you're a power user. To be on the safe side, it's better for Symantec to restore all of the shell\open\keys to default values.

Instructions to install the script:
1. Download the script at the end of this post by right-clicking on the link and save it to your desktop.
2. Right-click on the file and select "install".

A great tool to carry around all the time to combat against nasty virus such as Brontok.
Download Symantec Reset command script.

Data Recovery Programs

2007-06-30T19:51:00.000+05:45

Data recovery is needed there is a basic distinction that needs to be made: whether the problem is physical or not. If the problem is a physical one there is a very possibility that there is nothing you can do except work with a specialist. Conversely, if the problem is not physical, such as an overwrite or accidental deletion there is a good chance that you will be able to handle your own data recovery. I personally like myself to use TESTDISK as my favourite data recovery software.

Salvaging your data is done using anyone of a number of programs. Like anything else, each has different strengths and are aimed at different user levels, from consumer to enterprise. Don't expect a free program to have all the recovery features of a high-end corporate one, but given the wealth of information that often resides on a drive, it is often worthwhile to spend a few bucks and use the proper tools.

Here are the links to most popular data recovery programs:

- EasyRecovery from OnTrack

- R-Studio Data Recovery from R-Tools

- File Scavenger from QueTek

- Ghost from Norton

Though this is just a small sampling of the programs currently available they should help to get you started on the road to efficient data recovery. Though certain free applications are available beware, as they often have very limited feature sets and end up simply wasting time.

Though, one of the best tools is a free one. TestDisk, from CGSecurity.org, works with both DOS and Linux systems and has a number of very useful features, including the ability to find and repair partitions in either FAT or NTFS. The problem with tools like this one is their lack of a graphical user interface. This makes them seem harder to use than they actually are and rather intimidating. The price trade off is well worth it if you can manage to get one of these to work though.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Using Online Backup Services

2007-06-30T19:35:00.000+05:45

USING ONLINE BACKUP SERVICES

You may consider online services for backing up your data. If you lose all your backup data, say due to a natural disaster such as a flood, your online data is right there waiting for you.

Another advantage of online backups is that you can access, upload, or download your data from any location. It is best to use high speed internet access if you're considering online data storage.
.
One such online backup service is Istorage located at http://www.iomega.com/istorage and charges from $2.49 a month for 50MBs to $17.95 a month for a big 1,000MBs of storage.

Or you can check out FilesAnywhere located at the url http://www.filesanywhere.com

Still another online service to try is CapSure located at http://www.capsure.com

Backup your system now in one way or another if you have not done so. If you have critical data that you simply cannot do without, take the time to invest in a backup device or one of the many online backup services.

Stop and perform those backups as soon as possible. You will be thankful you did should something go wrong with your computer. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Way To Backup Your Hard Drive Data Part I

2007-06-29T09:39:00.000+05:45

We all know that we should back up our system as soon as possible. But if you're like most of us, you will get to it tomorrow. The problem is that tomorrow rarely ever comes until you experience a serious computer failure and then it’s too late.

Taking the time to backup your data or entire hard drive is not as painstaking as it may seem. And the rewards of doing so will be great should your system experience a crash.

WINDOWS AND OTHER BACKUP SOFTWARE

If you have Windows XP you will need to install the new Windows backup utility from the Windows XP cdrom. Just place the WinXP cdrom in your cdrom drive and locate the line D:\VALEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP.

Here you see the first letter as D but if your optical drive has a different drive letter, exchange the D with your drive's letter. To install the utility, click on the file named NTBackup.msi.

The backup utility will be installed to the system tools group. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Backup. There is a neat wizard that will walk you through the backup process.

WinXP's backup utility will backup your entire hard drive and will make a recovery disk to boot.

One neat third party backup software you can try is NewTech InfoSystems at http://www.ntius.com where you can download their trial version and put it to use for 30 days. And if it’s your cup of tea, the full version will run you about $79.95

INCREMENTAL OR DIFFERENTIAL BACKUPS

You should back up your entire hard drive when you perform your first backup. After that it is best to perform an Incremental backup. This type of backup only allows you to backup files that have changed since your last performed backup.

Differential Backups copy changed files that have been added since you last did your entire backup. This type of backup is more detailed than incremental backups and is easier to restore.

BACKUP STORAGE DEVICES

You can backup your files on cdroms and have the files compressed to save both space and backup time. WinXP will compress folders, subfolders, and files during backup.

You can purchase compression software that will do the same, saving you cdrom storage space. The compressed files are automatically uncompressed once they are restored onto your hard drive.

You can also use a second hard drive as your backup storage device. We use two backup hard drives to be certain Ultimate PC Repair is up and running 24/7.

You can either purchase an internal hard drive and install it to your ide cable, or you may want to purchase an external hard drive that connects to your Universal Serial Bus or USB Port.

The advantage of the external drives is that they have very large amounts of storage space, transfer data fast, and can be moved from your computer to any other computer.

Easily Tweak Or Disable UAC on Windows Vista

2007-06-27T10:02:00.000+05:45

TweakUAC in a clean and tidy interface with 3 options to disable, suppress UAC elevation prompt, or re-enable Vista UAC.

In fact, without using 3rd party freeware such as TweakUAC, Windows Vista itself is not short of interfaces to tweak or disable UAC!

Tweak or disable UAC from System Configuration

Press Windows + R keyboard shortcut to bring up Vista Run command dialog box,

Type msconfig and press OK button to open System Configuration dialog box,

Click on the Tools tab, locate and highlight the Disable UAC or Enable UAC tool, press the Launch button.

Tweak or disable UAC from Command Prompt

I don’t create these commands on myself. In fact, I copy them directly from the System Configuration utility:

Command to disable UAC in Vista Command Prompt:

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Command to enable UAC in Vista Command Prompt:

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Command to suppress Prompt For Consent (Consent UI):

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Command to turn on Prompt For Consent (Consent UI):

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f

The Consent UI is turned on by default, to get user alerted and acknowledge it before elevating administrative privilege for processes that require it.

Tweak or disable UAC from keyboard shortcut or Hotkey

Create a Windows batch file (with bat file extension) to keep either disable UAC or enable UAC command line (above) and make a file shortcut to it,

Right-click the shortcut, click the Advanced button, tick the Run As Administrator check-box and press OK,

Click the Shortcut Key text-box and press F10 - to assign F10 as keyboard shortcut or hotkey to execute the Windows batch file created. Of course, you can use key other than F10, as long as the custom hotkey has not been used for other purpose.

Tweak or disable UAC from Vista Registry key

Also, these Vista Registry keys are referred to the commands at above. If you’re not comfortable with Registry editor (regedit.exe), just copy and paste the command into Command Prompt window to execute.

To disable UAC, locate this Registry key and set it to 0. To re-enable UAC, set EnableLUA to 1:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\EnableLUA

To automatically elevate administrative privilege without prompt for consent, locate this Registry key and set it to 0. To re-enable the default Prompt For Consent (Consent UI) for processes that require administrative privilege, set the ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin to 2:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin

Tweak or disable UAC from Control Panel

Locate and open up User Accounts in Control Panel,

Click on the “Turn User Account Control On Or Off” link,

Un-tick the “Use User Access Control (UAC) to help protects your computer” check-box and press OK

Tweak or disable UAC from Local Security Policy

Click the Vista Orb, type secpol.msc in the Start Search text box and press ENTER key to bring up Vista Local Security Policy editor,

On the left panel, click to expand Local Policies tree follow by Security Options,

On the right panel, scroll down to the bottom and change the security settings that related to User Account Control policies. All of them are quite straight-forward and easy to understand.

Tips: To read more information related to the Local Security Setting policies, double-click to open it and click on the Explain tab for more description or explanation about that policy as well as the respective configurable settings.

Bush's daughters accused of piracy

2007-06-26T10:37:00.000+05:45

On Father's Day, which is celebrated on June 17 Americans, the daughter of the President of the United States, Jenne and Barbara gave him a disk with music for sports training. The public did not miss the message that in the Miami Herald and estimated profits, which could outsudit right from the young "piratok."

Lawyer Mitchell Silverman (Mitchell L. Silverman) evaluated the damage at $ 1.8 million and wrote his fictions in amerikuyu "kopirayt-politsiyu" RIAA (Association of the sound recording industry), says Slashdot. In his speech, he proposed "to show the same zeal in investigating the case and the protection of rights, which Association demonstrated in similar actions against other alleged criminals."

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.
Source: slashdot

Google Search Can Give You FTP Passwords

2007-06-25T17:13:00.000+05:45

HURRY UP TO CHANGE YOUR FTP LOGIN PASSWORD, IF NOT THEN YOU MAY REGRET. READ MORE BELOW TO KNOW HOW IT CAN EFFECT.

Using the following search string in a Google search:

site:youtube.com "clicks from ftp @" (link)

will give you passwords to ftp addresses. Examples:

22 clicks from ftp://siperuhi:inter***@siperuhi.com.honey ...
1 clicks from ftp://www.agenciacriacao.com.br:08041***@ftp.agencia. ...
1 clicks from ftp://rekreasyon:rek0***@ftp.rekreasyon.net
1 clicks from ftp://devoweb420:DSPh***@ftpserver.esmartdesign ...
4 clicks from ftp://miembro:caval***@supernova.sytes.net ...
1 clicks from ftp://nitrojenn:Passw1***@ftp.nitrojennllc.com ...
3 clicks from ftp://zafzaf:84292***@ftp.d1034442-1 ...

etc...

One of Google's gravest security bugs so far?

If you use FTP, you should change your password. Really.

For more click here
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Will Google Or Microsoft Buy Up Yahoo

2007-06-22T10:01:00.000+05:45

The first batch of Top 100 Webware 2007 winners have finally confirmed and published in the host official site.

Coincidentally, a financial news pop up on the same day, about re-appointing Jerry Yang as the new CEO. Jerry Yang is Stanford University graduate and co-founder of Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ:YHOO).

What’s the connection between these two events?

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) top the winner list with 16 of its popular webware flavored by users.

Google web applications and services that winning the heart of cyber-community includes Mozilla Firefox, Google Reader, Gmail, LinkedIn, Google Search, YouTube, Gmail Mobile, Google Maps Mobile, 1-800-GOOG-411, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, Google Adsense / Adwords, New Blogger, Google Analytics, and Google Maps. On top of that, Google Web applications and services secure places in 9 out of 10 categories of the Top 100 Webware Awards 2007!

The second biggest winner goes to Yahoo Inc, with 9 of its webware nominated - My Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Messenger, Yahoo Bix, Yahoo Search, Flickr, Yahoo Video, Yahoo OneSearch, and Yahoo Maps.

Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the third biggest winner with 7 webware in the list, including Internet Explorer, Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Search, Microsoft Office Live, Silverlight, and Microsoft Virtual Earth.

So, the combined figure of both Microsoft and Yahoo is just equivalent to Google winner counts! This has prompted share holders to recall rumours about the merger of Yahoo Inc with either one of its contenders - Google Inc or Microsoft Corp!

Yahoo Inc is gradually losing market share since the rising of Google Inc. Although, Yahoo web traffics is still number 1 in the World and its home ground in U.S! Microsoft, the late comer, is not unknown for its strong finance muscle and ambitious to tap the lucrative online ads segment.

So, on and off, there are rumours that Microsoft Corp will likely to buy up or acquire Yahoo Inc under its stable. Together, MSN and Yahoo could easily secure over 30% of web traffics in U.S alone!

Also, there are rumours that Google Inc might interested to acquire Yahoo Inc too!

Equity analysts who follow Internet-related stocks commented that Google Inc with huge sum of excessive working capital could greatly enhance its core business and shareholding value! The merger of Google and Yahoo, if happen, could immediately command 60% of web traffics in the World!

Now, with the return of co-founder Jerry Yang, the rumours might really never be materialized. Indeed, the latest news (rumours) is about a marrying deal between Yahoo Inc with MySpace.com, which is also one of top ten in Alexa web traffics ranking! News Corp (NYSE:NWS), who brought up MySpace in 2005 for $580 million, will be compensated with 25% stakes in the combined company.

Weak data-security at the FBI network

2007-06-21T16:53:00.000+05:45

A new report concerning the state of security at the FBI network was created in April and released yesterday. US independent audit office (Government Accountability Office -GAO) accuses heavy lacks in the configuration of the internal police network FBI.

The FBI has closed computer networks, in which information about all aspects of the police work is exchanged. The GAO found out with its examination that the internal data security programs are incomplete and insufficient. The audit office stated that the network and the devices are not configured correctly to prevent unauthorized data access. In some places the FBI missed to restrict access checks and to graduate the access authorizations to safety level of the users. Because of this, user data could have been accessed although they were not allowed to do so.

Further on, the federal police failed in using strong encryption techniques in order to protect their data. Also software patches for servers and workstations have been implemented too slowly by the FBI Admins, whereby well-known safety gaps had remained longer open in the systems than necessary.

A very substantial point of criticism in the report deals with “weaknesses”, which became unfortunately virulent in times of free official data gathering: internal logging and observing of the own accesses to sensitive data. The report concludes: "If you summarize all the found weaknesses there is an increased risk, that data could be given to unauthorized personnel or data being manipulated."

The audit office recommends the FBI to convert their own IT-security policies with the necessary consequence.

Bypass Compulsory Web Registration Using Shared Logins

2007-06-20T16:22:00.000+05:45

When you're browsing the web and you click a link to an article on a site (let's say nytimes.com OR toptechnews.com) but instead of getting the article/video you get a screen asking you to login or register. Most of the time I don't really use my real information to register. I think the biggest reason why most of us don't like registering to view full contents is we don't want to give people our real information away. Imagine if every site in the world required registration to access content! That would really be annoying and the whole world has your info on open!
Here's a very useful website which "shares" logins so you don't need to waste your time in registering an account to access a website that requires compulsory registration. People create logins on the site and share their login information ie. Username & Password on this login sharing site.

BugMeNot.com was created as a mechanism to quickly bypass the login of web sites that require compulsory registration and/or the collection of personal/demographic information. All of the username and password listed on BugMeNot are added by users. So if the first login don't work, you can try the second one. If you can't find a working login for a site then you can register with that site using fake details and then do BugMeNot a favour by adding to the list for other users to use.
To find login for a website, just visit BugMeNot.com, type the website address and click on the "Get Logins" button. It will then show you the list of logins found with username, password and also the success rate. If you see a low percentage of success rate, chances are it won't work. So don't bother wasting your time in trying to use that login.

Some websites such as pay-per-view which require users to pay money to access the site, banking and e-commerce websites can be blocked from BugMeNot system by easily submitting a request form. At least we know that BugMeNot is not a website that shares all sorts of hacked passwords. It's for our own convenience.

Currently BugMeNot has logins for 162679 siteson their database. Unfortunately, there is no way to view the list of websites that has logins on BugMeNot. You can only do a search from BugMeNot website.

"You can access some of the options in BugMeNot FireFox extension by going to Tools -> Add-ons and click on the Options button when you highlight BugMeNot. By default, all four options are unchecked and in my opinion, it's the best setting already."

Download BUgmenot Firefox Extension developed by RoachFiend

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

How to steal the President Bush's (VIDEO)

2007-06-20T16:11:00.000+05:45

Friends, i have got something interesting for you. Just keep on reading.
President Bush's recent stop in Albania leaves him short one watch. Amazing how daring people can be, I wonder if it will get end up on eBay.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

VOIP Security Fundamentals Part II

2007-06-20T09:35:00.000+05:45

These data threats will only increase with time as more people learn about VoIP and more products are installed. IP telephony systems use the data DHCP, DNS, TFTP and NTP servers. If these servers are not well protected (they are vulnerable in many enterprises), the IPT system is also vulnerable to security threats. Verify the security of these servers with the appropriate staff before you allow the IPT system, gateways and IP phones to access them.

A good set of security resources can be found at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Look for the following publications:

* SP 800-100, Information Security Handbook: A Guide for Managers SP 800-12, An Introduction to Computer Security: The NIST Handbook (look for the latest version)
* Draft Special Publication 800-94, Guide to Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDP) Systems
* Draft Special Publication 800-80, Guide for Developing Performance Metrics for Information Security

Securing the elements of the VoIP network

The first conclusion is that VoIP security issues that occur in the data network should be managed and solved by the existing network security personnel. They already do the job and have the responsibility for protecting data traffic. The security problems may not be new, but the problems will occur more frequently as VoIP is added to the network traffic mix.

The IPT call server is not quite the same as the data server. Data servers normally correspond with a desktop and deliver the information or service to the desktop. The call server exists for signaling, but once the call is set up, voice traffic bypasses the call server and is no longer in a signaling dialog with the IP phone. Call server security is concerned with PBX administration, call control, performance, call admission control, management, features and functions assignment, and restriction.

The security of the call server should be assigned to the same group that manages the data server security. DoS, tampering and malicious code, which are problems for the data server, will be problems for the call server as well. There will be more attempts to access the call server to modify privileges and restrictions assigned to the IP phones and gateways. An intruder may attempt to register rogue phones.

If there are firewalls in front of the data servers, there should be a firewall in front of the call server. Check with the call server vendor to determine whether third-party security software can be resident in its call server product. Some call server vendors will optionally supply their own security software but will not allow third-party security software to be resident. Resident third-party security software may impair call server performance.

IP phones with two Ethernet ports can be used to invade the data network by connecting a laptop to the second Ethernet port on the phone. Someone could disconnect an IP phone with a single Ethernet port and plug in a laptop that simulates an IP phone in order to gain unauthorized access to the data network.

Voice security may be initialized by the call server, but the voice connection security operation is the responsibility of the endpoints: phones and gateways. The endpoints can be attacked without interfering with the call server. The call server can be fooled into thinking that the endpoint security is satisfactory. The IP phones should be considered as a desktop endpoint and managed as a desktop with some unique problems. They can be attacked like any other IP device.

The gateway presents a new set of problems because it connects to legacy analog and digital phones, faxes and other analog devices, as well as PSTN trunks. Some IPT vendors offer security software in the gateway, such as an integrated firewall. The security of legacy connections has issues that will be new to the data security personnel. These issues will be covered in the next tip.

The IP side of the gateway should be managed like any other data device by the same personnel who handle the endpoints -- most likely the desktop security personnel. The desktop security personnel may be reluctant to accept this responsibility because the gateway is so different from the typical desktop.

Although the data network, server and desktop security problems will also occur in VoIP devices, the voice staff may have holes left in the VoIP security picture. The existing security personnel see disruptions caused by deploying VoIP as weakening their security controls. New policies, and probably new hardware and software, will be necessary to fully protect the IPT environment from existing data security threats.

What makes VoIP security different?

In addition to data security issues, VoIP is plagued by other problems that will expand the definition of information security. Part of the problem for the VoIP implementer is that legacy TDM PBXs and phones have very few security problems. Not only is security strong, but the user is also used to a high level of privacy. The primary security issues for TDM-based PBX systems were toll fraud and tampering with feature/function privileges and restrictions. Both of these problems have been significantly reduced in the past several years.

TDM analog and digital phones are dumb. The PBX contains all of the intelligence and is essentially a closed system. This is not true for VoIP. The call server is more easily accessed and gateways and IP phones are software based rather than hard-wired. The softphone is no more secure than any other PC application. VoIP has opened voice devices to more security problems and attacks than encountered in TDM-based environments.

Security personnel have to broaden their perspective in response to VoIP's security problems. There will be security issues with the server. Many of the new threats will relate to the phones and gateways. The attack or threat may appear to be the same as that found in data security, but the results will be different. Many of the threats will be generated behind the firewall by internal employees, individuals who are on site temporarily, and contractors. Some threats are not really attacks but are caused by negligence or abuse.

The threats can be variations of those found in data networks or can be specific to VoIP. Here are some of the security threats found in IP-based telephone networks:

1. Signaling tampering
* Fuzzing is a tool used by developers to locate problems. It can also be used to attack a signaling protocol implementation. Fuzzing discovers vulnerabilities by creating packets that push a protocol to its breaking point. SIP can be attacked this way. This can create denial of service (DoS), endless loops, logic errors, buffer overflow, configuration errors, access validation flaws and information leaks.
* A PC can be loaded with server software and behave as the real call server by spoofing other devices. The rogue call server is then in control, supporting the signaling protocol.
* Flood-based DoS can be caused by a PC on the network sending many "register" packets that can tie up the phone operation.
* Another DoS can be created by sending many "invite" packets that cause the phone to ring. (The user picks up the phone, and no one is there; he then hangs up, and the phone rings again.)
* In session teardown, an attacker sends "bye" packets that cause the phones to hang up.

2. Directory tampering
* Registration manipulation can erase, add or hijack a phone's registration.
* Calls can be redirected to another phone without the caller's knowledge.

3. Feature and function tampering
* These can be enabled and disabled without authorization from the administrator.
* Incoming and outgoing calls can be blocked by the setting arranged in the call server.
* Applications in the call server can be blocked or enabled improperly.

4. SPIT
* This is SPAM over Internet Telephony. SPIT can rob the network of bandwidth, interfere with QoS and overload voicemail systems. It also takes longer to eliminate SPIT from a voicemail box when the caller is unknown and the listener must hear the call to determine whether it is legitimate.

5. RTP attacks
* RTP attacks can inject sounds into a phone conversation. The speaker does not know of the injected sounds and the listener thinks the sounds are coming from the speaker, not a third device injecting other sounds. (What if someone is on a conference call or calls home to say he is working late, but the listener hears restaurant or bar sounds instead?)

6. Check-sync messages
* These can be sent to the endpoints, causing repeated reboots that do not allow the phones to work properly.

7. Caller ID spoofing
* Caller ID is now carried in a data packet that can be generated falsely. This can have an adverse effect because attackers can pretend to be valid executive or special phones, IVR or call centers. The caller ID simulation cannot be detected by an unknowing caller or called party.

8. Eavesdropping
* This is easier to perform with IP-based calls than TDM-based calls. Any protocol analyzer can pick and record the calls without being observed by the callers. There are software packages for PCs that will convert digitized voice from standard CODECs into WAV files.
* The speakerphone function can be turned on remotely, with the caller on mute so that there is no sound coming from the phone. This has happened with some IP phones in executives' offices. Their offices can be listened to without their knowledge.
* PCs and laptops that have microphones attached or integrated into them can be enabled as listening devices without the user's knowledge. There is a rootkit available for this purpose.

What security tools exist to protect a VoIP network?

VoIP security tools can help the enterprise's security staff test IP telephony vulnerability and take measures to prevent security breaches.

1. Sniffing and manipulating the packet stream

When discussing IP telephony vulnerability test tools, there is always the issue that publicizing information will be considered unethical because it can fall into the hands of potential attackers.

However, many VoIP sniffing tools are publicly known. Attackers will use them anyway, and hiding this information from the public ensures that the tools will be more useful to the attackers. The attackers will become reliant on the ignorance of the enterprise security staff if the tools are not known to the public. When the enterprise security staff has access to these tools, they can move forward to mitigate security problems.

>>Click for an extensive list of free IP telephony vulnerability test tools.

2. IP telephony fuzzing tools

Fuzzing is a form of stress testing using malformed packets. Fuzzing is also known as functional protocol testing or robustness testing. It is usually used to automate vulnerability discovery. It finds bugs and vulnerabilities by producing different packet types that target a protocol. The fuzzing attack pushes the protocol's design specifications to the breaking point. It is often used by developers and vendor internal QA groups to test their protocol implementations.

Virus Top Twenty for May 2007

2007-06-19T12:00:00.000+05:45

These are the viruses that infected out computers in May month giving us lot of problem on browsing and using our own computer. Let's find out which virus made to TOP Position and have been annoying for the month of May.

Position Change in position Name Proactive Percentage
detection Flag

1. No Change 0 Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.t Trojan.generic 15.31
2. Up +1 Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.q Trojan.generic 14.76
3. Up +1 Email-Worm.Win32.Bagle.gt Trojan.generic 13.46
4. New! New! Email-Worm.Win32.Sober.aa Hidden Install 11.86
5. Up +1 Worm.Win32.Feebs.gen Hidden Data Sending 6.49
6. Up +6 Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.aa Trojan.generic 5.44
7. No Change 0 Net-Worm.Win32.Mytob.c Trojan.generic 3.33
8. New! New! Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Agent.bqs * 2.44
9. Up +1 Email-Worm.Win32.Scano.gen Trojan.generic 2.22
10. Down -1 Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.b Trojan.generic 2.20
11. New! New! Virus.Win32.Grum.a ** 2.18
12. Up +7 Net-Worm.Win32.Mytob.t Worm.P2P.generic 1.63
13. Up +4 Email-Worm.Win32.LovGate.w Trojan.generic 1.34
14. Return Return Net-Worm.Win32.Mytob.dam [Damaged] 1.18
15. Return Return Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.x Trojan.generic 1.17
16. Down -3 Email-Worm.Win32.Mydoom.l Trojan.generic 1.12
17. Return Return Exploit.Win32.IMG-WMF.y *** 0.99
18. Down -2 Email-Worm.Win32.Zhelatin.dam [Damaged] 0.72
19. New! New! Email-Worm.Win32.Warezov.ns Invader 0.62
20. New! New! Virus.Win32.Cheburgen.a ** 0.57
Other malicious programs 10.97
* this is a downloader for Email-Worm.Win32.Warezov. It is detected as Invader.
** PDM is not designed to detect classic viruses.
*** WMF graphics file.

A first look at the top of the table for May might give the impression that we've slipped back in time to the end of 2005. You can rub your eyes as hard as you want but it won't change anything Netsky, Bagle and Sober are topping the rankings again, just as they were a few years ago.

We could have seen this coming. Netsky.t and Netsky.q have been among the leaders in our Top Twenties for quite a while now; Bagle.gt has spent several months now moving up the table towards the top three, and fourth place this month was unexpectedly taken by Sober.aa. The first samples of this worm were detected by Kaspersky Lab analysts on 7th April 2007. This may not seem very significant, but the previous version of this worm, Sober.z, dates back to the middle of November 2005! More than a year and a half has passed since then. Sober.z was one of the most widespread worms in its time - it seemed then as though the German police were hot on the unknown author's tracks, and that an arrest would be imminent. However, nothing happened, and now someone (perhaps someone different from the worm's original author) has released a new version of this old email worm. The result is clear - Sober.aa, a primitive worm, has been able to squeeze out worms with far more advanced functionality, and it may well climb higher in the ratings in months to come.
Summary

* New: Email-Worm.Win32.Sober.aa, Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Agent.bqs, Virus.Win32.Grum.a, Email-Worm.Win32.Warezov.ns, Virus.Win32.Cheburgen.a
* Moved up: Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.q, Email-Worm.Win32.Bagle.gt, Worm.Win32.Feebs.gen, Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.aa, Email-Worm.Win32.Scano.gen, Net-Worm.Win32.Mytob.t, Email-Worm.Win32.LovGate.w
* Moved down:Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.b, Email-Worm.Win32.Mydoom.l, Email-Worm.Win32.Zhelatin.dam
* Re-entry: Net-Worm.Win32.Mytob.dam, Email-Worm.Win32.NetSky.x, Email-Worm.Win32.Warezov.ns
source: kasperskylab

VOIP Security Fundamentals Part I

2007-06-19T09:56:00.000+05:45

Voice Over IP(VOIP)security is a challenge for IT staff because IP telephony (IPT) brings with it not only the security problems of data networks but also new threats specific to VoIP. In this fundamentals guide, learn about network security threats and emerging IP telephony threats, and how to secure your VoIP systems and endpoints from them.

How to think about VoIP security
Security requires constant vigilance. Security is all about the protection of resources -- data, devices, networks, applications and people. While access to these resources is the goal of the user, securing access to these resources means the administrator of the resources wants to limit, even prevent, that access. Enterprises already have many security problems with their data network infrastructure, servers, desktops and software. Adding VoIP and IPT to the mix only compounds the security problems.

There are several security issues with VoIP networks:

1. The VoIP/IPT devices, servers, gateways and phones share the data network and inherit the data network's security problems.
2. There will be data attacks on voice devices such as Denial of Service (DoS) and malware.
3. It is easier to eavesdrop on IP calls than on TDM calls.
4. The centralized TDM PBX is gone. The VoIP/IPT resources are scattered around a network.
5. The operating systems of the VoIP/IPT devices are less secure than the TDM operating systems of the past.
6. Systems (PBX) administration can be located at multiple locations and can be accessed by Web browsers.

VoIP security vs. voice quality

It may not be apparent, but security tools and solutions will conflict with voice quality. The more barriers there are in the network and endpoints for security purposes, the more interference there will be with voice quality.

One of the first issues is the firewall. The firewall can block calls because it cannot process the signaling or dynamically allocate the UDP ports for the calls to pass through it. Firewalls may not read the QoS markers in the voice packet, thereby degrading the packet delivery service. Other issues include:

1. Voice packets, when they pass through security devices, can cause added delay, jitter and packet loss during the call.
2. Intrusion prevention systems perform considerably more processing than a firewall and have been proven to cause voice quality degradation.
3. Encryption and decryption add delay to the calls.
4. VPN connections encrypt the QoS markers. The routers consequently cannot deliver the needed QoS for the voice packets.

The security vs. voice quality conflict will be hard to resolve. The voice manager, obviously, does not want poor-quality calls. If the calls are poor, then why have calls travel over the data network in the first place? The security manager does not want to open the network and endpoints to security exposures that will not only compromise the voice services but weaken the data functions as well. This will require a great deal of negotiation and compromise. Security is important, but not at the cost of an unacceptable voice service.

Finding vulnerabilities

There are two sites that demonstrate the software security threats to the data functions. These lists now include VoIP/IPT vulnerabilities. Both lists are funded by the federal Homeland Security Administration. The first is hosted at Mitre. This site has a dictionary of standardized names and descriptions for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE). The second site hosts the National Vulnerability Database at the federal National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The voice staff has not encountered many security problems with traditional TDM PBXs, but voice staff may not be prepared for the new range of security issues that will become evident as the enterprise migrates to IPT or VoIP. The VoIP personnel will either have to take on their own security responsibilities or use the existing security personnel. In either case, the new responsibilities for VoIP security will require education, possibly some organizational adjustment, and expanded job descriptions.

What data security threats exist in VoIP/IPT?

Most of the people working with Ethernet and IP networks today were not around when these technologies debuted. No security was integrated into the Ethernet design. Ethernet endpoints were to be responsible for security, not the Ethernet network. The creation of TCP, UDP and IP protocols also left security to the endpoints. Security problems such as viruses were considered a novelty in 1988 and were not given serious consideration. We do not want to make the same mistake with VoIP security.

IPT vendors have been moving to common operating systems (Linux, UNIX and VxWorks), as well as continuing to use Windows. All of these operating systems will be attacked, whether they support data or voice applications. The threats to the operating systems for VoIP will be the same as those encountered for data function support.

The following data threats are not yet as prevalent for VoIP as they are in data networks, but they will become more common in the future.

* Viruses and worms (in call servers, gateways and phones)
* Trojan horses
* Port scanning (for signaling and RTP speech ports)
* Malicious executable software (even in the IP phone)
* Spoofing source identity (pretending to be the call server)
* Spyware (in IP phones)
* Password/identity cracking
* Denial of Service (both traditional DoS and new types for VoIP/IPT)

Part II of this article will be published next day, please keep waiting.
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

How to Really Erase A Hard Drive Securely

2007-06-19T09:16:00.000+05:45

You may already know that “deleting” a file does nothing of the sort. But did you know that your disk drive has a built-in system for the secure erasure of data? No? Then read on.
What do you mean "delete" doesn’t delete?
File information is maintained in a directory so your operating system can find it. All that "delete" does is erase the file’s reference information. Your OS can’t find it, but the data is still there.

That’s what those "file recovery" programs look for: data in blocks that the directory says aren’t in use.

You really want to do this
If you keep business, medical, or personal financial information on disks, simple deletion isn’t enough to protect the data when disposing of the equipment.

Besides identity theft, data loss may leave you or your company liable under federal laws such as HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, Graham-Leach-Bliley or other state laws. Criminal penalties include fines and prison terms up to 20 years. Not to mention the civil suits that can result.

So what’s the magic?
Something called Secure Erase, a set of commands embedded in most ATA drives built since 2001. If this is so wonderful, why haven’t you heard of it before? Because it’s been disabled by most motherboard BIOSes.

Secure Erase is a loaded gun aimed right at all your data. And Murphy’s Law is still in force. But hey, if you’re smart enough to read Storage Bits, you’re smart enough to not play with Secure Erase until you need to.

How does Secure Erase work?
Secure Erase overwrites every single track on the hard drive. That includes the data on “bad blocks”, the data left at the end of partly overwritten blocks, directories, everything. There is no data recovery from Secure Erase.

Says who?
The National Security Agency, for one. And the National Institute for Standards and Testing (NIST), who give it a higher security rating than external block overwrite software that you’d have to buy. Update: There is an open source external block overwrite utility called Boot and Nuke that is free.

Secure Erase is approved for complying with the legal requirements noted above.

UCSD’s CMRR to the rescue
The University of California at San Diego hosts the Center for Magnetic Recording Research. Dr. Gordon Hughes of CMRR helped develop the Secure Erase standard.

Download his Freeware Secure Erase Utility, read the ReadMe file and you’re good to go.

To use it you’ll need to know how to create a DOS boot disk - in XP you can do it with the “Format” option after you right-click the floppy icon in My Computer.

Update: Some folks have commented that I didn’t actually say how to use the utility, leaving that to the read me. For those of you who’d like to judge how tricky this is - and it is definitely not for newbies - here’s a quote from the instructions:

Instructions for using HDDerase.exe

Copy the downloaded file, HDDerase.exe onto the created floppy/CD-ROM bootable DOS disk. Boot the computer in DOS using the bootable disk. Make sure to set the correct boot priority setting in the system BIOS. Type “hdderase” at system/DOS prompt to run HDDerase.exe. All ATA hard disk drives connected to the main system board will be identified and their information displayed. Make sure that the jumpers on the hard disk drives are correctly configured. Avoid setting the jumpers to CS (cable select) on the hard disk drives. Master or slave jumper setting is preferred.

There’s more, but if this is more than you want to deal with then Secure Erase isn’t for you. Update II: A late commenter says “Floppy boot does not understand SATA drives and thus the method described does not work.” I don’t know if it is true or not, but if it is it is worth knowing. Maybe someone well-versed in Windows floppy booting can confirm.

Update III: Well, it appears that bad information can be found on the web. Who knew? This just in from Daniel Commins, a grad student in the CMRR program:

SATA drives can be erased after being booted from a Windows XP MS-DOS startup disk using our software, with over a dozen such drives from various manufacturers I have tested as proof. Another excerpt from the FAQ section of the read me file:

Q: Can HDDerase.exe be used to erase my onboard SATA drive?

A: Yes, but some BIOS configuration may be required. Since hdderase.exe only detects drives on the primary and secondary IDE channels (P0, P1, S0, S1) the BIOS must be configured so that the SATA drive is detected one of these channels.

This can be done by switching the SATA drive from “enhanced mode” to “compatibility mode” in BIOS (compatibility mode is sometimes called “native mode”

or "IDE mode"). E.g. BIOS >> IDE configuration >> onboard IDE operate mode >> compatibility mode. Note - not all BIOSs support this feature.

Thanks for setting the record straight, Daniel.

Source: zdnet
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Microsoft to Release Windows Vista 32bit And 64bit In One Pack After SP1

2007-06-17T13:21:00.000+05:45

A clue for the development strategy of Windows Seven?Although it has downplayed Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as just a standard refresh, Microsoft in fact plans to combine 32-bit and 64-bit versions of its latest operating system.

The Redmond Company is under an all out Windows Omerta, gagging all details related to the first service pack for Windows Vista, to Windows Seven or to Windows Fiji. But crumbs do fall from Microsoft's table, and this piece of news via Windows Connected is just such an example. Much in the same manner in which a single DVD contains all the editions of Windows Vista, Microsoft will also add both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions to a single installer. This alteration is cooking now in the Redmond Company's laboratories, and will be made available to consumers following the release of the first service pack for Windows Vista, scheduled for the end of 2007.

Unlike Apple, Microsoft cannot dictate the direction of hardware development and adoption. Instead, the Redmond Company has to play to the tune of both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures with the Windows operating system. While Windows Server 2008 will be the last server operating system for Microsoft, Windows Vista still supports both 32-bit and 63-bit platforms. Windows senior product manager Alex Heaton revealed that the word is still out on whether Windows Seven, the successor of Windows Vista will be exclusively 64-bit or not.

Marrying 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista on a single installer, Microsoft will be one step closer to Apple, as the Cupertino-based company will offer only 64-bit Leopard. The initiative is also designed to resolve the gap between 32-bit and 64-bit Vista. Microsoft does not currently permit upgrading or switching between x86 and x64 versions of the operating system. This will no longer be an issue after SP1. In addition, the move delivers a clue for the Redmond Company's plans with Windows Seven. If Microsoft does not scrap 32-bit with their future Windows client, then it could include both x86 and x64 on a single installer. Of course Microsoft has not confirmed this aspect.
Source: softpedia
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

MySpace data helps nab seven sex offenders

2007-06-17T13:10:00.000+05:45

Texas police arrested seven convicted sex offenders after MySpace handed over identity details about the former members of the Internet social network, the Texas attorney general's office said on Thursday.
The seven, whose profiles on MySpace had already been removed under an internal program to weed out sex offenders prowling the News Corp.-owned site, were arrested for breaking parole or probation rules.

The arrests, which occurred during a two-week period, come after authorities in several states asked MySpace to hand over information on convicted sex offenders. The seven offenders had been convicted of sexually assaulting girls as young as 4 years old. Most victims were between 13 and 21 years old.

Six of the men were arrested because they had MySpace profiles even though their parole conditions banned them from using the Internet. One was arrested because he had failed to register as a sex offender with local authorities.

MySpace began working with authorities in May after tense negotiations over the legality of divulging its users' information.

"Texans will not tolerate criminals who prey on our children," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a statement. "These convicted sex predators established online identities on a Web site that is popular with teenagers and children."

Most states require convicted sex offenders to register their contact information with local authorities after being released from prison. Lawmakers are now pushing for the registration of valid e-mail addresses as part of the requirement.

MySpace commissioned background verification firm Sentinel Safe Tech Holdings to create a national database of sex offenders last year, after reports that some of its teenage users were abducted by sex predators.

"We partnered with Sentinel Tech to build this technology to remove registered sex offenders from our site and to ensure that law enforcement could arrest those who were violating their probation or parole," MySpace Chief Security Officer Hemanshu Nigam said in a statement.

Before the national database was created, information on convicted sex offenders was available only locally.

EBay cancels ads in tiff with Google

2007-06-15T12:21:00.000+05:45

EBay Inc. didn't take kindly to Google Inc. crashing its conference.

A tiff over competing online payment systems leads the auction site to kill ads and the search engine to cancel a party.

The online auction house pulled its ads from Google's U.S. search engine this week because it was mad about Google's encroaching on its turf - both literally and figuratively.

EBay is one of Google's biggest advertisers. The search engine funnels millions of Web surfers to the auction site. But the two companies have grown increasingly competitive as Google has stepped up promotion of its Checkout online payment program, which targets a market similar to EBay's PayPal service.

What peeved EBay enough to yank its ads? A party.

Google invited attendees of EBay's big sellers conference in Boston to come to a shindig tonight, scheduled to start shortly after EBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman gave her welcoming address. Google offered trolley service to bring conference-goers to its "Let Freedom Ring" event at the historic Old South Meeting House %Gâ€”%@ and rally against EBay's refusal to let sellers advertise in their listings that they accept Checkout payments.

"When we heard of their plans to have their party and the way they were marketing it, we were disappointed," said Hani Durzy, spokesman for San Jose-based EBay. "We felt that wasn't an appropriate way for one partner to act toward another."

Durzy wouldn't say whether the decision to shift ad dollars away from Mountain View, Calif.-based Google was related to the party, stating only that EBay often "experiments" with its ad spending to gauge its effectiveness in drawing traffic to its site.

But analysts believe there's a direct connection. Deutsche Bank analyst Jeetil Patel, called EBay's move "truly retaliatory." Martin Pyykkonen at Global Crown Capital, called it a "soap opera."

Google backed down Wednesday and canceled the party. "EBay Live attendees have plenty of activities to keep them busy this week in Boston, and we did not want to detract from that activity," a Google executive wrote on the company's blog.

In a statement, Google said, "We don't comment on individual advertiser relationships or spending. EBay has been a longtime partner and we look forward to continuing our positive relationship."

But the spat may carry financial consequences for both companies.

Patel estimated that EBay gets between 10% and 20% of its Web traffic from Google, particularly by buying ads to run when Google users type in certain search queries. Google users saw more ads from EBay than from any other company in the first quarter, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.

Meanwhile, analysts believe Google gets tens of millions of dollars a year in advertising revenue from EBay. The two also have a partnership to share revenue from advertising on EBay's auction sites outside the U.S.

The source of tension is their competing online payment businesses. EBay owns PayPal, which handles close to 80% of all online transactions in the U.S., according to Pyykkonen. EBay last year generated $1.4 billion %Gâ€”%@ about 23% of its revenue %Gâ€”%@ from PayPal fees. Google's Checkout, on the other hand, was launched just a year ago and is trying to gain a foothold.

Greg Sterling, principal at Sterling Market Intelligence, said Google and some of EBay's own sellers have lobbied EBay to add Checkout to its auction site, with no success.

"EBay certainly has the prerogative to block Checkout on its own site," Sterling said. "But if EBay truly feels PayPal is a better product, it shouldn't feel threatened by competition."

Meanwhile, analysts expect EBay's boycott of Google to be short-lived.

"I just don't see that EBay can sustain it for very long," Pyykkonen said. "The reality is that EBay is too dependent on search to bring traffic to their site, and Google is the No. 1 player in search".They may have a few more angry words, but at some point, they'll start doing business again."

Google shares rose 47 cents to $505.24, while EBay shares gained 52 cents to $31.48.
Source: LATIMES

FBI pulls plug on several botnet hackers

2007-06-14T15:25:00.000+05:45

WASHINGTON - More than 1 million computers — possibly yours, too — are used by hackers as remote-controlled robots to crash online systems, accept spam and steal users' personal information, the
FBI said Wednesday. The government has no way to track down all the computers, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, that hackers have massed into centrally controlled collections known as botnets.

But the FBI has pulled the plug on several botnet hackers, or zombies. One man was charged this week in a scheme that froze computer systems at Chicago-area hospitals in 2006 and delayed medical services.

What was viewed seven years ago as a kind of prank to boot people off-line has evolved into schemes to defraud people by stealing credit card and
Social Security data, by crashing retail Web sites and through "pump-and-dump" online stock deals.

In those stock cases, hackers break into online trading accounts to buy and sell stocks, pumping up the price of those they can liquidate and then dumping them.

FBI Deputy Assistant Director Shawn Henry said in an interview Wednesday, "There will likely be spam sent on the heels of this case," people portraying themselves to be from the FBI or saying, 'We're investigating the big botnet case that you heard about and we need to check your computer. Provide us this information.'

"Bad guys will continue to use whatever tools are available on the vulnerable, on people who are unaware or unsuspecting," Henry said.

Hackers create botnets by scanning the Internet for vulnerable computers, which are then infected and instructed to join the botnet. Because the hacker has complete control of each "bot" computer, the botnet can be used to launch denial-of-service attacks, send spam e-mail, steal account login information or run any program.

Recent busts of botnet hackers, as part of the FBI's "Operation Bot Roast" sting, include:

_James C. Brewer, of Arlington, Texas. He was indicted Tuesday on charges of infecting more than 10,000 computers globally, including two Chicago-area hospitals operated by the Bureau of Health Services in Cook County, Ill. The computers at the two hospitals were linked to the health care bureau's mainframe system. They repeatedly froze or rebooted from October to December last year, resulting in delayed medical services, according to the indictment. Brewer was released on a $4,500 bond, court records show.

_Robert Alan Soloway of Seattle. When he was arrested last month, he was described as one of the world's top spammers for allegedly using botnets to send out millions upon millions of junk e-mails since 2003. Soloway continued his activities even after Microsoft won a $7 million civil judgment against him in 2005 and after Robert Brauer, the operator of a small Internet service provider in western Oklahoma, won a $10 million judgment. Soloway has pleaded not guilty to all charges in a 35-count indictment.

_Jason Michael Downey, of Covington, Ky. He was accused in Detroit last month of flooding his botnet-linked computers with spam for an 11-week period in 2004 and causing up to $20,000 in unspecified losses, according to court records.

The FBI's Henry said agents are investigating thousands of cyberfraud and computer intrusion cases, although it is not clear how many might be linked to botnets.

He said people should have their computers checked regularly for evidence of botnet infection, including using antivirus software or security firewalls.

"People have their cars inspected once a year to make sure they're safe," Henry said. "You've got to do the same types of things with your computers."
News Source : FBI

Dell And Windows Vista

2007-06-14T09:47:00.000+05:45

Last Monday, the UPS guy showed up with a new Dell C521. It’s destined to take over as my Vista Media Center machine, but right now it has a more important role to play: It’s the first machine I’ve bought with a fresh OEM installation of Windows Vista.
I’ve done clean installs and retail upgrades and Express Upgrades, and I’ve played with some OEM machines from HP and Acer, but this is the first factory-equipped Vista PC I’ve set up for long-term use.

I’ve read plenty of complaints about Vista performance and compatibility, so I’m anxious to see how this one stacks up. My goal, over the next week or two, is to document the process of using this machine and keep a careful eye on its performance and reliability. How does it run in its stock configuration? What happens as I add hardware and software and drivers and Windows updates?

It’s actually a refurbished machine

from the Dell Outlet. The C521 is an AMD-based small form factor machine with limited internal expandability but sufficient external ports. The configuration I bought included a dual-core Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (2.1 GHz), onboard 10/100 Ethernet, a 256MB ATI Radeon Pro X1300 video card, 1GB of RAM, 160GB SATA hard drive, and a dual-layer DVD-RW drive. Keyboard and mouse and fax modem, no monitor or speakers or floppy disk. Windows Vista Home Premium is preinstalled.

This is, all things considered, a pretty decent configuration, with no obvious weaknesses for general business use and media playback. Price: $369. Total with tax and shipping: $422.47. (And yeah, I paid for it out of my own pocket. Dell’s PR department has no idea I’m writing about this. I clicked the same links you’d get if you went to Dell’s website. Oh, and if I’d ordered this exact system new instead of buying from the Dell Outlet, it would have cost about $150 extra.)

I’ve ordered and installed several new Dells in the past six months, so the packaging is familiar: A sturdy box with a form-fitting enclosure for the CPU, and another oversize pizza box on top with keyboard, mouse, manuals, and media. The packaging is identical to a new PC, and if it weren’t for the red REFURBISHED sticker on the bottom of the case, I would think this is brand new. It takes less than five minutes to unbox everything and get it all connected, ready to power up for the first time.

Before allowing the preinstalled copy of Vista to boot, I was determined to capture a disk image so I could restore the original factory installation in the future and duplicate the whole experiment. I plugged in an external USB drive and inserted a bootable CD of Acronis True Image 10 Home. It took less than an hour to save an image file (.tib) that included the Windows system volume and the two hidden Dell diagnostic and restore partitions.

So, do you think that image is a good backup? Probably. Would you bet on it? Yeah, me neither. So I yank that puny 160GB drive (remove one screw and the existing drives snap in and out without tools), replacing it with a shiny new Samsung 500GB model. ($109 from New egg, bringing the total system cost to $531.47). I boot from the True Image CD again and restore the partitions from the image. A half-hour later, it’s done.

The restored image works perfectly. In fact, this system seems downright zippy, but it’s too early to break out the stopwatch. I go through the Dell and Microsoft license screens and do a quick system check. Monitor resolution is A-OK, network is working, I haven’t plugged in speakers yet so I can’t say whether sound is working. No banged-out entries in Device Manager.
Source: zdnet.com

Ways To Increase Your Returning Visitors

2007-06-14T09:34:00.000+05:45

You want to increase your returning visitors? It is actually quite simple…have a good Website. In the real world it’s a bit more complicated than just having a good website. Here are a few tips can help you increase your returning visitors.

1. New/Updated Content

Update your content frequently, add more content. If you are selling a product, offer some information about the product. i.e. An e-commerce site would have testimonials and detailed information about their products.

2. Offer a Bribe

What does everyone want? Something for free! So you offer something for free, weather its free information on a certain topic, or free shipping (if you’re an ecommerce site) or a free tool (if you sell a service).

3. Branding/ Bookmark

Branding your website is very important; make sure your website design unique and uniform, so that visitors know they are at your site. Make it very simple to go back to your website by having an easy to remember domain name and/or having a “bookmark this site” link on your site. The easier it for a visitor to remember your site and bookmark it the more chances there are that they will come back.

Don’t just follow these tips blindly make sure they apply to your niche. What works for some niches may not work for yours.

New Windows Vista Crack Released and 100% Working

2007-06-13T15:39:00.000+05:45

Vista sales are going brisk, with 40 million licenses in just 100 days it is also the fastest selling operating system till date. Cracking Vista is not easy either as the bright minds at Redmond have made it pretty secure making it difficult for the average hacker to get around. However a group called 'NoPE' has developed a crack which has a major key difference to other previous pirated copies of Vista. It is an out of the box crack as the product appears activated, updates work, and no key needs to be installed. In fact the installation is simpler than previous leaked copies of Windows XP which required a serial.

Maybe hackers managed to replace the Vista image on the DVD, with the pre-cracked version. Its again upto Microsoft to come up with new anti piracy measures, coupled with Windows Update to counter this new threat.

The cat and mouse game continues, where Microsoft will counter this, and then the hackers will respond, and so on, and so on. Of course, activation schemes, digital rights management and security measures only affect the honest people, inconveniencing them and sometimes even stopping them in their tracks, while the h4ck3rz rise to the challenge every time with their formidable skills.

Download Search String : Here

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Google adds PowerPoint viewer to Gmail

2007-06-13T12:57:00.000+05:45

The Office wars continue. Today, Google stepped up its challenge to Microsoft Office, adding a PowerPoint viewer to its online email client, Gmail. Google users can now open mind-numbing business presentations inside their browsers – without opening Microsoft software on the desktop.

Using Google’s browser-based word processing and spreadsheet applications, Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets, users can already do much the same thing with Microsoft Word and Excel files. Google has yet to introduce a full-fledged application for creating and editing presentation files, but in April, at San Francisco's Web 2.0 conference, CEO Eric Schmidt confirmed that such an app was under development.

"Gmail's new slideshow feature allows users to open a slideshow of a Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) file without having to download it to your computer," says a Google spokesperson. "This feature was a 20 percent time project for a few engineers. This is a Gmail feature and is not related to our plans to incorporate presentation-sharing capabilities into Google Docs & Spreadsheets."

Gmail automatically links users to its new viewer whenever they receive PowerPoint attachments via email. "Click ‘View as slideshow’ at the bottom of the message," reads the new page at the Google Help Center. "This will open your slides in a new browser window. You can navigate between slides by clicking the left and right arrow buttons at the top of the screen, or by choosing a specific slide from the dropdown menu in the upper right corner of the screen."

The dropdown menu - which requires the Adobe Flash Player - also allows users to play an entire presentation automatically (choosing between two different speeds) or download it to disc. The rub? The viewer doesn't handle files saved in Microsoft’s new PowerPoint 2007 format. ®
Source: theregister

Benchmarking futurehosting Virtual Private Server (VPS)

2007-06-13T09:29:00.000+05:45

A few days ago there was an important soccer game, atleast for Romanians. The game wasn’t featured on TV, no television network had the right to broadcast it, legal issues, bla bla bla.

The game was on live radio though but the sites broadcasting the sound stream had a hard time copping with the high demand …so I decided to keep a shoutcast mirror on my $10 futurehosting VPS.

I remembered that the TCP limit on the VPS was 250 so I set the shoutcast max listeners to 225. I reached the max listeners very quick and held it for the entire 90+ minutes at 32kbps. Oh well, here are the stats and proof:

The VPS has 128MB ram and is unmanaged, still one of the cheapest VPS plans out there. The tech support is outstanding anyway, fast reply and they seem to care about each and evey customer.
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

The Best Anti-Spyware Ad-Aware 2007 Available Now

2007-06-12T20:56:00.000+05:45

If you didn't know, Ad-Aware is one of the BEST anti-spyware program out there. After many months of beta testing Ad-Aware 2007, it is now stable final version. Good thing about the new Ad-Aware 2007 is the FREE version is still available for personal home use.

Ad-Aware 2007 protects you from spyware that secretly takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity and even identity theft through stolen private information. Ad-Aware 2007 has the tools to detect hazardous content on your computer, clearly identify their threat level, and then give you the ability to remove unwanted content, so that your private information remains right where it should - under your control.
Lavasoft’s advanced Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology roots out deeply hidden malware and then searches for similar codes in order to identity emerging variants. Ad-Aware 2007 thoroughly scans your memory, registry, Hosts file, hard, removable and optical drives for known data-mining, aggressive advertising, parasites, scumware, keyloggers, trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking components.

What's New in Ad-Aware 2007
- Fully redesigned engine with program flexibility and more accurate scanning methods.
- Improved Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology detects embedded malware and emerging threats.
- Incremental Definitions File updates save time and resources.
- Track Sweep privacy tool erases tracks left behind while surfing the Web.
- Multiple browser support – Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera.
- New straightforward user interface.

The new Ad-Aware 2007 file size is huge compared to the previous version. It is 17.1MB in size!

When I tried installing Ad-Aware 2007 on my laptop, I got the error message "Fatal Error: Installation ended prematurely because of an error."

At first I thought that the setup file was corrupted. I tried downloading again from download.com and still got the same error. Finally I tried downloading from a different source which is Softpedia and when I tried to install again, same error message appear. I suspect that the problem is on my computer and not the aaw2007.exe setup file. I copied the aaw2007.exe file to my desktop and it was able to install without any problems! I am still unable to find a solution to this problem. If it happened to me, it can happen to anyone. I will update once I found a solution to solve this installation problem.

The FREE version of Ad-Aware 2007 has the same restriction as Ad-Aware SE 1.06. You won't be able to use extra tools such as Process Watch, Hosts File Editor, Ad-Watch Connect, Customized scans, Ad-Watch and Advanced command line support. Meaning the FREE Ad-Aware 2007 is only useful for scanning and cleaning spyware on a computer and you won't be able to have real-time protection against spyware.

Till now, Ad-Aware 2007 only supports Windows 2000, 2003 and XP. Ad-Aware 2007 is not Vista ready. All valid licenses will be upgraded to the Vista compatible version for free upon release.
Download Link

Microsoft Hires Senior Linux Engineer

2007-06-12T10:13:00.000+05:45

Microsoft has quietly hired Tom Hanrahan, formerly the Linux Foundation's director of engineering, to become its Director of Linux Interoperability. As part of his responsibilities, Hanrahan will manage the Microsoft/Novell Interoperability Lab that Microsoft began staffing up earlier this year.

Hanrahan began his Linux career at IBM's Linux Technology Center in Beaverton, Oregon, where he served as senior program manager in charge of software development and testing. In this position, he oversaw the work of many of IBM's leading Linux kernel developers and sub-maintainers. In September of 2003, he moved to the OSDL (Open Source Development Labs) where he served as director of Linux engineering. After the OSDL merged with the Free Standards Group to form the Linux Foundation, he continued to serve in the role of director of Linux engineering.

The Microsoft and Novell Interoperability Lab, according to Sam Ramji, Microsoft's director of platform technology strategy, "will focus on interoperable virtualization between Windows and SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server). This lab will be part of the product engineering teams for both companies." In particular, it will work on "Virtualization, Office OpenXML/ODF interoperability, WS-Management interoperability, and directory federation."

A Microsoft spokesperson told Linux-Watch that "Tom will head up the new Microsoft/Novell Interoperability Lab, announced last fall as part of Microsoft and Novell's historic agreement [related story]. As outlined, the two companies are working together to create a joint development facility at which Microsoft and Novell technical experts will architect and test new software solutions and will work with customers and the community to build and support these technologies."

In his Microsoft job, "Tom will report directly to Sam Ramji who oversees Platform Technology Strategy for Microsoft and runs the Microsoft Open Source Software Lab in Redmond. Other than that we don't have any additional details to share at this time regarding the facility or staffing. Obviously Sam and team are pleased to have Tom onboard and expect Tom will positively impact the company's ongoing interoperability efforts," the spokesperson said.
Source: linux-watch.com

Justice Dept. Defends Microsoft Against Google

2007-06-11T16:30:00.000+05:45

"The Seattle PI reports that Google has complained to US antitrust officials about the hard-drive searching tool built into Windows Vista, saying that it stymies Google's similar search program. The complaint, lodged late last year, was revealed Saturday by The New York Times in a story about the Bush administration's handling of Microsoft antitrust issues. The real story, though, is not the Google complaint itself, but how the Justice Department is failing to enforce the Microsoft anti-trust decree. According to the story, Thomas Barnett, the assistant U.S. attorney general in charge of antitrust issues, sent a memo last month to state attorneys general across the nation, seeking to persuade them to reject Google's complaint."

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Sweet Tips For Promoting Websites

2007-06-10T14:53:00.000+05:45

Most of the companies today want to establish their business online. And the Internet Solution Company can help advertise and assist in every way possible to get the best Internet Solution for the company's website. They are looking on the form of online marketing strategies called “website promotion”. It is a strategy that makes your website visible to the Internet. It is an effective way of getting good search engine ranking position in Google, Yahoo and MSN.

If you to have asked yourself “how do I go about promoting website online?” Here are the ways on how to advertise site online.

First, if you are launching a new site, your first step is to submit your site to search engine such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. Search engine submission process is also a way to get exposure on the web.

Second, is submitting your site to Web Directories. It is the form of website promotion that will submit site through directories that are categorized by topics.

Third, is through Banner Advertisement, this is a website promotion that consists of placing banner ads that usually scroll bar at the top of the web page. In creating banner advertisement; make sure you understand who you're targeting, the goal of your campaign, and how to creatively use the ad confines to get viewers to click on your ad, not away from it.

Fourth, Search engine optimization that refers to search engine position and placement, a concept whereby you improve your sites design and content to achieve higher ranking search engine. The use of keywords is the important element to achieved high search engine ranking and best described the web page. In search engine you must use keywords that are related to the website and most frequently used by the target audience.

Lastly, is through Link building, it is a website promotion that helps search engine ranking. This is the link that appears as anchor text of inbound links for the website. There are three form of Link Building. This are through - one way links, reciprocal links, and three-way linking. One way link is the way of endorsing the site through discussion forum that you can share expertise to other. Get active in online discussion groups and always include your URL in your signature. Another is through Article writing .The articles is used to get a link back to the site and it recognize of being an expert in that topic. Link Exchange is a complementary or competitor site that is related. It is your own link exchange by asking sites complementary to yours and to put your link on their pages and you'll do likewise. It is the number of links pointing to the particular site that will increase traffic. Three-way linking requires at least one person in the trade of two websites. It has different domains and preferably should be hosted in different IP Address. They get traffic between the sites, and the two websites get full benefit of the inbound links.

This is the effective marketing tools for companies expanding their web promotion. In implementing internet marketing strategy you’ll be amazed of your effort. It gives you the opportunity to expose your business to World Wide Web.

IPhone Specs/Specifications, Requirements And Features

2007-06-09T13:23:00.000+05:45

Apple's iPhone will be released on June 29th, and surprisingly few details have been leaked about the phone itself, beyond the original specs/specifications described in January 2007.

This is the official list of specs/specifications that Apple listed for the upcoming Apple IPhone Portable device.

• System requirements
- Mac or PC
- iTunes 7
- Internet access is required, and a broadband connection is recommended
- Mac: Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later
- PC: Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2)
• External Controls
- Volume Up / Down
- Ringer / Silent
- Power / Lock
- Sleep / Wake
- Menu Button
• Dimensions
- 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches / 115 x 61 x 11.6mm
• Weight 4.8 ounces / 135 grams
• Input Method - Multi-touch
• Operating System - OS X
• Screen size - 3.5 inches
• Screen resolution - 320 x 480 at 160 ppi
• Storage - 4GB or 8GB
• GSM - Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900)
• Wireless data
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0
• Camera - 2.0 megapixels
• Battery
- Lithium
- Up to 5 hours - Talk / Video / Browsing
- Up to 16 hours - Audio playback
(Battery life varies by use)
• Connectors and other input & output
- 30 pin IPod connector
- 3.5mm jack includes audio and mic support
- SIM tray
- Built-in speaker
- Built-in microphone

Most of the specifications are no surprise, but there are rumors that the Apple IPhone would lack an accessible SIM tray.

Features

Revolutionary Mobile Phone
- Dial any telephone number with the touch of a finger
- Create and manage a list of telephone numbers you call most
- If you choose to answer the call, the video will pause and resume once the call ends
- iPhone syncs contact information from the computer to iPhone (from Address Book on a Mac or Outlook or Outlook Express on a Windows PC).
- Built-in speakerphone
- iPhone lets you carry on a phone conversation while you simultaneously browse the Internet or send an email.
- There is a vibrate mode.

Photos
- Sync photos from Mac or PC

SMS Text Messaging
- SMS text message button shows how many new messages are waiting
- Threaded conversations
- Hear an audio alert for new messages
- Error correction and prevention in the keyboard. Only displayed when you need it.
- iPhone users will not be able to conduct IM conversations with instant messaging users
- Does not support MMS messaging for photos or videos

Music and Video
- All videos play in landscape mode
- If you prefer your widescreen content to take up the entire screen, you can double tap the video and iPhone will automatically scale the video to take up the entire screen
- Sync music with iTunes just like any other iPod
- Select how to display music: by playlist, artist, songs or more.
- Media Net, MobiTV, or Cellular Video are not available on iPhone

Email
- Rich formatting
- Support for IMAP and POP3
- Yahoo! Push Mail
- Automatic address completion

Safari
- Double tap an object to make it fill the screen, and double tap to zoom out
- Can have multiple websites open at once and switch between them
- Websites you have bookmarked on your computer will be transfered to your iPhone from your Mac or PC

Widgets

Google Maps
- iPhone will not support the TeleNav solutions currently offered by other AT&T devices
- GPS is not part of the iPhone feature set.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Plug And Play Touch Screen Technology

2007-06-07T23:25:00.000+05:45

What is the next generation of ‘Touch Screen’? ‘Plug’ & ‘Play’ Touch Screen!!! Can you imaging how ‘Plug & Play’ concept can be implement in ‘Touch Screen’??? I am not means the common plug & play term. What I means is ‘plug’ a device on a regular laptop screen and ‘play’ it as a ‘TOUCH SCREEN’.

A device named LaptopTablet bring by NAVIsis. LaptopTablet is specially designed to attach to laptop computers for convenient handwriting, drawing, signatures, diagrams, etc. without a keyboard or mouse.

With this device, we can turn any laptop or even maybe desktop’s monitor(flat monitor- my personal opinion :-P ) into touch screen device. Sound cool, right?!!!! I love it. :-)

Features:

* Tablet for laptop computers.
* as Tablet PC without special application.
* Compact size and design.
* Dynamic presentation and documentation.
* Natural ink writing in Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista
* Enjoyable ink chatting on MSN Messenger.
* Handwritten e-mail in Microsoft Outlook.
* Ideal for users of all ages.
* Various applications at school, home, and office.

Basically, LaptopTablet consists of three important components.

1) Station
It use to receives ultrasonic and infrared signals from the digital pen.

2) Pen
It works like a PDA’s pen. Mouse function with pen-tip touching surface. It consists of L/R button for mouse operating. It can be use on any flat surface or paper. However, it is power required. Low power consumption with cell batteries.

3) Station Clip
A plastic clip is required to attach station to laptop screen. (If we want to use this LaptopTablet on a desktop.

Specification:

* Operating size : A4, A5, A6, 14.3″, 10.1″, 7.1″
* Memory : 128MB RAM and better
* Resolution : about 400 DPI (Sampling) / recognized resolution 0.2mm
* Power : Station USB Port(5V), Wireless pen 1.5V cell battery x 3 EA - Option, Wired pen USB Port(5V)
* software : “NAVIboard 2.0″ “MS Office Annotator”
* Interface : USB port, CD-ROM driver
* Dimension : Station W43 x L140 x H22mm / 64g, Pen W13 x L150mm / 13g

System Requirements:

* Operating System : Windows 2000/XP/XP-Tablet/Windows Vista
* CPU : Pentium 500MHz and better (or comparable CPU)
* Hardware : Laptop or desktop computer with USB 1.1 port and CD-ROM drive

Kingston's DDR3 RAM

2007-06-07T23:17:00.000+05:45

Kingston® Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced its DDR3 1066MHz memory modules have been validated on Intel reference platforms (PMO). “As Kingston prepares for the industry migration to the new DDR3 memory technology.

Expected to be twice as fast as today’s highest speed DDR2 memory, DDR3’s greater bandwidth is a perfect match for systems using dual and quad core processors. The lower voltage of DDR3 (moving to 1.5v versus 1.8v with DDR2) provides a more efficient memory solution for both mobile and server platforms. “I am pleased to see that Kingston is developing DDR3 memory technology, which will support Intel’s high-performance desktop platforms in 2007,” said Steve Peterson, Director of Client Chipsets, Intel Corporation. “This technology will also provide the bandwidth headroom necessary to support Intel’s product roadmap in the future.”

Initially launching in 512MB and 1GB capacity modules as well as 1- and 2GB memory kits, the new Kingston HyperX and ValueRAM DDR3 1066MHz modules are the cutting edge of memory technology. Kingston is currently sampling modules in limited quantities in capacities up to 1GB to support the next generation computer platforms shipping later in 2007. -kingston.com

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Windows And Mac Firewall

2007-06-07T12:21:00.000+05:45

The Importance of a Firewall
Before we begin, its important to understand how important a firewall is to a computers wellbeing. If a computer is connected directly to a broadband internet connection (or any “always on” internet connection for that matter), it is inherently exposed to the world. In most situations is preferable to have a router between a computer and its internet connection. In most cases the router is running a NAT (network address translation) service that helps filter out unwanted incoming traffic. Many people consider the routers NAT service to be a very effective firewall. It does a good job of keeping the evildoers on the internet from accessing files without permission. Unfortunately a NAT firewall doesn’t protect a computer from security concerns on the local network. That’s where OS level software firewalls come it.

Many Mac users don’t even bother to activate the computer’s built-in firewall. Since the Mac has a much lower attack surface on the internet, this rarely causes an issue. That being said, there will come a day when Macs will be under attack in much the same way that we see Windows based PCs. Thankfully, Apple has already added a software firewall to the Mac OS. And whether needed today, or even active right now, it is good to know this form of powerful protection is there when we need it.

All current versions of Microsoft Windows also come with an OS based software firewall. In stark contrast to the Mac firewall, Microsoft added theirs because their was a glairing need. Windows XP Service Pack 2 was the first release of Windows to install with the firewall enabled by default… a decision from Microsoft that was overdue even at the time. A Windows based PC connected directly to the internet without a router or software firewall is currently compromised within minutes. A sad fact that has been proven time and time again. I make the point simply because anyone thinking of deactivating their Windows firewall needs to think long and hard about the consequences. Happily, this is not the case if the Windows system is located behind a NAT router, as many home users are these days. But users that have plugged their computer directly into their broadband modem without benefit of the router, be warned. Deactivating your software firewall will leave the system wide open to infiltration.

All of this boils down to one basic fact, regardless of computer platform. When there is a choice to be made, it is always better to add a rule to a firewall rather then disabling it entirely. Adding the necessary rule or rules might be a little more difficult and slightly more time consuming, but it is far and away the safer alternative.

The Mac OS Firewall
As I stated earlier, Apple includes a powerful software firewall in all current version of Mac OS X. Accessing it is easy. Simply select System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click on Sharing. Next select the Firewall tab. Staring and stopping the firewall is as simple as a single mouse click here.

Adding a new rule to the firewall is almost as easy. The Mac comes with a series of predefined rules to make things easier. In our example, we want to allow both Windows users and other Mac user to connect to a file share on the host Macintosh. We’ll assume the Mac has both Personal File Sharing and Windows Sharing enabled. If not, just switch over to the Services tab and activate them now.

In the Firewall tab, simply click the New button. A menu called Port Name has a series of predefined values to make adding a rule easier. We’ll start by allowing Windows users access to the file share, so we’ll select SMB from the menu. Since SMB was a predefined option, the OS automatically fills in the necessary TCP ports for the service. In this case, its port 445 that Windows file sharing uses to access the Mac’s share. Just click OK and the rule will be added. Once the rule has been added, make sure the firewall is active and also be sure the checkbox beside SMB is checked. Your PC should now be able to mount the Mac file share. For more info on how to do that, checkout this link.

Now we’ll allow other Macs to connect to the host systems file share. In most cases, when a service is activated in the Mac’s Sharing preferences, a corresponding firewall rule is added at the same time. In practice, for me, this has been hit or miss. Some of my computers fail to automatically add the firewall filter when a service like Personal File Sharing is activated. Similarly, when I need to add the filter manually, sometimes there is an option in the Port Name menu when I click to add a new rule. If an option labeled Personal File Sharing isn’t already located in the menu, adding it is easy. Just select Other from the menu and enter this into the TCP Port Number field: 548, 427. Then just add a description to the rule, something like Mac File Sharing is descriptive enough. Just click OK and it should now be possible to connect to the file share from another Mac on the local network.

Other rules can be added to the firewall in the same way. In the case of more obscure protocols, it might be necessary to spend a minute or two on Google and lookup the TCP/UDP ports necessary for a given service.

Windows XP Firewall
Accessing the Windows firewall is just about as easy. There are almost a half dozen different ways to get to the Firewall settings. The most direct way is to select Windows Firewall from the system’s control panel. Once there, is easy turn the firewall on or off in two clicks.

As stated earlier, its better to add a rule to the firewall rather than deactivate it entirely. Windows refers to these rules as exceptions. Simply click the Exceptions tab to continue. Here, just like on the Mac, there should be a list of some commonly used services. In this case, all we need to do is check the box beside File and Printer Sharing to allow other computers access to file shares on the XP box. Once the box is checked, just click OK and the rule is in place.

Just like on the Mac, its possible to add custom rules to the exceptions list. Windows makes it possible to add an exception based on the program itself, or to apply rules to specific TCP and UDP ports. Its an interesting idea allowing the user to allow certain .exe files to bypass the firewall. But with all of the spyware and malware issues common to Windows these days, it also seems dangerous to allow an application access to any port or protocol it wants.

Conclusion
That’s pretty much it. We have another fairly long winded solution to a relatively simple configuration issue. Adding a firewall rule is pretty easy on either platform. Users generally spend most of their time cross-referencing protocols and ports for more obscure services. Many people get frustrated with the experience and go for the easiest possible solution, disabling the firewall rather than refining it. In this security conscious age, its far safer to spend a little time and configure the system properly.

Micsoft Sued Over Using Windows Vista Name

2007-06-07T12:10:00.000+05:45

French TV presenter 'owns Vista'

A French television presenter has sued Microsoft for "violation of intellectual property". Philippe Gildas accused the software publisher of illegally using the trademark "Vista".

Gildas registered the Vista in October 2003. This was two years before Microsoft registered its Windows Vista trademark with the INPI (French National Institute for Intellectual Property).

Windows Vista - the definitive review

Philippe Gildas had registered the Vista trademark for a television channel aimed at senior citizens, Télé Vista, which was to have launched in 2003. The Télé Vista project was delayed, but is now coming to fruition, with plans to launch the channel later this year.

Gildas sees Microsoft's hogging of the limelight with its new Vista operating system as an obstacle to that launch, and so he decided to sue, arguing that he registered the Vista trademark "in all entertainment and media categories: press, television, web and so on."

Mac, Windows or Linux - what will you next operating system be?

As in other jurisdictions, French trademark law recognises rights to the use of trademark only in certain categories of activity, allowing, say, a baker of baguettes, an onion-selling cyclist and a maker of berets to use the same trademark in their respective domains.

Gildas has indeed registered the Vista trademark in categories 35, 38 and 41, which covers the entertainment and media categories he cited. However, he did not register it in categories 9 and 42, covering software and the design and development of computers and software, the areas relevant to Microsoft's operating system. Given that the trademarks registered by Gildas and Microsoft are in different categories, it may be difficult for him to argue his case.
Source: pcadvisor

MS to unify MSN, Xbox and Zune with Ignition music platform

2007-06-06T20:29:00.000+05:45

Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of Ignition, a new program that gives recording artists with new releases a unique channel to reach tens of millions of consumers, whether they are browsing music online, playing games or catching up on the latest news.

For the first time, Microsoft has packaged promotional opportunities across Zune™, Xbox® and MSN® to help artists more efficiently reach consumers in all three audiences.

In a world where high-impact promotional opportunities for new music can be limited, artists look for ways to make direct connections with their audience and leave a lasting impression. Ignition maximizes exposure for artists by engaging consumers with interesting content and reaching them frequently over a monthlong period through prominent placement on Zune Marketplace, Zune.net, MSN entertainment properties and the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace. For consumers, Ignition provides a steady stream of new music through online access to exclusive content, free song and video downloads, streaming video, editorial features, and artist playlists.

“The Ignition program is designed to help artists connect with a substantial consumer audience,” said Christina Calio, director of Music Marketing for Zune. “Consumers are looking for ways to find new music, and Ignition helps connect artists with potential new fans by giving them multiple opportunities to listen to, watch or read about the artist across Microsoft’s online platforms.”

The Ignition program launches with the U.K. band Maxi"mo Park (Warp Records/Caroline Distribution), whose current album, “Our Earthly Pleasures,” debuted at No. 2 on the U.K. charts in April and is receiving significant radio airplay for its single “Girls Who Play Guitars.” Throughout the month of June, Ignition will introduce new U.S. fans to this popular U.K. band through free and exclusive music downloads and features on Zune Marketplace and Zune.net, video downloads on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, and promotional video and music streams on MSN Video and MSN Music.

Source: microsoft.com/press

Bypass OR Become Invisible to A GPS Tracker

2007-06-05T15:11:00.000+05:45

Is your company car or lorry / truck equipped with a GPS system and monitored by your boss? You have no chance of being undisturbed once in a while?

Do you suspect your jealous partner of having you watched?

Modern technology means that you may be constantly being monitored without even noticing it!

Tracking devices are becoming increasingly compact and unobtrusive. They can be installed within seconds, record your route or relay accurate information on your location to within a few meters via mobile phone around the clock anywhere in the world. You are being tracked like a mad dog or ruthless employer who needs to know your whereabouts 27/7.

With these GPS tracker blockers you can protect your privacy and disappear for a while!

Become invisible for GPS monitoring for a short period and not feel like the ?Fugitive?!

Using GPS blockers, GPS positioning systems become ineffective irrespective of where they are installed or hidden. Just switch on your GPS blocker and you disappear instantaneously.

By interfering with signals sent to any GPS receiver located within an area of a few meters, the GPS blocker renders position storage or transmission impossible. It is not necessary to know where exactly the positioning system is installed.

Using GPS Tracker blocker, GPS positioning systems become ineffective irrespective of where they are installed or hidden. Just switch on your GPS blocker and you disappear instantaneously.

What do I have to do to make use of the GPS blocker?

The GPS blocker can be used instantaneously – just plug it into the cigarette lighter (GPS-Blocker Car).

Or just activate it (GPS-Blocker Portable) and you will become invisible for all GPS devices located within an area of a few meters. This is all you have got to do!

Is it possible for someone to prove later on that I have disrupted the positioning system?

No. There are simply too many causes for a GPS system to break down. Not taking technical defects into account, a GPS receiver can be shielded by bad weather, dense forests, high buildings, bridges or tunnels.

Will my boss notice something?

He/She will only notice that you have disappeared for a while, meaning that it is not possible to locate you. Why this is so, nobody will know.

GPS blockers operate at a very low radio frequency (approx. 1/1000 of a mobile phone’s radiant energy) and protect you against unwanted GPS based surveillance if the GPS blocker is installed in an area of a few meters from the GPS aerial.

Within this area the blocker has also an effect on other GPS based devices.The navigation systems functionality may be impaired by GPS blockers over prolonged distances. Although some systems are connected to wheel sensors or the vehicle’s tachometer, they need the GPS signal for synchronization.

Therefore, only use the GPS blocker in your vehicle when you can really do without navigation.

Regarding the German TOLL System…

If a vehicle is equipped with an on-board unit, the so-called OBU, designed for the German toll system, it will not be able to calculate the itinerary covered when the GPS blocker is in use. Only the itinerary which has been recognized by the OBU as toll route will be subject to a toll fee.

Regarding the GPS fleet management systems and GPS tachographs…

If a vehicle is equipped with a GPS fleet management system or GPS tachograph, GPS positioning is not possible when the GPS blocker is activated. Some questions about these GPS Tracker Blocker have been raised and answered here.

Q: Is the radiation harmful for your health?

A: No. The radiant energy is less than 1/1000 of the mobile phone radiation.

Q: Does the blocker interfere with radios and mobile phones?

A: No.

Q: Will I be able to charge my mobile phone using GPS blocker vehicle version?

A: Yes. As the mobile phones are provided with different charging connections, you will only have to choose the suitable GPS blocker model. This, however, is fully functional regardless of the mobile phone used.

Q: Can the GPS blocker be positioned externally?

A: No. Compared with GPS interference transmitters for military applications operating at high frequencies, the radiant energy of GPS blockers is so low that they only affect the immediate vicinity of a few meters.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites For Free Traffic

2007-06-05T09:41:00.000+05:45

20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites May 2007

Here are the 20 largest social bookmarking sites (Updated: 5/19/2007) ranked by a combination of Compete and Quantcast data. These Social Bookmarking Websites can help you with huge web traffic also for your blog/website. For each site, we show unique U.S. monthly visitor data as well as respective rank. For entries where a wide range exists between the two data sets the highest numbers were used for ranking purposes. Although no traffic metrics are completely accurate we do believe the data below to be useful for gauging relative audience size.

1 | digg.com
15,647,316 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 44 - Compete
6,300,000 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 117 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

2 | Netscape.com
5,251,829 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 200 - Compete
8,712,399 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 73 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

3 | Technorati.com
3,563,581 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 349 - Compete
1,700,000 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 762 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

4 | del.icio.us
1,032,489 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 1,725 - Compete
1,000,000 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 1,458 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

5 | StumbleUpon.com
698,601 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 2,671 - Compete
584,472 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 2,873 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

6 | reddit.com
776,298 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 2,367 - Compete
176,234 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 10,755 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

7 | Slashdot.org
282,967 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 6,801 - Compete
268,258 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 6,991 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

8 | FARK.com
212,274 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 9,064 - Compete
114,516 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 16,740 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

9 | BlinkList.com
146,858 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 12,922 - Compete
170,330 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 11,171 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

10 | ClipMarks.com
95,844 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 19,319 - Compete
113,460 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 16,891 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

11 | Newsvine.com
104,117 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 17,891 - Compete
106,339 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 18,000 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

12 | furl.net
113,116 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 16,602 - Compete
66,697 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 28,053 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

13 | BlogMarks.net
65,844 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 27,272 - Compete
80,061 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 23,688 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

14 | ShoutWire.com
56,642 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 31,230 - Compete
53,585 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 34,197 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

15 | BlueDot.us
36,976 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 45,527 - Compete
46,273 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 39,008 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

16 | Simpy.com
17,210 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 87,524 - Compete
45,885 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 39,307 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

17 | Spurl.net
27,556 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 58,832 - Compete
4,797 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 258,416 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

18 | SpotPlex.com
16,016 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 92,739 - Compete
3,179 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: N/A - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

19 | MyBookmarks.com
8,369 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 156,835 - Compete
5,962 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 218,189 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

20 | SpotBack.com
1,734 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 540,004 - Compete
3,577 Unique Monthly Visitors (United States) - Rank: 336,292 - Quantcast
eBizMBA's Top 20 Largest Social Bookmarking Sites | Updated 5/19/2007

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Paris Hilton Autopsy Clip

2007-05-30T20:09:00.000+05:45

Her cell phone in one hand and a drink in the other, Paris Hilton lies dead - provocatively posed in a position she spent much of her life in - on the slab. I warn you, the video is graph.

Sculptor Daniel Edwards, the controversial artist that gave the world a sculpture of Britney Spears giving birth on her hands and knees, and Suri Cruise's bronzed first poop, unveiled his latest sculpture at the Capla Kesting Fine Arts gallery in New York on May 11th.

The work, in polyester resin, has removable innards and according to the artist, is intended to warn teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. Edwards began work on the sculpture in January, after the party girl's arrest for violating the terms of her probation in a drunk driving case.

High school students are encouraged to take an online virtual tour of the exhibit and compete for prizes by writing an obituary for the 'dead' Paris Hilton at ParisHiltonAutopsy.com.

The sculpture is for sale for an undisclosed sum. I have no interest in this sculpture, but I would consider purchasing the pre-autopsy clay model. He can keep the dog though.

Paris Hilton's spokesman has had no comment.

Voice over IP (VoIP) Features

2007-05-30T16:22:00.000+05:45

Because with VOIP you can make calls from anywhere you have access to a broadband connection, users can take their IP phones or ATA’s with them on trips and still have access to what is essentially their home phone.

Some people use a softphone to access their VOIP service. A softphone is a specially developed software application that loads the VOIP service onto your desktop computer or laptop. Some even have an interface on the screen that looks like a traditional phone. These softphone applications allow you to place VOIP calls from your laptop; anywhere in the world you have access to a broadband connection.

Most traditional phone companies charge you for extra features that are added to your account. With VOIP service providers these usually come as standard. Features such as:

1. Caller ID

2. Call Waiting

3. Call Transfer

4. Repeat Dialling

5. Return Call

6. Three-Way Dialling

Some VOIP service providers also offer advanced call filtering features. These additional features allow you to decide how calls to a specific number are handled by using caller ID information. They allow you to:

1. Forward the call to a particular number.

2. Send the call directly to voicemail

3. Give the caller a busy signal

4. Play a “not-in-service” message

Many VOIP services also allow you to check your voicemail over the internet or attach messages to an e-mail that is sent to your computer or PDA. It’s best to check with VOIP phone system suppliers and service operators exactly what features they offer as package and service prices vary greatly.

There are many other cost saving benefits that arise from a streamlined VOIP phone system network. For the network administrators, a VOIP phone system means they only have one network to maintain instead of two. The portability of the phone system is also greatly simplified. This is because most VOIP phone systems can be configured using a web interface, which can be managed by the network administrator. The MAC (move, add, change) process is made much easier, and you will not have to call your system/service provider for every MAC you carry out. All this means lower ongoing costs for your company.

Another cost saving for companies who implement a VOIP system is, because multiple offices, no matter where they are in the world are seamlessly connected, they can share many of the features VOIP can offer, such as:

1. One single receptionist

2. Auto attendant facilities

3. Voice mail system

Thanks for reading, please take the time to rate the article.

VOIP For Business Purpose

2007-05-30T16:14:00.000+05:45

VoIP consists of 2 major technologies….

Making Calls Over the Internet–Residential

This is the most common use of VoIP. It is also called VoIP lines or trunks. If you have a high speed internet connection, like cable modem, DSL, or T1, you can use your high speed connection to make phone calls on the internet. There are many companies like Vonage, Lingo, and VoiceWing (Verizon) that offer VoIP lines. Cable companies also offer VoIP lines, but only if you have their cable modem service. So, to boil it down, instead of getting your dial tone from Verizon over the traditional phone network, you get your dial done from your internet company.

Any phone system made (even an old one) can take advantage of VoIP lines. You do not need an IP based (IP PBX) or even IP compatible phone system. This is one of the biggest misconcetions about VoIP.

The advantage of VoIP lines are:

Lower Bills. Usually you pay a flat monthly rate and all your calls in the USA and Canada are free You can take your number with you. If you move around the corner or across the country with VoIP you can keep your existing phone number even if you move to a different area code.

Multiple area codes. You can get phone numbers from different area codes or even overseas numbers.

Portability. You can move the VoIP router with you and take your service easily with you. You can even set it up to use your laptop with a virtual soft-phone and a WiFi connections to make calls from anywhere you can get high speed internet access.

Features. VoIP lines come with Caller ID, Call Forwarding, and lots of other great features.
The problems with VoIP lines are:

Quality is not as good as traditional phone service, but it’s close and getting better all the time. Set up can be very challenging, especially if you are planning on using your own router.

Depending on how fast your internet connection is, it may be possible to make several calls at the same time over the internet. However, the more calls you make at once the slower your internet connection will be and the poorer the sound quality of your calls will be.

Faxes, modem, and alarm systems don’t work well over VoIP lines. Sometimes they won’t work at all. If you need a lot of lines, you may need more then one high speed connection, so the cost of the high speed internet connection may outweigh the savings.

There are some minor technical issue using VoIP lines and Automated Attendants and Voice Mail systems. If your internet access goes down, all your phone lines go down too.

VoIP lines normally don’t work if the power does out, but you can set up back up batteries.

Right now the Government does not tax VoIP service. If that changes VoIP may not be price effective anymore. Making Calls Over the Internet–Business

Business class VoIP works in much the same way as for residential VoIP with one major difference. With business class VoIP a T1 is usually delivered to your office that provides both VoIP voice lines and Internet service. This means that your VoIP provider and your ISP are the same company This distinction is very important once you need more then 3 or 4 lines. Since your Internet connection is coming from the VoIP phone company problems such as latency, jitter, and static are greatly reduced.

Basically, your call has to travel a shorter distance. With residential, your call goes from Verizon DSL or Comcast Cable, to Vonage, to the person your calling. That’s 3 steps or hops and problems can occur anywhere along with way. With business class VoIP, the 1st 2 hops are the same provider so things work better and you can get more calls on the same Internet connection.

Business class VoIP also has the advantage of being dynamically allocated. This means that when fewer people are on the phones, the Internet speed is faster. Voice always gets priority, so phone lines are always available. Packages are available from 5 to 105 lines or more and may come with unlimited calling or a large allotment of included minutes.

Business service is far more important then residential, so it’s vital that you choose the right carrier. There are several major carriers like Verizon and Sprint and many smaller national carrier that you’ve probably never heard of. There are even more regional carriers that only service a small area and even more resellers that just package someone else’s service. Let the experts at Teleco http://www.teleco4.com help you navigate through the maze of carriers and offers.

Connection Remote Workers or Remote Offices….Voice over IP Stations.

This is the 2nd major use of VoIP. You can “connect” to your office phone system from anywhere there is a high speed internet connection. Using a special VoIP telephone or a Laptop “soft phone” you can work from home or a hotel and it’s just like being in your office. You have access to all your phone system features including the intercom, paging, all outside lines, voice mail, and even your extension can ring on your VoIP phone. Best of all, you don’t lose the use of your computer. 1 high speed internet connection can run your VoIP phone and your PC at the same time.

With this same technology, you can link multiple office together into one seamless phone system. You can even share lines or the one voice mail system. You can even run your entire phone system over your office LAN or WAN without separate voice wiring (often called Pure IP or IP Based telephone systems), though that is very expensive and complicated and is best suited for very large companies with full time IT staffs.

Voice over IP is very exciting and more and more people are using it everyday. Let the experts at Teleco http://www.teleco4.com help you understand if VoIP is right for you. Voice over IP is available on both the NEC IPK and Toshiba CTX digital telephone systems.
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Why you need Data Backup Plan ?

2007-05-30T10:05:00.000+05:45

Is data backup solution part of your computer plans? Do you have a way to protect yourself if something goes wrong with your computer or data? Computers are a useful part of our lives but we don’t always protect ourselves from their loss be it fire, theft or hardware failure.

We often don’t consider how fragile our computer data really is. Do you keep sensitive information on your computer that you would be upset if you lost it? Consider this. If I told you that I was going to format your hard drive right now and you will lose all of the information on your computer, would you be ready? Or would you need to get a few files first… If you are in the second group, chances are you don’t have a proper data backup solution in place to help you handle disasters.

What happens if your computers are stolen?

I recently had a business colleague of mine who’s office was robbed and who had all of his computers stolen. He naturally felt helpless and victimized over the situation. What was especially frustrating was that he thought he had taken the proper measures to secure his office. He had a good security system in place, had secured his premises and yet they were still able to cut his phone lines, disable his alarm and have their way in his office. Don’t think a computer theft can happen to you? You know what? It can happen to anyone and you don’t have to own a business.

Computer hard drives do crash

If theft doesn’t get your computer, a hard drive failure certainly might. Hard drives are the devices in your computer that store the information on your computer. Your computers’ long term memory if you will. They are built with rotating mechanical parts. These parts break down. If they break down, your data can be gone. Are you prepared?

Data on a hard drive can often be recovered by expert data retrieval houses but their prices usually start at $10,000 and up. Want to avoid such costly recovering options? Establish a data backup solution.

A fire can wipe out your computers and your data

If computer theft or hard drive failure don’t destroy the data on your computers, a fire certainly might. This threat speaks to an off site backup storage solution. While the first two can be averted by simply burning a CD of your most critical data, fire can destroy your CD’s too if they aren’t stored off site. Fire is just one more reason why a data backup solution needs to be a part of your vocabulary and your action plan.

Protecting your data just makes good common sense. If you have data that you don’t want to loose ? and most of us do ? you owe it to yourself to protect your data. The next article in this series gives you some simple steps you can follow to protect yourself from data loss.

Joe Duchesne is the webmaster of Gotocompare.com a computer hardware information site with links to hardware drivers, manuals and lots more. Reprint freely as long as you maintain the live keyword rich links in this resource box.

Block Websites Using OpenDNS

2007-05-29T12:55:00.000+05:45

Opendns.com launched a powerful new featuregiving you the power to block specific websites. That means you can protect your computer, your house, your office and anything else that uses DNS from being able to service domains that you don’t want to load. Oh, and best of all: This service is totally free.

When customers started to ask for this feature we wondered who would want this. The geeks here in the office remarked that this kind of blocking would be trivial with a Linux server and some proxy/filtering software installed. Then it quickly dawned on us. (Eureka!) It’s not just mom and dad at home who have no easy way to just block an individual domain with any ease but it’s also network administrators at offices. Network administrators can now block problem domains for their entire office in a simple way without having to pay 1000’s of dollars in new hardware and time to achieve similar functionality. Does your ISP’s DNS server let you do this?

Blocking domains is really easy. Here’s how you do it:

1. Sign in to your OpenDNS account and make sure you have a network configured.
2. Go to the Networks tab in your account and click on the Settings icon for your network.
3. Click on the Blocked domains link and add a domain to be blocked.

You can delete or edit blocked domains on that same page. When you block a domain you block what is technically called a “zone.” This means it also blocks all sub-domains. Here’s an example. If you block craigslist.org then you’ll also be blocking la.craigslist.org (Craigslist Los Angeles) and sfbay.craigslist.org (Craigslist San Francisco), etc. If, instead, you just blocked newyork.craigslist.org then the rest of the Craigslist properties would load just fine.

When you try to visit a domain that is blocked in your network you’ll see a page that looks like this:

Since this is your network, we will show your logo on the blocked page, just as we do on the Guide pages. What? You haven’t uploaded your own logo yet? Go do it now, and go block some domains!

Source: opendns
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

IBM releases 4.7 GHz Power6 processor

2007-05-28T13:19:00.000+05:45

London (UK) ? IBM announced what it claims to be the ?fastest microprocessor ever built.?

Built in a 65 nm process, the new processor houses 790 million transistors and runs at a clock speed of 4.7 GHz. Compared to the Power5 chip, the new version offers more than double the clock speed, but also four times the cache (8 MB). The performance characteristics were enough to launch a new System p570 19? rack server to 25 performance benchmark records ?across a broad range of business and technical applications,? IBM said. In terms of bandwidth, the Power6 offers users an aggregate bandwidth of 300 GB/s ? which in theory is enough to download Apple?s entire iTunes catalog in about 60 seconds.

Power6 processor

What is remarkable about the processor is that IBM apparently made significant improvements in power consumption. According to the company the Power6 processor does not consumer more power at 4.7 GHz than the Power5 at 2.2 GHz ? while providing roughly twice the overall performance. Scaled down to the predecessor?s clock speed, the Power6 consumes only half as much power through a process called ?voltage/frequency slewing,? IBM claims. In terms of bandwidth, the Power6 offers users an aggregate bandwidth of 300 GB/s ? which in theory is enough to download Apple?s entire iTunes catalog in about 60 seconds.

IBM said that the Power6 will be aiming to attract customers who have been using HP, Sun and Dell servers with Intel Itanium and Sun Sparc processors.
Source: tgdaily
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Bush Worm Dances its Way into Computers

2007-05-27T10:04:00.000+05:45

"Check out this animation of Bush!" says a message popping up in your MSN Messenger. If you click on the link that follows to see the president of America letting his hair down, you will be unwittingly inviting a Worm to do some fast-paced moves inside your computer, say Security Experts at MicroWorld Technologies.

A Worm named 'Worm.Win32.VB.au' spreads with the help of messages written in Spanish, which says 'mira esta animacion de bush', coming from known and unknown contacts. Translated to English, it reads as, 'See this animation of Bush'. After getting into a victim’s computer, the Worm quickly sends the malicious links to all contacts present.

"Using fake and real stories about world political leaders is a tried and tested way of malware proliferation," says Rohini Sonawane, Chief Operating Officer of MicroWorld. "From death stories of Vladimir Putin, to the heart attack of Australian Prime Minister to the resurrection of Boris Yeltsin, these ploys have always triggered an instant reaction from a good number of computer users."

Most such attacks in the past were in the form of emails carrying sensational attachments. But in the case of malwares using Instant Messengers like the one in question, it’s about just one click. The best Social Engineering is when you don’t give an opportunity for the targeted user to think and instead get her to act on her reflex, adds Rohini.

Win32.VB.au is written in Visual Basic language and comes with a size of 122,880 Bytes. The malware creates a few registry entries so that it gets executed every time the computer is started.

The IM worm does not contain any dangerous payload in its present form. But similar methods can be employed by Virus Writers in proliferating more destructive Worms or Trojan Downloaders in a possible second wave of attacks. Exploiting vulnerabilities in Instant Messengers is another mode of malware proliferation that’s getting increasing attention from Virus writers.

MicroWorld protects organizations and Enterprises against a wide spectrum of threats with futuristic Security Solutions. Powered by the MWL technology, eScan from MicroWorld provides round the clock protection for Servers and Desktops against Virus, Trojan, Mail and IM Worm, Adware, Spyware, Spam, Phishing and Content Security threats.

Users affected with Win32.VB.au can download and run MicroWorld’s free AntiVirus utility MWAV to clean their computers. You can download MWAV at http://www.mwti.net/products/mwav/mwav.asp.

Utilising Digg & Netscape For Web Traffic

2007-05-27T09:33:00.000+05:45

In the last couple of months more and more bloggers have been catching onto the power of digg and Netscape. Bloggers have realized that if they get their blog on the homepage of digg or Netscape thousands of visitors will flood into their blog within minutes. So the question is, how can digg and Netscape be leveraged for traffic, and what results can you expect from them?

Submission

Submitting your content/story to digg and Netscape is a good way to start getting some exposure. Once you submit your story people "digg"(vote for) your story if they like it, the more people that "digg" your story the more exposure you will get. At the current moment, with digg you need roughly 51 votes within 24 hours to get to the homepage. Netscape on the other
hand is time based, if you get 10 votes within 10 minutes you will probably get your story on the homepage.

Here are some things that can help get your stories to the
homepage.

1. Catchy titles and descriptions usually do better then dull titles and descriptions.

2. Digg and Netscape promote up-to-date information. Stories that contain old news usually don't do as well as fresh news and information.

3. Stories that benefit readers usually do better, such as how to guides and top 10 lists.

You can try submitting your story to digg and Netscape and see what happens. In many cases you will not make it to the homepage and usually when people naturally submit your stories, it tends to have better results. If you want to increase your chances, you should think about adding digg and Netscape buttons within your blog posts and RSS feeds.
Comments

Most people leverage digg and Netscape by trying to get their story on the homepage, but not too many people leave comments. Both digg and Netscape have a comment feature and if you leave comments with links to your website it can drive hundreds of visitors especially if the story you left a comment on makes it to the homepage. If you decide to leave comments and link to your website, here are some things to keep in mind.

* Just don't leave comments so you can link to your website. Provide valuable information to the community. If your comment cannot benefit the community then don't leave it.

* If the link to your website will not benefit the community, then don't link to your website.

* Try to also link to other related sites within your comments and not just your own website.

* Most importantly do not spam.

Results

So if you get on the homepage of digg or Netscape, what
should you expect?

* Many months ago, Guy Kawasaki got on the homepage of digg for his blog post on The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint which drove over 10,000 visitors to his blog.
* Derek van Vliet wrote a blog post about social bookmarking etiquette and it got on the homepage of Netscape which drove 3000 visitors in 1 day.

If you are looking to boost your traffic you should try to use digg and Netscape, but just be careful and do not try to cheat the system. These sites are community driven as well as based on algorithms so if you attempt to game them, the community will fight back. There has already been some noise about certain high traffic websites getting a good portion of their traffic because of numerous digg homepage stories. Only time will tell how this social news space evolves and how these websites evolve to prevent gaming of their systems.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Understanding Site Traffic Using Google Analytics

2007-05-24T17:41:00.000+05:45

Google analytics is the best place where you can know where your website’s traffic is coming from.

https://www.google.com/analytics/home/ . You can see the graph which will tell you from where your traffic comes from. It can be from any part of the world, and then you know, how popular your blog or website is in which part of the glove. For using this, you need to copy the tracker. The tracker code will be available when you register your website with analytics. When you will paste that code in your website, you will be able to track your website. More of less this service is reliable. And most other free services that give such facilities are not so accurate. We have seen using most counters, they even count your visit if a person dose a refresh of the page.

I will also give you another website which dose somewhat the same work. But the free service of this website is also not that bad. Actually it as more features than the analytics.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

10 Ways to Be A Youtube Star

2007-05-23T16:30:00.000+05:45

I'll spare you the blurb about YouTube being a revolution in online media, a truly democratised broadcasting platform, and the pinnacle of user-generated content. You know this, and if you didn't, 768 high-brow articles in the press have already told you so.

More importantly, it's become the prime outlet for camcorder and camera phone users to make an arse out of themselves, and win praise/wonder/disgust (delete as appropriate) from millions of their peers.

But what are the prime ingredients for YouTube success - what separates a viral hit from a barely-noticed miss? Poking around the top rated videos provides a few answers

1. Lip-synching

YouTube has single-handedly killed off karaoke (almost) in favour of lip-synching. If you can leap around your bedroom miming along to a suitable hit, you're guaranteed a big audience. Well, you are if you do it right - the standard needs to be considerably higher even than you'd see from actual pop stars on TV. Extra points are scored for wildly unsuitable clashes (young girls doing gruffy-voiced grunge males, blokes doing Barbie Girl etc). Examples: here and here.

2. Animals do the funniest things

If it's popular on cobbled-together Saturday Night clip shows, why shouldn't it work on YouTube as well? And, thankfully, you don't have to put up with a presenter mugging between vids. Cats seem to do particularly well on YouTube for some reason (that reason being they reliably fall off things or go mad when you point a camera at them). Obviously, the most common way is to nick footage from the TV, but that's just lazy. Examples: here and here

3. Have an original idea no-one else would bother to do

One video this week epitomises this - a girl who's taken a photo of her face once a day for THREE years, and then strung them all together into a video-montage. With music. It's actually quite spooky when you watch it, the music's a bit "serial killer". The advantage to this strategy is that if anyone wants to copy you, it'll take three years before they get their version up on YouTube.

4. Fight strangers in the street

Works best of all if you're homeless, for reasons that sociologists will be puzzling over for centuries to come. No-holds-barred fighting competitions are hugely popular on YouTube, so if you don't mind a few cuts and bruises (or shattered femurs, wrenched-off ears...), it could be the way to go. One street fighter, Kimbo Slice, has actually turned his vids into a lucrative merchandising business.

5. Get your camphone out at gigs

Seeing a good band? Don't dive into the moshpit or crowd surf from the upper balcony to the stage. Instead, stand at the back ABSOLUTELY still and record a song or two using your cameraphone. It doesn't sound much fun, but plenty of people are doing it, then sticking the results on YouTube the next day. Particularly popular when a band is playing new tunes, or haven't played live for a while. Record labels don't like it, but YouTubers most emphatically do. Examples: here and here.

6. Be bloody good at videogames

Games never did live up to their billing as the next big spectator sport, despite a slew of mooted TV shows which'd let you watch Unreal Tournament geeks going about their shooty business. Funny, that. But on YouTube, amazing (or amazingly silly) gaming feats will gain you plenty of attention, especially when they involve making Halo characters dance about to a song about cats. Obviously. Examples: here and here.

7. Corrupt innocent childrens' characters

An old favourite here, harking back to making your Sooty and Sweep puppets hurl four-letter abuse at your He-Men when you were younger. C'mon, surely that wasn't just me? Oh. Anyway, spoofs and parodies of popular kids TV shows are ever popular on YouTube, whether it's Pokemon miming to Since You've Been Gone (neat cross-pollination with category 1 there). Examples: here and here.

8. Drink. Lots.

Fratboy antics rack up views like no one's business, dude. So grab yourself a bottle of cheap beer/spirits/cleaning fluid, set your webcam going, and prepare for fame. If you can manage to be sick at the end of it, so much the better. So there's people downing pints, bottles and yards of ale, and in one memorable case, a chap playing the Jeremy Kyle Show drinking game with snakebite'n'black, and the guy learning to speak French while chugging white wine. Now that's stupid brave. Examples: here and here.

9. Rip obscure Japanese cartoons off the telly

Maybe it's because this stuff is hard to get on DVD over here, but YouTube is packed with episode-length cartoons called stuff like Great Teacher, Ayashi no Ceres and Ouran High School Host Club (I don't think that's as seedy as it sounds. At least, I hope it's not). If you've got a supply of this stuff and know your way around DVD-ripping software, you'll never be short of a few thousand viewers.

10. Make high-quality one-minute vids reviewing hot gadgets of the day

Oh, come on. You didn't think we were going to get through this post without a big fat plug for the video reviews on our sister TechReviews blog, did you? We've got no shame.

Source: techreviews
To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Process to Withdraw Your Adsense Earnings

2007-05-23T16:07:00.000+05:45

You become eligible for Google AdSense payment only when your AdSense earnings reach at least $100.00. Google AdSense will pay your payment approximately 30 days after the end of the month in which you become eligible to receive Google AdSense payment. For example, you started AdSense in September and at the end of the month your earnings had not yet accumulated $100.00 in your Google AdSense account. You need to wait for the next Google AdSense payment date. If your September and October AdSense earnings combined is more than $100.00, you would be able to withdraw your Google AdSense earnings for October. You would be paid approximately 30 days after the end of the month of October. You could expect your Google AdSense check near the end of November.

Using AdSense for Search is another good reason for you to combine the AdSense for Search earnings with AdSense for Content earnings. If your combined AdSense earnings is more than $100.00 and even though your AdSense for Content earnings do not reach $100.00, you meet the requirements for payout minimum and you are eligible for your payment.

You can choose to have your Google AdSense payments mailed to you via check in your local currency, if you are non-us residents. Google AdSense offers this option in 42 countries which you can check at Google AdSense support center. Just take a look over there whether your country is included in the list or not. When you are about withdraw your Google AdSense earnings via check, you need to set the payment details in your Google AdSense account. You can follow this steps :

1. Log in to your AdSense account and click the link near Payment Details.
2. Select Check – Standard Delivery radio button
3. Click Continue
4. Select your local currency if it is available for your payment or you can select US dollars.
5. Save your settings.

When you’ve done all these steps, you are all set and you can withdraw your AdSense earnings via check and start receiving your Google AdSense payment by postal mail. Make sure that there are no Payment Holding being enabled and your PIN entered already. Also, you may choose to receive your Google AdSense payment through Secured Express Delivery. With Secured Express Delivery, you can receive your check faster than Standard Delivery. However, using a Secured Express Delivery incurs a fee. A Secured Express Delivery usually takes about 4 - 10 business days to be delivered to you. When you choose this option, you will need to contact the courier service (in this case DHL) to make sure that they are offering service to your area and that your address is in the proper format.

High Paying Adsense Keywords For Webhosting & Domain Names

2007-05-23T15:20:00.001+05:45

Here is a list of some High Paying Adsense Keywords for Web Hosting & Domain Names. It will sure increase your Adsense earnings if you use with correct content with these keywords..

isp hosting $43.13
best web hosting sites $41.53
sql server hosting $31.91
managed hosting $31.17
managed web hosting $31.05
top web hosting companies $29.59
asp net 2.0 web hosting $28.52
top ten web hosting $27.21
best web hosting companies $26.85
web hosting ratings $25.97
asp net web hosting $25.82
managed dedicated $24.74
net web hosting $24.18
affordable webhosting $23.55
dedicated web hosting $23.42
best web hosting $23.11
web hosting sql $22.55
web hosting reviews $22.42
asp net hosting $22.16
dedicated hosting $22.01
asp web hosting $21.99
canada dedicated $21.94
best web hosting service $21.44
dedicated services $21.03
daddy web hosting $20.78
web hosting comparison $20.65
1 and 1 web hosting $20.59
dedicated server hosting $20.55
hosting dedicated server $20.55
web hosting plans $20.30
asp webhosting $20.27
ez web hosting $20.16
top web hosting $20.14
web hosting rating $20.07
web hosting solutions $20.01
web hosting sites $19.83
web hosting provider $19.81
data center hosting $19.65
asp hosting $19.41
webhosting reviews $19.38
best hosting $19.15
compare web hosting $19.05
reviews hosting $18.84
discount web hosting $18.76
discount web hosting $18.76
top 10 web hosting $18.60
1 1 web hosting $18.44
register domain names $18.38
microsoft web hosting $18.19
virtual dedicated servers $18.02
cheap webhosting $17.87
web hosting prices $17.74
inexpensive web hosting $17.57
web hosting review $17.50
provider hosting $17.34
hosting provider $17.34
windows 2003 hosting $17.19
affordable web hosting $17.16
verizon web hosting $17.13
small business web hosting $16.89
hosting services $16.88
dedicated web server $16.76
at&t web hosting $16.76
web hosting providers $16.75
virtual dedicated server $16.73
domain names $16.71
windows dedicated $16.70
dedicated web server hosting $16.56
dedicated server web hosting $16.56
reliable web hosting $16.47
dedicated virtual $16.38
frontpage web hosting $16.36
yahoo web hosting $16.30
hosting servers $16.26
business hosting $16.20
affordable hosting $16.19
web hosting companies $16.19
hosting solutions $16.11
windows 2003 dedicated $16.11
e commerce web hosting $16.08
dedicated web host $16.06
windows server hosting $15.99
dedicated colocation $15.95
server hosting $15.88
virtual private server hosting $15.88
windows web hosting $15.79
1and1 web hosting $15.78
hosting providers $15.75
website hosting $15.68
buy domain $15.68
registering domain names $15.68
virtual server hosting $15.64
hosting companies $15.62
business web hosting $15.61
business web hosting $15.61
windows dedicated server $15.56
windows server dedicated $15.56
crystaltech web hosting $15.51
web server hosting $15.37
web hosting server $15.37
reliable hosting $15.33
professional web hosting $15.23
cheapest web hosting $15.21
buy domain name $15.21
cheapest web hosting $15.21
virtual web hosting $15.21
hosting plans $15.18
register domain $15.14
1 web hosting $14.93
linux hosting $14.80
windows hosting $14.65
low cost hosting $14.65
verio web hosting $14.64
linux web hosting $14.62
web hosting $14.59
web hosting packages $14.54
dedicated servers $14.49
register domain name $14.47
hosting service $14.47
web hosting company $14.44
cheap domain name $14.41
shared web hosting $14.35
easy web hosting $14.21
dedicated webhosting $14.19
virtual hosting $14.00
secure web hosting $14.00
web hosting reseller $13.97
ecommerce web hosting $13.94
window web hosting $13.65
webhosting companies $13.63
web hosting services $13.57
coldfusion web hosting $13.56
internet web hosting $13.46
one web hosting $13.45
domain registration $13.39
webhosting review $13.36
reseller hosting $13.29
best webhosting $13.26
hosting packages $13.25
unix web hosting $13.23
dedicated net $13.21
hosting company $13.20
web hosting solution $13.14
colocation hosting $13.12
1&1 web hosting $13.10
web hosts $12.93
ecommerce hosting $12.87
dedicated server webhosting $12.86
yahoo small business web hosting $12.83
ix web hosting review $12.74
web hosting service $12.71
web hosting for mac $12.62
mac web hosting $12.58
personal web hosting $12.50
web site domain $12.38
webhosting provider $12.38
unix hosting $12.36
web hosting plan $12.33
cheap website hosting $12.31
web page hosting $12.22
dedicated cpanel $12.18
cpanel dedicated $12.18
hosting plan $12.16
sbc web hosting $12.13
webpage hosting $12.08
cheap reseller hosting $12.00
check domain $11.96
low cost dedicated $11.90
hosting uk $11.89
internet hosting $11.87
site hosting $11.83
cheap web hosting $11.82
web hosting email $11.74
hosting sites $11.73
domain name search $11.59
cheap dedicated servers $11.51
dedicated server $11.43
dedicated server $11.43
cheap hosting $11.42
domain name web hosting $11.26
online web hosting $11.20
hosting services domain $11.14
business webhosting $11.14
web site hosting $11.12
web hosting site $11.12
web domain $11.10
dedicated cheap $10.97
cheap dedicated $10.97
web hosting domains $10.90
web hosting uk $10.86
cpanel web hosting $10.86
web hosting uk $10.86
ix web hosting $10.81
web hosting and domain $10.76
dedicated vps $10.75
budget web hosting $10.73
dedicated $10.70
cheapest webhosting $10.70
webhosting providers $10.68
vps hosting $10.64
domain search $10.64
hosting space $10.63
cheap dedicated server $10.59
website domain $10.57

web hosting com $10.57
hosting $10.55
domain name hosting $10.52
cpanel reseller hosting $10.50
dedicated linux server $10.49
plesk dedicated $10.49
php web hosting $10.44
php hosting $10.43
cheap domain $10.39
domain cheap $10.39
domain web hosting $10.38
domain name $10.33
cheap domain names $10.32

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

SMS Trojan Virus for Series 60 Nokia Phones

2007-05-22T16:05:00.000+05:45

Recently,Russian anti-virus maker “Kaspersky Labs” discovered the first Trojan SMS virus designed for phones running S60 OS. The virus is called trojan-SMS.Symb.OS.Viver.

Viver virus could be easily disguised as photoeditor, video codec collection - symbian application. The infected programs could be placed at mobile software download sites.
After downloading and installing the infected application virus gets activated and starts sending SMS messages to the premium mobile number.
Premium SMS numbers are usually rented by mobile operator to various service companies and are used for legal purposes including payment for ringtones. It may cost you between $1 and $10 for single SMS.

Source: unwired

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.

Windows Genuine Advantage Validation v1.7.36.0 Cracked Download

2007-05-22T09:51:00.000+05:45

While browsing internet few days back, i found the most awaited and wanted stuff "Latest Windows Genuine Advantage Validation v1.7.36.0 cracked" by Team ETH0. The release date of this cracked WGA was on 17 May 2007. Sorry for being little late.

Download Link: Here

The process of Using this WGA is all listed inside the archive on howto.txt. First read the instructions then get started to have Genuine Windows XP.

I checked both Wikipedia and also Microsoft Download Center, both websites shows that the latest version of Windows Genuine Advantage is 1.7.0018.1. I went to Windows Updates for custom check and it didn't prompt me to download and install new Windows Genuine Advantage.

This cracked Windows Genuine Advantage Validation v1.7.36.0 files only enable you to use Windows Update, Microsoft Download Center and also removes the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification nag screens. And still, this does NOT work with Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Media Player 11 because both uses their own WGA check that is in their install program.

Free Rapidshare Downloader Software

2007-05-21T16:48:00.000+05:45

The most awaited RAPIDSHARE DOWNLOADER SOFTWARE which works 100% for massive download his finally available for download now.

Download CMS Grabber: Here

After the months of grabber that it did not work because RapidShare has bought up to date its code, the CMS of the equipment has bought up to date their famous grabber and it has even done it better with the new characteristic!

This up-to-date version of grabber 1.4.8 regulation rapidshare.com grabber and connection checker. The new feature is added inside this "the Huawei tool" the grabber lately.

It is for renewing IP address for ADSL users(Supported hardware: SmartAX MT882 ADSL Router/Modem) - currently only USB mode is supported and next version will allow to specify router address (it is now set to 192.168.1.2 -- you can configure your router to that address anyway so it will work in "Network Mode" -- i.e. when connected to the LAN NIC))

This release is no longer private because it is sponsored by StackFile Corp. I have no idea what StackFile is all about because the website will only be open after 9 days. Anyway, thanks to StackFile for sponsoring The Grabber, otherwise it won't be updated for all of us to use.

To get more updates on this blog,Subscribe it now.