Animated Recent posts widget for blogger.

Recent posts for blogger with thumbnails and Simple Spy.Recent posts for blogger with thumbnails and Simple Spy

Click for Demo

For bloggers put into Sidebar Gadget(add gadget) select html, copy all html below to that gadget:

 

 

<script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.3.2/jquery.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<style type="text/css" media="screen">
<!--

#spylist {
overflow:hidden;
margin-top:5px;
padding:0px 0px;
height:350px;
}
#spylist ul{
width:220px;
overflow:hidden;
list-style-type: none;
padding: 0px 0px;
margin:0px 0px;
}
#spylist li {
width:208px;
padding: 5px 5px;
margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;
list-style-type:none;
float:none;
height:70px;
overflow: hidden;
background:#fff url(http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/708209/scriptabufarhan/recentspy/post.jpg) repeat-x;
border:1px solid #ddd;
}

#spylist li a {
text-decoration:none;
color:#4B545B;
font-size:11px;
height:18px;
overflow:hidden;
margin:0px 0px;
padding:0px 0px 2px 0px;
}
#spylist li img {
float:left;
margin-right:5px;
background:#EFEFEF;
border:0;
}
.spydate{
overflow:hidden;
font-size:10px;
color:#0284C2;
padding:2px 0px;
margin:1px 0px 0px 0px;
height:15px;
font-family:Tahoma,Arial,verdana, sans-serif;
}

.spycomment{
overflow:hidden;
font-family:Tahoma,Arial,verdana, sans-serif;
font-size:10px;
color:#262B2F;
padding:0px 0px;
margin:0px 0px;
}

-->
</style>

	<script language='JavaScript'> 

imgr = new Array();

imgr[0] = "http://i43.tinypic.com/orpg0m.jpg";

imgr[1] = "http://i43.tinypic.com/orpg0m.jpg";

imgr[2] = "http://i43.tinypic.com/orpg0m.jpg";

imgr[3] = "http://i43.tinypic.com/orpg0m.jpg";

imgr[4] = "http://i43.tinypic.com/orpg0m.jpg";
showRandomImg = true;

boxwidth = 255;

cellspacing = 6;

borderColor = "#232c35";

bgTD = "#000000";

thumbwidth = 70;

thumbheight = 70;

fntsize = 12;

acolor = "#666";

aBold = true;

icon = " ";

text = "comments";

showPostDate = true;

summaryPost = 40;

summaryFontsize = 10;

summaryColor = "#666";

icon2 = " ";

numposts = 10;

home_page = "http://www.raudhatulmuhibbin.org/";

limitspy=4
intervalspy=4000

</script>

<div id="spylist">
	<script src='http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/708209/scriptabufarhan/recentspy/recentpostthumbspy-min.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
</div>    

Note :If your template already have a jquery do not put again, just copy after it

Html from above a few things could be replaced :

1. homepage address

home_page = “http://name-your-blog.blogspot.com/”;

2. Style

#spylist ul{

width:220px;


overflow:hidden;


list-style-type: none;


padding: 0px 0px;


margin:0px 0px;


}


#spylist li {


width:208px;


padding: 5px 5px;


margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;


list-style-type:none;


float:none;


height:70px;


overflow: hidden;


background:#fff url(http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/708209/scriptabufarhan/recentspy/post.jpg) repeat-x;


border:1px solid #ddd;


}

from above style/css, you can change :

width

width : 220px;

width:208px:

customize base on your template

and

background:#fff url(http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/708209/scriptabufarhan/recentspy/post.jpg) repeat-x;

Customize the colors of backuground

3. image size

thumbwidth = 70;

thumbheight = 70;

Match your needs

4. How many post you will show

numposts = 10;

Base on what you need to show

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How to add your Blog to Bing?

Bing Webmaster Center

Bing (formerly Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search) is a web search engine by Microsoft. Bing allows webmasters to manage the web crawling status of their own websites through Bing Webmaster Center. Use the webmaster tools to troubleshoot the crawling and indexing of your blog, submit sitemaps and view statistics about your blogs.

To use webmaster tools, go to Bing Webmaster Center and sign in to use the tools. Click on Add a site and submit your blog URL with site map address. Example:

Web address: http://myblog.blogspot.com/

Sitemap address: http://myblog.blospot.com/atom.xml or http://myblog.blogspot.com/rss.xml

Provide webmaster email if you want and click on Submit button. They need to verify that you are true owner of submitted site. Copy given meta tag and paste it into head section of your blog by going to Dashboard > Layout > Edit HTML. Meta tag should be like 

<meta name="msvalidate.01" content="238F066602818D0FA23E2B1D371E076A" />

and put it somewhere after <head>.

Save the template and return to site list in Bing webmaster tools.

Click on your blog in site list to see statistics if it is already indexed by Bing. If there is no data available then you have to wait for a few days till MSNBot (the Bing web crawler) scans and indexes contents of your blog.

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Magazine style Blogger Template "Falkner Press" and Detail Explanation.

LIVE DEMO | DOWNLOAD

Main Features:

* Automatic Thumbnails on posts

* Automatic Post Summarize

* Featured Content Slider

* Adsense ready

* PSD Custom Logo Included

* Youtube Video embedding Integrated

* Fully SEO Optimized

* Advertisement Block Ready

* 3 Columns

* Social Bookmarking Icons

* Twitter Updates widget

* Feedburner Email Subscription ready

* Thumbnails on Recent Posts in Sidebar

* Integrated Search box

* Beautiful top Navigation bar

* Cross-browser compatible

* and many more....

Step by Step Installation Guide:

(Make sure you backup your current template before installing any new template)

Step 0 : First Follow the basic installation steps here.

Step 1 : Edit the Logo

The logo *psd (photoshop) file is included in the download file. Open it with Photoshop and Edit the logo and Save it in .jpg format.

Next, upload that image to some image host like tinypic, photobucket,etc.. and get the image link to that file.

Go to Layout » Edit html

Find this url

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WvXx3bCj7ba-d8eFDGS3v_6w7g0bD25487zr3dSCoPWPdT-JeU9wHnGUfE0FJvddgHrI-CR09PGdz_YReCeREfC_NMIh3Cbkq9ebsz-e4qxaNTnzYRCa0eXeDSskUeZFC-sTBnYkuZ7t/

and replace it with your image url.

Step 2 : Edit the top Navigation links

Go to Layout » Edit html and find this code

<ul>

<li><a expr:href='data:blog.homepageUrl'>Home</a></li>

<li><a href='WEBSITE URL HERE'>About</a></li>

<li><a href='WEBSITE URL HERE'>Archives</a></li>

<li><a href='WEBSITE URL HERE'>Contact</a></li>

<li><a href='WEBSITE URL HERE'>Disclaimer</a></li>

<li><a href='WEBSITE URL HERE'>Forum</a></li>

<li><a href='WEBSITE URL HERE'>Subscribe</a></li>

<li><a href='WEBSITE URL HERE'>History</a></li>

<li><a href='WEBSITE URL HERE'>Profiles</a></li></ul>

See the pattern..you can easily understand. Simply replace the WEBSITE URL HERE with your target url. Also, Edit the anchor texts to your liking (About,Archives,Contact,etc)

Step 3 : Edit the Latest Twits

If you use twitter, You can use the integrated twitter twits widget. Simply find this

<a href='http://twitter.com/bloggertricks' id='twitter-link' style='display:block;text-align:right;'>follow me on Twitter</a>

</div>

<script src='http://twitter.com/javascripts/blogger.js' type='text/javascript'/>

<script src='http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/bloggertricks.json?callback=twitterCallback2&amp;count=1' type='text/javascript'/>

and replace bloggertricks with your twitter id.

Don't use Twitter...? then simply delete this code from the template.

From...

<b:widget id='HTML5' locked='false' title='Twitter' type='HTML'>

...................

...............

<script src='http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/bloggertricks.json?callback=twitterCallback2&amp;count=1' type='text/javascript'/>

</div>

</div>

<b:include name='quickedit'/>

</b:includable>

</b:widget>

Step 4: Edit Feedburner Email subscription and Feed count Button

This is another cool feature in this template.. built in Email subscription form and Feed count button.

Search for this line

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=bloggertricksdotcom

and next, this line

<p><a href='http://feeds2.feedburner.com/bloggertricksdotcom'><img alt='' height='26' src='http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~fc/bloggertricksdotcom?bg=FD6D00&amp;fg=202931&amp;anim=1' style='border:0' width='88'/></a></p>

and Edit those urls to your feedburner links.

Don't have Feedburner yet ? You can signup here.

Step 5 : Add Youtube Video

Go to Layout tab.. and you can see like this

Click on the edit button and paste your youtube video code.

Don't forget to change the width and height of the video to 250 x 190 px to fit perfectly in the layout. You can edit the width and height values in the youtube embed code.

Help: How to add Youtube videos to Blogger

Don't want Youtube Video Widget ? then, simply remove this code from the template.

<b:widget id='HTML2' locked='true' title='VIDEO (250 x 190)' type='HTML'>

<b:includable id='main'>

<!-- only display title if it's non-empty -->

<data:content/>

<b:include name='quickedit'/>

</b:includable>

</b:widget>

Step 6 : Setup Mini Updates (Recent Posts with thumbnails)

This template has inbuilt Recent Posts with Thumbnails widget. All you have to do is enter your blog url and it will do the rest.

Look for this code in the template

home_page = &quot;http://falknerpress.blogspot.com/&quot;;

and replace the url with your Blog url.

Step 7 : Edit Social Bookmarking links

In the footer, you will see three widgets, 1.About me 2. Be my Frined? and 3. Advertisement widget.

The 1 & 3 widgets can be directly added by going to Layout tab.

All you need to edit is the second widget 'Be my Friend'. Using Social Bookmarking sites is a smart way to drive traffic to your sites.. So, if you don't have any of those accounts, Just take time to register..they are free and worth it :)

Find these lines:

<ul>

<li><a href='http://your-feedburner-url.com' target='_blank'>Subscribe</a></li>

<li><a href='http://digg.com/users/bloggertricks' target='_blank'>Digg</a></li>

<li><a href='http://www.facebook.com/people/bloggertricks' target='_blank'>Facebook</a></li>

<li><a href='http://bloggertricks.stumbleupon.com'>Stumble It!</a></li>

</ul>

</div>

<div class='share-list2'>

<ul>

<li><a href='http://technorati.com/faves?add=http://your-blog.blogspot.com/'>Technorati</a></li>

<li><a href='http://twitter.com/bloggertricks' target='_blank'>Twitter</a></li>

</ul>

and Edit them accordingly.

Step 8 : Featured Content Slideshow

Check out the Live Demo to see how it looks.

Edit the Slideshow...

Go to Layout » Edit html and find these lines..

Observe the pattern, it's easy!

wait! First prepare your images... the images should be 490(width) x 280 (height) pixels. Use Photoshop or any other image editing software to crop the images to 490 x 280 px and then upload the images to some image host like photobucket,tinypic,etc.

Next, find this code

<div id='myGallery'>

<!-- First Picture Start -->

<div class='imageElement'>

<h3>Title One </h3>

<p/>

<a class='open' href='http://bloggertricks.com'/>

<img alt='Marley And Me' class='full' src='IMAGE URL'/>

<img alt='Marley And Me' class='thumbnail' src='http://54800.com/wp-content/uploads/a1.jpg'/>

</div>

<!-- First Picture End -->

.........................................

..........................................

</div>

The pattern is like this

<div id='myGallery'>

<!-- First Picture Start -->

<div class='imageElement'>

<h3>Title 1 </h3>

<p/>

<a class='open' href='LINK 1 '/>

<img alt='Marley And Me' class='full' src='URL OF IMAGE 1 '/>

</div>

<!-- First Picture End -->

<!-- Second Picture Start -->

<div class='imageElement'>

<h3>Title 2 </h3>

<p/>

<a class='open' href='LINK 2 '/>

<img alt='Marley And Me' class='full' src='URL OF IMAGE 2 '/>

</div>

<!-- Second Picture End -->

<!-- Third Picture Start -->

<div class='imageElement'>

<h3>Title 3 </h3>

<p/>

<a class='open' href='LINK 3 '/>

<img alt='Marley And Me' class='full' src='URL OF IMAGE 3 '/>

</div>

<!-- Third Picture End -->

</div>

Got it? Now edit those links and Save the Changes!!

Now, FalknerPress template is successfully installed!

Extras

Here are few more things you can learn about this template..

Adsense Color Codes:

Here is the Color Palattes you can use to perfectly blend your adsense ads in the layout

1. Adsense in Left sidebar:

Preview:

Colors to use:

2. Adsense in Right sidebar:

Preview:

Colors to use:

3. Adsense just below Featured Content Slideshow:

(468 x 60px)

SAME COLORS as 2nd one

4. Adsense in Footer:

Colors to use:

That's it guys! Hope you like the template :D

Like the template? or If you have any questions ? Comment here...

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Windows Xp: Speed Up Your, Speed Up Your Network and Internet Access…

I have a dial up connection and it improve my speeds about 25% in surfing the internet. give it a try. Im IT , only do it if you feel comfortable with changing registry.

Increasing network browsing speed

Does your computer slow down when you browse your local area network and connect to other computers that are sharing data? One of the most common causes of this slowdown is a feature of Windows Explorer that looks for scheduled tasks on remote computers. This effort can take some time on some computers and can really slow down your browsing. The window with which you are browsing the network may appear to freeze momentarily, as the system is waiting for a response from the remote computer.

Windows XP: Speeding Disk Access

Although this problem is a complex one, the solution is very simple. Instead of having to wait for the remote scheduled tasks, which is useless information to anyone who is not a system administrator remotely configuring scheduled tasks, you can disable this feature.

In order to do this, you will have to change the System Registry and delete a reference to a key so that this feature will not be loaded. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open up the Registry Editor by clicking the Start Menu and selecting Run. Then type regedit in the text box and click the OK button.

2. Once the Registry Editor has loaded, expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key.

3. Next, expand Software and then Microsoft.

4. Locate Windows and expand that as well.

5. You will want to be editing the main system files, so expand Current Version.

6. Because this feature is a feature of the Windows component known as Explorer, expand the Explorer key.

7. Next, you will want to modify the remote computer settings, so expand the Remote Computer key and then expand the Name Space key to show all of the features that are enabled when you browse to a remote computer.

8. In the Name Space folder you will find two entries. One is "{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}" which tells Explorer to show printers shared on the remote machine. The other, "{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}," tells Explorer to show remote scheduled tasks. This is the one that you should delete. This can be done by right-clicking the name of the key and selecting Delete.

Tip:

If you have no use for viewing remote shared printers and are really only interested in shared files, consider deleting the printers key, "{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}", as well. This will also boost your browsing speed.

Once you have deleted the key, you just need to restart and the changes will be in effect. Now your network computer browsing will be without needless delays.

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WinRar Tutorial Compression profiles, passwords and more…

Open WInRar

OPTIONS | SETTINGS | COMPRESSSION | CREATE DEFAULT

GENERAL:

But 1st -> realize that everything U set on the default profile will occur everytime U rar files. So if U only need a password occasionally, or other special settings, then create another profile for those purposes. U can change which profile U need to use when WinRar is open. The Default profile is used otherwise, such as when using WinRar from the context menus in explorer.

General tab:

Archive format RAR

Compression method BEST

size (enter in BYTES the size you want as the max single Rar file). I use 51,200,000 (50,000 KB x 1024). But chose yer max size as U wish.

Update method ADD AND REPLACE FILES

Archiving options: check > PUT RECOVERY RECORD

Archiving options: check > TEST ARCHIVED FILES.

Archiving options: check > DELETE FILES AFTER ARCHIVING ( unless U want yer HDD to fill up with the rars & the original files for some reason)

Archiving options: do NOT check > Put authenticy verification, as this can be a source of Error Messages being generated upon extraction.

Archiving options: check > Create SFX ONLY if U don't expect the person getting the filez to have WinRar. Otherwise leave it UNCHECKED.

Archiving options: do NOT check > Create Solid Archive. This can cause problems in certain cases.

Archiving options: do NOT check > Lock Arhive. This has NOTHING to do with a password.

Advanced tab:

Recovery Record -> U can leave it at 1%. Only set it higher if U expect the rar files to have a high risk of corruption. (very bad internet connections, or use on floppy disks, etc)

All else can be left alone. Don't bother with the Compression button.

Files Tab

File Paths -> STORE RELATIVE PATHS. (unless U have a specific folder U want the files to be extracted to. Such as c:\program files\No Name Appz\link catcher).

The rest leave alone

Backup Tab

No need to change anything.

Time Tab

Files to Process -> OF ANY TIME

Comment Tab

Whatever comment U enter there will be shown on the right hand pane when WinRar opens yer Rar files. Think of something fun, catchy,interesting. I always mention that the files have recovery record set, so if they are corrupted in transfer, the person knows to use REPAIR function.

Click OK, U have now created yer default profile.

==============================================

HOW TO CREATE a PASSWORDED PROFILE, which will NOT be the default:

open WInRar

Click the ADD Icon

ADVANCED | Push the SET PASSWORD Button

Check the SHOW PASSWORD box, so U can see what U typed and also copy/paste it to wherever U need it, such as on yer post. Now only one box will be open to enter the password. COPY/PASTE it to a txt file. I call mine WinRAR_Password.txt. Do this IMMEDIATELY afer entering it, before closing that window, or U may be very sorry later.

Enter the password. It is CASE SENSITIVE. If the password is 8 or more alpha-numeric characters, no one will be able to hack it. Unless they own a super-computer. Avoid using words that are found in dictionaries.

Check the encrypt file names box. That way, even if some nasty person obtains yer Rar file, they won't know what is in it, especially if the name U give the rar file is "Grandma_pix.rar" or whatever.

Back to GENERAL tab | PROFILES button | Save Current Settings to a New Profile

Enter the name of this profile. For example if the passwd is ht*p://www.superforum.com, U might name the profile Superforum. Only U will see this profile name. It does not go into the rar files made from it.

Do NOTHING more, do NOT set this as default profile.

Click OK | Click OK again.

Now U have a Passworded Profile.

================================================

HOW TO USE the PASSWORD PROFILE
Note -> Everything U set on the default profile will occur everytime U rar files. So when U need the password profile, follow these instructions. The Default profile is used otherwise, such as when using WinRar from the contest menus in explorer.

Open WinRar

Browse to the filez/folderz U want to Rar with Password.

Highlight all filez/folderz to be included.

Press the ADD button.

GENERAL tab | PROFILES button

Scoll down to the profile whcih has the password set. In my example Superforum

Click OK

The filez are Rar'd. U can check if U did all correctly by opening the rar filez, and seeing if a password is required.

Until U change back to DEFAULT profile in this same method, or close WinRar, all Rar'z U create after this will have a password.

================================================

HOW TO REPAIR A CORRUPTED RAR FILE:

With Win Explorer create a sub folder REPAIRED

Open WinRar, browse to the folder with the damaged Rar file(z). U can find which one is bad by selecting the 1st RAR file and using TEST button.

Select the damaged file, press REPAIR button.

In dialogue box, enter the path to the REPAIR subfolder, or browse to it.

As long as there is a RECOVERY record in that Rar, it will be repaired.

Copy all the NON-DAMAGED rars to your repair folder and rename the REPAIRED file back to it's original name.

Proceed with extraction in the REPAIR folder as normal.

===============================================

MISC TIPS:

If U select a folder to Rar, later when U extract it inside that folder, U end up with nested folders of same name. (We've all seen this often when extracting rars.

So Instead, go inside the folder, select all the filez & sub-folderz. Now U have a rar inside just one folder.

Note to w***z Groups, how about using WinRar Recovery option finally, and avoiding problems with corrupt DL's ?

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How to create a bootable Windows XP SP1 CD (Nero)

Step 1

Create 3 folders - C:\WINXPSP1, C:\SP1106 and C:\XPBOOT

Step 2

Copy the entire Windows XP CD into folder C:\WINXPSP1

Step 3

You will have to download the SP1 Update, which is 133MB.

Rename the Service Pack file to XP-SP1.EXE

Extract the Service Pack from the Run Dialog using the command:

C:\XP-SP1.EXE -U -X:C:\SP1106

Step 4

Open Start/Run... and type the command:

C:\SP1106\update\update.exe -s:C:\WINXPSP1

Click OK

Folder C:\WINXPSP1 contains: Windows XP SP1

How to Create a Windows XP SP1 CD Bootable

Step 1

Download xpboot.zip

Code:

http://thro.port5.com/xpboot.zip

( no download manager !! )

Extract xpboot.zip file (xpboot.bin) in to the folder C:\XPBOOT

Step 2

Start Nero - Burning Rom.

Select File > New... from the menu.

1.) Select CD-ROM (Boot)

2.) Select Image file from Source of boot image data

3.) Set Kind of emulation: to No Emulation

4.) Set Load segment of sectors (hex!): to 07C0

5.) Set Number of loaded sectors: to 4

6.) Press the Browse... button

Step 3

Select All Files (*.*) from File of type:

Locate boot.bin in the folder C:\XPBOOT

Step 4

Click ISO tab

Set File-/Directory length to ISO Level 1 (Max. of 11 = 8 + 3 chars)

Set Format to Mode 1

Set Character Set to ISO 9660

Check all Relax ISO Restrictions

Step 5

Click Label Tab

Select ISO9660 from the drop down box.

Enter the Volume Label as WB2PFRE_EN

Enter the System Identifier as WB2PFRE_EN

Enter the Volume Set as WB2PFRE_EN

Enter the Publisher as MICROSOFT CORPORATION

Enter the Data Preparer as MICROSOFT CORPORATION

Enter the Application as WB2PFRE_EN

* For Windows XP Professional OEM substitute WB2PFRE_EN with WXPOEM_EN

* For Windows XP Home OEM substitute WB2PFRE_EN with WXHOEM_EN

Step 6

Click Burn tab

Check Write

Check Finalize CD (No further writing possible!)

Set Write Method to Disk-At-Once

Press New button

Step 7

Locate the folder C:\WINXPSP1

Select everything in the folder and drag it to the ISO compilation panel.

Click the Write CD Dialog button.

Press Write

You're done.

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Converting Movies To Psp Format.

Movie - approx 40 minutes - dvd

Saved to hard drive - 2.6GIG - using DVD Decryptor (free program) try google

Transfered to avi format - 377MB- using Super DVD Ripper (9 FREE trial uses) then you must buy

Transfered to MP4 - 37MB - using the (basically free) Image convertor 2

Average movie breakdown - using above as a guide only.

so im guessing the average movie may be 4.5gig for example

saved to 800MB

CONVERTED TO 70-80MB

Ok use DVD decryptor to save the movie to your hard drive eg. C:\africa (it will save it for you as described)

When completed find the folder c:\africa on your computer and find the vob file in that folder - generally the largest one and right click and play it with your dvd program to see what part it is. If its the correct movie part you now know thats the one you need.

Once you have located the vob file you want to transfer open DVD Ripper and go to wizard icon. There you will see an icon of VOB to AVI button. Click it and then it will ask to locate the file. Locate the file and click it. It will SCAN THE FILE(just wait till that finishes) a parameter box opens next and just click the arrow. It then askes to choose output file, click the file icon and locate the correct fob file. It then askes for file compression - choose microsoft windows media and then click ok Then press the start button. It will now convert the vob into avi format.

(there are also other opions ie;dvd to avi etc) I have only used the vob to avi for this test.

After DVD ripper has transferred the file it will save it to the same folder as the original move was in eg: c:\africa\viteots. Open the file and you will now see an AVI icon containing the movie.

Make sure you PSP is on and in usb mode then Open Image convertor 2 and press on movie / add to list. For this example i click on C:drive the found the folder Africa and opened it and there was my converted AVI file. Click the file press ok and it will be transfered to your PSP for viewing pleasure.

*****Note**** i only converted one VOB file as thatS all there was for this particular movie. If you have more then one vob file you may need to try the dvd to avi when you rip. This is just a guide i worked out to compress dvd into the smallest possible file so you can get value out of a 512 card.

QUOTE

http://www.crazyhatsoftware.com/ImageConverter2.1.exe

Image Converter 2.1 JAP translated to ENG.

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Boot Windows Xp Fast Tips

Boot Winxp Fast

Follow the following steps:

1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\

2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".

3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.

4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".

5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.

6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".

7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"

8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".

9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".

10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.

11. Reboot your computer.

12. Now it will Boot up faster.

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Leo Laporte's 2005 Gadget Guide

Leo Laporte's 2005 Gadget Guide

304 pages | Que (September 23, 2004) | 0789732084 | PDF | 17 Mb

Dedicated to the leagues of mainstream geeks who integrate technology into every facet of their lives, Leo Laporte's 2005 Gadget Guide is the definitive source for your gadget-buying needs in 2004-05. Leo boils down the reams and reams of product specs, slices through the marketing hype and delivers his best-of-breed picks for everything from digital cameras to MP3 players, GPS units to cell phones, and from home theater equipment to computer gadgetry. Leo will help you ensure that your hard-earned bucks are put to good use. Divided into seven easy-to-follow sections, you will find general buying advice, tips on what to avoid and Leo's top picks for each device type. Get the most out of your toy money with Leo Laporte's 2005 Gadget Guide.

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23 Ways To Speed Windows XP

Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.

1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.

6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.

9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.

18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.

Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.

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How To Boot Xp Faster (updated)

First of all, this tweak only apply to those who only have one HDD on their primary IDE channel (nothing else on device 0 or 1) and a CD-ROM and/or DVD-ROM on the secondary IDE channel. Each time you boot Windows XP, there's an updated file called NTOSBOOT-*.pf who appears in your prefetch directory (%SystemRoot%Prefetch) and there's no need to erease any other files as the new prefetch option in XP really improves loading time of installed programs. We only want WindowsXP to boot faster and not decrease its performance. Thanks to Rod Cahoon (for the prefetch automation process...with a minor change of mine) and Zeb for the IDE Channel tweak as those two tricks, coupled together with a little modification, result in an EXTREMELY fast bootup:

1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:windowsprefetch tosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:

2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".

3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.

4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".

5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.

6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".

7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"

8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".

9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device 0 or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".

10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.

11. Reboot your computer.

WindowsXP should now boot REALLY faster.

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Bit Torrent Tutorials

The first things you need to know about using Bit Torrent:

-- Bit Torrent is aimed at broadband users (or any connection better than dialup).

-- Sharing is highly appreciated, and sharing is what keeps bit torrent alive.

-- A bit torrent file (*.torrent) contains information about the piece structure of the download (more on this later)

-- The method of downloading is not your conventional type of download. Since downloads do not come in as one big chunk, you are able to download from many people at once, increasing your download speeds. There may be 100 "pieces" to a file, or 20,000+ pieces, all depending on what you're downloading. Pieces are usually small (under 200kb)

-- The speeds are based upon people sharing as they download, and seeders. Seeders are people who constantly share in order to keep torrents alive. Usually seeders are on fast connections (10mb or higher).

In this tutorial, I will be describing it all using a bit torrent client called Azureus. This client is used to decode the .torrent files into a useable format to download from other peers. From here on out, I will refer to Bit Torrent as BT.

Which BT client you use, is purely up to you. I have tried them all, and my personal favorite is Azureus for many reasons. A big problem with most BT clients out there, is that they are extremely CPU intensive, usually using 100% of your cpu power during the whole process. This is the number one reason I use Azureus. Another, is a recently released plug-in that enables you to browse all current files listed on suprnova.org (the #1 source for torrent downloads).

Before you use the plug-in, take a look at /http://www.suprnova.org, and browse the files. Hold your mouse over the links, and you'll notice every file ends in .torrent. This is the BT file extension. Usually, .torrent files are very small, under 200kb. They contain a wealth of information about the file you want to download. A .torrent file can contain just 1 single file, or a a directory full of files and more directories. But regardless, every download is split up into hundreds or thousands of pieces. The pieces make it much easier to download at higher speeds. Back to suprnova.org. Look at the columns:

Added | Name | Filesize | Seeds | DLs (and a few more which aren't very useful.)

I'll break this down.

Added: Self explanitory, its the date the torrent was added.

Name: Also self explanitory.

Filesize: Duh

Seeds: This is how many people are strictly UPLOADING, or sharing. These people are the ones that keep .torrent files alive. By "alive", I mean, if there's no one sharing the .torrent file, no one can download.

DLs: This is how many people currently downloading that particular torrent. They also help keep the torrent alive as they share while they download.

It's always best to download using a torrent that has a decent amount of seeders and downloaders, this way you can be assured there's a good chance your download will finish. The more the better.

Now that you should understand how torrent files work, and how to use them, on to Azureus!

First, get JAVA! You need this to run Azureus, as java is what powers it. Get Java here: /http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

Next, get Azureus at: /http://azureus.sourceforge.net

Next, get the Suprnovalister plugin from /http://s93732957.onlinehome.us/storage/suprnovalister.jar

Install Java JRE before you do ANYTHING.

Install Azureus, and then in the installation folder, create 2 more folders. ./Plugins/suprnovalister (For example, if you installed Azureus to C:\PROGRAM FILES\AZUREUS, create C:\PROGRAM FILES\AZUREUS\PLUGINS\SUPRNOVALISTER). Next, put the suprnovalister.jar file that you downloaded, in that folder.

Load up Azureus, and if you want, go through the settings and personalize it.

The tab labeled "My Torrents" is the section of Azureus you need the most often. That lists all your transfers, uploads and downloads. It shows every bit of information you could possibly want to know about torrents you download.

In the menu bar, go to View > Plugins > Suprnova Lister. This will open up a new tab in Azureus. Click on "Update Mirror". This will get a mirror site of suprnova.org containing all current torrent files available. Once a mirror is grabbed, choose a category from the drop-down box to the left and click "Update". Wah-lah, all the available downloads appear in the main chart above. Just double click a download you want, and bang its starting to download. Open the "My Torrents" tab again to view and make sure your download started.

After your download has finished, be nice, and leave the torrent transferring. So people can get pieces of the file from you, just as you got pieces from other people.

Alternatively, if you don't want to use the plugin... you can just head to suprnova.org and download files to any folder. Then go to File > Open > .torrent File in Azureus.

This should about wrap it up for the Bit Torrent Tutorial. If you guys think of anything I should add, or whatnot, just let me know and I'll check into it.

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Best Keyboard Shortcuts

Getting used to using your keyboard exclusively and leaving your mouse behind will make you much more efficient at performing any task on any Windows system. I use the following keyboard shortcuts every day:

Windows key + R = Run menu

This is usually followed by:

cmd = Command Prompt

iexplore + "web address" = Internet Explorer

compmgmt.msc = Computer Management

dhcpmgmt.msc = DHCP Management

dnsmgmt.msc = DNS Management

services.msc = Services

eventvwr = Event Viewer

dsa.msc = Active Directory Users and Computers

dssite.msc = Active Directory Sites and Services

Windows key + E = Explorer

ALT + Tab = Switch between windows

ALT, Space, X = Maximize window

CTRL + Shift + Esc = Task Manager

Windows key + Break = System properties

Windows key + F = Search

Windows key + D = Hide/Display all windows

CTRL + C = copy

CTRL + X = cut

CTRL + V = paste

Also don't forget about the "Right-click" key next to the right Windows key on your keyboard. Using the arrows and that key can get just about anything done once you've opened up any program.

Keyboard Shortcuts

[Alt] and [Esc] Switch between running applications

[Alt] and letter Select menu item by underlined letter

[Ctrl] and [Esc] Open Program Menu

[Ctrl] and [F4] Close active document or group windows (does not work with some applications)

[Alt] and [F4] Quit active application or close current window

[Alt] and [-] Open Control menu for active document

Ctrl] Lft., Rt. arrow Move cursor forward or back one word

Ctrl] Up, Down arrow Move cursor forward or back one paragraph

[F1] Open Help for active application

Windows+M Minimize all open windows

Shift+Windows+M Undo minimize all open windows

Windows+F1 Open Windows Help

Windows+Tab Cycle through the Taskbar buttons

Windows+Break Open the System Properties dialog box

Acessability shortcuts

Right SHIFT for eight seconds........ Switch FilterKeys on and off.

Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN....... Switch High Contrast on and off.

Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK....... Switch MouseKeys on and off.

SHIFT....... five times Switch StickyKeys on and off.

NUM LOCK...... for five seconds Switch ToggleKeys on and off.

explorer shortcuts

END....... Display the bottom of the active window.

HOME....... Display the top of the active window.

NUM LOCK+ASTERISK....... on numeric keypad (*) Display all subfolders under the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (+) Display the contents of the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (-) Collapse the selected folder.

LEFT ARROW...... Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder.

RIGHT ARROW....... Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder.

Type the following commands in your Run Box (Windows Key + R) or Start Run

devmgmt.msc = Device Manager

msinfo32 = System Information

cleanmgr = Disk Cleanup

ntbackup = Backup or Restore Wizard (Windows Backup Utility)

mmc = Microsoft Management Console

excel = Microsoft Excel (If Installed)

msaccess = Microsoft Access (If Installed)

powerpnt = Microsoft PowerPoint (If Installed)

winword = Microsoft Word (If Installed)

frontpg = Microsoft FrontPage (If Installed)

notepad = Notepad

wordpad = WordPad

calc = Calculator

msmsgs = Windows Messenger

mspaint = Microsoft Paint

wmplayer = Windows Media Player

rstrui = System Restore

netscp6 = Netscape 6.x

netscp = Netscape 7.x

netscape = Netscape 4.x

waol = America Online

control = Opens the Control Panel

control printers = Opens the Printers Dialog

internet browser type in u're adress "google", then press [Right CTRL] and [Enter]

add www. and .com to word and go to it For Windows XP:

Copy. CTRL+C

Cut. CTRL+X

Paste. CTRL+V

Undo. CTRL+Z

Delete. DELETE

Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin. SHIFT+DELETE

Copy selected item. CTRL while dragging an item

Create shortcut to selected item. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item

Rename selected item. F2

Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW

Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. CTRL+LEFT ARROW

Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. CTRL+DOWN ARROW

Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. CTRL+UP ARROW

Highlight a block of text. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys

 

Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document. SHIFT with any of the arrow keys

Select all. CTRL+A

Search for a file or folder. F3

View properties for the selected item. ALT+ENTER

Close the active item, or quit the active program. ALT+F4

Opens the shortcut menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR

Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously. CTRL+F4

Switch between open items. ALT+TAB

Cycle through items in the order they were opened. ALT+ESC

Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. F6

Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. F4

Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10

Display the System menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR

Display the Start menu. CTRL+ESC

Display the corresponding menu. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name

Carry out the corresponding command. Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu

Activate the menu bar in the active program. F10

Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. RIGHT ARROW

Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. LEFT ARROW

Refresh the active window. F5

View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. BACKSPACE

Cancel the current task. ESC

SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing.

Use these keyboard shortcuts for dialog boxes:

To Press

Move forward through tabs. CTRL+TAB

Move backward through tabs. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Move forward through options. TAB

Move backward through options. SHIFT+TAB

Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option. ALT+Underlined letter

Carry out the command for the active option or button. ENTER

Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box. SPACEBAR

Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons. Arrow keys

Display Help. F1

Display the items in the active list. F4

Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box. BACKSPACE

If you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, or any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key and the Application key , you can use these keyboard shortcuts:

Display or hide the Start menu. WIN Key

Display the System Properties dialog box. WIN Key+BREAK

Show the desktop. WIN Key+D

Minimize all windows. WIN Key+M

Restores minimized windows. WIN Key+Shift+M

Open My Computer. WIN Key+E

Search for a file or folder. WIN Key+F

Search for computers. CTRL+WIN Key+F

Display Windows Help. WIN Key+F1

Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain. WIN Key+ L

Open the Run dialog box. WIN Key+R

Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

Accessibility keyboard shortcuts:

Switch Filter Keys on and off. Right SHIFT for eight seconds

Switch High Contrast on and off. Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN

Switch MouseKeys on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK

Switch Sticky Keys on and off. SHIFT five times

Switch ToggleKeys on and off. NUM LOCK for five seconds

Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

shortcuts you can use with Windows Explorer:

Display the bottom of the active window. END

Display the top of the active window. HOME

Display all subfolders under the selected folder. NUM LOCK+ASTERISK on numeric keypad (*)

Display the contents of the selected folder. NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN on numeric keypad (+)

Collapse the selected folder. NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN on numeric keypad (-)

Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder. LEFT ARROW

Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder. RIGHT ARROW

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