Select “No to all” in file copy dialog

I came across this great tip on the Download Squad site. When you try to copy a group of files from one folder to another, Windows will bring up a handy little window if it notices files in the target directory with the same name as files from the source directory. You can manually choose which files to overwrite or leave be one by one. Or you can click “Yes to All” to effectively overwrite every file with a duplicate name in the target directory.

But what if you want to click “No to All?” There’s no button for you, but that doesn’t mean Windows won’t let you skip all the duplicate files. All you have to do is hold down the Shift key and click No. Now Windows will skip all files with duplicate names and copy the rest of your files to the new directory, thus saving you a lot of time, heartache, and repetitive finger motions.

Add “Open with Notepad” to the Context Menu for All Files

 Notepad has been an evergreen application since the Windows98 days. It opens all sorts of files and is used by people the world over to open, edit and create all sorts of files. A problem or annoyance rather is when one has to go through a right click -> open with -> select notepad from the options. A quick little hack is to add a “open with notepad” option to the right click context menu of every file with some registry hacking. This is one hack that will save time and make your life a little easier. Brought to you by site http://www.howtogeek.com. Follow the link below for detailed steps -

How to geek - Open with notepad context menu

Speed up your connection and stay secure with OpenDNS

Here’s a surefire way of speeding up your internet access and getting secure from DNS spoof attacks. The answer is OpenDNS. Every ISP (Internet Service Provider) has a DNS server setup so that the website addresses you type get translated into IP addresses so that your browser understands where the website content is to be fetched from. But most of these DNS servers are overloaded and at the same time are prone to spoofing attacks like DNS poisoning.

Here’s how you can protect yourself and speed up DNS requests at the same time -

In Windows XP-

1. Open up your Control Panel
2. Open Network connections
3. Right click the connection you want to configure
4. Select properties
5. From the dialog that pops up, select Internet Properties (TCP/IP)
6. Click the properties button
7. Type in 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 as your DNS server addresses
8. The dialog should now look like the screenshot below -

Thats all! All you have to change the Preferred DNS server and the Alternate DNS server. Leave the rest as is.

For Linux -

1. In Gnome, goto System Administration -> Network
2. Change your DNS servers to 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220
3. The same procedure can be used for KDE, just goto Control Center and enter the above addresses as your DNS addresses in Network Configuration

This tip not only reduces your internet DNS requests lag but also makes you secure against DNS poisoning attacks.

Goto http://www.opendns.com/ for more information.

Quoted from the above website -

 

OpenDNS is safer

OpenDNS protects you from phishing — bad websites trying to steal your personal information. When you try to go to a phishing site, we let you know. We also let you optionally block adult sites as a category, or individual websites of any type. These services help you better protect those on your network from websites they shouldn’t be visiting.
Learn more.

 

OpenDNS is faster

You use DNS every time you use the Internet. The speed of your DNS service determines how quickly websites load for you. That’s why you want your DNS service to be blazing. OpenDNS is so fast because we run some of the largest DNS caches around and do it on our own high-performance network.
Learn more.

 

OpenDNS is smarter

The address bar is how you navigate the Internet. We make your address bar more intelligent. With OpenDNS, you can create shortcuts that let you type something easy-to-remember into your address bar and leap straight where you want to go. And we’ll correct your common spelling mistakes, on the fly. That means when you are typing fast and type yahoo.cmo instead of yahoo.com, you still get there.
Learn more.

 

OpenDNS is more reliable

Little is more frustrating than intermittent Internet outages. When your DNS service isn’t working, you can’t access the Internet. When you start using OpenDNS, your days of dealing with DNS-related downtime will be over. We know reliability is important, and we stand behind ours.
Learn more.

Open ports for your Airtel connection (Port-mapping)

This write up will explain to you how to speed up your Airtel Broadband connection / solve other problems regarding connection failures due to closed ports.

Although I use Airtel and a Beetel 220 BX modem as my basis for this write up, the same rules can be applied to others as well. So lets get started. First thing make sure your DSL modem is on. Fire up your browser. Type http://192.168.1.1 as the address with the following Username/Password -

Username : admin

Password : password

Note : These are case sensitive. Make sure all are typed in lowercase.

Click on Advanced Setup -> NAT in the page that loads. If you do not see these options try entering http://192.168.1.1/main.html as the address. Some routers/modems deliberately try to prevent users from accessing these options. On the NAT virtual servers page click the add button. Now add the port number that you wish to open up. You can even open up a range of ports using the add button. You should see something similar to the screenshot below. Click it to view full image

This technique can be used for any operating system / modem / service provider. It may vary slightly but the essential principle remains the same.

2 great ways to sharpen an image in Adobe Photoshop

Method 1 :

1.  Open image
2. Filters -> Sharpen -> Unsharp Mask
3. Set threshold to 0,  radius to 250 and  amount between 20 - 25
4. This causes  sharpening as well as  contrast enhancement

Method 2 :

1. Open image
2. Layer -> Duplicate Layer -> Click OK
3. Filter -> Other -> High Pass
4. Set Radius between 3.0 and 6.0 depending on how sharp you want the image
5. Set the mode of your layer from “Normal” to “Overlay” in the layers toolbox

2 really simple yet highly effective ways to sharpen your images in Photoshop!

Apple launches Safari public beta for Windows

“The world’s best browser” - Thats what Apple claims. Safari was recently launched for the Windows operating system. This adds another browser to the list of alternatives to Internet Explorer, and we’re not complaining. I can’t comment on the performance of this browser because I haven’t used it for long. But one thing I can tell you - it’s pretty as hell. Give it a go. Click the following link to download your copy -

http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

ReactOS - Windows recreated!

Here’s a project that will blow your mind! ReactOS is an open source effort that has been going on for the last 10 years.

ReactOS (short for React Operating System) is an open-source effort to develop a quality operating system that is compatible with Microsoft Windows applications and drivers.

To visit the homepage of ReactOS click http://www.reactos.org/

 

Virus that attacks Windows (*yawn*) as well as Linux!!!

Kaspersky Labs has reported a new proof-of-concept virus that can infect both Windows and Linux systems. It’s called Virus.Linux.Bi.a/Virus.Win32.Bi.a and affects ELF binaries and .exe’s from windows.

For more information goto -
http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/virus/story/0,10801,110330,00.html

Windows XP shortcuts and hidden features

This isn’t compiled by me got them from an email forward sent by a friend. Nonetheless, they are pretty useful -

Useful Shortcuts:
Start + M: Minimizes all open windows
Start + Shift + M: Maximizes All Windows
Start + E: Runs Windows Explorer
Start + R: Open the RUN Dialog Box
Start + F: Open the Search Results Dialog box
Start + CTRL + F: Opens the Search Results-Computer dialog Box (if the
computer is connected to a network)
Start + Pause (Break): Opens the System Properties Dialog Box

Using the correct image formats

I came across a very well written article which tells us in layman terms which image format is best suited for a particular situation. It isn’t always wise to choose gif all the time or jpeg all the time as each format has its pros and cons. The following summary should quickly help you decide what format to use -

• JPEG:
  • Good:
    • Photographs
    • Game screenshots
    • Movie stills
    • Desktop backgrounds
  • Bad:
    • Windows application screenshots
    • Line art and text
    • Anywhere where fine lines or sharp color contrast is needed
• PNG:
  • Good:
    • Text, line art, comic-style drawings, general web graphics
    • Windows application screenshots
    • When absolutely 100% quality is required (24 bit)
    • When alpha channel support is required
    • As a general replacement for anything that is a non-animated GIF
  • Bad:
    • Photos, in-game screenshots (only when quality is not important and you’re looking for small files)
    • Disappointing browser support from Microsoft and others
• GIF:
  • Good:
    • Where animations are absolutely required
    • Widespread browser support
  • Bad:
    • Patented, legal techicalities
    • Large file sizes compared to PNG for the same quality
    • Obsolete

To read the entire article that I came across in detail click here