Software Tips n Tweaks

Image Morphing - Adobe Flash Tips

2008-04-09T04:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys! It is good time to tell visitors and Adobe Flash learners a great tip of Adobe Flash. Most of the time you have seen a image and text morphing in movies, serials and advertisements. Here we will discuss about it and tell you how can you create it by yourself. So get start from here:-

Start a new movie [CTRL+N]. Modify the size of your movie (Modify>Movie) to 150x150 pixels.
Enter any text on your main movie by clicking on the Text Tool Button . I used a Times New Roman font on this example and font size = 150. Use your mouse or your keyboard arrow to center the text.
While the text is highlighted, break it apart by pressing [CTRL+B] or (Modify>Break Apart)
Right-click your mouse on Frame 20 and insert a Blank Keyframe. Your animation will start from Frame 1 and will end at Frame 20.
Enter any text at Frame 20 by using the Text Tool Button . Break apart the new text by pressing [CTRL+B]
Double-click your mouse at Frame 1 to activate the Frame Properties window. Follow the same settings as shown below.
Your timeline should appear like the one shown on the left.
For more complex shape changes, Macromedia Flash has a Shape Hint where you can mark starting and ending points.
To do this, click on Frame 1 then press [CTRL+H] to add a shape hint and move the shape hint (see example) to the point you want to mark.
Go to the last keyframe (Frame 20) and move the shape hint that corresponds to the first point you have marked.
Go to Frame 1 and add another shape hint [CTRL+H] as shown at the left image.

Go the last frame and move the shape hint "b" as shown below.
Preview your animation by pressing [Enter] and start noticing the difference :)

Resource :- http://www.pinoy7.com

Creating a Custom Drop Shadow

2008-04-01T04:06:00.000-07:00

THIS IS A SIMPLE WALK-THROUGH for producing drop shadows by hand. In some cases you'll want to know and understand this process because you'll need a shadow that does not "drop" from the entire object, or one that you can manipulate as a separate object rather than part of the layer as in the Drop-Shadow layer effect.

This is an object, rastered on its own layer.

The first thing we'll do is duplicate that object to another new layer.
* Drag the layer to the "New Layer" icon at the bottom of the layers palette, or,
* Use the "Float" command: Command/J, or Control/J for Windows.

Next: Select the layer original object layer
* Command/click the layer thumbnail (Control/Click for Windows)

Now your object is selected on the bottom layer.
Tap the letter D to change colors to default
Tap Option/Delete (Alt/Delete for Windows) to fill the object
(Racing ants, the dotted line around the object signifies it is selected)

In this capture, you'll see the object is now filled with the foreground color (Black) even though you can't see it because it's behind (or beneath) the White object on the next layer.

Tap Command/D (Control/D) to drop any selections Choose: Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and in the resulting dialog box, set the amount of blur to result in the desired amount of shadow.

Here, we've created the blur than selected the Move tool (Tap V) to "nudge" the shadow to its new location. (In this example, we went 12 pixels right, and 12 pixels down. Your own project may be different. )

NOTE You've completed the drop shadow just as the Layer Effects would have. We've actually been doing this for years-- even long before Photoshop had layers!

However, you now own the shadow as a separate object and can act upon it as you wish. For instance, perhaps the shadow needs to run across multiple surfaces...

Resource :- http://www.photoshop911.com

Photoshop Trick - Change Image in Second through Photoshop

2008-03-25T04:57:00.000-07:00

Sometime each and everyone want to change or modify image for his work or fun. Here, I collect some amazing point to help those guys which are not familiar to Photoshop, but want to modify an image. Check out these points taken from http://www.photoaxe.com and also check video given below taken from YouTube.

Step 1: Cropping and Rotating
This corrects the composition. Concentrate on the subject by “getting” it closer and take some rules under consideration. In my opinion rotating is rarely used if you keep the camera in the right position. However, sometimes my camera fails to rotate the vertical images after shooting so I have to do it manually.

Step 2: Eliminating Objects
Some undesired little objects that could not be avoided during shooting can be erased by using clone and healing tools in Photoshop. The classic situation is represented by electricity and phone wires.

Step 3: Lighten the shadows
This will reveal details. To do so, in Photoshop you will need a different layer, or, in newer Lightroom version, there is a function that will do so for you. Picasa comes with “Fill Light” feature. If you got a Nikon camera, then you probably also have the Capture NX software which also helps improve the already in-camera D-Lighting.

Step 4: Curves
This will mainly adjust the contrast and brightness. The “S” shape is good for improvements; details with example here.

Step 5: Levels
Levels and Curves most likely go hand-in-hand, sometimes just one of them is enough. However, levels also affect color tones and therefore very useful in many situations.

Step 6: Hue/Saturation
Most pictures won’t need this. Note that aesthetic pictures are those with natural colors, so don’t just pull the saturation over the limits. I rather recommend color control via Selective Color.

Step 7: Black and White Conversion
This is definitely optionally; some details here. Usually, the pictures that look good in BW are classic portraits, pictures of old stuff, pictures that concentrate more on a powerful concept and shapes rather than colorful nature, but I really think there are no rules for this.

Step 8: Sharpness
Sharper pictures usually look better than very smooth ones, revealing more details of the shapes forms. For this I usually use “unsharp mask” in Photoshop, and, if the picture is way too soft, overall sharpness.

Step 9: Noise Reduction
Not just after shooting at high ISO, but also after the sharpness adjustment, the picture will likely become noisy. NeatImage is the freeware software I recommend for this job. Some people just simply like grainy pictures, but then I recommend adding some uniform grain not the sharpness noise which is not uniform.

Step 10: Blurring the Background
Compact digital cameras, even if they do have manual settings or shutter priority, still don’t handle DOF very good. In this case you can pop up the main subject by blurring the background. You can just blur just a few areas with the brush, or, create a different layer to handle things more accurate around the subject. However, it’s not (and never will be) the same thing as real DOF from dSLR’s.

Step 11: Adding a Border
Usually a simple one (white or black) is the best choice, but for details about this check part1 and part2 of the borders tutorial.

Step 12: Adding a Signature
It’s not a must, but picture fraud over the internet is very high our days, so why not having your name on your work?

Step 13: Resizing
Unless you were preparing a picture for printing, smaller images are better for the web because they load faster. I recommend doing this as a last step, otherwise too many details (pixels) will be lost. More than that, try these settings at the resizing in Photoshop: to maintain original sharpness when scaling down, click on Resample Image and choose Bicubic and 70% JPEG quality.

Saving Bad Photos in Bright Photos

2008-03-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

With a dark photo, at least there's a chance that there will be enough color data and detail to save the shot. When they're blown away and too bright -- there's little you can do to put pixels where none existed before.

Sad to report however -- so many variables come into play that sometimes the shot cannot be saved no matter what techniques you use.

One reader who enjoys photographing food on trips sent this photo of the appetizer at the Kia Lodge restaurant at the foot of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. This was a shrimp and cucumber moose, and it looks delightful. Too bad we really can't see it. Yes, I would certainly try to save that shot because you might not be going back too often!

Fixes in Layers: The next series of shots will progressively show the layers I added, and their results. After that, I'll walk through some "auto" fixes provided in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

My first attempt will be to SCREEN the photo over top of itself.
Drag a copy of the layer to a new layer and set the Blending mode to SCREEN. But the results are still wanting... so I'll just drag that same layer to the "New Layer" button and screen it again...

Once again, the image lightens, and we're a little closer to where the photo looks somewhat realistic. To kill much of the incandescent lighting effects -- making the shot too yellow and warm, next, I'll try a cooling filter...

Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter > Cooling

This is going in the right direction, however it needs more. There is a slider in the cooling filter which applies more or less of the effect, but I'll leave well enough alone, and simply duplicate this Adjustment layer as well.

At this point the color seems close, but the shot is still murky and dark. Now it's time for LEVELS

LEVELS are your "all purpose" adjustments, second only to Curves as the real power adjuster. As you can see from this shot, by tightening the RIGHT slider toward the middle, and the MIDDLE slider toward the left, the photo now looks comfortable and realistic. Let's compare:

The photo is still a little warm -- evidenced by the lack of 'whiteness' in the plate, but it probably approximates what the diner saw that evening. The photo still has major problems:
It's not sharp, probably due to the low lighting and slow shutter
It's probably also suffering from some hand-held camera movement

Before throwing away a shot that really looks too bad to save, try levels and the assortment of adjustment layers available under the Layer menu. With some experimentation you can save the photo without learning hundreds of pages of Photoshop training material.

Now, let's take a look at some of Photoshop's "Automated" correction tools, and see if we could have done a better job with those...

Resource: http://www.graphic-design.com

Dreamweaver 8 Tips - Dreamweaver Keyboard Shortcuts

2008-03-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Keyboard Shortcut	Action
Alt+F	File Open the file menu.
Ctrl+N or Cmd+N	New document Open a new document for editing.
Ctrl+O or Cmd+O	Open Open an existing document for editing.
Ctrl+Shift+O or Cmd+Shift+O	Open in Frame Open an existing document into the selected frame for editing.
Ctrl+W or Cmd+W	Close Close the current document. If it has not been saved, you will be prompted to save.
Ctrl+Shift+W or Cmd+Shift+W	Close All Close every open document. If some have not been saved, you will be prompted to save each one.
Ctrl+S or Cmd+S	Save Save the current document. If it has never been saved, you will be prompted for a file name.
Ctrl+Shift+S or Cmd+Shift+S	Save As... Save the current document with a new file name.
Ctrl+P or Cmd+P	Print Print the HTML for the current document.
F12	View in Browser View the page in your primary Web browser.
Ctrl+F12 or Cmd+F12	View in Alternate Browser View the page in your alternate Web browser.
Shift+F8	Check Links Validate the links in the current document.
Shift+F6	Validate Markup Validate the HTML in the current document.
Ctrl+Q or Cmd+Q	Exit Quit the program and exit.
Alt+E	Edit Open the edit menu.
Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z	Undo Undo the last change.
Ctrl+Shift+Z or Cmd+Shift+Z	Redo Redo the last undo.
Ctrl+X or Cmd+X	Cut Cut the selected text and put it on the clipboard.
Ctrl+C or Cmd+C	Copy Copy the selected text and put it on the clipboard.
Ctrl+V or Cmd+V	Paste Paste the text on the clipboard at the cursor location.
Ctrl+Shift+C or Cmd+Shift+C	Copy HTML Copy the selected HTML and put it on the clipboard.
Ctrl+Shift+V or Cmd+Shift+V	Paste HTML Paste the HTML on the clipboard at the cursor location.
Ctrl+A or Cmd+A	Select All Select all the text in the window.
Ctrl+[ or Cmd+[	Select Parent Tag Select the containing tag.
Ctrl+] or Cmd+]	Select Child Tag Select the contained tag.
Ctrl+F or Cmd+F	Find and Replace Search within the current document for text and replace it with other text if you choose.
Shift+F3 or Cmd+G	Find Selection Search within the current document for the selected text.
F3	Find Next Go to the next instance of the searched for string.
Ctrl+G or ?	Go to Go to the line number or character position you specify.
Ctrl+Space or Cmd+Space	Show Code Hints Display any information available on the tag at the cursor.
Ctrl+Shift+> or Cmd+Shift+>	Indent Indent the selected line(s) one tab space.
Ctrl+Shift+<>	Outdent Outdent the selected line(s) one tab space.
Ctrl+Shift+' or Cmd+Shift+'	Balance Braces Align the braces.
Ctrl+U or Cmd+U	Preferences Change your preferences for Dreamweaver.
Alt+V	View Open the View menu.
Ctrl+` or Cmd+`	Switch Views Switch between code, design, and code & design views.
F5	Refresh Design View Reload the markup displayed in the design view.
Ctrl+Shift+H or Cmd+Shift+H	Head Content Display the header content while in design view.
F6	Expanded Tables Mode View tables expanded.
Ctrl+F6 or Cmd+F6	Layout Mode View tables in layout mode.
Ctrl+Shift+I or Cmd+Shift+I	Hide All Visual Aids Turn off all visual aids.
Ctrl+Alt+R or Cmd+Opt+R	Show All Rulers Display all rulers on the screen.
Ctrl+Alt+G or Cmd+Opt+G	Show Grid Display grid in design view.
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+G or Cmd+Opt+Shift+G	Snap to Grid Snap elements to grid.
Ctrl+Alt+P or Cmd+Opt+P	Play Plugin Play plugin at cursor.
Ctrl+Alt+X or Cmd+Opt+X	Stop Plugin Stop plugin at cursor.
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P or Cmd+Opt+Shift+P	Play All Plugins Play all plugins.
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+X or Cmd+Opt+Shift+X	Stop All Plugins Stop all plugins.
F4	Hide Panels Hide all open panels.
Alt+I	Insert Open the insert menu.
Ctrl+E or Cmd+E	Insert Tag Insert markup tag at cursor.
Ctrl+Alt+I or Cmd+Opt+I	Insert Image Insert image at cursor.
Ctrl+Alt+F or Cmd+Opt+F	Insert Flash Insert Flash animation at cursor.
Ctrl+Alt+D or Cmd+Opt+D	Insert Shockwave Insert Shockwave object at cursor.
Ctrl+Alt+T or Cmd+Opt+T	Insert Table Insert table at cursor.
Ctrl+Alt+A or Cmd+Opt+A	Insert Named Anchor Insert named anchor at cursor.
Shift+Return or Shift+Return	Insert Line Break Insert line break ( ) at cursor.
Ctrl+Shift+Space or Cmd+Shift+Space or Option+Space in Design View	Non-breaking space Insert a non-breaking space ( ) at cursor.
Ctrl+Alt+V or Cmd+Opt+V	Insert Editable Region Insert editable region for a template at cursor.
Alt+M	Modify Open the modify menu.
Ctrl+J or Cmd+J	Page Properties Modify the properties for the page.
Ctrl+T or Cmd+T	Quick Tag Editor Add a tag quickly in the design view.
Ctrl+L or Cmd+L	Make Link Make the highlighted object a link.
Ctrl+Shift+L or Cmd+Shift+L	Remove Link Remove link from highlighted object.
Ctrl+Shift+1 or Cmd+Shift+1	Align Left Align object left.
Ctrl+Shift+3 or Cmd+Shift+3	Align Right Align object right.
Ctrl+Shift+4 or Cmd+Shift+4	Align Top Align object at top.
Ctrl+Shift+6 or Cmd+Shift+6	Align Bottom Align object at bottom.
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T or Cmd+Opt+Shift+T	Add Object to Timeline Add element to timeline.
Alt+T	Text Open text menu.
Shift+F7	Check Spelling Check spelling in document.
Alt+C	Commands Open commands menu.
Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X	Start Recording Record all commands.
Alt+S	Site Open the site menu.
Ctrl+Shift+D or Cmd+Shift+D	Get Get all files on remote site and bring them to local drive.
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D or Cmd+Opt+Shift+D	Check Out Check out all files on remote site and bring them to local drive.
Ctrl+Shift+U or Cmd+Shift+U	Put Put all files on remote site from local drive.
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U or Cmd+Opt+Shift+U	Check In Check in all files on local drive and put them on remote site.
Ctrl+F8 or Cmd+F8	Check Links Sitewide Validate all links on the site.
Alt+W	Window Open the window menu.
Ctrl+F2 or Cmd+F2	Insert Menu Toggle insert window.
Ctrl+F3 or Cmd+F3	Properties Menu Toggle properties window.
Shift+F11	CSS Styles Toggle CSS styles window.
F2	Layers Menu Toggle layers window.
Shift+F4	Behaviors Menu Toggle behaviors window.
Shift+F9	Snippets Menu Toggle snippets window.
Shift+F1	Reference Menu Toggle reference window.
Ctrl+Shift+F10 or Cmd+Shift+F10	Databases Menu Toggle databases window.
Ctrl+F10 or Cmd+F10	Bindings Menu Toggle bindings window.
Ctrl+F9 or Cmd+F9	Server Behavior Menu Toggle server behavior window.
Ctrl+F7 or Cmd+F7	Components Menu Toggle components window.
F8	Files Menu Toggle files window.
F11	Assets Menu Toggle assets window.
F9	Tag Inspector Menu Toggle tag inspector window.
F7	Results Menu Toggle results window.
Shift+F10	History Menu Toggle history window.
Shift+F2	Frames Menu Toggle frames window.
F10	Code Inspector Menu Toggle code inspector window.
Alt+F9	Timelines Menu Toggle timelines window.
Alt+H	Help Open the help menu.
F1	Using Dreamweaver Help with using Dreamweaver.
Ctrl+F1 or Cmd+F1	Using ColdFusion Help with using ColdFusion.
Shift+F1	Reference Reference help for Dreamweaver.

Resource :- About.com

Windows XP Advantages

2008-03-17T01:47:00.000-07:00

WIN XP Pro Advantages
·Remote Desktop
·Offline Files and Folders
·Encrypting File System
·Granular Access Control
·Ability to join a Windows NT or Windows 2000 domain
·Support for Group Policy and Roaming Profiles
·Software Installation and Maintenance
·Installation using Remote Installation Services (RIS)
·Multi-language support
·Multiprocessor support
·Multiple Monitors support
·Dynamic disks
·Upgrade from Windows NT/Windows 2000
·Advanced networking support

Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop allows you to make your desktop computer a Terminal Server. This is very handy if you move from computer to computer and occasionally need to access your primary desktop from another machine. Remote Desktop is also nice when you're on the road, as you can connect to your machine over a VPN connection from a remote location.

Offline Files and Folders
Offline files and folders allow you to store the contents of a network share on the local disk. This feature isn't much use for permanently connected desktops, but its great if you travel with a laptop. When you plug the laptop back into the network, the files changed on the laptop are automatically synchronized so that the files in the network share are up to date.

Encrypting File System
The Encrypting Files System (EFS) allows you to encrypt files so that unauthorized users cannot view their contents. This is helpful in a high security or a laptop environment. EFS depends on the NTFS file system. Both Windows XP Home and Professional support the NTFS file system, but EFS is disabled on XP Home. EFS is best used on laptop computers. If you don't use XP on laptops, you might not consider this a must-have feature.

Granular Access Control
•The NTFS file system allows you to assign specific permissions on files and folders. Windows XP Professional allows you to assign the full range of NTFS permissions to files and folders. Windows XP Home allows you to assign NTFS permissions to files and folders, but the range of permissions is limited. Instead of granular NTFS based access controls, Windows XP Home implements something called "Simple File Sharing". The Simple File Sharing scheme allows you to assign files and folders a predefined level of access.
·Ability to join a Windows NT or Windows 2000 domain
·Support for Group Policy and Roaming Profiles
·Software Installation and Maintenance
·Installation using Remote Installation Services (RIS)
•XP Home computers cannot join Windows NT/2000 domains. Windows NT or 2000 domain features such as Group Policy, Software Installation and Maintenance and roaming profiles are not available for XP Home computers. The Remote Installation Service (RIS) allows you to install Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional over the network on a machine with no operating system. RIS depends on an Active Directory domain. If your shop doesn't use the domain model, then XP Home might fill the bill.

Multi-language support
•Multi-language support allows you to change the language used is various dialog boxes and applications "on the fly". This is a helpful feature is multinational corporations, but is probably not something you require if you work in one language exclusively.

Multiprocessor support
Multiple Monitors support

•Multiprocessor and multiple monitor hard support in Windows XP Professional allows you use up to two processors and 10 monitors. XP Home allows only a single processor and monitor.
·Dynamic disks
•Dynamic Disks allow you to create advanced Windows XP volumes, such as spanned or striped volumes. Windows XP Home does not support Dynamic Disks and therefore you are limited to only simple volumes. Spanned volumes allow you to extend the size of partitions (called volumes on Dynamic Disks) while striped volumes provide an extra measure of disk performance. Neither XP Professional nor Home supports fault tolerant volumes (such as software-based RAID 5).

Advanced networking support
·XP Home edition does not support advanced some networking features. Networking components not supported by XP Home include IPSec, Client Services for NetWare (CSNW) and Network Monitor.
IPSec encrypts data moving over the network and is important in high security and VPN environments.
CSNW is only of use if you run a Novell NetWare network.
Network Monitor is a TCP/IP network "sniffer" that allows you to capture packets for troubleshooting network related problems.

Upgrade from Windows NT/Windows 2000
•If you are already running Windows NT or Windows 2000, your only upgrade option is to XP Professional. You will not be able to upgrade to XP Home.
•Upgrade Path From: TO :

WIN98, WIN98SE, WIN-ME, WIN-NT 4 WKSTN, XP PRO
WIN2K Pro, XP Home

WIN98, WIN98SE, WIN-ME XP Home

WIN95, WIN NT 3.51, NT Server, WIn2K Server Neither

Universal Backup in Operating System
•The updated Windows NT backup program is included with BOTH XP Professional and XP Home. This backup program is a major update to the old ntbackup utility. The new backup program allows you to back up to virtually any media, such as local and remote disks, tape, floppy or CD-R.

Conclusions XP Home .vs. XP PRO:
•Looking at these features as a whole, Windows XP Home fits the needs of home users and small companies that use their computers in a non-networked or in a network workgroup environment. Windows XP Professional is the best choice for companies that use Windows NT or Windows 2000 domains, require a higher level of security, and those that have laptop users that need to secure local files and need access to network file share resources when connected and disconnected from the network.

Conclusions - Do I need XP
•Does MY Hardware fit the minimum requirements?
•Do I have drivers for everything - Printers, Scanners, etc.?
•Do my programs work with XP?
•Am I buying a new system?
•Have I run the Microsoft Upgrade Advisor test for XP?

Here's What You Need to Use Windows XP Professional
·PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
·My Recommendation - 600 MHz - Brand doesn’t matter - Intel or AMD
·128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
·My Recommendation - 256 MB minimum - 512 MB is better
·1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*
·My Recommendation - 10 GB Free Space, and if doing an upgrade, image your old disk to a new disk using Drive Copy or Ghost, and preserve old drive until upgrade is completed successfully.
·Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
·My Recommendation - 17” monitor set at 1024x768 or larger, and 16 MB Video Card Minimum
·CD-ROM or DVD drive
·My Recommendation - DVD Drive, or DVD Drive and CD-R/RW Drive
·Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
·My Recommendation - Optical Mouse - Logitech or Microsoft

Resource :- http://www.svcug.org

Windows XP Hack Trick

2008-03-13T03:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Visitor,

You understand that all information on this web page is informational in nature and is protected by the fundamental right of free speech GUARANTEED by the United States Constitution. We do NOT condone software theft and you are absolutely prohibited from putting ANY information on this page to any illegal use. While we do not teach you how to hack or crack, we do provide the latest news and rumors. Remember we do not condone software theft, nor do we provide you with the tools to do so. I do merely report up to the minute news and rumors.

Please don't ask for instructions on how to hack XP nor ask for cracks, Product key code or keygen. If you have a comment or tips you can

Sincerely Raymond.

Hacking Windows XP? Is it possible to hack Windows XP many people say yes, but Microsoft has put a lot of effort in to making Windows XP un-hackable (new ``Product Activation'' feature meant individual customers had to buy separate copies of the software, activated by sending a code over the Internet when they first installed the software).

Hacked copies of Windows XP install files and lists of product keys are widely available on such Usenet newsgroups as alt.binaries.cd.image and alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc, as well as on various "warez" channels on Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and peer-to-peer protocol to share files such as BareShare LimeWire, Morpheus and some web sites.

There are a number of hacks and patches designed to circumvent the operating system's controversial Activation process, a new antipiracy measure.

Here I will hi-light some but, not all of the methods used to hack Windows XP. Some of the hacks are fairly complicated, requiring file installations and edits to the Windows registry. Some XP hacks floating around the Internet claim to either disable the Activation feature or circumvent it.

One hack claims to reset the computer's internal clock so Windows XP constantly thinks the user has 60 days to register the software. And another claims to disable the Activation feature entirely. One patch purports to replace files that need to be activated with non-activated versions from the corporate edition.

Note: Some of the hack and cracking programs are mined with viruses.

Opinion: Using hack and cracks on Windows XP is the same as playing Russian roulette with you PC. Your personal computer holds a lot of your important files - email, word files, Mp3s, digital photos, games, passwords, favorite - bookmarks, and more. Even if you backup your PC everyday (most people don’t) you will lose a lot of your files if something goes wrong.

Resource : http://www.winxpfix.com

Windows XP - Change Appearance & Esthetics

2008-03-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

"An ounce of appearance is worth a pound of production." OK, maybe not, but since I work for myself, I'm my own boss. What am I going to do, fire me? Not likely.

There are numerous options to dress up, customize and personalize WinXP that were not available in previous Windows versions. Here's a bunch of them. I'll add more as they're revealed to me.

Please note that appearance options are an antithesis to performance options. This is a personal choice, but if you've got the horsepower you can have both. A processor over over a gig with half a gig of RAM won't see much of a performance hit from dressing up the desktop, although you might want to drop some advanced graphic options for a fragfest.

One-Button Adjustment
To change the built-in functions for either speed or visual effects, right-click on the 'My Computer' icon, then 'Properties' and the 'Advanced' tab. Hit the 'Settings' button and choose either 'Adjust for best appearance' or 'Adjust for best performance' to flip the switch on all of the graphical enhancements.

Folder Icons
For all folders except Thumbnails, pictures may be added or different icons may be chose, either from those in SHELL32.dll (default) or from any icon collection on your hard drive. Just right-click on the folder, choose 'Properties' then the 'Customize' tab & browse away.

Clear Type Innovation
This little goody, originally developed for laptops, will enhance your experience, both on and off the Internet. Hey. don't take my word for it, go here, say 'Yes' for the little program install the tune and tweak to you heart's content. You will enjoy the results.

Change is Good and So Easy
The quickest way to change your user name and the picture that appears next to it on the Start Menu is to double-click on that picture. From the menu that appears, you can change lotsa stuff. Pick a new picture. The pictures are 48 X 48 by default, but Windows XP will resize whatever you choose. The closer to the default size (and square), the better your results will be. Scan your face. Have fun with it. You can also prevent the irritating highlighting of newly-installed programs. Leave the option 'Set up my account to use .NET Passport' alone 'cause it's a security nightmare.

Your Desktop - Your Choices
Right-click on the Desktop. select 'Properties' then the 'Desktop' tab.
Hit the 'Customize Desktop' button and select which icons you want to appear.

In order to allow items (like custom shortcuts) to be added to the Taskbar, just right-click on it, choose 'Toolbars' then 'Quick Launch.' Delete any icons you don't want, drag shortcuts from the desktop to this new area.

Folder Options
Each folder can use its own display properties, set from the 'View' drop-down menu. Thumbnails makes sense for folders that contain images, of course. To speed the loading of this option go to the Control Panel and click 'Folder Options.' Under the 'View' tab, be certain that 'Do not cache thumbnails' is not checked.

The Ultimate Appearance Tweak
Microsoft Sez: "You can connect up to 10 monitors to your Windows XP-based computer and display numerous programs or windows at one time. You can use your mouse to move items from one monitor to
another. You can open a different file on each monitor. Or several. Or you can stretch one item across several monitors; so for example, you can see more columns in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, or the entire layout of a Web page, without scrolling." Consider it. Monitors and PCI video cards are pretty cheap now. Windows recognizes the addition & allows easy adjustments on the 'Display Properties/Settings' menu.

Remote Desktop in Windows XP Professional

2008-03-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

In this article we will cover the use of Remote Desktop, a tool that once mastered can help you to connect over the network to remote servers to perform maintenance or to launch tests from. This article will cover the basic setup and use of it.

This will be important when we talk about Windows based networking services and how to set them up remotely, like Network Monitor for example. You could set up a remote Windows Server with Network Monitor, remotely control it via Remote Desktop and watch the packets flow over the wire from your VPN at home! Remote Desktop is definitely a tool you will want to master the use of.

What is Remote Desktop?
With the Remote Desktop feature in Windows XP, you can remotely control a computer from another office, from home, or while traveling. This allows you to use the data, applications, and network resources that are on your office computer, without being in your office. In the Illustration below, you can see that an Systems Administrator can quickly (and securely) get into their corporate offices and do that, system down, no problem, you can fix from anywhere you can find an Internet connection that is stable enough to let you work.

Remote Desktop is the new name for the older Windows based Terminal Services Client that (like with Windows 2000), would allow you to connect to and manage a server remotely for up to two connections, allowing you to do maintenance on the server and so on. Remote Desktop (Windows Server 2003 / XP), allows the same functionality, except it's enhanced and easier to use.

To use Remote Desktop, you need the following:

* Windows XP Professional installed on your office computer, or whichever computer you plan to operate remotely. This computer is known as the host. This article was written using Microsoft’s most current operating system – Windows XP Professional.
* Display data and keyboard data are sent over a WAN or Internet connection so make sure that you are working over a good connection… to use Remote Desktop over a slow connection could be a burden. It will work, but it may not respond as well as you would like. You can use low bandwidth connections, it will allow you to remotely control a system.

Get Remote Desktop
* The Remote Desktop Connection software is pre-installed with Windows XP so to verify that you have it, use the following URL:
o Start => All Programs => Accessories => Communications, => Remote Desktop Connection
* If you don’t have it, then you need to get it. There are options. First, you can get the Remote Desktop Connection software on the Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition product CDs
* If you don’t have a CD, then you can get it online. Use the links I provided in the links and references section to get the clients if you don’t have it currently available on your system.

The Remote Desktop Connection software can be installed on any supported Windows platform. One you get it, install it and open it up.

Let’s look at how install Remote Desktop (if not already installed)

Install the Client Software

To install Remote Desktop Connection software on a client computer

1. Insert the Windows XP CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. When the Welcome page appears, click Perform additional tasks, and then click Setup Remote Desktop Connection as shown below.

3. When the installation wizard starts, follow the directions that appear on your screen.
4. You will have to agree to the license agreement

5. Enter your personal information and click Next
6. Finish the installation and you will now have Remote Desktop Installed on your XP system.

Enable Your Computer as the Host

Before you use Remote Desktop, your systems have to be set up properly to allow it to be ‘controlled’. One of the first things you will need to do is to ‘enable’ the remote control of a system. To do that, you will need to make a quick setting change in the System Properties.

1. Log in as an Administrator (or as a member of the Administrators group)
2. Open the System Applet in the Control Panel.
3. Click Start => Control Panel => System Applet => Remote Tab

4. On the Remote tab, select the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check box, as shown below.

5. Make sure that you have the proper permissions to connect to a computer remotely, and click OK.

Remote Desktop and XP Service Pack 2

If you're running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and you enable Remote Desktop, Windows Firewall will be automatically configured to allow Remote Desktop connections to your computer. There is one exception; this will not happen unless you have the Windows Firewall configured to allow no exceptions.

To allow exceptions in Windows Firewall:

1. Open the Control Panel, Double Click the Security Center applet

2. When the Security Center opens, Click on Windows Firewall

3. Make sure you Clear the check box next to “Don't allow exceptions”

Start a Session

Once you have enabled your Windows XP Professional computer to allow remote connections, and installed client software on a Windows-based client computer, you are ready to start a Remote Desktop session.

Remember, as I laid out in the diagram in the beginning of this article, you must first establish a virtual private network (VPN) connection or remote access service (RAS) connection from your client computer to your office network. Without a connection ‘into’ the corporate network, you will not be able to remote a server, especially if its not internet facing *like on a DMZ* and using a private RFC 1918 address.

To create a new Remote Desktop Connection

1. Open Remote Desktop Connection.
2. Click Start => All Programs => Accessories => Communications => Remote Desktop Connection
3. In Computer, type the computer name or TCP/IP (shown below) address of the host you want to control… remember, they have to be ‘allowed’ to be controlled first.
4. Fill in your credentials, Domain if needed, save the connection as a ‘profile’ so you can quickly go back to it later and use it again.

5. I don’t recommend checking the ‘Save my password’ check box because if your system becomes compromised, your servers (or other systems) have now become exposed to the Hacker. Now in the server, the whole corporate network is potentially exposed.
6. Once you have put in your credentials and all other pertinent information, Click Connect.
7. Your request will now be sent to the system you want to connect to. The Log On to Windows dialog box appears.
8. In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your user name, password, and domain (if required), and then click OK.
9. The Remote Desktop window will open and you will see the desktop settings, files, and programs that are the system. The system that is in the corporate network can remain locked and safe while you are now inside it, working on it. Whatever you are doing cannot be seen by someone watching the console.
10. Problems do occur, most commonly it’s just that the connection is either refused or it timed out because of latency. Here is a commonly seen error message:

Note:
To change your connection settings, (such as screen size, automatic logon information, and performance options), click on the other tabs available when you open the Remote Desktop Client.

To open a saved connection

1. In the Remote Desktop Connection window => click Start => Shut Down.
2. The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears
3. In the drop-down menu, select Log Off <UserName>=> click OK

Summary
In this article we covered the basics of Remote Desktop. We covered what its used for, how to install it, how to configure it and how to use it. Make sure you don’t leave this article out of your tool belt, in future articles you will see just how handy Remote Desktop can be.

How to Remove Windows XP's Messenger

2008-03-06T22:10:00.001-08:00

Theoretically, you can get rid of it (as well as a few other things). Windows 2000 power users should already be familiar with this tweak.

But before doing anything prepare your backup first.

Then fire up the Windows Explorer and navigate your way to the %SYSTEMROOT% \ INF folder. What the heck is that thingy with the percentage signs? It's a variable. For most people, %SYSTEMROOT% is C:\Windows. For others, it may be E:\WinXP. Get it? Okay, on with the hack!

In the INF folder, open sysoc.inf (but not before making a BACKUP copy first). Before your eyes glaze over, look for the line containing "msmsgs" in it. Near the end of that particular line, you'll notice that the word "hide" is not so hidden. Go ahead and delete "hide" (so that the flanking commas are left sitting next to one another). Save the file and close it.

Now, open the Add and Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel. Click the Add / Remove Windows Components icon. You should see "Windows Messenger" in that list. Remove the checkmark from its box, and you should be set.

Show or hide the "My recent documents" from XP Start menu

2008-03-06T03:14:00.000-08:00

The My Recent Documents folder on the Windows XP Start menu displays a list of files and documents that you most recently used.

Removing the Recent Documents link from XP Start Menu

To remove the My Recent Documents folder from XP Start Menu, try this:

Right-click Start, and then click Properties
Click Customize
Click the Advanced tab
Under Recent documents, uncheck List my most recently opened documents
Click OK, and then OK.

Equivalent registry value

Open Registry Editor and navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced
Backup the key to a file.
Set the value of Start_ShowRecentDocs accordingly.

Value of 0 - List my most recently opened documents is disabled
Value of 2 - List my most recently opened documents is enabled

Different setting for the Windows Classic Start Menu

For the Classic Start Menu, set NoRecentDocsMenu to 1 in this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer

NoRecentDocsMenu value may not exist by default. If so, create a new value of type REG_DWORD and set it's data to 1

Photoshop Tips - Peeling Sticker Effect

2008-03-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

As a child, there are few things more fun than sticking stickers on things. Everything(s). Here's how to easily create a peeled sticker effect.

First, you want to start with your object on it's own layer.

Add a background layer by holding Ctrl + Alt and clicking on the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers Palette F7. Press D to select the default colors and press Ctrl + Backspace to fill with white.
Double-click on your object's layer in the area to the right of the name. This will bring up the Layer Style dialog box. Click on Stroke at the bottom of the list.

Set the Stroke size to something thick for your object, in this case I'm using 6-pixels. Click on the Color box and change the Stroke Color to white.

Click on the Outer Glow Style in the Layer Styles list. Change the Blend Mode to Normal. Change the color to black.

Adjust the Size and Spread until you get a nice, soft outline. In this case, I'm using a Size of 9-px and Spread of 35%.Move on to the Drop Shadow Style in the Layer Styles list. Adjust the Angle to 90° and increase the Distance slightly 6-px.

Press Ctrl + T to bring up your Transform bounding box. Before you do ANYTHING, right-click in the box and choose Warp.Now click-and-drag the box from the lower-right corner up slightly.Press the Return (number-pad Enter) to apply the transformation.Create a New Layer Ctrl + Shift + N above your object's layer. Then press Ctrl + Alt + G to create a create a new Clipping Mask.

Set the Layer Mode to Screen and the Layer Opacity to around 50%.

Choose the Gradient Tool G and click on the Gradient in the Option Bar (up top) to bring up the Gradient Editor. Edit your Gradient to look something like this:

Click-and-drag your Gradient in a very small area where you thing the "bend" of your sticker should be.It may take a few tries to get it right.

Right-click on the "f" icon in the right-side of your object Layer in the Layers Palette. When the menu appears, choose Create Layers.

You will now have a bunch of various Layers underneath your object Layer. Find the one labeled "Drop Shadow."

Press Ctrl + T to bring up th Transform Bouncing box again. Right-click and choose Warp again.Reduce the "Fill" on the "Drop Shadow" layer to make it a little less harsh.And... that's it! Feel free to change the stroke and background colors as you wish. Play around with it. Have some fun.

Note :- For latest edition of Photosho click here Adobe Photoshop CS3 Full Version
Resource :- http://www.photoshoplab.com

Windows XP - Clean Installation of Windows XP

2008-02-29T20:49:00.001-08:00

Steps to Clean Install XP

If the above instructions for configuring your system to boot from CD or you have acquired the necessary boot floppy/floppies; you can now boot the computer and follow the on screen prompts.

Have your Product Key available, typical install is around 30 minutes. If setup seems to hang, wait at least 10 minutes + before restarting system. You should experience momentary screen blackouts.

Power on the computer. Press the Pause/Break key as soon as you see text on the screen.

Insert XP CD into CD drive. Press ENTER to resume booting from the XP CD. (BIOS must support booting from CD and boot order must be set so CD boots before hard drive. If computer does not support booting from CD go to 2a for floppy install). If don't have a CD then go to Windows XP Professional.

2a. Floppy install: Boot from Win98/Me/Special XP install floppy disk with smartdrv.exe added to the boot disk; or the Win XP set of 6 floppy disks.

Look for message "booting from CD" usually located at the bottom of the screen. If you have a factory splash screen, press ESC to unload it.

3a. Floppy install: From the A Prompt; A:\type: smartdrv.exe. then press ENTER. If you are using the XP boot floppy setup disks skip to step #5.

Press any Key when you see the prompt to 'Press Any Key"

4a. Floppy install: CD to the location of the CD-ROM drive with the XP setup files; CD to the i386 folder where you will type: winnt.exe to start setup.

Setup will start copying files, if you need to install any third-party or RAID drivers press F6 at this time. The copying of files can take awhile.

Next you will get the option to repair or enter setup, choose to enter setup. Press ENTER.

Press F8 if you agree to the license.

Setup will scan for previous Windows installations

If you are using the upgrade version of XP on a computer without any version of Windows currently installed, this is where you will replace the XP CD with your qualifying CD, XP setup will scan the qualifying CD and instruct you to replace it with the XP CD to continue XP setup; otherwise, you will not see this screen.

Choose the location to install.

10a If this is a clean hard drive, you can choose to create a partition in the un-partitioned space. At this point, you can allow Setup to use all the space or set a size for the partition.

10b If the hard drive or partition has a previous installation of XP you want to remove, choose to delete the partition by pressing "D". You will then be prompted to create a new partition in the empty space. This will remove all data from the deleted space. Delete NON-DOS Partition

10c If you intend to use multiple partitions, or dual boot, this is where you specify the size of the boot partition and or setup location for XP. If you are planning to dual boot XP, I would create a small 100 meg DOS partition for the first primary partition, then an 8 to 10 gig partition for XP. You can partition and format the remaining space after XP is setup from Disk Manager. If you do not intend to dual boot, you can either use all the un-partitioned space, or create an 8 to 10 gig partition for XP and leave the rest free to partition later.

If a fat32 partition larger than 32 gigabyte is desired, the hard drive or partition will need to be created before running XP setup. XP will not create a fat 32 partition larger than 32 gig, but will support one previously created.

Choose the file system from this screen. If dual booting and you created the small 100 meg partition, make it a fat partition. NTFS is configured at the optimal file size during the initial setup. See this link for more on NTFS If you have more that one partition or hard drive on your system, make sure you are formatting the correct partition/drive.

This is where you reinsert the XP Pro Upgrade CD if necessary.

Press Enter to continue.

Setup will show a progress box and reboot when copying files is complete.

When you see the "Press any Key to Reboot" do not Press any Key. If CD boots anyway, remove CD and reboot.

From this point, you will follow the on screen prompts.

If you live outside the US, you will probably need to modify the default settings.

Personalize your XP Enter your Name and Organization.

Enter the Product Key. The Key is located on the back of the CD folder in the Retail versions, and on a holographic label with the OEM versions purchased with a piece of hardware. Write this key down and secure it in a safe place in case the original is misplaced or destroyed through natural causes.

Choose a name for the computer; this should be a unique name for the computer, especially if it is to be connected to a network. In Pro, you are given the option of creating a password or leaving it blank.

Set your Time Zone and Time and Date.

Setup will scan for network.

If detected you will have the choice to choose a typical configuration or custom. Choose typical if you are unsure.

For home you will choose your workgroup, if a network is already established and you intend to connect to it, use the existing workgroup name, otherwise, I suggest using the default.

For Pro, the same goes for Pro as suggested for Home, but you will have the choice to join a Domain, if you do not have a Domain or do not know leave blank.

Setup will continue and reboot when completed ignore the "Press Any Key".

The XP loading window will now display after reboot.

Note All XP SP2 versions now show the same XP loading screen. Windows XP is displayed for both Home and Professional.

You will see a change display settings, say yes, and accept the setting if you can see the screen after accepting.

You will see a welcome screen, press next and unfortunately you have to wait for the dialog to finish.

Set up your internet or network connection.

This is the Activate, Register screen. You must activate within 30 days of installing XP, but you do not ever have to register, Registration is completely optional and if you do not register, no personal information will be transmitted during activation. If you register, then activation will transmit that information along with the activation. The first Activation is usually done over the internet if the computer is connected to the internet, otherwise, it can be accomplished by copying the alphanumeric string from the activation screen and make a phone call to the phone number [] supplied on screen. The activation center will then give you a slightly longer number to input into for activation. I suggest you do not activate immediately in case you need to make hard ware changes, or install to a different system within the thirty days, and you will be reminded on boot up until you do.

Blaster worm warning: Enable the XP firewall before connecting to the internet. Do not immediately activate over the internet. You can activate after the firewall is enabled.

To enable the XP firewall: Control Panel - Network Connections. Right click the connection you use, Properties, and there is a check box on the Advanced page.

Setup users screen. Set at least one user for yourself or the person that will be using the computer.

Thank You

Logon to XP and apply Service Pack and Critical updates from Windows Update before installing any software or hardware.

Install your anti-virus software.

Install all applications and setup your email.

Restore from Files and Settings transfer after reinstalling all applications.

Resource : http://www.michaelstevenstech.com