Tuesday, August 23

Windows Virtual PC-Work with more than one Operating Systems at a time

Windows Virtual PC (successor to Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Microsoft Virtual PC 2004, and Connectix Virtual PC) is a virtualization program for Microsoft Windows. In July 2006 Microsoft released the Windows-hosted version as a free product. In August 2006 Microsoft announced the Macintosh-hosted version would not be ported to Intel-based Macintosh computers, effectively discontinuing the product as PowerPC-based Macintosh computers are no longer manufactured. The newest release, Windows Virtual PC, does not run on versions of Windows earlier than Windows 7, and does not officially run MS-DOS or operating systems earlier than Windows XP SP3 Professional. The older versions, which support a wider range of host and guest operating systems, remain available.
Virtual PC virtualizes a standard PC and its associated hardware. Supported Windows operating systems can run inside Virtual PC. Other operating systems such as Linux may run, but are not officially supported, and Microsoft does not provide the necessary drivers (called "Virtual Machine Additions") for Linux.
Click here to download XP Mode Virtual PC for Windows 7
Click here to download Virtual PC 2007
Source:Microsoft Website

Sunday, August 21

Internet Connection Sharing on Windows XP

This trick shows you how to share your internet connections on multiple computers within a workgroup with Windows XP. Windows XP has a built-in feature that called "Internet Connection Sharing" (ICS) that allows home users to share their internet connections on multiple computers.
If you are not familiar with the network configurations, the easiest way to share your internet connection is to purchase a router or hub. Use this trick only if you don't have a router, or don't want to use a router, or if you just want to try out the feature.
A simple way to understand this feature is, you are making your host computer (the computer directly connects to the internet) functioning as a router for other computers.

What do you need?

  • A "Host" computer that running Windows XP. This computer must have at least TWO (2) network adapters. One adapter - let's call it "Adapter #1" - connects to the internet and another, "Adapter #2", connects to a hub or directly to other computers.
  • Client computer(s), which run any version of Windows. A client computer can be connected to the host computer directly by a cross-over cable or indirectly through a hub.
  • This trick assumes that the host computer is connected to the internet and you are able to access the internet on this computer.

Configure the Host Computer

  1. Logon the host computer as Administrator.
  2. Click Start >> Control Panel.
  3. Click Network and Internet Connections.
  4. Click Network Connections.
  5. Right-click the connection that you use to connect to the internet (the connection with Adapter #1). This connection can be either a high-speed internet connection or a dial-up connection.
  6. Click Properties.
  7. Click Advanced tab.
  8. Under Internet Connection Sharing, select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection check box.
  9. If you are sharing a dial-up Internet connection, select the Establish a dial-up connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet check box if you want to permit your computer to automatically connect to the Internet.
  10. Click OK. You'll reieve the following message:
    When Internet Connection Sharing is enabled, your LAN adapter will be set to use IP address 192.168.0.1. Your computer may lose connectivity with other computers on your network. If these other computers have static IP addresses, it is a good idea to set them to obtain their IP addresses automatically. Are you sure you want to enable Internet Connection Sharing?
  11. Click Yes.
Configure the Client Computer(s)
To use the shared connection from the Host computer, a client computer must be configured with "Automatic IP address". The main configurations are:
  1. Configure TCP/IP Automatic IP
  2. Configure Internet Connection
The steps for the above two configurations are vary on different versions of Windows.
The following procedures are for Windows XP client computers.
  1. Log on to the client computer as Administrator or as Owner.
  2. Click Start >> Control Panel.
  3. Click Network and Internet Connections.
  4. Click Network Connections.
  5. Right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
  6. Click the General tab, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in the This connection uses the following items list, and then click Properties.
  7. In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box, click Obtain an IP address automatically (if it is not already selected), and then click OK.


  8. Click Start >> Control Panel
  9. Click Network and Internet Connections.
  10. Click Internet Options.
  11. In the Internet Properties dialog box, click the Connections tab.
  12. Click the Setup button. The New Connection Wizard starts.
  13. On the Welcome to the New Connection Wizard page, click Next.
  14. Click Connect to the Internet, and then click Next.
  15. Click Set up my connection manually, and then click Next.
  16. Click Connect using a broadband connection that is always on, and then click Next.
  17. On the Completing the New Connection Wizard page, click Finish.
  18. Exit Control Panel and test the internet. You might need to restart the computer.

Convert Any Document or Web Page to PDF


Somebody just told you that you need to have Adobe Acrobat (Writer) to create a PDF file? Guess what, you can get away from that pricey piece of software if you just need to convert some documents to pdf, without a need of fancy editing the pdf document.
Here's how. Thanks to the BullZip, who provides a Free Pdf printer. With this free tool, you can simply "print out" your document or webpage to a pdf file, just about the same way as you print it out to a printer.

You can visit BullZip.com for more information about the software.
Here the direct link to BullZip downloads page: Downloads
  1. To get started, first follow the link above and download Free Pdf Printer from BullZip, then install it to your computer.
  2. Once you're done, you might need to close the program (or the web browser) which you're currently viewing the document. This helps refreshing the list of available printers on your computer.
  3. Once you get back to the document you want to convert, perform the same steps are you print out the document, i.e. File > Print ...
  4. When you see the Print window pop-up, select "Bullzip PDF Printer" under "Printers", then click "OK".
  5. BullZip PDF Printer will then start to analyze your document and display a new pop-up window, where you can direct it to the location you want to save the pdf file.
  6. Follow the pop-up windows and.. hola! The PDF document is created!

Windows XP Secrets

Notepad Secrets
Create a log
  1. Open Notepad
  2. On the very first line, type in ".LOG" (without quotes) then press Enter for a new line
  3. Now you can type in some text if you want, then save the file.
  4. Next time when you open the file, notice its contents. Notepad automatically adds a time/date log everytime you open the file.
Text becomes unreadable
  1. Open Notepad
  2. On the very first line, type in "dont eat the donut" (without quotes) then save and close the file. Note: the file should have only one line of the text above.
  3. Now, open the same file. You'll notice the text becomes unreadable squares. (try this with different text with the same format and length).
Paint Secrets
Create a trail image
  1. Open Paint, then open an image.
  2. Right-click on the image and select "Select All"
  3. Now hold the "Shift" key and move the image around. The image will be drawn with trail.
10x Zoom
  1. Open Paint, then open a small image.
  2. Select the zoom "Magnifier" tool.
  3. Windows Paint lists out the zoom options from 1x to 8x, but there is a 10x...
  4. After selecting the Magnifier tool, point the mouse right at the border line right under "8x" and left-click. There you go.. the hidden 10x.
Other Secrets
Where is the relaxing music that you've heard during Windows XP Installation?
  1. The file is in:
    C:\Windows\system32\oobe\images\title.wma
Game Secrets
Solitaire: Instant Win
  1. Press Alt + Shift + 2 to instantly win
Solitaire: Draw only 1 card (instead of 3)
  1. Hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift then click on unopen cards to draw.
FreeCell: Instant Win
  1. Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 while playing, then click Abort.
  2. Now move one card.
FreeCell: Hidden Game Modes
  1. Go to "Game" menu choose "Select Game"
  2. Here you can choose from game mode 1 to 1,000,000. But -1 and -2 will also work (hidden modes)
Hearts: Show All Card
    Warning! this requires a modification on your registry. Be sure you follow the steps carefully. Damage your registry might damage your Windows.
  1. Open the "Registry Editor" by: "Start" >> "Run" then type "regedit" and press Enter
  2. Expand to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Hearts
  3. Right-click on the right panel and create a new String value with the name "ZB"
  4. Double-click to open this key "ZB" to edit its value. Then enter "42" and close the Registry Editor.
  5. Start Hearts and Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F12 to show all the cards
Minesweeper: Stop The Timer
  1. When you start to play a new game, the timer is ticking...
  2. Press Windows Key + D to show desktop.
  3. Now come back to the game by selecting it from the taskbar. The timer is stopped.
Pinball
  1. Unlimited Balls: Type bmax at a new game to get unlimited balls (no notification).
  2. Extra Balls: Type 1max at a new game to get extra balls.
  3. Gravity Well: Type gmax at a new game to activate Gravity Well.
  4. Promotion: Type rmax at a new game or while playing to get instant promotion and raising rank.
  5. Extra points with partial shots: Partially shot the ball just to pass the yellow light bars. There are 6 bars. With the first bar, you'll get 15,000 points, 2nd: 30,000,...
  6. Extra points with partial shots: Partially shot the ball just to pass the yellow light bars. There are 6 bars. With the first bar, you'll get 15,000 points, 2nd: 30,000,...
  7. Test Mode: Type hidden test with a new ball or new game. Now you can use your mouse to drag and move the ball where you want.