Archive for the ‘Others’ category

Is it Time to Upgrade Your Laptop/Computer?

May 29th, 2012 by Admin

Personal computer technology is constantly advancing and PC manufacturers are rolling out new machines with more advanced features on regular basis. Does this mean that your old machine has become obsolete? Do you need to buy a new computer, or upgrading your old system will serve your purpose? Frank Johnson suggests few nice upgrading options that can enhance the performance of your old laptop/computer like a new machine.

If your laptop/desktop taking long to load the system and applications, or it needs more memory to run new software programs like Windows 7 or video editing, and powerful processors and graphic cards to run your favorite games, it is the right time to upgrade your computer system. You can upgrade your PC by adding some additional components or replacing the outdated ones. Depending on the requirements, you can go for gradual upgrade, replacing urgently required parts and hardware first, or in some cases you need to upgrade the entire system.

Computer components such as power supplies, monitors, DVD writers, LAN cards and hard disks generally have longer life-span, and so don’t need to be replaced until they become totally defunct. So why spend a big sum of money for buying a new laptop or a desktop, when replacing one or few components of your old PC can match the performance of the next generation machines. In this article, I will suggest you some of the important components that you can consider upgrading/replacing to get the best performance out of your old laptop/desktop computer.

Upgrading your RAM (Random Access Memory)

Memory or Random Access Memory (RAM) is one of the most important components of a computer system that are directly related to the performance of your PC. RAM is required to process the data, and memory addition will make your system perform faster data processing. Memory upgrade ensures substantial reduction in the loading time for the system and applications, thus making your PC run faster than before. Additional memory is also required when you need to run more programs, or upgrade your operating system (OS) such as from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Just a decade ago, 128 MB RAM were considered good for a PC, but nowadays 32 GB (32,000 MB) RAMs are being used in the high end laptops and desktop computers. So if you have a supporting motherboard and processor, you can easily upgrade your RAM and greatly improve the performance of your system. They are less costly to upgrade and easy to install in comparison to other components of a computer system.

Some precautions need to be taken when purchasing a new RAM for your system. You need to make sure that your existing motherboard has a compatible slot and required specifications to support the additional new memory. Before deciding to purchase a new RAM, you must check your system’s specification and compatibility to run that particular type of memory. Most of the latest computers use DDR-II and DDR-III memory cards, while old computers used SDR memory cards.

Upgrading Your Processor (CPU)

Upgrading the processor of your PC is another good option to improve its performance manifold when it comes to speed. Though a complicated task, a processor can be upgraded in a desktop computer by common users, processor upgrade in laptops require expertise of a hardware person. Before you decide to buy and upgrade the processor in your PC, you need to make sure that your motherboard is compatible to run it. Though latest motherboards support all types of processors, old ones may have restrictions to support high-end processors. The best way to find out compatibility of your motherboard to support new processors is to check out the compatibility chart for your motherboard, usually found on manufacturer’s website.

Installation of a processor on your motherboard is a bit complicated but can be done with little efforts. After removing the case cover, just unplug the fan fitted on top of your existing processor. Then remove the cooling unit away from the CPU socket. Then lift the lever of the socket to get the CPU out of it. After that put the new processor in the socket and pull the level to lock it. Then install the new heat sink and fan on top of the CPU socket. After installing the cooling unit, connect the fan and you’re done. Restart your computer and you should be able to enjoy the enhanced performance of your computer system.

Upgrading your Graphic Card

Graphic cards are required to render 3d graphics on your machine. If you want to play latest and high-end video games or use 3D software, you need to upgrade the graphic card in your system. It will ensure visible performance increase for the related 3D applications. Latest powerful graphic cards normally run on PCI-express interface, while most of the old systems use AGP slot. So before buying a new graphic card, just make sure that your motherboard has the required interface for its installation If your PC is less than five years old, I’m sure you will be able to upgrade the graphics with few restrictions.

Also make sure that power supplies in your old system are capable of meeting more power requirements for new advanced graphic cards, as they may need additional power to run. Check the specifications given on your power supply unit to make sure that it meets the requirement provided by the graphics card manufacturer. Installing a new graphic card is very easy. If your motherboard has an integrated graphics card, look for the expansion sockets specially built for graphic card. If your motherboard has a graphic card installed on the given socket, just remove it and replace it with the new graphic card. Then start up the system and run the installation CD for installing the new drivers.
While it’s not directly related to increasing the performance of your laptop/desktop PC, you can also consider upgrading you monitor and hard drive for better viewing experience and large data storage respectively.

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Posted in Others

How to Reset Your Lost Router Password

May 27th, 2012 by Admin

I received an email the other day asking me how to reset a router’s username and password back to the default username and password. I thought this was a great question and worthy of a post.

In order to get your router back to the original settings, you must push in the reset button (usually on the back of the router) for somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds depending on the router. You may need a pin or something small to push in the button, because it can be recessed. Once you have reset the router, the username and password will be changed to the defaults, admin and password, respectively.

One thing you must remember is that resetting the router will change all of the router settings back to the factory settings. This means you will lose all of the changes you made since you got the router. Make sure to write down any things you’ve changed, so you can change them back after the reset. Also, I recommend updating to the latest firmware after the reset.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks

Tags: forgot router password lost router password reset router password

Recover Your Lost Wireless Network Key with WirelessKeyView

May 26th, 2012 by Admin

WirelessKeyView is a portable free network utility by NirSoft that recovers your wireless network security key/passwords stored in your computer. The latest version adds a feature that allows you to export these keys into a simple text file and then later on import them into another computer.

Because it’s a portable tool you can just download it from the link below and launch it without first installing it. It supports on both 32bit and 64bit of Windows, so make sure you know which edition of windows you are using and pick one that matches.

Select the keys you want to export, and Export Select Items from File menu. It’s worth noting that the keys exported in the text file are not encrypted. So make sure to keep the file in the safe place if you are concern about the security of your network.

If you find the keys that are obsolete from the network adapter that are no longer existed, you can even delete the keys from the tool directly. The key deleted from the tool will also be removed from your computer. Note that only the keys from the inactive network adapter can be deleted.

WirelessKeyView works perfectly in XP and Vista but has a bit of difficulty working flawlessly in Windows 7 due to the new encryption and hashing algorithms used by the Windows Data Protection system. The author has to make a workaround but claims that he will still keep the research and development going. However, I test its 64bit version of this tool on my Windows 7 64-bit system and it has no problem revealing all my wireless network keys I ever inputted.

As always, WirelessKeyView has a list of command-line options and can be executed in Command Prompt window or be a scheduled command.

Download WirelessKeyView

Download WirelessKeyView for x64

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Posted in Free Software, Others, Tips & Tricks

Tags: key network password recover security wep wireless wpa

How to Change Active Directory Password on Windows Server 2008/2003/2000

May 26th, 2012 by Admin

One of the prominent services of Windows Server is Active directory. Active directory manages user accounts and the permissions granted to them from a single point. System administrator, the user of server system with administrator privileges, has the right to grant or revoke domain user’s privileges, create user account, set or reset password, etc.

With all the important functions handled from the server, what will happen if you forget Active Directory password, or it happens that an ignorant system administrator leaves the job without telling the password to anyone else? Question arises, “How to reset Active Directory Password?” There are many manual methods and third party tools available to help you out from the critical situation.

Windows Server account can be categorized as local account and domain controller account. This means that you cannot use the Active Directory service when you login through local account. With Password Recovery Bundle we can easily reset local account password and change active directory password. In this tutorial we’ll only show you how to change Active Directory password on Windows Server 2008/2003/2000.

Step 1: Create a Active Directory Password Reset CD

First download and install Password Recovery Bundle on another computer you have access to.
Launch the program and click Windows Password button.
Insert a blank CD/DVD into the CD drive and then click Start Burn to create a Active Directory Password Reset CD.

Step 2: Change Active Directory Password

To have your domain controller to boot from the Active Directory Password Reset CD, you may need to change the BIOS settings to set CD/DVD as the 1t boot device.
Insert the Active Directory Password Reset CD into the CD drive of your domain controller and start the computer.
Now that the computer is booting from the CD, an initial set up screen that says the computer is loading files will be displayed.
When the screen of Reset Windows Password appears, select a Active Directory user and then click Reset Password button.
The program will change the Active Directory password to Password123 by default.

Reboot the domain controller and eject the Active Directory Password Reset CD, you’ll be able to log on the domain controller using your Active Directory user account.

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Posted in Active Directory Password, Others, Tips & Tricks

Tags: active directory password active directory password reset change active directory password domain controller password forgot active directory password

How to Unlock and Recover Password of Outlook PST File

May 23rd, 2012 by Admin

One of my friends asked me if it is possible to crack a password protected Outlook (. PST) Data File. The file contains some important project data but unfortunately he forgot the password. Is there a way to recover the password or unlock the Outlook PST file?

In my previous post I have covered the way to recover forgotten Outlook passwords from MS Outlook. For data security, MS Outlook provides a convenient way to set a password on Outlook PST file. If you forgot Outlook PST password, you’ll lose access to your entire emails, calendar, Outlook contacts and other data used by MS Outlook.

Just take it easy! There is always an easy way for you to recover forgotten Outlook PST file password. This article is intended for everyone who lost or forgot passwords of their Outlook PST files or just want to learn the basics of Outlook PST file.

What’s Outlook PST File

The PST (Personal Storage Table) file is usually used to store emails (and attachments), calendar events, contacts, journal and other items within Microsoft software such as Microsoft Outlook or Exchange. The PST file is also known as Personal Folder file.

If you’ve set a password to protect the content of the PST file, you’ll required to enter your password every time you start MS Outlook. Once you’ve forgotten the password, you can’t send and receive email at all.

How to Recover Password of Outlook PST File

Forgot Outlook PST password? Fortunately, the PST file is protected using a very weak encryption algorithm CRC32 that we can crack your password quickly and easily. Everyone can follow the instructions below to recover forgotten password to any protected Outlook PST file.

Install Password Recovery Bundle on your computer.
Start the program and then click Recover From File button, then select PST File Password option. You’ll be prompted to select your Outlook PST file.
After choosing your Outlook PST file, click OK.
The program will analyze the Outlook PST file and recover your forgotten password instantly.

Write down the recovered password and then start MS Outlook and enter the password, you’ll be able to log in successfully.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks

Tags: forgot outlook pst password outlook pst password pst password recovery recover outlook pst password unlock outlook pst file

How to Recover Lost or Forgotten Outlook Password from MS Outlook

May 23rd, 2012 by Admin

Hello everybody, I am facing some tough situation where my brother forgot password of MS Outlook account which he maintains for my clients. Now my all important information stored there is inaccessible. Can anyone possibly give me potential solution for this particular problem? Thanks in advance..

Forgot Outlook password? I can understand your trouble, and you are not alone facing such problem. There are many instances where someone forgot their Outlook password due to intricacy of password, or moving all Outlook settings to a new system where password isn’t auto-saved. But don’t worry! If you go through similar problem, you can subsequently recover the lost or forgotten Outlook password using Password Recovery Bundle.

Password Recovery Bundle is the most powerful password recovery software you’ll ever used. It can recover over 60 types of passwords from instant messengers, email applications, web browsers, FTP clients, Windows login password, Office documents, etc. Of course it can also recovers Outlook password from MS Outlook, Outlook Express. Move on and see how can you recover forgotten Outlook password by yourself.

How to Recover Outlook Password:

Install Password Recovery Bundle on your computer.
Launch the program and then click Start Recovery button.
It will display a list of supported passwords the program can recover. Now we need to select the Email Password and then Outlook Password.
The program will search the locations where MS Outlook stored your passwords, decrypt the passwords and display the details of email accounts saved in MS Outlook: email accounts, logins and passwords.

The recovery procedure is very easy and everyone can follow it to recover lost or forgotten Outlook password from MS Outlook.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks

Tags: forgot outlook password lost outlook password outlook password recovery' recover ms outlook password recover outlook password

How to Hack Windows Password with Free Linux Live CD

May 20th, 2012 by Admin

Forgetting Windows password means losing access to important files and settings on your computer. A password hint can provide clues to help you recall your password. But in most situations, we can’t recognize the importance of password hint and leave it as blank when set a new password. How to hack or recover Windows password so you can regain access to your computer?

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to hack Windows password with a Linux live CD – Ophcrack, which is a freeware that can crack Windows password so you can login without making any changes to your computer.

Step 1: Download Ophcrack and Create A Linux Live CD

The first thing we will need to do is download the CD image from Ophcrack’s website. There are two options to download: XP or Vista. So make sure you grab the right one. The Vista download works with Windows Vista or Windows 7, and the only difference between XP and Vista is the “tables” Ophcrack uses to hack the password.

Once the .iso file is downloaded, burn it to a CD using any CD/DVD burning software you like, such as BurnCDCC or ImgBurn. If you are going to be cracking your password on a computer that doesn’t have a CD drive, such as a netbook, you can also burn the ISO image to a USB flash drive using Universal USB Creator.

Step 2: Hack Windows Password

Boot the computer from the Linux Live CD that you created. On some computers you may have to go into the BIOS settings to change the boot order or push a key to show the boot menu.

Once the disk is done booting, Ophcrack should start automatically and will begin hacking the passwords for all of the users on your computer.

If you have a complex password it will take a lot longer than simple passwords, and with the free tables your password may never be cracked. Once the hack is done you will see the password in plain text, write it down and reboot the machine to login. If your password isn’t hacked, you can also log in as one of the other users with admin rights and then change your password from within Windows.

With the free tables available you will not be able to hack every password, but the paid tables range from $100 to $1000 so you may be better off just resetting your password with Reset Windows Password utility.

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Posted in Free Software, Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP

Tags: crack windows password hack windows password ophcrack reset windows password

How to Recover AOL Password Saved In AOL Instant Messenger

May 18th, 2012 by Admin

I sign-into my AOL Instant Messenger every day. The messenger logs in automatically because the password is saved on my computer. I want to login into AOL Instant Messenger on another machine but I don’t remember my password anymore. How can I see it?

Every now and again, you may forgot your AOL instant messenger password. It’s very convenient to keep your AOL password remembered by AOL instant messenger, so you can log in to your account without typing your password every time you start your computer. The problem is that it also makes you easy to forgot the password you rarely used. How to recover AOL password saved in AOL instant messenger?

This tutorial we’ll show you an easy way to recover AOL password you forgot. To get started, we need to use AIM Password Recovery program. Then follow the steps below:

Download and install AIM Password Recovery program on your local computer.
Launch AIM Password Recovery program.
Click Start Recovery button.
The program will search the AOL profiles for your AOL instant messenger, then decrypt and recover your AOL passwords instantly.

This tool can be used to recover AOL passwords for AOL instant messenger 6, 7 and AIM Pro.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks

Tags: aim password recovery aol password recovery forgot aol password recover aol instant messenger password recover aol password

How to Recover Firefox Passwords In 3 Steps

May 3rd, 2012 by Admin

Firefox is one of the most popular browser and my favorite also. I have been using it for about five years. Often we tend to use Remember Me option when we log into any password protected website. This saves the password inside Firefox and next time when we open the same site, password field is automatically filled. This saves our lot of time but indeed this method is also at high risk compromising password. Password saved inside Firefox could be easily revealed with Password Recovery Bundle. Firefox hidden password with asterisk characters so normal users will not see the actual password. But the password could be easily decrypted with Password Recovery Bundle. It’s able to decrypt all password saved inside Firefox. It’s a great software to test security and protect password from compromising.

Let’s see how can we recover Firefox password in just 3 steps:

First install Password Recovery Bundle on your local computer.
Launch the program, then click Start Recovery button. The program will pop up a drop-down menu that displays all supported password types.
Select the Firefox Password option. The program will instantly reveal all saved passwords with website URLs, logins and passwords.

Additionally, Password Recovery Bundle also supports Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, Apple Safari. It has ability to uncover any saved password saved in all popular web browsers.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks

Tags: decrypt firefox password firefox password recovery password recovery bundle recover firefox password recover firefox saved password reveal firefox password uncover firefox password

How to Turn On / Off Passcode In iPhone 4s

April 7th, 2012 by Admin

This article describes steps to enable Passcode for those who like it and steps to disable Passcode for those who don’t like it in iPhone 4s.

Passcode is a secure way in order to protect your iPhone from strangers. Meaning a security Passcode (something like password of accounts you have to remember) must be entered before accessing the device. Some people think this feature is useful and want to enable it but some think it’s annoyed and want to disable from their iPhone.

Before changing this configure, turn on your iPhone then tap on Settings icon at home screen. Then tap on General icon.