Technodorm » Computer

How to Play MKV Files in Windows 7

Fahad — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:26:19 +0000

If you download a lot of video files then you will probably encounter MKV files at sometime. MKV stands for Matroska Video and has been increasing in popularity in recent times. The MKV container format is seen as being a pioneering development of open source in multimedia. Many encoders are beginning to shift to MKV files due to the ongoing development of the MKV format. It is able to support high quality video and audio at low file sizes which saves a considerable amount of money, in terms of bandwidth, for companies all over the world.

To play MKV files, your favorite media player will essentially need to have the required media codec. By default, Windows Media Player does not contain the necessary codec required to play mkv files in Windows 7. Thus, you will not be able to play your downloaded mkv file without installing additional media codecs or a new media player.

How to Play MKV Files in Windows 7

To Play MKV Files in Windows 7, I would suggest using K-Lite Codec which will not only let you play MKV files but many other multimedia formats such as MKV, MP4, MOV, HDMOV, TS, FLV, OGM, MPEG, M2TS, and OGG files. I have been using this codec pack for the last 4 years and being an avid downloader, I have come across many(and I mean many!) multimedia formats but every one of them worked flawlessly. You could also download the Mega Codec Pack(the one I use), which supports RealMedia (rm, rmvb) format as well and includes Media Player Classic.

An MKV file being played in Media Player Classic

To download the K-Lite Codec pack, head over to their website by clicking here. To Play MKV files in Windows 7, you could download any of the codec packs (from Basic to Mega) and be able to play MKV files flawlessly. The K-Lite Codec pack can be used with Windows XP and Windows Vista as well to achieve the same results and be able to play MKV files.

Split Large Files, Videos, Mp3 Files and More in Windows 7

Saad — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:32:42 +0000

At some point or the other, you have probably felt the need to split your large files into smaller ones. You might have wanted to do this for emailing these files or storing them onto your “limited” USB drive.

Now, GSplit has come to the scene and is definitely effectively competing with other similar tools out there. Now, you can split your mp3 files, video files, documents and other formats into smaller files. One of the best things about GSplit is that you can split extremely large files (above 4gb) from any format into small pieces based on a number of attributes like filename, number of lines, or the occurrence of another pattern.

In addition, you don’t have to wait for one file to split before splitting another, as GSplit supports splitting multiple files back-to-back in one time. You can also directly split files from the context menu in Windows Explorer.

GSplit is compatible with all Windows versions, including Windows 7. You can get it today by clicking here.

Spice up your Windows 7 Taskbar with Taskbar Meters

Fahad — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:59:03 +0000

Here is a nice little application that I stumbled across when browsing CodePlex today, Taskbar meters. Taskbar Meters adds two(soon to be three) meters into your Windows7 taskbar that keep you informed of your CPU and memory usage. A third meter for hard drive usage may soon be added as well. The main advantage that I see is that you dont need to open windows task manager or any other 3rd part software to see your system usage data. You can easily identify the usage by glancing over the windows taskbar and visually seeing the level of usage of each CPU and memory.

According to a reply from the applications author, to a suggestion made at the applications message board, we may soon see a third meter for hard drive usage as well. This would be a great addition as whenever you are doing a hard drive intensive task, your cpu and memory wont be used much, but your computer will feel sluggish if you try to multitask. The average user may not know that it is the hard drive which is causing the slowdown. If a user has taskbar meters installed however, they can quickly identify which program, upon being loaded, or upon being used, causes their system to crawl at a snails pace. I find this tool has many uses that may not seem useful right now but can be realized after using this app for some time. Download Taskbar Meters by going to its home page by clicking here.

Automatically delete all empty folders using Folder Vanity Remover

Fahad — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:00:01 +0000

If you use your computer a lot for storing files such as music, shows, personal files, etc, you would have surely found yourself in a situation where you would have lots of empty folders sitting idle on your hard drive. I myself have come across this situation several times and end up wasting precious time in locating and deleting all empty folders. Another source of empty folders is if you install and uninstall lots of applications over a period of time. Some applications, although deleting all the files, fail to delete all the folders associated with their program and hence leave empty folders in the users hard drive. This is where Folder Vanity Remover comes in and automates the job of having to delete all empty folders.

Folder Vanity Remover is able to locate and automatically delete all empty folders within a specified directory or drive of your choice. To test this software, I used it to on a folder that contained 2 empty folders and a third folder containing 2 files. It was able to successfully delete the empty folders and leave the third folder alone. This could be quite a timesaver in certain situations for many people. I know I will end up using it from time to time.

Note: If the selected directory itself does not contain any files then it will be deleted as well.

[Via Blogsdna]

Windows 7 Review: My thoughts after using for 7 months

Fahad — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:13:47 +0000

Things haven’t been going too well in Microsoft’s OS department. The software giant has in recent years faced steep competition from Apple. And although Cupertino has failed to make a serious dent in Microsoft’s market dominance, they have been more then able to tarnish the crown of Redmond.

With the release of Windows 7 later this week, Microsoft hopes to dispel some of the doubts that have been placed on its OS. So how does it stack up? Is Windows 7 a memory hog like Vista, and more importantly can systems older then three years run the 7^th installment of Windows?

DESIGN:

Windows 7 has seen one of Microsoft’s more radical changes to the UI of its operating system. While it’s still easy to tell that this is 100% Windows, things have changed since Windows 3.0 and Microsoft has taken note of that. One of the best examples of this is the redesign of the start menu as well as task bar. In older versions of Windows (even Vista), grouping programs were a lot more complicated. For instance more then 5 windows had to be opened before similar windows were grouped. That has changed in 7. Not only does the taskbar group programs, but programs, documents, videos, music, pictures etc. can be pinned to the taskbar (kind of like the same way on the Mac OS). If you rather the past, this can always be reverted to the regular taskbar setup.

Another change in design has been the omission of the sidebar that was introduced three years ago in Vista. Widgets are back but the sidebar has been removed completely so widgets can be floated anywhere on the desktop.

Other additions to the UI include the ability to “peek” at the desktop by dragging the mouse to the far right of the taskbar. The whole UI has gotten a but more transparent and desktop backgrounds can be changed at user defined time intervals.

Overall the redesign of the UI is not one that is meant to reinvent the wheel but rather refine it. Has Microsoft succeeded at this task? Yes they have.

PERFORMANCE:

This is probably going to be the make or break for many people, especially those interested in upgrading older systems. While I have never had any major problems with Vista, I do have to confess that it was a memory hog and if you wanted anything to run decent, 2GB of RAM was the least that was needed. That said, many of those who upgraded were not aware of the memory or processor requirements and got burned by the “Vista Compatible” sticker.

Using Windows 7 for the past 7 months (ironic I know ), I have had enough time to test it out in many different environments. One of the major flaws of Vista was the fact that graphics rendering was (in simple terms) an overlay and not an entire redesign.

This caused the system to require more processing power (RAM and CPU) in order to deal with the extra graphical elements. Although Windows 7 is even more graphical intense then Vista, Microsoft has re written the code behind the OS to free up more memory. But even more importantly they have also taken note of the netbook crowd and built in a few features so that those in the Intel Atom arena can have a piece of the pie also.

Overall, load times have been decreased and processing power has been increased. Boot time is significantly faster on Windows 7 then Vista. On average I’ve been able to boot to the login screen in just under 15 seconds from a cold restart. More impressive is the fact that the system becomes fully functional in about 30-45 seconds.

Microsoft has also taken out the annoying warning messages that made their first appearances in Vista, namely the dreaded UAC. While the ones in Vista could be shut down at will, Microsoft has taken special attention to only warn users on important changes to their system such as the installation of new programs, downloads or requests to access registry files.

Another big improvement is the search function which, from my firsthand experience, has been greatly improved since Vista. Searching for anything on the computer is a lot faster thanks to better indexing algorithms implemented in Windows 7.

Support for older drivers and software has also been retained. I have been able to get drivers and software well over 5 years old to install without a hitch on Windows 7. Another great feature is that Windows 7 can automatically check for updated drivers to help the device run better on the new OS.

In Windows 7, Internet Explorer has entered version 8. The latest version promises to be the most secure yet, while also promising better support for HTML 5, JavaScript and other web languages (something IE6 was notorious for paying no attention to).

CONCLUSION:

All in all, the changes in Windows 7 have been huge. Yes it might seem like a service pack to many, but playing around with the OS for a few minutes can easily dispel those thoughts, and its clear to see Microsoft has put a large amount of time and resources into the development of this, the latest version of Windows!

When it launches on October 22 to the mass public, it will be available in various versions including Home, Premium, Professional, Ultimate and Starter edition (licensed for netbooks and nettops only).

Is it worth the upgrade? Seeing that Vista has finally become a stable OS, it all depends. If you have the money to spend, there is no reason why you shouldn’t upgrade. You will not regret it. If you have an older system you might want to check before. While I have heard of people being able to run Windows 7 on Pentium 4 and 3 systems, I would not advise you to try it unless you’re prepared for whatever troubles arise later on. If you ask me though, I would recommend an update to Windows 7 if your system is capable of handling it.

Buying a new Windows laptop? It’s a no brainer, Windows 7 is one of the best OS to be released by Redmond and after a few hours with a Windows 7 machine, you’ll see what all the hype is about!

Improve Battery Life of your Laptop Battery with BatteryCare

Fahad — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:19:23 +0000

If you frequently use a laptop to manage your work then you will definitely want to increase its mobility performance by optimizing the usage of its battery. One such software that can help you with this task is BatteryCare. BatteryCare can help you to optimize the usage and performance of your laptop battery resulting in an improved battery life. It offers many useful features which you can utilize with the help of a button through its interface. Many laptops on the market come with some sort of a pre-installed software to manage your battery usage but lack one thing or another. With BatteryCare you can choose to pause services or disable the Aero theme altogether, when laptop battery is being used, to maximize the timing of your battery. Another advantage of BatteryCare is that it is updated regularly with more tweaks and performance upgrades to ensure greater improvement for your laptop battery.

Some of the features of BatteryCare are:

Battery’s discharge cycles monitoring: The advanced algorithm within the program accurately calculates when a complete discharge cycle is performed and promptly reminds you when a full discharge is required.

Complete battery information: BatteryCare is able to calculate the statistical remaining time in laptops that do not support the battery time left information and only show the charge percentage remaining. It also shows all the information pertaining to the battery such as wear level, consumption, capacities, manufacturer, etc.

Notification area information: The remaining time and charge level are shown on the notification area when the laptop is in battery mode.
Automatic power plans switching: Pre-defined settings can be automatically initiated depending on the power source of the computer.
Control over Windows Aero and demanding Services: Aero Theme, as well as other demanding services, can be automatically configured to be stopped when the laptop enters battery mode. Once a power source is used, all stopped services are automatically run again. This helps to improve battery life of your laptop computer as well as to provide convinience to you so you dont have to stop/start the services yourself.
Auto-updates: The program updates itself whenever a new version is released.
Lightweight in the system: To help with the effort of battery performance, BatteryCare uses a minute amount of system resources so it does not negatively affect battery time nor does it slow down your pc whatsoever.

Download BatteryCare to improve battery life

How to Transfer DVD Movies to your iPod

Fahad — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:58:10 +0000

If you have an iPod Video device, then you know how exciting it can be when you are able to store your favourite music and movies on this powerful piece of technology. Having a selection of movies on your iPod provides you with quick access to them wherever you are and whenever you want. The reasons for wanting to have DVD movies on your iPod may differ but many of us don’t know how to make this possible. If you are one of these unsuspecting individuals, then below is a small guide on how to transfer your beloved movies to your iPod with ease.

I bought an iPod Touch recently and was able to put some DVD movies in it for my own entertainment. Believe me when I say that you would be surprised to know the amount of people (including total strangers) who are curious to know how I succeeded in getting movies onto my IPOD. So let me tell you “the secret”. The process simply involves converting a movie from the DVD format to the video format suitable for iPod’s. As you may know, iPods use MPEG-4 video format along with H.264 codec – so this is the video format that you need for your DVD movies. Also, you will need a good converting program (from DVD to iPod) to guarantee that the conversion process goes as it should.

You can be playing the movie on your iPod after completing the following two steps:

Convert the DVD to MPEG-4 format using Free DVD to iPod
Upload the videos on your iPod by utilizing iTUNES

There are some important aspects that you should look out for when you choose a DVD converting program. They are: speed, audio and video quality, that the software installation process is straightforward, etc. You should make sure that the program converts ALL types of DVD formats and if you can convert other format types so that you can make full use of it with other converting tasks that you may want to do. It is beneficial to download movies in other formats from P2P networks or YouTube for the purpose of uploading movies to your iPod. You are allowed to download various programs for free but be sure to check if they work for your particular converting needs.

To accomplish our task of converting a DVD movie to iPod format, we will be using Free DVD to iPod, which is an easy to use program that will handle our task easily. Following is a screenshot for this software. You can view the authors website by clicking here and you can download the software by clicking here.

After you convert the DVD format into the iPod format, you should then select and add the video to your iTUNES Library. From here, simply upload it on your iPod. The next thing you need to do is get ready to watch your favourite movies! The notion of uploading your DVD movies on to an iPod is just the process of converting them into the iPod format and that’s all it takes. Once completed, you will be able to enjoy movies on your iPod, wherever you go!

Get Free 1 Year BitDefender Internet Security 2009 Genuine License Key

Fahad — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:52:01 +0000

There aren’t many Internet Security tools out there that can match the performance and reliability of BitDefender Internet Security. BitDefender Internet Security 2009 provides amazing proactive state of the art protection against threats ranging from viruses to spywares to hackers and to phishing attacks. In short, BitDefender Internet Security provides you with the protection you need to securely surf the internet without having to worry about the precussions. Your valuable information such as credit card info, email credentials, personal files, will remain safe if you have an effective tool to protect you. Registering BitDefender Internet Security 2009 will give you free hourly updates as well as free 24/7 customer support.

Raymond has shared a very useful way by which anyone can get a free genuine BitDefender Internet Security 2009 serial key. I will be briefly mentioning the steps that you need to get your very own genuine license key.

1. Go to this page: http://www.securitasdirect.es/antivirus_gratis.html

2. On the left side of the webpage, you will see a small grey text box with two textboxes. See the following image that I am talking about.

3. In the first text box, enter your name. In the second box, enter your email and then click the “Enviar Solicitud” button.

4. Check your email. You should have received an email from ENVIARAUNAMIGO.COM (infoafiliados@securitasdirect.es) with the subject Licencia antivirus de regalo. Your license key is also in that email, so search for it and copy it to a safer location.

5. You need to download the BitDefender Internet Security 2009 software now. You can download it by clicking here(Thanks to Raymond for providing the direct link).

6. The rest should be pretty simple. Install BitDefender Internet Security 2009 and when it asks for a license key, just copy and paste it and you should be good to go.

I am not sure how long this promotion offer will remain up so hurry up and get your free BitDefender Internet Security 2009 license key. Once again, thanks to Raymond for sharing this promotional offer.

Download Free Data Recovery Software to Recover Deleted Files

Fahad — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:20:51 +0000

Everyone has the need for data recovery software at one time or another. You may have deleted a file by mistake or a virus may have trashed your important files. I myself have used data recovery software in the past to recover several gigabytes of crucial data after a hard drive format. It is a tedious and time consuming work but if the data is important to you than it must be done. Recovering data from hard drives is made easier if you use a good data recovery software. There are lots of data recovery software on the market but choosing the right one amongst them can be a hard choice. I shall be discussing with you a free data recovery software called TestDisk which is one of the better data recovery software available right now.

TestDisk is an open source data recovery software which is able to recover lost files or lost partitions. As I said earlier, data recovery should be used when you have accidentally deleted a file by mistake or a virus deleted your files. Due to its nature, data recovery does not yield 100% recovery rate but you should still be able to recover important data and use it when needed. Some features of TestDisk are listed below:

It is able to fix partition table and recover a deleted partition
Recover FAT32 boot sector from backup
Rebuild FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 boot sector
Fix FAT tables
Rebuild boot sector for NTFS
Recover boot sector of NTFS from backup
Fix MFT using MFT mirror
Locate ext2/ext3 Backup SuperBlock
Recover and restore files from FAT, NTFS and ext2 filesystem
Copy files from deleted FAT, NTFS and ext2/ext3 partitions.

Download TestDisk from the official site. TestDisk is an advanced and powerful data recovery software although helpful step-by-step instructions at the official TestDisk site should provide a novice user with ample amount of help to succeed in recovering lost data. To undelete files from an NTFS system, check these instructions or for FAT file system, use these instructions. If you want to do something else, like recovering partition tables or fixing FAT tables, check out their documentation as it is an invaluable source of help.

Extract and Open .daa Files without using PowerISO

Fahad — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:21:19 +0000

The .daa file extension (Direct Access Archives) is the format created by PowerISO much similar to large ISO files. It is commonly used because it compresses original data, can be password-protected and is able to be split into smaller parts. The .daa files are most commonly used online to distribute large files on the internet through P2P downloads or through the bittorrent network. Even though PowerISO is free to use as trial, it has limits regarding how big file size you can open with it. It is only able to extract and open .daa files which are up to 300mb in size. Most of the downloaded .daa files you will encounter will likely be larger then this limit leaving you with no option to open .daa files. That is where a free program called daa2iso will help you.

Daa2ISO will convert your .daa file to ISO format which can easily be opened with several popular compression utility software or you can easily burn your newly created ISO file using free burning software such as Burn4Free or ImgBurn.

4 Steps to Convert .daa file to ISO and burn it to CD:

Download and open daa2iso.exe and select your daa file
Convert it to ISO and save it on your HDD.
Open Burn4Free or ImgBurn and select your ISO file
Burn it to CD or DVD as required.

Alternatively, you could use disk image emulator software which will mount your converted ISO image to a virtual drive, allowing you to see all contents within the ISO image. Some common disk image emulation software are Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, and MagicDisc. ISO files are also easily opened and extracted using Winrar, 7-Zip, ALZip or Universal Extractor.

There is also DAA Converter available for Mac OS X which will convert .daa files to ISO format. It is based on daa2iso software for windows. It runs on Mac OS X 10.3 Panther or later.

I hope this article helps you in achieving your goal to open .daa files. If you have any comments or questions, leave a comment and I will promptly reply.

Kaspersky Antivirus Technical Preview Released for Windows 7

Fahad — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:14:06 +0000

Kaspersky Antivirus recently announced the release of Kaspersky Antivirus 8.0.0.1015 which will be available for Windows 7. This release is only meant as a technical preview but it will be able to provide sufficient protection against malicious viruses once Windows 7 Public Beta is released. As stated in the Kaspersky Press-Release, the technical preview is a complex solution for securing computers running under Windows 7. The prototype includes not only an antivirus component but an effective and fully functional firewall and anti-spam filter.

Here is the full-press release from Kaspersky:

Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management systems, announces the release of a technical prototype of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows 7.

Windows 7 is the next release of the Microsoft Windows operating system which will replace Windows Vista and is a step forward in the development of Microsoft operating systems. The new OS will incorporate enhanced reliability, greater efficiency, an improved interface and extended working features both in global and local information networks.

The technical preview is a complex solution for securing computers running under Windows 7. The prototype includes not only an antivirus component but an effective and fully functional firewall and anti-spam filter.

At the heart of the new technical prototype is Kaspersky Lab’s new antivirus engine which is even more effective at detecting malicious programs than its predecessor. The new engine dramatically increases system scanning speed thanks to improved processing of objects and optimized use of system resources, particularly on dual- and quad-core processor platforms. The unique product architecture ensures high productivity and one of the lowest uses of system resources in the industry.

The technical preview includes a highly effective heuristic analyzer. The heuristic analyzer detects and blocks as yet unknown malicious programs. If a program signature is not included in the antivirus databases, i.e., the malicious program is unknown, the heuristic analyzer will safely launch the program in an isolated virtual environment, analyze the program’s actions and conclude with a high degree of probability whether it is potentially harmful before it is launched in a live environment.

In addition, the technical prototype includes a new user interface developed to meet the needs of both inexperienced and advanced users.

You can download Kaspersky Antivirus for Windows 7 by clicking here.

[Via Sizzled Core]

Download and Install Windows Media Player 12 on Windows Vista

Fahad — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:09:40 +0000

Windows Media Player 12 is the next version to be released in the windows media player series. It is currently in beta mode and is planned to be released for only Windows 7. Although, Misaki2009 from deviantART has come up with a trick that will let windows vista users install windows media player 12 on their computers.

You only need 2 core files from the Windows Media Player 12 12.0.7000.7000 for Windows 7 Build 7000 and copy those to your windows vista system folders. You need to do the following two steps to install Windows Media Player 12 on Windows Vista.

Copy wmploc.dll in C:\Windows\System32
Copy Windows Media Player folder to C:\Program Files

You can get the files by downloading the rar package from here.

Windows Media Player 12 has many new features that are not found in Windows Media Player 11. WMP12 is brighter and lighter then WMP11. One of the many new features is Auto Previewing which lets you listen to a 15 second preview of a song when you hover over it in WMP12. Windows Media Player 12 also adds supports for new formats including H.264 video, AAC audio, and both Xvid and DivX video. This will enable WMP12 to play most of the stuff that you are able to download from the internet.

There are also many more new features in WMP12. For a more detailed analysis, head on over to arstechnica.com where they have explained most of the new features in Windows Media Player 12.

I am interested to see if this trick works, so please share your experiences in the comments.

Play Games for PS2 on PC using PCSX2 Emulator

Fahad — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:16:42 +0000

You must have played NES or SEGA games on your pc at one time another. I remember when i used to spend many hours on my pc playing Nintendo 64 games or Gameboy Advance games. And now it is possible to play games for PS2 on pc using emulator called PCSX2. There is a limitation though as Playstation 2 has much better graphics compared to gameboy advance or NES, so your computer needs to be powerful to play games at proper speed with good graphics. Here is a rough indication of the recommended specifications:

Windows XP or Windows Vista
Core 2 Duo Processor 2 Ghz or better
1GB RAM (2GB for vista)
512MB Graphics Card (8600GT or better)

You can download the emulator from here. The emulator doesn’t support 4 cores so the results wont differentiate too much between 2 cores and 4 cores. The emulator is able to play many games properly but there are still many games which are not fully playable. You should check the Compatibility list for your desired game to see if it can be played properly to the end. Probably the most hardest thing to do is to configure your PCSX2 Emulator but luckily for us, there is a very nice guide that can help you with each step.

Also, while configuring your emulator, you will need bios for ps2. You can only get them legally from your own ps2 although you can find them on torrents as well. Search for them. I cannot provide them. You may also want to read the information on the PCSX2 forums to fully maximize your playing experience. I have tried a couple of games on my computer and they worked quite well although you really need to have a gamepad connected to your pc to enjoy playing the games.

If you have any questions, just leave a comment here and I will try to help you, or you can try the PCSX2 forums where many people with greater knowledge of the emulator will assist you readily!

Now, I will leave you with some screenshots of ps2 games being played on pc(click for full size image).

Download Google Chrome Browser

Fahad — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:54:40 +0000

Google recently announced the releasing of the beta version of their browser called Google Chrome. Google Chrome is an open-source web browser based on Apple’s Webkit Engine. It has only been released for windows so far but google intends to release the mac and linux versions soon as well. I have personally not used chrome so far, but I intend to try it out for a couple of days to see how it is. This is the very first public beta release so there are bound to be bugs and security holes. Google has however made quite an effort to enhance the security of the browser. You can read more about Google Chromes features and security protection here and here.

You can download Google Chrome from the download page located here. If you try it out, do share your experiences!

Reorganize your Taskbar Buttons using Taskbar Shuffle

Fahad — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:23:28 +0000

Just a couple of days ago, I was working on the new theme for this blog as well as a couple of other sites of mine. Doing work like this means you will be working between many different applications. I remember I had various different browsers opened to preview my site in all of them, as well as having photoshop and different folders of my hard disk open. It was a complete mess! The various frequently used applications were at opposite ends of my taskbar and it really is frustrating to switch between them. I then realized the need for rearranging the windows in my taskbar. After searching in google, I came across a wonderful free app called Taskbar Shuffle via #0092FF Tech Blog(weird name, i know!).

With Taskbar Shuffle you can easily drag and drop different buttons to change the position of any application. So you could arrange them from order of most used to least used so its efficient. I am making good use of this little app and it does the job well. You can also close an application quickly by clicking the middle button of your mouse, just like you can close any tab in firefox.

Top 10 Best P2P File Sharing Software

Fahad — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:58:21 +0000

Today, I will be sharing with you guys a list of the 10 Best P2P File Sharing Software. I recently had a person contact me inquiring about which p2p software he should use. I personally don’t use P2P software that much but there are some files that you will only find there so it does become necessary from time to time. At first, I would suggest any person to use Bittorent but if they dont find their required files there, then p2p becomes an option. When it comes to P2P software, you need to be really careful as to which ones to use or else you can easily clog your computer with adware and spyware. This list should help those people who are looking to use a trustworthy p2p software which will fulfill their needs.

1. Limewire

Limewire is probably the best p2p software available right now. LimeWire is a peer-to-peer file sharing client for the Java Platform, which uses the Gnutella network to search and transfer files among users. Limewire is a free software, released under the GNU License, but it also has a Pro version which enables better optimized search results, faster downloads, tech support, etc.

2. Ares

Ares is a free open source p2p file sharing program that enables users to share any digital file. Some features that set it apart from other p2p softwares is its powerful library organizer, chat rooms, built-in audio and video player. Ares automatically finds new sources and downloads files from many users at once making it one of the fastest p2p program. Ares also has support for BitTorrent protocol and Shoutcast radio stations.

3. Bearshare

Bearshare lets you share files and download from everyone on the global Gnutella peer-to-peer information network, just like limewire. You can download the latest mp3 music, movies and much more. What sets Bearshare apart from other P2P networks is its Instant Messaging system. You can have your own profile picture and interact with other people.

4. Shareaza

Shareaza is a peer-to-peer client for Windows that allows you to download any type of file available for sharing by its users. Shareaza can connect to up to 4 separate Peer-to-Peer networks, providing access to hundreds of thousands of diverse users and making it one of the largest P2P networks around. It also has many great features with a skinnable interface and support for plugins.

5. Soulseek

Soulseek is a unique ad-free, spyware free, and just plain free file sharing application. Its unique feature is that it has virtual rooms based on p2p technology, that allow users of common interests to chat with each other. It is a great way to make new friends online.

6. Frostwire

Frostwire s a free open source p2p file sharing software. It is an open source program which means it has no spyware or adware. Some of its unique features include bittorent support, itunes integration, proxy support, and community chat rooms.

7. KCeasy

Kceasy is a safe and completely free p2p program that supports gnutella, ares, and openFT networks. KCeasy is an open source project so you can rest assured that its spyware and adware free. It currently supports only WIndows OS but you can try Poisoned for MacOS.

8.iMesh

iMesh is probably the best p2p software for downloading music and videos. It boasts of having over 15 million free songs and videos. It comes in 9 different languages which include english, french, dutch, spanish among others. It also has a mini player which allows you to play music and video files from within iMesh.

9. Kazaa

Kazaa is one of the oldest p2p program and its still kicking! Kazaa has been around for a long time meaning they have many loyal users and lots of files being shared among users. It also features built-in virus protection as well as filters to avoid adult and dangerous files from being shown. You can also customize the toolbars to your liking.

10. StrongDC++

StrongDC++ is another open source p2p software. It shares files through the Direct Connect Network. It is a modification of the program DC++ although it incorporates many other features not found in DC++. Its main features include Segmented File downloading, partial file sharing, download/upload limiter, and customization to the look and feel of the program.

If you use another p2p software, then let us know through the comments. I will also be making a list of the best bittorent clients and best bittorent sites soon. You wouldn’t want to miss it, so subscribe now.

Convert Video to GIF or AVI to GIF

Fahad — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:43:34 +0000

Have you ever wondered how to convert a video to gif in a matter of seconds? No, you dont have to download any software at all. I have been able to find two free online video to gif converters which do the job just fine. You can convert avi to gif, wmv to gif, asf to gif, 3gp to gif, flv to gif, mpg to gif, and more! You can use this service to make avatars for forums in a matter of seconds.

The first site is called gifninja. You can use it to convert your video to gif or your avi to gif. It has a limitation though that it will only convert the first 4 seconds of your video to gif only. If your video is greater then 4 seconds, you should look at this tutorial to help you crop your video down to 4 seconds. You do not need to register to convert a video. Although if you are hesitant of having your image being shown on gifninja homepage, then be sure to select the “No, don’t allow my picture to be rated” radio button. A lot of file formats are supported by gifninja and the output quality is of good quality.

Below is a video that I converted to gif using gifninja. I downloaded the video from youtube so its of low quality.

The second online video to gif converter is called Blibs. Just like gifninja, you dont need to register to use this tool. It supports the major video file formats but not as many as gifninja. It is a good alternate if for whatever reason you cannot use gifninja. Have fun and enjoy!

Free ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware & Firewall License Key Valid For 5 Months

Fahad — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:43:03 +0000

ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware detects and removes most stubborn spyware. It consists of multi-layered network operating system and firewall based on trusted ZoneAlarm technology to block any intrusion attack. Other features of ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware with Firewall includes spy site blocking, rootkit blocking OSFirewall, game mode to temporarily hold back most security alerts interruption, email scanning, wireless PC protection from hackers and SmartDefense with DefenseNet service for real-time security updates and early warning system.

To get a Free ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware & Firewall License Key Valid For 5 Months, all you have to do is fill a short little form. ZoneAlarm actually started this promotion back in November 2007 called Patch Tuesday Promotion and despite the promotion being expired, the system is still running and giving out genuine licenses. To get to the promotion page, click the following link:
http://download.zonealarm.com/bin/free/sum/index.html

Once you are on the promotion page, just ignore the message saying “Sorry, you missed it”.

Next, fill the form (name, last name, email address) shown on the right side of the page and submit it. After you submit it with the correct information, you will see the following page.

After that, just download the software by clicking here and install it. Follow the instructions that are sent to you through email to activate your Free ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware & Firewall License Key Valid For 5 Months.

This license key given to you is valid up till 11/12/08 for use on one computer.

Firefox 3 Beta 3 Coming on February 4

Fahad — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:29:14 +0000

Firefox has announced that it will release the new Beta 3 version of Firefox 3 this coming Monday. Apparently there are two new features that will be included in this release. The first feature is a new windows theme for Firefox that has been under development for quite some time now. Vista users however will not be seeing any new Vista theme because the work hasn’t been completed yet on a Vista-specific theme. For the time being, Vista users will be using the same XP theme for their Firefox. The second feature is really worth talking about though. It is an addition to the Add-ons Manager window. Users will now be able to search for add-ons and download and install them through the add-ons manager. This will surely make it easier and faster to download add-ons when you need them. This newly added feature will also direct the new users of Firefox towards using add-ons. You can see the actual screenshot of these new features below. Screenshot taken from Cybernet.

Check System Requirements of Games Easily

Fahad — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:08:38 +0000

In this article, I will be talking about a nice service that allows you to easily check the system requirements of games. Recently I bought a couple of games and I tried installing them on my computer system but with no success. I was thinking that my computer system wasn’t fast enough or my graphics card wasn’t good enough to support the games. Anyways, while I was searching the net for the games’ system requirements, I stumbled across a nice site that actually compares all your system specs with the games requirements and then tells you which piece of hardware is not up to standards.

The sites name is System Requirements Lab and you may have already used it before as it is an excellent hassle-free utility that quickly tells you the information that you need. You will need to give your permission to download an ActiveX/Java browser component that does all the analysis of your hardware. Currently the service supports Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, 2003, Media Center and Vista.

Some of the more notable games that you can check to see if your computer system will play them are BioShock, Call of Duty 4, Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars, Crysis, Gears of War, NBA Live 08, Need for Speed Pro Street, NHL 08, SimCity Societies, Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance, World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade. So if you are planning to buy any of these games, I would suggest that you first check to see if your computer system is able to play them or else you will be utterly disappointed in the end, like me.

Comment posted by SecundaCasus
at 1/29/2008 8:19:15 AM

This sounds interesting, how many times have you scoped a game at the store, taken a look at the req’s on the box, only to install it and find out that you cannot run it. I wonder however if it actually informs you of anything you already did not know, because most of the time, my hardware has simply not been compatible for some reason or another. Only way to know is to try it out I suppose.