Do you have some Xtraaa $$$ for this !!!!

well it's been more than a year since Windows Vista was launched and Windows XP is still going strong. In my opinion, it's still a great operating system--though, it's not that hard to look great when compared to Windows Vista. Once thing is undeniable, however: Windows XP is getting old, especially in its aesthetic.

For this reason, on Wednesday, July 30, The Skins Factory launched Hyperdesk, a software package that will spice up your Windows XP, and turn it into a world of exciting themes, skins, and wallpapers. The software even allows you to create widgets for other applications, such as iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Hyperdesk uses Microsoft's own skinning engine to apply the Windows themes, which means these changes won't affect the system's performance very much. The changes are also completely reversible, and you can switch between Windows XP's default theme and Hyperdesk themes with a single click of the mouse.

These themes are availabe online but, unfortunately, they are not free. Their prices range from $9.95 to $14.95.

My favourite Firewalls !!!

Well, firewalls are basically first line of defense against hackers !!! They are not all , but they surely try their best to prevent un-authorize access to you OS. They can be either hardware or software. Mostly, personal firewalls are of software type , which controls the n/w traffic.
Here are couple of firewalls that I liked, and which are famous among its users....

• Comodo Firewall pro. :- Comodo Firewall Pro is aimed to secure your system against internal attacks such as Trojan viruses / malicious software and external attacks by hackers. Safeguard your personal data through a simple user friendly single click interface offering full immunity to attack. Comodo Firewall Pro helps you connect in a secure way to the internet and global networks. Perhaps it is the best firewall in free catagory but at the beginning it asks lots of questions and it makes a little annoying and unwated thing.

• Zone Alarm :- ZoneAlarm is designed to protect your DSL- or cable-connected PC from hackers. This program includes four interlocking security services: a firewall, an application control, an Internet lock, and Zones. The firewall controls the door to your computer and allows only traffic you understand and initiate. The Internet lock blocks Internet traffic while your computer is unattended or while you're not using the Internet, and it can be activated automatically with your computer's screensaver or after a set period of inactivity. Zones monitor all activity on your computer and alert you when a new application attempts to access the Internet. I think, ZA was the first some of the firewalls that were desinged to use publically free !! Pretty old brand with good name.

• Ashampoo Firewall :- The Ashampoo FireWall makes it easy for anyone to set up an effective, free firewall. Its Configuration Assistant guides you through every step of the the setup process. Easy Mode makes using it a breeze. You dont need any special technical knowledge, and everything is explained clearly. Even with its additional security tools, Ashampoo Firewall is a tiny program that uses very little memory and computer resources. You get heavy-duty protection without a heavyweight load on your system. The Ashampoo FireWall user interface explains itself every step of the way. The information is right there on the screen where you need it so that most users will never need to consult the help files.

LINUX .... better then Windows ???

Well ... this is for all people who use windows , just a comparison , because guys who use LINUX already know these all things ... :D

But first a little history !!! ....

During early 90's a guy from finland, named "Linus Torvalds" (also famous for his ultra popular old age pc game "PAC-MAN", if not heard about this game then U must be an alien from mars !!!), wrote a whole new code of a Operating System which is based on age old famous OS .. UNIX , during his M.Sc. study.... and designed very new system ... LINUX , and which X is adopted from uniX , and rest of his name !!! At that time I am sure that he never imagined that his OS will be so widely popular ... [:D] ... anyways ... the story goes on like this ... Later on GNU project was founded and this OS is registerd as GPL, in simple words , it was "open" for anyone, so anyone can get its "source-code", (FYI ...source-code is the main codeing of OS just like any programme that we code in any language).
Since its years have been passed and its open source , the LINUX that we see today contains only about 2% of his original code !!!! Well its because mainly due to make advancement with time. Linux is based on DEBIAN , an OS which is known for its strict adherence to "free software" philosophies.


The moral of story ....




As you people can see , its the screenshot of my OS, its linux , from UBUNTU (there are many linux "distributions" are availabe for free ,well some do chage for it like "red hat" !! UBUNTU is one of the most popular debian based distributor). Actually Ubuntu is an African word , which means "humanity towards others". And I guess, its basic idea about "free for all".
for My OS ,I have used here , cairo dock, a linux "avatar" of rocket dock for windows. Also you can see .. my borders are also got transparent same like windows vista its because of compiz fusio icon's emerald / beryl theme. Also it have almost same looking ICONs like windows.
well , this OS comes with plenty of softwares which supports GPL and hence all are "Free" to use without paying any properitory fees !!!! ( not in case for windows os, right ??? ), for example, open-office , microsoft office replacement for linux. Or, Pidgin messenger, a multi protocol supporting messenger ... errr in simple word your all-in-one messenger for yahoo!,AOL,MSN you name it and this messenger have it ... ( may be you guys know that ,all messengers use their OWN protocols). I edited this image is a software known as "GIMP", which is just same as photoshop.
There are plenty of other very usefull softwares and tools that , sometimes normal windows uses even can't imaging existance of that things. Like, during my studies of one subjected ,"Computer Networks" ,in which at one point i had to use the "trace route" to understand some sort of n/w behaviour , it took me lot time to find that feature in windows (but finally it was there !!) but in case of linux , its already here with other basic n/w analysis tools !!! I don't know,but personally I feel ,errr .... that internet is "little" faster then windows ...
With Linux, you never need to have an "anti-virus" !!!! Don't belive me ?? , but its a true fact .... also it has been said "hacker-safe" OS !!! .... i think its because in linux nothing is done automatically ??, means user must execute some command sequence to do "anything".
This OS works very well even on low end computers.
For people who don't know , it is the OS that is used to run on SERVERS, of all giant IT cos. like , IBM ,NOVELL ,ORACLE corporation ,HP ,DELL ,SUN systems. And its because , this OS is the most stable OS (means , very very very less happens to crash in operation unlike windows servers) and its ability to perform parallel processing. Even PS2 and PS3 uses it and now a days mobile cos. have started using it because of its portablity and efficiency.
Moreover, If you are interested in this OS, then these guys can send you free CD of their OS ,"Anywhere" in the world. Or, you can download it too ...


But here are the CONS ....

to use this system ,i think user must be having computer knowledge a little above average !!! , well its mainly because this OS is very different from windows. And hence its not "that" user friendly. Almost all the time you have to play with command lines so it makes things little complicated to newbies. To get look and feel of windows you need bunch of softwares need to be installed and "configured" properly ( hmm.. in windows all these s/w are installed automatically so we never need to worry about it. ). Hey, just like all OS , its "just" a bunch of codes, they will do exactly same as you will tell them to do , so here you have to do many things by "yourself" .... hmm... i mean , you have to guide it all the time ...



Well, this is it .... its just what i feel about Windows and Linux ....

Linux is my new love , i still use Windows Vista . But this new girl have taken my mind (errr.. heart !!!) ..... :d ... so i am sure gonna look after her more ...

i hope you all have liked this "little" piece of my evaluation about my new OS ...

njoy .....

How to Remove LINKSCANNER from AVG !!

People who are using latest version of AVG antivirus (AVG 8) , must be knowing the new feature called LINK SCANNER. Basic purpose of it is to scan all the search result of supported internet search engines like google,msn,yahoo! and provide an evaluation of a safety of that found sites.
But here is the catch , when ever we do any type of search on our favorite search engine this scanner scans "ALL" search results for safety of link and so it takes a "little" longer time then usual and hence it makes us feel like internet is little slow which is not the true reason ( because its that link scanner that makes browsing slow!!!) , here I would like to mention that other AV softwares like McAfee and Norton too provide same tool but lots better performance then AVG ( may be it's b'coz they "CHARGE" for their product ??)

So some people like me want to disable that annoying feature of AVG. Well it can be done from its settings , but you have noticed that if we disable it by that way then AVG will keep on showing annoying "Exclamation Icon" at taskbar.. right??


Well here is the way to Disable that scanner permanently !!! ( i found it on some website)

but before that notice that if you have already previously installed AVG then you have to remove it and reinstall it by following steps...

For ease of use download/copy setup file it to "C" drive.

now open menu Start -> Run

and they type , c:\avg_free_stf_*.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf

/REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch

The installation will be started, and AVG will be installed without the LinkScanner component.

By the way , for your information guys , there is a controversial statement is made for this LINK SCANNER feature of AVG. It says , it Fakes Traffic to searched sites. Means it uses some part of costly bandwidth just to check reliability of that website and in long term it increases the cost of bandwidth. Well its not concern for general people but still its an issue to be looked upon ( Read More about this issue .)