Flashing the motherboard’s BIOS

in-BioS flash utility

Some motherboards have the flash utility built into the BIOS itself. Updating the BIOS of such motherboards is much simpler. First download the latest BIOS and burn it onto a blank CD or copy it to a USB flash drive. Boot your PC with the flash drive plugged in or the written CD inserted into the optical drive and enter the BIOS setup. Launch the flash utility from within the BIOS and specify the path of the optical drive or the flash drive as the location of the BIOS file.


Flashing the BioS from Windows

Most of the recent motherboards support flashing the BIOS from within Windows. After you have downloaded the latest BIOS, insert the driver disc and locate the Windows version of the flashing utility. With the GUI interface, the entire process is self-explanatory. You simply have to specify the path to the newly downloaded BIOS and hit the flash button. The flashing process completes in a few minutes. Some flashing utilities also support downloading the latest BIOS automatically from the manufacturer’s server via the Internet.

Restoring the BioS settings

When you restart your PC after flashing the BIOS, you will encounter an error at the boot screen. Enter the BIOS setup, set the date and time, and select the option saying "Load optimal defaults". Save the settings and restart your PC.

DVD Writer writes DVDs but not CDs. It shows some error after some percent of burning.!!!!!!!!

Your DVD writer might have a a dirty or misaligned lens. To solve this problem, use a clean earbud dipped in isopropyl alcohol or spirit and gently clean the surface of the lens without applying pressure. Then, using the dry end of the earbud, wipe the lens surface dry. To do this you will have to open the drive. But if your drive is under warranty, I suggest you send it back to the dealer you purchased it from for replacement.If the problem is not solved after cleaning the lens, then your drive may need repairs. If It is a DMA error it’s a problem with softwares. TRY a different
OS if you are using any modified version of windows.

Can’t open it by double clicking/right clicking. I have to autorun it every time. What is the reason for this?

All these symptoms mean your computer is definitely infected with a worm.
Please back up the data from all your hard drives and USB drives and reformat the entire computer. Download and update good antivirus andantispyware programs such as AVG Free and Spybot Search & Destroy, and then scan all your older data before copying it back to your computer.



OR
TRY USB disk security and use the repair registry function.It will restore Folder options, turn off button etc………………………………………..Try it.

Block users from accessing some websites

It is quite simple. Just add the website name along with the local host IP address to the hosts file in your Windows directory.

Let me explain: Suppose you do not want anyone to access the website ‘www.XXXXXX.com’, just add the line ‘127.0.0.1 www.XXXXXX.com’ at the end of the file ‘hosts’ found in ‘C:\Windows\ system32\drivers\etc\’.

You can open the file using Notepad. If you ever need to access that website later, just delete the line or add a semicolon to the beginning of the line.

Similarly, you can add as many websites as you want to block your computer from accessing.

Specifying a different reply address for the recipient

You send a private email from the computer at your
workplace. If the recipient presses “Reply” the mail lands in your company inbox as usual.However, you would prefer it if the reply is sent to your private email account.
There is an option to define a reply address that is different from the address you have used to send the mail. The method is marginally different in different versions of Outlook.

OUTLOOK XP, 2003: Write your new message and open the “View | Options” command before sending it. Activate the checkbox for “Have replies sent to” under “Delivery options”. Change the desired mailing address in the dialog field after that or click “Select names” to insert an address from your contacts.
OUTLOOK 2007: In the “Options” tab on the ribbon when composing a message, click on the “Direct replies to” button. Check the box for “Have replies sent to” in the “Delivery options” and enter the desired address. Here too, you can select the address using the “Select names” button. Then "Close” the dialog and send the message as usual.

Create your own ringtones!

Step 1: Register

Log on to www.zedge.com and register for free. If you want to use the GPRS features of your phone, then specify the name of the service provider, phone model and so on.

Step 2: Select the track

On the 'Ringtone Maker' page click 'Browse' and select a song of your choice from the computer

Step 3: upload the track

Step 4: play the track


Step 5: crop the track

To crop the selected track, drag the 'START' or 'END' tabs in the ringtone maker.

Step 6: Download to pc

To download the ringtone to your PC, click 'Download to PC' and copy it to your phone. Internet has quite a number of websites that offer similar features.

Check out these sites.

http://makeownringtone.com/
http://mobile17.com/
http://www.mytinyphone.com/
http://www.phonezoo.com/
http://www.myxertones.com/

So go ahead, get started and create the the most happening ringtones and show them off to your friends.

Get the latest news from the internet on your desktop at all times

24-inch widescreen monitors give you loads of space on thedesktop—even around an open Word window. But it would be more practical if, for example, you have the latest information and news from the Internet on your screen at all times.
You can integrate any website onto the desktop if you have Windows XP. For this, open Internet Explorer and load the website you want to integrate. This could also be an RSS feed—if this is the case then, click the arrow beside “Display feeds from this website” and select the desired entry in the toolbar. Select the address of the site in the address bar, right-click the selection and copy this onto the clipboard with the “Copy” context command.
Close Internet Explorer and right-click on a free space in the desktop. Click on “Properties” in the context menu and
then click the “Customize Desktop” in the “Desktop” tab. Select the
“Web” tab in the “Desktop Items” window and then click on “New”.
In the following window “New Desktop Item”, right-click in the “Location” field and click on “Paste” to copy the internet address from the clipboard to the field. Confirm with “OK”. Likewise, acknowledge the following note with “OK”. Make sure that the checkbox next to the entry which has been added is checked in the “Desktop Items” window and click “OK”.
You will now see an area on the You can move it around the desktop by hovering over the box and so that the frame appears and you can drag and place this box by holding left-click on the frame. You can also scale the area as a window at its borders with the mouse.
To remove a website integrated in the desktop, open the “Desktop Items” window. Uncheck the box for the corresponding entry and confirm with “OK”. However the address does not get deleted and so this enables quicker activation of this website at a later date. To remove it completely from the list, select the entry and click on “Delete.

Turn off indexing to Speed up Windows XP

Windows XP keeps a record of all files on the hard disk so when
you do a search on the hard drive it is faster. There is a downside to this and because the computer has to index all files, it will slow down normal file commands like open, close, etc.
If you do not do a whole lot of searches on your hard drive then you
may want to turn this feature off:
• Open My Computer.
• Right-click your hard drive icon and select Properties.
• At the bottom of the window you'll see "Allow indexing service to index this disk for faster searches," uncheck this and click ok.
• A new window will pop up and select Apply to all folders and subfolders.

It will take a minute or two for the changes to take affect but then you should enjoy slightly faster performance.

How to uninstall Transformation packs properly and restore windows icons ?( if you messed up)

If you uninstalled the transformation pack correctly. Install it again and then remove it using the Add/ Remove Programs box or the program’s own Uninstall shortcut. If this does not work, use the command ‘SFC /scannow’ from the DOS prompt. Be sure you have the original Windows XP installation CD ready with you…..

How to delete more than one macro in MS Word?

It is quite simple to delete a macro in MS Word. Click on ‘Tools | Macro | Macros’, click on the one you wish to delete and click the ‘Delete’ button.

Software for indexing the contents of my various CDs and DVDs.

You can use a program called ‘cdrLabel’ which is available at ‘www.cdrlabel.com’. This will index your discs’ contents and save
the index to text or Excel format as well as print jewel case inlay
cards if you want.