Winsock2 LSP Corruption & Fix

Figure: Winsock 2 Architecture (Source: Microsoft)
Introduction
Microsoft Windows Winsock provides network socket facility for Applications via Service Provider Interface (SPI) and is extensible via Layered Service Provider (LSP). A LSP is a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) that uses Winsock Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to insert itself into the TCP/IP stack from where it can intercept and modify all the TCP/IP inbound/outbound internet traffic taking place between Internet and the Application accessing internet. In simple words, LSP typically handles low-level Internet-related tasks, and data is passed through a chain of these programs on its way to and from the Internet.

Winsock LSPs are available for a wide range of useful purposes, e.g. internet access control, web content filtering, traffic analysis etc. The Winsock API prvoides a mecahnism for layering providers to implement only higher level custom communication functions. The layering order of all providers is kept in the Winsock Catalog.

About LSP Corruption
One of the major issue with LSPs is that if they are removed or unregistered improperly or if the LSP is malformed (buggy), it could result in corruption of the Winsock catalog in the registry, the entire TCP/IP stack would break, potentially resulting in a loss of all network connectivity. Lot of Spyware, Adware & Malware may insert themselves as an LSP in the network stack to spy on the habits and data of the user and may forward all of the user's internet traffic to an unauthorized external site for data mining purpose. The problem can also be caused by any improperly written Layered Service Provider software, or the deletion of any LSP program's files. If you uninstall/delete these malformed programs (spyware, adware), it may happen that you won't be able to access Internet. This is due to the broken LSP chain.

LSP Corruption FIX
If you are running Windows XP (Service Pack 2), there are two new Netsh commands available (although Winsock self heals in XP SP2).
1. netsh winsock show catalog
This command displays the list of all Winsock LSPs that are installed on the computer. You can go through the list to find malformed LSPs.

2. netsh winsock reset catalog
This command resets the Winsock catalog to the default configuration. This can be useful if a malformed LSP is installed that results in loss of network connectivity. While use of this command can restore network connectivity, it should be used with care because any previously installed LSPs will need to be re-installed.

If you are runing Windows XP (Without Service Pack 2), you would need to manually repair winsock by deleting the corrupted registry keys and then reinstall/reset the TCP/IP protocol.

Step 1: Delete the corrupted registry keys
Warning: Backup your registry before you edit it. For more information about how to back up the registry, click here
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. In Registry Editor, locate the following keys, right-click each key, and then click Delete:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2
4. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
5. Restart the computer after you delete the Winsock keys. Doing so causes the Windows XP operating system to create new shell entries for those two keys.
Note: If you do not restart the computer after you delete the Winsock keys, the next step does not work correctly.

Step 2: Reset TCP/IP Protocol Stack
1. Run the following Netsh Command
netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt
2. Restart your computer.

When you run the reset command, it rewrites following pertinent registry keys that are used by the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stack to reach the same result as the removal and the reinstallation of the protocol.
SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\
SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCP\Parameters\

Other Operating Systems
If your Operating System is Windows 98, 98SE or ME, You can download the following program to fix Winsock LSP.
Winsockfix
LSP-Fix
XPTCPREP

Tandem Paragliding in Queenstown

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a bird, to soar hundreds of feet above the ground, take in the view and get that feeling that you can actually fly? Well, paragliding experience can help you fulfil that fantasy.

Very recently, I had an opportunity to experience the exhilarating Tandem Paragliding flight from the top of the Skyline Gondola in Queenstown, New Zealand. The Skyline sight also allows friends and families to enjoy this event with you, offering other facilities at the top of the gondola such as bar, restaurant and coffee shop, also viewing platforms and a luge ride for anyone needing more time to build up the courage.

About Queenstown Tandem Paraglide
Queenstwon Tandem Paraglide was the first paragliding company in Queenstown established in 1991. QTP has 15 local and international pilots working all year round. They are all NZHGPA registered and have many years of experience, and they have been taking people for the flight of their life since 1991.

The flight takes you over a pine forest, practically skimming the top of the tall pine trees, the ground then drops dramatically away exposing you to 2100 feet of breath-taking views beneath you. Your flight can be a smooth, tranquil sightseeing experience or a thrilling adrenalin rush; the choice is entirely yours.

About my Flight
I took a ride up the top of the Skyline Gondola (Cost 20 Bucks) and headed to their office behind the Cafe. I met the Pilot their, paid the fee (around $150) and was ready to go. I was walking up through the scenic pine forests to the launching area where I was given a simple briefing on take off and landing. It was that simple – absolutely no experience necessary. As soon as we took off, my heart was pounding heavily (may be because it was my first time). After sometime, I was enjoying it very much and had a bit of adventure while landing. Here is a short video of my first Paraglide flight.

Tips for aspiring Gliders
Please dress appropriately for the conditions, specially footwear. A reasonable level of fitness is required as there is an uphill walk to the launch site and a brief run is required to inflate the glider and take off.

Tandem Paragliding experience is your way to get as close as you possibly can to the ultimate dream of free flight.

Kawarau Bridge Bungy Jump

I had booked myself onto the AJ Hackett Bungy Jump and to my surprise I survived the 43 Metre Bungy Jump from Karawau Bridge. The Kawarau Bridge Bungy is home to the original 43 Metre Bungy Jump and is the first commercial Bungy site in the world. If you've heard of Bungy, you've heard of Kawarau. It is located 25 KMs outside Queenstown (New Zealand) in a picturesque valley overlooking the crystal clear Kawarau River.

Introduction
Kawarau is the place to go for New Zealand's only bungy simulator as well as a real jump from the bridge. Kawarau Bridge Bungy is also the only Bungy in Queenstown where you can choose to bob above the water, touch it, or be fully immersed. You can also choose from a number of options; topple over backwards, forwards, with another person, spin or somersault. Spectator areas are perfectly positioned for viewing the frantic and funny facial expressions and body language of the real jumpers. It’s a user-friendly site in superb surroundings - the perfect setting for a memorable ground rush. As they say 'Be There or be Square’.



My Jump
When I was planning the Trip for New Zealand, the first thing that came to my mind was Bungy Jumping. I like watching adventurous and extreme sports and this time, it was a perfect opportunity for me to experience it via Bungy Jump. Despite the inherent danger of jumping from a great height, I was pumped up and ready for this personal challenge. Well, I knew its not that easy as it seems on TV.

Ok, here we go. I was on the Kawarau Bridge and the Guys put all the Gears on me. I took a deep breath, looked down, and Guys started counting and when they got the counting to one I was still standing there. The Bungy Guy asked me as what happened and I said that I was expecting a Push from him. Ha Ha Ha!! Sounds Funny. To be very honest I got scared of the height and the fact that my Legs were tied up. Anyways, the Bungy Guy asked me to take a deep breathe, look straight ahead and not hold the side railing. Second time, I just jumped. Yeah, it was a jump and not dive as you would do in a pool. Here is a short video of my first bungy jump.



Tips for Aspiring Bungy Jumpers
I think an important point is to not look down once you are set and the counting starts. If you look down during the count then you will have a second guess and hesitate. Your body would scream "This is not right!!!!" and you have to fight it. If you don't look down it helps to fool those internal survival instincts. The guys at AJ Hackett Site were very friendly and they are there to make sure that you have a good time, whether a bungy virgin, or veteran.

Final Words
If you have never tried Bungy jumping, I highly recommend it. The thrill is unbelievable. As you go through life you become less and less exposed to new and exciting events that push your senses to their limits. Your first Bungy jump will do that.

ZOHO: Software as a Service

The future of Software would be in offering Software as a Web Service. This would allow Users to use Web based tools to edit, write, collect and publish online. Most of Internet Users has only seen a glimpse of this new reality via increased use of search engines, web-based social networking tools, image archives, blogs and online collaboration tools. But a lot more is coming in form of web applications offering flexibility, increased availability & affordability, less dependency, more usability and heaps of other rich features. In this Blog, I am going to discuss about the most popular web based Project from ZOHO.

Introduction

ZOHO is one of the brands from AdventNet, a software company started in 1996 focusing on building affordable software for businesses. ZOHO Services hosts wide array of online WEB based Office Productivity Suite and Collaboration Applications that runs in almost any Web Browser and can be accessed from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Zoho believes in offering Software as a service (SaaS) which would have huge productivity benefits to individuals and businesses.

Technology Used

ZOHO requires nothing but a bare browser. To accomplish this, it uses AJAX and Javascript on the front end. This means it works with any web browser. On the backend it uses MySQl and Java. The Operating System used is Linux. The infrastructure is designed such that Services are always up and data is always backed up, secured and protected.

ZOHO Application Suite

ZOHO provides a complete suite of applications, not just for documents and spreadsheets. Its office type offerings include Zoho Writer(Word Processor), Zoho Sheet (Spreadsheet), Zoho Show (Presentation), Zoho Wiki (WYSIWYG wiki), Zoho Meeting (Web Conferencing), Zoho Notebook, Zoho Creator (to Create Online Database & Web Applications).

Zoho also offers web based Business tools such as Zoho CRM (Elegant & Affordable On-Demand CRM Solution), Zoho Planner (an online organizer with todo, reminders, and notes) and Zoho Chat (a group chat tool), Zoho Mail that includes an email client, shared documents, calendars and more. It also offers Utilities like Zoho Polls (for Surveys, Rating, Polling) and Website Monitoring Service.

ZOHO Application Features

• Zoho based Applications are Cross Platform, always up-to-date, require no physical purchase, no download, no installation and no setup.
• Zoho Applications have a polished AJAX (WEB 2) interface and are faster to respond.
• Zoho Applications are born with built-in collaboration abilities and with the potential to do many things not possible on the desktop.
• Zoho Applications are easily affordable (most of them are free), available all the time from anywhere in the world with an internet connection and a browser.
  
• Zoho Application supports Document Sharing (TAG), features are easy to find and readily exposed.
• Zoho Office supports keyboard shortcuts as you would expect in an offline application.

Is ZOHO Free?
So, how much does it cost? Like Google Apps, Zoho offers FREE Versions of its most of the web based services but hopes to tempt Business Users and Volume Buyers with subscription plans that sharply undercut Microsoft.

Conclusion

Despite of competitive services from Google Docs, Thinkfree and other players, ZOHO continues to dominate the web based application market. ZOHO has experience of five years in developing web based applications. With their expertise in this area, they are not only developing useful web-based services but continues to improve on what they already offer.

So What are you waiting for? Just visit zoho.com and establish a sign-in name and a password. Zoho recently allowed users to sign on to the Suite's various services with a single ID.

Zero Day Bugs exposed in IE & Firefox

Michal Zalewski, a computer security expert and white hat hacker published demos of four different browser vulnerabilities on the Full Disclosure mailing list. These Multiple vulnerabilities pertaining to cookie stealing, keystroke snooping, page hijacking, malicious downloading and content spoofing can be exploited by malicious people to compromise a User's System.

MSIE bait & switch vulnerability (page update race condition), has been rated critical affecting Microsoft's IE 6 and IE 7 (fully patched). This IE Vulnerability gives attackers a window of opportunity to run malicious Javascript to hijack the System. Firefox is not vulnerable. Click here for an online demo and technical details.

Firefox cross-site IFRAME hijacking bug was rated as a major vulnerability that could allow Malicious Coders to use Javascript to inject malicious code including keystroke snooping and content spoofing attacks, on pages that rely on IFRAMEs to diplay contents or store state data. Click here for an online demo and technical details.

Third Vulnerability targeting Firefox is realted to bypassing the Firefox file prompt delay. An attacker can download or run files without user's knowledge by using a sequence of focus operations that can be used ti bypass delay timers implemented on certain Firefox confirmation dialogs. Click here for an online demo and technical details.

Finally, the last vulnerability is a URL bar spoofing that affects MS IE 6 and could allow an attacker to mimic an arbitary site, possibly including SSL data. Click here for an online demo and technical details.

Mozilla is aware of both the Firefox bugs and Microsoft said the company's security team is looking into Michal Zalewski's claims.

Google acquired FeedBurner

Google has acquired FeedBurner, a Chicago-based company that provides media distribution and audience engagement services for Blogs and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds. Feedburner provides an extensive feed and blog advertising network for online publishers to promote, deliver and monetize their content on the Web.

What it means for Google

Google feels that by acquiring FeedBurner it will be able to capitalize on the growth and expansion of its advertising reach. Google is a market leader of paid search advertising and has a huge network of websites already using Google's AdWords online marketing system which is the main source of revenue for Google. By having acquired FeedBurner, it can put ads in more than 400,000 RSS feeds that FeedBurner has and it can expand its AdSense Web site publisher network with the FeedBurner publishers. Google is planning to integrate FeedBurner's technologies with a number of its own products.

What it means for Avertisers
Google advertisers will benefit from an expanded ad inventory and ad distribution platform.

What it means for Publishers

Online Publishers and Bloggers would be able to insert Adwords into numerous user feeds, delivering contextual ads directly into the end users feed reader.

Links
FeedBurner FAQ
Official Google Blog

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft has unveiled its Surface Computer Technology, a project that has been kept under wraps for five years. They have launched its first commercially available Surface Computer , that provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural hand gestures, touch and physical objects.

How does Surface Work?

Surface is essentially a Windows Vista PC tucked inside a shiny black table base, topped with a 30-inch touchscreen in a clear acrylic frame. Five Infra red cameras that can sense nearby objects, hand gestures and touch are mounted beneath the screen. Users can interact with the Surface by touching or dragging their fingertips, with their hands and gestures and by putting real world objects taged with speical bar-code labels on the surface. Unlike most touchscreens, Surface can respond to more than one touch at a time.

Surface key Features

• Users can interact with the digital content and information without the use of a mouse and keyboard. From digital finger painting to a virtual concierge, Surface brings natural interaction to the digital world in a new and exciting way.

• Unlike typical touch screen that responsds to a single touch at a time, Surface Computing recognizes many points of contact simultaneously. The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.

• Surface Computer recognizes Object. Users can place physical objects on the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content.

Surface Use

Microsoft is opening up an entirely new category of sharing information. The mutli-touch, mulit-user approach is something that will certainly open some new avenues for interaction with their data in the future. With a price tag between $5,000 and $10,000 per unit, Microsoft is saying that, by the end of this year, consumers will be able to interact with Surface in hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment venues.

Surface Video

Google got Gears

Introduction

Google has launched Google Gears (BETA) which is an open source Browser Extension that can be used by developers to create Web Application that can run offline. Google Gears is cross-platform, cross-browser and will work with all major browsers (currently Firefox 1.5+ & IE 6+) and is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS.

How Gears will Work?

Google Gears' APIs will allow you to store and cache application data (HTML, JavaScript, images etc) locally on your desktop, store and access data from within the browser in a database. There will be a worker thread pool module for performing operations in background making web applications more responsive. The first program created with the Gears API is the Google Reader feed-reading application, which is available as of now.

Is it Useful?

One of the biggest drawback of an online applications like Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Gmail, Google Reader etc is that you need a fast and reliable Internet connection to use them. No Connection, No Data. With Google Gears APIs, any developer can can make their own online web applications to work offline. For Users, it would be seamless whether they are connected to the internet or not.

Jaiku.com

What is it?

Jaiku.com is an online social networking service that allows users to share their presence by broadcasting short messages called jaikus about what they are up to, how they are feeling, where they are going etc to a group of friends via Web and mobile. The messages are delivered instantly via Instant Messanging, RSS feeds, Mobile SMS etc to the users who have signed up to receive them. Jaiku gives you your own personal page at http://username.jaiku.com and you can customize your design, add icons, setup your location, share your web feeds.

Social Networking

Internet has turned into one of the social medias ever invented. Social Networking also known as Moblogging or microblogging has emerged as the next big thing on Internet. It has enabled communicating with lot of people from different parts of world all at once with the click of your mouse. It's all about you staying connected 24 hours. There are number of other social networking sites, such as hi5, dodgeball, twitter.

Is it Free?

Everyone can use Jaiku for free. In future they plan to offer pay-for features but the basic service will be free. But remember that if you choose to send or receive Mobile SMS messages, standard Operator SMS rates apply for using Jaiku Mobile. It all depends on your Mobile Plan.

Is it useful?

Anti-Bloggers may think that its for birds but It all depends on how you use it. After all, What most people want today is convergence.

PermGen OutOfMemory

If you are frustrated with Tomcat, JBoss, any other Java Application Server dying with an OutOfMemory Error every few times you redeploy your Java application code or if you have recently installed a new application in your Stable Java Environment and your Tomcat, JBoss is giving you hiccups by intermittently Crashing with OutOfMemory Errors , then keep on reading as I would like to share my thoughts with you as I have experienced the same issue.

You have checked that your Server has lot of Physical RAM, even JVM Heap Memory has been allocated a significant amount of Physical Memory, your Garbage Collection (GC) is tuned properly but you are still getting OutOfMemory error. I am not going to discuss about Java Virtual Machine (JVM) Memory model and Garbage Collection (GC) as this is out of the scope of this article. But you can read the details here

Introduction

SUN Java has a Generational garbage collector. Permanent Generation holds reflective data (meta-data) of the JVM itself, such as class and method objects. These reflective objects are allocated directly into the permanent generation, and it is sized independently from the other generations.[Ref: SUN Java website ]

The Error

SUN Java website says that the default size of PermGen (64 MB for Server) is adequate in most cases but programs that load many classes may need a larger permanent generation. When you hot deploy/redeploy your web application, the WAR file is unpacked and its class definition are loaded into the JVM. These classes are never unloaded and they end up in the Permanent Generation. Now, if you hot deploy your application few times or install a new web application with large code base that loads up lot of class files, the default PermGen space get quickly filled and is never Garbage Collected (by standard GC) causing java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: PermGen.

But I have large JVM Heap

It doesn't matter how high is your overall -Xmx heap setting and how much memory you have on the machine. PermGen size i.e. PermSize is additional to the -Xmx value on the JVM Options.

The FIX

There is no garbage collection by standard garbage collection in Permanent Generation. Although concurrent garbage collector can collect in PermGen but this is beyond the scope of this article. I would be rather focussing on increasing the PermGen size.

1. Make sure your Server has enough Physical RAM (considering the allocation to JVM Heap -Xmx).
2. Use larger PermGen size using the Options -XX:PermSize= and -XX:MaxPermSize=
3. e.g. Set the maximum permanent generation size using -XX:MaxPermSize=164m Option.
   

MaxPermSize allows for the JVM to be able to grow the PermSize to the amount specified. Initially when the JVM is loaded, the MaxPermSize will still be the default value (64mb for Server) but will not actually take up that amount until it is needed. But, if you want to Set a new initial perm size on Sun JVM, you can use -XX:PermSize=164m Option when starting the JVM.

Conclusion

• The PermGen default size can be a bottleneck in your Web Applications that dynamically generate and load many classes.
• The PermGen parameters discussed above when applied to the JVM that runs your application server, considerably reduces the chances of running into a PermGen OutOfMemoryError.
  

Free Anti Virus Software

Earlier, there were Viruses but Now a days there are plethora of malicious programs like Trojan Horses, Worms, Spywares, Adwares, Root kits etc that can infect your computer and compromise Confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive information and data on your machine. If you are on an "always-on" Internet connection, You need to have a Security Software that offers REAL TIME PROTECTION. If you want complete protection against Malware, You need at least the following type of Software Applications.

1. Anti-Virus - To protect against Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses.
2. Anti-Spyware - To protect against Spywares, adwares, malicious scripts, unwanted pop ups etc.
3. Firewall - To protect against Network based Attacks (DoS, DDoS), unauthorized Access, restrict Access etc.

I will discuss about the Anti-Virus Softwares for Home Users & Non Commercial Use focusing on the ones which are available for FREE. The following are the important features you must look at an Anti Virus software (whether free or commercial).

• Real Time Protection - AV Software should Always be ON and monitor the system in real time for suspicious activity.
• On Demand Scanner - User should be able to Scan for inactive viruses and malicious programs whenever required.
• Auto Updates - AV Software should be able to download Automatic Updates of Virus Definitions on a frequent basis.
• Heuristics - AV Software should be able to detect and quarantine previously unknown viruses.
• Detection Rate - AV Software should be able to detect almost all known threats with a fast speed.
• Additional features if available like Email Protection, P2P & IM Protection, Scheduler, Reporting/Logs etc.
  

There are lot of commercial AV Softwares that includes all of the above features and much more. But if you are looking for a FREE AV Software for Windows Operating System, then I have compiled a List of the Top Free AV Softwares.

A free Anti-Virus Software by AOL (No, You don't need to Subscribe to AOL), powered by “Kaspersky Antivirus” which is the best AntiVirus on the market and offers excellent detection rates and update frequency that can be expected from Kaspersky. Features includes:

• Real time protection from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spywares, adwares and other potentially dangerous malware
• Email Protection for all E-mail Clients
• On Demand Scanner File/Mail Scanner
• Scheduler, Automatic Hourly Updates
• Variable Scan Speed and hence very little impact on your System Performance
• Easy to Install and Friendly User Interface
• Laptop power saving and HT technology support & Support for 64 bit Windows.
  

Click here to go to Active Virus Shield website.

Grisoft has been offering AVG Free Anti-Virus Solutions to home and non-commercial use for a long time. The Software is very configurable and includes the following features:

• Real Time Protection & E-mail real time protection
• On Demand Scanner & Heuristic Scanning
  
• Auto Updater for both Virus Definitions and Program
• Rescue Disk, Very Configurable easy to Use GUI
• Virus Vault for Quarantined Files, Multilingual support
  

There is No Support, downloads are bit slow and you have to manually move the Quarantined and Infected files to Virus Vault. The Software doesn't scan for spyware and adware. In fact, the have a separate product called AVG Anti-Spyware Free for that purpose.

Click here to go to AVG's Website

Avast! 4 Home Edition is a very feature rich Anti Virus package FREE for home users and non commercial use. The software feature includes

• Real time Resident Protection for Operating System, File System and E-Mail Clients
• Automatic Updates, P2P and Instant Messaging (IM) Shields
• Network Shield that analyzes Network Traffic for Malicious content
• Web Shield that analyzes HTTP Traffic for malicious content
• Heuristic Analysis, Integration with Windows Explorer, Simple Skin based User Interface
  
• Virus Chest for Quarantined files, Boot Time Scanner
  
• Support for 64 Bit Windows, Multiple Language Support.

The Software requires Registration.
Click here to go the website of Avast! 4 Home Edition.

Avira offers FREE of Charge Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic that also comes with new root kit detection. The Software is quick to install and includes following features:

• Real time protection against viruses, worms, Trojan horses
• Protection against expensive dialers and phishing
• On Demand Scanner, Scheduler
• Automatic Updates, Heuristic Scanning
• Detects and deletes root kits
• Friendly GUI with easy to configure options

There is no Email scanner for Email Clients and support is limited. The Software doesn't scan for Spywares and Adwares. The Automatic Updates are slow for the free version.

Click here to go to Avira's Website.

ClamWin is an open source (GPL) Free Antivirus for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. The software comes with the following features:

• Standalone virus scanner
  
• Scanning Scheduler, Automatic updates
• Integration with right click menu of Windows Explorer,
  
• Addin for scanning MS Outlook attachments.
  

ClamWin Free Antivirus does not include an On-Access Real-Time Scanner. You would need to manually scan a file in order to detect a virus or spyware. Also, it doesn't scan for Spywares and Adwares.

Click here to go to Clamwin's website.

Download YouTube Video

Everyday, thousands of Videos are uploaded to Youtube Website, which allows you to view saved videos on their servers but doesn't allow you to download them. What if you like a YouTube Video and want to save or download it to your computer or What if you could never get the online video player working.

If you are using Firefox Web Browser (Get it here), then you can download the VideoDownloader Firefox Plugin by Javi Moya . VideoDownloader add a small icon on the status bar at the bottom of your firefox window, and a toolbar button. Just click that and download the video you are watching.

If you are using any other Browser or don't want to install firefox add on, then there are many websites which allows you to download Videos from Youtube and other Video websites. You have to simply paste the URL of the YouTube Video you want to download into a form on their website. The websites like YOUTUBEX KEEPVID and VIDEODL allows you to download Videos from YouTube, Google, IFilm, Metacafe and various other Video Websites.


After you have downloaded/saved a YouTube Video on your hard drive, Make sure that the extension of the downloaded file is .flv (flash Video). If not, you must change the file extension to .flv (flash Video) format. The .flv is not a common multimedia file and you would need a software called FLV Player to play it. Downlaod and Install FLV Player or VLC Player into your computer to open the flash video file.

If you want to convert/decode the FLV videos to other formats like MPEG/MP4 so that you can store them onto your IPod or PSP then you can either download a free software called Riva FLV Converter or you can visit the Vixy website which offers an online FLV Converter.

Happy YouTubing!!

Cyborg Name

Have you ever wondered what your name would mean if you were a Cyborg? This is my name or may be the meaning of my name from the Cyborg Name Generator

O.M.B.H.A.K.A.R.
Operational Mechanical Being Hardwired for Assassination, Killing and Acute Repair.

OK, I thought it was going to be something stupid, but its not that bad.

Cyborg Name Generator is a fun program that asks for your name and let you choose an Avatar and then it creates a robotic acronym from your name. It also gives you the HTML code of your custom Cyborg Name image which you can add to your MySpace, Orkut, Blog or other Web page.

So, What are you waiting for? Have fun and Get your Cyborg Name today.

SIW - System Information for Windows

I wanted to upgrade the Physical Memory (RAM) on one of the Windows Server and wanted to know the make/model/type of the RAM installed. I couldn't find any command or tool in Windows Operating System which could give me this information. I also didn't want to go to the Data Center and shutdown the server to get these details by physically looking at the Hardware.

There are several occasions when you want a central place where you can get all the information related to your hardware, software and network. Unfortunately, Windows System Properties & Device Manager doesn't help. Many other third party softwares also doesn't serve the purpose to a greater extent and moreover you have to pay for it.

I came across a very good software called System Information for Windows SIW . The software utility builds a detailed profile of your installed software, hardware and network and can create report in various formats.

SIW is very fast in retrieving both the constant information (OS Version, Software installed, Hardware Manufacturers, Models etc) the dynamic information (Opened files, running processes, network connections, hardware sensors etc).

The other advantages are that its a standalone utility and doesn't need to be installed. You can even run the utility from USB Flash drive or a floppy/network drive. Also, its supported on all Windows Platform. Moreover, the software is absolutely free.

This software utility could be very handy and useful in managing Software & Hardware Inventory, Asset Management, PC Auditing and for Compliance reasons. Its a great and must have tool for Administrators. You can find a complete review of the software here at Softpedia.

You can download the latest version of the software from here

Windows RUN Command

I am very fond of the powerful Run command and find it very useful. I hate using the mouse to point and click a shortcut on the start menu. You can open the RUN command via Start Menu or simply press WIN+R i.e Windows key & R. Here is a list of the RUN commands I use on a very frequent basis.

CONTROL PANEL RELATED
1. control - Control Panel
2. appwiz.cpl - Add/Remove Programs
3. hdwwiz.cpl - Add Hardware Wizard
4. wuaucpl.cpl - Automatic Updates
5. fsquirt - Bluetooth Transfer Wizard
6. Fonts - control fonts
7. inetcpl - Internet Properties
8. ncpa.cpl - Network Connections
9. odbccp32.cpl - ODBC Data Source Administrator
10. sysdm.cpl - System Properties
11. nusrmgr.cpl - User Account Management
12. firewall.cpl - Windows Firewall
13. nusrmgr.cpl - User Account Management
14. control admintools - Administrative Tools
15. control schedtasks - Scheduled Tasks
16. control desktop - Display Properties
17. control keyboard - Keyboard Properties
18. control mouse - Mouse Properties
19. control printers - Printers and Faxes
20. control netconnections Network connections
21. control fonts - Fonts
22. control folders - Folder Properties

APPLICATIONS RELATED
1. calc - Calculator
2. cmd - Command Prompt
3. clipbrd - Clipboard Viewer
4. firefox - Firefox Browser
5. fonts - Fonts Folder
6. hypertrm - HyperTerminal
7. iexpress - iexpress wizard
8. iexplore - Internet Explorer
9. mrt - Malicious Software Removal Tool
10. mspaint - Microsoft Paint
11. notepad - Notepad Application
12. packager - Object Packager
13. msimn - Outlook Express
14. mstsc - Remote Desktop
15. regedit - Registry Editor (Also regedit32)
16. msconfig - System Configuration Utility
17. telnet - Telnet Client
18. explorer - Windows Explorer
10. write - Wordpad
11. wupdmgr - Windows Update Manager
12. msmsgs - Windows messanger
13. wmplayer - Windows media player
14. explorer - Windows Explorer
15. winword - Microsoft Word (if installed)
16. excel - Microsoft excel (if installed)
17. powerpnt - Microsoft powerpoint (if installed)

MISCELLANEOUS
1. verifier - Driver Verifier Utility
2. sigverif - File Signature Verification Tool
3. helpctr - Help and Support
4. icwconn1 - Internet Connection Wizard
5. msinfo32 - System Information
6. taskmgr - Task Manager
7. dxdiag - Direct X Troubleshooter
8. winver - Windows Version
9. diskpart - Disk Partition Manager
10.dcomcnfg - Component Services
11.logoff - Logs You Out Of Windows

Microsoft Mangement Console (MMC)

A lot of system administration tools that come with Windows 2000, 2003 & XP are already in a console form having an extension of ".msc". They can be used alone by typing the name in the RUN command or as snap-ins to a Microsoft Management console (MMC). My prefered and fast way is to type them in the RUN Window. The following is the list of some of the frequently used Console commands.

1. certmgr.msc - Certificate Manager
2. compmgmt.msc - Computer Management
3. devmgmt.msc - Device Manager
4. dfrg.msc - Disk Defragment
5. diskmgmt.msc - Disk Management
6. eventvwr.msc - Event Viewer
7. gpedit.msc - Group Policy Editor
8. secpol.msc - Local Security Settings
9. ciadv.msc - Indexing Service
10. lusrmgr.msc - Local Users and Groups
11. perfmon.msc - Performance Monitor
12. inetmgr.msc - IIS Manager
13. services.msc - Services
14. rsop.msc - Resultant Set of Policies
15. ntmsmgr.msc - Removable Storage

So, if you have administrator privileges and want to stop and start a service on another server without logging into that server, simply type services.msc command in RUN and press enter, right click on services(Local) in left pane and click "connect to another computer.." and type the server name and bingo! You are connected to the services console of another machine and then you can stop and start the service you like. Similarly, this can be done for event viewer, performance monitoring (perfmon), IIS etc.

I make an extensive use of Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and administer servers most of the time without even logging into the server.

In my next Blog, I will discuss the frequently used RUN commands.

Setup your own WikiPedia

Recently, I installed MediaWiki software. MediaWiki is one of the best, free and easy to use wiki software package which was originally written for wikipedia . The popularity of wikipedia has helped MediaWiki to evolve and has also built a large population of competent users of the technology. You can download mediawiki software from here

Requirements for installing Mediawiki
1. Web Server such as Apache or IIS
2. PHP Version 5.0 or later
3. MySQL or PostgreSQL 8.1 or later

If you don't have a webserver, php and mysql database installed on your machine, or if you don't want to hassle yourself installing and configuring them separately, what you can do is install LAMP (Linux) or WAMP (Windows). Once you have installed LAMP/WAMP, the only thing you would have to do is simply follow the installation steps here.

But if you are too lazy to install LAMP/WAMP or if you simply want to test it first, what you can do is download the VMware Virtual Appliance. You would either need a VMWare Player or VMWare Server to run these appliance. The following Virtual Appliances are available for MediaWiki.

MediaWiki Wiki JumpBox
rPath MediaWiki Appliance

Once you have running instance of MediaWiki, the next step is to do some post installation configuration and may be read more about how it works.
For Post Installation Configuration, Click here
For User Guide, Click here
For Tips & Tricks, Click here

Other Wikis
There are many wikis available online and to choose one that suits your personal needs could be a tedious task. You can visit Wiki Matrix WebSite to get a comprehensive list of wikis available and then compare to find the one that best fits your needs.

On last thought I would say that WikiPedia has revolutionized web based document collaboration allowing multiple people to collaboratively create and edit information. So, what are you waiting for.... start building your own personal encyclopedia.

My First Blog

This is my first blog entry and I do want to become a regular blogger, dealing with topics such as web technology, Hosting, Technical Tips, Useful applications, Media, Economy, Entertainment, Life and other topics that may be of interest.

Blogs of David Wang, Guy Kawasaki, Amit Agarwal, John Agno and many others has influenced me and I am inspired to publish the rambling thoughts I may have. The purpose of this blog is to communicate and share some of my experiences, thoughts, issues faced and the solutions found with others. I hope to talk about what I’ve been doing, reading and learning from Work and Life, and pass on tips and tricks regarding technology & life. Looking forward to learning from you too.

Thanks for reading and I hope all my time and effort is helpful (at least useful) to someone.