Tech for the Un-Initiated

Adhoc network with ICS

2010-07-10T02:53:00.000-07:00

Pros : Accessing(sharing) internet over PDA/handheld/smartphones without access to data services from that of a laptop using WIFI...thats FREE internet

Set up a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network

An ad hoc network is a temporary connection between computers and devices used for a specific purpose, such as sharing documents during a meeting or playing multiple-player computer games. You can also temporarily share an Internet connection with other people on your ad hoc network, so those people don’t have to set up their own Internet connections. Ad hoc networks can only be wireless, so you must have a wireless network adapter installed in your computer to set up or join an ad hoc network.

Open Connect to a Network by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Connect to.
Click Set up a connection or network.
Click Set up an ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network, click Next, and then follow the steps in the wizard.

Enabling ICS

To enable ICS, on your host computer:

Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.
Right-click the connection that you want to share, and then click Properties. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Click the Sharing tab, and then select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection check box.
Note
The Sharing tab will not be available if you have only one network connection.
If desired, you can also select the Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection check box.
Optionally, to allow other network users to use services running on your network, click Settings and select the services you want to allow.

"No Gateway error" for Symbian phones (Nokia N-Series)

2010-07-10T02:49:00.000-07:00

Symptoms : For the smarter ones, who like to use WIFI(public hotspots or latop Adhoc with ICS*) instead of availing data services.

SOLUTION

1. New data access point(delete prev data points not in use cos they create conflict !! or work towards making this new access point as 'default')

Press the menu button.
Settings>connectivity>destinations.
Select your access point then add the new access point.
Select yes while it asks for AUTOMATICALLY CHECK FOR AVAILABLE ACCESS POINTS
Select the suitable WLAN network (choose one with known wep key).
Select no if it asks to CONFIGURE NOW.
Enter you WEP key.

2. Go to the advanced settings of the "access point" you just added in Step-1:
Settings-> Connectivity -> Internet -> select the access point mathing your WLAN network-> select Options (left sofkey) -> Advanced Settings -> and select IPv4 Settings

IP Address: 192.168.0.1
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.0.2

Do NOT enter anything besides above 3 values.

* Adhoc Network with ICS(more here : http://tech4smarterlife.blogspot.com/2010/07/adhoc-network-with-ics.html )

How to Customize the Send To Context Menu in Vista

2010-02-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

he Send To menu folder is located at:
NOTE: You must have Show hidden files and folders checked in Folder Options to see the hidden system AppData folder.

C:\Users\(user-name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

Here's How:

1. Open a Windows Explorer window.

2. Navigate to:
NOTE: You must have Show hidden files and folders checked in Folder Options to see the hidden system AppData folder.
C:\Users\(user-name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
A) Go to step 5.
OR

3. Open the Start Menu.

4. In the white line (Start Search) area, type shell:sendto and press Enter.

5. Add or Delete a location shortcut you want for any drive, folder, or application that uses the Open With option into the Send To window below.
NOTE: For example: Notepad, Paint, Photo Gallery, dvd drive, any folder, etc. For a drive, right click on the drive in Computer and click Create Shortcut for it to placed on the desktop, then move the shortcut to here.

WinRar: Remove Items from the Explorer Context (Right-Click) Menu

2010-02-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

When you install WinRar, it places a long list of items on your Explorer context menu. You may find that you only use a few of them and the rest are just taking up space. To keep your Explorer context menu more efficient, remove the WinRar items you don’t need by following these steps:

1. Click the Start button and select All Programs.

2. Select the WinRar directory and click WinRar to launch the application.

3. Click Options and select Settings.

4. Select the Integration tab.

5. In the Shell Integration section, click the Context menu items button.

6. Uncheck the items that you want removed from the Explorer context menu.

7. Click OK.

8. Click OK to close the Settings window.

ActiveX prob with IE7 & Vista

2009-08-30T04:46:00.001-07:00

ActiveX contents are blocked with aforementioned config but if u cant do without it go ahead & read...

Symptoms:

Usually such content are only feasible on IE & no other browser would do
Page would not load even after unblocking contents

Solution:

Open IE 7.Choose Tools from the menu.
Tools -- > Manage Add-ons, followed by Enable or Disable Add-ons....
In the Manage Add-ons window, choose Downloaded ActiveX Controls from the drop-down box.

The resulting list will show every ActiveX Control that Internet Explorer 7 has installed. If an ActiveX Control is causing the problem you're troubleshooting, it will be one listed here.
Select the first ActiveX Control listed, then click the Delete button in the Delete ActiveX area at the bottom of the window, and click OK.
(For me it was some old version of java plugin which was creating problem)
Restart IE.

Registering DLL, OCX files in Vista

2009-08-30T02:05:00.000-07:00

The usual MS Xp way didnt work so this post.

Symptoms of prob:

Error msg pop-up saying "...call to DLL Server " failed
even though files installed but Software not workin
Error code "0x8002801c"

Solution

Create Shortcut of Cmd.exe on desktop
Right Click the shortcut. Go to Properties --> Advanced
"Check" the option -- Run as Admin
Double click the shortcut now & run command
regsvr32 \Windows\System32\name_of_DLLfile.dll
regsvr32 \Windows\System32\name_of_OCXfile.ocx

Hardware woes from Lenovo

2009-06-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

20/06/09

If s/w 'sellers' had thr share of time killing, Hardware folks came with some cards to make a point to come to notice even if it takes a piece of nuisance...Lenovo Veriface...Saif doin ads of face recognition!!

Redundancy at its pinnacle...well, hope thez guys dont get d word as thr's no bound n dearth of junk human mind can churn...

Here's how to get rid of it
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080305055633AARVi1h

Another rounds of tweaks to make d lame VISTA run faster

2009-06-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

20 Ju 09

Disable Shortcut Icon Arrow Overlay in Windows 7 or Vista
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/disable-shortcut-icon-arrow-overlay-in-windows-vista/

Hide the Recycle Bin Icon Text on Windows Vista
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/hide-the-recycle-bin-icon-text-on-windows-vista/

The original author has the following address, for ppl with surplus of time at disposal
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/16-tweaks-for-vista-look-feel/

PS : word of the day....Linux Rocks!

FlashBlock for web browsers

2009-06-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

19 Jun '09

Subject needs no illustration except to bring to fore the fact to all uninitiated that most pestering ads u come across on sites r done in flash.

Pls note many features like graphs, youtube videos r also in flash so decide as to how ur usage is...
Mozilla firefox
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/433

Google Chrome
http://chromespot.com/showthread.php?p=10829

Ps : Apologies for the fact that above forum requires registeration for downloading the code. But tht's 'safe'. Tried & then recommended....

More Tweaks For the crappy VISTA

2009-06-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

19/06/09

The more u do, much more remains to be done....so another chain of tweaks :

http://archive.laptopmag.com/Features/Top-Ten-Windows-Vista-Tweaks-and-Shortcuts.htm?Page=1

Ps: Not for the folks who like the baby-sitting from the M$ stable

Right-Click Context Menu Cleanup for Vista

2009-06-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

19 Jun '09

Basically show casing two utilities from Nirsoft.com

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/how-to-clean-up-your-messy-windows-context-menu/

Ps: author has tried both have them & found them okay.

Booting Vista faster

2009-06-18T07:09:00.001-07:00

As a matter of fact i m quite vocal of redundancies in OS from stable of MS(still an euphemism...a Linux lover at heart wud understand)...

But stuck with a config that holds above(on account of nexus b/w MS & hardware manufacturers)...here a a few tweaks to get rid of some camouflage...

In order of relevance :