Speed Up Your Bandwidth 

Windows uses 20% of your bandwidth Here's how to Get it back

A nice little tweak for XP. Microsoft reserve 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..)

Here's how to get it back:

Click Start-->Run-->type "gpedit.msc" without the "

This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:

Local Computer Policy-->Computer Configuration-->Administrative Templates-->Network-->

QOS Packet Scheduler-->Limit Reservable Bandwidth

Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is 

under the 'Explain' tab :

"By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."

So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO.

This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%. Then change the value to Zero

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Speeding Up Menus In XP

Go to Start --> Run --> Regedt32

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Locate the key called "MenuShowDelay" and it is probably set to 400.

Change that value to 150.

Reboot your computer.

You should notice a slight increase in the speed of your menus

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Single Click To Shutdown Windows

Did you know that in Windows XP you can shut down your computer from the (eventually DOS prompt)

command line box? Moreover, you can do this by clicking your mouse only once.

All you need to do is... right-click on an empty Desktop spot -> select New -> Shortcut -> type  shutdown followed by a space, and then enter one or more of the parameters listed below -> click Next -> type a suggestive name for your new shortcut -> finally, click Finish.

This is the Shutdown.exe (located in %systemroot%\System32, usually C:\Windows\System32) syntax:

shutdown [-i|-l|-s|-r|-a] [-f] [-m \\computername] [-t xx] [-c "Text"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy]

Valid command line switches:

-a = Abort system shutdown in progress ONLY IF the -t xx timeout option was already set to ANY value other than 0. ALL switches except -l and -m are ignored during abort.

-c "Text" = Text comment (case insensitive) to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. MUST be enclosed between quotes. Maximum allowed 127 ASCII characters.

-d [u][p]:xx:yy = Reason code for shutdown:

u = User code.

p = Planned shutdown code.

xx = Major reason code. Positive integer number less than 256.

yy = Minor reason code. Positive integer number less than 65536.

-f = Force running applications to close without warning.

-i = Display the shutdown interface (GUI). MUST be the first option!

-l = Log off the current user of the local computer (default action). Can NOT be used with the -m option unless the current user has Sysadmin rights, in which case the -m switch takes precedence.

-m \\computername = Remote/network computer name (most always case sensitive) to log off/restart/shut down. Current user MUST have Sysadmin rights to be allowed to use this switch!

-s = Shut down the local computer.

-r = Shut down and restart (reboot) the local computer.

-t xx = Set shutdown timer to timeout for xx seconds. IF NOT specified defaults to 20 seconds.

Allowed values between 0 and 99 seconds. The -a switch is the ONLY one that CAN be used during

the timeout period.

NOTES:

The dash (-) in front of these switches can be replaced by a forward slash (/).

Spaces are NOT required to separate the shutdown command from ANY following switches, but ARE

required to separate ANY switch from its following parameter(s), if any.

For example:

shutdown -s -c "Shutting down!" -t 3

tells your computer to shutdown after waiting for 3 seconds while the System Shutdown window will display text above in the Message area.

Optional: after you're done creating your customized shortcut for shutdown -> right-click on it -> select Properties -> enter your desired key "combo" in the Shortcut Key box (e.g. Ctrl + Alt + End) -> click OK/Apply.

From now on just left-click on your shutdown shortcut or hit that key combination to turn off/restart/log off your computer.

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REVERSE CODING

Index:

1.Introduction

2.Disclaimer

3.Hexadecimal

4.RAM and ROM

5.ASM

6.Needed programs

7.Cracking

8.Conclusion

Introduction

Welcome to my Reverse Coding tutorial! In this paper, you will learn how to crack and modify your own software. I'll try to get into as much detail as possible, yet also dumb it down a bit. =)

Disclaimer

All information is purely for educational purposes only! The PAR Forums cannot be held responsible for any use of this information.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Hexadecimal

To begin, I'm going to teach you about hexadecimal, so if you already know it, then move on. Even if you do already know it, I suggest sticking around for a refreshment of your memory.=)

Hexadecimal, or hex as it's more commonly known, is a base 16 numbering system. Base 16 meaning that it consists of 16 numbers:

0-9 and A-F. Each of these numbers (A-F=10-16) have a value of 4 bits and are also called nibbles. In representing a hexadecimal number, one would write an "0x" before the actual bit set. 0x is simply a tag put

before a hex number to let programmers know that it is in fact, hex.

When writing hex, you will not need to use this prefix.

If you haven't already noticed, the 0x prefix looks similar to that of exponential notation. Actually this is where 0x has been derived, seeing as how hex is simply a number that has been raised to a power of 16.

This means 10 in hexadecimal represents the value 16+0, or 16. 

So check out this example:

0xB3 (hex)= 2*16(squared)+11*16(to the 1st power)+3*16(to the power of 0 )

=2*256+11*16+3=691 (decimal)

Yeah, you could do all of that, or you could be lazy and use an automated program that does it all for you. 

Why do you need to know hex? 

Because it's used by every piece of software and hardware. How? Memory based address allocation. 

Here's an example:

When you clicked on your browsers icon to launch it, the click triggered a "call" (an asm function that will be discussed more in depth in later chapters.) which went back to the programs memory with the "click in it's hand." It finds the address where the code is that makes the program launch and executes it. 

The address is written in, you guessed it, hex. An example of an address would be something like this:

101c5018

5108 would be the actual specific address and 101c would be the sector of RAM were the address is located. Those are the basics of Hexadecimal You should probley read this chapter againbecause getting a firm grasp on hex is essential to cracking and moding programs.

RAM and ROM

In this section we are gonna learn about RAM and ROM. Many people kno about the hardware part of RAM and ROM and that's gonna be very useful to you.. just not in this tutorial.  

We are about to learn about the "software" side. I use the term software loosly in that software tends to have a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and this does not. BUT, there are ways to access and modify the behavior of it that I will talk about in this chapter, as well as in the next. 

To start off, I'll answer some common questions:

What is RAM?

RAM (Random Access Memory) is basically memory and the process of accessing it. The term "Random Access Memory" was approprietly given to this memory unit because when executing a command, the CPU doesn't have to scroll through all the memory on your PC until it finds the right address. It "randomly" whips out the addy from it's back pocket and serves it up.This process is both quick and efficient. Learning this process will help you understand the ASM functions in the next chapter.

How does RAM work?

When a command is issued and the memory is pulled from file, it must first go through what is called a "vector". A vector is a "gateway" or a "sector" of RAM where the address of the function is stored with others of it's own kind. An example of a vector would be something like this:

8c0000b4-8c00ffff

This means that all "addressii" (hehe) that are between those values are stored in that sector of RAM. A vector acts as a gateway in that, first, pass through a vector to get to address. Your average program probley has about 30 to 40 main vectors, sectioning off from boot until exit. Knowing the vector of an addy or a function will greatly reduce your headache when you start searching for it.

ROM. ROM is a part of memory that doesn't change. (Although we can change it). Boot ROM for instance, follows the same plan of action it is called upon. ROM also has vectors, just like RAM. ROM is not that important when it comes to cracking to we will leave it alone for now.

Back to RAM. Believe it or not, but address (there I go again, I'm such a g33k.) actually follow certain formats or syntax's for certain functions. Take hot keys for example: In the under ground, we call them "Joker commands". By pressing a certain combination of keys, a program will run, close, be stupid, whatever. The syntax for a Joker command is as follows:

0d-aaaaaf

000zvvvv

Let's examine this format a little closer.

0d= The proclemation of a specifyed format

aaaaa= The address of the function

f= The float or remainder; "Floating point number" ; decimal

000= "NOP" No operation

z= The "Booleon" as we the C++ programmers call it. A booleon is an "IF, THEN" statement.

"IF this is true, THEN do this." Value 0= equal; 1= different; 2=less than; 3=greater than.

vvvv= The combonation of hex values (The values of the keys pressed) used to execute the "CALL"

Say the "A" key had a vlaue of fffb and the "B" key has a vlaue of fffd. You would then add both values using a hex calculator and get fff9 as the sum. The output on you calculator would show 1fff8. Add the first value and the last value to find the fourth byte segment. So say we've found the address of the Joker function (usually in the boot ROM sector) commonly called the "Maple address" and we are ready to program in some hex code. Our code may look like this:

0d7ae671

0000fff9

This means that IF the value of fff9 (A and B) is equal (0) to the address (aaaaf) of the function, THEN execute it. See? Easy isn't it? You'll need to know things like this when modding programs as a use of executing of your arbitrary code in certain parts of your program at a certain time. Joker commands are also reversable in that if you enter the same code except with a 1,2, or 3, in the z slot and by changing the button combonations. Reversable meaning terminating the function or other functions that were started. A good use for this is for firewalls and babysitting programs. Are you on a college machine and can't download stuff because of that pesky firewall? Crack it open and program in some Joker commands so you can turn it on and off at will WITHOUT the administrator's password!

ASM

To start off with our small and to the point ASM section, I'll warn you in advance, after reading this, you'll need to go take a shower cause this is disgusting! 

Here we go!

To begin, I'm gonna define for you some functions that you'll be seeing alot of, and be using. Here they are:

.:Hex:. .:ASM:. .:MEANING:.

75,0f85 jne jump if not equal

74,0f84 je jump is equal

eb jmp jump directly to

90 nop no operation

77,0f87 ja jump if above

0f86 jna jump if not above

0f83 jae jump if above or equal to

0f82 jnae jump if not above or equal

0f82 jb jump if below

0f83 jnb jump is not below

of86 jbe jump if below or equal

0f87 jnbe jump if not below or equal

0f8f jg jump if greater

0f8e jng jump if not greater

0f8d jge jump if greater or equal

0f8c jnge jump if not greater or equal

0f8c jl jump if less

0f8d jnl jump if not less

0f8e jle jump if less or equal

0f8f jnle jump if not less or equal

The easy thing about most of the functions in ASM are that they sound like what they mean. Jump, means of coarse, to Jump from one thing to another. 

Example:

"jmp 00401744" would mean to jump directly to the address 00401744 once the code hits the function.

Let's look at "CALL". Call is a function that is used to "call" a certain task, string, address, whatever.

Take a look at this example:

"Call 0040ccc2" this would of coarse call the address 0040ccc2 and use it. Those are the functions

you'll be using.

The reason why I'm not going into loads of detail in this chapter is because when cracking software, not an extensive amount of knowledge of ASM is needed. If you want to know more or need help with something, e-mail me at the address provided at the end of this tutorial. This chapter wasn't so nasty was it? Nah, it was easy =)

Needed Programs

The programs you will need are as follows:

WDasm 8.9 or Higher

Hiew 6.1

Softice for win9x v3.24

SubmitWolf(demo)v4.01 (http://www.trellian.com/swolf)

Programming Language (C,C++,Pascal,ASM whatever you would like) Prefably C for this tutorial!

And a brain (no seriously)

Cracking

Ok, here we go! The first thing you need to do is to open up SoftIce and then swolf32.exe which is the name given to our target program. Go to the help menu and select register. Here's where your brain will come in, start to look for how the protection is running by entering some random crap into the blank space. Don't press the OK button yet though. 

Instead, press CTRL-D to bring up SoftIce. What we are gonna try to do is define a breakpoint, using BPX hmemcpy.

Hit CTRL-D again and it will bring you back to the program. Click OK on the box and SoftIce will again pop up. Now press F12 and it will bring you to the target program code. 

Scroll down a few lines and find:

:004167D9 8D4C2410 lea ecx, dword ptr {esp+10}--;ecx=the random crap you typed in.

:004167DD 8D94290000000 lea edx, dword ptr {esp+00000090}-;edx=name

:004167E4 51 push ecx

:004167E5 52 push edx

:004167E6 E8B5450100 call 0042ADA0----;this is the call which calculates the serial

:004167EB 83C410 add esp, 00000010--;

:004167EE 85C0 test eax, eax----;and return eax=1 if true (booleon =) )

:004167F0 0F8596000000 jne 0041688C----;jump to registered

:004167F6 8D442408 lea eax, dword ptr {esp+08}

:004167FA 8D8C2488000000 lea ecx, dword ptr {esp+00000088}

:00416801 50 push eax

:00416802 51 push ecx

:00416803 E868470100 call 0042AF70----;this call tests our serial

:00416808 83C408 add esp, 00000008---;

:0041680B 85C0 test eax, eax----;for v3.XX one.

:0041680D 7433 je 00416842;jump is equal

The call that we want to focas on is at 004167E6. This call tests wether our serial is for the correct version or not.

Let's trace the call 004ADA0:

*Referenced by a CALL at address:

:0042ABFC

:0042ADA 83EC30 sub esp, 00000030

:0042ADA3 55 push ebp

:0042ASA4 56 push esi

:004ADA5 57 push edi

:0042ADA6 8B7C24444 mov edi, dword ptr {esp+44}--;edi=our fake serial

:004ADAA 85FF test edi, edi

:004ADAC 0F4A7010000 je 0042AF59----;die if empty

:004ADB2 8B6C2440 mov ebp, dword ptr {esp+40}--ebp=our name

:0042ADB6 85ED test ebp, ebp

:004ADB8 0F849B010000 je 0042AF59---;die if empty

:004ADBE 8A07 mov al, byte ptr {edi}--;compare 1st byte of serial with 'p', die

:0042ADC0 3C50 cmp al, 50----;

:0042ADC2 0F8587010000 jne 0042AF4F----;if not equal

:0042ADC8 807F0134 cmp byte ptr {edi+01}, 34--:compare byte of serial with '4'

:004ADCC 750C jne 0042ADDA----;

:0042ADCE C70500C8430000000000 mov dword ptr {0043C800}, 00000000

:0042ADD8 EB1C jmp 0042ADF6

As we can see by the above, the code tells us that the first value of our serial will be 'p' and a cycle of a four byte algorythm. I could go on and on about all of the internals of all this stuff but that would be going beyond the scope of this tutorial. The idea was to show how to crack this pro, and thats what I'm going to do. Based on the information I've given you, and the information that you can deduce from reading the code, I've written a small key generator in C.

If you know C, then you'll be able to tell where i got the algorythms to write it. So here it is:

#include

#include

int main(void)

{

long code=555583,count1,count2;

char name[25],cod[5],type='0';

clrscr();

textcolor(14);

printf("This is a simple key-generator written by k33t of CYBNET Security Group");

printf("=================================================");

text color(10);

printf("SubmitWolf(demo)ver4.1 cracked by k33t");

textcolor(14);

printf("%c%c%c",0x10,0x10,0x10");

textcolor(12);

printf("Yup")

prinf("-November 2002");

prinf("'\n\nSelect Edition PRO(0) or Enterprise(1) (0/1)=");

scanf("%c",&type);

if(type=='1')code=557283;

getchar();

prinf("Enter Registration Name=");

scanf("%[^\n]",name);

for(count1=0;count1<=3;count1++

cod[count1]=name[count1];

for(count=1;count1=3;count1++){

for(count2=0;count2<=3;count2++)

cod[count2]=cod[count2]*(code%100);

code=code/100;

}

for(count1=0;name[count1]>0;count1++);

for(count2=0;count2<=3;count2++)

cod[count2]=cod[count2]^(name[count1]+3);

for=(count1-3;count1>=0;count1--){

code=code+(cod[count1]&0xFF);

if(count1>0)

code=code*0x100;

}

if(code<0 code="-code;</font">

for(;code<10000 code="code*10;</font">

for(;code>999999;) code=code/10;

printf(Your Serial Number=P%c4-%ld",(type=='1')? 'E':'4'code);

return ;

}

Ok! So! An overall conclusion of this code is:

1.First two characters of the serial must be either 'PE' or 'P4'.

2.Multiply every first four characters or our name with every byte of our serial before '-'

3.XOR every four byte with every byte of our name.

4.Convert to positive number if<0 .="" font="">

5.Convert to number between 10000 and 1000000.

Forgive me if this code is buggy as I wrote it very quickly in the little spare time I had.

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PC Maintenance Guide

"Take good care of your PC, and it will take good care of you."

It's a nice sentiment, but reality is more like "Take good care of your PC, and it won't crash, lose your data, and cost you your job--probably." Follow these steps to stop PC problems before they stop you.

Your PC's two mortal enemies are heat and moisture. Excess heat accelerates the deterioration of the delicate circuits in your system. The most common causes of overheating are dust and dirt: Clogged vents and CPU cooling fans can keep heat-dissipating air from moving through the case, and even a thin coating of dust or dirt can raise the temperature of your machine's components.

Any grime, but especially the residue of cigarette smoke, can corrode exposed metal contacts. That's why it pays to keep your system clean, inside and out.

If your PC resides in a relatively clean, climate-controlled environment, an annual cleaning should be sufficient. But in most real-world locations, such as dusty offices or shop floors, your system may need a cleaning every few months.

All you need are lint-free wipes, a can of compressed air, a few drops of a mild cleaning solution such as Formula 409 or Simple Green in a bowl of water, and an antistatic wrist strap to protect your system when you clean inside the case.

Think Outside the Box

Before you get started cleaning, check around your PC for anything nearby that could raise its temperature (such as a heating duct or sunshine coming through a window). Also clear away anything that might fall on it or make it dirty, such as a bookcase or houseplants.

Always turn off and unplug the system before you clean any of its components. Never apply any liquid directly to a component. Spray or pour the liquid on a lint-free cloth, and wipe the PC with the cloth.

Clean the case: Wipe the case and clear its ventilation ports of any obstructions. Compressed air is great for this, but don't blow dust into the PC or its optical and floppy drives. Keep all cables firmly attached to their connectors on the case.

Maintain your mechanical mouse: When a nonoptical mouse gets dirty, the pointer moves erratically. Unscrew the ring on the bottom of the unit and remove the ball. Then scrape the accumulated gunk off the two plastic rollers that are set 90 degrees apart inside the ball's housing.

Keep a neat keyboard: Turn the keyboard upside down and shake it to clear the crumbs from between the keys. If that doesn't suffice, blast it (briefly) with compressed air. If your keys stick or your keyboard is really dirty, pry the keys off for easier cleaning. Computer shops have special tools for removing keys, but you can also pop them off by using two pencils with broken tips as jumbo tweezers--just be sure to use a soft touch.

Make your monitor sparkle: Wipe the monitor case and clear its vents of obstructions, without pushing dust into the unit. Clean the screen with a standard glass cleaner and a lint-free cloth. If your monitor has a degauss button (look for a small magnet icon), push it to clear magnetic interference. Many LCDs can be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol; check with your LCD manufacturer. Wipe your LCD lightly: The underlying glass is fragile.

Check your power protection: Reset the cables plugged into your surge protector. Check the unit's warning indicator, if it has one. Surge protectors may power your PC even after being compromised by a voltage spike (making your system susceptible to a second spike). If your power protector doesn't have a warning indicator and your area suffers frequent power outages, replace it with one that has such an indicator and is UL 1449 certified.

Swipe your CD and DVD media: Gently wipe each disc with a moistened, soft cloth. Use a motion that starts at the center of the disc and then moves outward toward the edge. Never wipe a disc in a circular motion.

Inside the Box

Before cracking open the case, turn off the power and unplug your PC. Ground yourself before you touch anything inside to avoid destroying your circuitry with a static charge. If you don't have a grounding wrist strap, you can ground yourself by touching any of various household objects, such as a water pipe, a lamp, or another grounded electrical device. Be sure to unplug the power cord before you open the case.

Use antistatic wipes to remove dust from inside the case. Avoid touching any circuit-board surfaces. Pay close attention to the power-supply fan, as well as to the case and to CPU fans, if you have them. Spray these components with a blast of compressed air to loosen dust; but to remove the dust rather than rearrange it, you should use a small vacuum.

If your PC is more than four years old, or if the expansion cards plugged into its motherboard are exceptionally dirty, remove each card, clean its contacts with isopropyl alcohol, and reseat it. If your system is less than a couple years old, however, just make sure each card is firmly seated by pressing gently downward on its top edge while not touching its face. Likewise, check your power connectors, EIDE connectors, and other internal cables for a snug fit.

While you have the case open, familiarize yourself with the CMOS battery on the motherboard. For its location, check the motherboard manual. If your PC is more than four or five years old, the CMOS battery may need to be replaced. (A system clock that loses time is one indicator of a dying CMOS battery.)

Look for Trouble

Give your PC a periodic checkup with a good hardware diagnostic utility. Two excellent choices are Sandra Standard from SiSoftware and #1-TuffTest-Lite from #1-PC Diagnostics. Download the free version of Sandra (the full version of the application costs $35) or to download #1-TuffTest-Lite (the fully functional version is $10).

Adding and removing system components leaves orphaned entries in the Windows Registry. This can increase the time your PC takes to boot and can slow system performance. Many shareware utilities are designed to clean the Registry.

Windows stores files on a hard drive in rows of contiguous segments, but over time the disk fills and segments become scattered, so they take longer to access. To keep your drive shipshape, run Windows' Disk Defragmenter utility. Click Start, Programs (All Programs in XP), Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. If your drive is heavily fragmented, you could boost performance. Defragging may take hours, however. Disable your screen saver and other automatic programs beforehand to keep the defrag from restarting every few minutes.

Disk Defragmenter won't defragment the file on your hard drive that holds overflow data from system memory (also known as the swap file). Since the swap file is frequently accessed, defragmenting it can give your PC more pep. You can defragment your swap file by using a utility such as the SpeedDisk program included with Norton SystemWorks 2004, but there's a way to reset it in Windows.

In Windows XP, right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Click Advanced, and then choose the Settings button under Performance. Click Advanced again and the Change button under Virtual Memory. Select another drive or partition, set your swap file size, and click OK.

If you have only one partition and no way to create a second one, and you have at least 256MB of RAM, disable the swap file rather than moving it: Select "No paging file" in the Virtual Memory settings. If you have trouble booting, start Windows in Safe Mode and re-enable this option.

Hard-Drive Checkup

Windows XP offers a rudimentary evaluation of your hard disk's health with its error-checking utility: Right-click the drive's icon in Windows Explorer and select Properties, Tools, Check Now. (Windows can fix errors and recover bad sectors automatically if you wish.) If the check discovers a few file errors, don't worry, but if it comes up with hundreds of errors, the drive could be in trouble.

The program works only with drives that support S.M.A.R.T technology, but nearly all drives released since 2000 are S.M.A.R.T.-compliant.

Many hardware and software designers humbly assume you want their program running on your PC all the time, so they tell Windows to load the application at startup (hence, the ever-growing string of icons in your system tray). These programs eat up system resources and make hardware conflicts and compatibility problems more likely. To prevent them from launching, just click Start, Run, type "msconfig" and press Enter. The programs listed under the Startup tab are set to start along with Windows. Uncheck the box at the left of each undesirable program to prevent it from starting automatically.

Four Tips for Longer PC Life

1. Keep your PC in a smoke-free environment. Tobacco smoke can damage delicate contacts and circuits.

2. Leave your PC running. Powering up from a cold state is one of the most stressful things you can do to your system's components. If you don't want to leave your PC running all the time, use Windows' Power Management settings to put your machine into hibernation rather than completely shutting down. In Windows XP, right-click the desktop and select Properties. Click the Screen Saver tab and select the Power button. Choose the Hibernate tab to ensure that hibernation is enabled, and then select a time beneath "System hibernates" under the Power Schemes tab. (Note that this option is not available on all PCs.) Computers running older versions of Windows may or may not provide similar power-management features. Look under the Power Management icon (Power Options in Windows 2000) in Control Panel to evaluate your machine's capabilities.

3. Don't leave your monitor running. The best way to extend your display's life is to shut it off when it's not in use.

4. Avoid jostling the PC. Whenever you move your system, even if it's just across the desktop, make sure the machine is shut down and unplugged.

Make Your PC Faster

1. First, run a scandisk or checkdisk. Let Windows fix any errors.

2. Run a disk cleanup utility...this will flush your temporary internet folder, trash can, temp system files, etc.

3. Delete any garbage files or data...if possible, run a Duplicate File Finder program.

4. Run Defrag on all partitions (NOTE: run this after you have deleted all trash and excess files!)

5. Run a registry cleaner utility and delete or get rid of any orphaned entries in that registry.

6. Check your exisiting swap file for it's size and location (*will explain location later in the post). If you have alot of ram (i.e. 1 gig and over) set this swap file to something small, like 250 mb. The reason is that this will force Windows to load more into memory, resulting in faster performance (note: some games and applications actually require a certain sized swap file so check your applications performance after making a size adjustment for any error messages.)

7. Under XP, you can tell Windows to use Classic Style on your desktop, - this will remove the neat single click and internet-style desktop but for lower end systems this will improve performance in other areas, such as gaming and multi-tasking.

8. Run msconfig and under startup and only keep the programs that are essential to load in the tray icon (and hence stay resident in memory). Uncheck anything else non-essential, like an ATI or Nvidia control panel, Quicktime utility, Real Audio, etc.

9. Upgrade drivers! Check for the latest BIOS, video, motherboard, sound, etc drivers from the manufacturers. Alot of my friends had chipsets on their motherboard that had advanced disk management capabilities or AGP port settings but the drivers weren't loaded for them so they were never being used. A simple upgrade realized a noticeable difference. For instance, they didn't have the latest driver for their AGP port so it was set to 1x, instead of being used at 4x!

10. (OK, so this won't speed up your PC but it could save you alot of time and trouble later on!) After making all these improvements, make a working backup! I use Ghost, but for XP users you can also use System Restore...

-FOR ADVANCED USERS-

1. Take a look under the hood (for IDE owners). How are your IDE devices configured? If you have more than 1 hard drive, put the master hard drive on the primary IDE channel and the secondary hard drive on the secondary IDE channel (most motherboards have two IDE channels).

2. Place all CDROM drives, DVD readers etc. on the secondary IDE channel (or SCSI bus, etc). This will reduce I/O contention with your master hard drive which should have your OS and apps installed...

3. Remember when I mentioned the location of the swap file? OK, if you have 2 hard drives and you have one on the primary IDE channel and the other on the secondary IDE channel, move the swap file to a partition ON THE SECOND hard drive (on the secondary IDE channel). This will greatly improve system performance as the PC can write to the swap file while loading and running OS and system commands without I/O contention on the primary IDE channel!

4. Take a look under the hood (for SCSI owners) What kind of SCSI do you have? If it's the newer Ultra 160/320 etc cards then guess what? Any devices placed on the same bus will automatically default to the slowest drive on the chain...this means that if you have say, an Ultra 160 SCSI card, and it has an Ultra 160 drive (capable of transferring 160 mb/sec) on the same chain as a SCSI cdrom drive (capable of only 40 mb/sec) then the whole bus slows down to the 40 mb/sec speed...use different chains for the slower devices and maximize those hard drives!

5. Run a utility like WCPUID and check the settings...is your CPU/front speed bus/AGP port running as fast as they should be? If not, check your drivers and BIOS configuration options. Also, are all of your chipset features enabled? If not, then enable them! (usually done in your BIOS!)

6. Dig in to the BIOS...check settings like boot order, for example...is it checking the floppy first? Change this! Select your order to reflect the hard drive first, then CD, then floppy for a noticeable boot time improvement. Also disable any non-used on board peripherals...for instance, - does your motherboard come with an on-board NIC card? Guess what, if you don't use that NIC card and it is enabled it will eat up valuable CPU cycles and can be detrimental to your systems' performance. DISABLE THAT MUTHA! Also, see if you can play with memory timing and CPU clock frequencies (NOTE! This is for expert users only!) Set these timings to "Aggressive" and see what happens in your games and apps...Also, check to see what your video aperature is set to. If you have a video card with 128 megs of on-baord memory, your aperature should be set to this amount too. Read the BIOS owner manual for further non-general performance tricks or improvements! Do you have the latest BIOS firmware version?

7. Under hardware properties, check to see that everything is working properly, and fix any hardware contention issues. You'll see the dreaded yellow exclamation point (!) beside any hardware component that is not working correctly.

8. Evaluate the potential for system/hardware upgrades...usually, the best bang for the buck is adding memory so buy all that you can afford (don't go much above 512 megs for Win 98 or ME). If you have a motherboard with an 8x - capable AGP port but you are using an older 4x video card, consider upgrading to an 8x card. You get the idea here...

9. Quit using software pigs like Norton system utilities, etc. These place files everywhere and can be a real system resource hog on lower end PCs.

10. Did I mention to make a good backup? Do it now! Also, while you're at it, run a good virus program with the latest definitions.

There are more options to make your system faster, such as overclocking, etc. but (just about) everything I've mentioned in this tech post costs you nothing and will result in faster system performance! Good luck and if you have any questions on how to do anything mentioned here, ask a knowledgeable friend or consult a book, - don't mess up something trying to do something you are not sure of!

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Keep Files Private

If you want to encrypt the contents of an individual file or directory, Windows XP Pro will do the trick, provided you enable NTFS on your hard drive. To encrypt a file, right-click on it to bring up the Properties window. Click on the Advanced button, then in the Advanced Attributes dialog box click on Encrypt contents to secure data. This will encrypt the file (using either DES, which employs a 56-bit key on each 64-bit block of data, or 3DES, which uses a 56-bit key three times on each 64-bit block of data), and it will provide a certificate just for you. This certificate is key; if you reinstall Windows or otherwise lose your user account, your access to the encrypted files will be gone, too. You need to export your certificates to back them up: For detailed instructions, search on export certificate in Windows Help.

Windows XP does not require you to enter your password when you open the encrypted file. 

Once you log on to a session, encrypted files are available for you—and anyone who walks up to your system—to view.

Windows XP Home doesn't support this method. Both XP Home and XP Pro, however, let you create password-protected compressed files. To do this, right-click on the desired file and choose Send To | Compressed (zipped) Folder. Open the resulting folder and select Add a Password from the File menu; delete the original file. Note that this encryption is relatively weak. 

It should dissuade casual users but won't put up much of a fight against someone determined 

to hack it apart.

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