Feeling better

Just came back from KTV, and I had so much fun singing with my friends. Lunch and Dinner I would say I ate quite a lot. :)

Come to think of it, it has been quite some time since I had so much fun. Didn't really prepare anything and I managed to sing quite well I would say. ;) I was surprised I managed to hit the notes of the song I was learning a few months back, even though it has been a long time since I've listened to it. Yeeeaaaah.

Anyway, tomorrow its back to work. Somehow, I feel better now. Maybe I should start playing my guitar again. Music has that calming effect on me. Grand Jota has been waiting for me for 3 years. :) Hmm...

Classical Gas

Posting another of my favorite, and I would say popular piece... Classical Gas.

Many of you might have heard the version by Vannesa Mae, on the violin. I believed she made this piece popular. However, this piece is also quite popular among the guitarists. My understanding is that the original version is for the Guitar. I might be mistaken though. It's so long ago. My version is here.

This was also recorded back in 2004. I have many different versions. For some reason, I like to play this piece fast and furious. :) I actually had another slower version, but I think I prefer this one.

Can I play this again? Hmm... I think I only remembered 80% of this piece. Oh well...

Feeling down

Just went to see my alumni group, and some juniors perform. They are going to Germany for competition, and they were performing the pieces they will be playing there. My hands became itchy after seeing them play.

After that, I've kinda realized that one of the reasons I feel so cranky these few months is because since my current project started, I've missed 2 chances to go Japan, and this chance to go Germany for competition. They were also asking how come I disappeared. I envy them that they are free to take leave without worry.

I'm still feeling kinda down. I guess this is where negative thoughts could more easily invade my mind. Maybe I should play some classical music...

Hidden Disk Cleanup Settings

Do you know that you can set the settings for your Disk Clean Up Manager on which areas to clear?

Follow the steps below to set the settings:

1. Goto Start > Run
2. Type cleanmgr /sageset:n (n = a number from 0 onwards)
3. Tick the checkboxes on the areas you wish to clear.
4. Click on OK
   

As you can see, you are able to save as many settings as you want, just by changing n.

To run the settings, do the following:

1. On a clear area on your desktop, right-click the mouse and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Type cleanmgr /sagerun:n (n = the number entered above)
3. Name the shortcut anything you like

That's all to it... Next time when you wish to clean up your stuff, just click on the shortcut. You can also move this shortcut to your Startup folder in your Programs. This will clean up your stuff every time you login.

Disclaimer on Tips

Kinda forgot to add in a disclaimer for all the tips I've put here.

Currently, every single tip I have written here are all tested, and used by me either now, or previously. They were useful, and effective for me, which was mainly the reason why I shared it out to everyone.

However, please be careful when changing the settings, especially those settings dealing with the registry. Just one wrong move and your Windows might start behaving erratically. I will not be responsible for any unexpected results or crashes due to the execution of these tips.

With regards to the Mac tips, so far I have not encountered any problems with the tips on my MacBook running on Tiger. I will not be responsible for any expected results or crashes due to the execution of these tips. It worked on my MacBook, but you're not using my MacBook. :)

Bye bye to NETS

Our banks have done it again. Sometimes I really wonder if our big MNCs are getting complacent. Anyway, according to the papers today, the NETs, owned by our 3 local banks, suddenly decided that they are charging too low, and now wish to change the commission structure for NETs such that its similar (slightly cheaper) to the credit/debit cards. This affects the retailers/merchants offering NETs transactions. And yes, of course it affects the consumers. Ok, let's analyze this.

NETs stands for Network of Electronic Transfers. Purpose of product from my point of view is to get people to go cashless, and yet the merchants are still able to price their wares cheaply. Target audience should be the people in the heartlands. The cost structure is actually quite low. Only 0.2 - 0.5% I think. Can't remember... However, our retailers usually absorb the charges.

Buying using NETs is beneficial to the banks because:

1. Can't see the money left. Just swipe. This results in people spending more.
   
2. People do not need to carry too much cash around, and yet still have the spending power in their hands. People spend more freely.
   
3. Cost structure is low so that the businesses will be able to price their wares such that these people are attracted to spend

Indirect benefits to the banks:

1. People are keeping more money in the bank, so there's more money in the bank to loan out.
2. Businesses expand due to more customers. Borrow more money from the banks.

Once NETs increase their cost structure, from the business point of view, there's no difference between NETs and other credit cards. Tourists use Visa/Mastercard. So why do they need to support NETs? Just drop the card, and save on the charges.

Other businesses might keep NETs, but end up increasing the prices. Since they have an excuse, how do we know if they are increasing just to cover costs of NETs, or is it to profiteer from the double whammy of GST increase and NETs?

Either case, consumers like us lose out. What will happen to Sim Lim Square? Can you imagine people carrying $2000 in their pockets to go Sim Lim Square to get a computer? Why don't I spend slightly more, and get credit card points? I don't need to pay immediately too.

Do the banks win? I doubt so too, from the NETs point of view. In fact, they are shooting themselves in the foot. NETs market share will definitely drop. They have to understand that the NETs users are the price-sensitive group of people. You increase price, what do they do? Drop the card of course. Use cash. What happens when you see the cold hard cash? That's where you start to think whenever you wish to make any purchases.

Money withdrawal might be more often, banks might have to top up their ATMs more often. Businesses might suffer, so what happens to their bank loans? How about the effect on Singapore domestic demand?

Of course people might say I'm thinking more negatively, but come on... What benefits do you see? I don't see any, even for the banks themselves.

That is unless they are trying to phase out NETs, and can't think of anyway of doing it. So they use this as an excuse to make it die a natural death.

Oh well... Sayonara NETs... May you R.I.P.

ST promotes share trading again

Sometimes it makes me wonder if our newspapers are trying to talk up (or down) the market. Just today they have a section on share trading. It's almost 1 whole page!

Granted that they did talk about doing your own due diligence before investing but when you splash figures like $20k a month, will people do any due diligence, or just jump straight into the bandwagon like what's happening in China now?

Being a national newspaper, I expected more from the articles.
I don't see them writing about lawyers, doctors or accountants, and how much they earn.
I don't see them writing about the negative effects of share trading. There are many stories where people lose 5 to 6 figure sums just on share trading.

Dedicated 1 whole page to this... Don't they have anything else to write about?

Guitar Corner

Well, I did put one of my hobbies as playing the guitar. It's actually classical guitar. I've been playing since 1996 I think. I was initially trained in Yamaha. Now, I'm currently in an alumni group in the Guitar Ensemble of NUS. I still have a performance at least once a year. I think we're going to the Esplanade later this year. Not sure...

Work life has taken a toll on my skills, and I think it's no longer as sharp as before. :(

Anyway, I will start putting some of the recordings I did in 2004. Why 2004? That's because that was when I first bought my Yamaha CG201S. I was trying out the different effects.

This is one of my favorites. It's called Koyunbaba. I played it one whole stretch for 12+mins. I think you can hear some errors, but I find it an achievement that I can play so long with minimal errors. Of course this was not my first try. More like my 3rd try if I recall correctly.

I like this piece mainly because I have to re-tune all 6 strings of the guitar to play this piece. Its unique, and sounds umm... Arabic?? :)

Posting here so that my stuff won't disappear mysteriously if I suffer a harddisk crash or something. :)

NTU Grads earn $2.7k to $2.9k

In today's newspaper, a survey of 3400 National Technological University (NTU) graduates revealed that their average salary is from S$2,700 to S$2900! Fresh graduates... I only earn slightly more than them, and I've been working for close to 4 years.

With news like this, I just wonder if I'm severely underpaid. Wondering why all these thoughts are coming to me this year. Maybe it has finally got into me that all my friends seem to have such wonderful bonuses and I don't. Their bonuses are like more than double mine, and their salaries can be like 20% more than mine. My reviews have always been very good, and I've been given more responsibilities. So what am I doing wrong?

To move or not to move

Time passes by so fast. I've been in the same job for 4 years. I was enjoying myself, learning new things. However, suddenly I feel very stressed out. Might be due to the current project I'm in now. More negative thoughts have been going through my head.

Should I move on? Or give another shot? It doesn't really help that my peer is earning 20% more than me. And I'm only counting gross salary. I've not look at bonuses and stuff. I think the project is getting into me.

I can only wait till July.

Easy transfer of content

Wonders of technology. I shifted my content in just 1 or 2 hours. Guess I'll start ranting here from now on. No need to code, and easier to post. Maybe now I can really get down into categorizing my tips which I have collected.

Anyway, my rantings will depend on how my project goes. For the past 4 years of working, I have only started dreading to go to work since this project started. Red tapes, bureaucracies, etc. It doesn't help that I'm getting sick again.

Just hope that I can last till July.

Shortcut Icons

Are some of you dependent on the keyboard? Well, I am and I am always on a lookout for keyboard shortcuts. Here are some of the shortcuts that i always use.

These are the desktop shortcuts:

Shutdown

1. On a clear area on your desktop, right-click the mouse and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Enter shutdown -s -t 00 for the Command Line
3. Name the shortcut Shutdown Workstation (or any other name you find appropriate)

Restart

1. On a clear area on your desktop, right-click the mouse and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Enter shutdown -r -t 00 for the Command Line
3. Name the shortcut Restart Workstation (or any other name you find appropriate)

Logoff

1. On a clear area on your desktop, right-click the mouse and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Enter shutdown -l -t 00 for the Command Line
3. Name the shortcut Logoff Workstation (or any other name you find appropriate)

Lock

1. On a clear area on your desktop, right-click the mouse and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Enter rundll32 user32.dll,LockWorkStation for the Command Line
3. Name the shortcut Lock Workstation (or any other name you find appropriate)

Sleep

1. On a clear area on your desktop, right-click the mouse and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Enter rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState for the Command Line
3. Name the shortcut Sleep Workstation (or any other name you find appropriate)

Reset Your Password

Everytime forget your password? You can use this tip to reset your password. However, bear in mind that you have to keep the diskette in a safe place.

This will create a diskette to reset your password:

1. Goto Control Panel -> User Accounts
2. Click on your account
3. Click on Prevent a forgotten password under Related Tasks in the top box on the left
4. Follow the instructions of the wizard

That's all to it... This places an encrypted copy of your password on the disk. This diskette will allow you to reset your password. Please remember that you will need to re-create the reset diskette if you changed your password

Set User Logon Hours

This is useful if you need to restrict users logging in at certain hours only:

1. Run net user *userid* /time:*time period* (eg: net user littlebaby /time:M-F,08:00-20:00 - Restrict littlebaby to logging in Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm

That's all to it...

Keep Operating System in RAM

If you have more than 512MB RAM, you might want to keep your core operating system files in your RAM as WinXP will be run faster.

This will prevent WinXP from paging your core files:

1. Run Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
2. Double-click DisablePagingExecutive DWORD value
3. Make sure the value is 1

That's all to it...

Adjust Level 2 Cache setting

Windows XP tries to detect your level 2 cache during installation. However, sometimes it does not detect correctly, or you might have upgraded your processor.

This will help you change your L2 settings :

1. Run Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
2. Double-click SecondLevelDataCache DWORD value
3. Change the value in the Value Data text box to a number that matches the size of your Level 2 cache.
   

   Level 2 cache	Value
   256 KB	0
   512 KB	200
   1024 KB	400

That's all to it... You might need to restart before the changes will be applied.

Windows XP Auto-Login

There's a way to auto-login for Windows XP. However, it only works if you are NOT a member of a windows domain. Most users like this option, although I do not recommend it due to security concerns.

1. Goto Start -> Run
2. Type control userpasswords2
3. Remove the checkmark on Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer
4. Click on Apply
   An Automatically Log On dialog box appears
5. Type the username and password you wish to auto-login

That's it...

Windows XP Startup/Shutdown Scripts

Some of us like to run startup/shutdown scripts, like batch files that clear certain directories. Many thought that it cannot be done anymore in Windows XP. Not really... 8*)

1. Goto Start -> Run
2. Type gpedit.msc
3. Click on Windows Settings
4. Click on Scripts (Startup/Shutdown)
5. Double Click on Startup/Shutdown
6. Click on Add
7. Type the startup/shutdown program at Script Name and any parameters needed at Script Parameters
8. Click on OK
9. Close the console and restart the computer

That's it...

Open Outlook Express Links in a New Window

I subscribe to some email newsletters and sometimes, I find it quite annonying that the links that I click on will overwrite a page that I'm currently viewing. This tip will force Outlook Express to open a new window for all the links you click in your emails. I think it should also work for Outlook. I'm not too sure on that.

1. Goto Control Panel -> Internet Options (Assuming in Classic View)
2. Under the Advanced tab, look under Browsing
3. Uncheck Reuse windows for launching shortcuts

That's it...

Disable Desktop Cleaning Wizard

I've always found that the desktop cleanup wizard pretty annoying. Keeps popping up and tempting me to whack my laptop. Well, I've did a little digging and I found a way to disable that annoying bugger. 8*)

Steps to disable Desktop Cleanup Wizard:

1. Goto Control Panel -> Display (Assuming in Classic View)
2. Under the Desktop tab, choose Customize Desktop...
3. Uncheck Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days

That's it...

Disable Indexing Service

Windows XP runs many background services by default. One of them is this Indexing service that suppose to speed up your searching process. The service will run in the background, scanning your harddisk and creating indexes for all the files to improve searching time. By disabling this service, you will slightly improve the speed of XP. If you frequently search for files and requires speed, I do not recommend you to disable it. I think you require Adminstration rights for this tip.

Steps to disable Indexing Service:

1. Goto Control Panel -> Adminstrative Tools -> Services (Assuming in Classic View)
2. Search for Indexing Service in the list of Services
3. Right-Click and choose Properties
4. Change the Startup Type to Disabled

That's it...

Making the Folders Stick

Have you ever had problems where you set the particular Windows Folder settings and it does not "stick"?? Sometimes, the folder settings were even applied to other folders?

This is a fix I have found for this problem. Take note that when you apply the settings, all your previous folder settings will disappear:

1. Run Regedit and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
2. if the key doesn't exist, create a key, Shell
3. if the key doesn't exist, create a key, ShellNoRoam
4. Go to key Shell
5. Create a new DWORD, BagMRU Size
6. Enter the value 8000 in decimal
7. Go to key ShellNoRoam
8. Create a new DWORD, BagMRU Size
9. Enter the value 8000 in decimal
10. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
11. Create a new DWORD, NoSaveSettings
12. The value should be default 0

That's all to it...

Adding Applications into SendTo

Have you seen a SendTo option when you right-click a file in Explorer?? You can actually customize this option to open a file using a particular program. All you need to do is to right-click the file, goto the SendTo option and choose the program you want to send it to. The file will then be automatically opened by that program. This is how you can do it.

1. Choose the Run option from the Start Menu
2. Type sendto
3. Find your favourite application and copy it. (Ctrl C or right-click->Copy)
4. Paste it as a shortcut into the SENDTO folder

That's it... You will be able to see the link in the SendTo option.

I use this SendTo option for editing files like the AUTOEXEC.BAT and for sending HTML files to different browsers for compatibility tests.

Can't find that website

Whenever you could not access a website, it might not be due to your lousy typing skills. 8*p It might be that the internet servers were overloaded and they could not receive your request. However, Windows XP seems to cache these results so that whenever you type the same website, it will automatically give you an error. This is not what you want.

1. Run the registry by typing regedt32
2. Goto HKEY LOCAL MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Dnscache \ Parameters
3. Create a new DWORD value
4. Name it as NegativeCacheTime
5. The default value should be 0

That's all to it...

Windows XP Power Toys

This is the link to Microsoft Power Toys where you can tweak some of the settings in Windows XP. I will not go into details what they have. Just explore around... There are some functions which you might find useful.

Control your Power Options

The hibernation screws up your system and you want to disable it? You do not want the computer to shutdown when you press the power button? You want to set the power saving schemes for your laptop to lengthen your battery life? You want the laptop to hibernate when your battery is almost drained?

1. Goto Control Panel -> Power Options (Assuming Control Panel is in the Classic View)
2. • Power Schemes - Set when the computer will standby, hibernate, etc...
   • Alarms - Set when WinXP will give the alarm or execute a certain action when the battery power reaches a certain level.
   • Power Meter - Not sure what is it for... 8p
   • Advanced - Set what WinXP will do when you close the lid of your laptop, or press the power button.
   • Hibernate - Enable/Disable Hibernation.

That's it...

Customize your Start Menu

1. Goto Control Panel -> TaskBar and Start Menu (Assuming Control Panel is in the Classic View)
2. Click on the Start Menu tab and Start Menu Customize button
3. • General - Set which programs will execute when you click on the Internet/Email option
   • Advanced - Set if you want to see the Start Menu items as a link, or as a submenu.

That's it...

Organize Windows Explorer Files in Groups

Sometimes, we have a lot of folders, and files of different types of extension in one directory. It gets a little hard for us to search for what we want. There is actually a handy option in Windows Explorer to re-arrange the view in groups for easy viewing.

1. Open your Windows Explorer
2. Goto View -> Arrange Icons By -> Show In Groups

That's it... Please be reminded that this option is folder specific. It is set for that specific folder you were in when you activated that option.

Online Keyboard

I know that some of us, especially laptop users, do not like their keyboards, or the keyboards go bonkers occasionally. WinXP includes a useful Online KeyBoard which allows you to type using your mouse.

These are the steps to create a shortcut on your desktop to access this utility:

1. On your desktop, right-click and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Type osk in the textbox
3. Name the shortcut as Online KeyBoard and click on Finish

That's it...

Virtual Page/Swap File

The Virtual Page/Swap File is usually handled by the Operating System. However, if you want to maximize the performance of your machine, it will be better to handle it by yourself.

Ok, first, a simple explanation of Virtual Page/Swap File. The Page/Swap File is used when there is not enough memory to load up some applications. It's RAM on a harddisk. What WinXP does is it dynamically resizes the Swap File, depending on how much memory is needed. This will slow down the speed of the system and the swap file storage might be fragmented, causing the system to slow down further. To increase performance, it is better to at least set the Virtual Swap File to a fixed size so there's minimal harddisk accessing.

1. To do this, go to My Computer Properties or hit WINKEY + BREAK. Go to the Advanced Tab and click on Performance Settings. Click on the Advanced tab.
2. Click on the Virtual Memory Change button
3. It is advisable to place your virtual swap file on a second harddisk or a faster harddisk. The faster the better...
4. Click on Custom Size and set the Initial Size and Maximum Size to the amount of space you want to reserve for the Swap File (in MB). You can set it as the recommended value shown there, or play safe like me, and put 512MB. So far, I have never exceeded it and I have a background server and database running.

That's it... The system will reboot after this.

System Restore

One of the most liked features of Win ME is the System Restore function. But do you know that Win98/SE also have that function? The process is not as simple as Win ME but I found that the Win98/SE backups more throughly than Win ME.

Anyway, there are 2 steps to it, backing up the Registry and backing up the crucial files.

1. Go to Accessories -> System Tools -> System Information
2. Under Tools, run Registry Checker
3. It will give you a warning that it has already backup the registry. Just ignore that warning and backup the registry
4. Under Tools, run System Configuration Utility
5. You will see a Create Backup option. Click that...

That's all to it... There are a few ways where you can restore the backup. One of the ways is that Windows will prompt you to restore the backup when it detects corruption in the registry. You can also boot up using the Win98/SE boot disk, and run scanreg /restore at C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND. The program will ask you which backup do you want to restore.

Prevent IE from crashing your system

I have heard that if IE browser crash during the surfing of the net, the whole system must be rebooted. I am not sure whether it is true, but i have found an option that might help. Theoritically that is... I think this option is only found in IE 4.0 and above.

1. Goto Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Internet and click on the Advanced tab
2. Tick the checkbox next to Browse in a new process

Theoritically, this will isolate the crashing to the specific window that it crashed in so that it will not affect the other parts of the operating system. At least that's what i think it does.

Memory usage

he following steps will tell Windows to use all available RAM before using the swap file.

1. Open the system.ini file
2. Go under the header 386Enh
3. Create a entry ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1
   Example:
   [386Enh]
   .
   .
   .
   ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1
   

The following steps will tell Windows to unload all the Dynamic Link Libraries (DLL) after they are used.

1. Run Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
2. Create a String, AlwaysUnloadDLL
3. Enter 1 for the value of the AlwaysUnloadDLL String

That's all to it...

Application Priority

The following steps will tell the CPU Processor to give the fastest priority to any program that is being loaded. This does improve the loading speed by a little.

1. Run Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\BIOS\
2. Create a DWORD, CPUPriority
3. Enter 1 for the value of the CPUPriority DWORD

That's all to it...

Copy and Move to folder

The following steps will create 2 more options when you right-click on any file. The options are Copy To Folder and Move To Folder. Remember to backup the registry before changing anything.

1. Run Regedit and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
2. Create a New Key, Copy To
3. Go to the Copy To key
4. Create a new (Default) String
5. Enter {C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13} for the value of the (Default) String
6. Go Back to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
7. Create a New Key, Move To
8. Go to the Move To key
9. Create a new (Default) String
10. Enter {C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13} for the value of the (Default) String

That's all to it...

Adding Applications into SendTo

Have you seen a SendTo option when you right-click a file in Explorer?? You can actually customize this option to open a file using a particular program. All you need to do is to right-click the file, goto the SendTo option and choose the program you want to send it to. The file will then be automatically opened by that program. This is how you can do it.

1. Open your Explorer
2. Let's say if you want NotePad to be inside the SendTo Option, goto the Windows Directory, right-click the NotePad program and copy it
3. Goto C:\WINDOWS\SENDTO
4. Paste it as a shortcut into the SENDTO folder

That's it... You will be able to see the NotePad link in the SendTo option.

I use this SendTo option for editing files like the AUTOEXEC.BAT and for sending HTML files to different browsers for compatibility tests.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Are some of you dependent on the keyboard? Well, I am and I am always on a lookout for keyboard shortcuts. Here are some of the shortcuts that i always use. However, you must have a WINKEY for these shortcuts to work. The WINKEY is a key that has a Windows Logo on it. Hope you will enjoy these shortcuts!

WINKEY + BREAK	Pops up the System Properties in the Control Panel
WINKEY + E	Runs Windows Explorer
WINKEY + F	Equivalent to the Find option at your start button
WINKEY + M	Minimizes all windows
WINKEY + D	Minimizes the current active window
WINKEY + R	Equivalent to the RUN option at your start button

After doing some research, I have finally found the shortcut keys to shutting down and restarting the system. I wonder why Microsoft has never documented all these useful stuffs...

Shutdown Windows

1. On a clear area on your desktop, right-click the mouse and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Enter C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindows for the Command Line
3. Name the shortcut Shutdown Windows (or any other name you find appropriate)

Restart Windows

1. On a clear area on your desktop, right-click the mouse and Goto New -> Shortcut
2. Enter C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindowsexec for the Command Line
3. Name the shortcut Restart Windows (or any other name you find appropriate)
   Take Note: This shortcut will run the contents of C:\WINDOWS\DOSSTART.BAT before it restarts the system. If your DOSSTART.BAT contains something, it is recommended not to use this shortcut as it might increase your memory consumption whenever you use this shortcut.

Keyboard speed delay

Sometimes, when you scroll down the screen using the keyboard, have you ever wondered why it's scrolling down the page so slowly? Just change the keyboard setting and the page will scroll down faster.

1. Goto Control Panel
2. Goto Keyboard
3. Set the Repeat Delay to the Shortest
4. Set the Repeat Rate to the Fastest

That's it...

Memory reserved for accessing files

The following tip increases the amount of memory reserved for accessing files in the harddisk. Do not use this tip if you have lesser than 64MB ram.

1. Goto My Computer Properties or WINKEY+BREAK
2. Goto the Performance Tab and click on File System
3. Set the Typical role of this machine to Network Server
4. Set the Read-ahead optimization to Full

Reboot the system and that's it...

Refresh Directory Contents

Whenever you are in Windows Explorer, and you create a file using another application, we must refresh the screen in order to see the file. Well, there is a way around this but you must modify the registry.

1. Run Regedit using WINKEY+R or any MSDOS box.
2. Goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\control\Update
3. Modify the UpdateMode to 00. (Original value is 01). Just change the value. Do not touch the 0000 in front.

Reboot the system and that's it...

Disk Cache

What is a disk cache? To my knowledge, it speeds up harddisk access by storing some of the locations of the recently loaded files into the system memory. Ever realised that no matter how much ram you add, you always seem to have not enough memory? Actually, the extra memory is being eaten up by the disk cache, which might be needed by some other applications.

I did some tests on the disk cache and I found that if you allocate too much space for the disk cache, your harddisk will actually slow down. Depending on systems, the ideal values will be from 6144 to 10240. I have tested this using many systems, even those that have only 32MB ram. It has never crashed the system.

I have not tested this on harddisks with internal buffers. Theoritically, I can reduce the amount of memory used... I won't know until I upgrade my present harddisk.

1. To set the disk cache, edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
2. Find the [vcache] entry
   Example:
   [vcache]
   MinFileCache=10240
   MaxFileCache=10240

Save the File and reboot the system...

Virtual Swap File

The Virtual Swap File is usually handled by the WIN95/WIN98 Operating System. However, if you want to maximize the performance of your machine, it will be better to handle it by yourself.

Ok, first, a simple explanation of Virtual Swap File. The Swap File is used when there is not enough memory to load up some applications. It's RAM on a harddisk. What WIN95/WIN98 does is it dynamically resizes the Swap File, depending on how much memory is needed. This will slow down the speed of the system and the swap file storage might be fragmented, causing the system to slow down further. To increase performance, it is better to at least set the Virtual Swap File to a minimum size.

Nowadays, many people tend to multi-task more often, and many programs use a lot of memory, so it's not advisable to set a Maximum.

1. To do this, go to My Computer Properties or hit WINKEY + BREAK. Go to the Performance Tab and click on Virtual Memory. Click on the Let me specify my own virtual settings.
2. Ok, the first option, Hard Disk. It is advisable to place your virtual swap file on a second harddisk or a faster harddisk. The faster the better...
3. Set the Minimum to the minimum amount of space you want to reserve for the Swap File (in MB). I usually put it at 512MB. Leave the Maximum at default value.

That's it... The system will reboot after this.

To Wireless or Not to Wireless?

Wireless Networking… A popular buzzword used nowadays. People seldom know the details, but all wish to jump onto the bandwagon. It's accessible, convenient, and the price is reasonable. However, you should weigh the options carefully before jumping blindly. 8*) Let me first introduce the few standards of wireless networking, and I'll say a little on wireless security.

802.11B
This popular standard has been around the longest and it's well supported and stable. Theoretically, it could reach speeds of up to 11 mega bits per second (Mbps). However, the speed is usually at around 4Mbps, due to interference from the surroundings. The range is around 300ft.

What are the disadvantages of using this standard? 802.11B uses the 2.4 GHz frequency range. The reason I mentioned this frequency range is because your cordless phones (Not all, but most), and microwave ovens are also using the same frequency. I guess you better think twice before implementing this standard if you have a lot of cordless phones, as it might result in you not able to connect to the wireless network. The next disadvantage will be security. This standard has been around the longest, so there are multiple tools available that is used to hack into this network.

802.11G
This standard, which was finally standardized at around June 2003, is fast gaining in popularity as this standard is backward compatible with 802.11B, and the speed reaches up to 54 Mbps. Therefore, if you have a current 802.11B network in place, you could gradually phase out your network and use a mixture of 802.11B and 802.11G devices.

What are the disadvantages of using this standard? 802.11G uses the same frequency as 802.11B. Therefore, the disadvantages of 802.11B are also "inherited". In addition, it has a shorter range than 802.11B. I believe its around 200ft. Recently, there are also articles suggesting that if one of the 802.11G network users is using a slower network card (eg: 802.11B), it will pull down the speeds of all the rest of the users…

802.11A
This standard was introduced after 802.11B, but before 802.11G. However, it did not really reach widespread popularity. One of the reasons may be because it is not compatible with 802.11B (or 802.11G). It is however, quite fast, with speeds of up to 54Mbps. It seems that you're also able to combine frequency channels to achieve speeds of up to 72Mbps. Of course, you will never reach those speeds. But even if you divide it by half, it's still relatively fast. It also uses a different frequency range, 5.8 GHz. As a result, there are fewer devices that will interfere with the network, and there are also fewer hacking tools designed to exploit this network standard.

What are the disadvantages of using this standard? There's no backward compatibility with the standards above due to the different frequency band. Hmm… That's about what I can think of for now. 8*p

802.11N

802.11n uses a technology called multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), a signal processing and smart antenna technique for transmitting multiple data streams through multiple antennas. The result is up to five times the performance and up to twice the range compared to the earlier 802.11g standard. However, one has to take note that this is for pure 802.11n standard. Once you make it backward compatible with the other older standards, the speed and range will be reduced.

Currently, all the products now are all based on Draft specifications. Draft 2.0 is currently the latest draft. The latest Mac, Buffalo, Linksys, D-Link line of Wireless routers/adapters currently do have 802.11N line of products. All are firmware upgradeable. Meaning that once the specification is confirmed, all you need is to flash the firmware.

Note that if you're uncomfortable with flashing firmwares, it'll be wise not to get the 802.11n routers until the specifications have been fixed.

Security
Security has always been the issue for Wi-Fi devices. It's relatively easy to hack into it as the devices' default settings are usually configured for optimal accessibility, not security. Enabling the security options will also reduce the speed of the network. Why do you need security? Unlike wired networks, it's easy to access the network as long as you're within range of the antennas. Even your neighbor could start using your broadband connection just by owning a wireless network card. Using an in-secure network might also result in difficulties in connecting to the network, or even encourage the use of your network to attack other networks. Here are a few tips in protecting your wireless network.

• Antenna placement is quite important. The wireless access point should be placed in the middle of the area you want covered. Signals leaking out of the area should be minimized. Pointing the antenna straight up will lead to an even distribution of signals. Pointing it to a specific direction will increase the signal for that particular direction.
• Many people has disabled the Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) as it affects the speed of the network. Although the WEP encryption is weak, it is still better than nothing. This basic encryption will render your data transmissions unreadable, at the cost of a reduction in speed. Currently, the recommendation will be using WPA and WPA2 encryption. It was noted that an alphanumeric password of 10 characters and above takes more than 10 years to crack. I will not talk about EAP, LEAP, PEAP and all those stuff. :)
  
• The service set identifier (SSID) of your wireless access point is used to identify your point to initiate connections. SSID is usually set by the manufacturer and there's a default SSID used by different manufacturers. Hackers could easily hack into these networks by using these default SSIDs. Therefore, you should change the SSID to a unique number, and disable the broadcast of the SSID to minimize these situations.
• Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) is most popularly used as it promotes accessibility. However, this is not ideal for a wireless network. If possible, disable it, or control it by allocation a certain IP address to a certain MAC address, and restricting the number of IP addresses it issues. The safest deal will be to disable it totally and configuring your computers manually to access the network.

Hope that this article helps you in understanding wireless networks. The convenience is tempting, but still, weigh the advantages and disadvantages before choosing the type of network to use. Have fun…

Are you a Spammer?

A spammer is a person who sends a large amount of emails, to many people. Why did I write this article? I find that many people have been complaining about spammers flooding their mailbox, but they themselves do not realize that they are actually spamming too. How many times have you received chain-emails and virus hoaxes? I'm sure you had quite a few.

The main reason for this article is because I find that some of my friends' emails have been blacklisted by certain Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and as a result, all their emails were bounced back, irregardless of the content. How do you avoid such "misunderstandings"?

Well, according to what I've found out, certain ISPs based their auto-spam-filtering process by looking at the BCC addresses. I'm sure many of us have the habit of putting all our friends email addresses in the BCC column so that the email addresses will not be seen by everyone. Some big ISPs actually defined a spammer as someone who sends to more than 10 email addresses in the BCC column. Some has also set the limit for the To, and CC addresses column.

How do we avoid this "misunderstanding" of being labeled a spammer? Use e-groups mailing lists. There are many free mailing group services available, like CoolList, and YahooGroups. Add your friends' email addresses into the group mailing list and that's it. Sometimes, there are additional services like photos and files sharing.

Try not to commit the mistake of blacklisting your ISP emails due to your un-intentional spamming activities. Getting into the blacklisting is easy, getting out isn't. Some ISPs take as long as a few months to remove the offending ISP from the list. This could cause some in-convenience, and even a lost of income if you're running a business.

Hope this article helps...

ATA RAID Information

What is ATA RAID?

What is RAID? RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, a way of combining harddisks together to enhance performance and backing up of data. I wrote this simplified article because I recently saw motherboards incorporating ATA RAID controllers. My friends are asking me what's RAID, thus this article.

Previously, whenever we talk of RAID, it's always in terms of SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) based harddisks. However, with the introduction of ATA RAID controllers, we are now able to use the cheaper ATA harddisks to link an array. Do we need a RAID controller for normal users? I will say no. The most simple RAID configuration requires at least 2 harddisks which are exactly the same. Although harddisk prices are going down, I still think it's not a worthwhile investment unless the data stored is extremely important. However, in that case, you're not a normal user are you?

In ATA RAID controllers, there are only 3 types of configuration. RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 0 + 1. The motherboards that I saw usually only support RAID 0 and RAID 1. I will explain both of the configurations. RAID 0 + 1 just combines the 2 previous methods. It costs the most (in terms of the number of harddisks), but it's the fastest, and the most reliable configuration. You will also need to check what kind of RAID controller do you have? An ATA100 RAID controller? This will determine what type of harddisks do you need. You need a minimum of 2 harddisk to form an array.

RAID 0

RAID 0 is useful when you're dealing with a huge file. Writing huge files to harddisks takes quite some time. A simplified explantion... RAID 0 configuration splits the huge file into a number of "smaller files", equal to the number of harddisks you have linked to the RAID 0 array. It will then write the files into the separate harddisks at the same time. This increases the speed of reading and writing huge files.

What are the Pros? Reading a 50MB file is definitely faster than reading a 100MB file. Accessing huge amount of data in the harddisk is faster.
The Cons? The harddisks linked to the array should have exactly the same capacity. The reason is because the total capacity of this configuration is equal to the smallest capacity of the harddisks array, multiplied by the number of harddisks you have. Example: 4 10GB hardisks, and 1 50GB harddisks, will have a total capacity of 50GB (10GB * 5 harddisks). 40GB of space is wasted.

Frequent reading and writing of harddisks will wear the harddisk down. A failure of any of the harddisks, means that all your data is lost.

What's the use of this configuration? Well... Most people uses it for retrieval of information from big databases. I've been told that capturing video is also one of its uses, as the access speed of the harddisk is critical to the speed of the video capturing.

RAID 1

RAID 1 is useful for backing up of data. It mirrors all the information in the harddisk into the other harddisks in the array. If you have a array of 4 harddisks, you will have 3 backups.

What are the Pros? Data security... Gone are the days where you worry about what will happen when a virus strikes your harddisk and wiped out everything. :) When 1 drive fails, the other will take over automatically.
The Cons? Similar to the RAID 0 array, the smallest capacity of the array is the total capacity of the array. Example: 2 10GB harddisk, 1 20GB harddisk, will have a total capacity of 10GB, with 2 backups.

This is an expensive way of backing up of data. Basically, backing up a 50GB harddisk requires another 50GB harddisk.

This configuration is used for backing up important data. It backups and recovers data seamlessly, useful for web servers and file servers.

Shifting to Blogger

Finally decided to shift from my free website at Geocities to Blogger. Starting to gradually shift my content here. Might leave some of my content at Geocities. The search feature will be cool.

Anyway, I think I'm getting lazier and lazier as I grow older. Don't really feel like coding websites anymore. Maybe its due to my work. Too much of a good thing is bad? :)