Computers
All the technical stuff about computers!
Note:
These tips are provided as-is. I am
not responsible for any problems you encounter. Every computer is
different, so if you're unsure read up on any options that you do not
understand.
You know Firefox? Yah, that web browser that everyone is starting to use instead of Internet Explorer (IE). Well, Firefox (FF) is definately, in my opinion, a better browser than IE. And I'm taking into account IE 7 RC1 here, too. Well, FF is a better browser under one condition: Extensions.
Extensions are what really make FF shine. The vast range of extensions offers pretty much any functionality you want, and if you know some programming you can make changes to your browser yourself, by writing one or making a GreaseMonkey script. However, there's such a wide selection ready to go already and I'm going to list here the absolute musts and the ones that I would definately suggest.
Must-Haves
1. Last Tab: Last tab provides what FF should have by default, a recently-viewed tabbed browsing feature. It basically makes it so that instead of cycling left-to-right through tabs when you hit Ctrl-Tab (the default key), you cycle through the tabs you just viewed. And, unlike Tab Mix Plus, this one works good.
2. Download Statusbar: One of the more annoying things about FF is that the Downloads window popups all the time, every download. IE does something similar. However, no more! Download Statusbar adds an extra bar that shows all current downloads with a progress bar. Whenever you aren't downloading something, the bar goes away. Plus, it keeps all the functionality of the Download window.
3. Session Manager: Okay, this is the one I install first. Sessions manager saves your session (all your tabs, windows, etc.) that you had open when FF crashed. It also allows you to save what you have open to a file, so that it can be loaded anytime you have FF open. Not only that, if you accidentally close a tab you can open it again. Its simple and it works.
4. Adblock Plus: This is one that you need if you browse frequently at all. It allows you to block any flash content on a page, any image, any background image, any styles, pretty much anything you want. Does some ad annoy you? Get adblock plus. Plus, it also has a list of the most frequent and annoying ads, so you have them blocked automatically if you choose so when you first start it up.
5. ErrorZilla: The default error page for when you can't load a page. The server's just not there. Ever have this experience? Of course you have! And ErrorZilla is a useful extension that makes it so that instead of just a lone 'Try Again' button, you can also look it up in the Google Cache(really useful!), check the owner on the Whois network, ping the server to see if it's even there, and more! Plus it adds a cool Mozilla logo in the background!
6. OpenDownload: This was always one thing that bothered me about FF. It doesn't allow you to open files directly that are either an .exe or an unknown file. Well, OpenDownload restores this, allowing you to open any file on the internet in the OS defined software, which makes this one annoyance vanish and even makes it better than's IE's similar functionality.
Others 1. PDF Download: PDF Downloader is a good extension to have if you view pdf files on the net much at all. Basically, instead of loading Adobe in your browser (SLOW!), it gives you four options: Open externally with your real PDF viewer, save to disk, open in browser, and cancel. Its a must if you've ever had a PDF open in your browser once or twice.
2. Video Downloader: Video Downloader is, sorta like PDF Download, a good extension to have if you have ever found an embedded video that you'd like to download, or a Youtube or Google Video page that you would like to save. It adds a little button in the lower right of your window, click it and it will open a new window with all the downloads on the page listed. Make sure to read the instructions for Youtube videos, though.
3. Customize Google: Yet another situation-specific one. If you use Google, there's a few things that are annoying. One, is the text ads. Sometimes they're useful, but usually they are risky sites. Two, is that Google uses click direction (read a few articles below to find out what that is). However, there's plenty more for this extension. You can activate google suggest, automatically give the search box focus, add numbers beside each result, and many other things. Plus, it also cusstomizes almost every other main Google service available. A must if you use anything Google whatsoever.
4. McAfee SiteAdvisor: This one is just useful in general. It's made by security-company McAfee, and adds a little bar to the lower right of the window which tells you whether McAfee rates the site as safe or not. Plus, it integrates with Google search results to tell you the info before you browse there.
5. Gmail Space: Last one, this one basically utilizes your gmail's 2GB file storage as, well, file storage. Be warned though that if you use an external email program it will download these messages too. One note, though, is that you can move the files outta the Inbox and GSpace will still detect them in your sent messages folder.
Okay, that's it. You've got to have the Must-Have ones if you use FF regularily, but the others are pretty cool too. Oh, and as an ending comment, if you like cats try the Red Cats (Blue Favor) theme!
Yet another update. This one's really just for fun. Fold up a little paper mac-mini! Here's the link:http://blog.neoteny.com/eno/archives/008875.html
It's really a cool little thing to do!
First, bring up the command line. Goto Start->Run... and type in 'cmd' (no quotes) and hit enter. This will bring up the command line. Browse to where the files are located, and type this:
COPY /B Filename.jpg + ArchiveName.rar TargetFilename.jpg
As one line. Replace the italics with the correct names,TargetFilename should be a file that doesn't exist yet. If all goes well, then in a moment you will have a new file. This file, when opened in a regular fashion, will seem like a completely normal jpg image. However, open the same file with WinRar or another .rar-compatible archive application and you'll get the contents of the archive instead!
Enjoy, Metroid48!
Okay, I know it's been a while. Like, two months. And this is actually a two part one-finding interesting, random info, and an update to the index.dat one I posted earlier.
First, for the random info. Click on:
http://www.wikihow.com/Special:Random
To get a random bit of info about practically anything. Everytime you click it you will get something different. It's actually a cool way to find out stuff you never would have thought about (until you needed it)!
Secondly, you can use a tool called Pasco to convert the index.dat files by clicking here to download it. Please note that this is a tool that should only be used by advanced users. It is in a .zip file that you have to extract to your computer.
Then, download my user_index.dat_translator.bat (don't worry if you don't see the .bat part) file from here and put it in the Pasco folder. Launch tha .bat file. A command window will pop up, just wait a moment and notepad will open. This notepad document basically is a fully decoded version of the current user's primary index.dat file.
After closing notepad, press Y or N (then enter) to say whether you would like to save that notepad file in the folder. Then, it is safe to close the window.
Hi, today I'll talk about something you might not have known. Google tracks how many clicks they get on certain links and, if the data they gather was disclosed, then your searching habits could be revealed.
Now, there are several ways they do this:
For the first one, there are two main ways. If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns you a dynamic IP address, then you're more-or-less safe. However, if you're using a modem or don't have a dynamic IP address, you could use a tool that changes your IP address through a proxy. For the second one, there's not much you can do. However, for Firefox users there's an extension called Customize Google. It can be found here. Then, from its options area in the tools menu, choose remove click tracking. Another method is using a great search engine called Scandoo, it's made to look just like Google yet it removes click tracking and warns you of malicious websites. Try it out here. Note: Look in the address bar, you're not using Google!
For the final one, there's one options. The first is to block cookies from both google.com and whatever is your localized version. eg google.ca. However, this stops services like Google Pages from working. it's really a matter of setting it to block, then checking if all the Google services you use still work. If not, you'll just have to let them send cookies.
So, thanks for reading. I hope this helps you in browsing more anonymously, and improves your browsing experience in general. So, anyway, see ya on the web!
-Metroid48
Now, you will see a) A bunch of squares, or b) Some Gibberish, depending on what fonts you have. Why does this happen? It's due to a bug in a Windows function, called IsTextUnicode(). Notepad runs this to figure out what format the text file is in. Windows messes up, though, due to how short the string is. This works with a lot of short, even-character strings.
Our current feature is the files and data Microsoft hopes you'll never find. Make sure you don't actually modify the files I point you to, as I am not responsible for any issues your computer develops due to modification or deletion of files in Windows and listed directories. Anyway, just try this:
October 18, 2006
You know Firefox? Yah, that web browser that everyone is starting to use instead of Internet Explorer (IE). Well, Firefox (FF) is definately, in my opinion, a better browser than IE. And I'm taking into account IE 7 RC1 here, too. Well, FF is a better browser under one condition: Extensions.
Extensions are what really make FF shine. The vast range of extensions offers pretty much any functionality you want, and if you know some programming you can make changes to your browser yourself, by writing one or making a GreaseMonkey script. However, there's such a wide selection ready to go already and I'm going to list here the absolute musts and the ones that I would definately suggest.
Must-Haves
1. Last Tab: Last tab provides what FF should have by default, a recently-viewed tabbed browsing feature. It basically makes it so that instead of cycling left-to-right through tabs when you hit Ctrl-Tab (the default key), you cycle through the tabs you just viewed. And, unlike Tab Mix Plus, this one works good.
2. Download Statusbar: One of the more annoying things about FF is that the Downloads window popups all the time, every download. IE does something similar. However, no more! Download Statusbar adds an extra bar that shows all current downloads with a progress bar. Whenever you aren't downloading something, the bar goes away. Plus, it keeps all the functionality of the Download window.
3. Session Manager: Okay, this is the one I install first. Sessions manager saves your session (all your tabs, windows, etc.) that you had open when FF crashed. It also allows you to save what you have open to a file, so that it can be loaded anytime you have FF open. Not only that, if you accidentally close a tab you can open it again. Its simple and it works.
4. Adblock Plus: This is one that you need if you browse frequently at all. It allows you to block any flash content on a page, any image, any background image, any styles, pretty much anything you want. Does some ad annoy you? Get adblock plus. Plus, it also has a list of the most frequent and annoying ads, so you have them blocked automatically if you choose so when you first start it up.
5. ErrorZilla: The default error page for when you can't load a page. The server's just not there. Ever have this experience? Of course you have! And ErrorZilla is a useful extension that makes it so that instead of just a lone 'Try Again' button, you can also look it up in the Google Cache(really useful!), check the owner on the Whois network, ping the server to see if it's even there, and more! Plus it adds a cool Mozilla logo in the background!
6. OpenDownload: This was always one thing that bothered me about FF. It doesn't allow you to open files directly that are either an .exe or an unknown file. Well, OpenDownload restores this, allowing you to open any file on the internet in the OS defined software, which makes this one annoyance vanish and even makes it better than's IE's similar functionality.
Others 1. PDF Download: PDF Downloader is a good extension to have if you view pdf files on the net much at all. Basically, instead of loading Adobe in your browser (SLOW!), it gives you four options: Open externally with your real PDF viewer, save to disk, open in browser, and cancel. Its a must if you've ever had a PDF open in your browser once or twice.
2. Video Downloader: Video Downloader is, sorta like PDF Download, a good extension to have if you have ever found an embedded video that you'd like to download, or a Youtube or Google Video page that you would like to save. It adds a little button in the lower right of your window, click it and it will open a new window with all the downloads on the page listed. Make sure to read the instructions for Youtube videos, though.
3. Customize Google: Yet another situation-specific one. If you use Google, there's a few things that are annoying. One, is the text ads. Sometimes they're useful, but usually they are risky sites. Two, is that Google uses click direction (read a few articles below to find out what that is). However, there's plenty more for this extension. You can activate google suggest, automatically give the search box focus, add numbers beside each result, and many other things. Plus, it also cusstomizes almost every other main Google service available. A must if you use anything Google whatsoever.
4. McAfee SiteAdvisor: This one is just useful in general. It's made by security-company McAfee, and adds a little bar to the lower right of the window which tells you whether McAfee rates the site as safe or not. Plus, it integrates with Google search results to tell you the info before you browse there.
5. Gmail Space: Last one, this one basically utilizes your gmail's 2GB file storage as, well, file storage. Be warned though that if you use an external email program it will download these messages too. One note, though, is that you can move the files outta the Inbox and GSpace will still detect them in your sent messages folder.
Okay, that's it. You've got to have the Must-Have ones if you use FF regularily, but the others are pretty cool too. Oh, and as an ending comment, if you like cats try the Red Cats (Blue Favor) theme!
October 17, 2006
Yet another update. This one's really just for fun. Fold up a little paper mac-mini! Here's the link:http://blog.neoteny.com/eno/archives/008875.html
It's really a cool little thing to do!
October 16, 2006
Now, this
is probably a shock for those who visited recently. I updated this
section within two
days! Anyway, this is actually quite a cool trick. It involves hiding a
.rar archive in a regular image file (only works with rar files, not
zip, and HAS to be hidden in a jpg). Note, you have to be okay with
using the command line to do this.
First, bring up the command line. Goto Start->Run... and type in 'cmd' (no quotes) and hit enter. This will bring up the command line. Browse to where the files are located, and type this:
COPY /B Filename.jpg + ArchiveName.rar TargetFilename.jpg
As one line. Replace the italics with the correct names,TargetFilename should be a file that doesn't exist yet. If all goes well, then in a moment you will have a new file. This file, when opened in a regular fashion, will seem like a completely normal jpg image. However, open the same file with WinRar or another .rar-compatible archive application and you'll get the contents of the archive instead!
Enjoy, Metroid48!
October 14, 2006
Okay, I know it's been a while. Like, two months. And this is actually a two part one-finding interesting, random info, and an update to the index.dat one I posted earlier.
First, for the random info. Click on:
http://www.wikihow.com/Special:Random
To get a random bit of info about practically anything. Everytime you click it you will get something different. It's actually a cool way to find out stuff you never would have thought about (until you needed it)!
Secondly, you can use a tool called Pasco to convert the index.dat files by clicking here to download it. Please note that this is a tool that should only be used by advanced users. It is in a .zip file that you have to extract to your computer.
Then, download my user_index.dat_translator.bat (don't worry if you don't see the .bat part) file from here and put it in the Pasco folder. Launch tha .bat file. A command window will pop up, just wait a moment and notepad will open. This notepad document basically is a fully decoded version of the current user's primary index.dat file.
After closing notepad, press Y or N (then enter) to say whether you would like to save that notepad file in the folder. Then, it is safe to close the window.
August 18, 2006
Hi, today I'll talk about something you might not have known. Google tracks how many clicks they get on certain links and, if the data they gather was disclosed, then your searching habits could be revealed.
Now, there are several ways they do this:
- IP address tracking.
- Tracking clicks on links. Eg, if the link was something.com and you clicked on it, you would be redirected to a link more like http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1& url=http%3A%2F%2Flsomething.com%2F&ei=f3NCROGdD6f2qwKh8qT8BA &sig2=acgf-_t9eoqUbkKqkoFCfg. This lets google know you've clicked that link.
- Cookies tracking
For the first one, there are two main ways. If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns you a dynamic IP address, then you're more-or-less safe. However, if you're using a modem or don't have a dynamic IP address, you could use a tool that changes your IP address through a proxy. For the second one, there's not much you can do. However, for Firefox users there's an extension called Customize Google. It can be found here. Then, from its options area in the tools menu, choose remove click tracking. Another method is using a great search engine called Scandoo, it's made to look just like Google yet it removes click tracking and warns you of malicious websites. Try it out here. Note: Look in the address bar, you're not using Google!
For the final one, there's one options. The first is to block cookies from both google.com and whatever is your localized version. eg google.ca. However, this stops services like Google Pages from working. it's really a matter of setting it to block, then checking if all the Google services you use still work. If not, you'll just have to let them send cookies.
So, thanks for reading. I hope this helps you in browsing more anonymously, and improves your browsing experience in general. So, anyway, see ya on the web!
-Metroid48
July
28, 2006
- 1. Open Notepad
- 2. Type in "this app can break" (no quotes)
- 3. Save it somewhere, filename doesn't matter.
- 4. Close Notepad.
- 5. Open Notepad and then open the file you just saved.
Now, you will see a) A bunch of squares, or b) Some Gibberish, depending on what fonts you have. Why does this happen? It's due to a bug in a Windows function, called IsTextUnicode(). Notepad runs this to figure out what format the text file is in. Windows messes up, though, due to how short the string is. This works with a lot of short, even-character strings.
Our current feature is the files and data Microsoft hopes you'll never find. Make sure you don't actually modify the files I point you to, as I am not responsible for any issues your computer develops due to modification or deletion of files in Windows and listed directories. Anyway, just try this:
- 1. Browse to C:\WINDOWS\Temp\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat or just click the link if you're in IE.
- 2. Gasp at some of the sites that Microsoft recorded you going to, but that's mainly sites that sent you files with cookies. There's more! Here's some of the rest:
Note: These addresses are for Windows XP users only
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Cookies\index.dat
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\index.dat
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\UserData\index.dat In all of those links, put in your user name of your account instead of <username>. Note that not all of these addresses will work. Depending on your version of XP, the addresses may or may not exist. However, whether or not they exist, some of these files will still be quite suprising. Just look around these files, but whatever you do, BE CAREFUL! Don't mess around with these files, you could damage your computer.