Hello all! Welcome to my blog! This blog would feature all the cool things I would think to share with the world, so you can say its a Miscellaneous Blog! haha! I hope you all enjoy reading my blog, have fun and a great day!
Do check out my first post -
http://toxifier.blogspot.com/2011/07/hello-world.html
Hey all my dear readers! :D I hope you all are doing great! ^_^
So I told you guys last week about this upcoming series to be alternated with the Security tips series, remember? At the request of a good blogmate of mine, I will be posting some Computer maintenance posts with how-to-dos, software that’ll help, etc. to guide you all towards a clean and speeded up computer experience. I would include things like Windows installation, backup, clean-ups, secure-erases, recovery, etc.
But for the start, I’ll be considering a few general tips. I know I am taking up this thing a little slow, and the one who requested this might find them to be a little too slow to be helpful for now, but eventually as the other posts in this series would come up you all will find these quite useful. But I can assure you, these general posts will give you headstart for the time being! Moreover, this last college semester is keeping me so busy that I cannot post much, so I guess you all would understand.
Let's first consider in brief the structure of this post.
Introduction
Why does your computer slow down?
Some handy tips to remember always
Conclusion/Comments
Introduction
So starting with this post, I’ll be discussing with you all today some reasons why your computer generally slows down. It’s not always unwanted clutter, but there are more reasons. It’s not only that your hardware suffers from wear-n-tear, but your software too suffers from wear-n-tear. Computer maintenance is something if you take it up as a routine would not take much time and keep your computer using experience fast, speedy and wonderful!
So, let’s begin? Umm wait, I should first fold up my sleeves as the custom is ;)
Why does your computer slow down?
There are several reasons for a slow computer. When I say slow computer I mean, slow web browser, or slow booting up, or slow disk access, slow, slow, slow, etc. etc. etc.!!
You use a laptop, and just hibernate it, not shut-down
Background running programs – Well they take up RAM, Processor and keep your PC busy while you never know they were running :/
Low disk space – In these days where 1 TB hard disk is common, I guess if your disk has less than 4 or 5 GB free then you are some super lazy person who never cleans up their system! Get rid of rubbish or data that’s totally useless. Try to keep it clean!
Fragmented Hard Disk – This one is a big problem. You know your Windows is a great Operating system, but with recurrent creation of new files and deletion of old ones, there is a creation of holes in the disk space which is unusable cluster. To get rid of such wasted space, you should defragment the disk/volume regularly, like once in 3 or 4 months, that’d be good.
Malware – A big problem for those who visit unknown, unfriendly website regularly. That means visiting unsafe websites offering free games, free porn, free downloads of music, etc. For those using pirated software, malware is a troubling issue.
Hardware conflicts – Now this thing is a little technical, I’ll take it up in some later post.
Out-of-date software/drivers – This includes your Windows which you don’t update, or use old software/drivers just because you are too, rather toooooooo lazy to update!
Out-of-date hardware/incompatible hardware-software – So you are running Windows 8 on a dual core computer with 1GB RAM? Wow man! You are so cool. Now please buy a 9mm and shoot yourself! >_< Dear buddy! You need something better okay! Always make sure you have a hardware that supports what software you are going to run on your machine. For example, if you wish to play new games like the latest edition of Need for Speed, then you do need a nice graphic card, you cannot do without it. So don’t complain that your PC is slow if you are running a 64-bit operating system on a system with 1 or 2 GB RAM.
Overheating processor – There are sometimes problems with your CPU cooler that leads to overheating processor which means slow processor.
Too many startup programs – This imply that so many processes run at your system’s startup most of which are totally unneeded, that your booting time goes up sky-rocketingly!
Uselessprograms – You installed that free word processor because you thought it was cool. But then you came to know your good old Libre Office was better and came back to it. But you were too lazy to clean up your system, i.e. get rid off that unneeded earlier program! You should make sure your system has things you need. Else the clutter would eat up disk space, if it has auto-update features, it will eat up your Internet connection, it might be running background services, etc. etc. etc.!!
Registry Errors – Should I tell you how to fix registry? I guess a novice should never play with that. It’s like giving the 3-year old a vodka bottle instead of a cotton candy! I won’t touch this topic until late in this series of posts and let me warn you playing with registry => total damage to your operating system/installed software. So it is just not for beginners, even not of not so advanced peeps considering themselves pro users. Unless you know the inside of registry functions, hashes, et.c never play with registry!
You thought you bought a SSD and that should solve everything? But you were over smart and defragmented your SSD, now you complain a slow disk! A random access device should never be defragmented. Only your simple hard disks are meant for defragmenting, not your SSD, get it?
You are unaware – You think reinstallation of windows is the only solutions – NO! You need to change your ways to keep your system healthy
You love the free stuff – You are easily lures by free stuff. I know I took this up in an earlier point but I would like to add up. There are free things that are safe, and there are free things you would be lured to use and then, BANG!! TRAPPED! Free music listening might be safer than downloading free music; free games might be good as long as the source is trustworthy; free porn is safe as long as you are cautious!
When I said you guys have lot of clutter in your PC, I did mean a lot of temporary files and Internet cache. This not only slows down your PC, but also is potentially unsafe because it might have some data which can be misused to violate your privacy.
Some handy tips to remember always
The major thing I had to share in this post is this list of general tips that always come in handy. I’ll come up with detailed tutorials in the posts to come. Though I’d like you read my blog, but if you are too restless to wait for the next posts, you can search these topics over the Internet to assist you if you need any queries sorted out. Else I’ll do detailed tutorials as I said, so I don’t think there will be any questions that will remain unanswered, okay? So just be a little patient and wait for the next posts in this series for detailed instructions. For the time being, make a note of these tips and always remember them:
”Cleanliness is next to godliness” – Keep your system free of temporary files. Run disk cleanup from your disk properties to clean it up off the unneeded files. This helps you get rid of useless restore points, internet cache (if you use Internet Explorer), cookies, etc. For other browser users, you can do so from your respective browsers. You can use CCleaner to automate the process for you. Read about it, here: http://toxifier.blogspot.com/2013/07/ccleaner-is-great-solution-to-piles-of_9.html
”Too many pieces spoiling my peace” – Just tell me if you have to carry 1000 pages, what way would be suitable? To organise them in a file, or to carry them as a pile? Okay, you carried them somehow and stuffed them here-n-there in your room. Now your boss needs you to bring them back now! And you know she’s a not-so-friendly lady and wants you to work quickly. What now? You know you are screwed if you didn’t organise them in a file. Now find them, and arrange them and bring them, just to see her being so angry that she’s already shouting at you. Sounds cool? No? Then why do you expect your operating system to be so efficient at finding those small clusters?
It becomes a havoc for your Operating Systems to recollect those fragments and make them available to you speedily. What happens is that, consider this example:
Your disk stores files as clusters of 4KB (say) each. You stored a file of 10KB (2.5 clusters). The operating system cannot work with such decimal addressing. What would happen is that, the file will use 3 clusters. Next you stored 100 such files, thus wasting 200KB in these stupid unusable holes! To make things worse, you deleted some of the files from here and there, and copied new files. You kept repeating this for a few months, and had around 200MB of holes. Due to holes, the Operating system wasn’t able to store the more incoming files in sequential order due to lack of disk space. So the operating system will store its pieces here and there. Now when you’ll request a file, the operating system will recollect and readdress all the pieces one by one and bring the file to you. But you know it’ll take much time. It was better if these pieces were sequentially arranged, right?
Now don’t be so angry with Microsoft. People there are good people who gave you utility, and improved it timely to make it better, for reversing this fragmentation’s effects and making things speeded up again! They called this, simply, Disk Defragment and the placed it at easy, and accessible position. Just right click your volume in My Computer, and click Properties. Then defragment. Analyze the volumes and check if the fragmentation percentage is more than 10%. If it is so, defragment it!
I have earlier posted an article on how to defragment your hard disk. So I guess there’s no point repeating it, so here is the link to that article: http://toxifier.blogspot.com/2012/04/disk-defragment-in-windows-7-tech.html
”Too many cooks, spoil the broth!” – You are on a shared computer and things are not well managed. All users think they are the best at using computer and all have their ways to keep it clean. Do you think it will make the computer fast? NO! Make sure someone takes up this responsibility. Better, transfer it to some good software, like TuneUp Utilities or CCleaner.
”Hey kid(app)! What are you doing here?” – So you downloaded and installed something and it is now long forgotten. Not that you forgot it because you are too busy with other things (wait a minute, let me stop laughing! :P) but because that software was totally useless! So what should you do now? Do I have to tell you? If you cannot remember it, open up Uninstall a program (or Add/Remove program) from Control Panel. Scan the list to find out what all is totally useless. Oh damn! What did I ask to open! Phew! Well but now I have said it. So what are the warnings? Not everything that seems useless is useless. You’ll see so many Microsoft Visual C++…. installed. DON’T REMOVE ANY OF THEM!! GET IT? IN ANY CASE! Only remove of things you are sure of you installed and are no longer required.
”Why does that Printer Addon loads during startup?” – Be it that HP digital monitor or any such thing that does not comes in handy but takes up a lot of time during system startup. It’ll be better if you could minimize the number of programs that run during startup. I’d suggest using TuneUp Utilities or CCleaner to help you again. Though there is another powerful tool inside windows called msconfig, but it is not for novice users since it shows some processes which user should not try to stop from running at startup. Thus you should make sure you know what you are doing. So instead of using msconfig, some software utility is better so that you don’t touch something you should not.
”Love at first sight? You just love the looks, you don’t know the person’s nature as yet” – Exact is the case with windows. You think all the good looks are cool, but hey! They come at a price. If you need better performance, you have to give up your ‘eye-candy’ behaviour, okay? Now how to do it? Right click My Computer, click Properties -> Advanced System Settings -> Advanced -> Performance - > Click the radio button next to adjust for best performance. Of course it’s not a good idea since it’ll totally mar the looks, so you can select which visual enhancements you need and which you don’t need.
”Even polar bears come out of hibernation after 6 months” – Occasionally shut-down or reboot your computer if you are resorting upon Hibernate feature since very long. Many of my friends, who use laptops never shut down their laptop, just hibernate their PC. This doesn’t let the RAM getting free of useless clutter. So sometimes atleast do a good deed, shutdown a PC :D
”Dust-bin is for crap. But you need to clean it occasionally!” – Don’t pile up useless files in Recycle Bin. Occasionally clean it, okay? Also make sure you uninstall useless applications.
CheckDisk Utility – It helps you check if your hard disk is clean. The partition is aligned properly. The filesystem is healthy. There are not S.M.A.R.T. problems. Etc. etc. etc. :D Microsoft has included an awesome utility named checkdisk with windows that keeps the drives healthy by letting you know of ay errors, and fixing them in process. Right click your volume, click properties -> Tools -> Check Now
”A healthy mind rests in a healthy body” – Just like your body needs to stay away from viruses so does your computer so that it functions smoothly. Install a good antivirus program. If you don’t want to pay much, I suggest using Avast. I have done a detailed post on antiviruses, you can refer here: http://toxifier.blogspot.com/2014/01/guidelines-for-securing-operating_14.html
”Go green is the need of the hour, but for how long? You cannot celebrate Earth-hour every single minute!” Your computer’s energy settings might spoil things. If you want a better battery life, you might have changed system power plan to something more energy efficient. But, be a little realistic. Not the best energy setting is good for performance. If you want better performance, you’ll have to give up that go-green habit for the time being :P So do change to performance plans when doing some processor intensive task, okay?
”Up-to-date means ready for the new world and new challenges!” – The point is if you want your machine to compete with the ever changing needs, you need to keep it updated. No software is built sans bugs. Thus updates are necessary to fix issues that keep getting uncovered during the use and feedback cycle. Turn on automatic updates if your operating system is genuine and you have a good Internet Connection. Always use latest version of your web browser. Always keep antivirus updated.
”Living without air?” – Your processor does a lot of work. So it needs nice cooling and ventilation. Make sure your CPU fan has no issues. I mean all fans, which includes the fan of your Power Supply Unit, Processor, Graphic Card, and any other fans you use in your cabinet. In case you are a laptop user, I hope you don’t like to use a furnace-hot keyboard, do you? Get rid of any blockages in the ventilation. So occasionally clean the casing with dry air, you can buy a low-power blower for that.
”32bit for less than 4GB, 64bit for more than that” – This is the mantra! Always remember this. If you have less than 4GB RAM, you don’t need 64-bit version of your operating system. So be wise. And if you are using a 64-bit windows on a machine boasting less than 4GB RAM, then change it now. Don’t worry! the same key would work for both version of windows. Though software versions for 64-bit version of Windows won’t work on 32bit operating systems, so be cautious! Increase your RAM if you need to. It doesn’t cost that much.
Good Luck – With all that said with images for your reference, I don’t think I have to say anything else :D Remember them and be a wise user, and nice user :)
Conclusion/Comments
I hope you find all the relevant information and tips I discussed with you all today. I hope these small and not so small things help you keep your PC working great :) For any queries or suggestions please feel free to comment here.
I hope you all have a great day ahead! :) Happy Tuesday :) See you all soon! :D
Hey all!! Happy Monday!! :D :D Let's celebrate this Musical Monday with some cool country music, what say?! :D
"One Step Forward" by The Desert Rose Band
Lyrics
You held me up, held me down
Made me crazy then you brought me around
Were my darkness and my light
You were my blindness and my sight
Were my shelter and my storm
Made me cold then you made me warm
You were my fever and my cure
Made me doubt and you made me sure
One step forward and two steps back
Nobody gets too far like that
One step forward and two steps back
This kind of dance can never last
You were my hope and my fear
You were my laughter and my tear
Were my destiny and my faith
Kept me movin' and you made me wait
Were my weakness and my power
You were the thorn in the flower
You were my sunshine and the rain
Made me feel so good brought so much pain
Now, one step forward and two steps back
Nobody gets too far like that
One step forward and two steps back
This kind of dance can never last
And we never really meant for each other
We were never really meant to last
In the years that we danced together
Each step forward, we took two steps back
Each step forward, we took two steps back
Now, one step forward and two steps back
Nobody gets too far like that
One step forward and two steps back
This kind of dance can never last
One step forward and two steps back
Nobody gets too far like that
One step forward and two steps back
This kind of dance can never last
"Crazy" by Willie Nelson
Lyrics
I'm crazy, crazy for feelin' so lonely
And I'm crazy, crazy for feelin' so blue
Oh I knew, you'd love me as long as you wanted
And then some day, you'd leave me for somebody new
Worry, why do I let myself worry?
Wonderin', what in the world did I do? yeah
I'm crazy for thinkin' that my love could hold you
Crazy for tryin', crazy for cryin' and I'm crazy for lovin' you
Worry, why do I let myself worry?
Wonderin', what in the world did I do?
I'm crazy for thinkin' that my love could hold you
Crazy for tryin', crazy for cryin' and I'm crazy for lovin' you
Crazy for tryin', and crazy for cryin' and I'm crazy for lovin' you
"Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray" by Patsy Cline
Lyrics
Two cigarettes in an ashtray
My love and I, in a small cafe
Then a stranger came along
And everything went wrong
Now there's three cigarettes in the ashtray
I watched her take him from me
And his love is no longer my own
Now they are gone
And I sit alone
And watch one cigarette burn away
I watched her take him from me
And his love is no longer my own
Now they are gone
And I sit alone
And watch one cigarette burn away...
I hope you all loved the songs. Hope to see you all soon again!! :)
Hey all my dear readers! :D I hope you all are doing just great! :)
Ready to continue where we left last week? I hope you all are having fun! :D Today is the last of the videos of this tutorial series.
For these tutorials, don't forget to thank thenewboston. You can check their Youtube Channel by clicking the image below:
#193 - Changing the Volume with a SeekBar
#194 - Downloading Admob SDK
#195 - Adding External Jar
#196 - Adding Admob Ad via XML
#197 - Adding Ad Unit Id and Ad Size
#198 - Adding Admob Ads via Java
#199 - Putting an App on the Market
#200 - Updating Application
I hope you all like them. Phew! It was a long journey of these Android Development Tutorials. Finally we are over with it. Let's hope you all found them interesting. I'll try and find more interesting tutorials for you all :) Have a great day, stay safe and have fun! ^_^ See you all soon :D
Hey all my dear readers! :D I hope you all are doing great! ^_^
I have been trying to post here regularly these days and I hope you guys are appreciating my effort that I am trying to take out time for this blog when this final semester is damn too busy! I have not been so busy in my life ever! :/ I can't even imagine how busy I would be in future when I'll get a job or something :O
But that's some heavy-emotional scene I was not here to discuss, right? LOL! I got my exams for next three days, so I'll just visit back my daily visitors but I don't think I'll be able to post anything as such. In the meantime, let me tell you about some new and old things at my blog.
So, as you guys know my blog's look was changed a few months back including my cbox, blog's background, font, etc. Or is it that, it has not been that long? Damn, what am I saying? geesh! Back to the topic! BACK TO THE TOPIC!! What back? I am already in the topic, so don't act smart dear insight, and let me type. Well, okay.
The thing is, I have been seeing a lot of crappy advertisements at my blog which I think have been the result of link/banner exchange with certain stupid websites/blogs apart from the cool ones. So I am running a cleaning drive at my blog removing the link/banner exchange things with such blogs of questionable material. I am pretty sure if you read this your blog is not on the list of being deleted. Since I am just removing those links which I should not have had exchanged links with, i.e., some blogs with 'not-to-be-mentioned' sort of content.
Anyways, that was the far gone part, or the old things. Now to the new things, I mean the ones that are coming up.
I have been asked by a blogmate of mine, Sherry-the-booklion, for some tips on speeding up the PC and about some other maintenance tasks, so I'll be coming up with them next week onwards. The security tips I hope you guys are enjoying :D I'll alternate the security and maintenance ones every Tuesday, I mean I'll post one security post on a Tech Tuesday, then a maintenance one on next Tech Tuesday, and then one security post on the next Tech Tuesday, and so on till the time I could continue these series. The security series will have around 6-7 more posts since I have got a lot more to discuss with you all about them.
Also, I'd like you guys to check out the TwCiH[TIPS] page of my blog to find links to some interesting posts of my blog. I update that page whenever I get time to, so consider it being updated once a month or so! Slow pace? I know, but well that's all I could do.
I guess I have mentioned all the important points I wished to share about this blog with you all. Let's hope I keep on killing my time on this blog to write articles that help you, or entertain you! :D And ever wish to contact me for something you wish to be posted here, or want to make a guest post at my blog, you can comment at my posts, or check out my disclosure policy page for the contact email IDs I have made especially for my blog contacts.
So on a positive note, I hope to see you all soon again with more cool posts. For the time being, I should delve into my books. This time the course is a skyscraper for the 3 exams, it's already around 7 pm in the evening, and I am still at the ground floor waiting for the elevator that would make me start studying, phew! Oi! I just realized the poet inside me is not yet dead haha, those were nice lines. Oh I gotta go, see ya all later, this weekend, kay? Good evening! :D I talk too much I see! :P
Hey all!! Happy Monday!! :D :D Let's celebrate this Musical Monday with some cool country music, what say?! :D
"New York City" by The Statler Brothers
Lyrics
She came to me shortly after Christmas,
Said she hated spoiling New Year's Eve.
But the truth doesn't wait to come in season
And what we had feared was now believed
She said she'd leave come Monday morning,
Catch a plane if I'd split the fair.
She had friends who lived in New York City.
She'd look them up and have the baby there.
And now she's alone in New York City (New York City),
Living like ... Lord, I wonder how.
An angel in hell in New York City (New York City),
But I can't think about that now.
Honey, will you tell him Bible stories
And give him all the love I never could?
And never tell him too much 'bout his daddy
'Cause there's not too much to say that's good.
He'll have to learn it all from his mother:
How to count and say his A-B-C's.
But when you teach him prayers to say at bedtime,
Leave off "God bless Daddy," won't you please?
And now they're alone in New York City (New York City),
Living like ... Lord, I wonder how.
Two angels in hell in New York City (New York City),
But I can't think about that now.
I can't think about that now.
"The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" by Asleep at the Wheel
Lyrics
Johnny Walker sat at a table in a bar
Minding his own affairs
Drinking his namesake over the rocks
He was drunk, too drunk to care
When a girl from the bar walked up beside him
And this is what she said
She said, a woman came by with a letter for you
And this is what the letter said
Dear John, please, Johnny, please come home
I need your love and the kids, they gotta be fed
And John, if you don't hurry back I'll be gone
Yes, that's what the letter said
The letter that Johnny Walker read
Then John, he got up from the table
Slowly, so slowly he walked outside
He was thinking of his wife and little children back at home
And how his drinking had ruined their lives
Then John, he stared off, off into that street light
And a vision filled his poor, poor heart with dread
For you see folks it was him lying drunk there in that gutter
Clutching in his little own hand, the letter that Johnny Walker read
And this is what it said
Dear John, please, Johnny, please come home
I need your love and the kids, they gotta be fed
And John, if you don't hurry back I'll be gone
Yes, that's what the letter said
The letter that Johnny Walker read
Dear John, please, Johnny, please come home
I need your love and the kids, they gotta be fed
And John, if you don't hurry back I'll be gone
Yes, that's what the letter said
The letter that Johnny Walker read
Yes, that's what the letter said
The letter that Johnny Walker read
Yes, that's what the letter said
The letter that Johnny Walker read
I hope you all loved the songs. Hope to see you all soon again!! :)
Hey all my dear readers! :D I hope you all are doing just great! :)
Ready to continue where we left last week? I hope you all are having fun! :D
For these tutorials, don't forget to thank thenewboston. You can check their Youtube Channel by clicking the image below:
#185 - Voice Recognition
#186 - Voice Recognition Result
#187 - Text to Speech
#188 - Set Language and Speak
#189 - Notifiying Status Bar
#190 - Setting up a Notification
#191 - Notification Manager Methods
#192 - AudioManager Methods
I hope you all like them. Grasp them, and I'll be back with the next 8 on next Sunday! :) Have a great day, stay safe and have fun! ^_^ See you all soon :D
Hey all!! Happy Monday!! :D :D Let's celebrate this Musical Monday with some cool country music, what say?! :D
"Hey, Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams
Lyrics
Say hey, good lookin' - what ya got cookin'?
How's about cooking somethin' up with me?
Hey, sweet baby - don't you think maybe
We can find us a brand new recipe?
I got a hot rod Ford, and a two dollar bill
And I know a spot right over the hill
There's soda pop and the dancing's free
So if you wanna have fun, come along with me
Say hey, good lookin' - what ya got cookin'?
How's about cooking somethin' up with me?
I'm free and ready, so we can go steady.
How's about saving all your time for me?
No more lookin' - I know I been cookin'
Hows about keepin' steady company?
I'm gonna throw my date book over the fence
And buy me one for five or ten cents
I'll keep it till it's covered with age
Cause I'm writin' your name down on every page
Say hey, good lookin' - what ya got cookin'?
How's about cooking somethin' up with me?
"Queen of Hearts" by Juice Newton
Lyrics
Midnight and I'm a-waiting
On the twelve-oh-five
Hoping it'll take me
Just a little farther down the line
Moonlight
You're just a heartache in disguise
Won't you keep my heart from breaking
If it's only for a very short time
Playing with the queen of hearts
Knowing it ain't really smart
The joker ain't the only fool
Who'll do anything for you
Laying out another lie
Thinking 'bout a life of crime
That's what I'll have to do
To keep me away from you
Honey, you know it makes you mad
Why is everybody telling everybody
What you have done
Baby, I know it makes you sad
But when they're handing out the heartaches
You know you got to have you some
Playing with the queen of hearts
Knowing it ain't really smart
The joker ain't the only fool
Who'll do anything for you
Laying out another lie,
Thinking 'bout a life of crime
That's what I'll have to do
To keep me away from you
Lovers, I know you've had a few
But hide your heart beneath the covers
And tell 'em they're the only one
And others, they know just
What I'm going through
And it's a-hard to be a lover
When you say you're only in it for fun
Playing with the queen of hearts
Knowing it ain't really smart
The joker ain't the only fool
Who'll do anything for you
Playing with the queen of hearts
Knowing it ain't really smart
The joker ain't the only fool
Who'll do anything for you
Laying out another lie,
Thinking 'bout a life of crime
That's what I'll have to do
To keep me away from you
Playing with the queen of hearts
(repeat and fade)
I hope you all loved the songs. Hope to see you all soon again!! :)
Hey all my dear readers! :D I hope you all are doing just great! :)
Ready to continue where we left last week? I hope you all are having fun! :D
For these tutorials, don't forget to thank thenewboston. You can check their Youtube Channel by clicking the image below:
#177 - On Surface Changed
#178 - Using GLU to set up the Camera
#179 - 3D Cube Intro
#180 - Indices of a Cube
#181 - OpenGL Culling
#182 - 3D Rotation
#183 - OpenGL Vertex Color Buffer
#184 - Stock Android SDK Themes
I hope you all like them. Grasp them, and I'll be back with the next 8 on next Sunday! :) Have a great day, stay safe and have fun! ^_^ See you all soon :D
Hey all my dear friends! :) How are you all? Welcome to my blog on this Gaming Saturday! :D Let's play some nice games! :D
Land grabbers
Capture enemy medieval fortresses and the surrounding land! Download free full version game now!
Description
You all have seen that Travian advertisement, right? :D This game looks like the Travian characters got too hairy! LOL!! :D
Imagine that you are in the Middle Ages. It’s the time of castles, knights and the Crusades. Now imagine that you are a brilliant military leader with your own troops. What could prevent you from conquering the world? Perhaps just a lack of free time.
Get ready to spend hours glued to your computer, capturing the enemy fortresses and the surrounding land, and forming militias! This game is a unique genre to the world of casual games, but combines classic elements of strategy, simulator, and resource management games. Get ready to play forty five gripping levels in the woods, in the desert, the snow and even on the lava covered moon! Three different difficulty modes will challenge even the best strategy experts. Indeed you’ll need to master various tactics and strategy.
Unlike all traditional strategies, LandGrabbers is very bright and cheerful. Try it – we're sure you'll get hooked!
Free Game features:
- Addictive and unique gameplay;
- Gorgeous graphics;
- Three gameplay modes;
- More than 40 levels;
- Funny achievements;
- Entertaining music.
ScreenShots and Download Links
Click the following button to Download now! Don't worry the link is 100% safe and legal! :)
Toy Defense
Test your courage and skills as a military leader at the height of World War I! Download free full version game now!
Description
There was some train game that came installed with my laptop. This game is totally similar to that one. The only difference is that this one has toys and that one had fruits/vegetables!
It’s time to take action! Don't miss the chance to become a winner and test your courage and skills as a military leader at the height of World War I! Don’t let enemies get to your base. Help Toy Soldiers survive through attacks, protect your base from enemy airplanes, tanks, airships and overcome unexpected traps with the help of different kinds of weapons. Earn stars, strengthen your towers, improve soldiers and buy upgrades. Victory is in your hands!
Free Game features:
- 48 captivating levels;
- 2 worlds;
- 4 types of weapon;
- 24 improvements;
- 16 achievements.
ScreenShots and Download Links
Click the following button to Download now! Don't worry the link is 100% safe and legal! :)
I hope you all enjoy these games! :D GOOD EVENING!! :D
Hey all my dear readers! :D I hope you all are doing great! ^_^
Continuing the Security Tips series I started in July '13, today I wish to discuss with you all the topics listed after the following links. Just in case you want to access the last posts in this series, here are the links:
Let's first consider in brief the structure of this post.
Introduction
Cryptography Tools
TrueCrypt
Conclusion/Comments
Since my last post was quite long, so I decided to discuss Cryptography Tools and TrueCrypt in this post. So here you go! :)
Introduction
Personal computers and portable computing devices often contain confidential data such as payment information, personal files, bank account details, and more, which must be shielded from preying eyes in the event of theft or loss of the device. I’ll be talking about encryption and how can we as users use this superb technique to protect our data.
Plaintext: In cryptography, plaintext is the ordinary, readable text from before being encryption into cypher text and is the result of decryption. Cipher Text: Cipher text is the encrypted text that is unreadable until it has been decrypted to plaintext with a key. It is used to securely send messages over the Internet. Encryption Key: A key is a piece of information that can encrypt, decrypt, or perform both functions, depending on the type of encryption being used.
But that’s what we discussed last time, then why today too? Well it’s just an introduction, just doing it for the sake of making the article, a good article you see! :D But there’s more to this introduction this time, don’t worry! :D
A cryptography tool is the one which provides various features to help encrypt your data/messages to prevent eavesdroppers to get hold of it. So first I am going to discuss some popular tools used for this purpose with a brief description of them. Then, I’ll talk about TrueCrypt in detail, where to download, how to use, etc.
Cryptography Tools
Secret Data Manager: It helps computer users to keep their secret files encrypted to protect data from being stolen. It integrates encryption, compression, hiding files and folders, a file shredder, smart open and automatic updates, and intelligent close through an easy Windows-style user interface. URL
AxCrypt: It is a file encryption software for Windows. It integrates with Windows to compress, encrypt, decrypt, store, send, and work with individual files. URL
File Waster: FileWaster protects the file from prying eyes with secure encryption technology. It can encrypt and decrypt files while securely wiping the originals, recurse sub-directories, and compress files before encryption. URL
MAXA Text2Exe: MAXA Text2Exe hides serial numbers, passwords, phone numbers, and everyday notes in a safe place with a 256-bit AES encryption algorithm. It allows for saving text encrypted as an executable file. URL
PixelCryptor: PixelCryptor offers an easy-to-use wizard to guide users through the process of encryption and decryption. URL
EncryptOnClick: EncryptOnClick enables keeping data secure. The encryption and decryption method used is 256-bit AES encryption. It will encrypt, decrypt, compress, and decompress files that can also be opened and decrypted using third-party programs like WinZip 9. URL
Encrypt Files: It is a free desktop computer software that protects your files and folders from unauthorized viewing. Some of its features include encrypting entire folders, shredding original files, and hiding files after encryption. URL
Zero Footprint Crypt: It allows users to view encrypted files without having to decrypt them to the hard disk. This allows for maximum security as the file remains in its encrypted state on the hard disk (leaving no footprint on the drive). It allows users to choose either “decrypt to file” or “decrypt to memory”. URL
TrueCrypt
TrueCrypt is free, open-source, disk encryption software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux. This implies, virtually all the systems support it! :) TrueCrypt is a software system for establishing and maintaining an encrypted volume (data storage device). Using this tool, data is automatically encrypted or decrypted before it is loaded or saved, without any user intervention.
TrueCrypt Features
It creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.
It encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as a USB flash drive or a hard drive.
It encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed(pre-boot authentication).
Encryption is automatic, real-time, and transparent.
Parallelization and pipelining allow data to be read and written as fast as if the drive were not encrypted.
The encryption can be hardware-accelerated on modern processors.
It provides plausible deniability in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password – hidden volume(steganography) and hidden operating system.
Let’s first download TrueCrypt before I tell you how to use various features of this nice software.
Okay, done? Good. Now install! :P I am not including the screens for installing since it is a simple wizard based installation, OK? Now I am considering you have already installed the software and now I’ll tell you how to use it.
Run TrueCrypt. Select the desired volume to be encrypted and click Create Volume.
Volume Creation Wizard Window appears.
Select the Create an encrypted file container option. This option creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file.
By default, the Create an encrypted file container option is selected. Click Next to proceed.
In the next step of the wizard, choose the type of volume.
Select the Standard TrueCrypt Volume(if you have some non-crucial data to be secured) else, Hidden TrueCrypt Volume(If you are scared that the encrypted volume if seen by someone can force you to tell the password).
Click next to proceed
Now select the location of the volume and choose where to save the encrypted locker.
Then select the Encryption options, i.e. the algorithm, etc. and click Next
Now choose the size of the encrypted volume. Now click Next
Then choose the volume password
The volume format option appears. Select the filesystem for your encrypted volume. This can be FAT/NTFS, etc. Set the cluster to default
Now move your mouse randomly as fats and randomly as you can for around 30 seconds or so. I don’t know what they do, but somehow the encryption keys are better hardened that way. Maybe they take some values of the mouse locations, MAYBE!
Now click Format
Now your volume is created at your specified path. The time taken by this creation step depends on the size of your volume and the filesystem type
Now on the main TrueCrypt Window, click Select File, and choose the path of your encrypted container.
Now click Mount
A password prompt would appear. Key-in your password and click OK
Your encrypted container will be mounted as a volume which you can use in “My Computer”. Just double click the drive and use it like any other volume.
Once done, select your drive in the TrueCrypt main Window and Click Dismount
Once you dismount your files in the container are saved successfully in the security of true crypt! The best thing is that this tool is completely free and extremely easy to use apart from being just too secure.
Conclusion/Comments
TrueCrypt is a great tool to secure and hide your personal data from other people. You must use it to safeguard your sensitive information.
Today we discussed about a great Cryptography tool and I also listed a few cool ones. I hope you guys download these tools and get your sensitive secure asap!
I hope you find all the relevant information you must know about the topic of security I discussed with you all today. For any queries or suggestions please feel free to comment here. I love to solve problems :D
I hope you all have a great day ahead! :) Happy Tuesday :) See you all soon! :D
