Tuesday, February 12, 2013
How to Do a Clean Install of Windows Without Losing Your Files, Settings, and Tweaks
How to Do a Clean Install of Windows Without Losing Your Files, Settings, and Tweaks:
There's nothing like a fresh install of Windows to clear your mind, but it comes at a cost: you have to set everything up again, just the way you like it. Here's how to reinstall Windows, migrate your important settings, and leave the clutter behind. More »
Monday, February 11, 2013
Top 10 Hacks for Automating Your Life
Top 10 Hacks for Automating Your Life:
What if you were a wizard that could bend the entire world to your will? Chores would do themselves, bills would pay on time, and your appliances would obey your every thought. Well, you can't do that exactly, but with a bit of ingenuity, you can automate a lot of your life so you don't have to trudge through the boring stuff. Here are ten things you can automate right now. More »
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
How To Map SkyDrive Folder As Network Drive In Windows 8 And RT
How To Map SkyDrive Folder As Network Drive In Windows 8 And RT:
Microsoft has its own way of delivering more for less to its consumers. One prime example of such philosophy is the company’s SkyDrive service, which has been integrated into both Windows and Office ecosystems, so users can sync their files directly to the cloud without having to rely on any third-party means. But while Windows 8 offers access to your SkyDrive account under both Modern UI and Desktop environments, you’re locked with only one option to access your cloud content on Windows RT, i.e. through the Windows Store SkyDrive app. On the bright side however, Windows boasts an interesting feature that lets you map your SkyDrive account in Desktop mode via the Map Network Drive option. This makes it easier to access your SkyDrive files without leaving the desktop mode. Read on to find out how.
To get started, fire up your web browser in Desktop mode, visit the official SkyDrive website, and sign in using your Microsoft account credentials.
Once logged in, right-click (or tap and hold) ‘Files’ from the left navigation pane and copy the link using ‘Copy Link Location’ (Internet Explorer Desktop mode), ‘Copy Link’ (Internet Explorer Modern UI), ‘Copy Shortcut’ (Google Chrome), or ‘Copy Link Address’ (Google Chrome). If you are using another browser, the option might have another similar name.
Next, open notepad and paste the copied link It should look something like this:
From Map Network Drive window, select the drive letter that you want to assign to SkyDrive from the drop down menu. And pasted the previously copied link into the Folder field. You can also enable/disable the ‘Reconnect at sign-in’ option here based on your preference. Once done, hit the Finish button.
When prompted to enter the login information, specify credentials for the same Microsoft account that you had used earlier to log on to SkyDrive in the browser, and click OK.
That’s it. You will now have a SkyDrive storage mounted as a network drive under Computer. You can also rename the drive to any name of your choice, if you wish.
The above tip works on both Windows 8 and Windows RT, and can come really handy on Windows RT due to the lack of a dedicated SkyDrive Desktop app.
Read How To Map SkyDrive Folder As Network Drive In Windows 8 And RT by Waqas Ahmed on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter
Microsoft has its own way of delivering more for less to its consumers. One prime example of such philosophy is the company’s SkyDrive service, which has been integrated into both Windows and Office ecosystems, so users can sync their files directly to the cloud without having to rely on any third-party means. But while Windows 8 offers access to your SkyDrive account under both Modern UI and Desktop environments, you’re locked with only one option to access your cloud content on Windows RT, i.e. through the Windows Store SkyDrive app. On the bright side however, Windows boasts an interesting feature that lets you map your SkyDrive account in Desktop mode via the Map Network Drive option. This makes it easier to access your SkyDrive files without leaving the desktop mode. Read on to find out how.
To get started, fire up your web browser in Desktop mode, visit the official SkyDrive website, and sign in using your Microsoft account credentials.
Once logged in, right-click (or tap and hold) ‘Files’ from the left navigation pane and copy the link using ‘Copy Link Location’ (Internet Explorer Desktop mode), ‘Copy Link’ (Internet Explorer Modern UI), ‘Copy Shortcut’ (Google Chrome), or ‘Copy Link Address’ (Google Chrome). If you are using another browser, the option might have another similar name.
Next, open notepad and paste the copied link It should look something like this:
https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx part after cid= is a string of alphanumeric characters unique to your account. Now delete everything before this string, and replace it with:
https://d.docs.live.net/The final URL should appears something like:
https://d.docs.live.net/123456789987654321XBNCopy this link. Next, navigate to Computer and click or tap ‘Map network drive’ from the Ribbon UI as demonstrated in the screenshot below. If you have minimized the Ribbon, click Computer and you will see this option.
From Map Network Drive window, select the drive letter that you want to assign to SkyDrive from the drop down menu. And pasted the previously copied link into the Folder field. You can also enable/disable the ‘Reconnect at sign-in’ option here based on your preference. Once done, hit the Finish button.
When prompted to enter the login information, specify credentials for the same Microsoft account that you had used earlier to log on to SkyDrive in the browser, and click OK.
That’s it. You will now have a SkyDrive storage mounted as a network drive under Computer. You can also rename the drive to any name of your choice, if you wish.
The above tip works on both Windows 8 and Windows RT, and can come really handy on Windows RT due to the lack of a dedicated SkyDrive Desktop app.
Read How To Map SkyDrive Folder As Network Drive In Windows 8 And RT by Waqas Ahmed on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Cryptonite Offers EncFS & TrueCrypt-Based Local & Cloud Data Encryption On Android
Cryptonite Offers EncFS & TrueCrypt-Based Local & Cloud Data Encryption On Android:
While there are countless data encryption and decryption tools available across most popular computer platforms, choices are rather limited for mobile users, and Android is no exception in this regard. Though with Cryptonite, you don’t really need much more, as it offers industry-standard encryption of not just your mobile device’s local data, but also the data on your Dropbox storage. Cryptonite is a free and open-source Android file encryption & decryption tool based on EncFS and TrueCrypt that can be used to browse, export and open EncFS-encrypted files and folders stored on your mobile device as well as Dropbox storage. Unlike most other similar tools, Cryptonite works fine on both rooted and non-rooted devices. That’s not all – if you own a rooted Android device that supports FUSE Kernel (as found in certain CyanogenMod ROMs), you can also use Cryptonite to mount TrueCrypt and EncFS volumes on your device.
Ranging from the app’s Holo UI to the multiple encryption modes its supports, Cryptonite has to be praised for keeping things relatively simple. Despite still being in early testing phases, the app works quite well with almost all the features it supports. While the app’s front end GUI for EncFS can be used by anyone, advanced users also get an expert mode to play around with various EncFS and TrueCrypt settings, and mount TrueCrypt volumes via command-line interface.
Using Cryptonite is as simple as it gets. Upon launching the app, you’re presented with tabs labelled Dropbox, Local and Expert. As indicative by its title, the Dropbox tab allows you to encrypt and decrypt the content present on your Dropbox storage. In addition, you can browse and modify contents of a decrypted directory right on your Android device. You will, of course, have to authorize Cryptonite to access your Dropbox account for the purpose. Should you wish to encrypt a folder, you’ll be prompted to select the preferred encryption method from the following four options:
Next, you will be asked to select the target directory for storing the encrypted data. Select that, provide the required password for encryption, and leave the rest to Cryptonite. To decrypt content, all you need to do is feed in the correct password. After that, you can browse contents of the decrypted folder, permanently disable protection, modify contents of the folder by uploading other files to it, and export contents of the selected folder to your device’s SD card.
The same applies to local data lying on your device’s SD card as well. In addition to data encryption, decryption and browsing, you can use the Local tab to mount EncFS volumes from the SD card. As mentioned above, this particular feature of Cryptonite requires you to have a rooted device with Kernel FUSE support.
Cryptonite was successfully tested on our Nexus S with almost all the supported features, including both local and cloud data encryption, decryption, browsing, importing, content modifying, and EncFS mounting. You can download the app from Play Store using the link provided below.
Download Cryptonite For Android
Read Cryptonite Offers EncFS & TrueCrypt-Based Local & Cloud Data Encryption On Android by A. Rehman on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter
While there are countless data encryption and decryption tools available across most popular computer platforms, choices are rather limited for mobile users, and Android is no exception in this regard. Though with Cryptonite, you don’t really need much more, as it offers industry-standard encryption of not just your mobile device’s local data, but also the data on your Dropbox storage. Cryptonite is a free and open-source Android file encryption & decryption tool based on EncFS and TrueCrypt that can be used to browse, export and open EncFS-encrypted files and folders stored on your mobile device as well as Dropbox storage. Unlike most other similar tools, Cryptonite works fine on both rooted and non-rooted devices. That’s not all – if you own a rooted Android device that supports FUSE Kernel (as found in certain CyanogenMod ROMs), you can also use Cryptonite to mount TrueCrypt and EncFS volumes on your device.
Ranging from the app’s Holo UI to the multiple encryption modes its supports, Cryptonite has to be praised for keeping things relatively simple. Despite still being in early testing phases, the app works quite well with almost all the features it supports. While the app’s front end GUI for EncFS can be used by anyone, advanced users also get an expert mode to play around with various EncFS and TrueCrypt settings, and mount TrueCrypt volumes via command-line interface.
Using Cryptonite is as simple as it gets. Upon launching the app, you’re presented with tabs labelled Dropbox, Local and Expert. As indicative by its title, the Dropbox tab allows you to encrypt and decrypt the content present on your Dropbox storage. In addition, you can browse and modify contents of a decrypted directory right on your Android device. You will, of course, have to authorize Cryptonite to access your Dropbox account for the purpose. Should you wish to encrypt a folder, you’ll be prompted to select the preferred encryption method from the following four options:
- Paranoia (strongest, provides AES 256-bit encoding with per-file IV, external IV chaining and MAC headers)
- Standard (provides AES 192-bit encoding)
- Compatible (provides AES 256-bit encoding without per-file IV, external IV chaining or MAC block headers)
- Quick & Dirty (mild; provides Blowfish 128-bit encoding)
Next, you will be asked to select the target directory for storing the encrypted data. Select that, provide the required password for encryption, and leave the rest to Cryptonite. To decrypt content, all you need to do is feed in the correct password. After that, you can browse contents of the decrypted folder, permanently disable protection, modify contents of the folder by uploading other files to it, and export contents of the selected folder to your device’s SD card.
The same applies to local data lying on your device’s SD card as well. In addition to data encryption, decryption and browsing, you can use the Local tab to mount EncFS volumes from the SD card. As mentioned above, this particular feature of Cryptonite requires you to have a rooted device with Kernel FUSE support.
Cryptonite was successfully tested on our Nexus S with almost all the supported features, including both local and cloud data encryption, decryption, browsing, importing, content modifying, and EncFS mounting. You can download the app from Play Store using the link provided below.
Download Cryptonite For Android
Read Cryptonite Offers EncFS & TrueCrypt-Based Local & Cloud Data Encryption On Android by A. Rehman on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter
How to Watch and Record Live TV on Your XBMC Media Center
How to Watch and Record Live TV on Your XBMC Media Center:
Building a media center is a killer way to watch or stream your favorite movies and TV shows, but if you miss being able to watch live TV—and record it so you can watch it later—you can turn your XBMC box into a personal video recorder (PVR) with just a bit of setup. Here's what you need to do. More »
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Hide & Password-Protect Personal Windows With Window Hider
Hide & Password-Protect Personal Windows With Window Hider:
It is quite usual to have multiple windows open on the same desktop if you have a single monitor. Multiple browsers windows, music player, instant messaging services, Windows Explorer and many other programs are part of our daily routine and prove as ingredients for most of the mess on our desktop screens. In this mess, if there’s a window displaying sensitive information, it is easy to lose track of it when you are leaving your workstation. You can lock the computer if you are going away, but what if you just have to show something to your boss or colleague and don’t want them to see contents of another window? Even when you minimize it, its icon can be easily seen in the Taskbar. Window Hider is a portable application for Windows that lets you hide open windows, both with and without a password. It is a simple tool that allows you to remove clutter from the desktop, and keep your privacy even when showing your desktop to someone else.
Back in November, Waqas covered a tool called WinLock that allowed you to hide and password protect any window in focus. While it lets you perform the task using a hotkey, there are two issues: you must bring the window in focus before you hide it, and it gets minimized to the system tray, enabling anyone to see the icon.
Window Hider, however, completely hides the specified windows. You don’t have to bring them in focus to hide them, and they don’t leave any trace in the taskbar or system tray. The application itself runs in the system tray and can be accessed by right-clicking its icon. The right-click menu contains Hide and Show menu. In the Hide menu, you’ll see names of all the windows that are currently open on your desktop. Simply click a window to select it for hiding.
Next, a small window opens up in the middle of your screen, allowing you to add password protection to the hidden window. If you don’t want to set a password, just mark the No Password option and click Hide.
In case you choose to go with a password, make sure to remember it in order to show the window again when needed. Every time you choose a password, a notification pops up reminding you that “Forgetting the password will be catastrophic”.
To unhide any of the hidden windows, just right-click the system tray icon again, go to Show menu and select the required window. If you had chosen a password earlier for the selected window, you will need to enter it before it is shown.
A batch-hide option to hide multiple windows at once using a password can be a welcome addition to the tool. Other than that, Window Hider works perfectly on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Download Window Hider
Read Hide & Password-Protect Personal Windows With Window Hider by Fawad Mir on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter
It is quite usual to have multiple windows open on the same desktop if you have a single monitor. Multiple browsers windows, music player, instant messaging services, Windows Explorer and many other programs are part of our daily routine and prove as ingredients for most of the mess on our desktop screens. In this mess, if there’s a window displaying sensitive information, it is easy to lose track of it when you are leaving your workstation. You can lock the computer if you are going away, but what if you just have to show something to your boss or colleague and don’t want them to see contents of another window? Even when you minimize it, its icon can be easily seen in the Taskbar. Window Hider is a portable application for Windows that lets you hide open windows, both with and without a password. It is a simple tool that allows you to remove clutter from the desktop, and keep your privacy even when showing your desktop to someone else.
Back in November, Waqas covered a tool called WinLock that allowed you to hide and password protect any window in focus. While it lets you perform the task using a hotkey, there are two issues: you must bring the window in focus before you hide it, and it gets minimized to the system tray, enabling anyone to see the icon.
Window Hider, however, completely hides the specified windows. You don’t have to bring them in focus to hide them, and they don’t leave any trace in the taskbar or system tray. The application itself runs in the system tray and can be accessed by right-clicking its icon. The right-click menu contains Hide and Show menu. In the Hide menu, you’ll see names of all the windows that are currently open on your desktop. Simply click a window to select it for hiding.
Next, a small window opens up in the middle of your screen, allowing you to add password protection to the hidden window. If you don’t want to set a password, just mark the No Password option and click Hide.
In case you choose to go with a password, make sure to remember it in order to show the window again when needed. Every time you choose a password, a notification pops up reminding you that “Forgetting the password will be catastrophic”.
To unhide any of the hidden windows, just right-click the system tray icon again, go to Show menu and select the required window. If you had chosen a password earlier for the selected window, you will need to enter it before it is shown.
A batch-hide option to hide multiple windows at once using a password can be a welcome addition to the tool. Other than that, Window Hider works perfectly on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Download Window Hider
Read Hide & Password-Protect Personal Windows With Window Hider by Fawad Mir on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter
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