Windows Vista comes in 32-bit and 64-bit editions depending on which CPU type you have. The 64-bit version will only work on 64-bit processors, however the 32-bit version can run on all types.
Some users will have a processor capable of running the 64-bit version of Vista but have the 32-bit version installed by default. This won't cause any problems, but it does mean you may miss out on some advantages (such as being able to utilise large amounts of memory). If you are in this situation, you can check to see if your computer can handle the 64-bit version of Windows Vista using the following steps.
First, open the Control Panel by clicking on the Start Menu > Control Panel. Then click System and Maintenance. Then select Performance Information and Tools. This will display your computers performance index rating, allowing you to View and Print details.
In the System information section, you will notice a "64-Bit Capable" box. If this says Yes (like below), then you can run the 64-bit edition of Vista.
SAM is short for Security Accounts Manager, which is located on the PDC and has information on all user accounts and passwords. Most of the time while the PDC is running, it is being accessed or used.
What do I do with a copy of SAM?
You get passwords. First use a copy of SAMDUMP.EXE to extract the user info out of it. You do not need to import this data into the Registry of your home machine to play with it. You can simply load it up into one of the many applications for cracking passwords, such as L0phtCrack, which is available from: http://www.L0phtCrack.com
Of interest to hackers is the fact that all access control and assorted parameters are located in the Registry. The Registry contains thousands of individual items of data, and is grouped together into "keys" or some type of optional value. These keys are grouped together into subtrees -- placing like keys together and making copies of others into separate trees for more convenient system access.
The Registry is divided into four separate subtrees. These subtrees are called
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
HKEY_USERS
We'll go through them from most important to the hacker to least important to the hacker.
First and foremost is the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree. It contains five different keys. These keys are as follows:
SAM and SECURITY - These keys contain the info such as user rights, user and group info for the domain (or workgroup if there is no domain), and passwords. In the NT hacker game of capture the flag, this is the flag. Bag this and all bets are off.
The keys are binary data only (for security reasons) and are typically not accessible unless you are an Administrator or in the Administrators group. It is easier to copy the data and play with it offline than to work on directly.
HARDWARE - this is a storage database of throw-away data that describes the hardware components of the computer. Device drivers and applications build this database during boot and update it during runtime (although most of the database is updated during the boot process). When the computer is rebooted, the data is built again from scratch. It is not recommended to directly edit this particular database unless you can read hex easily.
There are three subkeys under HARDWARE, these are the Description key, the DeviceMap key, and the ResourceMap key. The Description key has describes each hardware resource, the DeviceMap key has data in it specific to individual groups of drivers, and the ResourceMap key tells which driver goes with which resource.
SYSTEM - This key contains basic operating stuff like what happens at startup, what device drivers are loaded, what services are in use, etc. These are split into ControlSets which have unique system configurations (some bootable, some not), with each ControlSet containing service data and OS components for that ControlSet. Ever had to boot from the "Last Known Good" configuration because something got hosed? That is a ControlSet stored here.
SOFTWARE - This key has info on software loaded locally. File associations, OLE info, and some miscellaneous configuration data is located here.
The second most important main key is HKEY_USERS. It contains a subkey for each local user who accesses the system, either locally or remotely. If the server is a part of a domain and logs in across the network, their subkey is not stored here, but on a Domain Controller. Things such as Desktop settings and user profiles are stored here.
The third and fourth main keys, HKEY_CURRENT_USER and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, contain copies of portions of HKEY_USERS and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE respectively. HKEY_CURRENT_USER contains exactly would you would expect a copy of the subkey from HKEY_USERS of the currently logged in user. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT contains a part of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, specifically from the SOFTWARE subkey. File associations, OLE configuration and dependency information.
Hives are the major subdivisions of all of these subtrees, keys, subkeys, and values that make up the Registry. They contain "related" data.
All hives are stored in %systemroot%\SYSTEM32\CONFIG. The major hives and their files are as follows:
Hive
File
Backup File
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE.LOG
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY
SECURITY
SECURITY.LOG
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM
SYSTEM
SYSTEM.LOG
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM
SAM
SAM.LOG
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
USERxxx
ADMINxxx
USERxxx.LOG
ADMINxxx.LOG
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT
DEFAULT
DEFAULT.LOG
Hackers should look for the SAM file, with the SAM.LOG file as a secondary target. This contains the password info.
Hive
File
Backup File
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE.LOG
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY
SECURITY
SECURITY.LOG
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM
SYSTEM
SYSTEM.LOG
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM
SAM
SAM.LOG
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
USERxxx
ADMINxxx
USERxxx.LOG
ADMINxxx.LOG
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT
DEFAULT
DEFAULT.LOG
Hackers should look for the SAM file, with the SAM.LOG file as a secondary target. This contains the password info.
For ease of use, the Registry is divided into five separate structures that represent the Registry database in its entirety. These five groups are known as Keys, and are discussed below:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
This registry key contains the configuration information for the user that is currently logged in. The users folders, screen colors, and control panel settings are stored here. This information is known as a User Profile.
HKEY_USERS
In windowsNT 3.5x, user profiles were stored locally (by default) in the systemroot\system32\config directory. In NT4.0, they are stored in the systemroot\profiles directory. User-Specific information is kept there, as well as common, system wide user information.
This change in storage location has been brought about to parallel the way in which Windows95 handles its user profiles. In earlier releases of NT, the user profile was stored as a single file - either locally in the \config directory or centrally on a server. In windowsNT 4, the single user profile has been broken up into a number of subdirectories located below the \profiles directory. The reason for this is mainly due to the way in which the Win95 and WinNT4 operating systems use the underlying directory structure to form part of their new user interface.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
This key contains configuration information particular to the computer. This information is stored in the systemroot\system32\config directory as persistent operating system files, with the exception of the volatile hardware key.
The information gleaned from this configuration data is used by applications, device drivers, and the WindowsNT 4 operating system. The latter usage determines what system configuration data to use, without respect to the user currently logged on. For this reason the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE regsitry key is of specific importance to administrators who want to support and troubleshoot NT 4.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE is probably the most important key in the registry and it contains five subkeys:
Hardware: Database that describes the physical hardware in the computer, the way device drivers use that hardware, and mappings and related data that link kernel-mode drivers with various user-mode code. All data in this sub-tree is re-created everytime the system is started.
SAM: The security accounts manager. Security information for user and group accounts and for the domains in NT 4 server.
Security: Database that contains the local security policy, such as specific user rights. This key is used only by the NT 4 security subsystem.
Software: Pre-computer software database. This key contains data about software installed on the local computer, as well as configuration information.
System: Database that controls system start-up, device driver loading, NT 4 services and OS behavior.
Information about the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM Key
This subtree contains the user and group accounts in the SAM database for the local computer. For a computer that is running NT 4, this subtree also contains security information for the domain. The information contained within the SAM registry key is what appears in the user interface of the User Manager utility, as well as in the lists of users and groups that appear when you make use of the Security menu commands in NT4 explorer.
Information about the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security key
This subtree contains security information for the local computer. This includes aspects such as assigning user rights, establishing password policies, and the membership of local groups, which are configurable in User Manager.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
The information stored here is used to open the correct application when a file is opened by using Explorer and for Object Linking and Embedding. It is actually a window that reflects information from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software subkey.
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
The information contained in this key is to configure settings such as the software and device drivers to load or the display resolution to use. This key has a software and system subkeys, which keep track of configuration information.
Understanding Hives
The registry is divided into parts called hives. These hives are mapped to a single file and a .LOG file. These files are in the systemroot\system32\config directory.
Logon wallpaper is the wallpaper or image that windows xp shows on screen when windows logs on (before it asks for username & password) . It’s usually set to the image-logo of the brand(manufacturer) of our computer (e.g. in compaq laptops). Now we can set it to our own image or any other image(any bmp file) by following trick.
Open Startmenu->Run type regedit and press ok to open registry editor.(shows a tree like structure of directories at left)
In that hierarchical structure in left, navigate to registry entry
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
In right side pane see a number of values placed in a table format. choose the value named Wallpaper from there and double click it. Now you see a box with value name as Wallpaper and value data as Path to the image file .There give the full path of the image(bmp file) which you want to set as logon wallpaper by deleting previous path and writing path to your bmp file e.g. C:\WINDOWS\lon.BMP (to set image lon.BMP file as log on wall paper).
Also double click on WallpaperStyle and change it’s value to 2 to get a stretched wallpaper at logon.
Put that bmp file in windows directory for better results.
If that is a jpeg file, convert to bmp file by opening in Windows Image Viewer and save as bmp.
Get all the keyboard shortcuts for new Google Chrome Beta. You may download it from http://www.google.com/chrome/
Window and tab shortcuts
Ctrl+N
Open a new window
Ctrl+Shift+N
Open a new window in incognito mode
Press Ctrl, and click a link
Open link in a new tab
Press Shift, and click a link
Open link in a new window
Alt+F4
Close current window
Ctrl+T
Open a new tab
Ctrl+Shift+T
Reopen the last tab you've closed. Google Chrome remembers the last 10 tabs you've closed.
Drag link to tab
Open link in specified tab
Drag link to space between tabs
Open link in a new tab in the specified position on the tab strip
Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+8
Switch to the tab at the specified position number. The number you press represents a position on the tab strip.
Ctrl+9
Switch to the last tab
Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+PgDown
Switch to the next tab
Ctrl+Shift+Tab or Ctrl+PgUp
Switch to the previous tab
Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4
Close current tab or pop-up
Alt+Home
Open your homepage
Ctrl+O, then select file
Open a file from your computer in Google Chrome
Address bar shortcuts
Do one of the following actions in the address bar:
Type a search term
Perform a search using your default search engine
Type the part of the web address that's between 'www.' and '.com', then press Ctrl+Enter
Add www.and .com to your input in the address bar and open the web address
Type a search engine keyword or URL, press Tab, then type a search term
Perform a search using the search engine associated with the keyword or the URL. Google Chrome prompts you to press Tab if it recognizes the search engine you're trying to use.
F6 or Ctrl+L or Alt+D
Highlight content in the web address area
Type a web address, then press Alt+Enter
Open your web address in a new tab
Shortcuts to open Google Chrome features
Ctrl+B
Toggle bookmarks bar on and off
Ctrl+H
View the History page
Ctrl+J
View the Downloads page
Shift+Escape
View the Task manager
Webpage shortcuts
Ctrl+P
Print your current page
F5
Reload current page
Esc
Stop page loading
Ctrl+F5 or Shift+F5
Reload current page, ignoring cached content
Press Alt, and click a link
Download link
Ctrl+F
Open find-in-page box
Ctrl+G or F3
Find next match for your input in the find-in-page box
Ctrl+Shift+G or Shift+F3
Find previous match for your input in the find-in-page box
Ctrl+U
View source
Drag link to bookmarks bar
Bookmark the link
Ctrl+D
Bookmark your current webpage
Ctrl++
Make text larger
Ctrl+-
Make text smaller
Ctrl+0
Return to normal text size
Text shortcuts
Highlight content, then press Ctrl+C
Copy content to the clipboard
Place your cursor in a text field, then press Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert
Paste current content from the clipboard
Place your cursor in a text field, then press Ctrl+Shift+V
Paste current content from the clipboard without formatting
Highlight content in a text field, then press Ctrl+X or Shift+Delete
A runtime error is a computer error that appears in the form of a message box consisting of a particular code and computer becomes noticeably slow before a runtime error appears.
No sooner the runtime error message has been displayed and closed, the software showing this error would normally hang or close automatically. In some cases, the operating system may reboot.
A wide variety of errors cause these problems. which include:
conflicts between the TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident Program)and other
currently running applications;
software issues;
memory problems;
and harmful applications such as computer viruses.
With this, the procedures necessary to correct this type of error differs from one case to another. If the runtime error you are experiencing were caused by a TSR then you can simply use the "end task" function of the Task Manager.
If you consequently encounter a runtime error that is persistent, the software that displays the error message has certain issues and problems. You can resolve this problem by visiting the website of the software's developer and downloading and installing all the updates and patches needed for the smooth running of the software. However, if you have already installed all updates and patches and the runtime error message still appears, you can opt to uninstall and reinstall the program.
Another type of runtime error is usually caused by memory issues. In this case, it is a good idea to first contact the developer of the application that caused the error message. More often than not, they can provide you with a possible set of solutions. But if their given solutions cannot resolve the issues, you need to contact the manufacturer of your computer or motherboard and ask for a technician or someone from the company who can assess your hardware.
A different type of runtime error is caused by harmful programs such as viruses and other malicious processes. These harmful programs are capable of altering the computer's settings. With this, they are very much capable of generating runtime errors. In order to prevent runtime errors that are caused by such malicious programs, you need to frequently update your software security application. If your PC does not have a good software security program, you need to install one and scan your computer for possible threats to the stability of your system and the security of your private data.
As Windows Vista features some fundamental changes to the way the operating system works, some older applications may not function properly under Vista. To help get around this snag, the Microsoft developers have included the ability to set compatibility settings on a per application basis. This may allow you to run programs that otherwise would not load properly.
To do this, right click on the main application file and click Properties.
Then, click on the Compatibility tab at the top of the window. You can then tick the "Run this program in compatibility mode for..." box and choose the operating system the application is designed to run under (i.e. Windows XP). You can also choose any other options, such as running at a reduced resolution, then click OK. Hopefully this will then let you run the application, but you may need to try several compatibility settings to find which works best for a troublesome application.
Do you have a folder that you'd like to be able to open quickly and easily whenever you want? If you create a keyboard shortcut for that folder, you can open it anytime by pressing a key combination, no matter which other programs you have open.
To create a keyboard shortcut to open a folder, follow as below:
1.
Click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
2.
In Windows Explorer (the program that appears when you open folders such as My Computer, My Documents, My Pictures, or My Music), right-click the folder to which you want instant access, click Send To, and then click Desktop.
3.
On your desktop, right-click the new shortcut, and then click Properties.
4.
On the Shortcut tab, click in the Shortcut key box. Now press the letter on your keyboard that you want to use to open the folder. Note: In the Shortcut key box, Microsoft Windows XP automatically adds CTRL+ALT before the key you press, because to use the shortcut to open a folder, you have to hold down both the CTRL and ALT keys simultaneously, while pressing the letter you chose. This way, your folder won't open every time you type that letter.
5.
Click OK.
6.
Now test your shortcut. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys, and then press the letter you chose.
This tip can be applied to folders, programs, and text file shortcuts that are placed on the desktop.
Windows Vista enhances the Internet Explorer® experience. The upcoming release of Windows® Internet Explorer 7® not only adds important new security and privacy features, but makes everyday tasks easier through features such as tabbed browsing, inline search, and shrink-to-fit printing.
So, depending on the page you are viewing and the resolution of your monitor you can adjust the text to fit the situation.This can make some web pages easier to read.Adjusting them can also enhance the visual nature of the page, larger text and larger images, if that is important for the page.
Anytime you need them, you also have access to the familiar menus of previous versions of IE and this is just if you want the menus on all the time. Most common functions are easily available from the menu bar buttons without the classic menus.Thus the menus may become obsolete for you as you familiarize yourself with the aspects of Internet Explorer 7.
·Ensure you’re logged in as
·Launch Internet Explorer
·Click Page menu > Text Size > Select smallest
·Click Page menu > Zoom > 400%
·Click Page menu > Text Size > Largest
·Scroll around to show text and images
·Click Page menu > Zoom > 100%
·Click Tools menu > Full Screen
·Press F11 to return
·Show ALT, then Click Tools > Toolbars > Classic menu
