Remove the Ads from Yahoo Messenger

If you install Yahoo Messenger 8.0, you'll notice a very annoying animated ad at the bottom of the main window.

How to get rid of the ads?

1. Close Yahoo Messenger.

2. Save this .bat file and execute it.

You won't be able to enter the chat rooms, so if you use this feature, don't run the patch.

The .bat file you've just downloaded edits most registry values related to the ads in Yahoo Messenger from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Yahoo\pager\YUrl, replacing the data with a dummy asterisk. Here's the list of string values:

Messenger Ad
Webcam Upload Ad
Webcam Viewer Ad
Webcam Viewer Ad Big
Webcam Viewer Ad Medium
Change Room Banner
Conf Adurl
Chat Adurl

This fix doesn't work for Yahoo Messenger 9 Beta. Here's a way to disable the ads in Yahoo Messenger 9.0.0.907 (note that this approach breaks Yahoo Messenger's terms of service):

* close Yahoo Messenger

* backup the file C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\YahooMessenger.exe (create a new copy)

* download a hex editor like HxD

* open C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\YahooMessenger.exe in the hex editor

* go to the offset 295928 (in HxD: Search/GoTo)

* look at the right column and replace y from "y.m.s.g.r.a.d.s" with p

* save the file and close HxD.

If you know a better way that doesn't involve editing the exe file, post it in the comments.

Send SMS through email for FREE

Over at del.icio.us, the buzz is all about rediscovering how to send SMS messages from E-Mail clients. This may be an oldie, but it's sure a goodie, and well worth repeating. Here are the addresses for the top six US carriers. Substitute an actual phone number, send the e-mail and it will arrive as a text message.If you know the correct email address, sending SMS through email is simple.

where phonenumber = your 10 digit phone number

Maxis: phonenumber@mail.maxis.net.my

US Cellular: phonenumber@email.uscc.net

SunCom: phonenumber@tms.suncom.com

Powertel: phonenumber@ptel.net

AT&T: phonenumber@txt.att.net

Alltel: phonenumber@message.alltel.com

T-Mobile:phonenumber@tmomail.net

Virgin Mobile:phonenumber@vmobl.com

Cingular:phonenumber@cingularme.com

Sprint:phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com

Verizon: phonenumber@vtext.com

Nextel: phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com

for more others telcos sms gateaways visit email-unlimited and view the "sms gateaways" section at the middle of the pages

How to Disable Security Center Alerts and Balloons Warning

How to Disable Security Center Alerts

To turn off Security Center alerts

Do you ever get annoyed with the Windows Security Center Pop-Up telling you that you are not protected because you do not have any Anti-Virus Software, or Automatic Updates is turned off? Well so was I. That is why I searched the internet for the answer and I finally found it. In light of that here are detailed instructions on how to disable those Balloon hint tips from the Windows Security Center.

1.	Click Start and then click Control Panel.
2.	Double-click Security Center.
3.	In the Security Center, under Resources, click Change the way Security Center alerts me.
4.	In the Alert Settings dialog box, clear the Firewall, Automatic Updates, or Virus Protection check boxes, and then click OK.

When you use this procedure, the Security Center still displays your status, but does not send you alerts.

Missing shut down button

-Tips-

Solution
To enable the shut downbutton in regedit

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ Explorer] "NoClose"=dword:00000000

(if the dword value is 00000001 double click in the right hand window where is says NoClose and change the 1 to a 0)

Ways to access ‘Must Sign Up to View’ Sites

-Tips-

BugMeNot helps you instantly get disposable logins details for huge number of popular websites that force you to register. In other words, it lets you bypass compulsory registration processes on thousands of websites.

Ex: Say you clicked on a link that points to an article on some popular reviews or news website. Usually instead of landing straight on an article page you’re asked to signin or register. Maybe there is a good reason behind it, but what’s the point of signing up if that is your first and only visit to that website. Using BugMeNot, you can instantly access disposable login details and login to desired website without signing-up. It’s fast and convenient.

Features:

• Firefox Extension: Add BugMeNot to your Firefox toolbar.
• Bugmenot Bookmarklet: Lookup disposable login details directly from the target website.
• Contribute: Submit a missing or alternative login details.
• Report non-working accounts.

Check out BugMeNot @ www.bugmenot.com

ALTERNATIVE

Google Cache

If the snippet near the result seemed to talk about the problem you’re having, there are high chances that Google Cache should have a copy of the website you landed on. One of the sites where it works quite well is ‘Experts Exchange’. Instead of clicking on the direct link, just click the ‘Cached’ link near the search result. View the page. Go till the end of it. You might end up finding the information there.

Be the Bot

In a rare case when you’re not able to view the solution even by accessing the Google Cache, you can use Be The Bot.

Be The Bot fools the site to thinking that Google Crawler Bot is accessing it. And hence, you’ll get a view of the ‘real’ site via Be The Bot.

What other ways can you think of to bypass compulsory registration forms in sites, especially forums?

Change the Windows User Password via Command Line

-Tips-

Are you an administrator on the Windows operating system with multiple user accounts? Have you forgotten the password to one of those accounts and you are locked out? Then, provided you are the administrator, you can reset the password from the command line.

To open the Windows command line, just go to your start menu then choose “run” (or press your Windows key and then press R). Then in the box that pops up, type cmd and press enter.

In the black box that comes up, type net user then enter. This will give you a list of all your Windows accounts on that computer.

To change the password for one of these accounts is very simple. Say the Windows account name is asks and you want to change the password to mypa$$word then you just need to type the following :

net user asks mypa$$word

After pressing enter, you should then get a message saying “the command completed successfully”. That means the password has now been changed and you can now log into that account.

Protect your PC while Running Suspicious Programs

-Tips-

As a general rule of thumb, you should never download freeware apps unless it comes from a reputable source. Otherwise you could be letting yourself in for a whole lot of trouble if that cool little freeware app happens to contain malicious code. However if you MUST try out a new program which has come from dubious sources, you can use a Windows feature to protect your PC.

When you have downloaded the program, don’t double-click to install it just yet. First, right-click on the program icon and choose “run as”. When the “run as” box comes up, you’ll see the following box above

Select “current user” and make sure the “protect my computer and data from unauthorized program activity” box is ticked. Then click OK. You can then do a limited installation of the program in “safe mode” so you can check it out. Having the “protect my computer” option ticked means that the Registry can be read by the application but the application can’t change anything in the Registry. So if there is any rogue code in that freeware app, it won’t wreak any havoc on your PC.

When you are convinced that the app is OK, come out of the safe mode and install the program properly.

Freeware Password Revealer

-Tips-
You probably don't keep track of every password you have used. You may just let Windows save your password for you. Sound familiar. What happens if you need that password and you can't remember it. All you can see is those ******* asterisks. Wouldn't you like to turn those asterisks into actual text. This program can be used for revealing passwords that are stored in text boxes that conceal the text behind asterisks, such as the ones in Dial-up Networking or Outlook Express.

Choose any of these freeware to reveal your asterisks password.

Download Kill Password
Download Militia Password Revealer

Delete the UNDELETABLE file with UNLOCKER

-Tips-

Download from ccollomb

Get rid of error message like Error deleting file or folder, cannot delete folder: it's being used by another person or program

Unlocker application was designed to be a very useful Windows Explorer extension allowing users with a simple right-click on a file or folder to easily get rid of error message such as error deleting file or folder, cannot delete folder: it's being used by another person or program.

Helps delete locked files with error messages like:
· Cannot delete file: Access is denied
· There has been a sharing violation.
· The source or destination file may be in use.
· The file is in use by another program or user.
· Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.