Delete Surfing Tracks-index.dat
Even if you regularly clear your Internet History, Temp files, and cookies to keep ordinary snoops at bay, you're overlooking a very important detail: index.dat files. These hidden files contain information about your IE surfing history and your Outlook activity. On tonight's 'Savers, I'll tell you a simple way to uncover and clear 'em out manually.


Microsoft claims index.dat files cache webpages you visit to help speed up the loading time in Internet Explorer. A lot of folks disagree, and there are a few conspiracy theories floating around about what index.dat files are really for. I'm not really worried because I know an easy way to get rid of them.


Come out, come out wherever you are!


Index.dat files aren't only hidden, they're system files. Even if you select to show hidden files in your folder options, they remain unseen. To track down index.dat files, you need to know where to look.


File names and locations depend on which version of Internet Explorer you have. Assuming you run IE 4.0 or above, the file names will be "index.dat."


In WinXP, here's where you'll usually find them.


C:\Documents and Settings\username\cookies
C:Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\History
C:Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

Clean house


I like to think we all learn more about Windows each time we get our hands dirty, and you'll have an easier time clearing out index.dat files manually than downloading a third-party program to do it for you.


Restart your computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt. (Press F8 on startup and choose Safe Mode With Command Prompt.)


Log on as administrator. Enter your password.


Once you reach the command prompt, type "CD\" (no quotes) and hit Enter to get to your root directory.


Type "del index.dat /s" (no quotes) and hit Enter to erase all files named index.dat on your computer.


Type "shutdown -r" (no quotes) to restart your computer normally.

Your index.dat files will return once Windows boots up normally again, but they'll be empty! Have fun hiding your dirty little secrets

From TechTv

Hyper-Thread hype

A thread is a part of a program that requires processing. In oversimplistic terms, a single processor handles a single thread at a time. With Intel's Hyper-Threading, a single CPU is supposed to be able to process multiple threads at one time. This is supposed to speed up the time it takes to complete a task.


An application must be written for Hyper-Threading in order to take advantage of the technology. If you buy a Hyper-Threading CPU now, you probably won't be able to make full use of it until Hyper-Threading software is available, which could take a year or two.


If you're using the computer for three or four years, consider a Hyper-Threading CPU

Image in HTML

Adding an image to your page is relatively easy. First you tell the browser there will be an image. You then explain where the image is located. Finally, attributes such as alignment and borders can be assigned.


The basic tag looks like this:



"img SRC=url "



The img explains that this tag will call up an image. SRC defines the source -- or location -- of the image. The location is placed between quotes and should include the exact path of the image. For example, if the file you are working on is located in the main (or root) directory, and the image you want is in a folder called images, the SRC would equal "images/filename.gif."


Tip: The organization of your website is important. Create separate folders for each section as well as one for your graphics.


Let's say you have a site devoted to TechTV. Each show would have its own folder and you would most likely have an images folder as well.


Picture the letter Y. The bottom of the Y is the root directory and each arm represents a folder. One arm is the Call for Help folder and the other is the image folder. In order to reference an image from the Call for Help arm, you have to come down to the stem of the Y before you can reach the other arm. Likewise, you need to come out of the folder you are in to go into the folder you want.


The html code must reflect this. In order to reference that folder, you precede the folder and file name you are looking for with a ../. Each layer of folders can be accessed with an additional ../, so if you have to go up two directories, your code would look like this:



"IMG SRC="../../images/filename.gif"



An alternate method to reference this image would be to include the entire URL:



"IMG SRC="http://www.yoursite.com/images/filename.gif"


From TechTV

Format a CD
To format a CD before he writes to it?

You can write to a CD two different ways.


ISO 9660 format
Use a program to combine a bunch of stuff and record all at once. This is what the tool built into Windows XP does, formatting the disc as part of the burning process.


Universal Disk Format (UDF)
UDF is a form of packet writing. It writes files one at a time. You need to format the disc using something like Roxio's Drag-to-Disc (formerly DirectCD).

Linux swap partition
To create a dual-boot Windows/Linux system on XP machine. During the partition-creating process, PartitionMagic is asking where to put the swap file.

The swap file is like a scratch pad for data that doesn't fit in your main system memory. Just like RAM, it helps you access data faster.

Windows has only a swap file, but Linux has an entire swap partition. Should make the swap partition the first partition created. That way, the swap partition will be close to the center of his hard disk, so it can access data more quickly.


Recommended making the size of the swap partition twice the size of the amount of RAM in that machine.

Keep Viruses, Worms, and Spyware Off Your System

Viruses and worms, the brainchildren of attention-deprived thrill-seekers and bored intellectuals, remain a threat. Now we also have to worry about self-propagating commercial software, such as spambots, getting onto our PCs. On today's "Call for Help" I'll talk about the things that put your system at risk and tell you how to protect your PC, personal data, and privacy.

Malicious code 101


Strictly speaking, viruses are programs that, when run, infect other programs to contain a possibly modified version of itself. Worms don't require any user intervention to execute and copy themselves. Lately the distinction between viruses and worms has blurred with recent "virus alerts" describing worms.


Viruses and worms generally contain a propagation mechanism, a trigger, and (possibly) a payload that performs some unfriendly act. The propagation mechanism can take on any of several forms, including multiple forms. A couple of the most common ways they spread include the following.



Click this attachment -- Unsuspecting users execute an email attachment containing the virus. The virus uses local PC resources, for example, its ability to send email, to email a copy of itself to multiple recipients. The message often dupes others into executing the attachment virus code with misleading messages, subject lines, and file names.


Key loggers -- Some recent viruses install keystroke-logging software. The software collects data as you type, including information about your usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers, and then emails the information to an external email address. Because the software runs on a local machine, it can completely ignore any SSL encryption websites use.

Besides spreading themselves around like the plague, many viruses and worms install additional software on infected PCs. Some insure the infection remains on the system while others modify what users can do on the system, preventing you from deleting, editing, or emailing files.


Fend off an attack


We're starting to see some security technologies that proactively protect the PC desktop user a bit, but there's a long way to go. I'm a big believer in using a three-layered approach to protect yourself from malicious code.


Protect the network -- Use personal firewall software. Better yet, buy a hardware router. Linksys and Netgear have good inexpensive options.


Secure your operating system -- Run current antivirus software and configure it to auto-update. Configure it conservatively, making sure it quarantines anything it finds suspicious.


Please stop opening email attachments -- Be an informed and skeptical email user. Don't click email attachments and execute them. If you receive an email with an attachment that you weren't explicitly expecting, delete it without opening it.

Help! I'm infected


Most commercially available antivirus software includes virus removal or quarantining capabilities. If your system gets completely hosed, you can take some pretty draconian, yet effective steps. Re-load your operating system, applications, and user data (which you backed up before infection, of course).


Ken Van Wyk is co-author of "Secure Coding: Principles and Practices."


"Secure Coding: Principles and Practices"

cut & paste from TechTv-click here

Windows Tweak: Hack Your XP Start Button
Something I have got from TechTV

Crystal Report for .NET (eBook)
Crystal Report

PC remote access
HyperTerminal

Wi-Fi interference

Todd in Acton, Mass., just installed a Wi-Fi network using a WAP (wireless access point) that can use both 802.11a and 802.11b. He notices that his 2.4-GHz wireless phone now has a lot of audio static. How can he stop the static?


802.11b also operates at the 2.4-GHz bandwidth, which is why you're getting the static. Patrick and Kevin suggest doing the following.


Change the channel ID of the WAP.
Reposition the WAP and the wireless phone base. They may be too close to each other.
Update the drivers for your Wi-Fi hardware.
If you're still having problems, consider disabling 802.11b. However, 802.11a works at a higher frequency, which means there may be problems if your house has a lot of walls.