[PC Tricks] 6 Super Geeky Ways To Open Windows Task Manager

Opening the Task Manager is in fact a nothing task really to talk about. But, what when some disastrous virus take over the Task Manager and your computer refuses to open it by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete, how else are you going to open your Task Manager? So, if you want to have some diversity in your life, or if you want to add another feather to your Computer knowledge "Show off Skills", here we are providing 6 different ways to open up the Task Manager.


[1] Ctrl+Alt+Delete

The most popular way to open the Task Manager. From a Super Geeky personality to a numb one, most will prefer to open the Task Manager the "Ctrl+Alt+Delete" way!(Though, I use another way!). So, there is very less to talk about this shortcut. So, we'll move on.


[2] Right Clicking Taskbar

My personal favorite and the most easiest way to open Task Manager (Recommended by me!). This is arguably the fastest way to open the Task Manager. Just two clicks at the bottom of your screen and voila! You are presented with the Task Manager in no time. This is the lazy geek's favorite way. To open up the Task Manager this way, all you need to do is to Right Click the Task Bar and click Task Manager to open the Task Manager.


Though there is another geeky way to open Task Manager with one click using Autohot Key, which is out of syllabus!!


[3] Ctrl+Shift+Esc

Another simple shortcut to open Task Manager with a single hand, left! (As you need to use bith hands for Ctrl+Alt+Delete!).



[4] Run taskmgr

The Run command is a very useful tool to access the Files, folders and Apps and anything, and Task Manager, too! Just open the run command box by pressing Windows Key+R and type taskmgr and hit Enter to open Task Manager.



[5] Browse taskmgr.exe

Now divert your attention towards the longest, cumbersome and usually never used method to open the Task Manager. But at the time of crisis, when you have no other method left, it seems to be the most helpful, lifesaving method! To open the Task Manager this way, navigate to C:\Windows\System32. Scroll down or search for taskmgr.exe and double click to open it, simple!


[6] Create taskmgr.exe Shortcut on Desktop

And the last but not the least is creating a Shortcut on the Desktop. To do so,  just navigate to the taskmgr.exe in the C:\Windows\Syatem32 directory and find taskmgr.exe. Now, highlight it by single clicking it and right click it on it. Now select Send to option and select the option "Create the Shortcut on Desktop".


And here is the happy ending of our list. Though there are many more ways to open Task Manager(Using AutoHot Key as mentioned earlier), but initially the dose of 6 different methods are enough to know to get yourself out of the crisis situation. We'll cover the other ways in the upcoming tutorials.

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Posted in: Geek Tricks,How-To,PC News,Tech Updates,Technology,Windows

How To Re-install Windows Without Any Re-activation

If something goes wrong on your PC somewhere, and when it seems like no one on the earth is gonna solve that, 9 out of 10 of us opt to format the current Windows Installation and re-install it. And even re-installation of Windows is waiting for you to follow the rather 'cumbersome' method to re-activate it. So, at TechnoTravel.in, we are gonna explain how to Backup your current Windows' activation status and how to restore it when needed.


One thing should be noted that we are not gonna go through the process of the actual Windows' re-installation, as the matter of focus is how to backup the windows' activation status and how to recover it at the end of the re-installation process. Full article on Windows' re-installation will be covered in future.


What Software to use for this purpose?
We have found out a very useful software namely Advanced Token Manager for our purpose, which can scan and store the current Windows' installation status which can be backed up on the external storage medium and which can be restored when needed.


Download your copy of Advanced Token Manager

1. Advanced Token Manager (From Softpedia)

Backing Up the Current Activation
Once you have grabbed the copy of the Advanced Token Manager from here, you can extract the zip file to the external storage medium and run the .exe file from there.


As you run the .exe file, you'll be presented with the following window.

Note: In the image, the product key is blacked out to prevent any misuse.


Now, to backup the activation data, just click on the Backup Activation button and wait for the process to finish. As the process finishes, the new folder called "Windows Activation Backup" is created.

Now, as the backup process is finished, the backup button will be changed to restore button.


Restoring The Windows' Activation
Now, it's as easy as backing up. Just open the .exe file and click "Restore" button. After clicking the Restore button. you might have to wait a couple of minutes.

It will prompt the following message,

Click "Yes" and wait for couple of minutes to finish the process. After that you'll be prompted the Success message. Now, you may check the system properties to verify that.

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Posted in: PC News,Software,Technology,Windows

How To Solve The Conflict Between Google Chrome and Adobe Shockwave Flash Player

This is now a known issue Google Chrome is suffering from, when it comes to displaying the Flash content on the web pages. You might be a victim too! By posting this, I am no way in a mood to criticize Chrome over the other browsers. (In fact, I'm a big fan of it!) But as it's our job to solve the minor "BUGS", we will continue to focus on this sought of bugs even if they are from the best software/apps around!


In fact, Chrome browser uses a different technique to display Flash contents on the web pages from the other browsers, say Mozilla Firefox. The other browsers use the Flash Player installation which is installed separately on the machine which is your computer. But, this is not the case in Google Chrome. Instead of using the native Flash Player installation that resides on your machine, Chrome uses the Flash Player which resides in it's own installation or directory.


So when something somehow go wrong, Chrome confuses itself as it can't decide which installation to use to display the Flash content on the web pages, whether to use it's own installation or to use the general installation which all the other browsers are using. And if this type of conflict occurs, chrome comes up with the following annoying message.


In the worst case scenario, it might hang up the browser that you may have to restart it to get it solved for a particular instant of time!


So, here is the permanent solution.
If you ever face the issue, follow the following steps.


First of all, move your cursor to address bar (or Omni Bar) and type chrome://plugins 

You will get the following window.

Now scroll down to the text where it is written "Flash (2 Files)".


Now from the top right corner, click on the "Details" button to expand the details.
As you click Details, you would see the detailed information of the two Flash Player variants with their installation location. Now, to resolve the conflict, we will disable the Chrome's internal Flash Player, and thus we are rather forcing Chrome to use the general Flash Player installation on your machine. This will, in most cases, will resolve the conflict.

To disable the Chrome's own installation, disable the Flash variant which is installed on Chrome's AppData directory, which can be diagnosed by the locan of the installation, which is already marked in the image.

In this entire process, as you are pointing Chrome to the general installation, the general installation of the Flash Player is expected to be of the latest version for the smooth feel of the web.


In general conditions, when the Chrome uses its separate Flash, it gets updated with every Google Chrome update. But in this method, as we are pointing Chrome to the general installation, Google Chrome update will no longer include the Flash updates, so the only drawback of the solution is that you need to update Flash manually. 


To check and download the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player just go to the site get.adobe.com/flashplayer

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Posted in: Google,Google Chrome,How-To,Internet,Mozilla Firefox,Software,Technology,Windows

[Infographic] Enterprise Mobility – Apps, Platforms and Devices

The enterprises are witnessing a transformation led by smartphones and Tablets. Mobility is slowly becoming a critical part of IT strategy. As employees and business processes go mobile, we tried to decode enterprise mobility, crunch numbers to present before you an informative infographic detailing out the technology used in enterprise mobility, industry verticals that are at the forefront of mobilizing its operations and why enterprises are adopting mobility solutions. Our enterprise mobility infographic also takes a look at the state of enterprise applications, the smartphone deployment approach by industries and how big brands are increasingly deploying apps.

Infographic by Enterprise mobile consultants at [x]cube LABS

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Posted in: Android,Apple,Gadget Reviews,PC News,Symbian,Tech Updates,Technology

[Solved] Mobile Partner Dashboard Deactivates Full Window Dragging

As a leading share holder in the Internet Modem production and marketing, The Huawei Technologies, provide a internet connector software especially for Windows users, namely Mobile Partner. If you are a current user of the Mobile Partner software, you might have noticed that while the Software is running, it changes the Windows' settings somehow as the "Windows' content dosen't show up while dragging".


The whole bunch of the Huawei Mobile Partner softwares has this issue and it is not solved till now. But here at TechnoTravel.in we have hacked the issue with some C# programming tweak that may help you prevent this embarrassment somewhat!


Mainly we have two ways to fulfill our task which is to show "Windows' content while dragging" while the Mobile Partner Software is running. After some study on the source code, I've come up with this tweak (or Hack!).


So, basically I've created a small app (Which seems little bit dirty but mighty useful!), which you can use to solve this issue. There are some steps to tweak before you apply this patch to Mobile Partner Software. So, here we go...
To use this app you'll just need to follow these simple steps.
First navigate to the directory where the Mobile Partner is installed. Generally it is C:\Program Files\Mobile Partner.

Into this directory, you'll find the Mobile Partner's executable file, from which the app actually executes. (In my version of Mobile Partner it's simply MobilePartner.exe) Now you need to rename the "MobilePartner.exe" to "_3MobileBroadband.exe".

Now, download my self-made ('quickly'n'dirtily' made!) app from the following link.
Download The MobilePartner Tweak App


Now copy this "3MobileBroadband.exe" file to the installed location of MobilePartner as Your existing shortcuts and auto-start will now point to the launcher, which starts the old "_3 MobileBroadband.exe" and you are all done!

Now restart MobilePartner and you'll see the problem is gone as you can see the "Windows' content while dragging", even when the Mobile Partner is running.


Other 'Cumbersome' Method 
If you don't want to do apply this above mentioned trick, that you'll have to apply this method after every execution of Mobile Partner Software.
First of all, open The MobilePartner.exe. After opening the App, Right Click on Computer icon and select 'Properties'

On that window, select "Advanced Syatem Settings"

This will open up the following dialog box.

Now click on "Settings..." button.

Now scroll down on the next window and check "Show Windows' content while Dragging".
Now, the contents of the window will show up while dragging.
But the worst part of this method is that you'll have to do all this process every time you use Mobile Partner, which is quite cumbersome.

Update 
Download Mobile Partner (With the Above Mentioned Tweak already done!)
Mobile Partner (With Customized UI But Less Features!)

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Posted in: Geek Tricks,How-To,Miscellaneous,Software,Technology,Windows

How To Install Ubuntu 11.10 Or Any Other Operating System On Virtual Box

Are you a predominantly A Windows user but want to try out some new OS without hurting your current Windows installation?...Then, this is it! The Virtual Box from Oracle Inc. will let you run your favorite Operating System as any other program in Windows' own environment. So, In this article, I'll help you setup Ubuntu machine in Virtual Box to run it in Windows' Environment.


Note: Here we has used Ubuntu 11.10 as a reference OS, but It's not restricted to Ubuntu, You can Install any Operating System you want on VirtualBox.


Essential downloads for this tutorial:

1. Virtual Box (From Oracle Inc.)
2. Ubuntu .iso image OR LiveCD (OR any of your favorite OS)

Download and Install Virtual Box

Download VirtualBox from the above mentioned link. (If you have already installed the VirtualBox, then you may skip this section.)


Virtual Box is very easy "next, next,....finish" type installation, so I won't explain that in detail, instead I will tell you just to download it from the above mentioned link and install it to your desired location on your PC.


Creating A Virtual Machine


After the successful installation of VirtualBox, you'll need to create a Virtual Machine inside the Virtual Box, in which you may select the size of RAM and Hard Disk to be used by Ubuntu (or any desired OS).


So, to create a Virtual Machine, open Virtual Box window and click on Machine and select New

Then, the New Virtual Machine Wizard will open up. Click Next.

In the next window, type the OS name in the VM Name. The OS Type section will get changed automatically as you will type the VM Name.

Now, select the Memory that you want to allocate to the new OS. While selecting the memory, keep in mind the minimum requirements of the OS to be installed. As we are installing Ubuntu here, we have selected 1.5GB here, as we have a 4GB machine. After selecting the RAM or Memory, click Next.

Now it will ask you to create the hard disk. As you are doing this first time, select "Create New Hard Disk" and click next.

Now in the next window, you'll be prompted to select the file type of the Virtual Hard Disk File. You can select any of them, but we have selected VHD here. Then click Next.

Then an important prompt is presented here asking whether you want to create the Dynamically Expanding Hard drive or a fixed hard drive. The Dyanmically hard drive will keep increasing as per the need of the OS while Fixed Hard drive will remain in the fixed volume state as you will select the volume size in the next step. We have selected the dynamically allocated hard drive. After selecting your choice, click next.

Now it will prompt to select the location and size. Generally you need not to select the location. But if you are interested to install it in another location, select your desired location by clicking the right icon.


And for the Hard disk size selection, you are free to select the size of the Hard disk. But, once again, keep the minimum requirements of the OS in mind. Here, we have selected 20GB for Ubuntu 11.10.

As soon as you click next, You will be presented with the summary. Double check the details and then click 'create'.

Then another summary will be presented. Click 'Create'.

As soon as you click create, it will create a entry named Ubuntu in the VirtualBox window. And thus, you have successfully created a Virtual Machine.


Insalling the Operating Syatem On Virtual Machine


Now, to install the operating system on the recently created Virtual Machine, right click on the OS entry in the Virtual Box window and select "Settings.."

In the setting box, navigate to the "Storage" tab. In the pane at the Right side, click the small CD-Drive like icon to select the ISO Image.

Then in the next dialog box, click "Choose Disk".

Then select the ISO image of Ubuntu(Or your desired OS) from its saved location. So, after the selection the Ubuntu ISO Image will show up under "IDE Controller".

Now, move your eye to right side of that pane, as you can see the Attributes row adjacent to the ISO Image selection pane. Check "Live CD/DVD" option and click "OK".

Thus you have pointed your virtual machine's CD Drive to the Ubuntu ISO Image to get it installed on the Virtual Machine through the Live CD/DVD.


Starting the Installation of Ubuntu


Now, after all is done successfully, Right click in the Ubuntu entry of the virtual Machine and click Start.

After clicking "Start" button, be patient as the installation of the new OS on the Virtual Machine will start. It will prompt you to select the language. 

Note: In the installation process, keep your NumLock off as we got unexpected error while installing Ubuntu. But it's fine if you are installing the OS other than Ubuntu.


Now, it's all set to install the OS in the VirtualBox, as the native interface of the OS (Unity in case of Ubuntu) will come up. 

After this do the installation of the Operating system normally and install the Operating system on VirtualBox by Oracle.

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Posted in: Geek Tricks,How-To,Linux,Software,Technology,Windows

How To Create Your Own Proxy Server To Bypass Heavy-Handed Web Filters

If your workplace or school's extra-restrictive internet filter has you pulling your hair out during the occasional browsing break, there's hope! Here's a quick look at how to get around heavy-handed browser restrictions with the open-source PHProxy.


Before we jump into the real playground, lets do A quick crash course on proxy servers: Let's say your dastardly workplace blocks you from reading TechnoTravel. Many web filters block web sites based on URLs, so if TechnoTravel were blocked, the filter would recognize the URL http://technotravel.in and automatically block any connection. A proxy acts as a go-between for your browser and the web site you want to access, and as far as the web filter can tell, the proxy-employing user isn't visiting TechnoTravel she's visiting whatever the URL is for the proxy. And since we're setting PHProxy on your home computer, chances are slim that the web filter will block your home IP address (or URL, which we'll talk about more below).


When you are done here, you should be able to access the restricted websites by routing your request through your home computer. This article is divided into three steps. It's recommended that you follow the steps sequentially to avoid any sought of hick-ups. First of all we will explain how to setup a Local Web Server on your home computer and then we will take you through another tutorial to setup PHP Proxy server on your self made Web Server. And After that we will explain you on how to access your newly built local web server from any other computer.

Essential Downloads For This Tutorial

1. PHProxy
2. WAMP Server (It's a web server in which WAMP stands for - Windows Apache MySQL and PHP)

• WMAP Server (For Windows 32-bit OS)
• WMAP Server (For Windows 64-bit OS)

How to Install A Local Web Server On Your Home Computer


After the completion of the above mentioned download, you can further proceed to setup a local web server on your home computer. To do this, first install the WAMP in your PC. It's a very basic next,next,....finish type install, so we won't explain that! After the successful installation, you will notice a tray icon in the bottom-right side of your screen. This shows that WMAP is running but it is not turned on. So, we will Turn it on by right clicking it and turning it on.

Now, verify if the server is working fine, again left-click on the tray icon and click Localhost, or just open up your browser window and goto http://localhost/. If everything is working fine, you will see the browser window like this.

Good work. Now you officially have your own web server up and running on your home PC!


How To Install PHProxy on your web server


Now Unzip the downloaded PHProxy as we are going to install it on WMAP Server. Here, to install PHProxy, all you need to do is just copy the extracted folder and paste it to the root directory of your Web Server.
To find your server's root directory on Windows, just click the WAMP system tray icon and click www directory (which, on my Windows 7 installation, is located at C:\wamp\www . Inside this folder you should see a file called index.php that's the page that loaded when you pointed your browser to http://localhost/ above. Now simply take the PHProxy folder you unzipped PHProxy to above and drag it directly inside the www folder.

And... there you have it-you've officially installed PHProxy. To make sure it worked, point your browser to http://localhost/phproxy/. You should see the page below.

To test it further, all you have to do is type or paste the URL you want to visit into the web address input box and hit Enter.


Set Up Port Forwarding


At this point PHProxy should be working fine from your home computer, which is all well and good, but now we need to make it easy for you to access your local PHProxy installation fromoutside your home. To do so, we're going to have to set up port forwarding, then optionally we'll give your PHProxy server a friendly URL.



Set Up Port Forwarding on Your Router: When you try to communicate with your home computer from outside your local network, the request first has to go through your router which then identifies which computer the request is intended for and sends it on its merry way. When you're running a web server on your home computer, other computers looking to communicate with that server will try communicating with it on port 80 (you don't really need to know what any of that means; web servers generally communicate on port 80, and that's what browsers try to access by default). So when your router receives a request on port 80, you need to tell it that those requests should be forwarded to your local PHProxy server.


Rather than providing the whole detail for the different routers, I would rather point you to the website Portforward.com where you can select your router model and tech yourself how to forward ports on it.


If you've successfully set up port forwarding, you should now be able to access your home serverby visiting your network's external IP address (this is the single address that identifies your home to all the other computers on the internet). Quickly point your browser to What Is My IP and copy the series of numbers following "Your IP Address Is:", paste that into your browser's address box, and hit Enter. If everything went according to plan above, your browser should now load up your local server. Add /phproxy/ to the end of your IP address and you should see the PHProxy homepage. Smooth.


Now, as the server is accessible from the outside world, you can browse through your own proxy server and overcome the heavy-handed filters with the proxy server!


Have a nice day!

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Posted in: Geek Tricks,How-To,Internet,Technology,Windows