How to Remove Broken or Dead Tracks from iTunes

My iTunes XML database recently got corrupted and it seemed I had lost all my many hours worth of song ratings. Luckily I was able to re-construct the database through an few month old backup and my iPod. In doing so, my entire iTunes library was duplicated with broken links. Since iTunes does not currently allow you to sort by the broken (’!’ icon), it’s a laborious, manual process to remove all these track listings.

That was until I found this ingenious process somewhere on the Apple forums:

1. Make a smart playlist called “All Files” with this rule: “Artist” is not “123456789″ (or any nonsense name that won’t be in your library).

2. Make a static playlist called “All Live Files”.

3. Make a smart playlist called “Missing Files” with these rules: Match all of the following rules, Playlist is “All Files”, Playlist is not “All Live Files”

4. Select all the files from “All Files” and drag them into “All Live Files”. The dead files marked (!) will not copy over.

5. “Missing Files” will contain all of your dead files. Select all and delete. Voila, a nice clean iTunes library.

I have these three playlists in their own folder. Whenever I gather more than a couple dead tracks for whatever reason, I delete all the tracks in “All Live Files” and repeat steps 4 and 5.

How to Delete a file from a playlist:

Windows: SHIFT + DEL
Mac: OPTION + DEL

Browse Flickr In Style On Your Desktop With Flickroom

Flickr’s website is functionally easy to use but it doesn’t offer an optimal viewing experience for browsing photos. 

Flickroom is the new Adobe AIR kid on the block that will change the way you interact with  Flickr.  Flickroom lets you browse Flickr in a beautiful charcoal colored interface that is soothing to the eyes, allows easy photo uploads and downloads, gives you real-time notifications for comments and faves on your photostream, and more. The app is still in beta and new features are being added at a rapid pace.

Flickroom Setup

Download and install Flickroom from here. When launched, it will allow you to connect with your Flickr account or create a new one. The application requires a simple one-time authorization process via Flickr so that it can work with your account. Your credentials are cached locally so you don’t need to login again in the future.

Browse Flickr with Flickroom

Users of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom will feel right at home since the interface to browse Flickr is very similar. The bottom filmstrip shows your (or your contact’s) photographs. The center area is where you view photos, edit photo data, and chat with other Flickroom users.
You can choose the display size and background color of the photo viewer, and click Details to view photo information like description, comments, tags, and EXIF data.

At the top right, you can navigate between your photostream, contacts, groups, etc. The application commands are in a toolbar at the top-right of the window. From here, you can view the latest photos from your contacts, upload, chat, search and set default settings. Hover your mouse for a popup description since it may get some time to get used to the command buttons.

Viewing recent uploads from your contacts is very easy. You can see the recent photos in the right sidebar or launch a separate filmstrip view. In this separate window, you can flip between your contacts to see their recent uploads in a filmstrip.

Upload Photos

There are three ways to upload photos using Flickroom:

• When your photostream is visible, drag and drop any photo into the app to add it to your photostream.
• When viewing one of your sets, drag and drop any photo to add it to the set.
• For powerful upload functions, use the Upload Manager accessed from the top-right toolbar.

I was very impressed with the simple yet powerful Upload Manager. You can select a batch of multiple photos, choose privacy settings, use tags and existing sets, create new sets, and add to groups, before the actual upload.

Edit Photos, Add Comments and Notes

For any photo you are viewing, the action buttons below the photo on the right allow you to edit information, make comments, add notes, mark as favorite and so on.

Search Users and Photos

Flickroom allows basic searching for photos and users at present. You can search for users by email address or username. The photo search searches tags to find matches. Though the search is basic, the best part is that you can add users as your contact from within the application.

Preferences

The application preferences allow you to set the default photo size (useful for slower connections to use smaller display size), background color, initial view, and a ‘signature’ for all new photos.

Live Feed, Chat and Tweeting

The most unique feature of this app is the ability to get real-time notifications for any activity such as comments and favorites on your photostream. You can tweet about a photo from right within the application.

If you’re in a social mood, you can jump right into the Chat room, where you can chat with other Flickroom users currently logged in.
Do you like Flickroom’s interface to browse Flickr? Does it make your photos come alive? Let Me know in the comments!

Google Book Downloader

Google Book Downloader is a free utility that lets out download any book that's available in "full view" from Google Books. Of course, most of these books also feature download links right on the web page, but Google Books Downloader lets you queue up multiple jobs and convert all of the downloaded books to PDF files.

The application is available for Windows and requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. You can either install Google Book Downloader or download a portable version which you can simply unzip and run from your hard drive or a removable disk.

In order to queue up a book for download, just open the "add book" dialog in the file menu and copy an paste the book code, link, or ISBN number, click search, and then select the book that shows up. To begin downloading, right click a title and hit "start." and to export a file as a PDF, right-click and hit "export."

You can find more instructions in the tutorial.

 Download

Smarter Free ways to Manage and Unplug USB devices

It is commonly understood that you should never turn off or unplug any device all of a sudden. The primary reason for this is that the particular piece of hardware might be in use by a software or the Operating system itself and might cause unwanted hardware failures.

Keeping this in mind we decided to come up with a hands on guide for USB devices and software recommendations.

Few facts you should know about your  USB device :

• Whenever you plug in any USB device, Windows do recognizes it and pops up an icon which shows all the USB devices connected.  Anytime you want to disconnect you can use this place to eject or unplug your usb connected device first and then physically unplug it.
• Its always a good practice to first copy the data which you would like to use from USB device to your hard drive. This way not only your work will get done faster but also you will be less bombarding your device.
• Most of the USB thumb drives come with an activity light. Make sure the light is not blinking and is turned off. This is an indication that there is no disk activity going on.
• And lastly dont get on a War with the USB connector when its time to unplug. Do it slowly else not only you will damage your connector you might damage the port on the computer.

My Recommended and tested softwares for managing USB Devices better :

USB Disk Ejector : An excellent freeware with Command line support, mobile mode and easy interface to remove USB devices safely.

 

Download It

USB Device view :  This application is little bit complex but very useful. It gives you a detailed view of all USB devices connected and allows you to even generate a report of it.

 Download USBDeview

Chk Flash : A disk checking software for flash drives which helps you to rectify Read / Write / Logical and Physical Errors. This increase your flash drive life and your data integral.

Check Flash 1.09

Flash Drive reminder : If you forget to take off your USB device when you get off the sit, this application  wont let you forget . Excellent software if you are loosing money because you loose your USB more often.

Download It  

Prevent write access to USB drives with USB write protector : Worried that your USB can be infected by a virus when you plug in to a computer which you are not sure of ? USB Write protector cna lock down your USB and doesnt allow anybody or any software to copy a file into.

 Download It

 These are the ways I recommend to manage your USB devices. How about you ? Which software you had been using ? What practices you follow ? Share with Me in comments.

WizMouse: scroll a window without making it active

Window Only: Here is an interesting utility for us insane multitaskers out there. WizMouse is a software which allows you to scroll a window without making it active. You simply have to place your mouse over the inactive window you want to scroll and use your scroll wheel to scroll. Simple as that.

So now the million dollar question is "why would I want to do this". Well for people like me that often have multiple windows side by side this makes it a lot easier to scroll them all than having to click on each window before we scroll it. Or if you use special effects to make windows transparent, you may be able to use this to scroll through and view windows while having them all maximized (in theory... never tried this latter suggestion).

Whatever you may use this for, WizMouse is just one of those niceities that make your user experience that much more smooth. Unfortunately, however, I should point out WizMouse only enables you to scroll the inactive window with your mouse wheel... trying to use arrow keys or page up/down will still scroll the active window. The good thing, though, is if your mouse supports horizontal scrolling in addition to vertical, WizMouse will allow you to do both.

You may download WizMouse from the following link:

***WizMouse works on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Download

The Best Way to arrange, resize your Windows

Windows 7 already provides several handy keyboard shortcuts for moving and resizing application windows and of course that what I'm enjoying using it right now. If you're running an older version or want a more exhaustive set of commands at your fingertips, take a look at WinLayout.

The free, open source application is built on top of AutoHotkey and adds some serious arrangement kung fu your under-loved numeric keypad.

For its basic moves, WinLayout slices your screen up into a 3x3 grid (think tic-tac-toe board). Hold the Windows key and tap the corresponding key to send an app to that spot on the grid - 7 = top left, 5=center, 3=bottom right, etc.

Windows can also be resized and moved in single-pixel increments. Word of warning: not surprisingly, some commands do interfere with those built in to Windows 7.

TuneUp Utilities 2009 v8.0.3100.31

                              

TuneUp Utilities 2009 v8.0.3100.31 | 16MB

TuneUp Utilities 2009 can make your Windows operating system faster, more comfortable and more secure with just a few mouse clicks. And all operations performed on the operating system are completely safe, because all changes are monitored by TuneUp Rescue Center and can be undone at any time. All TuneUp Utilities modules can be accessed through a common interface that is divided into six categories.

The software helps both beginners and experts to make Windows meet their needs in a way that is better, easier and safer. All important system options are explained in an easy way and can be turned on or off at the click of your mouse. TuneUp Utilities 2009 will then make the necessary changes in the registry or boot files automatically. We place a high value on system stability, so that Windows won’t stop working reliably. And most changes that you make can be undone in TuneUp Rescue Center – easily and safely.
The program also gives you many more options. In addition to helping you make Windows “better looking”, you can also clean up and optimize your system at the click of a mouse. TuneUp Utilities 2009 will clean up unnecessary data from your hard disk and remove unnecessary entries from your registry. It can defragment your hard disk and registry and optimize your system settings to make Windows run substantially faster. Most of this maintenance is performed automatically every week by TuneUp 1-Click Maintenance.
Fast, Effective Windows Optimization
? One-click overview of your PC performance
? Quick analysis of your PC’s hardware, operating system, and programs
? Real performance increases, real fast
? Easy-to-understand help functions
Intelligent Windows Optimization Built in for Every PC
? Intelligent recommendations for your unique PC optimization
? Identifies your personal settings and protects them
? Highlights your PC’s optimization potential, including unused programs and resource-draining settings
? Recommends options and explains performance results before taking any action
Safe Windows Optimization
? Provides you with safe and effective optimization results
? Corrects all mistakes created from previous tuning attempts
? Comprehensive and easy rollback ability for any changes made to your PC
Perfectly Designed for Your Windows Operating System
? Automatically detects and configures for your operating system
? Ideal for XP and Vista (32/64 bit) users
? Designed to leverage the unique features within each operating system
Highlights of TuneUp Utilities 2009:
TuneUp Start page: Intuitive Layout, Easy to Use
* Provides quick and easy access to the most critical optimization functions
* A single yet comprehensive appraisal of your PC’s current performance and overall system health
TuneUp Speed Optimizer: Intelligent, Powerful Utility for any User Skill Level
* Easy optimization in just a few clicks
* Identifies unused programs and resource-draining functions
* Recommends tools for optimal PC performance
TuneUp 1-Click Maintenance: Automatic, Fast Optimization
* Enables one-click maintenance of the most important functions of your PC
* Cleans the Windows registry
* Deletes temporary files and folders
* Increases the system performance through integrated defragmentation
* Streamlines your desktop and simplifies folder shortcuts with one click
Improved Features of TuneUp Utilities 2009:
* TuneUp Drive Defrag: Intelligent defragmentation with new progress display
* TuneUp System Control: Supports Opera
* TuneUp Uninstall Manager: Intuitive uninstall options
* TuneUp Startup Manager: Increases the speed at the start-up of your PC
* TuneUp Styler: Expanded PC style options for Windows Vista (32/64 Bit)
* TuneUp Registry Cleaner: More powerful tool with in-depth view of your PC registry

http://rapidshare.com/files/271876200/TuneUpUtilities2009.zip

http://hotfile.com/dl/10923099/0c27eb1/TuneUpUtilities2009.zip.html

Winfox: Enjoy Windows 7 Superbar Features (Jumplist, Progressbar, etc) in Mozilla Firefox

Windows 7 comes with new Superbar, a re-designed version of the old Taskbar. Superbar provides lots of new functionality like Jumplist which allows you to access various useful options, recently opened documents, etc.

There is another interesting feature in this new Superbar which comes in action while downloading a file using Internet Explorer. The Superbar shows a live progressbar in IE Taskbar button which is very useful.

But Mozilla Firefox users can't enjoy these features because Firefox doesn't support these features atm but no need to worry, "Brent Friedman" @ CompuGeek website has created an awesome program "Winfox" which brings all these cool Superbar features to Firefox.

Following are 2 screenshots of Winfox in action:

"Winfox" can add following functionality to Firefox under Windows 7:

• Frequent Items support
• Tasks support
• Pin support
• Auto-detection of the Firefox directory and user profile
• FavIcon support (downloads top fifteen favicons to your Firefox Cache directory)
• Launch Firefox by clicking on the Winfox icon
• Linking of all open Firefox windows – Sets all Firefox windows to use Winfox (only if Winfox is running)
• Taskbar progress overlay when downloading files
• Number of open tabs illustrated using a taskbar icon overlay
• Multiple Firefox profile support

Simply pin Winfox to Taskbar to utilize easy launch and access to your Firefox Jumplist.

You can download it using following link:

 

Download Link

Homepage

5 Tips For Safe Computing – Without Dying

Apparently age is not a guarantee of wisdom. I just finished reading an article I really thought I would never see, A 56-year-old man from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, died as a result of a fire caused by his laptop.

Was it near water? Did he spill gasoline on it? Maybe it was super defective? Um, no. He left it on his sofa, thus blocking off the ventilation and causing it to overheat. Which, in turn, burnt his home and him. Seriously, check it out.

So it seemed to me that if this person could have that happen, then there has to be a few more people out there that might do something similar. Hence this post on computer health and safety. Not safe computing as in saving your data, but safe as in saving your life. The apocalypse is upon us.

1. Provide Proper Ventilation for Your Computer and Peripherals

Well, that should be obvious after that article above. If you’re not sure what a peripheral is, it’s anything that plugs into your computer.
Does your power cord have a big black block on it? It needs to be cooled by air too, so don’t cram it under those dust bunnies, defintly most people don't care about there PC & How it Looks from the inside. Are your computer fans growing beards? Blow them out with canned air. Canned air – not an air compressor. You’re blowing dust, not torquing rusty lug nuts man! Dust is beyond flammable – it’s actually explosive.
On the topic of laptops, that’s not really a good name for them. You should use them on a hard surface and that does not include your lap.

2. Avoid Computing Near Liquids

Fun fact for you – most liquids are excellent conductors of electricity! And your computer runs on….electricity. I actually had a user tell me it was okay to drink around his laptop, while he used it, because it wasn’t plugged in. Have you ever touched a 9 volt battery to the tip of your tongue? Hold it there awhile and you’ll find out why a laptop that isn’t plugged in is still dangerous.
Spill-resistant keyboard? That’s for emergencies. Meaning if you accidentally spilled something on it, it might stop the liquid from getting into the vital parts. Maybe. Might. Possibly. In an accident. An accident is supposed to be something that doesn’t happen very often.

3. Don’t Try to Fix Your Own Computer

The exception here is if you are a computer professional, electronics technician, or something where you can identify the parts in your computer. Sure, you might know enough to not stick a butter knife in the power supply, but can you identify a capacitor? Do you know how to safely discharge a capacitor? Capacitors hold electrical charge, even after the device is unplugged. Think about the 9 v battery on the tongue again.
What if you create a short in a wire accidentally and it ignites something in your computer? Again, not a cool situation. Let me tell you a story of my misspent education. In electronics lab, we used to get a kick out of charging up a small capacitor and leaving it on the workbench until someone grabbed it. Zap! Just a little shock. Maybe 50 milliamps. Still not that bright, right? Sure lol, but practical jokes always escalate, as did the amperage. Did you know that it only takes about 2 amps to kill a human? Well, we didn’t go that far, but we did almost get kicked out of the class. ‘Nuff said.

4. Abuse is Not Tolerated Well

You’ve seen the videos where some person loses their mind and whacks their monitor with a keyboard? Well, that does happen. Sometimes it just gets you fired. Sometimes it results in smoke billowing from the back of your monitor. I saw it happen. Really.

5. Dispose of Your Computer Properly

Remember what I said above about heavy metals in computer equipment? Yep, well that’s why you must dispose of old computers properly. Don’t incinerate them, it’s probably not a good idea to make some sort of pet cage or fishbowl out of them.
If you didn’t know, lead and mercury accumulate in your body and lead to all sorts of nasty things – including death. Well, and all those environmental hazards too. Can’t forget those.
If you can just follow these tips that some might consider common sense. you can enjoy safe computing too. And remember, he who geeks safest, geeks longest!

 Hope these Tips Was Helpful

Windows 7 Sidebar 3 Build 2348

Windows XP/Vista | Windows 7 Sidebar | 5.01 MB | RS | HF

The sidebar uses 50% less RAM and is faster than the original Microsoft Sidebar
The Windows 7 Sidebar for Microsoft Windows XP and Vista has gadgets like media players, google search, yahoo search and lots of more search engines. It has also vista sidebar gadgets like weather and system uptime and lots of more useful gadgets. The sidebar uses 50% less RAM and is faster than the original Microsoft Sidebar with more extras and works on Microsoft Windows Vista and XP.
Thoosje Windows 7 Sidebar works on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Gadgets are easy to use mini applications that give you information at a glance and provide easy access to frequently used tools. Thoosje Vista Sidebar helps you to organize your gadgets. As you use your computer to access information, perform tasks, and interact with software, you may at times feel like you’re facing information overload.
You have to open a web browser just to check the weather, open an application to view your calendar, and open a calculator program just to add up a few numbers. Now, with Windows Sidebar and its associated mini-applications called gadgets, the specific information you need is at your fingertips.
What’s New in This Release:
· Fixed – Clock hands didn’t save skin.
· Fixed – Weather Gadget interaction with weather.com.
· Fixed – Weather Gadget endless loop.
· Fixed – Media player Gadget doesn’t save position on first load.
· Fixed – Clock skin icons loaded double images.
· Fixed – Media player gadget song pane x,y position.

RapidShare

Hotfiles

18 cool things Windows 7 does that Vista doesn't

The stuff that makes the upgrade worthwhile

Recantlly I've Installed Windows 7 on My PC & it goes Pretty Well 'till now :D So I've decide to share with u these Gr8 Tips So that u know How much Awesome is it I really Enjoying Using it, So here Lets Start Talking About Coolest thing Abopiu

From Windows 3.1 to Windows Vista, the Windows operating system has taken many giant

leaps. And while Vista received a lukewarm reception from some users, Windows 7 is likely to be remembered for addressing those criticisms.
In fact, there aren't many changes to the overall look of Windows 7 when

compared to Windows Vista. Instead, Microsoft seems to have paid attention to the feedback it received and created an OS that is not only stable, but also very capable.

So what is new in Windows 7? Here are 18 cool things Windows 7 does that Vista doesn't.
1. Shake 'em away
Ever had 10 Notepad, two Powerpoint and 50 Outlook windows open? Want to minimise all of them except the most important one? In Windows 7, you can grab the top of the window and shake it about to scare away all of the other open windows. Simple.
2. Jumplists
Jumplists are a new feature that give you the option to view a list of recently accessed files by application, even when the application isn't open, by right-clicking on the application's icon in the taskbar. It also allows you to quickly access a favourite playlist without opening your media player. Jumplists can also be found integrated into the Start Menu.

TIME-SAVER: The Jumplist for Windows Explorer – pretty useful

START HERE: A Jumplist integrated into the Start Menu
3. A step forward in previewing
In Vista, hovering over a minimised window on the taskbar would provide a preview of the window. In Windows 7, a similar preview pops up which also gives the option to close a window (within the preview), along with a full-size 'peek'. You can also press Win + T to scroll along previews in the taskbar.

PREVIEW PLUS: A smaller preview, along with a full-size 'peek' with the ability to close the window
4. Snap into place
Simply drag your window to the left or right edge of the desktop to snap and resize the window to one half of the screen. Drag the window to the top to maximise it. A pretty neat idea made neater by the use of the keyboard shortcuts (Win + respective arrow keys). No longer do you have to frustratingly position the mouse at the edge of the window to resize it.
5. XP Mode
This time, you do not have to slap your head that same way when Vista would not run an XP application. For those XP applications that do not work under Windows 7, you can download XP Mode free from the Microsoft website and run XP applications in an emulated XP environment in Windows 7. Imagine Parallels on Mac OS X without the need to fish out money on an extra OS.
6. An easier and quicker way to adjust multiple displays
Do you constantly connect your computer to different external monitors or projectors, especially at work? Try Win + P, and duplicating or extending your display to the other monitor takes just a second. Win + P presents you with an Alt + Tab style menu, which is ideal if you give a lot of presentations at work on your laptop.
7. A personalised Stage for your device
With the new 'Device and Printers' button on the Start Menu, devices which are connected to your computer can have their own Stage. This Device Stage presents supported devices with a photo-realistic render and a link to the vendor's website, along with other updates and useful information (such as firmware updates and manuals).
8. (Almost) eliminate the notification area!
What, I can even get rid of the clock and volume icons? Yes. Click the arrow that gives access to the overflow icons in the notification area and click 'customise'. Select each icon and click 'hide icon and notifications' to remove it. Clean.

QUIETER: Stop all those notifications – but you might want to keep the clock there
9. Problem Steps Recorder
The 'Problem Steps Recorder' lets you record a particular problem you are having with your PC so you can send it to someone who may be able to help. Click 'Record', and a screenshot is taken with every mouse click, allowing comments to be added in between if required. These screenshots (and comments, if any) are placed in a well-formatted HTML document that is placed inside a zipped folder on your desktop - ideal to be attached to an email.

A PROBLEM HALVED: Simple, yet so effective. Send this to tech savvy friends or even manufacturers
10. A brand new Magnifier tool
If you are, or someone you know, is visually impaired, then the Windows 7 Magnifier provides two options for providing a bigger display. One of which is using the traditional dock (which took up a lot of the screen) and the other being a rectangular lens that is stuck to the cursor (meaning there is no loss of workspace).

UP CLOSE: A sleek new magnifier that follows your cursor, without decreasing your workspace
11. A new way to preview your music files
Opening and listening to an MP3 is a lot more snappier with Windows 7 due to its new smaller preview player, presenting you with album art, basic music functionality and a link to the full-blown Windows Media Player. This is an obvious attempt to mimic the preview feature of Mac OS X, but it is very well executed.

MUSIC PREVIEW: The new preview is simple – and loads up very quickly
12. Homegroup Networking
In Vista (or, frankly, any Windows OS), creating a shared folder over a network at home could be a bit of a pain. In Windows 7, using the 'Homegroup' wizard, check the default folders you would like to share. This will give you a passcode that will have to be entered in another computer on the same network to share the files. Sounds too good to be true? There is a catch: only a Windows 7 computer can join a Homegroup.
13. Stream Music directly to another computer
If you do create a Homegroup, Windows Media Player allows you to stream music directly to another computer. So, instead of listening to music through your measly laptop speakers, you can wirelessly stream to the 7.1 Surround Sound Speakers of your PC in your living room, without stepping away from your laptop. Sweet.
14. Action Center
The Action Center is the new Security Center for Windows 7, along with other notifications such as updates and access to the improved troubleshooting and recovery using restore point facilities. Basically, it is everything windows usually annoys you with, rolled into one place with one icon in the notification bar. If you find the alerts irritating, you can check out this tip to make the Windows 7 Action Center less annoying.
15. Pin just about anything to the new Windows Taskbar
Imagine a blank Mac OS X Dock with the start menu, the notifications bar and the improved 'Show Desktop' button added to it. Drag just about anything on to it and the associated application will place itself on the translucent taskbar, with an option to open the file in the Jumplist.
16. Improved Touch Navigation
Windows 7 has much improved touch navigation. The larger taskbar with squarer icons makes it a lot easier to navigate with your fingers, and Macbook-like multi-touch gestures on various applications could change the way you interact with windows. Subtle enhancements such as a larger Start Menu appearing when Touchscreen hardware is detected also help.
17. Native ISO Burner
There are those times when you inevitably have to burn an ISO file (such as when you have to copy a downloaded Windows 7 beta or RC) to a DVD. With Windows 7 you do not need to download third-party software (some of which are pretty confusing to use). Double-clicking on an ISO file will take you to a window that allows you to change the disc burner drive. Click 'Burn'. After a while, your disc is ready. Simple.
FINALLY: Burning an ISO file has never been so easy
18. Native calibration tools
If you tend to hook up your computer to an HDTV or care about getting the highest quality from your monitor, then the in-built basic and easy-to-use calibration tools built into Windows 7 will please you.

6 Reasons Why Mozilla Firefox Is Safe Compared To Internet Explorer

While statistics put Internet Explorer clearly ahead as the most widely used web browser, it’s clear to many people that it is not due to the excellent programming. Subject to more than one official inquiry in Europe, and numerous columns, both online and in print, the practice of ‘bundling’ the infamous browser with the every copy of the operating system represents the primary reason behind its crushing dominance.

Alternative web browsers are aplenty and have a low barrier of entry even for less technically savvy computer users, but people are generally not keen to change their habits or spending time researching, downloading and installing another application – especially when the one that comes preloaded appears to be working just fine.

1. Firefox is not perfect software, but its vulnerabilities are fixed in a considerably shorter amount of time. Many new users are curious – is Mozilla Firefox safe? Updates are released immediately, not on a monthly schedule, and clock in at fewer than 10 MB. Users are notified automatically and prompted to install the update with a single click. The update process doesn’t take more than a minute on a modern computer.

2. Since Firefox is open source, anyone can look at the source code, anyone can spot a problem and contribute a fix. Would you leave your car keys with a guy that says “trust me” or at a car lot with video surveillance and a logbook?
3. ActiveX applets, the way IE extends the functionality of the browser, are a known highway for malware and viruses. Firefox works with verified and signed add-ons. Even if you choose to install a malicious add-on – and the browser warns you – the damage is limited to the information in the browser whereas ActiveX exploits could be used to take over the whole computer.

4. Conscious users can install NoScript, an add-on that takes care of vulnerabilities that are not yet patched, either in Firefox or other plug-ins such as Java, JavaScript and Adobe’s Flash. It achieves this goal by allowing the user to selectively enable interactive objects that the user decides to trust, automatically blocking the rest.
5. Security through obscurity; malicious programmers will always target the browser with the largest user base, especially if that user base is less tech savvy.
6. Firefox uses a service provided by Google that notifies the user before entering a potentially malicious web site. These websites ask for your financial data under false pretenses or contain malicious software often posing as something useful such as codecs or registry fixes.

We check the radiator on the car when the temperature indicator turns red; by the time the computer starts acting up or not starting at all, and by all chances appearing to work just fine, your documents, passwords and financial data might already siphoned half a world away. Most people don’t realize this, there are no clear warnings, but using Internet Explorer is in itself a security threat.
I substantiate that statement by citing the Google Analytics on my blog – there are still people using old, un-patched and therefore vulnerable versions of Internet Explorer. The reasons behind this range from the hassle of dealing with Windows Update, millions of machines without a valid license which cannot access updates and users not realizing the importance of having up to date software.
This is not news, yet there are people unaware of the danger posed. Washington Post’s Brian Krebs reports on the Security Fix blog “Internet Explorer Unsafe for 284 Days in 2006”. Even a fully patched and up-to-date version of IE 6 contains at least 22 discovered vulnerabilities; IE 7 stands at 9 and IE 8 at 2. By comparison, the latest version of Firefox (3.5.1), a free and open source browser, has zero un-patched vulnerabilities; the previous version (3.0.x) also stands at zero.
As always, you’re welcome to leave a comment below. Is Mozilla Firefox much more safe compared to IE?

How To Disable Internet Explorer!

Once you’ve picked your new browser, it’s time to call things off with IE. This poses a bit of a problem, as many Windows functions and programs depend on IE’s rendering engine. While it’s technically possible to remove IE completely, you may be better off leaving it in, if you value functionality. In Windows XP and Vista, you can do the next best thing: Removing access to IE for all users of your system.
So, how do you disable (block access) to Internet Explorer?
From the Start Menu, click on “Programs.” An icon labeled “Set Program Access and Defaults” should be near the top of the menu. If it is, you may skip the next paragraph. If it’s not, please continue below.

You’re going to want to open your Control Panel, also from the Start Menu. Next, open the Add or Remove Programs window. You’ll have four choices on your left. What you need is the lowest option: Set Program Access and Defaults. I’m sure you’re anxious to break this off. We’re almost done.

Select the “Custom” option, and then go ahead and designate what you want your default programs to be. You may disable access to Internet Explorer by clearing the checkbox next to it. All program shortcuts to Internet Explorer will be removed, and your default Internet browser on the Start Menu will be of your choice.

There may arise a situation during which you may need to open IE. Most often it will be to open a site which doesn’t play nicely with other browsers. With all the shortcuts gone, just open the Run box (hold the Windows Key and press R), type “iexplore” then hit OK. See? While you’re no longer exclusive, you and IE can still be friends. It’s alright, really. I won’t tell the other browsers.

Hotmail Finally Enables POP3 Worldwide [Windows Live]

The Windows Live team announces that POP3 access to Hotmail has been enabled worldwide, finally ending years of your email being trapped behind Microsoft apps.
They've been rolling out these changes for a while now, with the US finally getting access last month, but POP3 access is finally available to everybody. Setting it up is fairly simple in most email applications—just create a new account using the following details from the Windows Live team:

POP server: pop3.live.com (Port 995)
POP SSL required? Yes
User name: Your Windows Live ID, for example yourname@hotmail.com
Password: The password you usually use to sign in to Hotmail or Windows Live
SMTP server: smtp.live.com (Port 25)
Authentication required? Yes (this matches your POP username and password)
TLS/SSL required? Yes

Lifehacker readers are obviously more partial to the geek-friendly Gmail that has not just POP3 but IMAP support, but most of us still have a hotmail account laying around—which you can finally backup using Fetchmail or Thunderbird (just modify the instructions to use your Hotmail account instead).

A new way to get Hotmail on your phone [Windows Live Hotmail via Ars Technica]

The BIG Book of iTunes [Free PDF Download]

iTunes is a great way to organize and manage your music and video library. It is also the most popular music player/manager around, very visually aesthetic and at the same time, simple to use. Itʼs perfect for handling large libraries containing thousands of songs.
If you are an owner of an iPhone or iPod Touch, thatʼs even more reason to use iTunes. With iTunes, you can easily sync and transfer songs, audiobooks, movies, TV series and mobile applications to your Apple device.
The iTunes book has got plenty of cool tips for you, some were published on MakeUseOf before and others were collected from different parts of web. Among other things it illustrates easy ways to

• automatically organize and tag your music
• add lyrics & cover art to your songs
• share your iTunes library with others
• create ring tones from your songs
• access your iTunes library from other PCs and mobile devices
• control iTunes via the iPhone or even using your hands and feet
• use AppleScripts
• use iTunes shortcuts

and lots more! Grab yourself a free copy below.
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The Big Book of iTunes

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