Lifehacker... An awsome website for the geeks n Tech Savy ppl...

Just wanted to share that LifeHacker is just an awesome website for a lot of new cool tech stuff..

Lifehacker RSS Feed

Thunderbird / Firefox Profile Migration From One Computer To Another

One of the best things about Mozilla projects is that they ensure smooth, hassle free migration of all your data from one computer to another. Its as simple as copying over the entire profile directory to the new computer's profile directory. You have to do it once for XP and Twice for Vista.

XP Instructions

1. Go to the /Document & Settings/User Id/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles
2. There will be a weird looking folder under profile. Copy all the contents and paste them in the new weird looking folder in the new machine (same path) and restart FIREFOX.
3. Similarly for Thunderbird, make sure your local file storage and the folder structure for your mail accounts match in both the old and the new machine. Copy over all the mbox and msf files to the same folder structure on the new machine.
4. Now go to /Document & Settings/User Id/Application Data/Thunderbird/Profiles
5. There will be a weird looking folder under profile. Copy all the contents and paste them in the new weird looking folder in the new machine (same path) and restart Thunderbird.
6. Sometimes Thunderbird may or may not pickup the Mbox and MSF files. Just make sure tha you go to your account settings and check the "Local Directory" under the "Server Settings" and make sure it points to the correct folder.

VISTA Instructions

1. Exactly the same way as above, except for the fact that you have to copy the contents to two different places for both FireFox and Thunderbird.
2. FireFox folder paths are /Users/User Id/AppData/Local/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles and /Users/User Id/AppData/Roaming/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles
3. Thunderbird folder paths are /Users/User Id/AppData/Thunderbird/Firefox/Profiles and /Users/User Id/AppData/Roaming/Thunderbird/Profiles.

And there you have it, everything from saved passwords, cookies, bookmarks, mail settings everything is all setup on the new machine. No hassles of doing import export process...

BSNL Broadband Account Management Portal..

I have seen a lot of people struggle with the correct portal address to manage the broadband usage and manage passwords. Below is the link. Use your "Portal ID" which is different from the Broadband Usage ID. The password is the same as the password for your Broadband access which you got at the time of Signup.

BSNL - Boradband Account Management

Update:

The new portal for BSNL Data Management is below

BSNL Portal

How to delete Exchange Server (Outlook Mail) account on Windows Mobile

If you have created an Outlook Mail account on a windows mobile device and for whatever reason its not working for you and you just want to get rid of it, MS doesn't provide a clean way of deleting the account via the "Manage Accounts" in the email setup. Below is the convoluted way of doing it and MS might think its correct because according to them, a mail account of type Exchange Server is meant for ActiveSync only..

1. Go to Active Sync settings on your phone.
2. Click on Menu > Options.
3. You will See "Exchange Server" account alongwith the "Windows PC" account listed with the folders which are being synced.
4. Just navigate to the "Exchange Server" account and again click Menu > Delete.
5. It will ask you for conformation that it will delete all the sync data. Click YES and there you have it. The non working Exchange Server Account is gone from your list of valid accounts.

I am also trying to setup my corporate Exchange Server on my Blackjack II. Will post once successful. Some of the corporate accounts don't expose the IMAP service on exchange and may be a little tricky...

Adding sitemap to Google Webmaster Tools for non standard websites (OfficeLive)

Well this is another oen of those good finds.. if you have an OfficeLive Website and haven't been able to regsiter yoru website on Google Webmaster, try my post below. Once your website is verified, the next step is to add the SiteMap to Google Webmaster. I am mentioning the Trick below.

1. Using Office Live Site Designer creates a new page using "Site Map" template. Such as mysitemap.aspx.
2. Go to http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/ , enter the url without www, Such as http://mydomain.com/mysitemap.aspx and Download un-compressed XML Sitemap.
3. Save the file sitemap.xml. You can rename it as you want. Upload the sitemap.xml to Documents Gallery on OfficeLive.
4. Add the sitemap xml file on Search Engine.
   

http://mydomain.com%5CDocuments%5Csitemap.xml

DON'T put www before your domain and remember to change last "/" to "%5C"

Google Webmaster Site verification for ASP, ASPX, XHTML websites (MS Office Live Websites)

I had tough time verifying my Microsoft OfficeLive Websites on Google Webmaster Tools because standards say that the main page should be an HTML. Well guess what MS uses ASP and ASPX and other providers user XHTML etc. Below is the trick to allow Google Webmaster Site verification for atleast MS OfficeLive Websites.

1. Sign Up for Google Webmaster tools.
2. Add your site and choose the meta validation method.
3. Copy the Google meta verification code into notepad or any text editor. meta name="verify-v1" content="YOUR CODE"
4. Copy the code below into into the same notepad or text editor. %22%20%2F%3E%3Cmeta name=%22verify-v1%22 content=%22YOUR CODE
5. Simply replace the ID in the code with your id from the code from Google. If your ID contains "+", replace the + with %2B. %22%20%2F%3E%3Cmeta name=%22verify-v1%22 content=%22rCLLGGTVdEiGe+DXLHKLCD670B8f99LfK/Ax6s=
6. Copy the finished code, and to your home page (default.aspx), open page properties, and paste the code into the keywords text box after any keywords! Make sure the whole code is pasted, since the keyword box has a character limit and if you have to many keywords and some or all of the code might not get pasted in, shouldn't have to worry, if you do, you might want to go over the list of keywords since you really shouldn't have that many.
7. Go back to Google Webmaster tools and verify.

Note:

If it doesn't work, view your page, make sure there is no code showing at the top. Also right click on the page, view source, and look at the meta tags (near the top).

meta name="verify-v1" content="rCLLGGTVdEiGe+DXLHKLCD670B8f 99LfK/Ax6s="

Best Lo-Fi, Ambient, World, Lounge, Chillout music mp3 Downloads

I stumbled upon this website who has good collection of Lounge / Chillout music and releases latest albums pretty quickly.. and no its not torrents.. its instant download of full length albums.. So if you like Lo-Fi, Ambient, World, Lounge, Chillout music.. its the best place to get it.. The website is in Russian so just use the Google Translator.. The Albumart actually tells you about the album.. Have Fun !!!

Best Lo-Fi, Ambient, World, Lounge, Chillout music mp3 Downloads

Access Internet on iPod Touch via WiFi using your computer/laptop

Life is much better after the drawback of not having 3G in ipod touch is gone. If you can have your computer/Laptop connect to LAN or WiFI using Boingo or iPass or even 3G on your other Windows Mobile :-) phone, you can use that same connection on iPod Touch. So if you need your Weather App or Stocks app or any APP that uses the internet, to update automatically, you need to read what i have in store for you.. Microsoft working for Apple is how i would put it.. XP or Vista you can setup the Ad-Hoc WiFi network on your computer/laptop and share it with your existing Internet connection and there you have it.. a fully wireless internet on iPod Touch. I will post the detailed instructions below hopefully by tommorow..

So here you go..

1. Create an AD-HOC Wireless network on your laptop by going to Control Panel > Network Connections > Wireless Network Connections > Properties > Wireless Networks Tab. Click On ADD, give a SSID, check "Connect Even if this network is not broadcasting", make the network authentication "Open" and you can make Data Encryption as "Disabled" or WEP. I have not had great success with WEP or WPA. Check the "This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network" and save it.

2. Now go to the LAN Adapter and click properties. Click on "Advanced" Tab and under "Internet Connection Sharing" check "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection" checkbox. Select the "Wireless Network Connection" from the drop down and click OK.

3. Now try and connect to the ad-hoc wireless network created on your laptop from your laptop. It will try to connect but then just say not-connected.

4. Go to your iPod Touch > Settings > Wireless. Wait for couple and you will see your ad hoc network. Connect and let it use DHCP

There you have it, full internet connectivity on your iPod touch via the LAN network..

QuickFreedom - Jailbreak iPod Touch 2G

I may be late in posting this but iPod touch 2G finally got its jailbreak last week and it works flawlessly.. Redsn0w did most of the initial work and Dan at QuickFreedom finally provided the un-tethered version of it. QuickFreedom comes with CYDIA and then you can install INSTALLOUS and other cool things.. Enjoy the freedom. Link to QuickFeeedom is below..

QuickFreedom

"Always Always I Think Of You" - Kabhi Kabhi - By Dal Dil Vog

I had been looking for this song "Always Always" (English version of famous Kabhi Kabhi) and finally found the video. Its a beautiful song with Dal (short for Daljeet) in the video before and now.. Below is the link for youtube video..

"Always Always I Think Of You - Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Main Khayal Aata Hai"

Below is the Link to download the MP3 for all those fans out there..

Always Always I Think Of You (Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Main) mp3

DVD-A (DVD Audio and not AUDIO DVD) creation without professional tools.

I thought i would share with you a fantastic free way of creating DVD-A from your digital audio files (mp3, wma etc). I have used it for past 3 years and i guess only people who own ACURA's know about it. Once of the Great Online Forums on Cars is ACURAZINE and ADOBEMAN did a fantastic job in creating a VC++ App using all the freeware tools available. Below is the link to the post.

DVD-A Creation using ADOBEMAN GUI Tool

Please go through this article and it will give you a lot of tips about DVD-A creation. I tried all the prefessional tools like CIRLINCA and other but none helped. Nothing can be as simple as converting all digital audio files to WAV files at 44000Hz and just burning them to a DVD-A ISO image. The free GUI tool from ADOBEMAN does the conversion as well, just make sure that your mp3 etc meet the req for conversion to correct WAV files for the image. Also when you install the Software, make sure that the Installation Folder and the TEMP folder are on seperate DRIVES else it will take forever to create the ISO. The first pass at ISO creation is fast but the next part is tricky since it actually rewrites the SECTOR read by all DVD-A players and bypasses the protection. The AUDIO Quality is excellent and you can burn almost 90 songs on One DVD. This is for people who don't have the MP3 players in there cars or at home and have DVD-A players.

Working Fring for Windows Mobile for those who have problems with the Latest Version Crashing (Version 3.24.3.157)

This is for all those users who have problems with the latest Windows Mobile FRING and can't seem to figure out why it crashes or automatically closes while the old version used to remain signed on all the time and worked with an installation on the Storage Card instead of phone memory. I am a BlackJack II user and i have tried everything that is out there and nothing helps with the new version. Below is the link to the CAB File.

Updated Rapidshare link is below

FRING 3.24.3.157 for Windows Mobile

Best Registry Editor For Windows Mobile & CE Devices - Allows Registry UNLOCK !!

As usual, Sunday morning and nothing better to do.. i was on my usual hunt for nice applications available for Windows Mobile. I stumbled upon an excellent Registry Editor for Windows Mobile and CE Devices. The Best thing about this registry editor is that it lets you UNLOCK the registry so that you can modify anything in the registry. The next best thing is that it lets you update the registry via your computer since it uses Active Sync to load the device registry. Below is the link for download and a couple screenshots to highlight the UNLOCK Feature.

CeRegEditor Download Page

VNC Via BSNL ADSL ITI WiFi Modem

It took me forever to configure VNC Port Forwarding via the ITI WiFi Modem BSNL is offering. Some of it was my mistake but it was sure a pain to test.

1. Setup a DYNDNS account so that you can have the BSNL Modem/Router Dynamic IP mapped to a hostname. Under My Services => Host Services, register a Domain and specify the current IP assigned to your Modem.
2. Download the DYNDNS Software Updater to your computer and you can have it to run as a service or manually Run it everytime you reboot the modem or the IP Changes.
3. Setup the Port Forwarding on the Modem for ULTRA VNC as specified in this link - BSNL ITI DNA-A211-1
4. Now the important Stuff. If you have Symantec or any AntiVirus running besure to do the following:

• Symantec 360 or Antivirus comes with a prebuilt Firewall. Create Exceptions in the Firewall for UltraVNC for TCP/UDP ports of 5900, 5800 & 5500 for both inbound and outbound.
  
• If you are just using Windows Firewall or any other Antivirus you will have to find a way to configure the exception and enable the Firewall to allow this traffic.

5. Now the Testing Process.

• Make Sure that you have DYNDNS updater running.
• Start the Ultra VNC server on the Host Machine and change the password in admin settings of VNC.
• Now even if you have two computers on the same BSNL network, you cannot try this test. You will have to be on a different network to actually test whether VNC works or not.
• Start the Ultra VNC viewer on your machine (connected to a different network)
• Make sure that the DYNDNS host name can be pinged. Type in the DYNDNS Host Name mapped to your router in the VNC Host window and click CONNECT. Enter the password and wait.
  
• The Host Machine which is running the VNC Server will get a Antivirus/FIREWALL prompt to all the incoming connection.
• Click Accept on the HOST Machine and there you have it. FULL VNC Access to the Host Machine.
  

BSNL Broadband Setup (Even Corporate VPN Access) - Step By Step Instructions

As usual, i had to struggle through this one too. Setting up BSNL broadband for my pals in India was a nightmare. No Documentation, no setup documents and no CUSTOMER SERVICE at all. Two technicians come and setup the phone line. Then couple days later two more come and give you the BSNL userid and password alongwith portal id without telling you what to do with them. No fault of there bu they are not even trained to do anything. Then through your contacts and people who you know who use BSNL broadband, you atleats try to setup and see if it will work but no luck.. After spending couple of days on internert googling instructions and issues people have faced, i finally figured it out and its setup and running. Below are some of the key things that are more than enough for you to setup BSNL Broadband.

My Modem is the TYPE IV Modem from ITI (WiFi enabled)

PPPOE (configured on the MODEM directly) is the way to go with ADSL setup of broadband. You will find several posts online talking about using the BRIDGE connection but take my word for it and using PPPOE is better and simpler and works with devices which have no way of dailing a seperate PPPOE connection from the device like WiFi enabled phones, iPod Touch etc.

• Power up the modem and scan for wireless on your computer. You should find "ITI" SSID being broadcast by the modem. If not just use an ethernet cable and connect it directly to your computer.

• Your Ethernet connection/Wireless Connection most probably will connect but will show "Limited Connectivity". Don't worry.

• Just go to the network settings of the Ethernet or Wireless and under "Internet Protocol TCP/IP" properties you will have to manually specify the following details and repair your connection if system doesn't do it automatically.

• The "Limited Connectivity" status on the network connection will go away with above setup.
• Now open your browser and type in "http://192.168.1.1/main.html".
• Go to "Advanced Setup > WAN"
• On the Right pane you will most probably see a service "ppoe_0_35". If not click the ADD Button. If the service exists click the EDIT Button.
• Just Specify VPI/VCI from 0 to 35 and select all the default settings on clicking next. When you are on the USER-PASSWORD page enter your BSNL User ID and PASSWORD.
• Click the Final NEXT and SAVE followed by a SAVE/REBOOT.
• The Modem will reboot. Don't touch anything till the modem reboots and the screen will automatically refresh with the new setting.
• Try repairing the network connection and then open any webpage now from the browser. It should work now.
• I have tried corporate CISCO VPNs and they also work with this setup.
• This setup avoids setting up a PPPOE dialer from your computer and will allow you to use the conection from any handheld device as well.

I hope this post will help many who are stuck the same way i was. Send me a message if you are stuck and my post doesn't help..

iPod Restore Firmware Downloads (Any iPod - Even the Latest Touch)

I was struggling to restore my iPod touch 2nd Gen to its 2.1 without having iTunes tell me that the only option i had was to upgrade to 2.2. I did a lot of googling and then stumbled across a website that has genuine Apple download links. Just select your ipod and it will actually fetch it from APPLE's server. Below is the Link... Enjoy :-)

Felixbruns iPod Firmware Restore Links

How To Install Windows Mobile Pocket-PC Applications on Smartphone

Well to start with, PocketPC Windows Mobile Professional and Smartphone Windows Mobile Standard have a lot in common and most of the applications designed for PocketPC will run on Smartphones as well. There might be navigability issues because of the inherent assumption of a TOUCH vs NON-TOUCH device. Some of the PPC apps will fail to install on SMARTPHONES. Below is the workaround which works and i have tested it several times.

1st Approach

If you have a PocketPC lying somewhere which you don't use at all, this is time to bring it back to life. Install the PPC app on it, connect to your computer and copy the installed directory over. Now connect your SmartPhone to your computer and copy the "copied app folder" to your smartphone. Try executing the EXE on smartphone now and it will work except for the layout etc..

Try the SPHelper application which will let you simulate a CROSSHAIR (meant for touchscreen apps)

SPHELPER Application Link

2nd Approach

If you are not lucky to get hold of a PPC try the following approach. Open the CAB file using Winzip or any zip extraction utility. Extract all the files in the CAB to a folder. The Files will have funky last characters but don't worry. 99% of the CAB files will have a "_setup.xml". This file will tell you the exact name of the installed file and the corresponding funky extension file in the CAB. Use the XML to rename all the extracted files on your computer and copy them over to the SmartPhone.

Sometimes the XML is not present. In that case extract the contents of the Smartphone Version of CAB to a seperate Folder and see if it has the XML file. If not Just extract all the files and try to compare the filenames in the folder containing the PPC files. Most of the times, it will give you a rogh idea as to what file is the EXE file and what are the DLLs. GOOGLE the missing files and you will find some hits for sure...

I have done this with several apps and it works.. :-)

Edit Read-Only Network Settings on BlackJack II

Blackjack II WM 6.1 comes with a unique application which will let you unlock the GPRS and Network Streaming settings. No more registry editing. The Application is "UAMgr.exe" and can be found under Windows folder. You might have to enable show hidden files and show rom files to see the application. Also you can create a shortcut for the same for easy access. Once you click it following image will show up. Click Menu -> Tool -> Unlock RadOnly. It will give you a snapshot of all the network connections unlocked.

Subsidy Unlock Samsung Blackjack II

When you travel internationally its always better to get your cellphone unlocked so that if needed you can use the foreign SIM Card with your phone. It was a pain indeed to get the UNLOCK code from ATnT and since there are no calculators out there at least for SAMSUNG, that was the only way i had to get this done. Anyway long story short, i was finally able to get the unlock code and below are the steps to unlock it once you have the code.

ATnT will say to power off the phone and remove the SIM card. THIS IS NOT HOW IT WORKS, atleast with the new BlackJack II. If you remove the SIM Card there is no way for the system to UNLOCK itself. Either you enter another SIM card or keep the existing ATnT inside and follow the steps below.

1. Power off the Phone (Required if Using a different SIM)
2. Remove the SIM Card (Required if Using a different SIM)
3. Enter #7465625*638*
4. Enter Network Control Key (8 digits Unlock Code received from Cingular)
5. Press "OK" Softkey (not the Send or OK hard key i.e. the KEY Next to the HOME sign key)
6. Successfully unlock Network Status

Finally its unlocked.. Iust waiting for a differnt carrier SIM to check it out..

Please run this program from the Administrator account so it can set up your license. Once the license is set up, you can run it from any account ??

The reason for XP/VISTA behaving like this with certain programs is because the Registry setting for License no longer has correct permissions. Below is the fix.

1. From an Administrator account, run RegEdit.exe.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Licenses.
3. Right-click on that key in the left pane (the one that shows folders) and select "Permissions".
4. Use the Remove button to remove all users and groups from the permissions box.
5. Then click the Add button and in the "Enter the object names to select" box, type "Everyone" (without the quotes), then click the Check Names button.
6. The Everyone you just typed should become underlined, if the system recognizes it.
7. Click OK to return to the main permissions dialog; you'll now see only one entry, for the Everyone group.
8. Below it, select the box for "Full Control - Allow", which should also turn on Read - Allow. Then hit the OK button to finish it.

Run the Troubled program and you should be all set :-)