WINDOWS XP SUPPORT ENDED LAST YEAR, 2014

Microsoft first released Windows XP on October 25, 2001 and after over twelve years of supporting the operating system announced it is ending Windows XP support April 8, 2014 which means that they will no longer be providing any updates, patches, or further software security related support.

If you are still running Windows XP it will continue to work after this date, but if a security vulnerability is discovered after this date it will not be fixed by Microsoft. However, Microsoft has indicated it will continue to offer anti-malware support (MSE) for Windows XP until July 14, 2015 and other anti-virus manufacturers have also announced that they'll be extending their support of Windows XP for up to a year. While this will offer some protection for your computer it still will not protect against any new vulnerabilities not yet released or discovered.

Some people argue that since Windows XP is such an established operating system that it is not likely that any new security vulnerabilities will be discovered. However, most experts recommend upgrading to a later version of Windows, either Windows 7 or the latest version of Windows, Windows 8.

If your computer is over four years old or does not meet the system requirements of a new versions of Windows we suggest getting a new computer with a more up-to-date version of Windows. Alternatively if you want to keep the older computer and don't need Windows you may also consider switching to Linux distro.

Tip: Microsoft is offering a free data transfer program for users upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7, 8, or 8.1.

Tip: If your hesitation of going to a new version of Windows is because you have an older program that is designed for Windows XP, Windows XP Mode can help older programs run in new versions of Windows.

What if I still want to run and use Windows XP?

If you plan on continuing to use Microsoft Windows XP after April 8, 2014 following the below suggestions.

1. Don't use an administrator account - Use a limited account and not a adminaccount. If you use an account with not enough rights spyware, malware, and other exploits wont work or be much less likely to work.
2. Use an alternative browser - Don't use Internet Explorer and instead use an alternative browser such as Chrome or Firefox, which will continue to be updated and remain secure.
3. Keep your browser plugins and extensions updated - Plug-ins like Java and Flash are one of the most common methods of attacking a computer. Keep your browser and all of its plug-ins up-to-date. You can find the latest version of all your plug-ins through our system information tool. If you don't use a plug-in that is installed (e.g. Java, uninstall it from the computer.)
4. Keep the computer offline - If this is a work computer that doesn't need to be online keep it offline. Without having access to the Internet the computer cannot be attacked.
5. Follow all the steps on how to protect yourself while online.

Related questions

Can Windows XP still be installed and activated after April 8, 2014?

Yes. You'll still be able to run, install, and activate Windows XP after April 8, 2014.

What about Windows XP Embedded?

Windows XP Embedded support will remain until January 12, 2016.

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CONVERT, RESIZE AND CUT VIDEOS WITH VLC MEDIA

VLC, the free and open source media player is great at playing media of even the most obscure formats. However, that is not all it can do. It can be used to easily convert videos from one format to the other. Converting videos with VLC media player is pretty fast and is in the league of most premium video converters in terms of quality. It can also be used to resize videos from one size to other for when you need to shrink videos to fit in your mobile devices. It can also serve as a quick video cutting tool.

Convert Videos with VLC Media Player

To convert videos with VLC media player, follow the steps given below:-

1) Open VLC media player.
2) Click on Media in the Menu bar.
3) In the dropdown menu, click on Convert/Save. Alternatively, you can directly press Ctrl+R to reach media options.

4) Click on the Add button on the right of the File selection box to load the video whose format you want to change.
5) In the following dialog box, click on browse to select the destination where your converted video will be.

6) In the profile selection option, select from a pre-configured profile of the output or customize it by clicking on the Settings icon on its right. You can select from a range of encapsulation, video and audio formats in the following dialog box if you wish to customize the output.
7) Click on Start to begin conversion.
8) VLC's progress bar will show progress. Do not close the player when it is converting videos as it will result in output video getting corrupted.

The speed with which VLC converts videos depends upon your computer's specifications. A faster computer converts faster while slower PCs take a lot of time. At the end of the conversion process, you will get the video in the format that you have selected in step 6.

Resize and shrink videos with VLC media player

Resizing the video involves making minor changes in the steps followed in conversion. While customizing the profile in step 6, go to the Video codec tab. Inside the Scale option, enter the desired width and height that you deem fit for your needs. After that, just convert the video as you normally would. This would result in the output video having the same dimensions that you specified. However, it is important to note that exact dimensions would only be achieved if the aspect ratio of the video is maintained. If the correct aspect ratio is not satisfied by your dimensions, VLC will take one of your dimension and change the other to satisfy it.

Cut videos with VLC media player

To crop videos with VLC media player, go to the menu bar and click on View menu. Inside it, check Advanced Controls. This will result in a few extra buttons over the normal toolbar. Play the video of your choice and press the record button (from the newly added buttons) at the point in the video from where you want to start. Then, again press this button when the video reaches the point at which you want to stop it. The cut video will automatically be saved in your Videos library. It is located at Libraries/Videos in Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista. In Windows XP, it is located at My Documents\My Videos. You can use the Frame by Frame button to get a high degree of accuracy. You need to install the newer versions of this program as older versions do not support this.

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HOW TO LOCK YOUR FOLDER WITHOUT ANY SOFTWARE

This tutorial will guide you through the steps required to create a locked folder in Windows 7 – without installing any additional 3rd party software.

The steps below will guide you in creating a hidden and password protected folder, this method is not 100% secure. It will however deter the average computer user enough, but an advanced user may be able to access the contents of this folder.

HERE WE GO

1. Create a new folder and name it whatever you would like.


2. Open the folder, right-click on a blank area in it, then select New -> Text Document from the pop-up menu.


3. Open the text file you just created by double-clicking it and copy/paste in the following text:
   

   cls

   @ECHO OFF

   title Folder Private

   if EXIST "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" goto UNLOCK

   if NOT EXIST Private goto MDLOCKER

   :CONFIRM

   echo Are you sure you want to lock the folder(Y/N)

   set/p "cho=>"

   if %cho%==Y goto LOCK

   if %cho%==y goto LOCK

   if %cho%==n goto END

   if %cho%==N goto END

   echo Invalid choice.

   goto CONFIRM

   :LOCK

   ren Private "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"

   attrib +h +s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"

   echo Folder locked

   goto End

   :UNLOCK

   echo Enter password to unlock folder

   set/p "pass=>"

   if NOT %pass%== PASSWORD_GOES_HERE goto FAIL

   attrib -h -s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"

   ren "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" Private

   echo Folder Unlocked successfully

   goto End

   :FAIL

   echo Invalid password

   goto end

   :MDLOCKER

   md Private

   echo Private created successfully

   goto End

   :End

4. In the above code, replace the key PASSWORD_GOES_HERE with the password you want to use to unlock the folder. For example if you want the password to be 123456, the line should look like:
   

   if NOT %pass%== 123456 goto FAIL

5. Save your new file in the .bat format with the complete file name being locker.bat. To do this, make sure to change the Save as type: to All Files (*.*).

 

 6. In the folder you created back in Step #1, double click the locker.bat file and there will now be a new folder named Private where you can put anything you want.

7. Upon exiting, double click the locker.bat file again. It will prompt you to answer whether you want to lock your folder or not. Press Y and the private folder will disappear.

 

 8. In order to retrieve the Private folder, all you have to do is double click the locker.bat file and enter the password which you set in Step #4 and the folder will appear again for you to access.

 

9. That’s it!

 

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HOW TO DISABLE ACCIDENTAL CLICKS WHILE TYPING ON YOUR LAPTOP

Working on a laptop computer with a touchpad becomes annoying sometimes. It is inevitable that you will mistakenly touch the touchpad while typing, causing the mouse to jump or cursor to move and interrupt your typing. Very annoying huh...?

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HOW TO BOOT YOUR PC FASTER

It is boring and annoying to wait for your computer for longer minutes during boot-up (Starting-up ) The reason being that During the booting process, the computer loads various programs (installed software) into its memory before finally displaying them onto the desktop.
If you therefore allow a lot of programs to run on start-up, you definitely have to wait for them to be loaded on to the computers memory before you can finally access them.

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WINDOWS 8 TRICKS AND KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

As we all know the favorite Start Menu is no longer there for windows 8. This makes the windows unsatisfactory for some users, but there are hot corners which can rightly serve the purpose. Please read along as I take you through some hot tips and shortcuts for the Windows.

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HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR ANTIVIRUS IS REALY PROTECTING YOUR COMPUTER.



In this tutorial we'll create a test virus on our desktops to test our various antivirus that are installed on our various computers.
This test virus is only meant for the test and will not cause any damage to your computer.

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HOW TO SHOW AND VIEW FILE EXTENTIONS OF ALL FILES

Viewing the file extension of a single file

1. Right-click the file.
2. Click Properties.
3. In the Properties window, similar to what is shown below you should see the "Type of file:" this is the file type and extension. As can be seen in the below example this file is a TXT file with a .txt file extension and in this case opens with the Text Pad program.

Users more familiar with computer files and file extensions may wish to view all computer file extensions to help with locating and browsing files. To do this follow the below steps for your version of Windows.
Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, and 8 users

1. Open My Computer
2. Click Tools and click Folder Options or click View and then Options depending on your version of Windows.
3. In the Folder Options window click View tab
4. Uncheck the box that says Hide file extensions for known file types.

Or

1. Open Control Panel
2. Click Folder Options
3. Click View
4. Uncheck Hide extensions for known file type.

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How to Use WhatsApp On Your PC.

WhatsApp we all know is one of the most popular mobile applications all mobile phone users crave for.  Unfortunately not all phones support this application, but today I am going share with you how to get whatsapp on your desktop or laptop for free if your phone doesn't support it. Just follow the tutorials below.

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LET YOUR COMPUTER WELCOME YOU BY YOUR NAME IN ITS OWN VOICE

This is another interesting tutorial which i believe everyone would like to know about. You can imagine the possibility of making your computer welcoming you in its own voice on a start-up. How would you feel if your computer could say "Welcome my dear" or by mentioning your own name on  start-up. I know surely you will feel so high and be pleased with your computer as a real companion.

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TRICK TO USE YOUR EYES AS A MOUSE

Today, We will be talking about a Software that allows you to Control your PC with your eyes. *wink*

We shall be making use of a Software called eViacam, This software only use your PC webcam and your face motion to control your computer or laptop's mouse icon, so you don't have to make Use of your Laptop Mouse anymore.

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TRICK TO DISPLAY YOUR NAME WITH TIME IN TASK BAR

Just wanna share this Cool Tips with you Guys today! Do you know you can display your name with time instead of AM/PM in taskbar of windows 7,vista and windows Xp without using any third party software? You can use two names and they will be automatically changed during daytime (AM) and Night (PM).

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