How to Retrieve Clipboard History in Windows

Ever copied a code snippet or text from the web and forgot to paste it before you copied something else? So, wondering to know how to retrieve clipboard history?

Well, all of us will have an experience of something like this where we want to desperately retrieve those information that was once copied to the clipboard. But since Windows clipboard will only remember the last item that was copied onto it, it would seem impossible to recover the information that was copied earlier. However, this problem can be solved using any of the following alternative clipboard managers in place of the default one.

In this post you will find a few such alternative clipboard managers for Windows using which it would be possible to save and retrieve every piece of information that was copied to the clipboard. Here’s a quick list:

1. Clipdiary

This tool is a powerful clipboard manager which will store every piece of information that was copied to the clipboard including text, images or any other file. Clipdiary automatically loads upon Windows startup and maintains a database to store the history of all copied items.

This makes it possible to retrieve the information that was once copied to the clipboard, be it the last hour or the last week. Clipdiary is a shareware tool which comes with a 30 day fully functional evaluation period.

Download Clipdiary

2. ClipMagic

ClipMagic is similar to Clipdiary but includes a few extra features that could seem handy for advanced users. The following are some of the extra features of ClipMagic that are not present in Clipdiary:

• Categorize/organize your clips. You can also create filters/rules for your incoming clips
• You can store/categorize your ideas to research fast
• Assign often used text like email signatures to hotkeys

Download ClipMagic

3. Ditto

Ditto is a powerful alternative to the default Windows clipboard manager which is an open source tool. It keeps track of all the copied items such as text, images and other files so that you can retrieve them whenever necessary. The following are some of the highlights of Ditto:

• Assign hotkeys to frequently used clippings
• Search and organize the clippings based on task or project
• Supports unicode so that you can copy foreign and non-standard characters without any issues
• Get a preview of all the copied items including thumbnails of images just by pressing the assigned hotkey
• Ditto comes as a freeware so that you can enjoy all of its features free of cost

Even though Ditto is a freeware, it is still comparable to the two shareware tools discussed earlier. So in my opinion Ditto is always the first choice. You may still download and try all the three and keep the one that you like!

Download Ditto

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8 Registry Hacks to Tweak Your Windows PC

Microsoft Windows offers a feature-rich interface and several customization options that make it one of the most user friendly operating systems in the world. However, computer geeks would still love to hack the Windows Registry so as to add more extra features and functionalities to their operating system.

If you’re one such geek who would like to customize Windows in your own way, here is a list of 8 interesting registry hacks that you need to try:

1. Disable USB Devices:

Disabling USB ports can be a smart idea to add security to the computer. This can be really handy if the computer is on a public place where the chances of virus and other malware infection is really high. You can easily disable access to USB ports with the following registry hack:

1. Open the Registry Editor (Start -> Run -> Type regedit and hit Enter)
2. In the registry, navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
3. In the right-side pane, double-click on “Start”.
4. In the “Value data” field enter 4 and click on “OK”.
5. Close the Registry Editor and reboot.

To enable USB devices, follow the same procedure as above except in the step-4 enter 3 in the “Value data” field.

Works on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

2. Disable Notification Balloons in Windows 7 and Vista:

You can now disable the annoying notification balloons that keeps popping up frequently with warning messages and reminders. Here is a step-by-step procedure to do that:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
2. Right-click on the right-hand pane, and create a new “DWORD”.
3. Rename it to EnableBalloonTips, double-click on it and set the “Value data” to 0. Reboot the computer to see the changes in effect.

3. Add “Recycle Bin” to My Computer in Windows 7 and Vista:

Would you like to add the “Recycle Bin” icon to My Computer so that you need not go back to the desktop to access it when required? Well, here is how you can do that:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace
2. Right-click on “NameSpace” and select New -> Key. Name the key with the following name:
   
   {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
3. Now, open “My Computer” and hit F5 to refresh the screen. This should show up the “Recycle Bin” icon.

4. Disable the Windows Task Manager:

Need to limit access to your computer by disabling the Task Manager? Here is a simple registry hack to do this:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
2. Right-click on “Policies”, select New -> Key and name the key as System.
   
   If you are on Windows XP, you need not create the new key “System” as it is already present in it. So, you can directly navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System in the Step-1 itself.
3. Right-click on “System”, create a new “DWORD” and name it to DisableTaskMgr.
4. Double-click on the DWORD “DisableTaskMgr” and set the “Value data” to 1 (0=Enable, 1=Disable).
5. To enable the Task Manager, Set the “Value data” back to 0.

Works on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

5. Change the Registered Owner and Organization Name:

Here is a simple hack to change the name of the Registered owner on your computer:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
2. On the right-side pane, find the keys RegisteredOwner and RegisteredOrganization. Double-click on them to change the names to whatever you want.
3. To see the changes, right-click on “My Computer” and select “Properties”.

Works on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

6. Add Programs to Windows Startup:

You can now add your favorite programs to Windows Startup without the need for using the start-up folder. Here is a way to do this:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
2. On the right-side pane, create a new “String Value” and rename it to the name of the program that you want to add (you can give any name, it doesn’t matter).
3. Double-click on the “String Value”, in the “Value data” field add the path of the executable program that has to execute at startup.
4. Reboot the computer to see the changes in effect.

Works on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

7. Add “Pin to Start Menu” Option for Folders in Windows 7 and Vista:

Ever wanted to pin a folder to the start menu to gain faster access to it? Well, it is possible to add the “Pin to Start Menu” option so that you can plug your favorite folders to Start Menu. Here is a step-by-step procedure:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to:
   
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
2. Right-click on “ContextMenuHandlers” and select New -> Key. Name the key as follows:
   
   {a2a9545d-a0c2-42b4-9708-a0b2badd77c8}
3. Now, whenever you want to add a folder to Start Menu, hold down the Shift key and right-click on the folder. You should see the “Pin to Start Menu” option in the context menu”.

8. Disable “Aero Shake” in Windows 7:

One of the new additions to Windows 7 is the “Aero Shake” feature using which it is possible to grab a window using its title bar and shake it. This will minimize all the other open windows if any. It is really a handy feature! However, if you ever wanted to disable this feature, here is a solution:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
2. Now, right-click on “Windows” key and create a new Key called Explorer.
3. Right-click on the “Explorer” key and create a new “DWORD” called NoWindowMinimizingShortcuts and set its value to 1.
4. Close the Registry Editor and reboot the computer to see the changes in effect.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Try the registry hacks and share your experiences.

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Ways to Encrypt Data to Store in Cloud

For very many people, security is one of the most important issues when it gets to sending their files into the cloud. They worry that their files will be seen or even compromised by other persons because that is what took place in the past. The user accounts used to be hacked, cloud storage systems failed and personal files and data were exposed. Therefore, how can you successfully prevent that from ever happening even when the account gets hacked or something happens to your provider of cloud storage?

The answer to that question is encryption

Encryption can be defined as the process of making one’s files unreadable with a pass phrase or an encryption key so that even when another person gains access to the files, it does not matter because the intruder will only be able to see gibberish. To be able to see very properly what is in the file, one must have a key.

This article contains the two different ways through which one can make his or her files secure and be able to safely use cloud storage without any worries.

Available options

Essentially, when it gets to encrypting files in the cloud, one has two options from which he or she can choose, that is:

• He or she may choose the cloud storage with a built in encryption.
• Make use of a service which encrypts folders and/or files for him or her.

Cloud storage service with built-in encryption

Regardless of your choice, both of the ways to encrypt data to store in cloud have advantages and disadvantages. If you decide to go with the dedicated secure cloud service, you might be required to change the entire setup of transferring files to that specific service, familiarize yourself with the way it works and probably give up on a certain third party support, mainly if you come from the most well-liked cloud storage and syncing service, that is “Dropbox”. Alternatively, you have got everything under one hood and you do not have to worry any more about file security and integrity.

Service for encryption only

If you are using a service which is dedicated to encrypting your files, you will be having more control over which files you would like to encrypt and where you would like them to be stored. For instance, you may choose Dropbox, if at all you like the service; and not give up after encrypting the files properly. Conversely, your files might take longer to be properly synced in case you are getting them encrypted using third party apps.

Conclusion

Either way, it is believed to be very necessary to protect one’s files using the most proper encryption, most especially if he or she is using Dropbox for managing his or her critical files such as contracts, password databases, or any other personal or business files which may be considered to be very important.

Depending on an individual, some would like to install another software on their computers just for the purpose of encryption, while others not. Those who don’t may take advantage of the idea of signing up for a dedicated cloud solution which has built-in local encryption for all the files. Some of such solutions available include SpiderOak, Wuala and Cubby. If online viruses are among the things troubling you, you may also consider making use of theNorton Contact Phone number so as to inquire about how you can be helped.

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Tips to Enable or Disable Toast Notifications on Windows 8

Windows 8 is among the most incredible and interesting kind of Windows version from Microsoft. It has visually eye catching design, which is found in modern user interface that is meant for redesigning a number of operating systems, worked out for users. If you have used or seen someone using Windows 8 you could have noticed the toast notifications in this modern version of windows, which simply appears the moment you install or uninstall any application. There are many users who are well versed with the bubble notifications, which were found in the earlier versions of Windows seen via the taskbar. The new application platform in Windows 8 comes with an integrated notification system for installing or uninstalling a number of modern applications.

The Windows 8 style application can employ a number of notifications types including the traditional toast notifications, live titles and lock screen. These can be managed by either disabling or enabling the notification of your application for certain accounts or simply silencing the notifications temporarily so that you are not often bugged by them. Unfortunately, this new version of Windows 8 simply doesn’t carry any notification center, which allows you to view the history of your notifications in just one place. The pop up notification of Windows 8 is very much transient wherein its lock screen application and live tiles portray a more permanent kind of notifications. Well, let’s check out the step by step tips to enable Toast Notifications found in Windows 8 as under:

Enabling Toast Notifications on Windows 8

You have a number of options when it comes to enabling or even disabling the Toast Notifications in Windows 8. This feature is very much beneficial; however, at times it can be annoying while you see them popping up time and again. Hence you have some simple ways to enable and disable the same. Once you have disabled it and after some time want to enable it, don’t get disheartened. Unlike the simple ways of disabling, the steps involved for enabling the toast notifications in Windows 8 too are very much simple. Let’s check them step by step.

Steps for Enabling Toast Notifications:

The users have the option to receive the toast notifications by simply changing the PC settings found over the OfficeScan client PC. This is the place where you have the option of enabling the toast notifications.

Step 1 – If you are keen to enable the same, the first step you need to do is to move the pointer of your mouse at the right corner of your screen just at the bottom side so that you end up displaying the Charms bar.

Step 2 – Once you carry out the first step, it’s time to move to the second, wherein you need to click at Settings and then to – “Change PC Settings” then you will see the PC Settings screen appearing before you.

Step 3 – Once you are done with the second step, it’s time to head on to the third step wherein you need to click over the option called “Notifications”. The moment you click over this section, you are supposed to choose the “On button” so that you enable the Toast Notifications in your Windows 8 based computer system.

Step 4 – This is the final step, wherein you have to choose on the option of “ON” to the three things. These include the “Show App Notifications”, “Play Notification Sounds” and the “Show Application Notifications” on the Lock Screen. The first one is mandatory while the last two are are optional and the choice to enable them is upto you.

Final Word

Microsoft has come up with this feature only in the latest versions of Windows – the Windows 8. However, if you are using operating systems like Windows 7, Windows XP or Windows Vista then make sure you do not have this notification to bug you. In your initial days, you may find a bit difficult doing whole lot of these steps as discussed above, hence it is vital to jot down all these steps in your notepad and start doing it as and when you need them. Doing them several amount of times can enable you to remember the same.

Windows 8 is a new and the most modern kind of operating system and hence different than the previous versions. You need some time to get accustomed to the same before you start using them proficiently. This certainly includes the enabling and disabling of the Toast Notifications.

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What is Denial of Service (DoS) Attack?

If you are working in the field of computer networks or an enthusiast in the field of network security, you are sure to have come across the term “Denial of Service attack” which is simply referred to as “DoS attack”. Today, this is one of the most common types of network attacks carried out on the Internet. In this post, I will try to explain DoS attack, its variants and methods involved to carry out the same in an easily understandable manner.

What is a DOS Attack?

Denial of Service or DoS attack is a type of network attack designed to flood the target network or machine with a large amount of useless traffic so as to overload it and eventually bring it down to its knees. The main intention behind DoS attack is to make the services running on the target machine (such as a website) temporarily unavailable to its intended users. DoS attacks are usually carried out on web servers that host vital services such as banking, e-commerce or credit card processing.

A common variant of DOS attack known as DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack has become quite popular in the recent days as it is more powerful and hard to detect. A typical DoS attack has a single place of origin while a DDoS attack originates from multiple IP addresses distributed across two or more different network. The working of a DDoS attack is shown in the following diagram:

Unlike a DoS attack where the attacker uses one single computer or a network to attack the target, a DDoS the attack originates from different pre-compromised computers belonging to different networks. As the attacker uses a number of computer systems from different networks each residing in different geographical locations, the incoming traffic looks natural and therefore becomes hard to detect.

Protection Against DoS/DDoS Attacks:

DoS attacks can easily be handled by blacklisting the target IP (or range of IPs) that are found to be making too many requests/connections (in an unnatural way) to the server. However, DDoS attacks are complicated as the incoming requests seem more natural and distributed. In this case it is hard to find the difference between the genuine and malicious traffic. Taking an action at the firewall level to blacklist suspected IPs may result in false positives and therefore may affect the genuine traffic as well.

Methods Involved in DoS Attack:

The following are some of the commonly employed methods in carrying out a DoS attack:

• SYN Flood Attack
• Ping Flood Attack (Ping of Death)
• Teardrop Attack
• Peer-to-Peer Attacks

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List of Killer Antivirus Software for Windows 8

Windows 8 is considered as one of the special creations of Microsoft, as it carries a number of interesting features in it which the predecessors fail to carry. One of the important features includes the robust security system inbuilt in it in the form of Windows Defender, which gives better security to your computer while using the same. However, if you compare it with some of the modern and killer antivirus programs it seems to be lagging behind in many ways. Hence as per experts, it is always a safer and better option to install one of the effective antivirus software over your Windows 8 based system. Some of the killer antivirus software applications are as under for Windows 8 operating system, let’s check them out:

Bitdefender Antivirus

One of the best and popular antivirus software for the Windows 8 based computer is Bitdefender antivirus. Some of the important features include finding out and deleting the viruses creating spaces. Also, it is smart enough to catch different malware programs, which is also the reason why it is a popular option for the Windows 8 based users. This antivirus program also helps in shielding against identity theft or even financial information theft; thanks to its important feature called the Safepay function. Considering a number of features and important pros in it, Bitdefender antivirus has been awarded as the editor’s choice in 2012 from PC Magazine.

The Pros:

As far as the pros are concerned there are many noticeable sides of Bitdefender antivirus. It has high scores in PC magazine’s antivirus tests along with having a nice score too at several independent lab tests. It is good in phishing protection; it also prevents infection transmission to several private data and keeps a check over ID theft. The feature called New Wallet simply manages passwords and private data. The Safepay function in this software protects all your financial transactions, which means you can enjoy a safe and secured kind of online shopping. In case if you visit any suspicious website, it is the first to warn you. Also, this antivirus has a feature called secure gamer mode, 24×7 support and the free of cost credit monitoring service option which play their part in securing your Windows 8 based machines. Lastly, even your social media profiles are secured as it keeps a check over the different vulnerabilities.

The Cons:

Despite the number of pros, Bitdefender antivirus has few cons as well. At times, you may find some issues while installing the same over the malware infested computers. Also, the Wallet Password Management at times cannot fill the web forms. Lastly, once you install it over the Windows 8 based systems it reduces your PC speed owing to the robust scanning steps carried by it.

Kaspersky Antivirus

Kaspersky antivirus software is considered as the backbone of any computer security system and hence is also counted for the Windows 8 based security system. It works behind the scene to deliver some of the most reliable and quickest virus and spyware protection solutions. It is also known to offer the Windows 8 users better malware protection thus securing all your personal and classified info in various ways. Kaspersky antivirus also scans different sites, files, emails, discs, external drives, the apps and chat content to flush out the malicious stuff from these places. You also come across the cloud based and software based protection element, which allow you to offer a robust kind of security regardless of the fact that your system is hooked to the Internet or not. Another appreciating feature is the smart updates, which does a lot of things by consuming less than 1% of your computer resources. Also, you have the option of customizing the several notifications along with configuring the same.

The Pros:

As far as the pros are concerned, it is tested to achieve some of the best results in security software tests. This product comprises of three different licenses and last it easily helps in creating a bootable recovery disk. If you look at its interface, it is designed in one of the most user friendly way along with being very much simple and hassle free to install over your Window 8 computer. The feature called Kaspersky Security Network simply helps in identifying the new threats you encounter in your Windows 8 based systems. You can find quick scan times along with finding good value in it. Lastly it also helps in getting protection against a number of exploits for several insecure settings.

The Cons:

Apart from the pros, it also has few cons to mention. First of all it happens to be very much costly (40 dollars) and secondly it does not contain any firewall. Also, if you are carrying out some special or multiple kinds of scans, then the entire process becomes slow and time consuming job.

Final Word

In a short span of time, Windows 8 has achieved a good amount of popularity among the users. This is because it has a wide range of features, which the earlier versions failed to have. However, to continue using this OS with ease and comfort you need to secure it with reliable antivirus software. The above are two best and killer kind of antivirus software for Windows 8 based PC users.

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What is a Proxy Server and How it Works?

In a computer network, a proxy server is any computer system offering a service that acts as an intermediary between the two communicating parties, the client and the server. In the presence of a proxy server, there is no direct communication between the client and the server. Instead, the client connects to the proxy server and sends requests for resources such as a document, web page or a file that resides on a remote server. The proxy server handles this request by fetching the required resources from the remote server and forwarding the same to the client.

How Proxy Server Works?

An illustration of how a proxy server works is shown below:

As shown in the above example, whenever the client connects to a web proxy server and makes a request for the resources (in this case, “Sample.html”) that reside on a remote server (in this case, xyz.com), the proxy server forwards this request to the target server on behalf of the client, so as to fetch the requested resource and deliver it back to the client. An example of client can be a user operated computer that is connected to the Internet.

Types of Proxy Servers and their Uses:

1. Forward Proxies

A forward proxy is the same one described above where the proxy server forwards the client’s request to the target server to establish a communication between the two. Here the client specifies the resources to be fetched and the target server to connect to, so that the forward proxy server acts accordingly. Except forreverse proxy (discussed in the latter part of this article), all other types of proxy servers described in this article falls under forward proxy.

2. Open Proxy

An open proxy is a type of forwarding proxy that is openly available to any Internet user. Most often, an open proxy is used by Internet users to conceal their IP address so that they remain anonymous during their web activity. The following are some of the web proxies that fall under the category of open proxy:

Anonymous Proxy

An anonymous proxy is a type of open proxy that conceals IP address of Internet users so that the target server cannot identify the origin of the requesting client. However, an anonymous proxy identifies itself as a proxy server but still manages to maintain the anonymity of the users.

Distorting Proxy

This type of proxy server identifies itself as a proxy, but reveals an incorrect IP address of the client to the target server.

High Anonymity Proxy (Elite Proxy)

An elite proxy provides maximum anonymity as it neither identifies itself as a proxy nor reveals the original IP address of the client. In most cases, users have to pay for this type of proxy as it is seldom available freely on the Internet.

3. Reverse Proxy

Unlike a forwarding proxy where the client knows that it is connecting through a proxy, a reverse proxyappears to the client as an ordinary server. However, when the client requests resources from this server, it forwards those requests to the target server (actual server where the resources reside) so as to fetch back the requested resource and forward the same to the client. Here, the client is given an impression that it is connecting to the actual server, but in reality there exists a reverse proxy residing between the client and the actual server.

Reverse proxies are often used to reduce load on the actual server by load balancing, to enhance security and to cache static content, so that they can be served faster to the client. Often big companies like Google which gets a large number of hits maintain a reverse proxy so as to enhance the performance of their servers. It is not a surprise that whenever you are connecting to google.com, you are only connecting to a reverse proxy that forwards your search queries to the actual servers to return the results back to you.

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