Wednesday, July 10, 2013

How To Recover Data From a Dead Hard Drive



How To Recover Data From a Dead Hard Drive


One of the most dreadful feelings that you can have is having a pc computer or laptop die that hadn’t been backed up recently; especially if you have valuable pictures, music, videos, documents or other files on it.

Here to start:

Computers are complex machines and when they work right, they are fun to use – but when something goes drastically wrong, it can feel as if your world crashed down around you. If your hard drive is still in working order, there is a very good chance that you’ll be able to recover your pictures, music, videos and valuable documents (and other data) simply with another computer; a specialized cable, a screwdriver; and a little time.

To start off, your best bet it to get a specialized USB cable that can plug directly into your hard drive that you’ll recover from the dead computer. There are several types, and I’d recommend getting one that can handle both PATA (IDE) and SATA hard drives (the two most common used in consumer computers) as well as 2.5” (laptop) and 3.5” (desktop) hard drives. You can also use a hard drive dock or external drive cases as well - but personally I find the specialized USB cable to be the easiest and most flexible option.

Next, remove the hard drive from the dead computer. On desktops it is usually held in with four Philips screwdrivers and on laptops it is usually under an access panel on the bottom of the computer. Remove any cables and caddies that the drive may have – all you need is the bare drive. Then plug in the USB cable into the hard drive (and a power cable if it is a desktop drive – also provided with the USB cable kit) and then plug the other end of the USB cable into a working computer. The computer will then set up the drive ad an external storage device and voilà! you’ll now have access to the files on that drive (provided that the drive is not encrypted or using some type of security feature).
Where to look

OK, so the drive is now plugged into your computer and seen as an external drive, now what? You have several options. One option is to simply look for the files on the drive from the dead computer that you plugged into the USB port and copy them onto the working computer. This is my preferred method personally. I like to “brute force” my way through the drive with Windows Explorer (or a similar file browsing tool) and manually copy/paste the data from one computer to the other. Another option is to follow a Windows dialog box (that usually pops up when you plug in an external drive) and have it help you copy your data from one computer to the other. If you are manually choosing to “brute force it” personal data is usually stored by default in the computers operating systems “home directory” for users.
Common Locations

for home directories (where <root> takes the place of the drive letter):

Microsoft Windows 95-Me <root>\My Documents
Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/2003 <root>\Documents and Settings\<username>
Microsoft Windows Vista / Windows 7 <root>\Users\<username>

Other “What ifs”

What if the files on the drives are erased? If they are, you can use a free recovery program such as Piriform’s Recuva to look for and (hopefully) restore the files. This simple, easy-to-use tool is terrific for recovering pictures from a camera’s memory card that have accidentally been erased as well!

What if the hard drive is the reason that the computer died (actual hardware failure)? If the hard drive is the part that caused the computer failure, then you may be out of luck. Yes, there are specialty recovery services that will pull apart the drives data platters and attempt to recover data (and they are usually successful - such services were used, for example, to recover data from the hard drives that were used on computers from the space shuttle Columbia after it broke apart in 2003) but such services are usually very expensive.
A word to the wise

Backup, backup, backup! Whether using one of the Internet based cloud services or a separate external hard drive – if you make it a habit of backing up regularly, chances are good that you’ll keep the loss of such a failure to a minimum if a computer fails. Of course one of the benefits of using cloud-based backup services is that you can have access to your pictures anywhere you have Internet access.
Summing it up

A computer that dies can be a loss – but don’t lose hope that your valuable pictures (and other stuff) are gone forever. With a little work, you can retrieve your data off the hard drives from a dead computer!

DONE!! 


You May Also Like:



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Internet Connection Sharing on Windows

Internet Connection Sharing on Windows 


This trick shows you how to share your internet connections on multiple computers within a workgroup with Windows XP and vista. Windows XP has a built-in feature that called "Internet Connection Sharing" (ICS) that allows home users to share their internet connections on multiple computers.

If you are not familiar with the network configurations, the easiest way to share your internet connection is to purchase a router or hub. Use this trick only if you don't have a router, or don't want to use a router, or if you just want to try out the feature.

A simple way to understand this feature is, you are making your host computer (the computer directly connects to the internet) functioning as a router for other computers.

What do you need?

A "Host" computer that running Windows XP. This computer must have at least TWO (2) network adapters. One adapter - let's call it "Adapter #1" - connects to the internet and another, "Adapter #2", connects to a hub or directly to other computers.
Client computer(s), which run any version of Windows. A client computer can be connected to the host computer directly by a cross-over cable or indirectly through a hub.
This trick assumes that the host computer is connected to the internet and you are able to access the internet on this computer.


Configure the Host Computer

Logon the host computer as Administrator.
Click Start >> Control Panel.
Click Network and Internet Connections.
Click Network Connections.
Right-click the connection that you use to connect to the internet (the connection with Adapter #1). This connection can be either a high-speed internet connection or a dial-up connection.
Click Properties.
Click Advanced tab.
Under Internet Connection Sharing, select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection check box.
If you are sharing a dial-up Internet connection, select the Establish a dial-up connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet check box if you want to permit your computer to automatically connect to the Internet.
Click OK. You'll reieve the following message:
When Internet Connection Sharing is enabled, your LAN adapter will be set to use IP address 192.168.0.1. Your computer may lose connectivity with other computers on your network. If these other computers have static IP addresses, it is a good idea to set them to obtain their IP addresses automatically. Are you sure you want to enable Internet Connection Sharing?
Click Yes.

Configure the Client Computer(s)

To use the shared connection from the Host computer, a client computer must be configured with "Automatic IP address". The main configurations are:

Configure TCP/IP Automatic IP
Configure Internet Connection

The steps for the above two configurations are vary on different versions of Windows.
The following procedures are for Windows XP client computers.

Log on to the client computer as Administrator or as Owner.
Click Start >> Control Panel.
Click Network and Internet Connections.
Click Network Connections.
Right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
Click the General tab, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in the This connection uses the following items list, and then click Properties.
In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box, click Obtain an IP address automatically (if it is not already selected), and then click OK.


Click Start >> Control Panel
Click Network and Internet Connections.
Click Internet Options.
In the Internet Properties dialog box, click the Connections tab.
Click the Setup button. The New Connection Wizard starts.
On the Welcome to the New Connection Wizard page, click Next.
Click Connect to the Internet, and then click Next.
Click Set up my connection manually, and then click Next.
Click Connect using a broadband connection that is always on, and then click Next.
On the Completing the New Connection Wizard page, click Finish.
Exit Control Panel and test the internet. You might need to restart the computer.

DONE!! 



You May Also Like:

- See more at: http://the-technogeek.blogspot.in/2013/06/internet-connection-sharing-on-windows.html#sthash.LZIMPEMS.dpuf
- See more at: http://the-technogeek.blogspot.in/2013/06/internet-connection-sharing-on-windows.html#sthash.LZIMPEMS.dpuf
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, July 5, 2013

10 cool things you can do with your Android Camera



10 cool things you can do with your 
Android Camera



1. Search for anything, anywhere:
As much as you might hate Google for its never-ending bid for world domination, you've got to hand it to the search giant - it really knows how to come up with the goods. Take its latest application Google Goggles, for example.
Designed for Android 2.1 and newer iterations of the OS, it's basically a barcode or QR code reader if it were made by the Incredible Hulk. Instead of relying on scanning bits of information specifically created to be recognised by the app on the side of a packet, Google Goggles can be used to scan absolutely anything - and the beauty of it is that there's not a code in sight.
Simply point it at what you want and it will pull information relevant to it straight to your phone. If it's a famous landmark like Big Ben, it'll beam you a complete history of the building. It works for artwork, drinks, logos and much more.
2. Play augmented reality games:
Augmented reality in phones has been around for some time now and tools like AR translation apps are great, but nobody ever seems to show you how to use the technology for fun. That shouldn't stop you using your phone's ability to play augmented reality games though - no matter where you are.
There are plenty of them about, like SpecTrek - the game where you search for virtual ghosts using a map and then shoot them down when you find them. Or there's Zombies, Run! where you have to get from A to B on a map, avoiding those pesky flesheaters en route.
A word of warning: be very careful about running around and shooting at things in a city filled with real people, as you might get some funny looks, especially if you're old enough to know better.
3. Catch criminals
Perish the thought of ever losing your phone or having it stolen, but it could very easily happen to you one day.
Gotya is an app that takes advantage of your Android handset's camera to catch a light-fingered fiend in the act by snapping a photo of them when they try to bypass your phone's security login screen. It then not only emails the picture to you instantly, but also tells you the thief's location, so you can tip off the police to their whereabouts.
Obviously, the only way this idea would ever actually work would be (a) if your phone comes with a front-facing camera, (b) there's mobile internet access available, and (c) you actually remembered to turn 3G on in the first place. Otherwise, it's absolutely fool-proof.
4. Look to the stars:
While few of us can ever boast to be blessed with the same sort of abilities as Brian Cox or Sir Patrick Moore, we can still revel in all that the stars have to offer from the comfort of our own homes (or gardens, anyway) thanks to apps like Star Chart and Google SkyMap.
Using AR, they allow you to point your phone skywards at night and get a fascinating overview of all those little lights. SkyMap gives you the names of stars and tells you where to point your phone to see certain planets. You'll feel like a Greek god in no time.
5. Turn your phone into a webcam:
Your smartphone's camera doubles up as a handy video camera - most newer phones can even record in high definition - which you can use to shoot videos on the move. But that wouldn't be very revolutionary, would it?
If you want to make more of your mobile hardware, why not stream your videos live to the world (or just a couple of close friends) using Bambuser instead?
Provided you have a decent internet connection where you are - and no, we didn't believe those promotional snowboarding videos either - you can broadcast videos as you record them, which would be great for parties or any kind of activity where someone couldn't be there. You can even geotag your live stream and share it with your entire social network, so everyone knows where you are!
6. Save photo notes
Probably one of the most underrated features of a phone is the ability to take notes at random whenever something happens to pop into your head.
You can go one step further than basic note taking and start using the power of your camera plus the Evernote app to take picture notes too.
The real beauty of this is that anything you snap that contains text will be recognised by Evernote, allowing you to categorise the picture and search the text later, so it effectively writes notes for you. It's great if you want to digitise your shop receipts or scan a great article in a magazine for later.
7. Get notifications via camera flash
The main use for your phone camera's flash is taking pictures in low light, naturally, but some people also use it as a torch to find their way at night. It can even be used as an extension of the ringer and vibrate function when you receive calls by installing the Flash Blink app, so if all else fails and you can't hear your phone, you'll certainly be able to see the flashing light emitting from it.
The app isn't available off-the-shelf, so don't go rooting around Google Play because you won't find it. Instead, find out how to use it in the tutorial below.

Get notifications via camera flash
Install Flash Blink-
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=imoblife.blink&hl=en
open the Flash Blink app like any other in your list of apps.
To get it to work, simply turn on the torch and tap the check box next to where it says Enable Flash Blink Notification - you can choose it to flash when you receive a call, a SMS or both, and you can even choose how fast the light flashes.
8. Translate text
Once again Google Goggles comes to the rescue - out of all the picture-to-text translator apps out there, it's hands-down the best of them.
Just hover your phone's camera over an image of some text, snap a photo and Google Goggles will automatically recognise if the text is in a foreign language and attempt to analyse and translate the image for you. Imagine being in a restaurant in Paris and you want to avoid eating frogs' legs - this could be very useful.
9. Find hidden stuff around you
Thanks to augmented reality technology, you can discover a world of pretty interesting things right outside your front door using apps like Junaio and Layar.
What they basically do is reveal things on your phone that you wouldn't be able to see using your eyes, like events that are going on or where to find discounts nearby. It will even point you in the direction of essential information, like the nearest cash machine or underground station.
10. Scan documents
Another great feature available to Android phones is the ability to convert documents into printable PDFs, simply by using an app like Handy Scanner, which snaps a photograph and then magically turns it into a PDF.
You then have the option of emailing the PDF or putting it in a Dropbox folder. Alternatively, Google Drive does much the same thing but instead of creating a PDF out of printed text, it converts it to a Google Docs file.

You May Also Like:
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)