Sania's decision to marry Shoaib Malik baffles people

The decision of Indian tennis star Sania Mirza to tie the knot with Shoaib Malik has baffled people in her home town and triggered a debate on her move in view of the controversy involving the Pakistani cricketer.
The people, especially youngsters, were heard discussing the possible impact of the wedding on India-Pakistan relations, on her tennis career and whether Sania would remain an Indian citizen or become a Pakistani.

There is also speculation that the 23-year-old would stop playing tennis after the 2012 Olympics.

Coming a couple of months after she called off her engagement to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza citing "incompatibility", the news of her proposed marriage with former Pakistani captain has surprised her fans and critics alike.

Shoaib, 28, had reportedly married Ayesha Siddiqui, daughter of a businessman from this city, in 2002 but the Pakistani star later denied the marriage.

Even close family friends of Sania had no information about the alliance till her family Monday night confirmed a report by Pakistani television channel Geo News.

Some of her fans believe that she has taken a risk by choosing a Pakistani as her life partner given the strained relations between the two neighbours.

Sania Mirza is perhaps the first Indian celebrity to marry a Pakistani who is also a sports star in his country. The news of the marriage has attracted intense attention here.

"Sania and Shoaib will make a handsome couple. I wish her all the best," said S. Rashmi, a student.

The opinion was divided on whether the alliance would help strengthen people-to-people ties. "Marriage of the two celebrities would make no difference to Indo-Pak relations as they would have no influence on the powers that decide the foreign policies," said M.A. Amir, a software professional.

Though Sania's family in their statement said she would settle down in Dubai after the marriage and would continue to represent India in coming events, her relatives were tight-lipped on whether she would remain an Indian or accept Pakistani citizenship after a few years. "I don't think she will ever accept Pakistani citizenship given the strained relations between the two countries," feels Fauzan Hashmi, a student.

Sania's critics feel she has committed a "double fault" by breaking off the engagement with her childhood friend and then choosing a Pakistani, who allegedly cheated a girl from her own city after marrying her.

"Sania has made Hyderabad and India proud through her achievements but she should not have landed herself in a controversy by choosing a man who is accused of cheating a girl," said Sana Khan, a housewife.

Controversies surrounded Sania and they infact overshadowed her tennis career. Muslim clergy had taken strong exception to her dress on court and her reported remarks on pre-marital sex. She, however, denied making the remarks.

Sania, who has one single WTA title, eight doubles and one mixed doubles title, had a meteoric rise on Indian sports. She became the highest ranking Indian woman tennis player by breaking into the top 30 in world ranking. However, the poor performances during the last couple of years saw her ranking slipping to 92nd this month. She had once said that her tennis career may end without winning a Grand Slam titile.

Shoaib had called off his engagement with Ayesha Siddiqui in January 2008 saying the two families could not reach an understanding on some issues. Ayesha's father M.A. Siddiqui had even threatened to sue Malik for cheating and demanded him to give a formal divorce.

Google moving out from china :(

US Internet giant Google will close its business in China next month and may announce its plans in the coming days, Chinese media reported on Friday, after rows over censorship and hacking.


The China Business News quoted an official with an unidentified Chinese advertising agency as saying Google would go through with its threatened withdrawal on April 10, but that Google had yet to confirm the pull-out.

How to Get the Best Exchange Rate when Traveling in a Foreign Country

Depending on where you travel, currency exchange rates can either help you get great bargains or make your trip surprisingly expensive. No matter how strong your home currency is relative to the local currency, however, you want to make sure you're getting the best exchange rate possible whenever you need to get cash or make a purchase.



Find out what your bank charges for foreign transactions. Most of the time, you'll get the best possible exchange rate when you use your credit or debit card, either to make purchases or to withdraw cash from an ATM. By doing so, you get the same exchange rates that the banks offer to each other, with no middleman adding extra fees for the exchange. Some banks and credit card companies, however, will charge you a fee of as much as 3 percent on foreign transactions, so you need to do some research before you leave home. Call your bank and ask them what they charge. If they charge a fee, call around and ask other banks what they're charging. You may be able to find a better deal, but you'll need to plan well ahead.

What is Forex?

Guess lotz of people are not familiar with the word forex..
Its all about Foreign Exchange..

Foreign Exchange (FOREX) is the arena where a nation's currency is exchanged for that of another. The foreign exchange market is the largest financial market in the world, with the equivalent of over $1.9 trillion changing hands daily; more than three times the aggregate amount of the US Equity and Treasury markets combined. Unlike other financial markets, the Forex market has no physical location and no central exchange (off-exchange). It operates through a global network of banks, corporations and individuals trading one currency for another. The lack of a physical exchange enables the Forex market to operate on a 24-hour basis, spanning from one zone to another in all the major financial centers.

wassup wid bips ?

Bollywood’s beautiful Bong-shell Bipasha Basu is having sleepless nights nowadays.
The actress has been working up whole nights lately, tirelessly facing the camera for film shoots. So, when does she sleep, you ask? The sultry babe has been catching up sleep during the days.
Already on a high after the success of her last release All The Best, Bipasha has been keeping her nose to the grindstone because her schedule is crammed with different professional commitments. Yet, despite catching sleep in mere winks, Bipasha still continues to look a million dollars.
Meanwhile, Bipasha’s first Bengali-starrer ‘Shob Charitra Kalponik’ (also titled ‘Afterword’) was screened at the ongoing Osian Cinefan Film Festival in Delhi on Sunday. A lot of people turned up to see the film by director Rituparno Ghosh and there was an ovation, not standing though, at the end of the screening.
Guess Bips has all the reasons to be happy these days.

Mind blowing Fact !!!!

Whether a guy buys a 220cc pulsar, karizma or 350cc Royal Enfield, it can never overtake abeautiful Girl on 80cc scooty ;)

google Picasa

Google's Picasa is a great online photo management application. It offers both basic and advanced photo editing and sharing features. Read more to learn about Google Picasa and its features and functionality.

Google Picasa Software Review

First things first, Google Picasa lets you organize, edit, and upload your photos from your computer in quick and easy ways. According to Google, there are two things that you should remember about Picasa software- it does not store the photos on your computer and it preserves your original photos when using the Picasa Software editing tools. After editing your photos, Picasa creates a new version of the photo with your edits.

Google Picasa Review - Photo Organization

Picasa lets you organize your photos into folders, albums and people. Folders represent the folders in your computer where your photos reside originally. Anything you do in your Picasa Folders is synchronized with Picasa online. So when you delete a photo from your Picasa folder, that photo is also deleted in your computer. Albums on the other hand exist only in Picasa. You use them for creating virtual groups of photos taken from multiple folders on your computer. Think of an album as a playlist for your photos. “People” collections let you organize your photos by people through facial recognition technology. This is by far one of Picasa software's greatest features.

Google Picasa Review - Photo Editing



Picasa lets you edit your photos through various ways. It's similar to popular photo editing tools such as Adobe Photoshop although with less powerful features. Basically Picasa lets you do three types of modifications to your photos- Basic Fixes, Tuning, and Effects.

Basic fixes lets you crop, straighten, remove red eye, retouch blemishes, or add text to your photos. You can even use its auto-fix features through the "I'm Feeling Lucky" all-in-one lighting and contrast fix.

Picasa Effects lets you apply various effects to your photos to make it more interesting. You can use from twelve different effects including sharpen, sepia, black and white, warmify, tint, saturate, film grain, soft focus, focal B&W, filtered B&W, glow, and graduated tint.

Picasa photo tuning lets you adjust the color and lighting aspects of your photo to make it more visually enticing.

You can use all these photo editing tools without the fear of losing your original photos as Picasa saves them and produces a replica that you can work on.

Google Picasa Photo Sharing

Picasa lets you share your photos directly to your friends via email or by uploading it to Picasa Web albums. Sending your photos via email can be done by bulk or one by one. If you're sending too many photos, you may want to consider creating a Picasa Web Albums account and upload your photos there then share a link to your friends and family.

Google Picasa Advanced Features

Aside from those basic features, Picasa Software can still do many things. Among its advanced features include - adding captions, printing photos, adding tags, mapping photos, syncing to the web, uploading to Blogger.com, backing up your photos on a CD/DVD, making collages, and more.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay

Well this movie was a must watch for everyone..

“Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay,” a loosely strung-together collection of sex, race, and stoner jokes, is, by any rational standard, a terrible movie, yet I kept laughing at it, and I came out of the theatre in a good mood. Low comedy in the movies, as you may have noticed, keeps sinking lower. We have gone from candor to shock to nudity: in this cinematic burlesque show, the baggy pants keep dropping, and occasionally fall off altogether. “Guantánamo” is perhaps the first bottomless comedy—much of the humor, and a fair amount of the nakedness, is concentrated below the belt. Both sexes, I suppose, are somewhat degraded, but there’s a universality of rudeness in the movie’s attack which absolves it of malice toward any particular group. Personal dignity may have disappeared, but so have political correctness and ethnic squeamishness. While a large part of the mainstream press ties itself in knots in an attempt to avoid insulting anyone, a manically tasteless movie like this blithely assumes that to be an American is to be ridiculous in one way or another.
Yet “Guantánamo,” which was written and directed by the team of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who also wrote (but did not direct) “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” is not entirely harmless. Among other things, the movie is a farce about Bush-era paranoia. Harold (John Cho), a Korean-American financial analyst, and Kumar (Kal Penn), an Indian-American would-be medical student, are on a plane to Amsterdam when Kumar lights up a bong in the bathroom. When “bong” is misheard as “bomb,” the boys are arrested, yelled at, and shipped off to Guantánamo, where they are threatened with sexual humiliations—an adolescent nod to what happened at Abu Ghraib. The two escape, travel to the mainland with the help of some obliging Cubans, and roam around the South, running into stereotypes who prove to be the reverse of what they seem: an enormous, menacing-looking black man who is a gentle-souled orthodontist; a cussing redneck hunter who takes them home to his designer log cabin. There’s no more than a ghost of a narrative holding these gags together. Indeed, some of the changes from one scene to the next are so abrupt and bizarre that one can’t tell if Hurwitz and Schlossberg are cinematic primitives without discipline or are trying for a kind of loose-jointed American Dada.
Their skills are unreliable at best, but, willy-nilly, they’ve caught a significant demographic moment. The H.&K. movies, in their slovenly and profane style, are about the transition to a post-racial society in which, as the Salon film critic Stephanie Zacharek put it, “no one in real life can say definitively what an American looks like.” Harold’s parents, hauled in for questioning about their “terrorist” son, are addressed in contemptuously pronounced Korean by a Homeland Security translator, and they answer in flawless colloquial English—they are Americans. The chief anti-terrorism agent (Rob Corddry) sees everyone except whites as foreigners and likely terrorist collaborators; he’s the fool in this movie, just as the roaming New Jersey thugs, taunting the two boys of color, were the losers in “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.” The heroes themselves couldn’t be more American if they had been hatched in a Campbell’s soup can, and the rhythm of their rapport goes back seventy years, to the American radio and movie routines that cracked up our grandparents. Harold is stern, logical, law-abiding, repressed, and irritable; he expects life to be orderly and sane. Kumar is foolish, easily distracted, sex-mad, and softhearted; he’s out for a good time. They are Abbott & Costello with dirty mouths—indomitable, ungovernable, and possibly immortal.

Hrithik and Barbara Mori smooch stuff :o

Hrithik Roshan and mexican actress and model Barbara Mori will set the screen afire with their hot scenes in the movie Kites, rumors say.

The controversy around the kissing scene between Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori during Kites movie shoot has barely subsided, when the next controversy has cropped up. Apparently Papa Roshan, who was none to happy over the Hrithik Roshan – Barbara Mori kiss scene, is even more discomfited over the highly steamy Hrithik – Barbara Mori scenes in Kites.

Rumor has it that the Hrithik Roshan – Barbara Mori sex scenes were so hot, that papa Roshan was asked to leave the sets by Kites director Anurag Basu. Basu felt that Hrithik would be very uncomfortable performing his sex scenes with Barbara Mori, if his father were around.

Apart from that, Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori are said to get on very well off-screen as well, which has panicked Papa Roshan even more. He is said to have flown down Hrithik’s wife and kids to Las Vegas, where Kites is being shot, to stem any budding relationship between Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori.

Kites which was scheduled to be complete in September 2008, got delayed due to sandstorms in New Mexico where Kites was being shot. Kites will now be completed by mid-October, 2008. Kites stars Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, and Kangana Ranaut in pivotal roles.

Mexican beauty Barbara Mori is a telenovela actress with TV Azteca. Barbara Mori is of mixed heritage. Barbara Mori’s father, Yuyi Mori, is of Japanese ancestry while her mother, Rosario Ochoa, is Mexican.

Barbara Mori has acted in many telenovelas, notably Mirada de mujer: El regreso for which she won the TVyNovelas Award. Barbara Mori has also acted in films like Inspiracion, Robots, La mujer de mi hermano, and Pretendiendo. Barbara Mori’s latest release was the 2008 flick Violanchelo. Barbara Mori is also a well-known international model.

Hrithik Roshan is one of the biggest superstars in Bollywood. Hrithik Roshan, who has acted in many blockbuster hits in India, is the poster child of faithfulness in an industry rampant with extra-marital affairs. Hrithik Roshan married to his teenage love, Suzanne Roshan, is reputed to have a very clean personal life.

Perhaps, that is why the Hrithik – Barbara Mori hot scenes has fueled speculation about the alleged liaison between hunky Hrithik and the equally bodylicious Barbara Mori.

Kites has been directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Rakesh Roshan. Anurag Basu has directed movies like Gangster, Life in a Metro, and Murder, all of which have been hits and appreciated by critics as well as audiences.

Kites is a dance-based bilingual movie (English and Hindi). Hrithik is a lovable (?) con artist who has two women on a string, Barbara Mori and Kangana Ranaut. Barbara Mori plays a salsa teacher, while Kangana plays the role of a siren.

Rakesh Roshan has directed most of the movies he has produced. His bumper hits like Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Krissh 1 and 2, have starred son Hrithik Roshan. This is the second time Rakesh Roshan has handed over he directorial reins to another. The last time he did so, was the 2008 release Krazzy 4, which tanked at the box office and landed him into a legal tangle.

Kites will hit the movie screens in 2010

John Abrahim ready for Skin show... Katz said "NO"

Karan johar wants Katrina in "Dostana 2" to pair up with john abrahim..

Kats said yes to karan.. but no for skin show..

Then karan said to john abrahim.. "katz said no dude.. so itz high time.. you need to help me , get ready for sking show"

John said ok ;)

M F Husain surrenders his Indian passport in Doha

Legendary painter M F Husain, who was recently granted Qatari citizenship, has surrendered his Indian passport to the country's mission in Doha, a media report said on Monday.

95-year-old Husain, revered by many as India's Picasso, yesterday went to the country's mission in Doha and surrendered his Indian passport, the Gulf Times reported.

Husain, who has been living in self-imposed exile fornearly four years following a spate of cases in India over his controversial paintings of Hindu goddesses, had accepted Qatar's offer and would no longer be an Indian, his son Owais Husain said recently.

India does not recognise dual citizenship. So, "in such a situation, surrendering passport by the person concerned is mandatory and Husain has only done that," an Indian Embassy official was quoted as saying by the paper.

The artist has also applied for the Overseas Citizen of India card, the mission sources said, adding the embassy has facilitated all requirements for him to obtain the OCI card.

What Should I Do With Image Files?

Most of the nuts in this internet era dont have knowledge about image files..
Here is some info for them

1. What's a image file?
(>) A image file is a CD/DVD, but instead of insert it into your CD/DVD-Rom, you open it from inside your Hard Disk. So, it's a file that replaces a normal CD/DVD. Inside the image are the CD/DVD files like if it were a CD/DVD.

2. What are the image files extensions?
(>) There's many extensions, but the most common are:
(>) iSO (Generic image file)
(>) BiN/CUE (Generic BiN image file)
(>) NRG (An image created using Nero Burning ROM)
(>) iMG/CCD/SUB (An image created using CloneCD)
(>) MDF (An image created using MagicISO Maker)

There are many other images, but these are the most common.

3. How to open a image file?
(>) The most common way to open image files, is to use a virtual CD/DVD-Rom. It's like a normal CD/DVD-Rom, only that you mount the images directly from your computer, installing a simple program.

4. What program should i use to create images files?
(>) Usually a CD/DVD Burning software has that option, but personally i use UltraISO. It allow me to create an ISO, BiN/CUE, NRG and iMG/CCD/SUB image file.

5. What program should i use to mount the images?
(>) Daemon-Tools is the most powerful one to use, and the most simple too.

6. How to burn a image file?
(>) Some image files must be burned using a certain software in order to work fine, but usually a common CD/DVD burning software works fine. I use Nero Burning ROM to burn my images.

7. How to work with Daemon-Tools?
(>) 1. Install the software into your Hard Drive. After installing reboot (or not) your PC.
(>) 2. After 1. , open Daemon-Tools. It will appear in your startup bar.
(>) 3. Right click on it, go to Virtual CD/DVD-ROM » Set number of devices » 2 Drives. If you want to use more drives you can set it on. I personally use 2. It's your decision.
(>) 4. Right click on it, go to Virtual CD/DVD-ROM » Device x: [X:](....). Here you will mount your image. Just choose the image to open it (x means Device 1 or 2, etc.)([X:] the letter of your device).
(>) 5. Done, now your image is working like a CD.

8. How to burn with Nero Burning ROM?
(>) 1. Install Nero Burning ROM.
(>) 2. Open it, choose what is the storage type you gonna use to burn the image, or is a CD or a DVD.
(>) 3. Go to Copy and Backup » Burn Image to Disc.
(>) 4. Choose the image you want to burn.
(>) 5. Done, let it burn baby!

FiNAL NOTES:
(>) If you want to burn a BiN with Nero Burning ROM, you will have to have the CUE file. When you are going to open the image, if it's BiN, you open the CUE file. If you don't have the CUE and you don't want to download it, it's simple:
1. Open Daemon-Tools.
2. Mount your BiN file.
3. Open Nero Burning ROM.
4. Open it, choose what is the storage type you gonna use to burn the image, or is a CD or a DVD.
5. Go to Data » Make Data CD.
6. Now open the image you mounted through your virtual drive. Select all files, and drag the files into Nero Burning ROM window that is opened.
7. Done, let it burn.

Converting to NTFS

Most of the people who wants to switch to windows 7 or vista are facing problem while installing because , still the partitions are in FAT format. Those partitions needs to be converted to NTFS format..
Follow the below to do that..



Your hard drive must be formatted with a file system such as FAT, FAT32 or NTFS so that Windows can be installed on to it. This system determines how files are named, organised and stored on the drive. If you’re not using it already, NTFS (New Technology File System) is recommended for Windows XP because of the additional functionality it offers. If your PC came with Windows XP pre-installed then there’s a chance that you’re already using NTFS. If you’ve upgraded from Windows 98 or Windows Me you may still be using FAT or FAT 32. The option to change over to NTFS would have been available during the upgrade process. Don’t worry if you skipped this as it’s possible to convert at any time from within Windows XP without losing any data.

The recommended option
There are a number of features in Windows XP that will only work if the NTFS file system is present, which is why it’s suggested you make use of it. File and folder permissions, encryption and privacy options are just some of those you’ll be able to access. In particular, those of you who have set up user accounts will find NTFS invaluable. For instance, if you continue to use FAT or FAT32 anyone with physical access to the drive will be able to access the files and folders that are stored there. However, with NTFS you’ll be able to use a level of encryption (Professional Edition only) that will enable you to protect your data.

You’ll also find NTFS more reliable in that it’s more able to recover from disk errors than its FAT or FAT32 counterparts. A log of all disk activity is kept so should a crash occur, Windows XP can use this information to repair the file system when your PC boots up again. To find out what file system you’re using, open My Computer, right-click your main hard drive and choose Properties. Take a look at the General tab to see confirmation of the file system that’s in use.

Convert now
You can use the convert tool in Windows XP to change the file system on your hard disk from FAT or FAT32 to NTFS. The whole process is safe and your existing data won’t be destroyed. To begin, click Start -> Run, type cmd and press [Return]. At the command prompt type convert c: /fs:ntfs and press [Return] (where ‘c’ is the letter of the drive you’re converting). When you try and run the convert utility, it’s likely that Windows XP will be using your paging file so the process won’t be completed immediately. Therefore, you’ll see a brief message on screen informing you that the conversion will take place instead the next time Windows starts up. Having restarted, the Check Disk utility will run, the conversion will be performed automatically and you may find that your PC will reboot twice more.

The benefits
With your drive now running NTFS, it’s time to take advantage of the new options that are available. Having created a number of different user accounts you can now control the level of access that’s granted to individual users. For example, there are going to be certain files and folders that you’ll want some users to be able to access but not others. If you have Windows XP Professional Edition you can do this immediately.

Right-click any file or folder, choose Properties and select the Security tab. A dialog will be displayed showing the names of all your users. Alongside will be two columns which enable you to select levels of access for each of them, the permissions include Full Control, Modify, Read and Write. You can then check the appropriate box to determine whether or not to Allow or Deny a particular permission. For Windows XP Home Edition users, the Security tab won’t be immediately available. To access this option you’ll need to restart your PC, pressing [F8] until a menu appears. Next select Safe Mode and wait for Windows XP to start up. You can then set your options in the same way.

Another feature is NTFS compression. It’s quick and seamless as your file or folder is decompressed automatically when you access it. (Don’t confuse this with a Zip compression utility where the files need to be extracted before they can be accessed.) Although you may have used NTFS compression on a file or folder, there’s no way of telling just by looking at it. To remedy this, open My Computer, click Tools -> Folder Options and select the View tab. Under Advanced settings, scroll down and check the option ‘Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color’, then click Apply and OK. Take a look at your compressed items in My Computer and you’ll see the text label has changed from black to blue. Something else that’s exclusive to Professional Edition users is the Encrypting File System (EFS). You can use this to protect your important data so that no one else can read it. Your encrypted files and folders will only be accessible when you have logged into your user account successfully.

Change text on XP start button

Step 1 - Modify Explorer.exe File

In order to make the changes, the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows needs to be edited. Since explorer.exe is a binary file it requires a special editor. For purposes of this article I have used Resource Hacker. Resource HackerTM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.

get this from h**p://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/tools/ResHack.zip

The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe.

The category we are going to be using is "String Table". Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button.

There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry. In my case I used Click Me!

You’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out is now active. I won’t get into what’s involved in compiling a script, but suffice it to say it’s going to make this exercise worthwhile. Click Compile Script and then save the altered file using the Save As command on the File Menu. Do not use the Save command – Make sure to use the Save As command and choose a name for the file. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.


Step 2 – Modify the Registry

!!!make a backup of your registry before making changes!!!

Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open field. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

In the right pane, double click the "Shell" entry to open the Edit String dialog box. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK.

Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text.[/b]

10 reasons why PCs crash U must Know

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1 Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

HOW TO RE INSTALL WINDOWS WITHOUT USING WINDOWS CD

THIS IS THE TUTORIAL USED TO REINSTALL YOUR WINDOWS WITHOUT USING CD.JUST U NEED TO DO IS DO BACK UP OF ALL YOUR WINDOWS CD. IN THE DRIVE WHICH YOU ARE GOING TO REINSTALL.

How To Reinstall Windows Without Losing Anything Here Is Another Possible Solution: easy way and tested:


1- Start Windows XP
2- Go to the location of your source files
3- Run WINNT32 /unattend
For example, D:\I386\winnt32 /unattend ( copy & paste this command into the RUN box, then press ENTER ) Your computer will do the rest.
Or,
Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt.
Copy & paste > D:\I386\winnt32 /unattend
Press Enter.
If you have i386 on your drive, you can replace D: ( if D: is your cd drive ) with the location of it.
I've often need to do this to repair something that had gotten corrupted and didn't want to do a clean install.

D: is the driver letter where your windows XP Cd is
if D:\I386\winnt32 /unattend doesn't work then try : d:\winnt32 /unattend

Folder Lock without using any software

Open Notepad and copy the below code and save as (locker .bat). At first time start it will create folder with Locker automatically for u. Don't forget to change your password in the code its shown the place where to type your password.
After creation of Locker folder again click on the locker.bat.it will ask. press Y then Locker folder will be disappeared. Again to get it click on locker.bat. And give ur password u will get the folder again.


@ECHO OFF
title Folder Locker
if EXIST "Control Panel.{21EC2020- 3AEA-1069- A2DD-08002B30309 D}" goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Locker goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM
echo Are you sure u 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 Locker "Control Panel.{21EC2020- 3AEA-1069- A2DD-08002B30309 D}"
attrib +h +s "Control Panel.{21EC2020- 3AEA-1069- A2DD-08002B30309 D}"
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo Enter password to Unlock folder
set/p "pass=>"
if NOT %pass%==type your password here goto FAIL
attrib -h -s "Control Panel.{21EC2020- 3AEA-1069- A2DD-08002B30309 D}"
ren "Control Panel.{21EC2020- 3AEA-1069- A2DD-08002B30309 D}" Locker
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Locker
echo Locker created successfully
goto End
:End

Forex Market Comparison

Forex Vs Shares
Trade Around the Clock
The forex market is a near-seamless 24-hour market. Subject to available liquidity, FXCM offers trading from Sunday, starting after 5:15 PM EST, until Friday, 4PM, EST (FXCM Client Service is available 24/7). With the ability to trade around the clock, currency traders have the advantage of customizing their own trading schedule; they can usually get in or out of the market at any time without waiting for an opening bell or encountering a market gap. While trading stocks after usual market hours is possible, very often that possibility is negated by a lack of order flow or a drastic widening of the bid-ask spread.

Pay No Commissions*
In the forex market costs are confined to the bid-ask spread. FXCM charges no commission or additional transaction fees, and its customers trade on spreads provided to FXCM by some of the world's largest banks via the FX Trading Station. In the stock market, “no-fee” programs are frequently offered only with provisos mandating minimum account balances or minimum trades per month.

No Uptick Rule
Unlike the equity market, there is no restriction on short selling in the forex currency market, no matter which way the market is moving. Since currency trading involves buying one currency and selling another, a trader has the same ability to trade in a rising market as in a falling one.
Forex Market Information Easily Accessible
Information about stocks is abundant, but so are the stocks. Finding a trade opportunity in the equities markets may mean sifting through data on thousands of stocks, while the forex trader has only six major currencies to research. Additionally, the vital information that moves equity markets, such as revenues and profits, is proprietary and private. In contrast, virtually all of the news that bears on the forex market is in publicly disseminated reports from governments or research institutions, and released to everybody at the same time.
We feel that the knowledge you've gained in analyzing stocks can easily be transferred to the forex market. Many of the economic indicators familiar to equity traders, such as payroll data and interest rates, affect the currency markets. And many technical traders have found the forex market to be particularly attractive, since currencies respond well to many of the common technical indicators, such as MACD, RSI, and Candlestick charting.
To learn more about transitioning from trading equity markets to trading in the Forex market, contact the FXCM staff today at 888-503-6739.
High Risk Investment
Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.

Bye Bye to salman by Katrina kaif

If our sources are to be believed, Katrina Kaif looks set to appear opposite Hrithik Roshan for the first time later this year. In a bid to boost her reputation as an actor, Kaif has been carefully choosing projects and currently has a busy schedule of filming lined up for 2010, including a potential role [...]

Review for the New maovie Yem maya chesave

The promos suggest an Archies-like romance, and you're probably picturing lots of fluff floating around. Surprisingly, it's not fluff you'll find in Ye Maya Chesave - there's something satiny about this detail-rich movie. Like a rich creamy chocolate shake, it takes its own saccharine time to slide down your throat ever so gently.

Gautham Menon's key triumph in the production is the finesse in direction. It is sheer indulgence for the audience to watch every frame, every dialogue and every expression delivered with the meticulousness of someone trying to set a table using fine crystal ware.

It's a different matter that the script is not a "story" - it is not really a collection of events or vignettes as much as it is a portrayal of a couple's courtship. That's a polite way of saying nothing much happens in the flick.

Karthik (Naga Chaitanya), an aspiring filmmaker, falls in love with his landlord's daughter Jessie (Samantha) at first sight, and clumsily goes about vying for her attention, and even proposing to her too soon. The amused Jessie is soft about her refusal to get into this, mostly because her father won't let her, a Kerala Christian, marry a Hindu. The rest of the story is about what happens to the rest of the romance.

Ye Maya Chesave is qualified to be called a mature love story, because it is high on realism. The characters are all flesh and blood, and their lines and confrontations are solidly rooted in reality. The problem, however, lies in its pace and in its casting. There are long spells of emptiness in the film, cushioned either by a song or by whispered dialogues that lose you because they're rather bland.

It leads to the mismatch between the kind of flick this is and the lead pair - neither the hero nor the heroine really exudes the romantic flavour that this movie is made up of. Couple that with the fact that the entire film is fixated on primarily two characters, without a healthy social buffer - joking families or gangs of friends, for example - and things get claustrophobic at times.

For Naga Chaitanya, this movie is undoubtedly a plum platform to build up on his acting skills. His earnestness is visible, but his dialogue delivery remains a lot less than perfect. The heroine Samantha is talented, and she might bag some good offers after this one, though.

Krishnudu plays himself - bizarrely, in the role of the hero's sidekick - and he's pleasant to have around. There are other Tollywood plugins, too - Puri Jagannadh is in this as well. A lot of unfamiliar faces are part of the cast, and do well.

The film moves between Hyderabad and Kerala. Menon mounts his story on some astonishing cinematography, pampering the eye not with the lush tea gardens or backwaters of Kerala, but with the beauty of human expression and interaction. The sets and the actors are styled with rarely seen urban polish, and yet everything seems approachable - the heroine wears cotton chudidhar-kurtas and sarees, and the hero's dressed like an average well-dressed college student.

Rahman's music is a major asset to the flick. His compositions are, well, mathematical harmony.

In all, Ye Maya Chesave is a well-crafted movie, but could have been much more fun were there more to its plot and cast.