Don’t display last user name (previous user logged on) for Windows XP

When one is using the classic logon screen in Windows XP, the last user logged on is saved and appears on the user name field automatically. This is helpful, as all you need to do next is tab to the password field and input the password. The bad side is if you have a visitor or a co-worker who turns on the PC, that person would know an existing user account because the last user log-on would be displayed, and can guess for the password to gain access to that particular account.

There is an available registry edit that enables this particular information to be hidden. If you wish to do so, follow the steps outlined below:

1. Access the registry editor by clicking on Start (Start menu button on the desktop), choose or click on Run and type on the input field : regedit. Select OK and the Registry Editor should appear.
2. Go through the following path : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > Current Version > policies > system. On the right pane, look for the entry : dontdisplaylastusername . (An easier way I guess is to open the Registry Editor, do Ctrl-F to open the Find window, and type in : dontdisplaylastusername )
3. Double-click (or right click > modify) the entry dontdisplaylastusername, Input or type in 1 under Value Data. Click OK and exit Regedit.
4. Log off and verify if the username is now blank.

Managing Portable Apps with PStart

Developer : Pegtop
License : Free
Size : 0.6MB (download), 0.7MB (installed)

Description :
PStart (Portable Start) allows users who use removable devices (External USB Drives, flash disks and even CDs) to have a start menu for launching portable applications. Users will have two options : Install it locally or portably. Installing it on a portable device provides an easy way to access programs and important files from the portable device itself. This option also does not require an uninstaller, just delete the created PStart file and accompanying xml file.

It saves the path info in an xml file, and uses relative paths, so that the drive letter assigned to the removable device does not affect how apps are launched.

+ + + Download Link / Pegtop Site + + +

Foxit Reader : Portable PDF Reader

Developer : Foxit Sotware
License : Free
OS : Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP/2003
Download size : 1.11 MB for Setup file / 1.10 MB for Zipped executable

Description : A compact PDF reader that definitely loads faster than Acrobat Reader, and enables the user to view and print .pdf files. Lets you carry ,together with your e-books, a reliable viewer.

+ + + Download Link + + +

LockNote : Password-protect your notes!

Developer : Steganos
License : Free
OS: 32-bit MS Windows (NT / 2000 / XP)
Download size : 300 KB

Description : A free utility that enables the user to password protect any text file (.txt extension) using modern AES 256bit encryption technology.

One can create password protected text files either by using the LockNote window directly like a notepad, or dragging text files to the LockNote window which creates the encrypted file automatically and places it on the same directory as the original file.

The software is a standalone program and does not require any installation, great for protecting valuable notes or information ( passwords, links, etc...) stored on a portable storage device like a USB thumb drive.

+ + + Download Link + + +

SIW : System Info for Windows

Developer : Gabriel Topala
OS : Windows 95 (SP1, OSR2), Windows 98 (SE), Windows Me, Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows 2003 R2, Windows Vista, Windows Longhorn Server
License : Free

Description : SIW is a free standalone tool that gathers and displays a detailed account of the software and hardware installed on a machine running Windows 95 and up. This includes the following:

Motherboard, BIOS, CPU, devices, memory, video, disk drives, ports, printers, operating system, installed programs, processes, services, serial numbers (CD keys), users, open files, system uptime, network, network shares, etc.

Also included in the exe file are tools such as:

1. Eureka! - enables you to see the passwords hidden beneath asterisks.
2. MAC address changer
3. Windows 9x password cracker
4. OpenGL test

What's great about this software ?

1. It's free!
2. Gives detailed information about installed devices, (It even shows hard drive temperature and seek time).
3. Quick access to serial keys via the "secret" option. (Software > secret) Though a visit through the registry will reveal these "secrets", it is good to have it done automatically.
4. Executable file with the size of 1.2 Mb, can run from a USB thumb drive or a floppy.
5. Eureka! password revealer. (Will only work with asterisk hidden passwords)

+ + + Download Link + + +

OpenCourseWare : Free Courses from MIT

With a computer and internet connection, anyone can take a class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Pick from a selection of courses and take a class of your own liking, study at your own pace, there is no failing mark and its all for free.

OpenCourseWare is the name for the MIT initiative for free e-learning, an Online University that helps students, professionals, educators and anybody with the hunger for learning by providing course resources for free.

Link : http://ocw.mit.edu/

GoogleBraille

Google commemorates the man who invented the braille system for the blind and partially sighted people.

Now we know how Google looks like in braille. ( Today is Louis Braille's birthday )

Intel moves forward with new "Brand Identity"

One of the most recognizable brand in the world of computing "leaps ahead" with its new marketing focus as it changes its logo, and with it the direction of future initiatives. As stated in its press release, Intel will center its effort on four market segments :

1. mobile
2. digital home
3. enterprise
4. health

The 4 segments mentioned are indeed fast-growing industries that are evolving rapidly, and Intel has a definite advantage in going after those markets. As more people require computing not just for work but as an integral part of their daily lives, embedding it in ordinary looking devices and creating a constant interaction with other emerging technologies, we "are" looking into a new digital (r)evolution.