She-Geeks

01.27.09 by:: swytch

I’m sure many of you have encountered this devlish BSOD (blue screen of death) at least once in your lifetime.

In my line of work, people tend to come to me in utter anguish praying they haven’t lost their files. Most of the time I can get the user up and running again within a short period of time but there are those times…. well, I’ll just re-emphasize the need to BACK UP YOUR DATA. :0)

Here are a few steps which I used to get my laptop back in shape. (steps below reference Windows XP but can be help troubleshooting other operating systems)

Step 1 – Located my Windows XP operating system disk. With my XP disk in the CD-rom drive, I powered up the computer. When prompted, I booted to the CD drive and not the internal hard drive. At that point I began to see XP starting its boot and restore process.

Step 2 – When prompted, select “R” to repair the current XP installation. You will then be brought to the Windows System Repair prompt shown below.

Step 3 – I resolved the situation using both the FIXBOOT and FIXMBR commands.

original photo: http://www.windowsnetworking.com

I ran the FIXBOOT command first, then rebooted the machine to see if it solved the problem. It didn’t so I proceeded with the FIXMBR command and tested again.

Step 4 – I returned to the Windows Recovery Console and ran the chkdsk command with a ” /r ” for recover.

After I completed the steps above, I performed a full shutdown.
I booted the laptop and we were back in action! These are the steps that I took but know that there are many more commands you can use in the Windows Recovery Console.

Check out some of these sources for additional information:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297185
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Windows-Recovery-Console-from-XP-CD
http://commandwindows.com/recovery.htm

09.10.08 by:: swytch

Many of you, myself included, have run into pretty interesting jpgs or gifs created using pure ASCII text. I have always wondered if there was a free and easy way for me to create my own ASCII text without losing my mind completely and attempting it “by hand”.
Well, when wondering the ether recently I discovered a free program called “pic2ascii”. Information on the program and its creator:

During my first complete run of this program, I used the following scooter graphic as a target.

I simply clicked ASCII-Table in the top bar and chose “fill with all possible characters”. This loaded the ASCII information I needed to complete this process. I also saved that table as a text file (option available through the ASCII-Table drop down).
Next I browsed to my target graphic and chose the preferred font for this run.
Click START and wait for the pop-up box stating the process is complete!
Pic2ASCII rendered the following ASCII image relatively quickly.

The ASCII image the program rendered was quite large so I decided to decrease the size of the target scooter graphic. This rendered a slightly more manageable output. See below.

Now, being relatively excited about ASCII rendering, I decided to take it up a notch and find a program which would do this in color. I came across the free ZW Text Mosaic program.
Once installed, I decided to demo the program with the same scooter graphic used previously.
Using the same picture but rendering it with ZW Text Mosaic

In addition to the color option, you can actually type in text you wish to use during the rendering process. Of course, I used she-geeks.com as my text.
Once the image has been generated, you can choose either Show or Open to view the graphic.
All in all, these programs are straightforward enough that anyone can have a bit of fun using them. Get creative and enjoy! J

07.11.09 by jewels

Taking a break from tech for a minute or so to ask for some help. On Thursday June 9, 2009 my ex brother-in-law Richard Langdeau was killed on his motorcycle by a careless driver. Record-Journal Story His daughter Samantha is now without a father. A college fund has been established for her through TD Banknorth. Any type of donation would be greatly appreciated. She’s still a long while from college, so even a few dollars now will be a big help by the time she needs it.

If you’re not able to help financially, and yes I know times are tough all around, you can help by sharing this information with others through your social networks.

Please send donations to: The Samantha Langdeau College Fund c/o TD Banknorth, 826 Wolcott Rd., Wolcott, CT 06716

If you’d like to send your condolences to Rich’s family, you may do so through Woodtick Memorial

Thank you

07.3.09 by jewels

I love Skype! It’s the main communication method the she-geeks use to chat with each other. But now thanks to Ring2Skype it’s even more useful. Read on to find out this service can help save you a lot of money.

Skype is great for free PC to PC communication, but you must open your wallet for a Skype-In number to enable your friends to reach you on skype from their mobile or landline phones. Not anymore…

Ring2Skype will give you a free skype-in number, actually they’ll give you multiple skype-in numbers. US numbers are available at this time in: NY CA FL ME.

If you don’t live in one of those states, then obviously it will be a LD call from a landline, but since most mobile phones have unlimited LD it won’t be an issue for your friends to call your skype-in number from their cell.

The number you will get requires an extension, but it’s not really an issue for a cell phone. Just have your friends program a pause or two before the extension number when adding your skype-in to their contacts. I put two pauses into mine and it worked like a charm. I’ll admit I was skeptical about what the call quality was going to be like, but surprisingly it was crisp and clear.

Now where this program really kicks azz is with international numbers. If you have friends abroad, this service offers numbers in a slew of countries, so many I won’t bother listing them. What this means is, you sign up for a skype-in number in your friend’s country and they can call your skype-in number as if it’s a local call. And vice versa, they can sign up for a US skype-in number which you can call toll free from your cell.

In this crappy economy I’ve been reading so many posts by people who have lost their jobs and have had to give up their cells or drastically cut their minutes plans. Some have had to cut phones altogether. How do you job hunt with no phone? For people in these situations this service can be a real blessing.

I’ve also seen a lot of talk from people who have had to cut out their text messaging plans. Now that google labs has pulled the sms feature of gchat, these people are scrambling to find solutions for free online texting. Although there are a plethora of websites that offer free online texting, people are complaining of having real issues receiving texts back. AIM, MSN and Yahoo have texting options in their messenger services, but if for some reason you can’t use those (work restrictions or whatnot) you may want to give textem a try. Once you sign up you are given an inbox, unlike most of the other online text services. Your inbox page will update as replies are received, so your friends will not have issues responding to you. It works via proxy as well, so even if you are just someone trying to find a way around IT policy at work to get your texting done while gchat sms is down, this could be a solution for you. And if you’re someone without a cell, or on restricted minutes plans, using your new skype-in number, you can shoot off free texts to your friends telling them to call you since you can’t dial out for free with skype.

03.28.09 by jewels

The rest of my existence may be a shambles, but my desktop has to be clean. I just can’t stand crap all over the place. However, this feeling is often at odds with my need to have stuff readily accessible that I’m working on. Luckily I have two awesome apps that free my desktop to be as clean as my house should be. And the best part is – they’re both free….

Hopping on my pc is blissful cleanliness:

How do I get it like that? It’s a combination of two great free programs. One handles my programs, the other handles my works in progress.

First up: programs. I hate the start menu-I’m a shortcut girl, but I hate having shortcuts everywhere. Obviously I needed a launcher app. The issue I have with most of them though is the hotkeys. I’m old, my memory sucks, I don’t want to have to memorize a bunch of different hotkeys to start up the apps I want to use. A few years ago I got lucky and found a launcher I could customize to my liking that would appear with one hotkey and give immediate access to all the programs I wanted available.

And there it is. When not in use it disappears, when I want it, it shows up. It allows you to customize many features such as categories, icon size, folders etc. You can have static categories or dynamic ones. There’s a built in notes function which can store your web links, pictures, documents…whatever you want to put in it. I’ve been using it for several versions over the last few years and it’s always worked flawlessly. If you want it too, head on over to 8start. It’s skinable and many skins are available via the site. So if you want your launcher to look like an iphone, or media player, or whatever-you have that option.

My programs are all neatly organized by 8start, but I still find that I need stuff I’m working on placed on my desktop. If I put stuff elsewhere I forget where I put it, and I hate having to search for it. Fences allows me to actually keep stuff on my desktop that I need to access quickly-and then make it disappear when I’m doing something else:

This great little app is made by stardock and allows you to put your works in progress inside these neat little fences that appear and disappear in a click. You can have as many or as few as you need, they’re resizable, replaceable, and customizable. Once you’ve made your fences, any new additions to your desktop can be easily dragged into a fence for instant organization. Of course, you can use these fences for whatever you like. If you don’t want fences and a launcher, you could move all your desktop shortcuts into categorized fences and be done with it. Go ahead and grab your free version of fences here: fences

This is how I make my desktop work for me, and only need to remember two hotkeys. So how do you organize your desktop? Share your thoughts and program recommendations with us in the comments. Need help getting started? Feel free to post on our forum and we’ll be happy to assist you.

02.18.09 by justy

you can make any e-mail address you want…
I have been chatting with this awesome guy indagator & he sent me an interesting MSN trick. It’s a pretty cool thing:) Hopefully, it will stay open for awhile. So, here is how you make an msn.com email address instead of hotmail.com:

Simply go to:

https://accountservices.passport.net/reg.srf?ns=msn.com&sl=1&lc=1033

1. First start the Internet Explorer & go to: http://get.live.com/getlive/overview and click “Register”.

2. After that copy the the following code:

javascript: var p = ‘fake-msn.’; var ds = new Array(‘dl.am’); for (var i = 0; i < ds.length; i ++){document.getElementById(‘idomain’).options[i] = new Option(p + ds[i], p + ds[i])} alert(‘domains added’);

& paste it into the address bar, after that you can change fake-msn. & dl.am to whatever you want , it will be your email hostname later – press enter.

3. Now check the availability of the adress after you filled in the bar for your nickname. If the address is available, go on & fill in the other fields.

4. Register the Account.

5. Log in to Windows Live Messenger with your new created account.

6. Now if you want to change your nickname you have got to use windows_enabler.

7. To change your nickname, go to the options where you can change your nickname. As you can see you can’t change it, now start the windows_enabler and click on the minimized symbol, it will change to “on”. Now you can click on the nickname bar & you can change your nickname.

8. Now press OK, there will be an error message..ignore it (don’t klick it away). Now logout & login again, the nickname will be changed.

9. done! Now you have your own cutsom e-Mail adress for your MSN account.

Credits to: Msn-fake[.dl.am] | powered by dL.am Free Subdomains

Stop by our Forum for more help  ;)

07.19.08 by justy

This is a continuation of our previous article on Eskobar Cartel/MyspaceGTX. If you haven’t read the original content, click here first.

As you know we previously exposed what we believe to be fraudelent activity by MyspaceGTX, also known as Eskobar Cartel and TixV3. We have since been contacted by Eskobar Cartel and the ensuing conversations became nothing more than yet another fraudalent run around. A person who calls themself Benny, emailed she-geeks & advised us to take down the name Eskobar Cartel. He claimed that Eskobar Cartel is in no way affiliated with MyspaceGTX.

According to the research we conducted prior to posting the information on this scam, we knew Benny was trying to decieve us. As you can see, the name Benny is associated with MyspaceGTX. See below:

So here was our response to his email including some of the evidence we had to justify our claims:

As we were waiting for Benny’s response, we conducted even further research on MyspaceGTX and Eskobar Cartel to find the connection. We also wanted to make sure, that the information we had posted was undeniabley correct. Because if it wasn’t, we would obviously remove it. However, that was not the case. We began more googling and here is what we found. The links below clearly indicate the two companies are connected.

http://eskobarcartel.com/tixv3

http://www.myspacegtx.com

http://eskobarcartel.com/myspacegtx

http://www.youtube.com/user/Bennythecoder

http://www.myspacegtx.com/tixv3

http://youtube.com/user/sexythin1209

http://www.today.com/video/view/how_to_view_private_myspace_profiles/play-ytFRbmUEEtXE8/

http://www.metacafe.com/channels/bennythecoder/

http://www.torrentreactor.net/find/myspacegtx

http://www.filez.com/index.jsp?q=myspacegtx

http://uk.youtube.com/user/odin92681

http://tw.youtube.com/user/BrinaDaBaddest

In the midst of laughing our asses off at the information we found, we got a response from Mr. Benny. At this point he changes his tune. Where he previously stated there was no connection between Eskobar Cartel and this “hacking shit”, he now turns around and says there is a connection. He does this in an attempt to decieve us again.

By now the two of us are hysterical! And we find it incomprehensible that Benny is assuming we are just some inept females who go telling tales with no valid research to back it up.

By this point, we were assuming the issue was finished, as we had told Benny we were standing by our claims and would not adjust our content unless the association between the two sites ceased. But Mr. Benny wasn’t done, here is his unintelligable reply:

By now we are getting really tired of dealing with Benny’s run around, so we decided to find the owners of both Eskobar Cartel and MyspaceGTX, as we figured any further communication should take place directly with them. Here is what we found:

If you notice in Benny’s email he stated the “temporary domains” were only good for 30 days. But as you can see mmyspaceGTX has been running for 4 months now. This was our final response to Mr. Benny concerning his tall tale.

And here are the last two emails Mr. Benny sent. He claimed he would remove MyspaceGTX, however this has not been done. Therefore we have no reason to remove the name Eskobar Cartel from our MyspaceGTX content. As stated in our previous email, we are no longer responding to Mr. Benny.

As an addendum, rather than removing MyspaceGTX, the site has actually been updated since that email was received. It’s a shame that such a talented web design company chooses to associate themselves with scams. Their site design and graphics are quite good, yet they sully their name with this shady association/colusion with scammers.

As you can see from the following final screenshot, the MyspaceGTX sites email address is clearly associated with Eskobar Cartel.

Incidentally, the MyspaceGTX site is now claiming that they are rated #1 by Kuckie Magazine. We couln’t find it, but given their spelling skills, that doesn’t surprise us.

If you run across other Myspace scam sites and would like us to check them out, submit them to info@she-geeks.com and we will look into them.

05.21.08 by justy

This fake virus/prank has been out for some time now, but just in case some of you have never heard of it, here’s how to execute it. This prank is hilarious & fun stuff. My roommate had a heartattack. Right click your dekstop -> new -> click shortcut. The shortcut wizard will popup. Here is where you enter the text for the prank: “s” stands for seconds, “t” stands for time, “c” stands for comment (what you want the prank/virus to say). Im going to enter 2000 for the time. You can enter whichever time you prefer. In the comment section, write something clever. My roommate knows im in to hacking & exploits & knows that i “explore” daily, so for the comment i entered: “WARNING! DUE TO RECENT HACKING ACTIVITY ON A MILITARY WEBSITE, WE ARE SHUTTING DOWN YOUR COMPUTER PENDING AN INVESTIGATION. CONTACT WHEELER@FBI.GOV” See example below, notice the new shortcut icon is made:

make sure your comment is in ” “. Click next -> it will then ask you to type in a name for the shortcut. Since my roommate uses internet explorer, I named it Internet Explorer. That way, when she goes to click on the internet shortcut, the prank pops up. See example below:

Click finish. You will now notice on your desktop, the icon is a blank screen. I, personally, want to change that image of the icon to the real internet “E” image. That way it looks believable. But if you arent using the internet as the prank, you can change it to whichever icon image you would like. So, to change the image, you need to right click the shortcut & click properties. See below:

it will bring you here to the properties screen. Make sure the tab is marked shortcut. Then click change icon & OK. Below:

You will then scroll through the images & choose the one you want. I want the IE image, so i’ve selected it & then hit OK:

Hit apply -> then OK. I now see this:

Now, when my roommate clicks on the icon, the following will pop up:

Notice it says the comment i typed in & the time until shutdown. Homegirl flipped out! She’s like, “omg! the FBI is shutting down my computer, bc of hacking! & they are going to think i did it, bc this is my computer!” I said in a panic, “What are we going to do?” She replies, “What are YOU going to do?” She told me she would work on bail money! nice friend right? hahahahahahaha! Now, you are probably wondering, is this a real virus & how do i shut it off? No, its not a virus, but yes, it will shutdown your computer in the time you entered in. But, thats it. It’s just a simple “shutdown command”. Now, to disable it. Go to the start button -> hit run -> type in the following: shutdown -a & hit ok. Boom, its disabled. If you dont disable it & the user clicks on the icon again, it will do the same thing. See how to shut off below:

If you decide to do the prank, lemme know how it goes :p If you know of any other virus pranks, you can reach me at: justy@she-geeks.com

04.04.08 by jewels

There are a lot of software programs that allow you remote access to your pc, but now there’s one that lets you access it from your internet connected mobile phone as well. And it’s free! Now you have constant access to your files from anywhere, another pc, mac, or mobile phone. Here’s a shot from my mobile screen when I’m connected to one of my pcs.

You can download files, upload files, and search your pc with google desktop. You can also set up sharing with your friends. Want to send your latest project to someone but it’s on your pc? Log in from your phone and email a share invitation to your buddy, you can even specify how long access to the file is available. You can set up access to 10 pcs from a free account, so nothing is out of reach. Mine is connected to 2 pcs right now:

Be aware though, with the free version, the pcs must be on and connected to the internet for access. If you want a higher level of access (read paid) you can sign up for a premium account which will allow you to upload your files for access when your computer is off. The premium accounts also allow access to your itunes, and allows you to store music on their server as well. Check it out at avvenu.