How To Install XAMPP On Windows [Step By Step Guide] ???

Installing XAMPP

XAMPP is available for multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, Solaris and MAC OSX. First you will have to download the one for your needs, and install it.
1. Download XAMPP

Download XAMPP for Windows
Download XAMPP for Linux
Download XAMPP for Mac OSX
Download XAMPP for Solaris

In this guide, we are installing XAMPP 1.7.3 (latest version) on Windows. Tjis version consists of the following components:

Apache 2.2.14 (IPv6 enabled) + OpenSSL 0.9.8l
MySQL 5.1.41 + PBXT engine
PHP 5.3.1
 3.2.4
Perl 5.10.1
FTP Server 0.9.33
Mercury Mail Transport System 4.72

2. Download the EXE file and then simple double click on it to start the installation. By default XAMPP is installed to C:\. Leave the destination folder as it is, and click ‘Install’. This will install XAMPP to a folder named ‘xampp’ in your root drive (C:).

3. It may take quite a while (~ 10 minutes) for XAMPP to extract the package.
4. After the contents are extracted, the set up script will run automatically. A series of questions are asked, the first one being ‘Should I add shortcuts to the startmenu/desktop?’.
Enter y and hit Enter.

5. In the next step, you are asked to locate XAMPP paths correctly. Press y for ‘Should I proceed?’


6. In the next step, you can choose to install portable version of XAMPP on a USB drive. However, you will not be able to use services with a portable installation.
Enter n and and press Enter if you like to go ahead with the normal installation.

7. The setup will now relocate XAMPP to the correct path if required. Once you see the ‘XAMPP is ready to use’ message, hit Enter to continue.
8. Next you will see a message informing the time zone that was set in php.ini file. Again hit Enter to continue.
9. In the last step of the installation, you are given various choices, amongst which the first one is to start the XAMPP control panel. Note that even if you exit the set up at this point by entering x, you can always start the XAMPP control panel either from Start Menu or desktop shortcut.
For now, enter 1 and hit Enter to start XAMPP control panel.

Starting Apache and MySQL

In XAMPP control panel, click on the Start button for both Apache and MySQL. In case Windows Firewall shows up a security alert, click ‘Allow Access’.

Now you should the status as ‘Running’ for both. In order to confirm that a web server is currently running on your PC, open http://localhost in your browser. This should bring up the XAMPP splash screen.

Click on a language of your choice to open XAMPP admin panel.

If you want to check the status of the XAMPP installation, simply click on ‘Status’ in the left navigation. All the services that are currently activated on your local web server are shown.

That’s it. You can now go ahead and install WordPress on XAMPP for your local WordPress Theme testing and development activities.

Step by Step Guide on How to Install Ubuntu........

A lot of people are talking about Ubuntu — one of the most popular Linux distributions to date. This discussion is still hot and more people are jumping off Windows to Linux. If you’re an average user, the easiest Linux distribution is Ubuntu. However, there is another one called LinuxMint based on a Windows interface, but I don’t encourage using that. The real taste of Linux lies in Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is an open source operating system, which means it’s totally free of cost. You can order a free CD from Canonical and install it on as many computers as you like. Ubuntu is a simple, elegant and powerful operating system that makes the best out of your hardware. Forget viruses, hang ups and similar issues that you used to have with Windows. Ubuntu is a new era to computing.
Through today’s article, I’m going to show you how to install Ubuntu.  I believe you will find Ubuntu an extremely useful operating system to use. So, let’s begin.

Get Ubuntu

There are two ways to get Ubuntu. If you have a faster internet connection with a CD writer on your computer, you can download ubuntu .iso image file from here. After the download completes, simply burn it to a CD and boot it.
If you’d rather like to receive an Ubuntu free cd, click here and order your free cd. It may take weeks to arrive, so I recommend downloading. Please note that if you’re using a netbook, you may wish to download Ubuntu Netbook Edition.

Install Ubuntu

There are two ways to install Ubuntu on your computer. The first one is called wubi; which lets you install Ubuntu inside of Windows.  People call it a trailer of Ubuntu, but I’ve used it for many days and there are not many differences between a fresh installation and wubi.
The second one is obviously a fresh installation. To do a fresh installation of Ubuntu on your computer, you will need to create new partition on your hard drive (of course unless you’re willing to remove Windows or any other operating system that you are already running). You need to create a separate partition that will consist of Ubuntu core files and let your computer duel boot.
If you’re concerned that you may mess up partitioning your hard-drive (it’s dead simple, though), you may wish to go with Wubi. Since hard drive partitioning is a bit complex, in this post, I’ll just go with how to install Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx inside windows.

Wubi

Installing Wubi is no different than installing a normal software. Log in to Windows and enter the Ubuntu CD. If you have autorun turned on, you’ll see a box containing three buttons. Press the one that says “Install Inside Windows”.

On the next screen, you’ll be asked to select which drive you want to install your Ubuntu in. Choose a drive that has enough space. Preferably, you should give Ubuntu 10 GB to take up at this screen. Also, note that while you are logged in on Ubuntu, you cannot access the hard drive you’re installing Ubuntu in. For example, if you install Ubuntu in Drive F, you cannot see drive F while you are on Ubuntu, so avoid installing Ubuntu on a drive that you might need to access regularly.

From the installation size drop down box, you may choose any size you want. It is preferred that you choose 10 GB. On the right side, give your username and a password that you will require to log in to Ubuntu. Then, simply click Install.

Installation should not take more than 10 minutes. Once installed, you will be prompted to reboot. Before you reboot, eject your Ubuntu disk and then reboot. You don’t need that disk anymore this time.
When booting up, you’ll notice a new kernel has been added to your grub. By default, you will be going with Windows. Use the down arrow key to highlight Ubuntu and press enter. You may need to press enter again in the following screen as well.

Once logged in, you’ll see the installation will be completed within 15-20 minutes (depending on your hardware configuration). From now on, you don’t need any guide to go with. In a few minutes, you will see the simple yet stylish desktop environment of Ubuntu.

How to Hack or Crack a Windows XP Administrator Password ???

Here are the steps involved to Hack the Window XP Administrator Password .

1. Go to Start –> Run –> Type in CMD
2. You will get a command prompt. Enter these commands the way it is given
3. cd\
4. cd\ windows\system32
5. mkdir temphack
6. copy logon.scr temphack\logon.scr
7. copy cmd.exe temphack\cmd.exe
8. del logon.scr
9. rename cmd.exe logon.scr
10. exit

Wait its not over read the rest to find out how to Hack the Window XP Administrator Password
A Brief explanation of what you are currently doing here is
Your are nagivating to the windows system Directory where the system files are stored. Next your creating a temporary directory called mkdir. After which you are copying or backing up the logon.scr and cmd.exe files into the mkdir then you are deleting the logon.scr file and renaming cmd.exe file to logon.scr.
So basically you are telling windows is to backup the command program and the screen saver file. Then we edited the settings so when windows loads the screen saver, we will get an unprotected dos prompt without logging in. When this appears enter this command
net user password
Example: If the admin user name is clazh and you want change the password to pass Then type in the following command
net user clazh pass
This will chang the admin password to pass.
Thats it you have sucessfully hacked the Window XP Administrator Password now you can Log in, using the hacked Window XP Administrator Password and do whatever you want to do.
Here are the steps involved to De Hack or restore the Window XP Administrator Password to cover your tracks.

1. Go to Start –> Run –> Type in CMD
2. You will get a command prompt. Enter these commands the way it is given
3. cd\
4. cd\ windows\system32\temphack
5. copy logon.scr C:\windows\system32\logon.scr
6. copy cmd.exe C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe
7. exit

Or simply go to C:\windows\system32\temphack and copy the contents of temphack back into system32 directory click Yes to overwrite the modified files.

Forgot Windows password ? Reset Windows password.....

1. Download the ISO image from here http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/bd080526.zip and burn a CD with this ISO image file.
2. Boot your computer using this bootable CD created in step 1. You may need to set your CD-ROM as first boot device in BIOS in order to boot from it.
3. Once you boot your computer with this CD, you will get a command based interface which is quite self-explanatory. On first screen, press enter key to boot in default mode.It will show screen like this:

4. After you boot, it gives option, it will show the drive partitions and will give the choice, "Please select the partition number." Press enter if windows is installed on C drive, else select the appropriate partition.
5. Now it will ask " What is path of Windows directory ?", press enter for default value.
6. Now it will show option "Select which part of registry to load" . Type 1 and press enter.

7. This will show the list of users on the windows. Type the name of the user for which you want to reset password and press enter.
8. Now it will show following choices

1. Clear the password
2. Edit password
3. Promote user
4. Unlock account
5. Quit

Press 1 and press enter.
9. It will show a message " Password cleared ! "
10. It will give options to select another user, just type "!" (Exclamation mark) without quotes and press enter.
It will show previous menu, type q and press enter to quit from this menu.
11.Now it will show message " About to write files back ! Do it ? [n] " . Type "y" without quotes and press enter. It will show message "Edit Complete.
Note: You can also try again if it somehow failed. New run [n] " Simple press enter.
12. Remove the bootable CD from the tray and restart your computer.
Password Cleared and Trouble Fixed !

How to Rip a DVD with VLC ???

Yesterday we took a look at the new feature in VLC 1.0 which allows you to record DVDs to your computer.  There is also an overlooked feature in VLC that allows you to rip your DVDs as well.  Here we will take a look at how to rip DVD movies with VLC for Windows.
Note: This feature should work with VLC versions 0.9.6 and up.
Ripping a DVD with VLC
Load up the DVD you want to rip and start up VLC.  Then under Media click on Convert / Save.

The Open Media window will appear and you want to click on the Disc tab.  Check DVD, make sure the disc device field points to the optical drive with the dvd, and hit Convert/Save.  You can select the start position by selecting the title and only record a specific chapter on the DVD.  You can also skip the DVD Menus as you will not be able to use them in the ripped file.

Next the Convert screen opens where you will want to select a location for the ripped file.
 
While you are browsing to the location to put the ripped file make sure to give it a name and a supported extension.  For this example we ripped Lord of the Rings and gave it a MOV extension.  If you don’t label it with a supported file extension it will default to .ps (Program Stream) file.

When everything is set up the Convert screen will look something like this where we have the source drive and destination file with appropriate extension.

While the DVD is being ripped you will see a progress count in the main UI.  The amount of time it takes will depend on the file format and size of the DVD but it will take a while no matter what.

You may notice a slowdown of your system as the process takes up a lot of resources.

You should be able to play the converted file with other media players assuming you have the right codec.  Of course will notice the conversion results in lower quality compared to the original.

Have a good time using VLC to rip your favorite DVD’s! 

how to copy a DVD with VLC player ???

VLC 1.0 has gotten several cool new features, one of which is the ability to record what is playing in the screen.  Here we will take a look at how easy it is to record a DVD or other video formats using VLC.

Record Using VLC
You won’t see the record button in the default view so we need to make it available in the control panel by going to View and selecting Advanced Controls.

Now you can see the Record button along with a couple other handy controls like snapshot and looping.

Now when you start up a DVD or other video simply click on the record button and hit is a second time to end the recording.

While it is recording notice that the record button will be blue.

The recorded video is in MPEG format and stored them in the Documents folder labeled as VLC Record with the date and time.

This is a great way to save entire movies or specific scenes you want to watch later on your hard drive.

Of course VLC won’t burn the recorded MPEG file to DVD but you can certainly use other programs for that.  This is a much different process than “ripping” and you will need to play the video while it records.

Download VLC 1.0 for Windows, Linux, OSX

How to Burn DVD's with Windows DVD Maker ???

NOTE: Windows DVD Maker is included only in Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Ultimate.
In case you have problems with Windows DVD Maker scroll down to the What To Do In Case Of Issues section of this tutorial.

Where To Find Windows DVD Maker

To find Windows DVD Maker type in the Start Menu search box the words 'dvd maker' and click on the Windows DVD Maker shortcut. Alternatively, you can find it in Start -> All Programs -> Windows DVD Maker.

Files Types & Discs Supported By Windows DVD Maker

Before we move on to the actual burning process of, I will mention the types of files which can be burned with Windows DVD Maker:

• Video files: '.asf', '.avi', '.dvr-ms', '.m1v', '.mp2', '.mp2v', '.mpe', '.mpeg', '.mpg', '.mpv2', '.wm', and '.wmv'.
• Audio files: '.aif', '.aifc', '.aiff', '.asf', '.au', '.mp2', '.mp3', '.mpa', '.snd', '.wav', and '.wma'.
• Picture files: '.bmp', '.dib', '.emf', '.gif', '.jfif', '.jpe', '.jpeg', '.jpg', '.png', '.tif', '.tiff', and '.wmf'.

Regarding media on which these types of files can be burned, Windows DVD Maker supports writing on: DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-ROM as long as your DVD Writer unit supports them. Regarding Blu-Ray, Windows 7 does not have native support for it which means that you won't be able to burn such disks with Windows DVD Maker.

How To Add Media For Burning & How To Customize It

When you start it, Windows DVD Maker will launch a page with information on what you can do with this tool. You can disable it by unchecking the option 'Don't show this page again'.
To start the process, click on 'Choose Photos and Videos'.

This is the main window of Windows DVD Maker. Here you can add and organize items, you can save & open compilations or configure DVD menu settings.

To add photos or videos, click on the Add items button from the top menu. Browse until you find the pictures or videos that you want to add, select them and click the Add button. You can select multiple items if you press and hold the Ctrl key while selecting them.

Alternatively, you can simply drag and drop in the Windows DVD Maker window any pictures or videos that you want to burn on DVD, directly from Windows Explorer.
All the photos you add to Windows DVD Maker will be stored automatically in one folder generically named Slide Show. Double click on the Slide Show folder to view all the photos that you added to the compilation.

To go back to the main window click on the small folder icon from the top menu.

Before you move to the next step you have a couple of options available:

• Save the compilation for later use - this will save information about what you want to write on your DVD so that you can re-use it later to burn the same DVD. This can be easily loaded later by going to File -> Open project file and selecting the collection you saved. To save the compilation, click on File and select Save as.
• Remove a file - select the file you want to remove and click on the Remove item icon from the top menu.
• Change the order of the files - select a file and use the arrows from the top menu to move it up or down.
• Choose a DVD recorder - click on the drop-down list from the right side of the top menu to see available DVD recorders and choose one.
• Write the DVD title - for this a maximum 32 characters is permitted.

Further, if you click on the Options link you will see even more settings. You can choose the playback settings, the DVD aspect ratio, video format, burner speed and the temporary file location.

We recommend you the following setup: Start with DVD menu, so that you can choose what file to be played first. Then, if you have a wide TV select the 16:9 aspect ratio, if not, keep the 4:3 ratio. The video format depends on the country you live in, for example North American countries use the NTSC format and the European countries use the PAL format.
To be sure on what video format to choose, see this article on Wikipedia. Next, at the burner speed option select the speed you desire. The temporary file location you can let it as Default. When you finish, click on OK.

When you have finished with all the changes click the Next button.

How to customize the DVD menu

Customizing the DVD menu is the next step, before the actual burning of the DVD. By default Windows DVD Maker will show in the background of the DVD menu random images from the videos or photos that you have added to the compilation.
On the right pane of the window you have multiple Menu Styles that you can choose from.

On the top menu, you have again the File menu which allows you to Save the current compilation and the Preview button which allows you to see the compilation exactly how it is going to look like on DVD.

The Preview window looks like in the screenshot below.

If you want to change the DVD text menu, click on the Menu text button from the top menu.

In the new window you can select the font type and color of all menus and you can edit their names. For example, you can replace Play with Start or Go. You can do the same with the DVD title, Scene selection button and the Notes button.
When you edit the menu text, you will see an instant update on the images shown on the right side. However, if you want to see exactly how the DVD menu is going to look like, you should press the Preview button. When you have finished editing, click on the Change text button to make the changes permanent.

In the main menu there is also the 'Customize menu' button. Click on it if you want to customize the menu style.

Here you can choose the font type and color of the menu and, depending one the menu style you chose earlier, you can add a foreground or a background video. Also, you can add music while you browse through the DVD menus and you can choose a scene button style from a drop-down list of predefined selections.
To add a video to the menu, click on the Browse button, choose the appropriate file and then click on Add. Do the same thing for the music file, if you want to add one.
When you have finished you can save the current style menu by pressing the 'Save as new style' button from the top menu. Then you can click on the Change Style button to make the changes permanent.

The last button from the upper menu is the Slide Show button. Click on it if you want to edit the slide show settings of the current compilation.

You can add music to the slideshow, organize the music (add, remove, move up, down), you can set the slide show picture length time from 3 to 30 seconds and the transition effect between the slides. Also, you can enable or disable the option to change the slide show length to match the music length and then use of pan and zoom effects for pictures. When you have everything set up click on the 'Change Slide Show' button.

If everything is the way you want to, click on the Burn button.

Finalize the DVD burning process

First, the compilation will be encoded in the appropriate format and only then it is going to be burned on the DVD. Depending on the size of the files you added to the compilation, it will take more or less time to encode and burn the DVD. As a rule, the encoding process takes much more time than the burning. For example, the compilation I used for this tutorial had 8 photos and a video of 30 seconds and 30 MB. The encoding and burning process took exactly 10 minutes.
After the DVD is ready, Windows DVD Maker will ask you if you want to make another copy of the DVD. If you want another copy, click on the appropriate button, if not click on the Close button.

If you click on the Close button, Windows DVD Maker will open again and you can save the current compilation or exit.

What To Do In Case Of Issues

If you notice any of the following issues, chances are this is caused by an incompatible filter:

• You cannot put a menu background or foreground video in the custom section of DVD Maker
• Video appears upside down or distorted when you preview it in Windows DVD Maker.
• Video is black and no audio plays.
• Windows DVD Maker stops responding.
• Audio plays too quickly and is distorted.
• Audio plays, but video is black.

In this case, go to the DVD Options menu as described in the first chapter. Next to the DVD-Video tab there is the Compatibility tab.
Click on it to see if you have any active video filters that could interfere with the burning process of Windows DVD Maker. To disable the active filters, simply deselect the small check mark in front of each.

This setting will not affect other programs, it will just make sure that there are no interferences with the Windows DVD Maker burning process.