BitDefender 10 Free Edition (2009)

BitDefender 10 Free Edition (2009) Direct Download Links


BitDefender is one of the popular and established antivirus security solution developed by Romanian company with household brand name such as BitDefender Total Security and Internet Security. BitDefender Free Edition is one of the free anti-virus product from BitDefender. However, unlike AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition and free Avira AntiVir, BitDefender Free Edition is an on-demand virus scanner, much similar Dr.Web CureIt!, in the sense the program does not provide real-time on the fly scanning of file accessed and data transmitted.

Thus, BitDefender Free Edition is best used in a system recovery or forensics role. For home use, BitDefender Free Edition does provide basic virus protection with one of the world’s most effective antivirus engines, but user will probably need to schedule BitDefender Free Edition to run virus scanning process frequently.

Features of BitDefender v10

* Virus scanning and removal - On demand scanning - Powerful scan engines ensure detection and removal of all viruses in the wild every time you need it.
* Scheduled scanning - The Scheduler lets you plan ahead, and schedule full system/drive scans in the off hours, when you won’t be using your computer.
* Immediate scanning - With just a right click you can check your files and folders.
* Skinable interface - You can express yourself, designing new interfaces, or you can use those drawn by others.
* Quarantine - By isolating the infected files in quarantine, the risk of getting infected diminishes. You also have the possibility to send these files for further analysis to BitDefender Labs.
* Reports - When launching a scan you may choose to create a report file where you can see statistics about the scan process.

BitDefender Free Edition v10 supports Windows 98/NT-SP6/Me/2000/XP with IE 4.0 or above. Anybody who wants to use BitDefender Free Edition can register and download from Official Site, or can directly download the BitDefender Free Edition v10 setup installer using links below.

32-bit (x86):
http://download.bitdefender.com/wind...e_2009_32b.exe

64-bit (x64):
http://download.bitdefender.com/wind...e_2009_64b.exe

Avast Antivirus 2009 PLUS Lifetime

Download:-

http://rapidshare.com/files/224363514/Avast_AntiVirus_2009_Pro_v4.8.1282_Plus_Serial_life_time.7z

pswd

super0zero

Photobucket Uploader - FireFox Addon

Uploading Photos into your album couldn't be Easier Like This ...

If you are a Photobucket user and use Firefox, you are in Luck . Because there is a Firefox add-on to upload images directly to Photobucket while browsing any web page. (This add-on is not endorsed by Photobucket though.)



To upload any image to Photobucket using Firefox, follow these steps:

* Download and Install this Photobucket Uploader Firefox add-on.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10035

* Restart Firefox browser.
* For the first use, you will have to login to your Photobucket Account.
* After that, all you have to do is to right-click any image while browsing and select 'Upload To Photobucket'.

Once you've uploaded, you'll get an opportunity to instantly go to check it out on Photobucket:
Some usage notes

* When you first install the plug-in, you'll be asked to log into the Photobucket account you want to use with the plug-in.
* Naturally any photo that you upload must comply with Photobucket's Terms of Service.

EDIT :

Developer Comments

As of now, the Photobucket API does not support uploading images from a secure URL (https ://).

Also, sometimes you may upload an image, check your account and see a blank image. This is because some websites overlay transparent images on top of their actual images to prevent the user from saving them. The YouTube logo on youtube.com is a perfect example.

Finally, this extension is only capable of saving images that are embedded on the page with an IMG tag. CSS background images will not work.

"Image Source" Tagging - For those of us who can't remember for the life of us where we uploaded these images from, there will now automatically be a tag added to each image called "Image Source". The tag won't appear on the image itself because it is set to a size of 0. The tag link will contain the URL of the page being viewed, if it's a valid URL.

How to disable USB storage devices

Decent IT administrators secure their networks behind firewalls. They install mail filters on their SMTP servers and deploy anti-virus software on all client workstations. But securing the network is not sufficient -- what happens if the users bring their own USB memory sticks and connect them to the computers at their office? A 1 Gb USB stick can sometimes hold an entire company's vital data. Within minutes or even seconds an employee has all the files they need in order to start up their own business and take all the customers with them. Alternatively, what happens if a careless user accidentally compromises the network with an infected USB stick?
.................................................. ...................................
To disable the access to USB port, in windows XP and 2000
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate, and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\UsbStor
4. In the right pane, double-click Start.
5. In the Value data box, type 4, click Hexadecimal (if it is not already selected), and then click OK.
6. Quit Registry Editor.

To re-enable a disabled port:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate, and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\UsbStor
4. In the right pane, double-click Start.
5. In the Value data box, type 3, click Hexadecimal (if it is not already selected), and then click OK.
6. Quit Registry Editor.
.................................................. .....................................
disable write access to USB port so that data files cannot be written to the mass storage device. The USB thumb drive will be read-only.

Open the Windows Registry and open the following key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\ Control\StorageDevicePolicies

Now add a new DWORD called WriteProtect and put the value as 0 to disable write privileges to the USB port. To reverse the step, either delete the WriteProtect REG_DWORD or toggle the value to 1 which will enable the port.

Remember that the above trick works only with Windows XP SP2.

8 Tips For Finding Good Domain Names

Technically, we can move all traffic and search engine juice from one domain to another. But in long run, domain acts like your brand name so choosing a good domain one early is always wise even if you need spend some time for it.

As we started our blog-network recently, one mammoth task I am facing these days is finding good domain names for more than 20 blogs scheduled to launch over next few months!

So listing below are some points we consider here at rtCamp. Not all points can be argued, but I will try to be reasonable as much as possible. Also do not forget to read summary at the end of this post.

1. Top-Level domain name must be .COM

I said must because in-general people confuse internet with .COM. Number of people who knows CTRL+ENTER shortcut key to add .COM automatically are much more than number of people who knows shortcut for .ORG and .NET domains.

We in our brainstorming session here at rtCamp, mercilessly discard all non .COM domain suggestions. Just for clarification, search engines don’t care which domain name you are using.

2. It must not contain any hyphen (-) character or numbers

Domain name must not contain any hyphen or digits as you need to convey their presence explicitly to other people.

There are some exceptions though. Like blog about wordpress often start with “wp-” in their domain name. Similarly, some numbers like 16, 69, 007 can be counted towards exceptions.

Still, its good bet to avoid these hyphen and numbers.

3. Length of domain name

Shorter is better without a doubt. But sometime few extra characters can make things better.

Compare makeuse.com and makeuseof.com. Even though later is longer by 2 characters, combined with “.com” makes it better choice.

Still, if you want to put a limit on length, try not to exceed 15 character. Longer domains will make - (a) your user type more (b) permalinks getting chopped off in Google search results and elsewhere. Second point may act slightly negatively for you.

Check following screenshots for Google search query #one and #two.

long-domain-name

short-domain-name

4. Do not abuse natural spelling of words

Most people, can not resist generic words like tech, tips, trick. As these are quite common words, chances of finding any good domain which fits in above mentioned criteria are very less.

So what people usually do they often come with innovative spelling like tek, trix, tipz and so on. Only problem is you have to explain everytime how to spell your domain name.

So avoid such innovative spellings and SMS lingos.

5. Make sure your domain covers topic of website

Blogs and websites, targeting a niche audience takes this point seriously. Others can ignore this completely.

We have OrkutFeeds (a service) and OrkutDiary (a blog), both dedicated for Orkut audience. So naturally it makes sense to have keyword Orkut in their domain name. Next, for OrkutDiary, which is a blog, having Orkut in domain name gives slight benefit on search engines’ side. Please note my highlighting of word slight.

Coming back to this domain DevilsWorkshop only, it neither represent devil nor it run any workshop! And I do not regret my choice as it help this domain stand out from large crowd of tech-something kind of domains.

6. Importance of domain’s history

First you can check any domains history by going to archive.org. You can see DevilsWorkshop history here.

When I brought this domain in 2007, I had no clue about archive.org or any knowledge regarding history of domain names. First time I checked DevilsWorkshop.org’s history, I was shocked to see someone was planning to use this domain to host porn between year 2002-2004.

I guess I was lucky because there were 2 years time when this domain was down, before I purchased it. 2 years of downtime is enough to get wiped out from search engines’ index completely .

Still, to be sure on search engines side, I suggest you to Google for queries like “site:domain.com” and “link:domain.com” where domain.com is domain you are planning to purchase. Ideally, both queries should return no results. (More about special Google queries)

In any case, if domain was used but remained unknown, there is no harm to use it. There is no full-proof way to know if a domain is really blocked or blacklisted. Moreover, you can file reinclusion request to Google if your domain gets banned using Google’s webmaster tools. You can also use Google’s webmaster tools to request removal of particular URL’s from Google’s index.

As far as archive.org is concerned, you can request them to remove old copies of your domain. Process requires some legal paperwork but its not that hard. I am just too lazy to do that.

7. Use right tools to speed up your search

Its good to have right tools which can help you search more domains. Ability to search many domains at once save your time. Such tools also help you try more alternatives.

My favorite one is GoDaddy’s bulk domain checker. There are many advanced tools but I use GoDaddy and I am mostly looking for .COM domains so GoDaddy’s tool is good for me. If you want more options and control, try bustaname.

If you are looking for ma.tt or del.icio.us like domains, its better to use domain hack tool.

8. Do not think much about a domain before registering it

Unless you have lots of money to waste in buying highly priced parked domains, its better not to think more about a domain name which you haven’t yet registered. Register first and then start thinking about how to shape it!

GoDaddy’s bulk order tool help me here. I just paste all domain suggestion I get in it blindly. I add some more from my side to it. Then I hit search button and finally I look after those domain names are available for registration.

If you think too much about a domain which you haven’t yet registered, you not only waste your time but also weaken your chances to find a good domain. So stop your brain form thinking in direction which already met dead-end!

Diffrence Between Actual “Size” and “Size On Disk”

Many of you might have noticed that while you see the properties of some folder their are two sizes shown over there in properties window. Those sizes are labeled as “Size” & “Size on disk”. You can also notice that size on disk is always greater than actual size. So, here is the explanation of these two terms.



* Size – It is sum of sizes of all containing files and folders in it, in raw form (count of number of bytes).
* Size on disk - It displays the effective size which they occupy in disk.

It is the file system of hard disk which determines the “Size on Disk”, where as “Size” will remain same, irrespective of file system
(like NTFS, Fat32, UDF, etc.).

The disk is further divided into tracks and sectors, file system determines how many tracks or sectors to be included in one cluster. So, if the disk is having a cluster size of 16KB (generally in case of FAT file system). Any file on that disk will have size on disk in multiples of 16KB. So, a file size up to 16KB will occupy 16KB as disk space and file from size 16 to 32KB will occupy 32KB on disk space and so on.

In this way a large volume of disk space gets unused. So, there is a need of file system having smaller cluster size. This is one reason Microsoft came up with a new file system NTFS, after windows millennium.

Sender TimeZone

person who deal with many clients from all over the world on daily basis. Most of the time it makes sense to know what time it is in clients timezone. Until now, I was using set of different timezone clocks on my Mac’s Dashboard and cellphones.

A simple use case can be like this. You get a mail from client in which he says, “I will send you documents soon”. Now if its morn there, you may expect documents in few hours. If its already midnight there, you will probably get documents aleast 10-12 hours later, i.e. on next working day!

To activate this feature, simple go to Gmail >> Settings >> Labs and look for Sender Time Zone. You can consider using browsers search feature
to find it quickly!

Screenshot:


As you can see there is extra line “sender-time” is displayed in email header now. Also at the end there is a red icon. It turns green if current time in sender zone is between 9AM to 6PM.

Multi-boot DVD

A lot of people have been lately asking me this question lately.
So i'm writing this.

It's actually just a guide to multiboot different OS'es in a single dvd.

This guide is compatible with the following OSs:
- Windows XP SP1
- Windows XP SP2-3
- Windows Vista
- Windows Home
- Windows XP Media Center
- Windows 2000
- Windows Server 2003 (Standard, Enterprise, Web & Data Center)
- Windows 98

Before we start:
Keep it simple, for boot menu use CD Shell, use simple winnt.sif files, etc. You should beautify, only after you'll successfully completed and booted from all OSs. Some beautifying options are at the end of this guide.

What you will need:
- Time and patience, don't expect to get everything to work the first time
- Various operating system CDs or ISOs
- Sufficient drive space (5+ GB to be safe) (I used +/- 20GB for my DVD)
- CDImage (GUI'ed version)
- CD Shell
- Hex Workshop to hex-edit files.
- Optional - VMware (Shareware), Virtual PC (Freeware) or Qemu (Freeware) (for testing purposes)
- Any ISO burning software, like CDBurner XP (Freeware)

Work on one operating system at a time. Test once you have that operating system added to make sure everything works right, then move onto the next OS. It will save yourself time if something goes wrong and you have no idea where to look. You can only test your DVD once you've passed the "Creating the ISO" section. Good luck!

Let's get started:

Let's set up our folder structure:
- In your C:\ (or the root of your OS drive) create this folder structure:
------------------------------------
DVD\
DVD\BOOT\
DVD\BOOT\TOOLS\
DVD\SETUP\XP\Professional
------------------------------------
DVD is the root folder and SETUP will store all of the CDs
- Extract the CD Shell.zip file and move the TOOLS folder into the BOOT folder
- Move the BOOT folder into the DVD folder.
- Copy all the contents of the XP Pro CD to DVD\SETUP\XP\Professional.



Automatically create multi-boot folders and files (thanks to geitonaki)
- Download geitonaki's SFX file
- Execute it and browse to your DVD folder. When finished it will open create_boot_folders.cmd, modify it to your needs.
- It will create the PRO1 boot folder, modify setupldr.bin, modify txtsetup.sif, create the PRO1.bin boot sector and copy the WIN51, WIN51IP and WIN51IP.SP1 (WIN51IP.SP2 if Service Pack 2) tag files. (Notice that PRO1.bin has to have exactly 4 letters UPCASE)
CODE
call create_boot_folder.cmd C:\DVD\SETUP\XP\Professional C:\DVD PRO1 FOO 0

- Create a text file, inside PRO1, with NotePad, and rename it to winnt.sif. This will make winnt.sif create a tag file that identifies the OS being installed. In this case, the tag file will be XPPRO.TAG, but you can specify whatever you want:
QUOTE
[GuiUnattended]DetachedProgram="%SystemRoot%\System32\cmd.exe /c @ECHO something>%SystemDrive%\XPPRO.TAG"



Creating RunOnce.cmd
- Create a RunOnce.cmd file inside DVD\SETUP\XP\Professional\i386\CMD\ and paste the code in.
- RunOnce.cmd looks for Install.cmd on the DVD and calls it.
QUOTE
@echo off
for %%i in (c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z) do if exist "%%i:\software\Install.cmd" call %%i:\software\Install.cmd
exit
You can use the RunOnceEx method for this. RunOnceEx only runs at first logon, so applications may need reboot. The method above goes around that, it's "rebootless"!


Launching RunOnce.cmd from Svcpack.inf
- Add these lines to svcpack.inf inside DVD\SETUP\XP\Professional\i386\:
QUOTE
[SetupData]CatalogSubDir="\i386"

[SetupHotfixesToRun]
CMD\RunOnce.cmd
Notes:
- Svcpack.inf
- As you can see Svcpack.inf will launch RunOnce.cmd at T-13 stage.
- You'll have to addapt the [ProductCatalogsToInstall] in svcpack.inf according to the new CatalogSubDir="\i386" because it may point to a different location (in which case you'll get an error message during installation). If you don't have any file references under [ProductCatalogsToInstall], then just don't worry about it.
- Use the eXPander utility to transform svcpack.inf back to it's compressed svcpack.in_ form, which is smaller (this is optional).



Creating the Install.cmd file
- Create a Install.cmd file inside DVD\SOFTWARE\ and paste in the following:
QUOTE
@echo off
REM next line makes sure the *.TAG extension is identified
setlocal enableextensions
REM checks for the XPPRO.tag file and go to the corresponding section:
if exist %SystemDrive%\XPPRO.TAG call :XPPRO
REM checks for the XPPRO2.tag and go to the corresponding section:
if exist %SystemDrive%\XPPRO2.TAG call :XPPRO2
REM checks for the SERVER2003.tag file and go to the corresponding section:
[if exist %SystemDrive%\SERVER2003.TAG call :SERVER2003
REM End
goto :end

:XPPRO
REM Here we'll add the software to install to the XP Pro version. Example:
REM "%~dp0" refers to the full path the Install.cmd is in, so you don't have to worry about drive letters
start /wait %~dp0\Software\Program1.exe /s
start /wait %~dp0\Software\Program2.exe
start /wait %~dp0\Software\Program3.exe /qn
REM End this section
REM end of this section :
goto :end

:XPPRO2
REM Here we'll add the software to install to the XP Pro Unattended version. Example:
[color=#333399]start /wait %~dp0\Software\Program1.exe /s
start /wait %~dp0\Software\Program2.exe
start /wait %~dp0\Software\Program3.exe /qn
REG IMPORT %~dp0\Software\Tweaks.reg
REM End this section
REM end of this section :
goto :end

:SERVER2003
REM Here we'll add the software to install to the Server 2003 version. Example:
REG IMPORT %~dp0\Software\Workstation.reg
start /wait %~dp0\Software\ProgramA.exe /s
start /wait %~dp0\Software\ProgramB.exe
REM End this section
REM end of this section :
goto :end

:end
REM Here we'll add the options for every OS.
start /wait %~dp0\SOFTWARE_ALL\AntiVirus.exe
start /wait %~dp0\SOFTWARE_ALL\Firewall.exe /s
REM Applying tweaks to the registry. Independent of the TAG:
REG IMPORT %~dp0\Software\Tweaks.reg
del /f /q %SystemDrive%\*.TAG
del /q /f %SystemRoot%\*.bmp
del /q /f %SystemRoot%\system32\dllcache\*.scr
del /q /f %SystemRoot%\system32\setupold.exe
del /q /f %SystemRoot%\system32\presetup.cmd
exit

Install.cmd checks for any tag file and when it finds performs the associated task. As you can see, aplications are installed directly from the DVD (not copied to the HD) thus not needing the OEMPreInstall=Yes or [GuiRunOnce] in winnt.sif, that you can still use to launch some more stuff that you may need, and saving time thumbup.gif

Finishing Up


DVD Layout:
Ok, now check if your DVD layout is similar to this, if it is, everything is ok. Keep in mind that this is just a sample layout. This layout includes XP Pro and Server 2003, but you may add as many as you like (or as many as it fit's on DVD).

C:\DVD\ - Multi boot DVD Source
C:\DVD\BOOT\ - CDShell folder
C:\DVD\i386\ - Windows XP Pro reduced source folder (OPTIONAL)
C:\DVD\PRO1\ - Boot folder 1 for XP Pro
C:\DVD\PRO2\ - Boot folder 2 for XP Pro
C:\DVD\3ST1\ - Boot folder 1 for Server 2003
C:\DVD\3ST2\ - Boot folder 2 for Server 2003
C:\DVD\SOFTWARE\SOFTWARE\ - Folder where software is placed
C:\DVD\SOFTWARE\Install.cmd - CMD file that takes care of the software installation
C:\DVD\SOFTWARE\SOFTWARE_ALL\ - Folder where software for all OSs is placed
C:\DVD\SETUP\XP\Professional\i386\CMD\RunOnce.cmd
C:\DVD\SETUP\Server2003\Standard\I386\CMD\RunOnce.cmd


Creating a boot menu (CDShell):
It's time to create a boot menu. CD Shell scripting it very simple.


Creating the ISO (CDImage):
Now we only need to create the ISO so we can test our DVD.
I'll follow the non-GUI CDImage tutorial, but you can use the GUI'ed CDImage version if you like.
Put the cdimage.exe in the same directory as the DVD:
-------------------------------------
C:\CDImage.exe
C:\DVD
-------------------------------------
And automate the process:
Make a batch file that you can run whenever you want to make the ISO. To create a batch file open Notepad and paste the below code into it. Save the file as whatever you want and then just change the extension to .bat, like C:\makeiso.bat.
QUOTE
DEL C:\*.ISO
start cdimage.exe -lDVD -t01/01/2006,12:00:00 -b\DVD\BOOT\loader.bin -h -n -o -m \DVD C:\AIODVD.iso
EXIT
Ok, time to test your ISO with VMware (for example) and add another OS!

Extras

Add an Unattended option:
This section will teach you how to add an option which let's you install Windows unattendedly.

- Copy the PRO1 folder and PRO1.DAT file to "Copy of PRO1" and "Copy of PRO1.DAT"
- Rename it to PRO2 and PRO2.DAT
- Hex-edit PRO2.dat and scroll down until you see "PRO1" in the right hand side. Replace PRO1 with PRO2.
- Hex-edit setupldr.bin inside the PRO1 folder and Ctrl+H, then search for Type: "Text String" "PRO1" and replace it with PRO2.
- Save the file, choose not to back it up.
- Click "OK" and then choose "Replace All". It should say "4 Occurrences Replaced". When done, save the file and choose not to back it up.
- Edit winnt.sif to include the unattended options.
This may be a good time to read the ref.chm file in Microsoft Deployment Tools, it explains how to set up winnt.sif for an unattended installation.
You can use your winnt.sif file to skip some boorings steps of your installation like typing the serial number, defining your language and keyboard or even skip all the steps with the UnattendMode=FullUnattended command.
After you created your winnt.sif add these lines to it, so it TAG's the OS being installed:
QUOTE
[GuiUnattended]DetachedProgram="%SystemRoot%\System32\cmd.exe /c @ECHO something>%SystemDrive%\XPPRO.TAG"
- Ok, so now we have a second boot option. Its time to add that option to the boot menu, so you can actually choose it. Just open up your DVD\BOOT\cdshell.ini and add these lines to it:
QUOTE
XP_Pro:
print c "\n\cXXMicrosoft Windows XP Professional \n"
print "1) Regular \n"
print "2) Unattended \n"

XP_Pro_Key:
if $lastKey == key[1]; then chain /PRO1.DAT
if $lastKey == key[2]; then chain /PRO2.DAT

Add Windows 98
Follow this guide, by chon_.

Add Drivers

Additional Resources
- Setup Billboard Screens
- Microsoft Deployment Tools at Microsoft and Rapidshare. They contain the ref.chm file that has info for WINNT.SIF configuration, along with other utilities.

Explanation of how it all works:

Understanding The Boot Process
- CD Shell lets you choose which XXXX.DAT boot sector to access (located on the DVD root)
- The boot sector (PRO1.DAT for example) says where to load the SETUPLDR.BIN file (located in each of the boot folders)
- SETUPLDR.BIN has instructions on where to access txtsetup.sif (on the same folder) which accesses the appropriate DVD\SETUP\XX folder and starts the text-mode setup for Windows

Timeline
T-39 - Depending on the boot folder, winnt.sif's DetachedProgram creates a tag file identifying the OS.
T-13 - Svcpack.inf launches the RunOnce.cmd inside ...\i386\CMD\ of every OS. Install.cmd checks for the tag file and then performs that TAG's associated task.



Hope it was usefull to you

How to disable or uninstall Windows Messenger

Here two ways; you may remove Windows messenger from the system or just prevent it from start.

How to prevent the Windows Messenger from running with Windows

1. Open the Windows Messenger and select the Tools menu.
windows messenger window

2. Open the Options in the Tools menu, the Windows messenger options will appears.
windows messenger options


3. Please uncheck the following items:

* Run Windows messenger when windows starts
* Allow windows messenger to run in background




Also the windows messenger may starts when you run Outlook Express. Please follow the instructions to disable it.

1. Open the Outlook Express, and select the Tools menu.
outlook express options

2. Open the Options in the Tools menu, the Outlook express options will appears.
windopws messenger in outlook express options


3. Please uncheck the following items:

* Automatically log on to Windows Messenger





How to remove the Windows Messenger from Windows


The windows messenger will not appears in the "Add/Remove programs" menu, it's hidden. To unhide the windows messenger please do the next steps:

1. Open the file C:\WINDOWS\INF\SYSOC.INF in the any text editor, such as Notepad.

2. Find the line: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7

3. Delete hide,, result should be: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7

4. Save this file ( with the same name ).
Now you can uninstall Windows messenger from an Add/Remove programs.

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 Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP operating systems. download Resource Hacker.
download
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 as shown in Fig. 01.



Fig. 01
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 as shown in Fig. 02. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button.



Fig. 02
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 ElderGeek as shown in Fig. 03.


Fig. 03

Compare the screen captures in Fig. 02 and Fig. 03 and you’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out in Fig. 02 is now active in Fig. 03. 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. See Fig. 04. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.



Fig. 04
Step 2 – Modify the Registry

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



Fig. 05
In the right pane (Fig. 05), double click the Shell entry to open the Edit String dialog box as shown in Fig. 06. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK.


Fig. 06
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.