Gralla P. - Big Book of Windows Hacks [2007, PDF, ENG]

Big book of Windows Hacks
Год выпуска: 2007
Автор: Preston Gralla
Издательство: O’Reilly
ISBN: 978-0-596-52835-5
Формат: PDF
Качество: eBook (изначально компьютерное)
Количество страниц: 654
Язык: Английский
Описание: How This Book Is Organized
This book is not a mere tips-and-tricks compendium that tells you where to click, where to drag, and
what commands to type. It takes advantage of Windows’ fl exibility and new features, recognizes that
there are specifi c tasks you want to accomplish with the operating system and related hardware
and software, and offers bite-size pieces of functionality you can put to use in a few minutes. It also
shows how you can expand on their usefulness yourself. To give you this kind of help, the book is
organized into 13 chapters:
Chapter 1, Startup and Shutdown
Want to change the picture that appears on your bootscreen, create a multiboot system for multiple
Windows versions as well as Linux, speed up startup and shutdowns, or hack your BIOS? You’ll fi nd
all that in this chapter, as well as the Registry, to enable you to control many different aspects of
startup and shutdown, customize multiboot options, and learn the deep, dark secrets of Vista’s BCD
store—and how to get around it.
Chapter 2, Hacking the Interface
Want to bend Windows Vista’s Aero interface to your will? You’ll fi nd that in this chapter, along with
ways to hack XP’s interface as well. You’ll also learn how to create 3D virtual desktops and control
the Control Panel, Start menu and Taskbar. And for gadget freaks—that’s Vista gadgets—you’ll fi nd
plenty of hacks, including how to have a gadget play YouTube videos. You’ll also discover how to
easily build a gadget from any gadget or widget on the Web. Mac lovers will fi nd out how to run Mac
OS X on Windows, and those who want to go retro can fi nd out how to run Windows 3.11.
Chapter 3, Windows Explorer, Managing Files, and Search
If you haven’t given much thought to Windows Explorer or searching in Windows, so much the worse
for you. As you’ll see in this chapter, there are plenty of ways you can hack both. You’ll be able to
power up the context menu, hack your partitions and redirect your user folders in Visa, use Windows
Shadow Copy to restore fi les, and more. As for search, you’ll fi nd out how to speed it up, and add
amazing new features via a simple add-in. The chapter also demystifi es the confusing and rarely
used Sync Center, and shows how to get more disk space using NTFS compression.
Chapter 4, Internet Explorer, the Web, and the Internet
Face it: you live on the Web and Internet, so why not make the most of it? In this chapter, you’ll fi nd
plenty of ways to improve your life online, including how to increase your bandwidth for free by
clearing up router congestion, hacking DNS for lightning-fast Web access; how to build your own
Internet; and Firefox Explorer search applets, protect yourself by surfi ng anonymously without a
trace; and plenty more. You’ll also fi nd out how to keep your Google searches private, fi x a variety of
Internet Explorer woes, stop Firefox memory leaks, and even build a Google screensaver.
Chapter 5, Networking
If you’ve got a small network, you need this chapter. The fi rst hack alone will make it worth your
while; you’ll be able to fi x a sluggish router in a few simple steps. The chapter also tells you how to
make XP and Vista get along on a network, give the world access to a server behind your router, use
remote access to control distant computers, and use command-line tools for trouble-free network
operations. You’ll also fi nd plenty of hacks for using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to make
inexpensive phone calls, including plenty of Skype hacks.
Chapter 6, Email
Email—can’t live with it, can’t live without it . . . and in this chapter, you’ll learn many ways to get
more out of it. Here’s where you’ll fi nd out how hack Gmail, including using it as a universal inbox;
put your bloated Outlook folders on a diet; slam spam; instantly compress fi les for faster sending;
open blocked fi le attachments in Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Mail; and much more.
Chapter 7, Wireless
It’s an unwired world, and Windows is at the center of it. This chapter offers plenty of great
wireless hacks, including one that shows you how to turn your $50 router into an enterprise-levelpowerhouse by replacing its fi rmware. You’ll also fi nd out how to build your own antenna, extend
the range of your wireless network, spoof your MAC address, and protect yourself against “free
WiFi” scammers as well as protect your home wireless network. And if you have trouble sending
email from hot spots, there’s a hack for you. There’s plenty more here as well, including setting up a
Bluetooth headset in Windows Vista.
Chapter 8, Security
It’s a nasty world out here. There are snoopers, intruders, and malware writers looking to turn your
PC into a spam-spewing zombie. But this chapter helps you fi ght them off and also shows how to
customize how you use security. Don’t like the way that User Account Control (UAC) works in Vista?
No problem—I’ll show you how to hack it. Want to go mano a mano against spyware and kill it with
your bare hands? I’ll show you how to do that as well. You’ll also fi nd out how to unlock Windows
Vista’s super-secret Administrator account, root out rootkits, hack the Windows Vista (and XP)
fi rewall, and use Vista’s BitLocker encryption technology with a USB key. There are also hacks on
encrypting your PC, setting up your own virtual private network (VPN), and more.
Chapter 9, Applications, Home Server, and Backup
An operating system by itself is a poor thing. What makes it go are applications, and you’ll fi nd out
how to hack them in this chapter. Want to hack Microsoft’s Home Server? You’ll fi nd ways to do that.
Want to blog with Word 2007 and use Excel to grab live data from the internet? You’ll learn to do that
as well, along with fi nding out how to create reusable building blocks in Word 2007. You’ll also see
how to shrink supersized pictures in Offi ce, hack Windows backups, use Windows XP’s Ntbackup in
Windows Vista, and more
Chapter 10, Graphics and Multimedia
While you weren’t watching, Windows and related technologies became a multimedia powerhouse,
ripe for the hacking. This chapter probably has the highest coolness factor of the entire book. You’ll
fi nd out how to record TV shows, edit out commercials, and even “mash up” several TV shows—what
happens when you combine Lost with House? You’ll be able to do it. You’ll also discover plenty of
Zune hacks, including how to record TV shows to watch on the Zune, how to exchange any fi le using
Zune’s built-in Wi-Fi, and how to watch any DVD on your Zune. You’ll also discover how to copy DVDs
to your hard disk, save YouTube videos to your PC (and your iPod and Zune), and transfer movies
from old tapes to DVDs. There are plenty more hacks as well.
Chapter 11, System Performance
When it comes to PCs, there are only three important speeds—fast, faster, and fastest. This chapter
shows you how to make sure that your PC always runs in the fastest lane. Want to strip the crud out
of your Windows install? It’s here. You’ll also learn how to hack dual core performance and speed up
your PC with ReadyBoost. The chapter also shows you how to get the most out of your RAM, speed
up your hard disk, and use a variety of tools for tracking down system woes and fi xing them.
Chapter 12, Hardware
Hardware hacks: just the sound of it can make grown men and women shiver—visions of sizzling
soldering irons, of system boards, cards, and cables scattered in an unholy mess, of a PC turned into
toast. But as you’ll see in this chapter, it’s easier to do than you might think. You’ll fi nd out how to
mod your PC’s case like a hot rodder, replace your Zune’s hard drive with a bigger one, troubleshoot
hardware problems, overclock your PC and video card, cool down overclocked PCs, and plenty more.
Chapter 13, The Registry and Group Policy Editor
If you’re going to hack Windows, you’ll need to use the Registry. It’s that simple. This chapter goes
beyond merely teaching you how to use the Registry and how it’s organized (although it covers that
in detail). It also shows you how to hack the Registry itself—for example, by offering hacks on how to
use .reg fi les to edit the Registry safely, and how to track and restore Registry changes. Additionally,
you’ll fi nd out how to use the Group Policy Editor for hacking.

Ау!!! есть тут кто живой?!