How to disable restrict USB Drive in Windows 7,8

How to disable restrict USB Drive in Windows 7,8 

How a USB drive can be disabled on a particular computer. So it's a pretty much Registry Tweak.
To disable the access to USB port, in windows XP, and Windows 7,Windows 8 :
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type regedit, and then click OK. (Or simply open registry)
3. Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
4. In the right pane, double-click Start.
5. In the Value data box, change its value to 4, which was 3 and then click OK.

To re-enable a disabled port:
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type regedit, and then click OK. (Or simply open registry)
3. Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
4. In the right pane, double-click Start.
5. In the Value data box, change its value to 3, which you changed to 4 to disable the USB drive and then click OK.

6. Quit Registry Editor.
Now whenever a user will attach a USB storage device which is already installed in system, Windows will not detect it and it'll not be shown in My Computer. However, disabling USB ports totally also disables the ability for Windows to use USB based keyboard, mouse, webcam, printer, scanner and etc., which are common devices for a computer nowadays and essential ones as well.

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Customize the Windows 7 log-on screen

Customize the Windows 7 log-on screen

Windows 7 makes it easy changing the Windows log-on screen.
1.  Go to start, and click on Run, type Regedit & press enter there.
2.  Navigate to :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background
3.  Double-click the OEMBackground DWORD key
4.  Set value of the key to 1.
5.  Select a background image for Logon Screen with size less than 256KB in size (Use of Image Resize software like VSO Resizer can help)
6.  Copy that image into the
C:\Windows\system32\oobe\info\backgrounds folder
7.  Rename the image to backgroundDefault.jpg
8.  Reboot, and now your logon Image would have changed.

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Windows 7 and Windows XP Network Performance Tweaks

Windows 7 and Windows XP Network Performance Tweaks

If you want to get the most out of your Windows Box networking, then you will need access to the administrator account, or administrative privileges.

Windows 7 and Windows Vista introduced new features to the TCP/IP stack, including CTCP, and TCP Window Auto-Tuning. The new implementation works much better by default than previous Windows versions with broadband internet connections, and is able to adjust many values on the automatically.

However there is room for improvement and you can adjust some values to better meet your use of your systsem

To enter some of the commands below, you will need to run "elevated" command prompt or "as administrator".

To do this.

1. Click Start
2. Run
3. type: cmd
4. Hit Enter


Check the TCP/IP state

To check the current status of the Vista TCP/IP tweakable parameters, in elevated command prompt type the following command:

netsh int tcp show global

The settings, as well as their default and recommended state are explained below. The two most important tweakable parameters are "Auto-Tuning Level" and "Congestion Control Provider".

Disable TCP Auto-Tuning

At the command prompt type:

netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

Enable Compound TCP

At the command prompt type:

netsh int tcp set global congestionprovider=ctcp

Enable ECN Capability

At the command prompt type:

netsh int tcp set global ecncapability=enabled

Enable Receive-side Scaling

At the command prompt type:

netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled

Enable TCP Chimney Offload

At the command prompty type:

netsh int tcp set global chimney=enabled

Setting

At the command prompt type:

netsh interface ipv4 show subinterface

This will display a list of interfaces, and their respective MTU values.Change the MTUvalue of a specific network card, at the command prompt type:

netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "some network interface name" mtu=#### store=persistent

Example, the name of the network card you want to change iis "Wireless Network Connection" and you want to set its MTU to 1500, at the command prompt type:

netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Wireless Network Connection" mtu=1500 store=persistent

Registry Tweaks

Note that for changes to these settings to take effect the computer needs to be rebooted.Moderate understanding of the Windows Registry is needed. You are responsible for your own actions. See
Evilware.com Terms of Use



1. Go to Start
2. Run
3. type: regedit
4. Press Enter


While logged in as administrator), you can navigate and edit the following keys.MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) - the maximum packet size.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{...}\

MTU=1500 (DWORD, entry does not exist by default)

The {....} part of the above path is the unique identifier of your network adapter. You can recognize the correct adapter by looking at it's IP address, if obtaining IP automatically labeled by: DhcpIPAddress=192.168.x.x text value, for example.

Leave this at default,  Vista and Windows 7 use the largest possible packet size for the underlying network by default.


TCP 1323 Options

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Tcp1323Opts=1 (DWORD, entry created automatically by Windows when you run the "netsh int tcp set global autotuninglvl=..." command, set to 0 by default).

Setting this seems to have no effect, since auto-tuning uses the TCP 1323 scale factor and changes it on the fly, disregarding this setting. Additional testing may be required to determine it's effect if auto-tuning is turned off. Setting it to 1 is best for broadband connections.



NetDMA

NetDMA enables support for advanced direct memory access. In essence, it provides the ability to more efficiently move network data by minimizing CPU usage. NetDMA frees the CPU from handling memory data transfers between network card data buffers and application buffers by using a DMA engine.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
EnableTCPA=1 (DWORD, 1 to enable, 0 to disable NetDMA. Value not present by default in Vista)

Recommended setting is 1, a new DWORD value may need to be created if not already present in the registry.


DefaultTTL

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
DefaultTTL=64 (DWORD, set to a decimal value between 32 and 128. Recommended: 64)



TcpMaxDataRetransmissions

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\ParametersTCPMaxDataRetransmissions=7 (DWORD, recommended: between 3 and 10, default registry value 255, default 5 in documentation)


SynAttackProtect

This setting provides protection against SYN denial of service (DoS) attacks. When enabled, connections timeout sooner if SYN attack is detected. When set at 1,

TCPMaxDataRetransmissions can be lowered further.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameter\SynAttackProtect=1 (DWORD, recommended: 1, not present in registry by default)


Set DNS and Hosts Priority

Setting can improve DNS and host name resolution by increasing the priority of of related services, while keeping their order. Lower numbers mean higher process priority. The corresponding registry settings are as follows:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\ServiceProvider
LocalPriority=4 (DWORD, recommended: 4, default: 499) - local names cache
HostsPriority=5 (DWORD, recommended: 5, default: 500) - the HOSTS file
DnsPriority=6 (DWORD, recommended: 6, default: 2000) - DNS
NetbtPriority=7 (DWORD, recommended: 7, default: 2001) - NetBT name resolution, including

WINS


TcpTimedWaitDelay (port allocation)

Windows 7 and Vista have improved from previous Windows versions, and are usually sufficient under normal load. In some instances under heavy load it it may be necessary to adjust the settings to tweak the availability of user ports requested by an application.

This is often the case with online games such as World of Warcraft.

The following registry values need to be edited:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
MaxUserPort=65535(DWORD, not in the registry by default. Recommended: leave at default, or use a number above 16384 up to 65535 decimal as necessary) -  maximum number of ports to use. 1024 is
automatically subtracted from entered value to allow for reserved ports under 1024.


TcpTimedWaitDelay=30

(DWORD, 0xffffffff in registry by default. Recommended: 30 decimal, denoting 30 seconds) - time to wait before reclaiming ports, in seconds. Default time before reclaiming ports, if value is at 0xffffffff or not present in the registry is 120 seconds. Just reducing the delay is often sufficient without changing MaxUserPort, as it allows for reusing ports more efficiently.

Ephemeral ports can be checked and changed using netsh as well.

To list the current values, in command prompt, type:

netsh int ipv4 show dynamicportrange tcp

To set both the starting, and max user port using netsh, in elevated command prompt type:

netsh int ipv4 set dynamicportrange protocol=tcp start=1025 num=64511 (start=NNN denoting the starting port, and num=NNN denoting the number of ports)

QoS Reserved Bandwidth

As with Windows XP, nework adapters have a "QoS Packet Scheduler" enabled by default, which reserves 20% of bandwidth by default for QoS enabled applications that request priority traffic.

Change this value to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\PschedNonBestEffortLimit=0


Gaming Tweak - Disable Nagle's algorithm - Gaming Tweak

The tweak below allows for tweaking or disabling Nagle's alogrithm. Disabling nagle allows for small packets to be transferred immediately without delay. Note that disabling Nagle's algorithm is only recommended for some games, and it may have negative impact on file transfers such as Bit Torrent.

To implement this tweak, in the registry editor find:

This setting configures the maximum number of outstanding ACKs in Windows

XP/2003/Vista/2008:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{NIC-id}
There will be multiple NIC interfaces listed there, for example: {1660430C-B14A-4AC2-8F83
-B653E83E8297}. Find the correct one with your IP address listed. Under this {NIC-id} key, create a new DWORD value:
TcpAckFrequency=1 (DWORD value, 1=disable, 2=default, 2-n=send ACKs if outstanding ACKs before timed interval. Setting not present by default).

For gaming performance, recommended is 1 (disable). For pure throughput and data streaming, you can experiment with values over 2.

Also, find the following key (if present):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSMQ\Parameters

Add a new DWORD value:
TCPNoDelay=1 (DWORD value, 0 to enable Nagle's algorithm, 1 to disable, not present by default)

Configure the ACK interval timeout (only has effect if nagling is enabled), find the
following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{NIC-id}
TcpDelAckTicks=0 (DWORD value, default=2, 0=disable nagling, 1-6=100-600 ms). Note you can also set this to 1 to reduce the nagle effect from the default of 200ms without disabling it.

Notes:
disabling nagle's algorithm can reduce World of Warcraft latency by nearly half in most cases
Windows XP/Windows 2003 needs hotfix or SP2 for it to work MS KB 815230

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Windows 7 vs. Ubuntu

Windows 7 vs. Ubuntu

Installation

Windows 7
Pros
- Install is quick, easy and painless.
- After working through a few wizard screens at the beginning, the install is automatic
Cons
- None really

Ubuntu
Pros
- Option to “try before you install” using the Live CD feature
- Can easily install as a dual boot or even inside Windows using the Wubi installer
Cons
- Unless you’re luck to get a CD, you do have to mess about with .ISO files and burn a

disc. If you’re happy doing that, it’s not really a problem.

Speed/Performance

Windows 7
Pros
- Both are excellent
Cons
- None really

Ubuntu
Pros
- Both are excellent
Cons
- None really

Usability

while neither OS is perfect (far from it), both are also just as usable once you devote

the time to figuring things out.

Software

Windows 7
Pros
- If you’re willing to pay, there’s a lot of software for the Windows platform
- Equally, there’s a LOT of free stuff if you look around
Cons
- Bundled fayre is pretty poor

Ubuntu
Pros
- Comes complete with an excellent array of software
- Access to, and installing, new software is a snap
Cons
- None really … just don’t expect to run Windows software (even if you do resort to Wine)

Media Support

Windows 7
Pros
- Excellent support for media formats, including DRMed media, out of the box
Cons
- Windows Media Player isn’t the best bit of software around

Ubuntu
Pros
- Good support for media formats
Cons
- If you want to play DVDs then you need to resort to “Restricted” codecs


Hardware support

Windows 7
Pros
- On the whole, Windows 7 offers excellent support for modern hardware right out of the

box
Cons
- You might be out of luck with old hardware

Ubuntu
Pros
- Overall, hardware support is good, and getting better
- On really low-end hardware you can substitute Ubuntu
Cons
- There are no guarantees
- There’s no “Works with Linux” logo that buyers can look for when buying new hardware

Windows 7

The most of the Users are using Windows 7 than Ubuntu.

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10 Reasons to switch to Windows 7

10 Reasons to switch to Windows 7

Some people still use Windows XP - even if it's 10 years old now. The support will end in April 2014 but there are 7 main reasons why not to use it these days.

#1. Security
Windows 7 is way more secure than Windows XP; it has two completely different user profiles; normal user and admin. In Windows XP you have this as well but as a normal user you will have a lot of trouble running your system without any problems. Another thing that is missing in WinXP is Data Execution Prevention and the Address Layout Randomization.

#2. Speed
Windows XP and Windows Vista need a lot of time to start up. Windows 7 does this in a faster way plus gives you a lot of abbreviations while using it, like running a program through the search box in the startmenu.

#3. Hardware Support
Latest hardware needs the latest operating system. Some people think it was this way back in the 90s when you had to buy Windows 98 to get USB support (didn't really work in Win95C) just as an example. Nowadays it's the same situation: If you want to use SSD's, HDD's >2TB or 'just' a lot of RAM, then you need Windows 7. Windows XP can't handle all of this at all.

#4. Software Support
Sure, most programs still work with Windows XP, but some features require Windows 7. Even Microsoft stopped shipping their Internet Explorer or Media Player for it. Same will happen with other software developers as well.

#5. Stability
How many bluescreens did we have with WinXP? Maybe 10? Maybe 100? Did you ever see one running Windows 7? No? It's because Windows 7 uses a newer kernel than Windows XP; this one can handle driver crashes and other stuff.

#6. Comfort
Aero. It doesn't just look nice; no, it even makes EVERYTHING easier like handling window management with Aero Snap. The Superbar brings a ton of new features that make the OS feel the round way.

#7. Configuration
Did you notice that no-one defrags his HDD anymore? No? It's because Windows 7 does this job in the background so that you don't need to care for that anymore. Now you might say: Ouuh, defragging, so outdated. Ok, now take a search on your Windows XP machine and see how long it takes to find some files or programs.

#8. Greater stability
Unlike Windows Vista, most hardware and software is readily compatible with Windows 7 and will work right out of the box, with no need to download and install additional drivers. Happily, in instances where necessary, locating and adding these updates to your PC proves a relatively painless procedure.

#9. Upgrading from XP is easy
If you are one of those who switched back to XP after your terrible encounter with Vista, and aren’t sure about upgrading to Win 7, then here’s the good news - it has been built in a way that it supports most of the apps supported by XP and so upgrading isn’t that difficult.

#10. XP Mode and Virtualization.
All of your applications should run fine on Windows 7 if they run on XP. 7 also has built-in virtualization with Virtual PC if you purchase the Ultimate or the Enterprise version.

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Top Ten Tweaks in MS Window7

Top Ten Tweaks in MS Windows 7

In the sense of this topic and my belief, "tweaking" is doing something to make Windows work better, either by changing the "safe default" to something that utilizes the hardware more, turning some component on or, most frequently, turning some unwanted component off and or/deleting files/reg entries.

While with OS-es up to XP I could get the job (of clean install + updates+ installing few most needed programs + calming down) done in 3 days, with 7 I'm satisfied and confident in the OS installation only after 3 weeks or more. Of course, that time will go down with experience, but it will never approach the time XP requires.

So here goes my list, from best to "less best, but still pretty good":

1. Install SSD - OK, I break my criterium with the first item, but I think it absolutely made most difference - on a 5400 laptop HDD, Windows 7 was unbearable, but even on a crappy first gen SSD it can be lived with. Other tweaks help, but this is the biggest quantum leap.

2. Use "Install Wim Tweak" / "DISM remove components" (Also pre-install "liters", of which I use Windows 7 Toolkit) - a great help to speed up cleaning, but of course, even though some dependencies are mapped, we're still a long way from a "safe" preset or list for everyone.

3. Turn off "Startup Event Trace Sessions" in "Computer Management -> performance -> Data Collector Sets" - The speeedup is noticeable immediately (OK, after reboot), at the expense of losing functionality that might or might not be needed.

4. Remove unneeded foreign language fonts - yeah, it still makes a big difference.

5. With the help of Sysinternals Autoruns and/or Nirsoft's ActiveXHelper, FileTypesMan, MimeView, RegDllView, ShellExtensionsView remove unnecessary things (Now you know why it takes me weeks to complete this.

6. Tweak services, of course.

7 Turn off IPv6 protocols (they are still not widely used today, but it might be needed someday). I noticed some speedup (maybe it's all in my head?).

8. Take ownership of files/reg keys - not a tweak in itself , but a skill that every Win7 tweaker must learn.

9. Plain old Reg tweaks - I can't really single out one or few that is/are most important and made most of the difference because there are simply too many of them (my XP tweaks folder is 300 KB, the new one for 7 is addidional 150 KB on top of that - many of the old ones still apply).

10 Boot tracing with Process Monitor - it's not the tracing that is important, it's deciphering and hunting for the undocumented registry entries that's fun for me. I strongly believe that it's better to "tell" windows what you want - leaving registry entries unpopulated is simply not an option for me. Of course, you have to find the default, which is not always easy to do or obvious, but it is still rewarding IMO.So, that's it. I hope this will bring some useful discussion.

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"7 Destructive Habits of Highly UNsuccessful People"

"7 Destructive Habits of Highly UNsuccessful People"

1. They get "Hung" by their own "Tongue"
a. Are you thinking from lack or scarcity?
b. Disempowering thoughts turn into disempowering language.
c. When you look at an opportunity, are the first things you see roadblocks? Conversion of positive into negatives and your language reflects that.

2. They are Chronic Complainers
a. These are people who complain that the sun is hot.No matter what happens, it is always about how it could have been better.
b. Present an opportunity that something will change their life, and the response is that you are money hungry. And the very same day they will complain that they do not have enough money.

3. They are Unrationally Paranoid
a. They think that everyone and everything is against them.
b. Mistakes cause depression instead understanding the greatness of the learning process. They become discouraged easily.
c. They regard failures as catastrophes.
d. Fear runs their lives...they rather stay in their "known zone" than expand it. Thus, their comfort zones become their failure zones.

4. They are Blabber Mouths
a. They talk much more than they listen.
b. They want to be "the issue"...the star of the show.
c. When others advise them, they tend not to listen because they don't like their mistakes acknowledged...or are not so willing to grow.This type of "pride" typically keeps them broke, busted and disgusted.
d. In their mind, they are always correct.

5. They are Miserable and They are Looking for "Company"
a. In other words, they try to bring other people down to their level.
b. People who are Consistently Unsuccessful and are deciding to stay that way (either intentionally or unconsciously) envy successful people.
c. Instead of learning from successful people, or putting in the "smart" and "hard" work that successful people have put in, they find it easier to criticize, despise, spread rumors about those successful ones.
d. What could they do instead?
Think of all the habits you have that do not serve you...Now, what habits can you switch them out for? Successful people change, and work for change all the time.

6. They are "Wimps"
a. They are always seeking the "magical" instant "pill" that will relieve them of having to actually experience "Life in the Jungle" in an effort to make it their very own "Land of Paradise."
b. They would rather take the wide road to lessor rewards than the narrow road to great rewards.
c. They don't want any hardships. They simply want to get healthy wealthy and wise without "fighting" for it. If only they would fight for it they would be more likely to get the "title."

7. They Give up Easily
a. Successful people look at failures as stepping stones to success. Temporary setbacks tend to stop unsuccessful people in their tracks.
b. They jump in very excited and then their excitement falls off with a few "No's" and they lose interest when it looks so much harder.
c. Then they go search for a new opportunity that would be much "easier." But guess what? The next one isn't any easier; they typically get stuck over the same issue...themselves.So, how do you join the ranks of those who have made it to the "Land of Paradise?"
CHANGE...look at these 7 Habits and never engage in them. Look at Stephen Covey's 7 Habits, and live them. You will be incredibly successful in your life!

“7 Habits of Highly Successful People"
1. Be Proactive
2. Begin With the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win/Win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw 

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