Techdows

WordPress.com Extension for Chrome

Venkat — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:26:42 +0000

If you’re a WordPress.com user or even if you’re not on this blogging platform you can receive WordPress.com notifications instantly in Chrome with WordPress.com Extension for Chrome. This extension lets you view wordpress.com notifications, follow sites and start new blog posts quickly from chrome toolbar.

WordPress.com official Chrome extension

Follow sites

If you’re browsing a site that has an RSS feed, this extension allows to follow that site from your wordpress.com account by showing Follow button, when you click on it new posts from that site will be added to reader and you’ll receive email each time when an update is published.

Post new posts quickly while browsing the web

If you found an interest article on a site and want to share it in your blog you don’t have to visit WordPress.com, select Press This button when you’re on that page and a pop-up editor will appear select the blog to post and hit the publish button to share link to that site.

You can even highlight some text before clicking press button to publish an excerpt of text along with the link to that site.

[Via WordPress blog]

WordPress.com Extension for Chrome is a post from: techdows.com

Zulu, URL Risk Analyzer from Zscalar ThreatLabZ

Venkat — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:25:53 +0000

Security Company Zscalar launched Zulu web service allows to determine to risk posed by a website, we’ve much familiar service VirusTotal service that scans a URL and lets you know the report after analysis whether that website is clean or hosts malware and there other services like AVG Threatlabs available that provides detailed safety ratings for any domain, should we need another service? Zscalar threat labs says so?

“However, most projects such as these tend to focus on a specific threat or type of analysis. With Zulu, we sought to combine our own proprietary scanning techniques, with the great open source intel. that is available, to provide a broad view of the overall risk posed by virtually any web resource. We also look not just at a specific aspect of the resource, but instead, separately focus on determining risk for the content, URL and host separately, which is then combined into an overall risk score”

Zulu employs following approaches to generate overall risk score for user-inputted web resource

Content – Page content is scoured for the inclusion of potentially malicious code leveraging proprietary Zscaler algorithms, conducting heuristic tests and querying public sources.
URL – The requested URL is tested against known suspicious/malicious patterns, public black/white lists, as well as historic risk assessments for subdomains, domain TLDs, file types, etc.
Host – Historic reputations of the host IP address, Anonymous System Number (ASN) and geographic location are analyzed, along with suspicious behaviors displayed by the host in question.

Zulu gives risk score for the URL even when the page content is not available.

At the time of writing this article Zulu is getting ready.

Zulu, URL Risk Analyzer from Zscalar ThreatLabZ is a post from: techdows.com

Theme Converter for Windows 8: Add AutoColor to Themes in Windows 8

Venkat — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:49:12 +0000

Windows 8 offers Aero Auto-Colorization feature which changes the color according to that of wallpaper we’ve covered Aura app brings that feature to Windows 7, Theme Converter for Windows 8 is a freeware portable tool that converts any theme to theme with autocolor in one click.

Convert Any Theme in Windows 8 to AutoColored Theme with Theme Converter for Windows 8

Using Theme Converter for Windows 8

If you’re using Windows 8 Developer Preview you can test this one.

Visit Windows Personalization gallery and install some themes to Windows 8 PC.
Download and run Theme Converter for Windows 8, select any them click Add Autocolor button.
To get back to static color or remove autocolor for that theme, click on Remove AutoColor followed by apply button to save the changes.

Download Theme Converter for Windows 8

Theme Converter for Windows 8: Add AutoColor to Themes in Windows 8 is a post from: techdows.com

Auto-Restart Crashed Programs with ProcessAlive

Venkat — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:02:55 +0000

Do you want certain background program or application like Firefox or Chrome browser in Windows to run repeatedly forever even though when it stops working, you can rely on ProcessAlive freeware portable tool that runs selected processes when it detects they have stopped.

Using ProcessAlive

Launch the program, click “+” button and add the program you want to keep alive. You can add any number of programs. Current version allows to add executable files only.

After adding the programs, click on “Keep these Programs alive” and the program will be minimized to the system tray and continuously monitors for programs you’ve added, if it notices any one of selected processes not running it will re-launch that program.

From ProcessAlive tray icon you can access program interface, stop monitoring of programs and exit the application.

ProcessAlive lacks proving option to auto-start with Windows, so any number of programs you’ve added will not be monitored on next launch of program you again manually need to add them, hope developer takes note of this.

ProcessAlive works on Windows XP/Vista/7.

Download ProcessAlive.

Auto-Restart Crashed Programs with ProcessAlive is a post from: techdows.com

Backround Cycler Loads A New Wallpaper on Desktop From Specified Folder After Set Interval of Time

Venkat — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:14:54 +0000

There are many wallpaper changer programs available on the internet those lets you cycle wallpapers if you feel monotonous with same background on your Windows 7 desktop, where Backround Cycler is a freeware app that loads a new wallpaper on your desktop from specified folder after the set interval of time.

Using Backround Cycler

Launch the program, double-click on its tray icon to access its user interface and Settings. Select Pictures Folder click on Load Folder and select the folder to load the images from and click Ok.

You can set the program to change desktop background from the above added folder from program settings. By default the interval is set to 10 minutes which you an change to your liking. Single click on program tray icon shows current wallpaper name on the desktop.

From app settings, you can set the program to

Change background on program startup
when loading a folder, also load from subfolders
auto-start with windows.

You can change desktop background manually by clicking on “Change Background”. You can access program settings, change background from the system tray icon.

Backround Cycler works on Windows XP/Vista/7.

Download Backround Cycler

Backround Cycler Loads A New Wallpaper on Desktop From Specified Folder After Set Interval of Time is a post from: techdows.com

How to Switch from Gmail to Hotmail in 3 Steps [Microsoft Explains]

Venkat — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:30:15 +0000

As a new year resolution Microsoft asking Gmail users to switch to Hotmail, if you want complete switch to Hotmail from Gmail Microsoft detailed a post on their live blog. If Google’s privacy policy update and the Google+ integration into Gmail and all other Google Services concerns you to leave Gmail then Microsoft welcoming you to sign up for Hotmail or import your emails in Gmail to your Hotmail account ( if you already have one) .

If you ask why to switch to Microsoft email service? they’ve answers for you.

You can update your Facebook status, chat with Facebook friends, view their updates and comment right form your Hotmail inbox.
Hotmail allows you to share lot of photos or other files in one message using SkyDrive, you can’t do this in Gmail.
Hotmail works great with Microsoft Office. Using the Office Web Apps, Hotmail lets you view and edit Office docs for free right in your inbox. Gmail doesn’t work well with Office (they got Google docs of course.)
Hotmail allows to schedule sweeping of newsletters, social updates, daily deals where Gmail won’t.

Switching from Hotmail to Gmail in three easy steps

1. Create a new Hotmail account if you don’t have one. You can continue to use other email address by signing up here.

2. You can import email, contacts in Gmail and forward any new email for Hotmail for 90 days using TrueSwitch tool. Import of your emails in Gmail does take some hours when you sign in back into Hotmail.

3. To receive all new messages from Gmail in Hotmail you can connect your Gmail account, here is how .

In your inbox, click Options and then More options.
Click Sending/receiving email from other accounts.
Click Add an email account.
Provide your Gmail account details.

How to Switch from Gmail to Hotmail in 3 Steps [Microsoft Explains] is a post from: techdows.com

Google Earth 6.2 Released with a New Search Interface [Offline Installer]

Venkat — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:47:25 +0000

As expected Google expanding integration of Google+ service into their products, now Google Earth’s turn. Google Earth 6.2 released with seamless imagery, new search interface and lets you save image from within Google Earth on Google+.

“Today, we’re introducing a new way of rendering imagery that smoothes out this quilt of images. The end result is a beautiful new Earth-viewing experience that preserves the unique textures of the world’s most defining geographic landscapes—without the quilt effect”

Sharing Google Earth Images on Google+

Now Google wants you to share explorations you found on Google Earth with your circles, for this sign into your Google account in the upper right hand corner of Google Earth and click Share Screenshot on Google+.

New Search interface

Autocomplete feature on Google Maps is added for search feature in Google Earth. Newly introduced search layers now shows all relevant search results and biking, transit and walking directions have been added.

You can download Google Earth 6.2 offline installer from here.

Check Google Earth 6.2 release notes.

Google Earth 6.2 Released with a New Search Interface [Offline Installer] is a post from: techdows.com

UndoClose Opens Last Closed Folders and Programs in Windows

Venkat — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:56:08 +0000

Ctrl+Shift+T is the shortcut we use to open last closed tabs in modern browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome, though Windows 7 shows recently opened files and programs on the start menu it doesn’t offer hotkeys to open them, UndoClose is freeware portable app that keeps track of recently opened folders and applications in Windows and lets you access them with hotkeys.

Open Recently Closed applications and Folders in Windows with UndoClose

After launching the app it’s icon appears in the system tray, leave it as it keeps running in the background. If you’ve closed any folders you can open them with Ctrl+Shift+F hotkey and similarly you can open recently closed apps in Windows with Ctrl+Shift+A hotkey, F is for folder and A is for App that’s an easy way to remember them.

If these shortcuts conflicts with global hotkeys in your Computer you can change them from UndoClose settings which you can access by right-clicking on it’s tray icon and by selecting settings.

UndoClose Window displays recently opened programs and folders, you can set this program to run on windows startup.

UndoClose works on Windows 7 (32 & 64-bit).

Download UndoClose

UndoClose Opens Last Closed Folders and Programs in Windows is a post from: techdows.com

Excluding Particular Files from Running in The Avast AutoSandbox

Venkat — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:50:53 +0000

Avast 6 released with AutoSandbox feature which on detection of suspicious program execution warns you to run it in the virtualized environment where you can open it in the Sandbox, or normally (if that application came from trusted source) or cancel the opening. You can exclude some safe files/applications from running in the Avast AutoSandbox so that you won’t have to experience this warning again, here is how.

Exclude Trusted files from being run in the Avast Sandbox

#1. Open Avast User interface from its tray icon

#2. Click on Additional Protection to expand, for AutoSandbox click on Settings on the right-pane

#3. Now browse for that program executable and add it, do the same for files you want to exclude from Avast Auto Sandboxing.

Excluding Particular Files from Running in The Avast AutoSandbox is a post from: techdows.com

How to Convert Any Bookmarklet Into A Chrome Extension Online

Venkat — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:45:31 +0000

Novice users definitely don’t know how to turn a bookmarklet into a Chrome extension lot of developers know this and they’ve various tools for this job done. Now any one can convert boomarklet into a Chrome extension with Bookmarlet to Chrome Extension Convertor thanks to Peter Legierski.

Converting Bookmarklet to a Chrome extension

So you now have a bookmarklet available which you need to convert to a Chrome extension. If you’re following latest buzz Facebook, Twitter developers released don’t be evil bookmarklet (chrome extension too) against Google search plus your world which offers social results from all three networks (Twitter, Facebook and Google+) .

Creating Chrome extension from bookmarklet

I am going to convert that bookmarklet into a Chrome extension

1. Visit http://sandbox.self.li/bookmarklet-to-extension/

2. Type name, description and drag bookmarklet you’ve on browser toolbar into the form

3. Click Generate extension, download the generated extension in zip format and extract its files to a folder. Now job half-done .

Now we need to install this extension using developer mode in Chrome, for that

Click Wrench menu>Tools >Extensions
Check Developer mode>Load Unpacked extension, select the folder extracted earlier and click Ok

That’s it extension is installed and ready to use. I created and installed “Focus on the User” Chrome extension which is working fine. Check the screenshot below.

How to Convert Any Bookmarklet Into A Chrome Extension Online is a post from: techdows.com