Power user features made easy: System Imaging

System images have long been used in corporate network environments for simultaneously restoring scores of computers to their original states.  The same technique also works well on the small scale.  Many people complain about their computers becoming slow over time, at which point, reformatting and reinstalling the operating systems becomes the only option.  This is where imaging saves the day.  The average user doesn't want to spend the time to back up all of their data and reinstall all of their programs, a process that can take days.  A system image is essentially a complete copy of your system state at the time it is made.  When the image is written back to the drive, your system will be exactly the way it was when you made the image.  I suggest making an image a week to a month after getting a new computer, this way you have time to install programs and tweak settings to your liking.  Hit read more to see how to create and restore from system images in Windows 7.

How to Re-enable Aero Transparency in Windows 7

When running an older piece of software or game, transparency in Windows 7 will be disabled for compatibility reasons.  Normally after the program is closed, transparency will enable again and your windows will be pretty.  On occasion however, Windows will not restart Aero, the service that handles transparency.  You can manually restart Aero without rebooting.  To do this, open the "Start" menu and type cmd.  Now right on "cmd.exe" and choose "Run as Administrator."  Then type net stop uxsms, wait for the service to stop, then type  net start uxsms.  Now your windows should look "normal" again with transparency.  This fix should also work under Windows Vista.

Blocking ads in Firefox and Chrome

Nobody really likes ads on web pages or enjoys watching crappy commercials. Devices like Tivo give television viewers the option to jump through commercials.  If people skip TV commercials, then why would people put up with huge flashing ads on web pages?  Is it because people don't know about a way to remove ads?  Ahh, but there is an easy solution to block ads.  AdBlock Plus is an extension for Firefox and Chrome which automatically filters most ads from pages, and can even stop the ads inside Youtube videos from appearing.

Diagnosing network problems in Windows

We all have those days where our computers give us nothing but trouble.  Even tech experts are not immune to problems.  Network connectivity issues are among the most common of problems, and are one of the most difficult for mainstream users to fix unaided.  Next time you have a have trouble connecting to the internet, try diagnosing the issue yourself before wasting your time calling tech support.

Wifi Hacking Part 1: Breaking WEP keys

In a previous post, I mentioned that I would provide tutorials for some of the things I am learning to do.  It has been said that one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it.  Today I will demonstrate how to crack a WEP key for the purpose of gaining access to a WEP protected wireless network.

Note:  This tutorial is intended for educational purposes only.  I do not encourage nor endorse the use of these tools for malicious or illegal use.  Do not go steal your neighbors wifi!

To perform this the operations detailed in this tutorial you will need the following:

• A compatible wireless adapter.  I use the TP-Link TL-WN321G.  It's only ten bucks and works out-of-the-box with Linux.
• Aircrack-ng suite--  This comes preinstalled on BackTrack 4, or can be acquired on Ubuntu by typing sudo apt-get install aircrack-ng
• A wireless network to perform these "attacks" on i.e. one that you own or have permission to use.
• GNU Macchanger-- also preinstalled on BT4 or can be aquired on ubuntu by typing sudo apt-get install macchanger
• A computer running some flavor of Linux.  Either the aforementioned Backtrack or ubuntu will work just fine.  Others will also work, but those are the two I have used.