How to run Control Panel tools by typing a command

This article describes how to run Control Panel tools in Windows by typing a command at a command prompt or in the Open box.
To run a Control Panel tool in Windows, type the appropriate command in the Open box or at a command prompt.

NOTE: If you want to run a command from a command prompt, you must do so from the Windows folder. Also, note that your computer may not have all of the tools listed in this article, as your Windows installation may not include all of these components.

Control panel tool Command
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Accessibility Options control access.cpl
Add New Hardware control sysdm.cpl add new hardware
Add/Remove Programs control appwiz.cpl
Date/Time Properties control timedate.cpl
Display Properties control desk.cpl
FindFast control findfast.cpl
Fonts Folder control fonts
Internet Properties control inetcpl.cpl
Joystick Properties control joy.cpl
Keyboard Properties control main.cpl keyboard
Microsoft Exchange control mlcfg32.cpl
(or Windows Messaging)
Microsoft Mail Post Office control wgpocpl.cpl
Modem Properties control modem.cpl
Mouse Properties control main.cpl
Multimedia Properties control mmsys.cpl
Network Properties control netcpl.cpl
NOTE: In Windows NT 4.0, Network
properties is Ncpa.cpl, not Netcpl.cpl
Password Properties control password.cpl
PC Card control main.cpl pc card (PCMCIA)
Power Management (Windows 95) control main.cpl power
Power Management (Windows 98) control powercfg.cpl
Printers Folder control printers
Regional Settings control intl.cpl
Scanners and Cameras control sticpl.cpl
Sound Properties control mmsys.cpl sounds
System Properties control sysdm.cpl


NOTE: The Scanners and Cameras applet (sticpl.cpl) cannot be run in Windows Millennium. It has been replaced by the Scanners and Cameras Folder, which is similar in function to folders like Printers and Dial-up Networking.

Windows substitutes the name of the tool you want to run for %1%. For example:
"rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL appwiz.cpl".
To run the Users tool in Control Panel, type control Ncpa.cpl users, and then press ENTER.

To run the Users tool for Windows 95/98/Me, type "control inetcpl.cpl users" (without the quotation marks) and then press ENTER.

How to use System Information (MSINFO32) command-line tool switches

MSINFO32 displays a comprehensive view of your hardware, system components, and software environment. This article contains an overview of the available switches that can be used with the MSINFO32 command in Windows 7, in Windows Vista, and in Windows XP.

You can use the MSINFO32 command-line tool switches to do all of the following:

* Use System Information from a batch file
* Create .nfo or .txt files that contain information from specified categories.
* Open System Information and display only specific categories.
* Save a file silently (without opening System Information).
* Start System Information connected to a remote computer.
* Create a shortcut that opens System Information in a frequently-used configuration.

Note Some command-line switches available for Windows XP are no longer supported in Windows Vista or in Windows 7.

Use the following syntax to run the MSINFO32 command on computers that are running Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP:
Msinfo32 [/?] [/pch] [/nfo Path] [/report Path] [/computer ComputerName] [/showcategories] [/category categoryID] [/categories categoryID]


Parameters
Path
Specifies the file to be opened in the format C:\folder1\file1.xxx where C is the drive letter, folder1 is the folder, file1 is the file and xxx is the file name extension.

ComputerName
This can be a Universal Naming Convention name, an IP address, or a Fully Qualified Domain Name.

categoryID
This parameter is obtained by using the /showcategories switch.


Command options that are supported in Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP
/nfo {Path}
Saves the exported file as an .nfo file. If the file name that is specified in Path does not end in .nfo, an .nfo file name extension will be appended to the file name.

/report {Path}
Saves the file that is specified in Path in the .txt format. The file name will be saved exactly as it appears in path. The .txt file name extension will not be appended to the file unless it is specified in Path.

/computer {ComputerName}
Starts System Information for the specified remote computer.
Note When you connect to a remote computer, you must have appropriate permissions to access WMI on the remote computer.
Back to the top
Command options that are supported in Windows XP
/pch
Displays the history view.


/showcategories
Starts System Information with the category IDs displayed instead of the friendly names or the localized names. For example, when you use this switch, the Software Environment category is displayed as the SWEnv category. SWEnv is a valid categoryID argument for the /category switch and the /categories switch.

/category {categoryID}
Starts System Information with the specified category selected. Use /showcategories to display a list of available category IDs.

/categories {+categoryID(+categoryID)|+all(-categoryID)}
Starts System Information with only the specified category or categories displayed. It also limits the output to the selected category or categories. Use /showcategories to display a list of available category IDs.

/? Displays a brief summary of MSInfo32 command-line options.

Note Some System Information categories contain large amounts of data. You can use the start /wait command to optimize reporting performance for these categories. For more information, see Related Topics.

Examples
To open System Information in History view, type:
msinfo32 /pch

To create an .nfo file in the folder C:\Temp with a name of Test.nfo, type:
msinfo32 /nfo C:\TEMP\TEST.NFO

To create a .txt file in the folder C:\Temp with a name of Test.txt, type:
msinfo32 /report C:\TEMP\TEST.NFO

To view System Information from a remote computer with a UNC name of BIGSERVER, type:
msinfo32 /computer BIGSERVER

To list the available category IDs, type:
msinfo32 /showcategories

To start System Information with all available information displayed, except Loaded Modules, type:
msinfo32 /categories +all -loadedmodules

To create an .nfo file called SYSSUM.NFO in the C:\Temp folder that contains information in the System Summary category, type:
msinfo32 /nfo C:\TEMP\SYSSUM.NFO /categories +systemsummary

To create a .NFO file called CONFLICTS.NFO in the C:\TEMP folder that contains information about resource conflicts, type:
msinfo32 /nfo C:\TEMP\CONFLICTS.NFO /categories +componentsproblemdevices+resourcesconflicts+resourcesforcedhardware


Thanks to:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300887

Top 10 reasons to learn Wireshark, the open source network analyzer

1. Wireshark is the de facto standard in network analyzer tools. With more than 500,000 downloads a month, the IT industry has embraced Wireshark as the go-to tool for network troubleshooting, optimization and security! Be at the front of the IT pack and show your true colors as a geek leader.

2. Set yourself apart as a network analyst. It's one thing to be able to configure a TCP/IP network; it's entirely different to understand the inner workings of that network. Consider yourself a true "doctor of networking" with the ability to peer into the communications to pinpoint the cause of problems quickly and accurately. Be prepared for house-call requests. IT professionals are the new "doctor in the family," as you probably already know.

3. Bond with the only source of networking truth -- the packets. The packets never lie. Users do. Salespeople do. Consultants do. You know the drill. You can live in a pure environment of "truth" when you simply watch the hosts communicate with each other and see which one totally messes up the process. (Insert calming relaxation and meditation music here.)

4. Entertain yourself -- network traffic is never boring. From analyzing the yappy traffic from your hyperactive iPhone to the itty bitty stinkin' packets seen during a database operation, there's a lot of hidden "personality" on your network. Take advantage of the fact that it's legal in every country to profile protocols and products. Witness the overbearing protectiveness of network firewalls. Marvel at the blatantly callous disregard that lousy applications have for our precious standards. This is better than Avatar (and your nose won't hurt from those 3D glasses).

5. Find problems before the users do. You can become an IT superstar by identifying problems before the users make those whimpering or demanding calls blaming everything from their PCs to the Internet itself. Proactive analysis can decrease your stress levels in the long run, enabling you to live longer and enjoy your retirement on that small secluded cove by your new beach house.

6. Wireshark is free. Wireshark is considered one of the top open source projects in the world. It costs you nothing to download it from wireshark.org, install it and start your network trace file collection today. This is much better than collecting Star Wars or Star Trek memorabilia (and better for your social life).

7. Get geeky. IT professionals have a deep-seated desire to be geeky -- look at the popularity of the slingshot monkey, for example. Non-IT folks really don't hyperventilate at the chance to win one of those monkeys at a trade show. Heck, they don't even understand the "I will wait in line 10 hours for anything Apple releases" mentality either. (Hmmm… then again, neither do I.) Wireshark lets you see packets in their dissected form or even in hex form (for a special treat on the weekends!).

8. Solve ever-changing puzzles. Extreme Sudoku can be humbling and you've already hit level 80 in World of Warcraft (or higher, with the upcoming expansion pack). Try something new. Try to analyze each packet involved in your login process. It can be solved, and there's a pay-off. You can identify login problems that may occur in the future after you learn the purpose of each packet. Become a modern-day Rubik's-cube-solving kind of freak and impress everyone at the bar (or in that line at the Apple store).

9. Know what's really happening on your network (at home or work). When your kids say they're doing research for homework you can easily sniff the traffic and see which sites they are hitting. Clear text chat traffic offers wonderful parental insight. Don't tell 'em how you know this information -- it's all part of the "eyes in the back of my head" mystery of über-parenting. (Consider blocking their access to wireshark.org to protect your magical mojo.)

10. You don't want to flip burgers for a living. Yup -- learning Wireshark is definitely a big step up from flipping burgers at the local grease pit. You'll run faster, jump higher and even begin counting in binary just for fun. ("OK, little Jimmy… I said stop that… I'm counting… 1…. 0! Time's up!" Hee hee.)

It's never too late to learn network analysis and the true inner workings of your network. Pull up a chair, pour a cup of hot java and settle in for a nice self-improvement session with Wireshark and the Wireshark Network Analysis Book. Together they are the best girlfriends/boyfriends/wives/husbands/lovers/dogs/cats/power tools you've ever had! Enjoy!

Get Wireshark

The current stable release of Wireshark is 1.2.9. It supersedes all previous releases, including all releases of Ethereal. You can also download the latest development release (1.4.0rc1) and documentation.

http://www.wireshark.org/download.html

Thanks to :
http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/generic/0,295582,sid7_gci1511671,00.html

How to Format a USB Flash Drive in Ubuntu

USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drives are rewritable storage devices designed to be portable and easy to use. Flash drives are typically formatted by default with Windows file formats like FAT16/32. Since Ubuntu Linux users tend to prefer native Linux file formats like RiserFS or Ext 2/3, formatting the drive before storing data on it is a good idea. Follow these steps to format a USB flash drive in Ubuntu.

1. Step 1

   Plug your flash drive into an empty USB port, then back up any data on the drive. Open the main menu, move your cursor over "Accessories" and then click on "Terminal." At the terminal prompt, type "sudo apt-get install gparted" (without quotes); then, hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard.

2. Step 2

   Enter your Ubuntu administrator password when prompted; then hit the "Enter" key again. This will download and install GParted which is an open source drive partitioning program.

3. Step 3

   Go to the Ubuntu main menu after the installation is complete, move your cursor over "System," then "Administration" and then click on "Partition Editor." Enter your administrator password when prompted; then click "OK."

4. Step 4

   Click on "GParted" in the toolbar. Then, hover over "Devices" and select your USB flash drive from the list (dev/sdb1, for example). Right-click on the device in the main GParted window; then click "Unmount." It may take a few minutes for the device to be unmounted.

5. Step 5

   Right-click on the device again (after it is unmounted) and then hover over "Format to." Select the desired file system type (RiserFS, linux-swap, Ext 2/3 or FAT16/32, for example); then click "Apply" in the toolbar. Depending on the size of the flash drive, it will take three to four minutes or so for GParted to complete the process.

6. Step 6

   Close GParted after the flash drive is formatted. To mount your USB flash drive, unplug it and then plug it back in. The drive is now ready to store data in the file format you selected.

Thanks to :
http://www.ehow.com/how_4963426_format-usb-flash-drive-ubuntu.html

How to Export and Save Your Bookmarks From Firefox

The bookmarks on your computer are easily exported and saved from Firefox so that you can back up, share or use them on another computer. You can do it in a few easy steps.

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Open up a Firefox window.

2. Step 2

   Click on the "Bookmarks" menu and select "Manage Bookmarks..." In case of Firefox 3.6.2 select "Organize Bookmarks..."

3. Step 3

   Click on the "File" menu and select "Export" in the window that pops up. In case of Firefox 3.6.2, click on "Import and Backup." Select "Export HTML." A save option will appear.

4. Step 4

   Give your bookmarks whatever title you like and choose a location to save them in the save window that comes up.

5. Step 5

   Open this file on any computer with a Web browser and click on the links to go to each bookmark, now that your bookmarks are saved as an HTML file. You can also import them into the bookmarks or favorites menu of another computer.

Thanks to :
http://www.ehow.com/how_1000389_export-save-bookmarksexport-save-bookmarksexport-save-bookmarksexport-save-bookmarks.html

Iptux - An intranet communication tool for Linux

iptux is an IP Messenger client for Linux.

It supports both linux and Windows

It support:

 - auto detect other clients in the intranet.
- send message to other clients.
- send file to other clients.
If you need to install it
Just update your apt in your system and then type in terminal as follows
sudo apt-get install iptux
it will get automatically installed.

Or else if you want the source of it get it from the following.

http://packages.ubuntu.com/jaunty/iptux

Debian's APT - Top Package Management

APT

APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) is a high-level package management tool used in Debian-based Linux distributions. In this article we review APT in detail.


Introduction

Debians distribution base of the package management process is called dpkg, which stands for Debian PacKaGe. Debian-native applications have the .deb extension and dpkg is used to install, remove and provide information to the deb packages on a Debian-based system. In this manner, dpkg is a low-level utility.

Thus, with the advancement of software distribution processes through on-line repositories, together with complex dependency resolution process requirements, a higher-level tool was needed. One which could deal with downloading the packages from remote locations (on-line repositories) and be user friendly. At this point, the Debian community came up with apt, the abbreviation of Advanced Packaging Tool.
apt

apt is not a single program, but rather the name of the package that contains the necessary set of tools to enable the user to download packages from a repository and install them. With these tools, you can apt-get install application_name to download packages and install from the Internet, you can apt-get update to update the packages on your system, apt-get distro-upgrade to upgrade your distribution to the new release, apt-cache search package_name to search for a specific package in the repositories or apt-get remove package_name to remove a specific package etc.

When you want to install an application with the command apt-get install application_name, you very basically trigger the following events:

• * Make apt search for the package in the repository,
• * If the package is found, check if it is already installed,
• * If not, check the dependencies,
• * Check if any, some, or all of the dependencies are already installed,
• * If not, download the missing dependencies in the order that they will be installed by considering their own set of dependencies,
• * Invoke dpkg in such a way that the dependencies are installed first and the application last.

apt Files and Folders

apt uses many files and folders during operation. The main files and folders are as follows:

* /etc/apt/sources.list: The file that contains the path (and URL) of the repositories,
* /etc/apt/sources.list.d: The folder that contains the files, which contain paths (and URLs) of additional repositories,
* /etc/apt/apt.conf or /etc/apt/apt-file.conf: The file that contains the apt configuration,
* /etc/apt/apt.conf.d: The folder that contains additional apt configuration,
* /etc/apt/preferences: The file that contains apt preferences,
* /var/cache/apt/archives: The folder that contains the files apt has downloaded,
* /var/cache/apt/apt-file: The folder that contains the files which maps each file available in the Ubuntu Linux system to the package from which it originates,
* /var/lib/apt/lists: The folder that contains the state information for each package resource specified in the sources.list file,
* /var/lib/apt/keyring: The folder that holds the GPG keyrings,
* /var/lib/apt/periodic: The folder that holds the “update” and “update successful” stamp files.

apt Front-Ends

As you would expect, there are graphical front ends to apt, saving you from typing and issuing commands. These graphical front ends make the users' lives easier by presenting detailed information about the packages. Here is a list of well-known apt graphical user interfaces:

• * Aptitude: This is a curses-based front end to apt.
• * Synaptic: The most famous Gnome front end to apt, shows packages in groups, lets the user search for packages and can download screenshots.
• * Adept: The add/remove package application. It presents the packages in groups and lets the user see the community popularity of the applications.
• * Kpackage: A KDE front-end to apt. It is very similar to Synaptic with a slightly different view.

Conclusion

apt is one of the most powerful (in my personal opinion THE most powerful) package manager in the Linux world. Although I have never seen an analysis on this, the power of the package management is perhaps the reason why Debian is the distribution that has so many derivatives compared to other Linux distributions. Behind the scenes there are very strict rules for packaging and very strict rules to accept packages to the repositories. The package manager works on top of these rules and does a fantastic job. It's been three years and I haven't seen a broken package or an unresolved dependency.

Thanks to:
http://www.brighthub.com/computing/linux/articles/52300.aspx

Understanding Package Management

Introduction

Ian Murdock, the Debian distribution's founder, describes package management as the single biggest advancement Linux has brought to the industry. To understand package management, we have to understand how software is developed, installed and updated, why package managers are needed and how they fit into the software scene.

Dependency Hell

When software is developed, it is designed to take advantage of other components that are already available. We can use an analogy to build a house - if you own a piece of land and want to build a house, would you first build the factories that produce bricks, windows, doors, glasses, carpets, etc. or would you purchase them from the market? This is the same in building software. Suppose that you are writing a download manager. Rather than writing the download code totally from scratch, you can use the graphical components, dialogs, buttons that have been written in advance and focus yourself on the downloading process, just as you would focus on your house's design rather than producing bricks.

Software works the same way. Developers do not need to reinvent the wheel every time they write a program. For example, what if program A depends on components X, Y, Z to run while component X depends on components U and V, component Y depends on components S and T to run, and component U depends on component T to run? The following diagram shows how the components would depend on one another.




o install program A properly, you have to install T first, then U and V, then S, then X, Y and Z and finally A. This is the only way that each component's dependencies would be satisfied. Unless this is the case, the program will produce an error and will not be installed correctly. This is what causes "dependency hell". Don't think dependency hell is a Linux-only concept: it is called “Dependency Hell” in the Linux/UNIX world, “DLL Hell” in the Windows world and “Jar Hell” in the Java World.
Package Management

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a process or program that would allow you to select which program you want to install and then automate the dependency resolution? This is what package management is--a tool to resolve dependencies, install them, install the program, configure and update it. You search for the software, click to install and then let the package manager do the rest. Once you get used to it, a package manager an indispensable piece of software that lets you manage all the applications on your computer, including the operating system.

The packages, their dependencies and other related information are hosted on servers on the Internet, called repositories (or repos for short). For the sake of simplicity, you can think a repository as a pool of programs that can be reached and downloaded by a specific package manager.
Package Manager's Jobs

As we have seen in the previous section, the package manager resolves dependencies and installs the program without any interception from the user. This is not the only thing a package manager does. It also performs the following jobs behind the scenes:

* Verify the file integrity to ensure that the downloaded package is not corrupt and is complete
* Verify the package signature to ensure that it is downloaded from a trusted repository
* Use file archivers to open the downloaded files
* Upgrade software packages from the repositories
* Group packages and present to the user in a simple, structured way (such as Games, Productivity Applications, Internet Applications, etc.)
* Resolve dependencies and make sure that the program the user requests is installed with all dependencies satisfied and in correct working state.

Main distributions have their own package managers, which we will analyze in the oncoming articles (for a quick introduction to installing and uninstalling applications in Linux, you can check our Using Applications in Linux article).

Conclusion

As we have stated in the beginning, package management, one of the biggest advancements in the computer industry, is an excellent way to manage software. Windows, unfortunately, has no way of a central software management except the updates. However, it is your duty as a user to watch for the updates if the program does not inform you about the updates automatically. Even if you are notified, you have to go to the manufacturer's website, download the updated program and install it. In Linux world, you just press “Install updates” when you are informed that there are updates available for your system.

Thanks to :
http://www.brighthub.com/computing/linux/articles/52282.aspx

Running QTP tests using Python

Running QTP tests using Python

QTP provides an interface called the automation object model. This model is essentially a COM interface providing a bunch of objects that can be used to automate QTP. The full object list is available in the QuickTest Professional Automation documentation.

Running QTP tests from the command line is useful for doing scheduled automatic testing. If you use a continuous integration system to do automatic builds of your software, you can run your QTP tests on the latest build.

The following is a Python script that is able to run a test and print out Passed or Failed. It is a direct port of example code in the documentation written in VBScript

-------------------------------

• import win32com, win32com.client
• qtp = win32com.client.Dispatch("QuickTest.Application")
• # starts up QTP
• qtp.Launch()
• # make the QTP window visible
• qtp.Visible = True
• # Open a test, replace the path
• qtp.Open("C:\Tests\test1")
• # to open a QTP test in Quality Center
• # qtp.Open(r"[QualityCenter] Subject\FolderName\QTPScript")
• # create a RunResultsOptions object
• qtResultsOpt = win32com.client.Dispatch("QuickTest.RunResultsOptions")
• # set the location to where the results will be save
• qtResultsOpt.ResultsLocation = "C:\Test\test1\res"
• qtp.Test.Run(qtResultsOpt)
• print "Test has %s" %qtp.Test.LastRunResults.Status
• # close the Test
• qtp.Test.Close()
• # quit QTP
• qtp.Quit()

---------------------------

Thanks to :
http://bulkan-evcimen.com/running_qtp_test_using_python/

Internet Slang Words and Computer Slang

On this site you will find a list of slang terms, acronyms and abbreviations as used in websites, ICQ chat rooms, blogs, SMS, and Internet forums - a complete dictionary of slang.
There are many such internet slang words in use, some are more widely understood than others, and new ones are evolving all the time. This list is large but inevitably incomplete; however it contains the more commonly used slang words and slang terms. 4834 acronyms are listed at present - if you know of another that should be here then please add an acronym.
Note that a few of the internet abbreviations stand for phrases containing words that may be offensive to some people. In those cases we have substituted asterisks, or similar, for the internet slang words in question.
For eg :
LOL Laughing Out Loud



Thanks to :
http://www.internetslang.com/