It’s nice being able to run a file immediately because as soon as it is done downloading I know that it will be opened in the default application. Often times I only want to use a file just once, and so I don’t really need it cluttering up one of my other folders.

If you feel the same way as me you’ll want to checkout the OpenDownload extension for Firefox. All it does is add a Run option to the dialog that appears when you go to download a file (as seen in the screenshot above). Who would have thought that something so simple could make me so darn happy!

Note: This does work fine in Firefox 3 even though it is not shown to be compatible.

Here's the quick and easy way to re-enable Grub.

1) Boot off the LiveCD

2) Open a Terminal and type in the following commands, noting that the first command will put you into the grub "prompt", and the next 3 commands will be executed there. Also note that hd0,0 implies the first hard drive and the first partition on that drive, which is where you probably installed grub to during installation. If not, then adjust accordingly.

sudo grub

> root (hd0,0)

> setup (hd0)

> exit

Reboot (removing the livecd), and your boot menu should be back.

Only read below if Windows is now missing from the boot menu

If you installed Ubuntu before you installed Windows, then Ubuntu will not have anything in the grub configuration for Windows. This is where you'll have to do a bit of manual editing to the grub boot menu file.

If you open the file /boot/grub/menu.lst with the following command:

sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1

The problem stems from the new auto-tuning network, which changes the receive window on the fly. Thankfully we can easily turn it off from an administrative mode command prompt.

Open Administrative Mode Command Prompt

Either type cmd into the start menu and use Ctrl+Shift+Enter or right-click the Command Prompt shortcut and choose Run as Administrator.

Turn Off Auto-Tuning

netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

You'll have to reboot your system, but once you do, the problems should be resolved. If they are not you can always turn auto-tuning back on.

Turn On Auto-Tuning

netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal

You are no doubt reading this article because you are wondering why on earth there are nearly a dozen processes running with the name svchost.exe. You can't kill them, and you don't remember starting them… so what are they?

So What Is It?

According to Microsoft: "svchost.exe is a generic host process name for services that run from dynamic-link libraries". Could we have that in english please?

Some time ago, Microsoft started moving all of the functionality from internal Windows services into .dll files instead of .exe files. From a programming perspective this makes more sense for reusability… but the problem is that you can't launch a .dll file directly from Windows, it has to be loaded up from a running executable (.exe). Thus the svchost.exe process was born.

Why Are There So Many svchost.exes Running?

If you've ever taken a look at the Services section in control panel you might notice that there are a Lot of services required by Windows. If every single service ran under a single svchost.exe instance, a failure in one might bring down all of Windows… so they are separated out.

Those services are organized into logical groups, and then a single svchost.exe instance is created for each group. For instance, one svchost.exe instance runs the 3 services related to the firewall. Another svchost.exe instance might run all the services related to the user interface, and so on.

So What Can I Do About It?

You can trim down unneeded services by disabling or stopping the services that don't absolutely need to be running. Additionally, if you are noticing very heavy CPU usage on a single svchost.exe instance you can restart the services running under that instance.

The biggest problem is identifying what services are being run on a particular svchost.exe instance… we'll cover that below.

Over the past year or so I’ve noticed an increasing number of newbies (a term which I use affectionately) interested in taking Linux for a spin - for example, the number or emails I’m getting on the subject from zero a year ago to several dozen a week. The reasons for their interest in Linux are many and varied, as is the level of commitment to making the switch from Windows or Mac. However, one thing stands out from all the conversations - the number of people who seem to confuse Ubuntu for Linux. I can tell because they will either use both terms interchangeably or be using the name Ubuntu in a generic sense. Moreover, it seems to be confined to Ubuntu. I’ve not seen the name of another distro used in the same way.

I have to admit that I like Ubuntu. Like it a lot. I’ve handled dozens of Linux distros over the past year to eighteen months and I always come back to Ubuntu. While I don’t put myself into the Linux n00b category, I know that I’m not a million miles away from that camp so Ubuntu’s friendliness and simplicity isn’t lost on me. But another appeal of Ubuntu is the clear development cycle that the developers follow, along with the fact that each version I try turns out to be a significant improvement over the previous release. There’s real momentum in the project. Whether the same level of development will happen once the basics have been nailed down remains to be seen, but for now, development seems to be moving on at a fair pace.

I’m of the opinion that the evolution of Ubuntu into the generic Linux distro isn’t a bad thing. My opinion is that when it comes to a beginner entering the world of Linux, the staggering array of distros available is off-putting (I know that many disagree with me on this point and claim that choice is a good thing, but no one can show me evidence that new users embrace the huge number of distros with ease). A single distro offers those wanting to dabble in Linux a place to start and if Ubuntu is all; they need from Linux, great, otherwise there’s a whole world of Linux distros to experiment and play with.

Ubuntu upcoming release, codenamed Hardy Heron, will be one of the easiest distros for newbies to try out thanks to the addition of the umenu loader and Wubi installer, both of which make installing Ubuntu alongside Windows easy. This will no doubt help make Ubuntu even more popular with Linux newbies.

Thoughts? Do you think that Ubuntu is becoming the generic Linux distro? Is this a good thing? Is Ubuntu the best distro for beginners? If not, what do you suggest?

Just type about:config into the address bar, and then filter by browser.chrome. You should see something similar to this

:

Set the value of these two preferences to false by double-clicking on them.

browser.chrome.favicons

browser.chrome.site_icons

You'll have to restart Firefox, but the favicons will be gone entirely.

Personally, I love favicons, but this article was a request.

Windows XP is actually a product line of operating systems created by Microsoft for home and business desktop computers, media centers and notebook computers. The letters "XP" stands for eXPerience. The Windows XP Home edition is designed for home users while the Windows XP Professional is created for use by business clients and power users. This operating system is widely recognized as more stable and more efficient compared to the earlier nine versions of Microsoft Windows.

It is also observed to be more user-friendly compared to its previous versions. It is also the first Windows version with product activation feature to circumvent software piracy. Some of the new features introduced with Windows XP that are not available in the earlier Windows versions are faster hibernation and start-up sequence, more user-friendly desktop interface, faster user switch ability, remote desktop functionality as well as its ability to support wireless network connections and modems.

Despite the widespread popularity of this Microsoft product, it is also heavily criticized for its security vulnerability as well as its tendency to succumb to glitches and other time-wasting processes. Some of the Windows XP irritations identified by frustrated PC users are turtle-pace Windows boot process, unavailability of a back-up utility, and inability to get rid of temporary files that may ultimately clog the Temp folder. In addition, some security setbacks are also commonly encountered by Windows XP users such as the need to reinstall software due to a hard drive crash and to made changes in some user account settings. Those who find these snafus bothersome are now switching to Mac and Linux. Moreover, these people are advocating the superiority of these Windows alternatives.

If you want to use an entirely new operating system other than Windows XP, there is a need to reformat the hard drive. This process will prepare the disk storage utility to accept and store new data. In addition, this can be undertaken to remove errors or viruses that compromise overall computer efficiency. However, there might be a need to make use of certain applications like WipeDrive to permanently get rid of unnecessary Windows XP data. A simple hard drive reformat does not guarantee permanent deletion of data. In fact, the deleted files can be recovered even after reformatting.

The need to wipe Windows XP before doing a reformat on a hard drive is also proven to be an effective way for a PC owner to protect himself against identity theft. Reformatting merely erases the address tables of your data. This makes the deleted data and information still prone to serious hacking by the experienced infiltrators all over the web. There are actually a lot of disk wipe programs that you can choose from in the market right now. For the most part, these programs are also available for purchase and download online. This makes access all the more easier for the many computer users who are in need of such programs. By performing a disk wipe before installing a new operating system, you can guarantee complete and efficient deletion of all files and folders that were once in your possession.