Monday 30 September 2013

How to fix Dirt 3 not starting in Windows 8




Dirt 3 not starting or crashing after launch seems to be a common problem with Windows 7 and 8 x64 versions, here is how you can fix it
  • First thing you'll need is a Microsoft Live Account, get it here (click the image below) :



  • This is the most important step, uninstall all Games for Windows LIVE software present in your system, get a fresh copy of Games for Windows LIVE client by clicking the image below (a web-installer), after downloading it right-click on it and select "Run as administrator", let it download and install the files

 

  • After installation completes run Games For Windows and sign in to your account, now you can either exit the app or leave it minimized
  • Now to open the game, (important step) right-click on dirt3.exe in the game's installation folder or on your desktop shortcut and select "Run as administrator" and wait for it (you will have to run it  as administrator every time), these steps worked for me
  • Now if it fails to open the game try opening dirt3.exe in compatibility mode for Windows 7 or Windows Xp and it should work with any one of them
  • Enjoy playing Dirt 3! Comment for more Help.

                                        

Sunday 29 September 2013

Firefox Wallpaper



As a Mozilla Firefox fan i just couldn't resist posting this really cool wallpaper released with their new logo


 Nightly, Aurora and Firefox side-by-side in Cosmic Magnificence !

How to fix CryEA.dll missing error in CRYSIS 3, Download CryEA.dll





Cant start CRYSIS 3  because CryEA.dll is missing? Then this post might help you
Hoping your system is functioning normally and is not virus infected, CryEA.dll can go missing due to the following reasons:
  • Corrupt installation media
  • Incomplete download
  • False detection by Antivirus / Internet Security programs



The most probable reason being false detection by antivirus programs such as NORTON which detects it as a potential TROJAN.GEN virus during its auto scans and removes the file or moves it to Quarantine as it was in my case. 




To confirm you can check the Activities Log/Security History of your antivirus, if there is a report of its detection then restore CryEA.dll from Quarantine and exclude it from future scans. If you cant find its report or restore it from Quarantine, don't worry, i have it right here CryEA.dll after downloading put it in the Bin32 folder of your CYRSIS 3 installation and make sure to exclude it from antivirus scans or add it as an exception. Enjoy the game!
Comment for more Help.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6u1O0DZtb51RDlpZERHdnplRkU/edit?usp=sharing 

OR

http://www.mediafire.com/download/qkqxmv7wwzz1h0z/CryEA.dll-THTE.zip


How to fix Disk Cleanup stuck on Windows Update cleanup

  
Ever had that problem where you open disk cleanup utility hoping to cleanup your system files and it ends up being stuck at "cleaning windows update files" and the only option left is to restart the PC, then worry no more cause this could be your solution.

Watch The Video Tutorial
 

OR follow the steps below:
  1. You must be logged into an administrator account
     2.  Open "Troubleshooting" by searching it up in the Control Panel


     3.  Click on "View all" in the top left panel

     4.  Scroll down to the bottom to find "Windows Update", click on it

     5.  Click on "Advanced"

     6.  Click on "Run as administrator", it will refresh

     7.  Now select "Next"

     8.  Windows will now troubleshoot for errors, errors if any, would be found and fixed

     9.  Run "Disk Cleanup" again to see if the problem persists

   10.  If the problem persists or if troubleshooter couldn't fix errors then repeat the steps
          from 1 to 6 and click on "Advanced" again and uncheck the
          "Apply repairs automatically" option and proceed

 Hope this solves your problem, for detailed info on Disk Cleanup errors  refer to Microsoft Forums

Saturday 28 September 2013

How to enable or disable Task Manager manually or programmatically

You may have came across situations where you wanted to disable your Windows Task Manager or may be a malware might have disabled your task manager and you want to re-enable it. In this tutorial you'll learn how to play with your task manager, enable or disable it either manually or using your own C++ program.

Windows Task Manager can be disabled in many ways. We'll discuss each in detail.

1. USING GROUP POLICY EDITOR

            This is probably the easiest and safe way to disable or enable your task manger. You require an administrator account to use group policy editor. If you are looking for a way to disable task manager from a limited account, skip this and go for another method.
STEPS:
  • On your keyboard, press WIN + R keys or go to Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > Run.
  • In the run window type gpedit.msc to launch your Group Policy Editor.
  • In Group Policy window, using the left pane, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Ctrl + Alt + Del Options.
  • In the right pane, open Remove Task Manager.
  • To disable Task Manager, select enable. To enable Task Manager, select disable.
  • Press Ok or Apply to complete. Now try accessing your Task Manager


2. USING WINDOWS REGISTRY

      Windows task manager can be disabled by editing Windows Registry. This is not safe because editing your Windows Registry incorrectly can cause harm to your computer.
Here's how to do it manually:
  • On your keyboard, press WIN + R keys or go to Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > Run.
  • In the run window type regedit.exe to launch your registry editor.
  • In Registry Editor Window, using the left pane, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.
  • If System key doesn't exist, then create one by right clicking on Policies > New > Key and type System.
  • In the right pane right click and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  • Now Replace New Value #1 with DisableTaskmgr.
  • Double click on it. Change the value to 1 to disable Task Manager and 0 to enable Task Manager.
  • Now close the Registry Editor.


If you want to do it in C++, here is the code to do it :

#include<windows.h>
void disableTaskmgr()
{
   HKEY regHandle;
   DWORD dwValue = 1;
   BYTE* data = (BYTE*)&dwValue;
   RegCreateKeyEx(HKEY_CURRENT_USER ,"Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\System", 0, NULL, NULL, KEY_WRITE | KEY_WOW64_32KEY,NULL , &regHandle ,NULL );
   RegSetValueEx(regHandle,"DisableTaskmgr",0, REG_DWORD,data ,sizeof(DWORD));
   RegCloseKey(regHandle);
}

void enableTaskmgr()
{
   HKEY regHandle;
   DWORD dwValue = 0;
   BYTE* data = (BYTE*)&dwValue;
   RegCreateKeyEx(HKEY_CURRENT_USER ,"Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\System", 0, NULL, NULL, KEY_WRITE | KEY_WOW64_32KEY,NULL , &regHandle ,NULL );
   RegSetValueEx(regHandle,"DisableTaskmgr",0, REG_DWORD,data ,sizeof(DWORD));
   RegCloseKey(regHandle);
}

3. CHANGING THE DEBUGGER VALUE (REPLACING TASKMGR)

      This method is not recommended because the Debugger property is not meant for it, but still it works well. Here's how to do it manually:
  • On your keyboard, press WIN + R keys or go to Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > Run.
  • In the run window type regedit.exe to launch your registry editor.
  • In Registry Editor Window, using the left pane, navigate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options.
  • Create a key taskmgr.exe inside it (If it doesn't exist), by right clicking on Image File Execution Options > New > Key and type taskmgr.exe.
  • In the right pane right click and choose New > String Value.
  • Replace New Value #1 with Debugger.
  • Double click on it. Change the value to calc.exe.
  • Now try opening your Task Manager. The Calculator window will be opened. Similarly you can change the value calc.exe to any other executable file name, so that it will be opened.
  • Delete the value of Debugger or delete the whole String Value to enable you Task Manager again.
  • Now close the Registry Editor.

#include<windows.h>
void disableTaskmgr()
{
      HKEY regHandle;
      char fpath[]= "calculator.exe";
      RegCreateKeyEx(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE ,"Software\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\Image File Execution Options\\taskmgr.exe", 0, NULL, NULL, KEY_WRITE | KEY_WOW64_32KEY,NULL , &regHandle ,NULL );
      RegSetValueEx(regHandle,"Debugger",0, REG_SZ,(BYTE*)fpath,sizeof(fpath));
      RegCloseKey(regHandle);
}

void enableTaskmgr()
{
      HKEY regHandle;
      RegCreateKeyEx(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE ,"Software\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\Image File Execution Options\\taskmgr.exe", 0, NULL, NULL, KEY_WRITE | KEY_WOW64_32KEY,NULL , &regHandle ,NULL );
      RegSetValueEx(regHandle,"Debugger",0, REG_SZ,NULL,NULL);
      RegCloseKey(regHandle);
}

4. CLOSE TASKMGR AS SOON AS IT OPENS

      This method cannot be done manually. In this method we use the FindWindow Windows api to find the Windows Task Manager as soon as it opens and send the close message to it. The advantage of this method is, you may NOT need admin privileges to do this. I've used an infinite loop to do the task, and have left its termination and implementation to you.

HWND hwnd;
while(1)
{
      hwnd = FindWindow(NULL,"Windows Task Manager");
      SendMessage(hwnd, WM_CLOSE, (LPARAM) 0, (WPARAM) 0);
}

5. MODIFY TASKMGR.EXE

      Personally i don't recommend this method. You can modify a few bytes of taskmgr.exe (C:\Windows\System32\taskmgr.exe) in reversible way. DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Warning: All source codes in this article are tested in Visual C++. Author is not responsible for any harm caused to your computer by following these steps. Method 2 to 5 should be done only if you know what you are doing.