SG OwnBlog

Creating gadgets for Windows is very easy. So easy, in fact a class 8 kid can make them, provided he knows basic stuff like HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Even then there are issues that are faced when you start doing things the first time. So I may just be able to get you started. By the end of it, you will probably say to yourself that this was just sooooo easy. First thing first. You must know HTML, CSS and basic JavaScript, otherwise what I will write here will look like Sumerian to you. So if you wish to take a look and brush up your skills, here are the links to go. I'll wait. www.w3schools.com/js/ www.w3schools.com/html/ www.w3schools.com/css/ Yes I am a particular fan of w3schools, mainly because they have got a code testing playground, invaluable for immediate testing and  experimentation .  Now that you are ready, lets get started. The Bare Layout of a Windows Sidebar Gadget A gadget is simply a webpage with its scripts, stylesheets and everythin

Microsoft's "re-imagining" of Windows 8 is focused very heavily on a new, Metro-style touch-based interface. However, they make a big deal of saying that it's just as usable with a mouse and keyboard—and  no matter what device you're on, you can switch between the simple Metro interface and the traditional Windows desktop  to fit whatever your needs are at that given moment. Performance One of the issues that's been on our minds since they  previewed this new interface  was whether this will keep bogging Windows down with more running processes, and whether running a full Windows desktop on a low-powered tablet was really a good idea (after all, we've seen Windows run on netbooks). Performance was the first thing they addressed today: Windows 8 actually has better performance than Windows 7, even with this metro interface running on top of a desktop. Tablet users and netbook users should notice a fairly significant performance increase with Wind

  Disk Cleanup is a wonderful yet somewhat basic tool for carrying out disk cleaning activities on Windows machines. We sometimes may feel irritated to use this tool. Instead we switch to other alternatives. But we can extend its functionality a bit by following a few tips and tricks. At a Run dialog, type:  cleanmgr /sageset:1  Up will come the Disk Cleanup, select the drive, then select what you wish to keep and what you dont. Then click OK. Next time, type:  cleanmgr /sagerun:1  Then the cleaner goes to work to clean whatever you selected. You can assign another number for another type of cleanup if you want. E.g.  cleanmgr /sagerun:2 might be more or less agressive about cleaning, depending on what you chose with cleanmgr /sageset:2  You can even create shortcuts for the different lists of destroyables you have. But always make sure to use sageset before applying its settings to sagerun.  Thanks to PrairieMoon for this tip. 

Cleaning your machine regularly is very important. We all know that. If we allow our PC's case to be dirty over time, grime will clog the fans of that keep the internal parts cool. If this blocks the airflow, the internal components will overheat. So now I will tell you how you can clean your PC. What you will need? Enough Zip or cable ties, depending on the amount of wires you have. Blower Straw (Yes! A cola drinking straw !) A Blower with compressed air will be great A screwdriver Steps First unplug your system completely. Ensure your PC is completely disconnected from any power source. Including your UPS, if you have one. Ground yourself firmly, so that you dont get a residual shock. Ground the PC case. You can simply connect the metal part of the cabinet to the ground, that will take care of eliminating any static discharge. So now, taking all electrical precautions, you can proceed. Now you can open the PC case. You will get instructions from your system

Image Credits VNAMedia This weekend I plan to learn coding hotkeys and sending them to Winforms, basically for fun. I was testing the Control + N hotkeys and came up with some really useful text book material. This particular code was made to test things and worked great. I was happy and posted it here to ease the work for you. Public Const MOD_CTRL As Integer = & H2 'Control key     Public Const WM_HOTKEY As Integer = & H312     <DllImport ( "User32.dll" ) > _     Public Shared Function RegisterHotKey ( ByVal hwnd As IntPtr, _                         ByVal id As Integer , ByVal fsModifiers As Integer , _                         ByVal vk As Integer ) As Integer     End Function     <DllImport ( "User32.dll" ) > _     Public Shared Function UnregisterHotKey ( ByVal hwnd As IntPtr, _                         ByVal id As Integer ) As Integer     End Function     Private Sub Form1_Load (

This week I will share with you some of my favorite sites. All of these sites are really cool and informative. In this post I will shoot straight to the topic. Codeproject www.codeproject.com A simple website with lots of code. Starting from C and C++ to Java and Visual C#, sample codes and projects can be found here aplenty. The simplicity of the entire site appeals to me the most. iGyaan www.igyaan.in This is an Indian review based site mainly for various gadgets. Laptops, netbooks, mobile phones are unpacked and compared one next to the other. Excellent videos are available to you for viewing as well. They also have some neat news items and interesting hacks. Check them out! Instructables www.instructables.com Ah!, one of my favorite DIY sites. Staring from home improvement, to making supercomputers, robots etc – almost every guide you can have on your mind, you will find it here. Scores of categories, lots of pictures for demonstration, its DIY made easy. S