Basic BIOS password crack - works 9.9 times out of ten

 READ EVEYTHING BEFORE YOU USE ANY METHOD LISTED BELOW

Basic BIOS password crack - works 9.9 times out of ten
This is a password hack but it clears the BIOS such that the next time you start the PC, the CMOS does not ask for any password. Now if you are able to bring the DOS prompt up, then you will be able to change the BIOS setting to the default. To clear the CMOS do the following:
Get DOS prompt and type:
DEBUG hit enter
-o 70 2e hit enter
-o 71 ff hit enter
-q hit enter
exit hit enter
Restart the computer. It works on most versions of the AWARD BIOS.



Accessing information on the hard disk
When you turn on the host machine, enter the CMOS setup menu (usually you have to press F2, or DEL, or CTRL+ALT+S during the boot sequence) and go to STANDARD CMOS SETUP, and set the channel to which you have put the hard disk as TYPE=Auto, MODE=AUTO, then SAVE & EXIT SETUP. Now you have access to the hard disk.

Standard BIOS backdoor passwords
The first, less invasive, attempt to bypass a BIOS password is to try on of these standard manufacturer's backdoor passwords:
AWARD BIOS
AWARD SW, AWARD_SW, Award SW, AWARD PW, _award, awkward, J64, j256, j262, j332, j322, 01322222, 589589, 589721, 595595, 598598, HLT, SER, SKY_FOX, aLLy, aLLY, Condo, CONCAT, TTPTHA, aPAf, HLT, KDD, ZBAAACA, ZAAADA, ZJAAADC, djonet, %øåñòü ïpîáåëîâ%, %äåâÿòü ïpîáåëîâ%
AMI BIOS
AMI, A.M.I., AMI SW, AMI_SW, BIOS, PASSWORD, HEWITT RAND, Oder
Other passwords you may try (for AMI/AWARD or other BIOSes)
LKWPETER, lkwpeter, BIOSTAR, biostar, BIOSSTAR, biosstar, ALFAROME, Syxz, Wodj
Note that the key associated to "_" in the US keyboard corresponds to "?" in some European keyboards (such as Italian and German ones), so -- for example -- you should type AWARD?SW when using those keyboards. Also remember that passwords are Case Sensitive. The last two passwords in the AWARD BIOS list are in Russian.

Flashing BIOS via software
If you have access to the computer when it's turned on, you could try one of those programs that remove the password from the BIOS, by invalidating its memory.
However, it might happen you don't have one of those programs when you have access to the computer, so you'd better learn how to do manually what they do. You can reset the BIOS to its default values using the MS-DOS tool DEBUG (type DEBUG at the command prompt. You'd better do it in pure MS-DOS mode, not from a MS-DOS shell window in Windows). Once you are in the debug environment enter the following commands:
AMI/AWARD BIOS
O 70 17
O 71 17
Q
PHOENIX BIOS
O 70 FF
O 71 17
Q
GENERIC
Invalidates CMOS RAM.
Should work on all AT motherboards
(XT motherboards don't have CMOS)
O 70 2E
O 71 FF
Q
Note that the first letter is a "O" not the number "0". The numbers which follow are two bytes in hex format.

Flashing BIOS via hardware
If you can't access the computer when it's on, and the standard backdoor passwords didn't work, you'll have to flash the BIOS via hardware. Please read the important notes at the end of this section before to try any of these methods.

Using the jumpers
The canonical way to flash the BIOS via hardware is to plug, unplug, or switch a jumper on the motherboard (for "switching a jumper" I mean that you find a jumper that joins the central pin and a side pin of a group of three pins, you should then unplug the jumper and then plug it to the central pin and to the pin on the opposite side, so if the jumper is normally on position 1-2, you have to put it on position 2-3, or vice versa). This jumper is not always located near to the BIOS, but could be anywhere on the motherboard.
To find the correct jumper you should read the motherboard's manual.
Once you've located the correct jumper, switch it (or plug or unplug it, depending from what the manual says) while the computer is turned OFF. Wait a couple of seconds then put the jumper back to its original position. In some motherboards it may happen that the computer will automatically turn itself on, after flashing the BIOS. In this case, turn it off, and put the jumper back to its original position, then turn it on again. Other motherboards require you turn the computer on for a few seconds to flash the BIOS.
If you don't have the motherboard's manual, you'll have to "brute force" it... trying out all the jumpers. In this case, try first the isolated ones (not in a group), the ones near to the BIOS, and the ones you can switch (as I explained before). If all them fail, try all the others. However, you must modify the status of only one jumper per attempt, otherwise you could damage the motherboard (since you don't know what the jumper you modified is actually meant for). If the password request screen still appear, try another one.
If after flashing the BIOS, the computer won't boot when you turn it on, turn it off, and wait some seconds before to retry.

Removing the battery
If you can't find the jumper to flash the BIOS or if such jumper doesn't exist, you can remove the battery that keeps the BIOS memory alive. It's a button-size battery somewhere on the motherboard (on elder computers the battery could be a small, typically blue, cylinder soldered to the motherboard, but usually has a jumper on its side to disconnect it, otherwise you'll have to unsolder it and then solder it back). Take it away for 15-30 minutes or more, then put it back and the data contained into the BIOS memory should be volatilized. I'd suggest you to remove it for about one hour to be sure, because if you put it back when the data aren't erased yet you'll have to wait more time, as you've never removed it. If at first it doesn't work, try to remove the battery overnight.
Important note: in laptop and notebooks you don't have to remove the computer's power batteries (which would be useless), but you should open your computer and remove the CMOS battery from the motherboard.

Short-circuiting the chip
Another way to clear the CMOS RAM is to reset it by short circuiting two pins of the BIOS chip for a few seconds. You can do that with a small piece of electric wire or with a bent paper clip. Always make sure that the computer is turned OFF before to try this operation.
Here is a list of EPROM chips that are commonly used in the BIOS industry. You may find similar chips with different names if they are compatible chips made by another brand. If you find the BIOS chip you are working on matches with one of the following you can try to short-circuit the appropriate pins. Be careful, because this operation may damage the chip.
CHIPS P82C206 (square)
Short together pins 12 and 32 (the first and the last pins on the bottom edge of the chip) or pins 74 and 75 (the two pins on the upper left corner).
gnd
74
|__________________
5v 75--| |
| |
| |
| CHIPS |
1 * | |
| P82C206 |
| |
| |
|___________________|
| |
| gnd | 5v
12 32
OPTi F82C206 (rectangular)
Short together pins 3 and 26 (third pin from left side and fifth pin from right side on the bottom edge).
80 51
|______________|
81 -| |- 50
| |
| |
| OPTi |
| |
| F82C206 |
| |
100-|________________|-31
|| | |
1 || | | 30
3 26

Dallas DS1287, DS1287A
Benchmarq bp3287MT, bq3287AMT
The Dallas DS1287 and DS1287A, and the compatible Benchmarq bp3287MT and bq3287AMT chips have a built-in battery. This battery should last up to ten years. Any motherboard using these chips should not have an additional battery (this means you can't flash the BIOS by removing a battery). When the battery fails, the RTC chip would be replaced.
CMOS RAM can be cleared on the 1287A and 3287AMT chips by shorting pins 12 and 21.
The 1287 (and 3287MT) differ from the 1287A in that the CMOS RAM can't be cleared. If there is a problem such as a forgotten password, the chip must be replaced. (In this case it is recommended to replace the 1287 with a 1287A). Also the Dallas 12887 and 12887A are similar but contain twice as much CMOS RAM storage.
__________
1 -| * U |- 24 5v
2 -| |- 23
3 -| |- 22
4 -| |- 21 RCL (RAM Clear)
5 -| |- 20
6 -| |- 19
7 -| |- 18
8 -| |- 17
9 -| |- 16
10 -| |- 15
11 -| |- 14
gnd 12 -|__________|- 13

NOTE: Although these are 24-pin chips,
the Dallas chips may be missing 5 pins,
these are unused pins.
Most chips have unused pins,
though usually they are still present.

Dallas DS12885S
Benchmarq bq3258S
Hitachi HD146818AP
Samsung KS82C6818A
This is a rectangular 24-pin DIP chip, usually in a socket. The number on the chip should end in 6818.
Although this chip is pin-compatible with the Dallas 1287/1287A, there is no built-in battery.
Short together pins 12 and 24.
5v
24 20 13
|___________|____________________|
| |
| DALLAS |
|> |
| DS12885S |
| |
|__________________________________|
| |
1 12
gnd

Motorola MC146818AP
Short pins 12 and 24. These are the pins on diagonally opposite corners - lower left and upper right. You might also try pins 12 and 20.
__________
1 -| * U |- 24 5v
2 -| |- 23
3 -| |- 22
4 -| |- 21
5 -| |- 20
6 -| |- 19
7 -| |- 18
8 -| |- 17
9 -| |- 16
10 -| |- 15
11 -| |- 14
gnd 12 -|__________|- 13

Replacing the chip
If nothing works, you could replace the existing BIOS chip with a new one you can buy from your specialized electronic shop or your computer supplier. It's a quick operation if the chip is inserted on a base and not soldered to the motherboard, otherwise you'll have to unsolder it and then put the new one. In this case would be more convenient to solder a base on which you'll then plug the new chip, in the eventuality that you'll have to change it again. If you can't find the BIOS chip specifically made for your motherboard, you should buy one of the same type (probably one of the ones shown above) and look in your motherboard manufacturer's website to see if there's the BIOS image to download. Then you should copy that image on the chip you bought with an EPROM programmer.

Important
Whether is the method you use, when you flash the BIOS not only the password, but also all the other configuration data will be reset to the factory defaults, so when you are booting for the first time after a BIOS flash, you should enter the CMOS configuration menu (as explained before) and fix up some things.
Also, when you boot Windows, it may happen that it finds some new device, because of the new configuration of the BIOS, in this case you'll probably need the Windows installation CD because Windows may ask you for some external files. If Windows doesn't see the CD-ROM try to eject and re-insert the CD-ROM again. If Windows can't find the CD-ROM drive and you set it properly from the BIOS config, just reboot with the reset key, and in the next run Windows should find it. However most files needed by the system while installing new hardware could also be found in C:WINDOWS, C:WINDOWSSYSTEM, or C:WINDOWSINF .

Key Disk for Toshiba laptops
Some Toshiba notebooks allow to bypass BIOS by inserting a "key-disk" in the floppy disk drive while booting. To create a Toshiba Keydisk, take a 720Kb or 1.44Mb floppy disk, format it (if it's not formatted yet), then use a hex editor such as Hex Workshop (***.bpsoft.com/downloads/index.html) to change the first five bytes of the second sector (the one after the boot sector) and set them to 4B 45 59 00 00 (note that the first three bytes are the ASCII for "KEY" followed by two zeroes). Once you have created the key disk put it into the notebook's drive and turn it on, then push the reset button and when asked for password, press Enter. You will be asked to Set Password again. Press Y and Enter. You'll enter the BIOS configuration where you can set a new password.

Key protected cases
A final note about those old computers (up to 486 and early Pentiums) protected with a key that prevented the use of the mouse and the keyboard or the power button. All you have to do with them is to follow the wires connected to the key hole, locate the jumper to which they are connected and unplug it.

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Choosing An Internet Merchant Account

I hope this insight wii provide a good use for those who want to do business on the web..



Choosing An Internet Merchant Account


Surf to Google and perform a search on "Internet Merchant Account". The results are staggering (472,000 results!) If you have created a web based business and need to accept credit card payments, your choices are limitless. Before you partner with a provider, take time to understand the different components of internet credit card processing, and know what to look for in a merchant provider.


How It Works

Accepting credit card payments through your web site actually requires multiple components. Between a paying customer and your bank account, three layers exist:

Payment Gateway - This is the code that will transmit a customer's order to and from an internet merchant account provider. The payment gateway provides you the ability to accept customer billing information (credit card number, credit card type, expiration date, and payment amount) and the necessary validation steps that must be followed before the credit card is actually billed.

Internet Merchant Account - A Merchant Account is an account with a financial institution or bank, which enables you to accept credit card payments from your clients. The payment gateway actually transmits the billing information to the internet merchant account provider. Unfortunately, most local banks do not provide internet merchant account capability.

The main reason why most local financial institutions or banks do not want to provide online merchant accounts is because transactions conducted over the Internet are totally different from face to face transactions where a signature is required to authorize the purchase. This makes online transactions prone to credit card fraud. Fraud protection should be one of your primary considerations when choosing an internet merchant account provider.

Web Site - Regardless of which merchant provider and gateway service you choose, your web site will need to integrate with your service providers. Most providers include detailed web integration instructions.


How Much Does It Cost ?

Understanding the total costs of your merchant provider can be tricky. Remember my Google example - there are more merchant account providers than there are people looking for internet merchant accounts so ask questions and be picky! Typically, an internet merchant account will have three types of costs:

- Up Front Application Fees
- On Going Fixed Fee
- Discount Rate
- Fixed Transaction Fee
- Termination Fees
- Miscellaneous Fees

Let us discuss each type of cost:

* Up Front Application Fees

Many internet merchant accounts will require an up front application fee. This fee, supposedly, is to cover their costs for processing your application. In case you choose not to open an internet merchant account, they still cover their initial costs. Although common, many providers waive these fees and I recommend that you choose a provider that does not require an up front fee.

* On Going Fixed Fee

Most all internet merchant providers require a monthly fixed fee or "statement fee" as it is commonly named, which is simply another way to cover their costs and make money. You will be hard pressed to find a provider that does not require this type of fee on a monthly basis. However, do not choose an internet merchant account that requires more than $10 per month. Additionally, most internet merchant providers require a monthly minimum (usually $25). The bottom line is that you will be paying at least $25 per month (on top of the monthly statement fee) for your account.

* Discount Rate

Usually, the discount rate will be between 2 and 4 percent. The discount rate is the sales commission the provider earns on each sale. For example, if the discount rate offered is 3%, and you receive a sale over your web site for $20, you will owe 60 cents to your internet merchant provider.

* Fixed Transaction Fee

Usually between $0.20 and $0.30, the fixed transaction fee is the fixed fee portion of each sale. Unlike the discount rate, the fixed transaction fee is the same for every transaction. Whether you get a $1 sale or a $100 sale, the transaction fee will be the same.

* Termination Fee

A bit more hidden in the small print, a termination fee can apply if you cancel your merchant account within a specified period of time (usually within one year). But beware, some merchant providers require a three year commitment!

* Miscellaneous Fees

If a customer requests a refund and they want their credit card credited, an internet merchant provider will charge you a separate fee (usually between $10 - $20). Read the contract carefully, as other special fees may apply.


Putting It All Together

Now that the different fees have been explained, let us look at an example set of transactions to help understand what an internet merchant account may cost your business on a monthly basis.

I have created a simple formula to help you calculate your monthly charges:

Total Charges = Statement Fee + Number of Transactions x (Average Sale x Discount Rate + Fixed Transaction Fee) + (Number of Chargebacks x Chargeback Fee)

For example, let us see you sell widgets over the internet. The sales price for each widget is $10. You typically have 100 sales per month and about 5 people request refunds (chargebacks). For this example, let us assume you have signed up with Jones&Jones internet merchant account services and have the following terms:

Discount Rate - %2.5
Statement Fee - $10
Fixed Transaction Fee - $0.30
Chargeback Fee - $15

Using my formula above, your monthly Jones&Jones charges will be:

Total Charges = 10 + 100 x (10 x .025 + 0.3) + (5 x 15) = $140

You can calculate your monthly sales revenue by multiplying your sales volume by your price:

Monthly Sales Revenue = 100 x $10 = $1000

Your internet merchant provider is costing you 14% of your total sales.


Making Your Decision

Before you choose and internet merchant provider, understand all of the cost components. Use your current or projected sales data to forecast what your internet merchant account costs will be. Planning ahead can save you time and money.

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Another good tip for successful web experience..injoy it!

Another good tip for successful web experience..injoy it!



Choosing A Good Domain Name


Choosing a domain name for your site is one of the most important steps towards creating the perfect internet presence. If you run an on-line business, picking a name that will be marketable and achieve success in search engine placement is paramount. Many factors must be considered when choosing a good domain name. This article summarizes all the different things to consider before making that final registration step!


Short and Sweet

Domain names can be really long or really short (1 - 67 characters). In general, it is far better to choose a domain name that is short in length. The shorter your domain name, the easier it will be for people remember. Remembering a domain name is very important from a marketability perspective. As visitors reach your site and enjoy using it, they will likely tell people about it. And those people may tell others, etc. As with any business, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool to drive traffic to your site (and it's free too!). If your site is long and difficult to pronounce, people will not remember the name of the site and unless they bookmark the link, they may never return.


Consider Alternatives

Unless a visitor reaches your site through a bookmark or a link from another site, they have typed in your domain name. Most people on the internet are terrible typists and misspell words constantly. If your domain name is easy to misspell, you should think about alternate domain names to purchase. For example, if your site will be called "MikesTools.com", you should also consider buying "MikeTools.com" and "MikeTool.com". You should also secure the different top level domain names besides the one you will use for marketing purposes ("MikesTools.net", "MikesTools.org", etc.) You should also check to see if there are existing sites based on the misspelled version of the domain name you are considering. "MikesTools.com" may be available, but "MikesTool.com" may be home to a graphic pornography site. You would hate for a visitor to walk away thinking you were hosting something they did not expect.

Also consider domain names that may not include the name of your company, but rather what your company provides. For example, if the name of your company is Mike's Tools, you may want to consider domain names that target what you sell. For example: "buyhammers.com" or "hammer-and-nail.com". Even though these example alternative domain names do not include the name of your company, it provides an avenue for visitors from your target markets. Remember that you can own multiple domain names, all of which can point to a single domain. For example, you could register "buyhammers.com", "hammer-and-nail.com", and "mikestools.com" and have "buyhammers.com" and "hammer-and-nail.com" point to "mikestools.com".


Hyphens: Your Friend and Enemy

Domain name availability has become more and more scant over the years. Many single word domain names have been scooped up which it makes it more and more difficult to find a domain name that you like and is available. When selecting a domain name, you have the option of including hyphens as part of the name. Hyphens help because it allows you to clearly separate multiple words in a domain name, making it less likely that a person will accidentally misspell the name. For example, people are more likely to misspell "domainnamecenter.com" than they are "domain-name-center.com". Having words crunched together makes it hard on the eyes, increasing the likelihood of a misspelling. On the other hand, hyphens make your domain name longer. The longer the domain name, the easier it is for people to forget it altogether. Also, if someone recommends a site to someone else, they may forget to mention that each word in the domain name is separated by a hyphen. If do you choose to leverage hyphens, limit the number of words between the hyphens to three. Another advantage to using hyphens is that search engines are able to pick up each unique word in the domain name as key words, thus helping to make your site more visible in search engine results.


Dot What?

There are many top level domain names available today including .com, .net, .org, and .biz. In most cases, the more unusual the top level domain, the more available domain names are available. However, the .com top level domain is far and away the most commonly used domain on the internet, driven by the fact that it was the first domain extension put to use commercially and has received incredible media attention. If you cannot lay your hands on a .com domain name, look for a .net domain name, which is the second most commercially popular domain name extension.


Long Arm of the Law

Be very careful not to register domain names that include trademarked names. Although internet domain name law disputes are tricky and have few cases in existence, the risk of a legal battle is not a risk worth taking. Even if you believe your domain name is untouchable by a business that has trademarked a name, do not take the chance: the cost of litigation is extremely high and unless you have deep pockets you will not likely have the resources to defend yourself in a court of law. Even stay away from domain names in which part of the name is trademarked: the risks are the same.


Search Engines and Directories

All search engines and directories are different. Each has a unique process for being part of the results or directory listing and each has a different way of sorting and listing domain names. Search engines and directories are the most important on-line marketing channel, so consider how your domain name choice affects site placement before you register the domain. Most directories simply list links to home pages in alphabetical order. If possible, choose a domain name with a letter of the alphabet near the beginning ("a" or "b"). For example, "aardvark-pest-control.com" will come way above "joes-pest-control.com". However, check the directories before you choose a domain name. You may find that the directories you would like be in are already cluttered with domain names beginning with the letter "a". Search engines scan websites and sort results based on key words. Key words are words that a person visiting a search engine actually search on. Having key words as part of your domain name can help you get better results.

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10 reasons why PCs crash U must Know

10 reasons why PCs crash U must Know

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1 Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

Read more »

Google Tips Crack Search More Esaily

just type crack: app name

example: crack: flashget 1.6a


Click here

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=crack%3A+flashget+1.6a

Note:
Change Only Red Underline Words

Read more »

Free Hosting Unlimited Bandwidth Unlimited Webspace Domain Hosting PHP, FTP Price: FREE!

Free Hosting

Unlimited Bandwidth
Unlimited Webspace
Domain Hosting
PHP, FTP
Price: FREE!

there Free Web Hosting Package contains the following features:
Unlimited Data Transfer
Unlimited Disk Space
100mbps Network Connection
99.9% Uptime
Free Sub Directory ( hostultra.com/~you )
Cool yourname.vzz.net URL!
Free Subdomains ( Many domains to choose from! )
Free Domain Hosting ( yourdomain.com )
Custom Domain DNS Control ( A/CNAME/MX Records )
Browser and FTP Uploading
PHP / MySQL*
Unlimited Domains / Unlimited Subdomains
Free Search Engine Submission

http://www.hostultra.com/signup.html

Mail, FTP, CGI, Perl, SSI, PHP, ASP (FrontPage), MySQL, CPanel, and many, many more. You really will be your own webmaster. Our thoughtful and patient staff will guide you. Forums for when you seek the help of your peers. Emergency contacts for when you need concentrated one-on-one help.

What's the catch? There isn't one. PortalWorlds.NET is advertising and sponsor supported. Your site will show ads (your choice as to placement, side towers, top banners, popups, and similar) and earn money to cover PortalWorlds.NET's server and administrative costs. You do agree to do nothing offensive nor illegal.

In addition to the many things mentioned, you will also receive a Script Center (crammed with ready to use Perl), 100M diskspace, 250M bandwidth, 1 MySQL database, unlimited POP3 mailboxes (including autoresponders and forwarders), 1 mail list, Oscommerce package, PHP-Nuke, Invision Board, full CPanel.

.www.portalworlds.net thank "agresssor" for this one

GreatNow
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS,GAME,OTHER
http://www.greatnow.com/

Space 100 MB
Upload FTP Browser
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads Banner/Popup
Webaddress Subdomain
Features Domainhosting Subdomain Counter Form Guestbook

Beige Tower
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS,GAME,OTHER
http://beigetower.org

Space 100 MB
Upload FTP
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads No ads
Webaddress domain
Features PHP POP Email Domainhosting Telnet mySQL SSI CGI-BIN Guestbook

Comet Stream
Canada, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS,GAME,OTHER
http://www.cometstream.net

Space 50 MB
Upload FTP Browser FrontPage
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads No ads
Webaddress Subdomain, Domain
Features PHP POP Email Domainhosting Subdomain mySQL SSI CGI-BIN Shopping Cart Counter Form Guestbook

1ASPHost
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS,GAME
http://www.1asphost.com

Space 100 MB
Upload Browser
Editor Advanced
Ads Popup
Webaddress /you
Features ASP SSI

Alexus Media
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS,GAME,OTHER
http://www.alexusmedia.com

Space 999 MB
Upload Browser
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads Popup
Webaddress directory
Features RealVideo RealAudio ASP SSI Guestbook

Angel Towns
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS
http://www.angeltowns.com

Space 50 MB
Upload Browser
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads No ads
Webaddress /members/you
Features Guestbook

Brinkster
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS,GAME
http://www.brinkster.com

Space 30 MB
Upload Browser
Editor Advanced
Ads Bannerad
Webaddress /you
Features mySQL ASP

FreeWebz.com
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS
http://members.freewebz.com

Space 100 MB
Upload Browser
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads No ads
Webaddress /you
Features POP Email Domainhosting SSI Shopping Cart Counter Form Guestbook

Illusionfxnet
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,OTHER
http://www.illusionfxnet.com

Space 250 MB
Upload Browser Email
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads No ads
Webaddress Subdomain and Domain
Features PHP POP Email Domainhosting Subdomain Telnet mySQL SSI CGI-BIN Shopping Cart Counter Form Guestbook

Internations
USA, English
Hosting category: REG
http://www.internations.net

Space 100 MB
Upload Browser
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads Topbanner
Webaddress /area/you
Features Form Guestbook

Snake INC
USA, English
Hosting category: REG
http://snake-inc.com

Space 100 MB
Upload FTP Browser
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads Banner + text
Webaddress Subdomain
Features PHP POP Email Domainhosting Subdomain mySQL SSI Counter Form Guestbook

Sphosting.com
USA, English
Hosting category: REG
http://www.sphosting.com/

Space 35 MB
Upload Browser
Editor Advanced Basic
Ads Pop-under
Webaddress Subdomain
Features Subdomain SSI Form Guestbook

Totalfreehost
USA, English
Hosting category: REG
http://www.totalfreehost.com

Space 50 MB
Upload FTP Email
Editor
Ads No ads
Webaddress Domain
Features PHP Domainhosting mySQL CGI-BIN

USALL
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS,GAME
http://www.webhosting.usallportal.com/free_webhosting.htm

Space 3000 MB
Upload Browser
Editor Basic
Ads Banner
Webaddress /members/you
Features Form

Web1000
USA, English
Hosting category: REG
http://www.web1000.com

Space 50 MB
Upload FTP
Editor Advanced
Ads No ads
Webaddress Subdomain
Features PHP POP Email Domainhosting Subdomain SSI Counter Guestbook

webspace4free.biz
USA, English
Hosting category: REG,BUSINESS,GAME
http://www.webspace4free.biz/?lang=english

http://nexuswebs.net
*new website just launched seems quite successful*
Space 200 MB
Upload Browser
Editor
Ads No ads
Webaddress Subdomain
Features PHP Domainhosting Subdomain mySQL CGI-BIN
NO Banner Advertisements
35mb Disk Space
Free Webmail Account
Free Subdomain - (yourname.nexuswebs.net)
Online Website Builder
Multi-Platform Template Editor
Website Template Library
24/7 FTP Access
Online File Manager
Email Virus Protection
Spam Filters
Message Board
Guest Book
Site Counter

http://www.tripod.lycos.nl/myaccount/freehosting/
50 MB webspace
NO Filesize limit
NO monthly transfer limit
PHP4.1 / MySQL (phpmyadmin) / counter / guesbook / personalised cgi feedback froms / customisable 404 error pages / FTP access

http://www.freeweb-hosting.com/
Q.Which files are accepted?
A.Currently we support standard html and images files, which means .htm, .html, .pdf, .gif, .jpg ,.png , .js, .css, .swf, .mid, .jar and .class. The size of your individual files should be < 85kb. Files exceeding this size will get automatically deleted. Besides that, there's no limit on the number of files you can host in your account.

Provider: DK3
Service: 50 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.dk3.com</font></b></font>
Max file size: 400KB (I agree this sucks)
Comments: The following things are supported, FTP, MySQL, PHP, Perl, SSI, WAP. Plus pre-made portal and forum are available free.
*Update*

Provider:Free Web Hosting
Service: 100 Megs of webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.freewebsitehosting.com/</font></b></font>
Summary:100 Megs Of Webspace, Free Site Promotion,FTP Support,Free Stats and Site Tools,
Unlimited Bandwidth,Free Guestbook, Fast and Reliable Servers,and Front Page Extensions.

Provider: Free Webs
Service: 100 Megs of space
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://members.freewebz.com/</font></b></font>
Summary: 100 megs of space, No banners of popups,Web Page Editing and HTML editing,FreeWebs Builder,
Site stats, Chatrooms,Guestbook, Counters, Site promotion, Form builder/Mailer, Photoalbums and more.

Provider: USALLportal
Service: 3 gigs of space
URL:http://www.webhosting.usallportal.com/free_webhosting.htm
Summary: 3 gigs of space! What else is there to know.

Provider:3hosting
Service: Unlimited Space
URL:http://www.3hosting.info/
Summary: Free hosting for adult sites, FTP access, Unlimited size of sites, Unlimited traffic, Quick Internet connection, TGP compatibility,
Free hosting of your domain.

Provider: HostUltra
Service: Unlimited space
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.hostultra.com/</font></b></font>
Summary: Unlimited Data Transfer
Unlimited Disk Space, 100mbps Network Connection, 99.9% Uptime, Free Sub Directory,
Free Domain Hosting, Custom Domain DNS Control, Browser and FTP Uploading,PHP,
Hosting for Unlimited Domains w/ Unlimited Subdomains, Free Search Engine Submission,
and NO ADS ON PAGES!

Provider:Crosswinds
Service: Unlimited webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.crosswinds.net/</font></b></font>
Summary: Unlimited WebSpace, Web Based Email, Popups, $1 Premium Referral Reward, and more.

Provider:1AspHost
Service:100 Mb space
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.1asphost.com/</font></b></font>
Summary:100 MB of Web Space, Unlimited Bandwidth, Instant Account Activation,
Online Control Panel, Online Zip/Unzip Capability, Active Server Pages Version 3.0,
MS Access Database Connectivity.

Provider:Eccentrix
Service: 50 Mb space
URL:http://eccentrix.com/
Summary: 50 MB Web Space,<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> WWW Board,</font></b></font> Guest Book, Form Mail, WYSIWYG Web Editor,
Excellent Support, and more.

Provider: Neopages
Service: 50 Mb space
URL:http://www.neopages.net/
Summary: 50 Mb space, Unlimited bandwidth, POP E-Mail, True FTP Accounts ,
Site Admin Control Panel,

Provider: Internations Global Web Services
Service: 100 Mb space
URL:http://www.internations.net/
Summary: 100 Mb space, 1 GB bandwith, Web Message board, Guestbook,
FormMail script and more.

Provider: I12
Service: 800 Mb space
URL:http://www.i12.com/
Summary: 800 Mb space, unlimited POP3 and alias email addresses,
definetly a site to check out!

Provider: Nerd Cities
Service: 100 Mb space
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.nerdcities.com/</font></b></font>
Summary:100 Megabytes Web Space, GuestBook+Counters, Full Technical Support,
Unlimited File Size Web Control Panel, No Bandwidth Limits And more!

Provider: DK3
Service: 50 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.dk3.com</font></b></font>
Max file size: 400KB (I agree this sucks)
Comments: The following things are supported, FTP, MySQL, PHP, Perl, SSI, WAP. Plus pre-made portal and forum are available free.

http://www.freeweb-hosting.com/
-You have UNLIMITED disk space and bandwidth with your site!.
-You can only upload files with .html, .htm, .jpg, .gif, .css, .js, .png, .pdf
file name extensions.
-Size of every file could not large than 85K bytes.

http://www.zoomfast.com/
->How much space do I get?
-Unlimited
->How can I upload my files?
-We offer full FTP access. The best FTP client can be found here.
->Can I use PHP or CGI?
-No.
->Can I host movies?
-No.
->Can I have my pages in non-english language?
-No.
->What is the maximum number of files?
-Unlimited.
->What is the maximum file size?
-80KB

->http://www.yoogo.com/
site for sale

->http://www.worldzone.net
Worldzone Free - 50mb space, allowed file types (au, mid, midi, wav, gif, ico, jpg, jpeg, png, htm, html, shtml, wml, xml, css, class, jar, java, dat, txt, tmpl, htaccess, htpasswd, js, map, swf, ttf). Sorry but no cgi, ftp, MySQL on our Free accounts. 1 468x60 banner will be located on the bottom of your page but can be removed in our $12 yearly Plus Package.

->http://www.web1000.com/
50 mb space

->http://www.tripod.com
20 MB of disk space – Have room for your image files, MP3s, video clips.
1 GB of Monthly Bandwidth – More people can visit your site more often

-><font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.simplycities.com</font></b></font>
page don't load

->http://www.qwikpages.com
now it's freecoolpages.com
10MB OF DISK SPACE
UNLIMITED BANDWIDTH
FTP ACCESS FOR UPLOADING
FREE EMAIL

->http://www.netomia.com
60 mb of space!
Your website may not contain or refer to sites with the following content: Porn, warez, hack or anything encouraging any kind of illegal activities or racism.

->www.netcolony.com
25 megs of webspace
Easy homepage creator
Unlimited bandwidth
Your own messageboard
Templates
Free Guestbook
Advanced editor
No fees - 100% FREE!
Fast servers

Provider:POHost
Service: Unlimited Disk Space
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.pohost.com/</font></b></font>
Summary: Unlimited disk space, Unlimited transfers, Fast servers,Real FTP Uploads,
Domain name hosting TGP Compliant, and more.

Provider:Free Web Hosting
Service: Unlimited Disk space
URL:http://www.freeweb-hosting.com/
Summary:Unlimited disk space,Unlimited transfers, FAST Servers ,Domain Hosting,
24/7 Real FTP Access,Friendly Support, Web Email, FREE Web Promotion.

Provider: Zoom Fast
Service: Unlimited Space
URL:http://www.zoomfast.com/
Summary: Unlimited space,Unlimited bandwith, High speed servers and more

URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.yoogo.com</font></b></font>
Summary: Offering a great 50 MB of space plus other features like Email Forms, Guestbooks and even Message Boards. Funny name I'm sure you will agree yet worth a look because of the nice amount of space!

Provider: Worldzone.net
Service: 100 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.worldzone.net</font></b></font>
Summary: Offering a fantasic 100 MB why not give them a go! They do not accept Warze & Porn sites so dont try to host your page here if you plan to run such a page. However, because of the amount of space they are offering then would make for a great place to dump your files!

Provider: WebJump
Service: 25 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.webjump.com</font></b></font>
Summary: WebJump is another Small Business Provider offer a huge 25 MB for your website and unlimited bandwidth! Unlike B-City.com WebJump support the use of FTP Updates along with the use of Flash, JavaScript, WAV Files and other things as well. If you like using Email please note WebJump at this time do not offer either POP or Web Based Email Services

Provider: Web1000
Service: 25 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.web1000.com</font></b></font>
Summary: N/A

Provider: Tripod
Service: 50 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.tripod.com</font></b></font>
Summary: N/A

Provider: Spree.com
Service: Unlimited Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.spree.com</font></b></font>
Summary: Offering counters, builders, uploaders, HTML guide and a unlimited MB account spree.com could be a great place for junk files. If your running a Warze related website, try these guys out and tell me what you think!

Provider: SimplyCities
Service: 30 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.simplycities.com</font></b></font>
Summary: Simplycities.com have just had a change in servers hence speed should be and better be at an all time high. On the website they claim to offer Unlimited Bandwidth yet at the end of that they have a little * displaying the fact conditions apply yet we could not find on the page details of this!?! Anyway they could be worth a look if just starting out!

Provider: Server2000.at
Service: Unlimited Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.server2000.at</font></b></font>
Summary: Only problem with this is it's not english.

Provider: Qwik Pages
Service: 100 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.qwikpages.com</font></b></font>
Summary: N/A

Provider: Netomia
Service: 60 MB Webspace, Online Editor, Counter, Form Mail, Guestbook
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.netomia.com</font></b></font>
Summary: One of the few providers offering such huge space limits with a string of other great features need for any good website!

Provider: JustFree.com
Service: 40 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.justfree.com</font></b></font>
Summary: Offering 40 MB and no bandwidth limit this should be a good choice in web hosting. They also offer free forums, live support, free guestbook & soon Free Email! We have been unable to test this provider 100% hence comments are welcome!

Provider: InfoCache
Service: 50 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.infocache.com</font></b></font>
Summary: InfoCache offers a fantastic 50 MB of webspace which is great for any small business or personal website. They are now begining to offer Free Email and also offer a range of "pay" service which are very cheap compared to some providers. Worth a look just for the space!

Provider: FreeHomePages
Service: 50 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.freehomepages.com</font></b></font>
Summary: They claim fast and stable server with offers of chat, form mailer, guestbooks, page builders, unlimited bandwith & unlimited hits to get the visitors in and when they offer this much space why not go for them!

Provider: Dynahost.net
Service: 25 MB Webspace [ 100 MB After Approval ]
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.dynahost.net</font></b></font>
Summary: Providing a nice amount of space with the option of increasing to 100 MB unlike most providers. Dynahost accounts also come with forums & a guestbook which is all updated able via your Web Browser!

Provider: Dreamwater
Service: 50 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.dreamwater.com</font></b></font>
Summary: Offer 50 MB, Guestbook, Chat, Form Mailer, Web Templates, Builder, Clip Art, Search Submissions, Subdomain & Short URL, Unlimited Band * no hit limit! Because they offer so much we think they could have a large number of member hence a slow service yet you should test them for yourself

Provider: Dencity
Service: 25 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.dencity.com</font></b></font>
Summary: Dencity is a well known provider offering a great 25 MB which is fantastic for any small user. They also offer a range of tools for its members plus a listing of HTML Code to help you along!

Provider: Atmosphere.be
Service: Webspace [Unlimited?] & 5 MB Email
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.atmosphere.be</font></b></font>
Summary: No Information

Provider: AFreeHome.com
Service: 50 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.afreehome.com</font></b></font>
Summary: AFreeHome.com make out (in a round-about way) they hate Geocities.com! With the huge space they offer and no bandwidth limit they could be one of the best providers to date! They also claim to pay you US$10 for people you get to Sign Up yet this seems a little funny we think. Anyway - try them and inform us of how good/bad they are.

Provider: Above World
Service: 25 MB Webspace [Possible 60 MB of space]
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.aboveworld.com</font></b></font>
Summary: Above World claim to offer a 100% Free Virtual Domain along with 25 MB of webspace plus chat board and guestbook! When checking the above details on the Above World Website they listed via text they offer 25 MB yet a visible banner said 60 MB. We can provide no further information.

Provider: 50megs
Service: 50 MB Webspace
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.50megs.com</font></b></font>
Summary: 50megs.com is only one of a few providers offering such huge amounts of webspace for free. It comes with other services like Web Polls, counters and much more.

Provider: 00server
Service: 20 MB Webspace [Short URL Provided]
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://www.00server.com</font></b></font>
Summary: 00server offers a wide range of domains to suite most styles of websites. Along with the short domain names you get a fantastic 20 MB for your website. Known for its fast service yet the banner is always a down side to any provider!

Provider: 1and1
Service: 500 MB web space
5,000 MB/month traffic ($.99 per GB for additional traffic)
site statistics, log files, ready-to-run CGI-library, own CGI programming (Perl, Python), FrontPage 2002 extensions
Advanced Password Protection
5 FTP accounts
PHP3 & PHP4 MySQL
Proxy SSL Secure Server
Cron Jobs
SSH Secure Shell Access
URL:<font color=#3A4F6C><font color=#3A4F6C><b> http://order.1and1.com/</font></b></font>
Periodical time limited offers

PunoSoft Mail:
http://www.punosoft.com:32000/mail
-You can check email via website, OR I can give you the details on how to configure Outlook or Outlook Express for mail retrieval/send.
PunoSoft Gallery:
http://www.punosoft.com/gallery
-Great for sharing photos or "Signatures".
-Sign Up and I'll send you details on how to upload your photos and how to access them.

PunoSoft Web Host:

http://www.punosoft.com/webhost

125MB Hosting Service - http://www.125mb.com

XAXAX FREE HOSTING - http://free.xaxax.com

FREE HOSTiNG @ HOSTARS - http://hostars.com

CyberFreeHost - http://www.cyberfreehost.com

ULTRA FREE HOST - http://www.ultrafreehost.com

20forfree.com :: Free Web Hosting - http://www.20forfree.com

HentaiRack.com :: FREE HEntai Web Hosting - http://www.hentairack.com

EZ SEX HOST Free Adult Hosting - http://www.ezsexhost.com

Read more »

FREE Hosting For WAREZ

 FREE Hosting For WAREZ

Tutorial: Free Hosting For Warez (how to do it...)
By: darkraven (aka bobbasic)
Level: Average (takes time)

Place to stick your warez and how to do it.
if you have a file you wish to upload and its too large for a free webhost and you still want it online try this method.

www.rarlab.com: download rar and cut the file up into 1MB files.
Mass Rename them to .doc (i forgot how to do it but its via CMD)
www.hostultra.com: sign up for the free hosting, which has unlimited bandwidth and space with a REAL (yet not your main) hotmail account.
Upload the files via FTP

Goto www.projectw.org
and tell people the link ie. http://www.hostultra.com/blah/blah1.doc - blah100.doc
Use Flashget to download!

And there you have it, as long as the people on hostultra dont find your site your fine icon_razz.gif


Downsides:
hostultra only allows max file size of 1MB files.
hostultra does not allow .exe or .mp3

Hostultra:
Unlimited Data Transfer
Unlimited Disk Space
100mbps Network Connection
99.9% Uptime
Free Sub Directory ( hostultra.com/~you )
Cool yourname.vzz.net URL!
Free Subdomains ( Many domains to choose from! )
Free Domain Hosting ( yourdomain.com )
Custom Domain DNS Control ( A/CNAME/MX Records )
Browser and FTP Uploading
PHP / MySQL*
Unlimited Domains / Unlimited Subdomains
Free Search Engine Submission

Terms Of Use For HostUltra
# In addition to the above, User shall not upload onto their hostultra web space any of the following:

1. audio or video files of any type this includes but is not limited to .wma .wmv .wav .mp3 .avi .mpg .asf .mov (however flash and midi files are allowed);
2. spanned archives such as such as .z01 .rar .ace;
3. any binary files that are not linked to an html page on the Site;
4. sites which contain only (or mostly) downloadable files;
5. download sites of any kind, including but not limited to, shareware, freeware, trialware, demos, warez, appz, gamez, iso, cracks;
6. photo albums, image galleries or TGPs;

(THOUGH WHOS LISTENING TO THE RULES?!)

to make it less likely hostultra will delete your account, add a fake little site on there, like a few pages of crappy html about some stupid thing which has nothing to do with warez. (ie. bob's site)

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Get unlimited bandwidth from your host for free NOTE: This applies only to specific hosting companies, due to the specific setup needed and does have its drawbacks. While setting up hosting space with a specific company I often deal with, I noticed that they used a shared IP. (IP shared by two or more websites/domains.) Well, the rates for unlimited bandwidth were around $50+ per month, which I found unreasonable. I didnt require much space, and didnt want to be limited to a mere 3 gig of traffic per month. Back on track... When setting up the acct, the hosting company needs to know the domain name so that they can direct it accordingly. (example: 'http://www.123.4.567.890/~user1/ , 'http://www.123.4.567.890/~user2/ etc) At this point you can give a url that doesnt belong to you at all. As long as the nameservers dont change, that should have absolutly no negative effects on you or your site whatsoever. How it works is this: The host propogates you a certain amount space on its servers, and monitors the traffic that enters their space through the domain its registered under. Being that the domain isn't connected to the site at all, it registers ZERO traffic. Zero traffic registered = can't possibly go over bandwidth restrictions can't possibly go over bandwidth restrictions = free unlimited bandwidth Now the problems with this (besides the ethical ones) is that your host may offer X amount of mail addys with the acct (you@y...) and these will not work, as the name isnt on their DNS. However, some domain companies allow you to set it up regardless. Another problem seems to be strictly cosmetic, but can be highly problematic... Once you attach the domain you want onto the site, each page comes up/w the ip/UN the host propagated to your acct. Its at this point where you have to have a phenominal 10-15 character alphanumerical or better (#, &, etc) pw, or your site will be vulnerable to attack since the attacker already has your UN. This only gives attackers a slight advantage as the amount of time it would take to brute force a 10 character pw @ a rate of 1,000,000 per second is 10 years. Add numbers and case sensitivity to that and it becomes approx 26,980 years. While I'm on it, I may as well add that if you use this method, obviously you are going to be using the lowest cost hosting plan available, which in turn will offer the least amount of space. Thats why free hosts were invented. Free hosts suck as a general rule. Who wants a site smothered in ads? However, if you upload all your programs, graphics and other large files (have a backup of course) to a reliable free host and target them accordingly from your site you have just freed up a signifigant amount of space. The only setback/w this is having to keep an index card or file around/w your pws, as you should never use the same one twice, and want to use complicated ones.

Get unlimited bandwidth from your host for free


NOTE: This applies only to specific hosting companies, due to the
specific setup needed and does have its drawbacks.

While setting up hosting space with a specific company I often deal
with, I noticed that they used a shared IP. (IP shared by two or more
websites/domains.) Well, the rates for unlimited bandwidth were
around $50+ per month, which I found unreasonable. I didnt require
much space, and didnt want to be limited to a mere 3 gig of traffic
per month.

Back on track... When setting up the acct, the hosting company needs
to know the domain name so that they can direct it accordingly.
(example: 'http://www.123.4.567.890/~user1/ ,
'http://www.123.4.567.890/~user2/ etc)

At this point you can give a url that doesnt belong to you at all. As
long as the nameservers dont change, that should have absolutly no
negative effects on you or your site whatsoever.

How it works is this:
The host propogates you a certain amount space on its servers, and
monitors the traffic that enters their space through the domain its
registered under. Being that the domain isn't connected to the site
at all, it registers ZERO traffic.

Zero traffic registered = can't possibly go over bandwidth
restrictions
can't possibly go over bandwidth restrictions = free unlimited
bandwidth

Now the problems with this (besides the ethical ones) is that your
host may offer X amount of mail addys with the acct
(you@y...) and these will not work, as the name isnt on their
DNS. However, some domain companies allow you to set it up
regardless. Another problem seems to be strictly cosmetic, but can be
highly problematic... Once you attach the domain you want onto the
site, each page comes up/w the ip/UN the host propagated to your
acct. Its at this point where you have to have a phenominal 10-15
character alphanumerical or better (#, &, etc) pw, or your site will
be vulnerable to attack since the attacker already has your UN. This
only gives attackers a slight advantage as the amount of time it
would take to brute force a 10 character pw @ a rate of 1,000,000 per
second is 10 years. Add numbers and case sensitivity to that and it
becomes approx 26,980 years.

While I'm on it, I may as well add that if you use this method,
obviously you are going to be using the lowest cost hosting plan
available, which in turn will offer the least amount of space. Thats
why free hosts were invented.

Free hosts suck as a general rule. Who wants a site smothered in ads?
However, if you upload all your programs, graphics and other large
files (have a backup of course) to a reliable free host and target
them accordingly from your site you have just freed up a signifigant
amount of space. The only setback/w this is having to keep an index
card or file around/w your pws, as you should never use the same one
twice, and want to use complicated ones.

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Do you want 500$ ??? Then join our uploading team!!!

Do you want 500$ ??? Then join our uploading team!!!
We believe here that uploaders are the most important members in a forum, so we thought: why not making a way to repay them for their grate work? That's when we decided to make something that no one did till now.

We all do this from passion, but why should not be rewarded for what we do? All the other forums ask you to upload for them based on your good intentions, now we want to add something more to that. We will give rewards in money for the best uploaders!!!

Why shouldn't you receive the recognition you diserve? In fact, if it waren't for uploaders and their wonderful work, no warez forum could work. So we want to repay you for your grate efforts.

We will give 500$ as reward for the best 3 uploaders we have, acording to this:

the best: 300$
no.2: 150$
no.3: 50$

Vizit: Click Here for more datils!

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Another good tip for successful web experience

Another good tip for successful web experience..injoy it!



Choosing A Good Domain Name


Choosing a domain name for your site is one of the most important steps towards creating the perfect internet presence. If you run an on-line business, picking a name that will be marketable and achieve success in search engine placement is paramount. Many factors must be considered when choosing a good domain name. This article summarizes all the different things to consider before making that final registration step!


Short and Sweet

Domain names can be really long or really short (1 - 67 characters). In general, it is far better to choose a domain name that is short in length. The shorter your domain name, the easier it will be for people remember. Remembering a domain name is very important from a marketability perspective. As visitors reach your site and enjoy using it, they will likely tell people about it. And those people may tell others, etc. As with any business, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool to drive traffic to your site (and it's free too!). If your site is long and difficult to pronounce, people will not remember the name of the site and unless they bookmark the link, they may never return.


Consider Alternatives

Unless a visitor reaches your site through a bookmark or a link from another site, they have typed in your domain name. Most people on the internet are terrible typists and misspell words constantly. If your domain name is easy to misspell, you should think about alternate domain names to purchase. For example, if your site will be called "MikesTools.com", you should also consider buying "MikeTools.com" and "MikeTool.com". You should also secure the different top level domain names besides the one you will use for marketing purposes ("MikesTools.net", "MikesTools.org", etc.) You should also check to see if there are existing sites based on the misspelled version of the domain name you are considering. "MikesTools.com" may be available, but "MikesTool.com" may be home to a graphic pornography site. You would hate for a visitor to walk away thinking you were hosting something they did not expect.

Also consider domain names that may not include the name of your company, but rather what your company provides. For example, if the name of your company is Mike's Tools, you may want to consider domain names that target what you sell. For example: "buyhammers.com" or "hammer-and-nail.com". Even though these example alternative domain names do not include the name of your company, it provides an avenue for visitors from your target markets. Remember that you can own multiple domain names, all of which can point to a single domain. For example, you could register "buyhammers.com", "hammer-and-nail.com", and "mikestools.com" and have "buyhammers.com" and "hammer-and-nail.com" point to "mikestools.com".


Hyphens: Your Friend and Enemy

Domain name availability has become more and more scant over the years. Many single word domain names have been scooped up which it makes it more and more difficult to find a domain name that you like and is available. When selecting a domain name, you have the option of including hyphens as part of the name. Hyphens help because it allows you to clearly separate multiple words in a domain name, making it less likely that a person will accidentally misspell the name. For example, people are more likely to misspell "domainnamecenter.com" than they are "domain-name-center.com". Having words crunched together makes it hard on the eyes, increasing the likelihood of a misspelling. On the other hand, hyphens make your domain name longer. The longer the domain name, the easier it is for people to forget it altogether. Also, if someone recommends a site to someone else, they may forget to mention that each word in the domain name is separated by a hyphen. If do you choose to leverage hyphens, limit the number of words between the hyphens to three. Another advantage to using hyphens is that search engines are able to pick up each unique word in the domain name as key words, thus helping to make your site more visible in search engine results.


Dot What?

There are many top level domain names available today including .com, .net, .org, and .biz. In most cases, the more unusual the top level domain, the more available domain names are available. However, the .com top level domain is far and away the most commonly used domain on the internet, driven by the fact that it was the first domain extension put to use commercially and has received incredible media attention. If you cannot lay your hands on a .com domain name, look for a .net domain name, which is the second most commercially popular domain name extension.


Long Arm of the Law

Be very careful not to register domain names that include trademarked names. Although internet domain name law disputes are tricky and have few cases in existence, the risk of a legal battle is not a risk worth taking. Even if you believe your domain name is untouchable by a business that has trademarked a name, do not take the chance: the cost of litigation is extremely high and unless you have deep pockets you will not likely have the resources to defend yourself in a court of law. Even stay away from domain names in which part of the name is trademarked: the risks are the same.


Search Engines and Directories

All search engines and directories are different. Each has a unique process for being part of the results or directory listing and each has a different way of sorting and listing domain names. Search engines and directories are the most important on-line marketing channel, so consider how your domain name choice affects site placement before you register the domain. Most directories simply list links to home pages in alphabetical order. If possible, choose a domain name with a letter of the alphabet near the beginning ("a" or "b"). For example, "aardvark-pest-control.com" will come way above "joes-pest-control.com". However, check the directories before you choose a domain name. You may find that the directories you would like be in are already cluttered with domain names beginning with the letter "a". Search engines scan websites and sort results based on key words. Key words are words that a person visiting a search engine actually search on. Having key words as part of your domain name can help you get better results.

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How To: Change Your Ip In Less Then 1 Minute

How To: Change Your Ip In Less Then 1 Minute

1. Click on "Start" in the bottom left hand corner of screen
2. Click on "Run"
3. Type in "command" and hit ok

You should now be at an MSDOS prompt screen.

4. Type "ipconfig /release" just like that, and hit "enter"
5. Type "exit" and leave the prompt
6. Right-click on "Network Places" or "My Network Places" on your desktop.
7. Click on "properties"

You should now be on a screen with something titled "Local Area Connection", or something close to that, and, if you have a network hooked up, all of your other networks.

8. Right click on "Local Area Connection" and click "properties"
9. Double-click on the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" from the list under the "General" tab
10. Click on "Use the following IP address" under the "General" tab
11. Create an IP address (It doesn't matter what it is. I just type 1 and 2 until i fill the area up).
12. Press "Tab" and it should automatically fill in the "Subnet Mask" section with default numbers.
13. Hit the "Ok" button here
14. Hit the "Ok" button again

You should now be back to the "Local Area Connection" screen.

15. Right-click back on "Local Area Connection" and go to properties again.
16. Go back to the "TCP/IP" settings
17. This time, select "Obtain an IP address automatically"
tongue.gif 18. Hit "Ok"
19. Hit "Ok" again
20. You now have a new IP address

With a little practice, you can easily get this process down to 15 seconds.

P.S:
This only changes your dynamic IP address, not your ISP/IP address. If you plan on hacking a website with this trick be extremely careful, because if they try a little, they can trace it back

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Setting Up A Ftp

 Setting Up A Ftp:


Well, since many of us have always wondered this, here it is. Long and drawn out. Also, before attempting this, realize one thing; You will have to give up your time, effort, bandwidth, and security to have a quality ftp server.
That being said, here it goes. First of all, find out if your IP (Internet Protocol) is static (not changing) or dynamic (changes everytime you log on). To do this, first consider the fact if you have a dial up modem. If you do, chances are about 999 999 out of 1 000 000 that your IP is dynamic. To make it static, just go to a place like h*tp://www.myftp.org/ to register for a static ip address.

You'll then need to get your IP. This can be done by doing this:
Going to Start -> Run -> winipcfg or www.ask.com and asking 'What is my IP?'

After doing so, you'll need to download an FTP server client. Personally, I'd recommend G6 FTP Server, Serv-U FTPor Bullitproof v2.15 all three of which are extremely reliable, and the norm of the ftp world.
You can download them on this site: h*tp://www.liaokai.com/softw_en/d_index.htm

First, you'll have to set up your ftp. For this guide, I will use step-by-step instructions for G6. First, you'll have to go into 'Setup -> General'. From here, type in your port # (default is 21). I recommend something unique, or something a bit larger (ex: 3069). If you want to, check the number of max users (this sets the amount of simultaneous maximum users on your server at once performing actions - The more on at once, the slower the connection and vice versa).

The below options are then chooseable:
-Launch with windows
-Activate FTP Server on Start-up
-Put into tray on startup
-Allow multiple instances
-Show "Loading..." status at startup
-Scan drive(s) at startup
-Confirm exit

You can do what you want with these, as they are pretty self explanatory. The scan drive feature is nice, as is the 2nd and the last option. From here, click the 'options' text on the left column.

To protect your server, you should check 'login check' and 'password check', 'Show relative path (a must!)', and any other options you feel you'll need. After doing so, click the 'advanced' text in the left column. You should then leave the buffer size on the default (unless of course you know what you're doing ), and then allow the type of ftp you want.

Uploading and downloading is usually good, but it's up to you if you want to allow uploads and/or downloads. For the server priority, that will determine how much conventional memory will be used and how much 'effort' will go into making your server run smoothly.

Anti-hammering is also good, as it prevents people from slowing down your speed. From here, click 'Log Options' from the left column. If you would like to see and record every single command and clutter up your screen, leave the defaults.

But, if you would like to see what is going on with the lowest possible space taken, click 'Screen' in the top column. You should then check off 'Log successful logins', and all of the options in the client directry, except 'Log directory changes'. After doing so, click 'Ok' in the bottom left corner.

You will then have to go into 'Setup -> User Accounts' (or ctrl & u). From here, you should click on the right most column, and right click. Choose 'Add', and choose the username(s) you would like people to have access to.

After giving a name (ex: themoonlanding), you will have to give them a set password in the bottom column (ex: wasfaked). For the 'Home IP' directory, (if you registered with a static server, check 'All IP Homes'. If your IP is static by default, choose your IP from the list. You will then have to right click in the very center column, and choose 'Add'.

From here, you will have to set the directory you want the people to have access to. After choosing the directory, I suggest you choose the options 'Read', 'List', and 'Subdirs', unless of course you know what you're doing . After doing so, make an 'upload' folder in the directory, and choose to 'add' this folder seperately to the center column. Choose 'write', 'append', 'make', 'list', and 'subdirs'. This will allow them to upload only to specific folders (your upload folder).

Now click on 'Miscellaneous' from the left column. Choose 'enable account', your time-out (how long it takes for people to remain idle before you automatically kick them off), the maximum number of users for this name, the maximum number of connections allowed simultaneously for one ip address, show relative path (a must!), and any other things at the bottom you'd like to have. Now click 'Ok'.
**Requested**


From this main menu, click the little boxing glove icon in the top corner, and right click and unchoose the hit-o-meter for both uploads and downloads (with this you can monitor IP activity). Now click the lightning bolt, and your server is now up and running.

Post your ftp info, like this:

213.10.93.141 (or something else, such as: 'f*p://example.getmyip.com')

User: *** (The username of the client)

Pass: *** (The password)

Port: *** (The port number you chose)

So make a FTP and join the FTP section


Listing The Contents Of A Ftp:

Listing the content of a FTP is very simple.
You will need FTP Content Maker, which can be downloaded from here:
ht*p://www.etplanet.com/download/application/FTP%20Content%20Maker%201.02.zip

1. Put in the IP of the server. Do not put "ftp://" or a "/" because it will not work if you do so.
2. Put in the port. If the port is the default number, 21, you do not have to enter it.
3. Put in the username and password in the appropriate fields. If the login is anonymous, you do not have to enter it.
4. If you want to list a specific directory of the FTP, place it in the directory field. Otherwise, do not enter anything in the directory field.
5. Click "Take the List!"
6. After the list has been taken, click the UBB output tab, and copy and paste to wherever you want it.


If FTP Content Maker is not working, it is probably because the server does not utilize Serv-U Software.

If you get this error message:
StatusCode = 550
LastResponse was : 'Unable to open local file test-ftp'
Error = 550 (Unable to open local file test-ftp)
Error = Unable to open local file test-ftp = 550
Close and restart FTP Content Maker, then try again.




error messages:

110 Restart marker reply. In this case, the text is exact and not left to the particular implementation; it must read: MARK yyyy = mmmm Where yyyy is User-process data stream marker, and mmmm server's equivalent marker (note the spaces between markers and "=").
120 Service ready in nnn minutes.
125 Data connection already open; transfer starting.
150 File status okay; about to open data connection.
200 Command okay.
202 Command not implemented, superfluous at this site.
211 System status, or system help reply.
212 Directory status.
213 File status.
214 Help message. On how to use the server or the meaning of a particular non-standard command. This reply is useful only to the human user.
215 NAME system type. Where NAME is an official system name from the list in the Assigned Numbers document.
220 Service ready for new user.
221 Service closing control connection. Logged out if appropriate.
225 Data connection open; no transfer in progress.
226 Closing data connection. Requested file action successful (for example, file transfer or file abort).
227 Entering Passive Mode (h1,h2,h3,h4,p1,p2).
230 User logged in, proceed.
250 Requested file action okay, completed.
257 "PATHNAME" created.
331 User name okay, need password.
332 Need account for login.
350 Requested file action pending further information.
421 Too many users logged to the same account
425 Can't open data connection.
426 Connection closed; transfer aborted.
450 Requested file action not taken. File unavailable (e.g., file busy).
451 Requested action aborted: local error in processing.
452 Requested action not taken. Insufficient storage space in system.
500 Syntax error, command unrecognized. This may include errors such as command line too long.
501 Syntax error in parameters or arguments.
502 Command not implemented.
503 Bad sequence of commands.
504 Command not implemented for that parameter.
530 Not logged in.
532 Need account for storing files.
550 Requested action not taken. File unavailable (e.g., file not found, no access).
551 Requested action aborted: page type unknown.
552 Requested file action aborted. Exceeded storage allocation (for current directory or dataset).
553 Requested action not taken. File name not allowed.


 Active FTP vs. Passive FTP, a Definitive Explanation

Introduction
One of the most commonly seen questions when dealing with firewalls and other Internet connectivity issues is the difference between active and passive FTP and how best to support either or both of them. Hopefully the following text will help to clear up some of the confusion over how to support FTP in a firewalled environment.

This may not be the definitive explanation, as the title claims, however, I've heard enough good feedback and seen this document linked in enough places to know that quite a few people have found it to be useful. I am always looking for ways to improve things though, and if you find something that is not quite clear or needs more explanation, please let me know! Recent additions to this document include the examples of both active and passive command line FTP sessions. These session examples should help make things a bit clearer. They also provide a nice picture into what goes on behind the scenes during an FTP session. Now, on to the information...



The Basics
FTP is a TCP based service exclusively. There is no UDP component to FTP. FTP is an unusual service in that it utilizes two ports, a 'data' port and a 'command' port (also known as the control port). Traditionally these are port 21 for the command port and port 20 for the data port. The confusion begins however, when we find that depending on the mode, the data port is not always on port 20.



Active FTP
In active mode FTP the client connects from a random unprivileged port (N > 1024) to the FTP server's command port, port 21. Then, the client starts listening to port N+1 and sends the FTP command PORT N+1 to the FTP server. The server will then connect back to the client's specified data port from its local data port, which is port 20.

From the server-side firewall's standpoint, to support active mode FTP the following communication channels need to be opened:

FTP server's port 21 from anywhere (Client initiates connection)
FTP server's port 21 to ports > 1024 (Server responds to client's control port)
FTP server's port 20 to ports > 1024 (Server initiates data connection to client's data port)
FTP server's port 20 from ports > 1024 (Client sends ACKs to server's data port)


In step 1, the client's command port contacts the server's command port and sends the command PORT 1027. The server then sends an ACK back to the client's command port in step 2. In step 3 the server initiates a connection on its local data port to the data port the client specified earlier. Finally, the client sends an ACK back as shown in step 4.

The main problem with active mode FTP actually falls on the client side. The FTP client doesn't make the actual connection to the data port of the server--it simply tells the server what port it is listening on and the server connects back to the specified port on the client. From the client side firewall this appears to be an outside system initiating a connection to an internal client--something that is usually blocked.



Active FTP Example
Below is an actual example of an active FTP session. The only things that have been changed are the server names, IP addresses, and user names. In this example an FTP session is initiated from testbox1.slacksite.com (192.168.150.80), a linux box running the standard FTP command line client, to testbox2.slacksite.com (192.168.150.90), a linux box running ProFTPd 1.2.2RC2. The debugging (-d) flag is used with the FTP client to show what is going on behind the scenes. Everything in red is the debugging output which shows the actual FTP commands being sent to the server and the responses generated from those commands. Normal server output is shown in black, and user input is in bold.

There are a few interesting things to consider about this dialog. Notice that when the PORT command is issued, it specifies a port on the client (192.168.150.80) system, rather than the server. We will see the opposite behavior when we use passive FTP. While we are on the subject, a quick note about the format of the PORT command. As you can see in the example below it is formatted as a series of six numbers separated by commas. The first four octets are the IP address while the second two octets comprise the port that will be used for the data connection. To find the actual port multiply the fifth octet by 256 and then add the sixth octet to the total. Thus in the example below the port number is ( (14*256) + 178), or 3762. A quick check with netstat should confirm this information.

testbox1: {/home/p-t/slacker/public_html} % ftp -d testbox2
Connected to testbox2.slacksite.com.
220 testbox2.slacksite.com FTP server ready.
Name (testbox2:slacker): slacker
---> USER slacker
331 Password required for slacker.
Password: TmpPass
---> PASS XXXX
230 User slacker logged in.
---> SYST
215 UNIX Type: L8
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp> ls
ftp: setsockopt (ignored): Permission denied
---> PORT 192,168,150,80,14,178
200 PORT command successful.
---> LIST
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list.
drwx------ 3 slacker users 104 Jul 27 01:45 public_html
226 Transfer complete.
ftp> quit
---> QUIT
221 Goodbye.


Passive FTP
In order to resolve the issue of the server initiating the connection to the client a different method for FTP connections was developed. This was known as passive mode, or PASV, after the command used by the client to tell the server it is in passive mode.

In passive mode FTP the client initiates both connections to the server, solving the problem of firewalls filtering the incoming data port connection to the client from the server. When opening an FTP connection, the client opens two random unprivileged ports locally (N > 1024 and N+1). The first port contacts the server on port 21, but instead of then issuing a PORT command and allowing the server to connect back to its data port, the client will issue the PASV command. The result of this is that the server then opens a random unprivileged port (P > 1024) and sends the PORT P command back to the client. The client then initiates the connection from port N+1 to port P on the server to transfer data.

From the server-side firewall's standpoint, to support passive mode FTP the following communication channels need to be opened:

FTP server's port 21 from anywhere (Client initiates connection)
FTP server's port 21 to ports > 1024 (Server responds to client's control port)
FTP server's ports > 1024 from anywhere (Client initiates data connection to random port specified by server)
FTP server's ports > 1024 to remote ports > 1024 (Server sends ACKs (and data) to client's data port)



In step 1, the client contacts the server on the command port and issues the PASV command. The server then replies in step 2 with PORT 2024, telling the client which port it is listening to for the data connection. In step 3 the client then initiates the data connection from its data port to the specified server data port. Finally, the server sends back an ACK in step 4 to the client's data port.

While passive mode FTP solves many of the problems from the client side, it opens up a whole range of problems on the server side. The biggest issue is the need to allow any remote connection to high numbered ports on the server. Fortunately, many FTP daemons, including the popular WU-FTPD allow the administrator to specify a range of ports which the FTP server will use. See Appendix 1 for more information.

The second issue involves supporting and troubleshooting clients which do (or do not) support passive mode. As an example, the command line FTP utility provided with Solaris does not support passive mode, necessitating a third-party FTP client, such as ncftp.

With the massive popularity of the World Wide Web, many people prefer to use their web browser as an FTP client. Most browsers only support passive mode when accessing ftp:// URLs. This can either be good or bad depending on what the servers and firewalls are configured to support.



Passive FTP Example
Below is an actual example of a passive FTP session. The only things that have been changed are the server names, IP addresses, and user names. In this example an FTP session is initiated from testbox1.slacksite.com (192.168.150.80), a linux box running the standard FTP command line client, to testbox2.slacksite.com (192.168.150.90), a linux box running ProFTPd 1.2.2RC2. The debugging (-d) flag is used with the FTP client to show what is going on behind the scenes. Everything in red is the debugging output which shows the actual FTP commands being sent to the server and the responses generated from those commands. Normal server output is shown in black, and user input is in bold.

Notice the difference in the PORT command in this example as opposed to the active FTP example. Here, we see a port being opened on the server (192.168.150.90) system, rather than the client. See the discussion about the format of the PORT command above, in the Active FTP Example section.

testbox1: {/home/p-t/slacker/public_html} % ftp -d testbox2
Connected to testbox2.slacksite.com.
220 testbox2.slacksite.com FTP server ready.
Name (testbox2:slacker): slacker
---> USER slacker
331 Password required for slacker.
Password: TmpPass
---> PASS XXXX
230 User slacker logged in.
---> SYST
215 UNIX Type: L8
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp> passive
Passive mode on.
ftp> ls
ftp: setsockopt (ignored): Permission denied
---> PASV
227 Entering Passive Mode (192,168,150,90,195,149).
---> LIST
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list
drwx------ 3 slacker users 104 Jul 27 01:45 public_html
226 Transfer complete.
ftp> quit
---> QUIT
221 Goodbye.


Summary
The following chart should help admins remember how each FTP mode works:

Active FTP :
command : client >1024 -> server 21
data : client >1024 <- server 20

Passive FTP :
command : client >1024 -> server 21
data : client >1024 -> server >1024

A quick summary of the pros and cons of active vs. passive FTP is also in order:

Active FTP is beneficial to the FTP server admin, but detrimental to the client side admin. The FTP server attempts to make connections to random high ports on the client, which would almost certainly be blocked by a firewall on the client side. Passive FTP is beneficial to the client, but detrimental to the FTP server admin. The client will make both connections to the server, but one of them will be to a random high port, which would almost certainly be blocked by a firewall on the server side.

Luckily, there is somewhat of a compromise. Since admins running FTP servers will need to make their servers accessible to the greatest number of clients, they will almost certainly need to support passive FTP. The exposure of high level ports on the server can be minimized by specifying a limited port range for the FTP server to use. Thus, everything except for this range of ports can be firewalled on the server side. While this doesn't eliminate all risk to the server, it decreases it tremendously.

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