Top 10 Most Wanted Games of 2010

10. FIFA  11

 FIFA 10 was one of the greatest sports games of all time and 11 looks like it's taking it up a notch. The online is perfectly integrated into the single-player game. They're adding a ton of new custom moves that are specific to players so now it's gonna feel even more like the real players.

Release Date:  28 September 2010

9. Assasins creed: Brotherwood

 Ubisoft is good at creating really original multiplayer games. Spies vs. Mercs was one of the most addictive things I've ever done online; it just had no fan base. But Assassin's Creed is such a huge franchise now, maybe this original take on multiplayer will catch on and people will play something other than Call of Duty and Halo.

Release Date: 19 November 2010

8. Call of Duty: Black Ops

The throwback vibe they have in this game has got me really excited for one reason: Metal Gear Solid 3 is my favorite game of all time and one of the main characters in Black Ops looks like Snake from that game. He's got the mullet with the headband, and I'll play anything that looks like Snake Eater.

Release Date: 9 November 2010

7. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

 With Cataclysm, Blizzard is creating some of the most exciting quests I've played in an MMO. It's got me interested in playing WoW again. I'm leveling up my beta characters with a lot of consideration – even though I know they're gonna be wiped when the beta stops. I think that's a pretty good sign that they've done something right here.

Release Date: Q4 2010

6. Gran Turismo 5

I'm a huge car and racing fan. I still play Forza 3 even though it came out a while ago but it doesn't have that "car porn" vibe that I'm looking for. Gran Turismo always has so many cars that are beautifully modeled.
Release Date: 3 November 2010

 

5.Medal of Honor

 I still have fond memories of the beach landing scene in the first Medal of Honor. I'm really hoping that EA can make this Medal of Honor something that can compete with Call of Duty.


Release Date: 12 October 2010

4. Fallout: New Vegas

 I dumped about 85 hours into Fallout 3. I probably played more Fallout 3 DLC last year than any other game. So I'm looking forward to losing myself in that world again.

Release Date: 22 October 2010

3.Civilization V

The Civilization series has been the most consistently entertaining strategy franchise around. It's got a lot of depth and is always fun to play. I have no doubt that Civ V will do the same thing. The fact that they're actually changing up the formula a lot with Civ V is really interesting.

Release Date: 24 September 2010

 

2. Need for Speed: hot pursuit 2010

The Need for Speed series has needed a reboot for a while. What we saw at E3 included cops, hot cars – there is even a Bugatti cop car, which is pretty much the most awesome thing I can imagine. It looks like the excitement of Need for Speed is back.
Release Date: 19 November 2010

 

1. Halo Reach

 This feels like the first real next-gen Halo game. Seems like Bungie is taking the fact that this is their last Halo game on the 360 to heart and they're really putting a lot more into it than they have in the past. The story aspect seems interesting. I like that it's gonna end in tragedy.

Release Date: 14 September 2010

How to Change Your Windows 7 Library Icons

In order to address the disorderly way most people catalogue their data, Windows 7 introduced a new system that let's users point a Library to various folders (Pictures or Documents, for example). All of the included folders can then be accessed in one uniformed location. This methodology displaces the older and rigid folder structure, which made it difficult to index files that were scattered throughout your drives.

As handy as the new Libraries functionality is, there's one glaring omission: we can't find an easy built-in way to change the Library icons. Granted, this isn't a major deal for some people because the four default Libraries (Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos) are sufficient for the average person's data and they have nice looking icons. However, if you add a new Library, you're stuck with a generic Windows 7-style documents icon, and that just won't fly with us perfectionists, will it?

Fret not. If you have five minutes and a shred of fortitude, we'll show you how to ditch that lame default icon. For now, decide whether you want to get your hands dirty (method #1) or you'd rather save a couple of minutes by using a utility (method #2). For what it's worth, we recommend going with the second route for the sake of simplicity. The process is much easier and it's not like you're going to impress anyone by dealing with a few script text files (and yet we will still show you).

Method #1 - The hard way:

1. Open a text editor (Notepad will do)

2. Go to the following Windows directory: %appdata%\microsoft\windows\libraries

3. Drag the Library icon you want to change into Notepad

Among the several lines of text that appear should be one that reads something like this: imageres.dll,-1001

Now, all you have to do is swap imageres.dll,-1001 for the directory or file where your icon is located, as well as its place within the file. For instance, the icon in the example below is located at imageres.dll,124 which seems to fit well for a Work-oriented Library.

Naturally, you won't know this information offhand, but the free application IconViewer will let you browse the contents of a DLL file and it will even give you an icon's location number. Once you've found your desired icon, save the changes in Notepad and your new icon will appear.

Method #2 - The easy way:

This method automates the above process with a simple GUI and even includes an icon viewer. All you have to do is download and run this utility, type in one of the DLL files mentioned below (or stick with the default imageres.dll), choose an icon, select the library you'd like to apply it to and click Select icon from dll.

It's worth mentioning that some icons look pretty terrible in the utility's icon browser, but they're actually attractive, high-res images. If you think something might fit your Library well, give it a chance before you dismiss it for being ugly, after all you can roll back any changes with the click of a button (Restore default icon).

Where to find icons within Windows?

For your reference, here are some additional DLLs with icons: ddores.dll (mostly hardware-related), shell32.dll (hundreds of assorted icons), wmp.dll (a few media-related icons), moricons.dll (various low-res, old school Windows icons).

Want more icons? Check these out: compstui.dll, mmcndmgr.dll, netshell.dll, pnidui.dll, wmploc.DLL, iconarchive.com, interfacelift.com, and as always, feel free to share your resources in the comments.

Six Obscure Web Browsers You Might Love

It used to be that Firefox, Opera and others were the "alternative" Web browsers, but in an age of forced ballot screens that's not entirely accurate. In fact, one could say that the more experienced a user is the further and faster they run from Internet Explorer.

Excluding the "big five" you're undoubtedly familiar with (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari), there are many little-known browsers that are potentially even more suitable for your needs, no matter how basic or advanced.

This week we are taking a look at six truly alternative browsers and what separates them from the rest of the pack. This is far from an all-inclusive list, and we'd love to hear if you happen to be using any of these yourself or perhaps there's yet another unheard of browser that we missed. In alphabetical order, the browsers:

1.Arora

Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, BSD, Haiku

Engine: WebKit

Why you care: Arora is an open source, cross-platform program that has a sensible feature set for the average user, such as built-in ad blocking, private browsing, session management and anything else you might expect from a basic browser. It's a worthy alternative to Chrome (it's based on the same WebKit engine) if you're interested in a lightweight solution but want something not branded by Google.

Download: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

2. Camino
 

Platforms: Mac OS X

Engine: Based on Gecko, written in Objective-C Cocoa

Why you care: Camino's on a mission to provide the best possible browsing experience for OS X users, and it has integrated support for many of the operating system's services, such as Keychain, Bonjour, and Growl. Considering its specialized feature set, it's certainly a worthwhile replacement for Safari, Firefox or any other browser you might be using on your Mac.

Download: OS X 10.4 or later

3. Flock

Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

Engine: Gecko, Firefox codebase

Why you care: Flock has integrated features for popular social media services out of the box, including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Blogger, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Additionally, it's based on Firefox, so you should be familiar with it from the get-go. Some advanced users might still prefer Firefox along with an army of add-ons, but Flock could be useful for less tech savvy socialites.

Download: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

4. K-Meleon

Platforms: Windows

Engine: Gecko

Why you care: K-Meleon's interface is extremely customizable and it uses a Windows native interface making it easy on system resources. You can consider this the Camino for Windows. Further optimized and portable derivatives are available, including one that claims it is the least resource intensive browser for Windows that uses an up-to-date rendering engine.

Download: Windows

5. Maxthon

Platforms: Windows

Engine: Trident

Why you care: Extremely popular in China, the browser has even received funding from well-known investors to continue its development. Maxthon crams a ton of features into the base install (sort of like Opera) without sacrificing the compatibility of IE's Trident rendering engine. Version 3.0 (currently in alpha) can switch between both Trident and WebKit to render Web pages.

Download: Windows

6. Pale Moon

Platforms: Windows

Engine: Gecko, Firefox codebase

Why you care: It's a Windows-optimized clone of Firefox that could offer you a slight performance boost -- up to 25% on some SunSpider rendering and scripting tests they claim, while using less system memory. The speed gains come without a catch, since the browser should work with most of your Firefox extensions. In fact, it should automatically detect and make use of your existing Firefox profile upon installation, so it's a hassle-free "migration."

Download: Windows

Trick to Show Your Name After Time in Taskbar

Try this trick to add up your name in place of AM and PM beside time
Its simple

Step-1:

Navigate to Start -> Control Pannel -> Regional and Language Option -> Click on Customize -> Go to TIME Tab -> Change AM symbol and PM symbol from AM and PM to your name ->Apply  Ok ...
Did It change? If not, follow step 2.

Step-2 :

Now go to time in taskbar and Double Click it to open "Date and time property" .Look place where time changes in digital form i.e. 02:47:52 AM , click to arrow to change the AM or PM by selecting and press arrow. It will Show your name or name that was entered by you, Apply , OK and be HAPPY

Change XP Start Button Name

I’ve read a number of articles on the internet about changing the text on the Start button in XP. On more than one occasion I’ve seen references to a five (5) letter limitation when the button is renamed. I always wondered if this was true or just an assumption someone made because the default ‘start’ just happened to fit the button size. So, I decided to run a test and see if there really was a five character limit.
First of all just u need to do is download Resource hacker.

Resource HackerTM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP operating systems.

  Click here to go to the Download Page

First Step:

The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe
The category we are going to be using is String Table In Resource Hacker. Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable as shown in Fig. 02. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button.

There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry

Second Step: 

Modify the Registry Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open: field. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

the Right pane (Fig. 05), double click the Shell entry to open the Edit String dialog box as shown in Fig. 06. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK.

Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text. 

Windows 7's hidden Features

Windows 7's headline features naturally get all the attention. If you have read anything about Microsoft's latest operating system, you probably already know that Windows 7 is faster, more compatible, and less annoying than Windows Vista. But Microsoft has also sneaked quite a few less visible but still noteworthy features into Windows 7. Here are a few.

1. Shake:
Let's say you have dozens of applications open on your Windows 7 desktop - so many, in fact, that that you have a difficult time sorting through them all, or you have difficulty concentrating on the foreground application because of everything else that's open. Sound familiar?In previous versions of Windows, you'd typically have to close all of those applications in order to get some sanity back into your desktop. Not anymore - thanks to the new feature dubbed "shake." True to its name, the feature is activated by grabbing the title bar of an open application with your mouse cursor and then "shaking" the program back and forth a few times. When you do, everything else that's open on your desktop is minimised automatically. Perform the shake operation again, and the clutter returns to your desktop, exactly as it was before.

2.Problem recorder:
How often have you had to try to describe a problem you are having with your Windows computer, and the person you are describing the problem to acts like you are talking in a foreign language? Or how often have you, as the local computer expert, had to rely on someone's fuzzy description of a problem?In Windows 7, there's help for both scenarios in the form of the new Problem Steps Recorder. In a nutshell, the Problem Steps Recorder, or PRS for short, will record exactly what you are doing on your PC that results in a problem. Optionally, you can use the tool's Add Comment feature to add a note about what issue you are experiencing. When you are finished, PRS packages up the recording in a compressed ZIP file. Open the ZIP file, and out pops an "mht" that can be viewed with Internet Explorer. To start PRS, just open the Windows 7 Start menu, and type "PRS." Click Start Record, and then walk through the steps that result in a problem. Click Stop Record, and you'll be asked to indicate a location on your hard drive where the zipped file will be created.

3.ISO burning:
For quite a while now, the preferred way to copy and store installation CDs and DVDs has been to create "ISO" files of the entire disk. An ISO file is a single image of the contents of the entire disk. To create an ISO file, you must use a third-party ISO creation tool such as UltraISO or the free ImgBurn. Reading ISO files also required a third-party tool, at least until now. Windows 7's new Windows Disc Image Burner, which comes free with all editions of Windows 7, allows the operating system to recognise ISO files and burn their contents to a CD or DVD drive. To activate Disc Image Burner, you merely double-click an ISO file..

4.BitLocker To Go:
USB flash drives are everywhere these days, and with good reason: they hold a lot of data, and they are small and convenient to carry. There's just one problem: anyone who happens upon your unencrypted flash drive can read whatever data you have stored there. And that could be a very big problem if you frequently transport sensitive information. The solution: Windows 7's BitLocker To Go technology, built into the Ultimate and Enterprise editions of the operating system. Using BitLocker To Go couldn't be easier. You simply plug your USB flash drive into a USB port, right-click the resulting drive in Windows Explorer, and select Turn on BitLocker from the pop-up menu. When you do, a BitLocker Drive Encryption dialog box appears, presenting you with the opportunity to password-protect the drive. You will then either save or print the BitLocker recovery key, and then BitLocker goes to work, encrypting your drive so that only someone with the recovery key can access it.


5.Sticky notes:
They might not be as technically sophisticated as BitLocker, but Windows 7's "sticky notes" are a useful little feature that will come in handy for many. Sticky notes will be familiar to many computer users: the stereotypical "geek" generally has these pasted all over the computer monitor. Thanks to Windows 7's implementation of electronic sticky notes, you can throw those paper ones away once and for all. Just open the Windows 7 Start menu, and type "sticky" to call up the shortcut that launches Sticky Notes. There's hardly any learning required to begin using them. Just type your notes onto the yellow sticky that appears. The note will stay stuck to your monitor until you specifically close the application. If you end up with a lot of sticky notes, you can make them different colours by right-clicking a =sticky and choosing a colour other than yellow. Keeping "to do" lists has never been so much fun.


6.Guest accounts:
If you occasionally share your computer but do not want others to be able to alter anything, you'll probably love the new Windows 7 Guest Account feature. If you activate Guest Accounts, you essentially allow anyone to log on to your PC as "guest." A guest will have his or her own desktop and settings - and yours will be kept completely private. Guests are not allowed to install any software or change any system settings. Nor are they allowed to write files to any directory outside of their special guest area. No doubt this concept will be very appealing to families in which kids often request use of a parent's computer.

7.Security Essentials:
While not officially a Windows 7 feature, Microsoft's free Security Essentials add-on (http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/) is a must-have for Windows 7 users who are tired of handing over hard-earned cash for subscriptions to commercial antivirus and anti-spyware packages. Security Essentials is the successor to Microsoft's first foray into the antivirus world, the now-discontinued OneCare product. Security Essentials appears to be every bit as unobtrusive and reliable as OneCare. Plus, with the backing of the Microsoft Malware Protection Centre (MMPC), Microsoft appears to be engaging full-throttle in the competitive antivirus software arena. Given Security Essential's price (free), Microsoft's name, and the product's apparent competence, Security Essentials removes any remaining excuses Windows users might have about not implementing security software.

Enable Windows 7's Hidden "God Mode"

As indicated by enthusiasts around the Web, there is a simple way to access a hidden "God Mode" in Windows 7. With a name like that, your expectations might be a little high -- and no, Windows is not secretly invincible -- but the trick is awesome nevertheless.

"God Mode" simply provides users with a centralized Control Panel for all of Windows' settings, from changing your desktop background to setting up a VPN or partitioning your hard drive. In all, there are nearly 50 categories and most have several entries.

1.Create a new folder.

2.Rename the folder to: CROSSFIRE.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

3.The default folder icon will change to a Control Panel icon, and you can open it to view all of the settings.

A list of other commands that also create special folders.

CROSSFIRE.{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
CROSSFIRE.{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
CROSSFIRE.{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}
CROSSFIRE.{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
CROSSFIRE.{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
CROSSFIRE.{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4}
CROSSFIRE.{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}
CROSSFIRE.{1D2680C9-0E2A-469d-B787-065558BC7D43}
CROSSFIRE.{1FA9085F-25A2-489B-85D4-86326EEDCD87}
CROSSFIRE.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
CROSSFIRE.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
CROSSFIRE.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
CROSSFIRE.{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
CROSSFIRE.{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}
CROSSFIRE.{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
CROSSFIRE.{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}

How to make free international calls anywhere in the world.

This is huge! You can now make free international calls anywhere in the world. It doesn't matter where you live, you can now make totally free international calls anywhere you like.

1) FREE411 service toll-free number is based in USA. All you have to do is to make a call to this toll-free number using Yahoo Messenger, skype etc.

2)The best however is Yahoo Messenger-Voice. Yes, not many people know that Yahoo Voice can be used to make unlimited toll-free calls to any toll-free number in USA from anywhere in the world and you do not need a yahoo voice paid account.

Just go to yahoo messenger and dial 18003733411. Your call will be connected and you would notice a prompt, which says there is no charge for this call. Cool huh?

3) Now The operator will greet you with a welcome message and ask you to select one of the FREE411 service. The Last option is Free Call. You don't have to press any number or key to select but instead say FREE CALL loudly in your phone. you will go to next step to actually make a free international call. Now they will run a short ad about 5 secs. When the ad stops, you can start dialing your international number in countycode+citycode (if any)+phone number format. The call will be automatically placed to the desired number. The operator prompts your call is getting connected. Once connected you can talk for upto 5 minutes and then your call is disconnected.

You can make multiple calls using this service.

Please note that this service is totally advertisement based so please do not abuse/violate the system.