So you cannot access microsoft's website

If you cannot access any microsoft websites, try opening a command prompt and typing: "net stop dnscache" Then, in your free time, you can try to hunt the virus :) More on that, later...

Activating Windows from the Command Prompt

So you need to activate Windows XP Pro, but cannot find the annoying little key icon or anything that even remotely looks like an activation icon. Never fear--you can activate from the command prompt.

Simply click on "Start", then "run" and type:
oobe/msoobe /a

And it is just as simple as that...

Cloning your virtual box in Windows

So you have discovered VirtualBox (or the more exotic Portable-VirtualBox), created a wonderful little virtual Windows or Linux--and now you would like to copy it onto a friends computer, or save a backup copy. If only it were as simple as a "copy paste" on your .vdi file. You have tried this, but stumbled upon the dreaded "duplicate UUID" error message.

VirtualBox CAN clone your virtual.vdi file, but you need to resort to the command prompt in order to utilize it. Cloning is really not as hard as many techies have lead you to believe. Simply open a command prompt and navigate until you are in the VirtualBox file (Remember cd .. takes you up a directory and ls shows everything in it). Most installs of VirtualBox are in the path C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox. In the following line of code, I have already migrated there. The ">" is the prompt. From there, type VBoxManage.exe clonehd "path to vdi\file.vdi" "path you want the copy in\name of the copy.vdi" and hit enter.

Here is an example:

C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe clonehd "C:\Windows_XP_Pro_XAM
PP.vdi" "C:\Windows_XAMPP.vdi"
0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100%
Clone hard disk created in format 'VDI'. UUID: 1bd8d200-d6d3-4ea6-914b-3664146b3
4e9

Converting .iso to .vmx

For those of you who do not want to download VMware converter or any of the other .iso to .vmx converters out there, I would like to suggest a hacking alternative to read an iso file from a CD using VMware. Consider the following .vmx file, as viewed by Notepad:

.encoding = "windows-1252"
config.version = "8"
virtualHW.version = "4"
scsi0.present = "TRUE"
memsize = "256"
ide1:0.present = "TRUE"
ide1:0.fileName = "livecd.iso"
ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-image"
ethernet0.present = "TRUE"
usb.present = "TRUE"
sound.present = "TRUE"
sound.virtualDev = "es1371"
displayName = "LiveCD"
guestOS = "otherlinux"
nvram = "otherlinux.nvram"

workingDir = "."
extendedConfigFile = "livecd.vmxf"
virtualHW.productCompatibility = "hosted"
floppy0.present = "FALSE"

All you need to do is copy the above file and save it as something.vmx. Everywhere you see livecd, simply replace it with the name of your file. It is really as simple as that... The "otherlinux" can be changed to "otherwindows" if you are trying to run a windows.iso file.

Setting up XAMPP for MySQL

So, now you need to set up your computer to do some MySQL work on--but when you try to create a new database by typing http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ you get the dreaded "error 403"... Simple answer--you need to configure your httpd-xampp.conf file, found under xampp/apache/conf/extra

At the bottom of the file, change the new security update to:

# New XAMPP security concept
#

Order deny,allow
Allow from all
# Allow from 127.0.0.0/8
# ErrorDocument 403 /error/HTTP_XAMPP_FORBIDDEN.html.var


And it should work fine. How to work with the database from there, I leave to another time...

Viewing XAMPP HTML pages non-locally...

You have set up your computer as a server using XAMPP and can happily view your prize HTML page by typing http://localhost/XAMPP/myfile.html but what you REALLY want is to be able to type http://yourIPaddress/XAMPP/myfile.html to show your friends.

But saddly, XAMPP has decided to include a new security feature to block outside access... The only solution is to HACK the config file!

1. Right click your start menu
2. Locate your xampp file. The path to our hacking target is Apache/config/extra and the name of our target is httpd-xampp.config
3. In the file, comment out the following text like this:

# New XAMPP security concept
#
#Order Deny,Allow
#Deny from all
#Allow from ::1 127.0.0.0/8 \
#fc00::/7 10.0.0.0/8 172.16.0.0/12 192.168.0.0/16 \
#fe80::/10 169.254.0.0/16
#ErrorDocument 403 /error/HTTP_XAMPP_FORBIDDEN.html.var
#

Configuring Mercury in XAMPP

So you have finally reached the point in your programming life where you need to set up your computer as a webhost using XAMPP, and would like to configure Mercury 32 to interact with your SMTP server. This is easier said than done for many reasons--and there are many MANY tutorials out there claiming to hold a solution. Most end in the dreaded error 550, 503 or just leave you with messages that your server does not allow relays...

Assuming you have an SMTP server (if you do not, there is still a work-a-round test you can do that we will discuss later*) try the following configuration:

1. Start Mercury (using XAMPP).
2. Go to "Configuration" and then "Protocol modules"
3. Uncheck the "MercuryB HTTP web server" box.
4. Uncheck the "Mercury IMAP4rev1 server"
5. Uncheck the "MercuryE SMTP end-to-end delivery client"
6. Check the "MercuryC SMTP relaying client".
7. Click "OK" then restart Mercury
8. Open Mercury again and go back to "Configuration"
9. Go to"Mercury core module" and click the "General" heading
10. Since we want to send from our computer, we make sure that "localhost" is the value of "internet name for this system."
11. Uncheck all boxes except "Send copies of all errors to postmaster"
12. Look under the heading "Local domains." Make sure that "localhost (local host or server) localhost (internet name)" is added.
13. Click "OK"
14. Go back to "Configuration" and chose "MercuryS SMTP Server." Make sure you uncheck the "Do not Permit SMTP relaying to non-local mail" or you will get the dreaded 553 error that 'we do not relay mail.'
15. Open the "General" tab and name for your SMTP server under "Announce myself as." It does not matter what name you chose.
16. Under "Listen on TCP/IP port" enter "25"
17. Enter "127.0.0.1" to "IP interface to use."
18. Under "Connection Control" select "Add restriction" and enter the range "127.0.0.1" to "127.0.0.1" to restrict access to our server.
19. Check "Allow connections." All other checkboxes should be unchecked.
20. Click "OK"
21. Go back to "Configuration" and chose "MercuryP POP3 Server", select the "General" tab.
22. Under "Listen on TCP port" add "110"
23. The "IP interface to use" should be "127.0.0.1"
24. Open the "Connection control" tab and again select "Add restriction" and enter the range "127.0.0.1" to "127.0.0.1.
25. Click "OK"
26. Next go to"Configuration" then "MercuryC SMTP Client" This is the point where we need an external SMTP server. If you do not have one, never fear--you can still test your PHP email functions by setting up a resident SMPT server inside your machine. We will discuss this feature later on.
27. Enter the address of your SMTP under "Smart host name", for example "mail.comcast.com"
28. The fields below the SMTP depend on the way you access your server. The port is most likely 25. "Login username" and the "Password" are usually given to you by your webhost.
29. Next, go back to "Configuration" and then "Manage local users"
30. Make sure there are at least two users "Admin" and "postmaster", both set as admin.
31. Now we need to hack the php.ini file in XAMPP a bit. It should be at"xampp/php/php.ini" or "xampp/apache/bin/php.ini"
32. Inside the php.ini file search for "[mail function]" It should be about half way down.
33. Add "SMTP = localhost", "smtp_port = 25" and uncomment "sendmail_from = postmaster@localhost"
34. Save php.ini restart Apache

To test and see if Mercury's configuration worked, open up Mercury and from the file option, create a new email message...

And the work-a-round if you do not have an outside SMTP server or cannot get outside the network? Set up one on your machine! PostCast is a good free server that I use. It can be found at http://www.postcastserver.com/ Leave all settings the same in Mercury. PostCast will name your SMTP after your computer. Even if your network has blocked port 25 (which happened to me), PostCast will still capture your emails--and while it cannot send them if port 25 is blocked, it can allow you to see if Mercury is working, give you a testing ground to continue your PHP, HTML mail function development in the meanwhile...

Hacking with Google

In todays modern society, many companies are trying to cut costs by using the internet in place of their own personal network, to link together office cameras and equipment. They are also using unprotected servers to store massive amounts of personal data (more on that later). What such companies do not count on, are the many creative search options found within Google search that allow exploitation of such security oversights. Using such vulnerabilities it is actually possible to not only find such unsecured devices--but to actually control them.

Let us first start with a few basic Google search commands and work our way up from there.

1. The minus sign (-) to exclude a term from a search. For example, if you do not want all the x rated websites, simply include a (-xxx) after your search to exclude them

2. To search for a phrase, surround the phrase by double quotes (" ").

3. To search for a specific filetype, use the keyword filetype. For example, to search for only txt files, one would include filetype:txt after the search term or phrase.

4. The site: operator allows us to search for a term within a single website.

5. The intitle: operator allows us to search for a term within the title of a document. It can also allow us root access to files on a server, or information about the server that lends itself well to more in depth penetrations. The most typical hack is most likely going to be something along the lines of music pirating (highly illegal).
Consider for example, an unsecured music collection that someone has set up to access remotely for their own convenience. For example, suppose I wanted to do something HIGHLY ILLEGAL and get a copy of Tatu's latest songs. I might type something like intitle:index.of server.at tatu

6. The inurl: operator allows searching within the url of a page. For example, suppose we wished to find a file within the root of a webpage without bothering with the convoluted webpage of the author.

7. The intext: operator scans the contents of websites to locate your search terms. Intext and filetype can be used to fetch emails saved to the web. Yahoo, for example, likes to save emails in text files, replacing the "@" sign by the word "at", and the "." by the word "dot."

And now we will use some of these Google hacks to access a camera or two. The following searches will get you started. Most of the camera searches rely on inclusion of the name of a driver or the camera type. For example, the command /view/index.shtml will result in the site http://82.92.129.195/view/viewer_index.shtml?id=38729 a lovely beach with a controllable camera... Other hacks will result in different camera brands and configurations...Feel free to experiment further with Google Hacks on your own...

# intitle:"Live View / - AXIS" | inurl:view/view.shtml
/view/index.shtml
inurl:/view/index.shtml
inurl:viewerframe?mode=
inurl:/view:shtml
inurl:view/indexframe

So you no longer have a browser...

So you find yourself confronted with a Windows system that does not possess a web browser (you erased it, or your boss, parent, wife, husband ect. does not allow internet access). But most of us NEED the internet--how to re-establish the link?

Simple! Remember that good old Explorer is built into Windows itself... There are 3 fast ways to get there. The easiest is to click start-->run-->and type in the address. The next easiest way is to go to the control panel and type in an internet address in the address bar at the top. OR if those avenues are blocked, the 3rd way is to create a notepad document, click "help", select "help topics" and right click on the blue bar at the top of the resulting page, select "jump to url" and type your web address there...

The corrupt: system32\drivers\pci.sys error

So your Windows based laptop has just failed to boot and left you staring at the message "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupted: system32\drivers\pci.sys." It suggests that you insert your OS disks and press "r" as a solution--but when you try, the OS disks do not reach that "fix it" screen before the old "Windows could not start because.." error reappears... You try booting from a thumb drive--but all that changes is the "corrupted" file in the error message...

You cannot reinstall Windows--and no other OS (Linux flavors included) wants to install... They all fail--leaving your computer with that SAME error message...

Is it time to get a new hard-drive? Time to toss the computer? NO! Check the memory module cards! Try running the laptop with only one card first (slot A, sometimes called slot zero, must always be populated) to see if one of the cards is dead. Your computer should complain about memory changing. Hit F1, or whatever key your computer suggests to continue. Try this with both cards. If successful, it should boot normally.

Also make sure that the cards are correctly seated.

You would be amazed at how cheaply one of these "broken" computers can be purchased... The last one I picked up only cost me $37 and less than 30 minutes of my time... The cards were fine--but they were not completely seated.