Bhupal Sapkota Computer Programmer Unraveling art, science, and commerce behind technology. Passionate about teaching web/mobile programming, writing, and growing an online business.

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🚀 Technology Blog

Small things I found userful while working on different projects.

Scale a tech business – use the ULTO framework

ULTO framework for scaling a tech business from my experience as a Product Owner at Hamro Patro. Illustration: Freepik I worked as a Product Owner at Hamro Patro for more than 2 years where I looked after their core products like Jyotish, Health, Recharge, and Calendar and worked on R&D of their newest offering code-named […]

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Thank you PHP Community

It was early 2000, I was learning how to set up a Guestbook on my Geocities web page. It introduced me to PHP and the world of web development. I immediately fell in love with making dynamic websites and started learning PHP more seriously. I went to a bookstore nearby and bought a book on […]

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The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you “The Mom Test” is a book written by Rob Fitzpatrick. The book is a popular guide for entrepreneurs and product developers on how to effectively talk to potential customers to get valuable […]

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The Pros and Cons of Full-Time Freelancing: Is It Right for You?

Freelancing is a work arrangement where individuals offer their services or expertise to clients or companies on a project-by-project basis, often without being tied to a single employer in a long-term, traditional employment relationship. Freelancers are typically self-employed and work independently, providing services such as graphic design, writing, web development, marketing, consulting, and more. Freelancing […]

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Side Hustle: From Kathmandu to Global Cool

Just graduated and feeling the buzz? Welcome to the league of ambitious wannapreneurs ready to shake things up. If you’ve been toying with a side hustle, believing it’s your ticket to becoming the next big thing from Kathmandu, let’s get you up to speed. In the era of online gurus and success stories that float […]

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Tips To Build A Business As A Software Engineer

While software engineers make great entrepreneurs, coding isn’t the only thing that you need to grow a business. Below are 4 tips to build a business as a software developer: Start building – if you are a software engineer you know how to build. Build an app, a website, and a prototype. Something that is […]

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I like to build software, should I start a software company?

I like to build software, should I start a software company? If you are asking this question, you would be better off not starting a company. I may sound blunt but the question clearly reflects that you are not prepared. For the last few weeks, one young guy from Pokhara was constantly pinging me on […]

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Freelancing tip: Always send an hourly quote (Overseas Nepali prospect)

Freelancing tip for beginners: Always send an hourly quote if the prospect is of Nepali origin overseas. I got a rejection on a fixed-price quote I sent to a Nepali prospect from Australia who was looking for a WordPress website with Bookings, WooCommerce, and payment integration. He wanted to get it done at 60% cheaper […]

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सिलिकन भ्यालीको भूत

बिक्रम सम्बत २०८० सुरु हुदै गर्दा मैले आफ्नो अमेरिका बसाईको अनुभब समेटेर ब्लग लेख्छु भनेर एउटा रिजोलुसन लेखेको थिएँ । तर मलाई केहि कुरा सुरु गर्न त्यो कुरा किन गर्न लागेको हो भन्ने प्रश्नको उत्तर मिलेन भने सो काम गर्नै मन लाग्दैन । यो मेरो सानै देखिको बानि थियो । यो ब्लग पोस्टमा सो बारेमा […]

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Building Dynamic Queries in PHP MySQL PDO

1. When you need a dynamic Search Query where variable parameters are presents you can use the following approach: $sql = “SELECT * FROM users WHERE “; $where = array(“dist_id = :dist_id”); $params = array(‘:dist_id’ => $distID); if (isset($p->username) && !empty($p->username)) { array_push($where, “username LIKE :username”); $params[‘:username’] = “%{$p->username}%”; } if (isset($p->firstname) && !empty($p->firstname)) { […]

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Artificial Intelligence 101 – Resources

What is AI? AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a machine’s ability to perform cognitive functions like humans, such as perceiving, learning, reasoning, and solving problems. AI is a computer system that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. It includes recognizing objects, understanding natural language, and making decisions. It is a powerful tool that helps […]

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Help Me Help You Nepal

We talked a lot about pay-it-forward culture in the past (2010-2015) as a local entrepreneurs group in Kathmandu called Help Me Help You NP. But, we forgot to thank one another ourselves. Lately, I have realized that gratitude is not everyone’s cup of tea. People don’t realize how they got where they got until something […]

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Why I became skeptical about Google in Nepal

I worked with Google for more than 5 years when I was leading Google Developers Communities in Nepal and I had a huge respect for the company. But recently, I have become skeptical about Google and its intentions when it shut down its Google Input IME tool for Microsoft Windows (the software isn’t available for […]

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Content Creation Foundations

I recently read a Case Study on Affiliate Marketing Commission by Adam Dukes, a digital content creator from Las Vegas. I follow him wholeheartedly and consider him one of my mentors, even though I’ve never hired him directly to help me. Below I’m sharing a section from his Case Study on how to create great […]

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11 Soft Skills for Leaders

Soft skills refer to a person’s interpersonal skills and character traits that affect their relationships with others. They are typically viewed as a complement to hard skills, which pertain to a person’s occupational knowledge and abilities in the workplace. The term “soft skills” refers to a person’s emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) rather than their intelligence […]

The Interview I loved

When I was in San Francisco Bay area around 2016 I received an invite to attend an interview for a possible contract role as an Android developer consultant. For an instance I paused. I was worried the interview might end up as a coding nightmare trying to solve Leetcode-style puzzles but to my surprise, the […]

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My feelings on Crypto ban in Nepal by NRB

Bitcoin is amazing. NFTs are the coolest. The crypto space is booming. Blockchain and Web3 are changing the ways people operate. Being a developer myself I was investing my spare time learning to build development skills in blockchain technology. However, since I am in Kathmandu there is a voice inside my head that repels me […]

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Why I hate computer monitoring software (desktop monitoring)?

Computer monitoring or surveillance software is any tool that helps businesses keep tabs on their employees within the office premises or through remote access. Employee monitoring software is used to supervise employees’ performance, prevent illegal activities, avoid confidential info leakage, and catch insider threats. Nowadays employee monitoring software is widely used in technology companies. A […]

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Run php script as daemon process with Systemd (AWS EC2)

To run PHP script as a  daemon service under Linux using Systemd do as below. Best way to make a shell script daemon? With new systemd you can create a service. You must create a file or a symlink in /etc/systemd/system/, eg. myservice.service and place content like this one, myservice will be the name of […]

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Preserving feature branch commit history on git merge

Git really changed the way developers think of merging and branching. From the classic CVS/Subversion world I came from, merging/branching has always been considered a bit scary (“beware of merge conflicts, they bite you!”) and something you only do every once in a while. As a consequence of its simplicity and repetitive nature, branching and […]

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OKTA API Call with PHP Curl

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What the UX ?

  Picture worth a college education.

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Met Robert Scoble at Google I/O 2014

Starting this post I’m going to share some of the moments captured through my camera. Will be using the label #fotosoto so share similar posts. If you know the persons in the picture, feel free to add an awesome comment which will delight both of us : ) The person in this photo is an […]

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Met the social media personality #fotosoto

Starting this post i’m going to share some of the moments captured through my camera. Will be using the label #fotosoto so share similar posts. If you know the persons in picture, feel free to add an awesome comment which will delight both of us : ) The person in this photo is a internet […]

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Social Network Status Updates – Database Schema

Here’s a simple database schema which can be used in cases where you want to take user status input. The entities available are users, updates, comments & likes. Additional entities can be added as required. Also, for simple user registration and status updates it will be more than enough.  Schema derived by studying popular social […]

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Online Shopping System–Database Design

Database design of Online Shopping System. Schema represents minimal information required to store information of a shop and products to sell. Cart information can be stored in session or if wishlist / watchlist is needed, the schema can be simply extended. Enjoy. Entities: users – shop admin, owner and customers products – products to sell […]

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Quiz System–Database Schema Design

MySQL Database Schema design for quiz system. Schema Diagram: MySQL Create Script: — phpMyAdmin SQL Dump — version 3.2.0.1 — http://www.phpmyadmin.net — — Host: localhost — Generation Time: Apr 01, 2013 at 08:27 PM — Server version: 5.1.37 — PHP Version: 5.3.0 SET SQL_MODE="NO_AUTO_VALUE_ON_ZERO"; /*!40101 SET @OLD_CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT=@@CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT */; /*!40101 SET @OLD_CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS=@@CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS */; /*!40101 SET @OLD_COLLATION_CONNECTION=@@COLLATION_CONNECTION […]

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Photo Video Gallery–Database Design

Database design for photo video gallery website / app. Enjoy. Schema Diagram: MySQL Create script: — phpMyAdmin SQL Dump — version 3.2.0.1 — http://www.phpmyadmin.net — — Host: localhost — Generation Time: Apr 03, 2013 at 10:25 PM — Server version: 5.1.37 — PHP Version: 5.3.0 SET SQL_MODE="NO_AUTO_VALUE_ON_ZERO"; /*!40101 SET @OLD_CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT=@@CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT */; /*!40101 SET @OLD_CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS=@@CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS */; […]

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Marksheet Generation System–Database Design

Schema for Marksheet Generation System useful for school, colleges and institutes to store student’s information, exam marks etc. Extend at your will. Schema Diagram: MySQL Create Script phpMyAdminDump: — phpMyAdmin SQL Dump — version 3.2.0.1 — http://www.phpmyadmin.net — — Host: localhost — Generation Time: Apr 02, 2013 at 07:28 PM — Server version: 5.1.37 — […]

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Simple CMS (Content Management System) – database design

Schema design of simple content management system. Schema and tables itself speak about the type of information indented to be stored by the system. Schema Diagram: MySQL Create Script phpMyAdmin dump: — phpMyAdmin SQL Dump — version 3.2.0.1 — http://www.phpmyadmin.net — — Host: localhost — Generation Time: Mar 30, 2013 at 10:20 PM — Server […]

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Online Vehicle Ticketing System Database Design Sample

Online Bus/Vehicle Ticketing System Database Design Sample – MySQL. With minor modifications or further generalization this database schema can be used to implement any kind of ticket booking system. eg. movie ticket booking system, events/show ticket booking etc.  Entities: users – user details user_type – type of users in system vendors – providers’ information, in […]

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PyroCMS Themes, Widgets and Modules – for reference.

Themes : https://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_theme_artificial_castinghttps://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_theme_blue_spadeshttps://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_theme_business_timehttps://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_theme_coffeehttps://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_theme_eco_designhttps://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_theme_night_club PyroCMS v1.3.2 Theming Guide for beginners:http://echo.semicolondev.com/2011/11/hot-to-create-pyrocms-v132-theme-step.html PyroCMS Tag Cheat Sheet Widgets https://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_widget_categoryhttps://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_widget_login_boxhttps://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_widget_selected_category_posts PyroCMS v1.3.2 Widget creation guide for beginnershttp://echo.semicolondev.com/2011/11/how-to-create-pyrocms-v132-widgets.html Modules: Hello World Module https://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_module_hello Old 0.9.9.x Forum module upgraded to v1.3.2 https://github.com/semicolondevelopers/pyro_module_forums PyroCMS v1.3.2 & v0.9.9.7 Module Creation guide for beginners:http://bhu1st.blogspot.com/2010/09/hello-world-pyrocms-module.html

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नेपाली ब्लगरहरुलाई छोटो मीठो सल्लाह

Quick SEO tip for Nepali (Unicode) Bloggers Here goes, one quick SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tip for Nepali Bloggers who use Blogger.com to publish their content written in Nepali Unicode. What I’m talking about ? Say: your blog post title is “मेरो नेपाल” You publish it. Now blogger gives you one random “url/permalink” to your […]

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Web development “real” life cycle

Few guys known as manager, designer, software engineer, tester are feeling pressure in what we call Semicolon Valley here, because few other guys known as information architecture, user interface designer, user experience designer, database designers left Nepal thinking there is no work for them here. They never bothered to try creating work here. The smart […]

Android SDK and AVD Manager slow download problem

I was Installing the Android SDK (http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html) on my Windows XP box. Problem : Slow download of android SDK platforms ~5kb/s Android SDK and AVD Manager Stalling During Download : Google Groups Android sdk download/update failing : Stack Overflow How to speed up Android SDK platform download ? 1. Allow download over http : check […]

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PHP Short Tag : Avoid Them

PHP Short Tag:  it  look like this: <?   ?> <?= $var ?> obvious ones: <?php  ?> <?php echo $var ?>. I downloaded an open source php script, thinking to work it out for my own purpose – but what sucks is – the project uses short tag that my host doesn’t *seems* to provide support […]

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WordPress Themes / Templates – Useful Codes

Here are few fairly basic but handy wordpress codes that a wordpress theme or template developer/designers could use as reference. i personally use these a lot while working with wordpress.   WordPress Site Name: <?php bloginfo(‘name’); ?>   WordPress Site Description: <?php bloginfo(‘description’); ?>   Wordopress: Home Page Link:   <a href=”<?php get_option(‘home’); ?>”>Home</a></p> or […]

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Hello World – Ruby on Rails

None of tutorials i found around web helped me get straight to the Ruby on Rails development environment in Windows. that’s why i thought would sum up how i setup rails in my Windows XP Professional box. Yet, this was amusing (from Ruby on Rails Getting Started Guide) If you’re working on Windows, you should […]

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7th National ICT Student & Youth Conference – My Paper Abstract

Event 7th National ICT Student & Youth Conference Date: 15th January 2011, (Saturday) Venue: Local Development training Center, Jawlakhel, Lalitpur Time: 9:00 A.M – 4:00 pm Organized By: Information technology Society, Nepal (ITSN) Conference Theme: Youths on collaborative development Conference Tracks: Recent Trends in IT for Rural Developments Smart Data Policy IT Security Electronic Document […]

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7+1 Twitter tips, my experience!

1. What is on the twitter profile picture link? When we go on someone’s twitter profile we see – small profile pic, twitter username, numbers of following & followers, profile bio,  indication of you following the user or not and their tweets. Have you ever clicked on that small profile image? try clicking it and […]

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Hello World – PyroCMS Module

/*———————————————————————————————Update 10/16/2011: This tutorial has been here for older version (< 1.0.x) of PyroCMS. Latest Stable PyroCMS release is v1.3.2Please download and use following tutorial files which are for PyroCMS 1.3.2: PyroCMS Hello World Module tutorial pdf for v1.3.2Download Sample Hello World Module PyroCMS 1.3.2 Pyro docs have been significantly improved over the year. You […]

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Lorem Ipsum को कथा

Do you design, be it graphics or web design? or any other form of design type settings? Have you ever used Lorem Ipsum? What is your experience using Lorem Ipsum when designing for Nepali Unicode content?   "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. […]

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Nepal In – PHP Arrays

What is Nepal in PHP Arrays – Project ?   Are you a PHP developer in Nepal ? or do you use MySQL in your projects. How many of you have easier access to the places & cities of Nepal in simpler arrays, that can be taken for reference and used. I am currently involved […]

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Few Nepalese websites and the possibilities

I have been wondering about some Nepalese products that exists online, created by Nepalese and Serving us. The list may go longer but i have selected few site that i noticed are mention worthy. I personally feel that popular sites like Google, Facebook (which killed the hi5 commity of Nepal and of the world altogether) […]

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Why you should Twitter ?

It’s been a year since i joined Twitter. Tweeting what i found useful out there surfing, thinking that might interest some one else out there too and tweeting my days as i am living. First day at twitter was hell. No idea about the interface. Most interesting,  sharing something would be called tweeting! I wondered, […]

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CodeIgniter Helpers – How to write your own?

Find yourself again and again doing CI or are you just getting started in to your next big project ? Get this book by Rob Foster. This is an easy-to-follow guide consisting of a number of projects that enable you to develop full-featured applications at a fast pace. CodeIgniter Web Application Blueprints What is here:         […]

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Hello World – CodeIgniter Model – A Simple Bookmark Manager

Continued from Hello World – CodeIgniter! I’ve been a bit busy with my development works. Talking about codeigniter,i will discuss today on how we can use it to access MySql database, insert data into tables, retrieve and display them, at times delete them. We’ll create a very simple Bookmark Manager App (just for the sake […]

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Social Network Database Design Sample – MySQL

what?—— sample database for a social network project – a mysql database schema Database Engine: InnoDB (edit the mwb file if you need to change it to MyISAM or any other.) the aspects of a social network i tried to cover in this database:– user profile – friends– friends list – status updates– thumbs up/down […]

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Design or develop, which to do first?

Don’t expect “you should do this first” kind of solution to this question, i am asking question here. I’d like to limit the discussion to the web development context. Before going further, i would like to clear two things, by design i would mean requirements analysis, design prototyping & designing the actual ‘web interface’ (technology […]

It’s Official now – Google is Coming to Nepal on June 2010

Google is ready to announce it official launch in Nepal. With Google’s planned analysis of Nepalese internet traffic monitoring they will decide to finally land up in Nepalese market. This will be a great opportunity to Nepalese Developers. Localization has always been Google’s top priority. Google already has support for many of the Nepalese Language […]

Blogger Post & Comment Feed URLs

Recent Posts RSS feed url http://yourBlogAddress.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default Recent Comments RSS feed url http://yourBlogAddress.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default Label Specific Feed url http://yourBlogAddress.blogspot.com/posts/comments/default/-/labelname Replace -> yourBlogAddress with your actual blogger address. Replace -> labelname with your label Hope That Helps.

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Hello World – CodeIgniter!

So you decided to learn CodeIgniter PHP MVC Framework. I am too starting with it and planning to post a series of introductory tutorials on it. Here i go with – Hello World example in CodeIgniter. Install Code Igniter http://codeigniter.com/ Download CodeIgniter copy form the above site. The version i am using is 1.7.2I assume […]

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Protect your Gmail from spams – use mail aliases

There’s no argument that Gmail is the best free email service. Notable features include – Maximum Storage (~8GB ), POP3 Mail Support, Mail Labels, Mail Alias, Filters, Theme Support/Customization. Now the Social Google BUZZ is also integrated in Gmail. Taking in account of all these features and sudden exposure of your Gmail ID as your […]

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Congratulations : Google Nepal

What is Google ? Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program. The company was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, often dubbed the […]

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MS-DOS BATCH PROGRAMMING

INFORMATION ON BATCH FILES BATCH FILE ABCs Batch files are programs that allow MS-DOS and Windows users to create a file to perform a long tasks fast. Such as opening certain programs ran frequently, deleting or managing files, etc. Simple batch files do not require any special programming skills and usually can be done by […]

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Remove Autorun Virus : Simple Approach

Make following FILES in your Desktop, be sure of the extensions. Now when you insert your removable drive. Just don’t open it. Select these all files -> Right Click -> Send To -> Removable Drive Letter. Replace Files ? Dialog May Appear if your removable drive is infected by virus. autorun.batautorun.binAutorun.exeAutorun.icoAUTORUN.INFAutorun.iniautorun.regautorun.srmautorun.txtautorun.vbsautorun.wshautorun.zipAutorun.~exbittorrent.exeMFC32DLL.dll.vbsms32.dll.vbsMS32DLL.dll.vbsmsvcr71.dllRavMon.exesal.xls.exe The virus files would […]

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How Autorun Virus works in Windows Xp?

How to make AUTORUN Viruses:————————— ——The pendrive viruses generally follow Autorun procedure of Windows OS.When you plug your PENDRIVE or any removable storage device to USB Port,the PLUG AND PLAY feature of Windows Xp first looks for the file AUTORUN.INFand anyname following AUTORUN.* convention. Generally following files will be present in the list: Autorun.inf // […]

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Social Networks – As if they cared..

We used to swim in the pool. Now, we swim on the internet. With every person clicking a mouse button on the internet – there comes a “piece of information”. With so many “lead by business motive” social networks – we forget the boundaries of our actual social connection and push things – without a […]

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Windows XP Run Commands

            WINDOWS XP RUN COMMANDS RUN SHORTCUTS —————————————— StartMenu -> RUN -> Type “Run Command” the press Ok (MOUSE) or WinKey + R -> RUN -> Type “Run Command from list below” -> Press Enter (Keyboard) [SOME MOSTLY USED SYSTEM FOLDERS] All Users Profile %allusersprofile% Desktop Folder(Current User) desktop Favourites […]

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Qbasic – FAQs

Qbasic – FAQs 1.0.0 What is BASIC? 1.1.0 What is Qbasic? 1.1.1 Why QBasic? 1.1.2 Where can I find it? 1.1.3 Qbasic’s limits and capabilities. 1.2.0 How does Qbasic differ from Quick Basic? 1.2.1 From GW-Basic? 1.2.2 From Basica? 1.3.0 What is an “interpreter”? 1.4.0 What is a “compiler”? 1.5.0 Compiling your basic programs. 1.6.0 […]

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