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 de BIOS such that de next time you start de PC, de CMOS does not ask for any password. Now if you are able to brin’ de DOS prompt up, den you will be able to change de BIOS settin’ to de default. To clear de CMOS do de followin’:
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 de computer. It works on most versions of de AWARD BIOS.

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

Standard BIOS backdoor passwords
The first, less invasive, attempt to bypass a BIOS password is to try on of dese 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

AMI BIOS
AMI, A.M.I., AMI SW, AMI_SW, BIOS, PASSWORD, HEWITT RAND, Oder

Oder passwords you may try (for AMI/AWARD or oder BIOSes)
LKWPETER, lkwpeter, BIOSTAR, biostar, BIOSSTAR, biosstar, ALFAROME, Syxz, Wodj

Note that de key associated to “_” in de US keyboard corresponds to “?” in some European keyboards (such as Italian and German ones), so — for example — you should type AWARD_SW when usin’ those keyboards. Also remember that passwords are Case Sensitive. The last two passwords in de AWARD BIOS list are in Russian.

Flashin’ BIOS via software
If you have access to de computer when it’s turned on, you could try one of those programs that remove de password from de BIOS, by invalidatin’ its memory. However, it might happen you don’t have one of those programs when you have access to de computer, so you’d better learn how to do manually what dey do. You can reset de BIOS to its default values usin’ de MS-DOS tool DEBUG (type DEBUG at de 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 de debug environment enter de followin’ 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 moderboards
(XT moderboards don’t have CMOS)
O 70 2E
O 71 FF
Q
Note that de first letter is a “O” not de number “0″. The numbers which follow are two bytes in hex format.

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

Usin’ de jumpers
The canonical way to flash de BIOS via hardware is to plug, unplug, or switch a jumper on de moderboard (for “switchin’ a jumper” I mean that you find a jumper that joins de central pin and a side pin of a group of three pins, you should den unplug de jumper and den plug it to de central pin and to de pin on de opposite side, so if de 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 de BIOS, but could be anywhere on de moderboard. To find de correct jumper you should read de moderboard’s manual. Once you’ve located de correct jumper, switch it (or plug or unplug it, dependin’ from what de manual says) while de computer is turned OFF. Wait a couple of seconds den put de jumper back to its original position. In some moderboards it may happen that de computer will automatically turn itself on, after flashin’ de BIOS. In this case, turn it off, and put de jumper back to its original position, den turn it on again. Oder moderboards require you turn de computer on for a few seconds to flash de BIOS. If you don’t have de moderboard’s manual, you’ll have to “brute force” it… tryin’ out all de jumpers. In this case, try first de isolated ones (not in a group), de ones near to de BIOS, and de ones you can switch (as I explained before). If all them fail, try all de oders. However, you must modify de status of only one jumper per attempt, oderwise you could damage de moderboard (since you don’t know what de jumper you modified is actually meant for). If de password request screen still appear, try anoder one. If after flashin’ de BIOS, de computer won’t boot when you turn it on, turn it off, and wait some seconds before to retry.

Removin’ de battery
If you can’t find de jumper to flash de BIOS or if such jumper doesn’t exist, you can remove de battery that keeps de BIOS memory alive. It’s a button-size battery somewhere on de moderboard (on elder computers de battery could be a small, typically blue, cylinder soldered to de moderboard, but usually has a jumper on its side to disconnect it, oderwise you’ll have to unsolder it and den solder it back). Take it away for 15-30 minutes or more, den put it back and de data contained into de 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 de 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 de battery overnight.

Important note: in laptop and notebooks you don’t have to remove de computer’s power batteries (which would be useless), but you should open your computer and remove de CMOS battery from de moderboard.

Short-circuitin’ de chip
Anoder way to clear de CMOS RAM is to reset it by short circuitin’ two pins of de 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 de computer is turned OFF before to try this operation.

Here is a list of EPROM chips that are commonly used in de BIOS industry. You may find similar chips with different names if dey are compatible chips made by anoder brand. If you find de BIOS chip you are workin’ on matches with one of de followin’ you can try to short-circuit de appropriate pins. Be careful, because this operation may damage de chip.

CHIPS P82C206 (square)
Short togeder pins 12 and 32 (de first and de last pins on de bottom edge of de chip) or pins 74 and 75 (de two pins on de upper left corner).
gnd
74
|__________________
5v 75–| |
| |
| |
| CHIPS |
1 * | |
| P82C206 |
| |
| |
|___________________|
| |
| gnd | 5v
12 32

OPTi F82C206 (rectan’ular)
Short togeder pins 3 and 26 (third pin from left side and fifth pin from right side on de bottom edge).
80 51
|______________|
81 -| |- 50
| |
| |
| OPTi |
| |
| F82C206 |
| |
100-|________________|-31
|| | |
1 || | | 30
3 26

Dallas DS1287, DS1287A
Benchmarq bp3287MT, bq3287AMT
The Dallas DS1287, DS1287A and Benchmarq bp3287MT, bq3287AMT chips have a built-in battery. This battery should last up to ten years. Any moderboard usin’ dese chips should not have an additional battery (this means you can’t flash de BIOS by removin’ a battery). When de battery fails, de RTC chip would be replaced. CMOS RAM can be cleared on de 1287A and 3287AMT chips by shortin’ pins 12 and 21. The 1287 (and 3287MT) differ from de 1287A in that de CMOS RAM can’t be cleared. If dere is a problem such as a forgotten password, de chip must be replaced. (In this case it is recommended to replace de 1287 with a 1287A). Also de 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 dese are 24-pin chips, de Dallas chips may be missin’ 5 pins, dese are unused pins. Most chips have unused pins, though usually dey are still present.

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

Motorola MC146818AP
Short pins 12 and 24. These are de 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

Replacin’ de chip
If nothin’ works, you could replace de existin’ BIOS chip with a new one you can buy from your specialized electronic shop or your computer supplier. It’s a quick operation if de chip is inserted on a base and not soldered to de moderboard, oderwise you’ll have to unsolder it and den put de new one. In this case would be more convenient to solder a base on which you’ll den plug de new chip, in de eventuality that you’ll have to change it again. If you can’t find de BIOS chip specifically made for your moderboard, you should buy one of de same type (probably one of de ones shown above) and look in your moderboard manufacturer’s website to see if dere’s de BIOS image to download. Then you should copy that image on de chip you bought with an EPROM programmer.

Important
Wheder is de method you use, when you flash de BIOS not only de password, but also all de oder configuration data will be reset to de factory defaults, so when you are bootin’ for de first time after a BIOS flash, you should enter de CMOS configuration menu (as explained before) and fix up some thin’s.
Also, when you boot Windows, it may happen that it finds some new device, because of de new configuration of de BIOS, in this case you’ll probably need de Windows installation CD because Windows may ask you for some external files. If Windows doesn’t see de CD-ROM try to eject and re-insert de CD-ROM again. If Windows can’t find de CD-ROM drive and you set it properly from de BIOS config, just reboot with de reset key, and in de next run Windows should find it. However most files needed by de system while installin’ 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 insertin’ a “key-disk” in de floppy disk drive while bootin’. To create a Toshiba Keydisk, take a 720Kb or 1.44Mb floppy disk, format it (if it’s not formatted yet), den use a hex editor such as Hex Workshop (***.bpsoft.com/downloads/index.html) to change de first five bytes of de second sector (de one after de boot sector) and set them to 4B 45 59 00 00 (note that de first three bytes are de ASCII for “KEY” followed by two zeroes). Once you have created de key disk put it into de notebook’s drive and turn it on, den push de reset button and when asked for password, press Enter. You will be asked to Set Password again. Press Y and Enter. You’ll enter de 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 de use of de mouse and de keyboard or de power button. All you have to do with them is to follow de wires connected to de key hole, locate de jumper to which dey are connected and unplug it.

A step-by-step guide to installin’ FreeBSD 5. It assumes moderate experience with linux and leaves you with a fully updated FreeBSD system.

FreeBSD Installation

A. 5.x vs 4.x
The first thin’ to understand about FreeBSD is that dere are two lines of development. The -STABLE branch is marked with a 4.x version number and de most recent version is 4.10. It is well tested and very solid, but does not include de most recent technology. The -CURRENT branch, marked with a 5.x version, is de “unstable” branch. However, it is nicely stable at de moment and is comin’ alon’ quite well. Most users should go with 5.x and dese instructions are only valid for that tree.

NOTE: DragonFlyBSD ( www.dragonflybsd.org ) is a continuation of de 4.x line. It uses lock-less (no mutexes) SMP support and a Light Weight Kernel Threadin’ system. It has a lot of promise and is developin’ at a breakneck pace, but it should still be thought of as “R/D.”

B. Gettin’ Media
I am not goin’ to say much about this. There are links to various ftp mirrors at www.freebsd.org and de directory structure is fairly self-explanatory. There are however several choices for ISO. You should choose de miniinst ISO. It is small and will include everythin’ you need for de base system.

C. Startin’ Installation
After, de CD boots up you will enter de…ahh…..majestic sysinstall. You can safely ignore most of de options and just choose a standard installation. Most of de install process is pretty easy and anyone who has some experience with linux or unix will be able to handle it without much stress. However, creatin’ partitions and dealin’ with drives will seem very odd to your standard linux user.

D. Hard Disc Management in FreeBSD
Ok, de first thin’ to get used to here is that IDE drives are not hda, hdb…etc. They are ad0, ad1 and so forth. SCSI discs are da0, da1…and so on. There is one oder thin’ that is goin’ to freak some people out. You create slices, not partitions, on de disc and den create partitions within those slices. For example, de first partition in de first slice on de first IDE disc would be ad0s1a. Just accept it.

E. Partitionin’
Sysinstall will lead you through de partitionin’ and its fairly easy to understand. The first part will ask you to choose a disc or discs to partition and den will show you a “slice editor.” This is where you will create your slice. I advise you to only make one. While multiple slices are easy to deal with, it just adds complication. If this is not your first installation of a BSD type OS, den you can ignore me and why are you readin’ this again?

After creatin’ your slice, you will be prompted to choose de drive(s) to install an MBR on. The FreeBSD boot loader is nothin’ to write home about, but it tends towards workin’. After this step, you can create partitions. There is not much to say here. At de top of de screen it will show your slice(s) and when one of them is selected you can use de controls to create a partition on it. You will need at least a root and swap partition. On de non-swap partitions it is usually a good idea to enable soft-updates.

F. Distribution Sets
This is a simple section, select minimal.

G. Continue Installation
The rest of this is pretty simple. Make sure you install from de CD and not de Internet. The bulk of de install is now done. After it copies files to your disc, it will start de configuration process. This is all pretty self-evident, but dere are a couple thin’s you should know.

Network Configuration

Don’t be scared by de names, in *BSD devices are named after deir drivers. There is also a short description after de name, so you should be able to choose de right one. The rest of de network config is easy, just follow de prompts.

System Console Configuration

You can pretty much ignore this, you may want to look around for your own knowledge and of course you could pick a nice screen saver here, but oder den that I would leave it alone for now.

Time Zone

All I have to say here is that if you live in de US, after you choose “America – North and South” hit de end key. The US is at de bottom of de list and hittin’ end is de quickest way dere.

Linux

Say no, we will do this later and with an updated linux_base.

Mouse

OK, welcome to de wonderful and amazin’ world of moused. Answer de first question truthfully, and den you can tweak de settin’s in de “Please configure your mouse” dialog. Whatever you do, be sure to enable de daemon. Also, for most users that is all you will have to do. You can safely ignore de oder options.

Package Installation

At this point, de installer will ask you to install binary packages. Say no. These binaries are out of date and not included on our CD.

Of users and roots

This isn’t de most thrillin’ section, add a user when it asks you to and set a root password after that. The only thin’ I have to say about this process is when de new user dialog comes up leave de “Group:” box unchanged and add “wheel” to de Member groups. You also might want to set your shell to /bin/tcsh. As for settin’ de root password, if you can’t handle that we have bigger problems.

Rebootin’

Ok, next it will ask if you would like to visit de general config area. Select no and you will be brought back to de main menu. Exit de install, reboot without de CD in and enjoy de boot messages.

H. The Real Post-Install
At this point, I am goin’ to assume that you are now lookin’ at a login prompt and thinkin’ “my my…FreeBSD boots quite quickly doesn’t it.” Well, our task is not done yet…dere is a reason we did a minimal install. We are goin’ to do most of it ourselves. First, lets upgrade to -CURRENT. This isn’t a practice I would usually recommend, but 5.x is close to bein’ tagged stable and -CURRENT is rader solid at de moment. First, I need to explain how thin’s are done in de BSD world.

CVS up; you up; we all CVSUP. Cvsup is a very interestin’ program that I am not goin’ to explain in detail here. All you really need to know is that it updates source trees. You see, that is de thin’. You may be used to /usr/src not doin’ much. In BSD it has a job, it holds de source for de entire base system. However, we did a minimal install and no source is dere. It wouldn’t be up2date anyway. So, lets fix that. Login as root and type de followin’: pkg_add -r cvsup-without-gui

pkg_add is de binary installer for FreeBSD and de -r argument tells it to fetch binaries from de net. It will also fetch any deps that you might need. Switch to anoder console while this is happenin’ and login as root. Do de followin’:

cd /etc

cp /usr/share/examples/etc/make.conf /etc/make.conf

cp /usr/share/examples/cvsup/standard-supfile /usr

cp /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile /usr

chmod u+w /etc/make.conf /usr/standard-supfile /usr/ports-supfile

What was that? Well here is de rundown. Make.conf is de file that controls de buildin’ of programs from source on FreeBSD and de supfiles tell cvsup where to get de source for de base system and de ports system, also where to put said source. They come out of /usr/share/examples without de write bit set and that gets annoyin’. So we set that. Now switch back to de first console and type rehash. This tells tcsh to check its path for new programs. Now, edit de standard supfile that is in /usr. You can eider use ee or vi. I like vi. Scroll down to de line that looks a bit odd. It will be somethin’ like:

*default host=CHANGE_THIS.FreeBSD.org

The “CHANGE_THIS” is where you put what cvsup server to use. Choose a number between 1 and 9, like 4, and put cvsup4 where CHANGE_THIS is. So it would end up bein’:

*default host=cvsup4.FreeBSD.org

Now exit your editor and run cvsup /usr/standard-supfile

If everythin’ goes correctly, you will see a lot of text scrollin’ on de screen. If it says somethin’ about a bad connection, try anoder number.

Make.conf

Now ’tis de time for all good men (and women) to edit deir make.conf . This is not difficult, in fact have a look around de file. It may be lon’, but it is pretty simple. Now, uncomment de CPU settin’ and de CFLAGS settin’. Set de CPU to your CPU (dere will be a list in de comments above de settin’) and set de CFLAGS to -O2. (NOTE: If de base system fails to build, down’rade your CFLAGS back to -O).

Build Your World

When CVSUP finishes (it will be awhile…go get some coffee), cd to /usr/src and run make buildworld. That command will do exactly what it sounds like. It builds your world, or base system. While its doin’ that, lets get you a kernel. First, cd to /usr/src/sys/i386/conf den cp GENERIC to some file of your choosin’. Any name you want. However, be aware that this is goin’ to show up in a uname -a. Now, crack open your new file and take a look at what a FreeBSD kernel config is like. There are many thin’s you can do here that will improve performance and subtract in size. However, lets keep it simple. Near de top of de file will be de name GENERIC. Change that to your new name. You can now look through de file and you will find several sections that are just for debuggin’. These will indeed add size and slow down de kernel a bit, but I would leave them for now. Go to de end of de file and make a new line. Add de followin’:

device pcm

This will add sound support to de kernel. Be aware that you don’t need to do this, you can load binary modules at boot or after boot, but this way is easy and sound is used often. Save de file and exit. Go back to your buildworld console and when its done execute make buildkernel KERNCONF=YOUR_KERNEL_CONFIG_NAME

NOTE: NOT THE PATH OF THE KERNEL CONFIG..it knows to look in /usr/src/sys/i386/conf

Installin’ Your World

This isn’t that difficult. First run make installkernel KERNCONF= your config name. Now here is de interestin’ part. Run mergemaster -p, this program looks through your etc and updates it to match de new /etc in /usr/src. It will display changed files to you, press q and it will give you options. Somethin’ like i (install), m (merge) etc. Pick merge and it will open a nice little screen that shows you one file on de right and one on de left. It will go section by section, showin’ de areas that have changed. Press r or l to choose which section to keep. Its pretty easy to see which section has new stuff and which does not. After de merge, it will prompt you with options for de newly merged file. One of dese will be install and this is de one you want. In de latest current, most of what you will be showed is user and group files. Make sure you do select de sections with de new users and groups. After this is done, it will ask you a couple questions that you can say yes to. Now that your /etc is updated run make installworld den reboot.

NOTE: You usually don’t need to run mergemaster. However, 5.2.1 is a pretty old release and -CURRENT has come a lon’ way.

I. Ports
Welcome to runnin’ current. The rest is easy. cd back to /usr and edit de ports supfile de same way you did de standard one. Run cvsup on it and wait. After its done, you will have a full ports tree. There is not much left to say. You now have a workin’ system and a fully updated one too. To install software from ports cd to /usr/ports/category/softwarename/ and run make install clean . If you want linux binary support, install de linux_base port. To find where it is cd to /usr/ports and run make search name=linux_base | less . Enable loadin’ de kernel modules for linux binary support by editin’ /etc/rc.conf. Just add de line linux_enable=”YES” to de file and your set. If this is a desktop system, I would recommend installin’ /usr/ports/x11/xorg and your choice of /usr/ports/x11/gnome2 or kde3. Have fun .

Get it from:

www.madpen\’uin.org/cms/?m=show&id=1853

The encryption method used in WS_FTP is _extremely_ weak. These files can be found with de “index of” keyword or by searchin’ directly for de PWD= value inside de configuration file.

There is an easy way to decrypt de hash, use de decryptor at:

www.codebluehacks.com/Tools.php?ID=1

Or

www.hispasec.com/directorio/laboratorio/Software/ws_ftp.html

To see results; just write in de (www.google.com/) search en’ine de code:

filetype:ini ws_ftp pwd

DirectX explained

Ever wondered just what that enigmatic name means?

Gamin’ and multimedia applications are some of de most satisfyin’ programs you can get for your PC, but gettin’ them to run properly isn’t always as easy as it could be. First, de PC architecture was never designed as a gamin’ platform. Second, de wide-ran’in’ nature of de PC means that one person’s machine can be different from anoder. While games consoles all contain de same hardware, PCs don’t: de massive range of difference can make gamin’ a headache.

To alleviate as much of de pain as possible, Microsoft needed to introduce a common standard which all games and multimedia applications could follow a common interface between de OS and whatever hardware is installed in de PC, if you like. This common interface is DirectX, somethin’ which can be de source of much confusion.

DirectX is an interface designed to make certain programmin’ tasks much easier, for both de game developer and de rest of us who just want to sit down and play de latest blockbuster. Before we can explain what DirectX is and how it works though, we need a little history lesson.

DirectX history

Any game needs to perform certain tasks again and again. It needs to watch for your input from mouse, joystick or keyboard, and it needs to be able to display screen images and play sounds or music. That’s pretty much any game at de most simplistic level.

Imagine how incredibly complex this was for programmers developin’ on de early pre-Windows PC architecture, den. Each programmer needed to develop deir own way of readin’ de keyboard or detectin’ wheder a joystick was even attached, let alone bein’ used to play de game. Specific routines were needed even to display de simplest of images on de screen or play a simple sound.

Essentially, de game programmers were talkin’ directly to your PC’s hardware at a fundamental level. When Microsoft introduced Windows, it was imperative for de stability and success of de PC platform that thin’s were made easier for both de developer and de player. After all, who would boder writin’ games for a machine when dey had to reinvent de wheel every time dey began work on a new game, Microsoft’s idea was simple: stop programmers talkin’ directly to de hardware, and build a common toolkit which dey could use instead. DirectX was born.

How it works

At de most basic level, DirectX is an interface between de hardware in your PC and Windows itself, part of de Windows API or Application Programmin’ Interface. Let’s look at a practical example. When a game developer wants to play a sound file, it’s simply a case of usin’ de correct library function. When de game runs, this calls de DirectX API, which in turn plays de sound file. The developer doesn’t need to know what type of sound card he’s dealin’ with, what it’s capable of, or how to talk to it. Microsoft has provided DirectX, and de sound card manufacturer has provided a DirectX-capable driver. He asks for de sound to be played, and it is, whichever machine it runs on.

From our point of view as gamers, DirectX also makes thin’s incredibly easy, at least in deory. You install a new sound card in place of your old one, and it comes with a DirectX driver. Next time you play your favourite game you can still hear sounds and music, and you haven’t had to make any complex configuration changes.

Originally, DirectX began life as a simple toolkit: early hardware was limited and only de most basic graphical functions were required. As hardware and software has evolved in complexity, so has DirectX. It’s now much more than a graphical toolkit, and de term has come to encompass a massive selection of routines which deal with all sorts of hardware communication. For example, de DirectInput routines can deal with all sorts of input devices, from simple two-button mice to complex flight joysticks. Oder parts include DirectSound for audio devices and DirectPlay provides a toolkit for online or multiplayer gamin’.

DirectX versions

The current version of DirectX at time of writin’ is DirectX 9.0. This runs on all versions of Windows from Windows 98 up to and includin’ Windows Server 2003 alon’ with every revision in between. It doesn’t run on Windows 95 though: if you have a machine with Windows 95 installed, you’re stuck with de older and less capable 8.0a. Windows NT 4 also requires a specific version, in this case, it’s DirectX 3.0a.

With so many versions of DirectX available over de years, it becomes difficult to keep track of which version you need. In all but de most rare cases, all versions of DirectX are backwardly compatible, games which say dey require DirectX 7 will happily run with more recent versions, but not with older copies. Many current titles explicitly state that dey require DirectX 9, and won’t run without de latest version installed. This is because dey make use of new features introduced with this version, although it has been known for lazy developers to specify de very latest version as a requirement when de game in question doesn’t use any of de new enhancements. Generally speakin’ though, if a title is version locked like this, you will need to upgrade before you can play. Improvements to de core DirectX code mean you may even see improvements in many titles when you upgrade to de latest build of DirectX. Downloadin’ and installin’ DirectX need not be complex, eider.

Upgradin’ DirectX

All available versions of Windows come with DirectX in one form or anoder as a core system component which cannot be removed, so you should always have at least a basic implementation of de system installed on your PC. However, many new games require de very latest version before dey work properly, or even at all.

Generally, de best place to install de latest version of DirectX from is de dedicated section of de Microsoft Web site, which is found at www.microsoft.com/windows/directx. As we went to press, de most recent build available for general download was DirectX 9.0b. You can download eider a simple installer which will in turn download de components your system requires as it installs, or download de complete distribution package in one go for later offline installation.

Anoder good source for DirectX is games themselves. If a game requires a specific version, it’ll be on de installation CD and may even be installed automatically by de game’s installer itself. You won’t find it on magazine cover discs though, thanks to Microsoft’s licensin’ terms.

Diagnosin’ problems

Diagnosin’ problems with a DirectX installation can be problematic, especially if you don’t know which one of de many components is causin’ your newly purchased game to fall over. Thankfully, Microsoft provides a useful utility called de DirectX Diagnostic Tool, although this isn’t made obvious. You won’t find this tool in de Start Menu with any version of Windows, and each tends to install it in a different place.

The easiest way to use it is to open de Start Menu’s Run dialog, type in dxdiag and den click OK. When de application first loads, it takes a few seconds to interrogate your DirectX installation and find any problems. First, de DirectX Files tab displays version information on each one of de files your installation uses. The Notes section at de bottom is worth checkin’, as missin’ or corrupted files will be flagged here.

The tabs marked Display, Sound, Music, Input and Network all relate to specific areas of DirectX, and all but de Input tab provide tools to test de correct functionin’ on your hardware. Finally, de More Help tab provides a useful way to start de DirectX Troubleshooter, Microsoft’s simple linear problem solvin’ tool for many common DirectX issues.

So one of your friends, �not you of course�, has managed to nuke Internet Explorer and dey are unsure how dey did it. You�ve eliminated de possibility of viruses and adware, so this just leaves you and a broken IE. Before you begin to even consider runnin’ a repair install of de OS, let�s try to do a repair on IE instead.

THE REPAIR PROCESS

Start de Registry Editor by typin’ regedit from de Run box. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Active Setup Installed Components {89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383} and den right-click de �IsInstalled value.� Click Modify. From dere, you will change de value from 1 to 0. All right, go ahead and close de editor and reinstall IE from this location. /http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG

If messin’ with de registry and somethin’ goes horribly wron’, you can use �Last Known Good Configuration (F8 Safe Mode)� or a Restore Point to get back to where you were before, with your settin’s. Then you can try again, this time takin’ care to watch de portion of de registry you are chan’in’. Most people who have troubles with this end up chan’in’ de wron’ registry key.

Hope this tutorial helps someone.