9 Tips & Tricks To Get The Most Out Of Your Netflix Subscription

Netflix is seriously the best thing since sliced bread. In addition to their outstanding collection of DVDs 

andBlu-Rays available via mail, they have an astounding selection of streamable movies. In fact, there are so many movies that it is hard to decide which one to watch.

With so many choices, how can you get the most out of your Netflix subscription? The tips and tools below will work to push your Netflix subscription to its limit, whether you just have movies mailed to you or are a frequent instant watcher and consumer of movies and shows.

Netflix Queue Sorter

AGreasemonkey script named Netflix Queue Sorter will give you advanced queue sort options not available on the Netflix site itself. Since Greasemonkey scripts are compatible on a variety of platforms, you can use this script to augment your queue management tasks. This is very helpful for sorting your queue on a number of options including popularity, rating, year and more.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts While Streaming

A number ofkeyboard shortcutsare available while watching a streaming video. These shortcuts not only help with your viewing of a movie but also have options to tweak your streaming experience.

Space – Toggle Play/Pause
Enter – Toggle Play/Pause
Page Up – Play
Page Down – Pause
F – Full-screen
Escape – Exit full-screen
Shift+Left arrow – Rewind
Shift+Right arrow – Fast Forward
Non-Full Screen Only:
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+M – Menu
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+C – Codes; frame rate plus other (unknown to me) info. Also makes other overlays green.
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+D – Display A/V Stats on-screen
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+L - Logging window
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+P – Player Info
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+S – Stream bit rate and manual rate selection

Use A Remote For Netflix Watch Instantly Movies

Tying into the keyboard shortcuts above, you can useGirder or other remote software to have your remote control the playback of your Netflix movie. Although Netflix doesn’t have a full blown UI like some of the nicer players (Boxee, Wii, etc) it will allow you to control the playback on your PC in the normal browser window. The full instructions for getting this set up are over on Geektonic.

Keep Up To Date On Netflix News

HackingNetflix has less to do with hacking in the traditional sense and more to do with the latest Netflix news. They also feature new tips they have found out about as well as any new features on the Netflix website. If you want to keep in touch with the latest trends within the world of Netflix, HackingNetflix is the place to be.

Manage Your Queue Remotely

If you are anything like me while out speaking with friends a movie will casually be mentioned, only to be forgotten about when I finally got home to add it to my queue. Now that smartphones are ever-present, you can download an app on many platforms that can be used to manage your queue remotely from anywhere. Some free options are PhoneFlickson the Apple front and QueueMan on Android.

Find Interesting Movies

Two websites which tie into your Netflix account using its API are Inveniand FFlick(recently purchased by Google). They take the movies you watch and the movies that your friends watch to make recommendations as to movies you might like to see. This non-automated recommendation engine works differently than the algorithmic Netflix “Movies You’ll Love” section, giving you a different set of results based on human recommendations.

Also sites like Instantwatcher allow you to browse movies available instantly based on ratings, reviews and other interesting parameters, giving you a good selection of movies to watch right away.

Watch Netflix Movies From (Just About) Any Device Under The Sun

Netflix has partnered with many hardware manufacturers to give you access on a lot of platforms. From televisions to DVD & Blu-Ray players, Game systems like the Wii and Xbox 360, to mobile devices, Netflix has you covered. Their platforms are constantly expanding, for example on the mobile device front they currently support iPhone, iPad and Windows Phone 7 and it has been rumored that Android support is forthcoming.

Put Your Subscription On Hold

Going away for an extended period of time but want to keep your movie Queue? You can put your account on hold for 7 to 90 days with no charges as long as you have returned all of your physical DVDs. This is a good option if you are going on an extended vacation or trip or otherwise want to save some bucks while not actively using the site. It should also be noted, at least when I did this a few years back, if you cancel your account and then reactivate it at a later time it will also save your movie queue.

Set Up Content Ratings Lock

If you have a family with small children this is fairly important to get set up. While your little ones are on the site they will have a full reign of movies at their disposal and to keep things clean you can set the movie ratings to only allow movies with a certain MPAA rating to be watched. Since this is integrated throughout the site, it will make it harder to switch back and forth for a multi user account; but it is a good option to keep only clean stuff in your account.

The Best Computer Tips and Tricks: Microsoft Office 2007

View Documents as Drafts

One thing that annoys us about Word 2007 is that it doesn't automatically let you open a document in Draft view (which was the Normal view in earlier versions of Word). To enable this, click the Office button > Word Options > Advanced > General. Then click the box next to "Allow opening a document in Draft View."

Display Formatting Marks

Some people can live without Word's marks for spaces and paragraphs, but for those Word 2007 users who can't, go to the Office button > Word Options > Display. Then, under "Always show these formatting marks on the screen," check the box for spaces, paragraph marks, and more.

Show Page Breaks in Excel

Printing an Excel spreadsheet can be a hassle, but you don't need to go to Print Preview in order to see where a page breaks. Click the Office button, then under Excel Options, click Advanced. Under "Display options for this worksheet" click the box next to "Show page breaks."

Check Your Style

First, Word could check your spelling, and then your grammar; now it can even critique your writing style. If you're concerned about things like wordiness and improper use of the passive voice, have Word 2007 check for them. Click the Office button > Word Options > Proofing. Under Writing Style, select Grammar & Style from the dropdown. If there are particular areas you don't Word to scrutinize, click the adjacent Settings button and then uncheck the appropriate boxes.

Change Your Presentation's Resolution

With larger wide-screen displays becoming the PC-viewing norm, you might not want your PowerPoint presentation to go online formatted for an old-school 800x600 resolution. To bump up your presentation's optimal screen size, click the Office button > PowerPoint Options > Advanced. Under the General area, click Web Options, select the Pictures tab, and choose the screen size you want.

Revert to Old Office File Formats

The latest version of Office "grants" users new default file extensions that aren't compatible with previous versions; you're forced to download and install a plug-in. But if you want to make the old Office file formats your default ones, click Office, and then Options for the specific program you're in. Select Save in the left-hand column, and then under "Save documents," choose the old Office file extension from the pull-down menu next to "Save files in this format."

Disable Windows XP login prompt

Too tired of logging on every time you turn on your personal computer? The good news is, you can disable the logon prompt and have Windows go straight to your desktop. However, this only works for home computers, which are usually not a member of any domain. In particular, the trick only works for local user accounts.
Now, the question might come up: Why do I need to do this while I can just delete my password? Setting a password for your account increases the security level of your PC. So it is a good practice to configure your account with a strong password, but you don't have to logon every single time by applying this trick.
Some people might get more curious: If I don't have to enter my password to login, that just means everyone can login to my PC? Not really, it is only true if someone comes to your PC, physically turns it on and uses it. Other than that, any access to your PC (i.e. via network, internet, etc...) would be restricted if no/incorrect password is provided.
Steps:

1. From Desktop, Click on "Start" >> "Run".
2. Then type in "control userpasswords2" and press Enter.
3. Select your user account from the list.
4. Uncheck the box for "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer."
5. Click "Apply" and "Ok".
6. You'll be prompted for password, enter your password and you're all done!.

The Best Computer Tips and Tricks: Internet Explorer 7

Disable Plug-ins

If IE runs too slowly, or if it freezes up on you a lot, try disabling some of its preinstalled add-ons. Click Tools > Manage Add-ons > Enable or Disable Add-ons to see which add-ons are enabled. Select an add-on you don't want preinstalled, then click the Disable radio button under Settings to deactivate it.

Open Multiple Web Sites

Want IE to open two or more tabs when you start it up? Go to Tools > Internet Options, then type as many addresses as you want (on individual lines) in the "Home page" field.

Change Text Size

Hold the Ctrl key and roll the mouse wheel to change Web pages' text size: Rolling up makes it smaller, rolling down makes it bigger.

Tab Shortcuts

Hit Ctrl+T to open a tab so you can visit a new site without opening a new window; browse opened tabs without taking your hands off the keyboard by hitting Ctrl+Tab.

Create a Favorites Group

Want to group like-minded favorites in folders? Open new tabs to all the sites, then select "Add Tab Group to Favorites" under the Favorites menu, and then give the group a name. Now, when you go to the Favorites menu, just click on the folder to see all the related sites in one convenient place.

Redirect Pop-ups

Pop-ups usually open in a new window, but you can instruct IE to open them in a new tab instead. Go to Tools > Internet Options, and under the General tab, select Settings in the Tab section. Under "When a pop-up is encountered:" click the radio button labeled "Always open pop-ups in a new tab."

Scrub Browser Cache

If you don't want your temporary files hanging around, you can instruct IE to delete them automatically every time you exit the browser. Go to Tools > Internet Options and open the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Security section, then click the checkbox next to "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed."

Mouse-free Browsing

You don't need a mouse to surf the Web—many functions can be performed just with the keyboard. Hitting F11 will shift the browser into full-screen mode (and back again). Ctrl+E will move the text-entry cursor to the LiveSearch box. Hit Ctrl+D to instantly add the current site to your Favorites, and Alt+D to move you automatically to the location bar.

Disable Sounds in Web Pages

If you prefer your own digital music collection to the soundtracks to be found on some Web sites, you can tell IE to keep them quiet. Go to Tools > Internet Options and open the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Multimedia section, and deselect the check box next to "Play sounds in web pages."

The Best Computer Tips and Tricks: Internet Explorer 7

Disable Plug-ins

If IE runs too slowly, or if it freezes up on you a lot, try disabling some of its preinstalled add-ons. Click Tools > Manage Add-ons > Enable or Disable Add-ons to see which add-ons are enabled. Select an add-on you don't want preinstalled, then click the Disable radio button under Settings to deactivate it.

Open Multiple Web Sites

Want IE to open two or more tabs when you start it up? Go to Tools > Internet Options, then type as many addresses as you want (on individual lines) in the "Home page" field.

Change Text Size

Hold the Ctrl key and roll the mouse wheel to change Web pages' text size: Rolling up makes it smaller, rolling down makes it bigger.

Tab Shortcuts

Hit Ctrl+T to open a tab so you can visit a new site without opening a new window; browse opened tabs without taking your hands off the keyboard by hitting Ctrl+Tab.

Create a Favorites Group

Want to group like-minded favorites in folders? Open new tabs to all the sites, then select "Add Tab Group to Favorites" under the Favorites menu, and then give the group a name. Now, when you go to the Favorites menu, just click on the folder to see all the related sites in one convenient place.

Redirect Pop-ups

Pop-ups usually open in a new window, but you can instruct IE to open them in a new tab instead. Go to Tools > Internet Options, and under the General tab, select Settings in the Tab section. Under "When a pop-up is encountered:" click the radio button labeled "Always open pop-ups in a new tab."

Scrub Browser Cache

If you don't want your temporary files hanging around, you can instruct IE to delete them automatically every time you exit the browser. Go to Tools > Internet Options and open the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Security section, then click the checkbox next to "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed."

Mouse-free Browsing

You don't need a mouse to surf the Web—many functions can be performed just with the keyboard. Hitting F11 will shift the browser into full-screen mode (and back again). Ctrl+E will move the text-entry cursor to the LiveSearch box. Hit Ctrl+D to instantly add the current site to your Favorites, and Alt+D to move you automatically to the location bar.

Disable Sounds in Web Pages

If you prefer your own digital music collection to the soundtracks to be found on some Web sites, you can tell IE to keep them quiet. Go to Tools > Internet Options and open the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Multimedia section, and deselect the check box next to "Play sounds in web pages."

Find Product Key for Windows and Office

If you are looking for a way to retrieve the product keys of your MS Windows or MS Office, you are on the right page!
The following is a tool to detect the product keys of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office installed on your machine. This tool is free to download at Magical Jelly Bean.
Here's a screenshot


The tool also provides some nice features let you change your Windows product key, or detect the key remotely to another computer.

To download a copy of this tool. Click Here.

The Best Computer Tips and Tricks: System Tweaks

Disable System Restore

You can gain a lot of drive space by disabling System Restore. (You should already have a backup regimen in place before you do this.) In Vista, right-click My Computer, select Advanced system settings, click the System Protection tab, and uncheck any drives. In XP, right-click My Computer, then under System Tasks, click on "View system information." Click on the System Restore tab and click the box next to "Turn off System Restore on all drives" to disable it.

Configure Windows Update

Windows Update is great, but if it's set on autopilot, it will download updates that require a reboot, then pester you forever to install them, and eventually reboot on its own. Change the Windows Update settings (in the Windows Security section of the Control Panel) to download updates but ask you whether to install them.

Disable Delete Confirmation

You can disable the confirmation that pops up whenever you delete something by right-clicking the Recycle Bin and selecting Properties. Uncheck the delete confirmation box, click Apply and then OK, and you're done. Also, you can bypass the Recycle Bin entirely by holding down the Shift key while deleting files.

Disable Windows Animations

Sliding Window animations look cool, but you can improve system performance by disabling them completely. Right-click My Computer and go to Properties. In Vista, select Advanced system settings, or click the Advanced tab in XP. Click Settings in the performance box and uncheck any box that says animate, slide, or fade.

Create a Custom Toolbar

If you're constantly accessing a particular folder, you can add it to your taskbar for quick access. Right-click the taskbar and scroll to Toolbars, then select New Toolbar. It will open an Explorer window, so browse to your folder and select it. It's also handy to add My Computer as a toolbar.

The Best Computer Tips and Tricks: Laptops

Make Your Own Power Plan

Windows laptops include a few preset power plans for maximizing battery life, but you can also customize your operating system's power-management features (in Windows XP, under Power Options in the Control Panel; in Vista, under Mobile PC in the Control Panel). Setting aggressive targets for when the display turns off and when the machine goes into sleep or hibernate mode will help your battery last longer.

Limit Your Connection

When you aren't actively using your notebook's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WWAN, or other wireless connections, turn the radios off (via the hard switch, if your PC has one, or using the appropriate utility), so they don't run down the battery while they keep searching for a signal. Also, use USB-attached devices sparingly while you're mobile.

Track it down

Thousands of laptops are reported stolen every year. Our advice? Prepare for the worst by investing in tracking software like Absolute Software's Lojack for Laptops, CyberAngel Security, or the free TheLaptopLock. These utilities can pinpoint a registered notebook's location once it connects to the Web, increasing your chances of recovering your system.

Dim the display

A laptop's biggest battery-life-sucking component is its LCD display. To eke out more juice when you're off the plug, turn down your panel's brightness to the lowest level your eyes can stand. Most notebooks have a Function key combo—or even a dedicated hot key—for a quick crank-down. (You can also adjust brightness in Display Settings under Control Panel.)

Keep It Cool

Thanks to their small, cramped cases and tiny vents, laptops are prone to overheating. Unfortunately, using your notebook on your lap—or on top of a blanket that protects your lap from your scalding-hot notebook—can seriously stifle ventilation and make matters worse. To help keep temperatures in check, opt for a lap desk or a laptop cooling pad that won't conduct heat or block your laptop's vents.

Back Up Everything

Constant movement puts computer components at risk, and because of their portability, laptops suffer a lot more wear and tear than desktops. All of that on-the-go use increases the risk of hard drive failure, so make sure you back up the data on your laptop to an external hard drive, thumb drive, or home server on a regular basis. Portable hard drives like the Western Digital Passport Elite make it easy to back up your data on the road.

Cover Your Keyboard

Keep liquids away from laptops at all times. That rule often gets broken, of course, and accidents happen. Should that accident end up on your laptop's keyboard, however, you could end up with more than just a mess: Liquids that seep through your notebook's keys can fry its components. Protect your notebook from spills with a custom-built, plastic keyboard cover from ProtecT Laptop Covers.

Buy a Bag

If you plan to carry your notebook with you, the most useful accessory you can buy is a laptop bag. They're available in a number of styles and prices; for maximum protection, we recommend investing in a model with a built-in padded sleeve. If you want something less conspicuous (thieves have been known to target obvious-looking laptop bags), cover your laptop in stand-alone sleeve and stow it in your backpack or briefcase.

Let It Accumulate

When you move your laptop from a cold to a warm environment, and vice versa, don't boot up until your system reaches room temperature. Sudden temperature changes can cause condensation to build up inside the notebook case; turn it on too quickly, and the moisture could damage your system's inner components

Hide all drives from My Computer using Registry Editor

This trick is a user contributed. The information might have been copied and pasted exactly as what user posted.
Proceed at your own risks.


How to Hide the drives(c:,d:,e:,...etc) in Ur Computer

This is a great trick you can play on your friends. To disable the display of local or networked drives when you click My Computer.

1. Go to Start -> Run.
2. Type regedit
3. Now go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
4. Now in the right pane, create a new DWORD item and name it NoDrives (it is case sensitive).
5. Now modify it's value and set it to 3FFFFFF (Hexadecimal) .
6. Now restart your computer.
7. So, now when you click on My Computer, no drives will be shown(all gone...).

To enable display of drives in My Computer, simply delete this DWORD item that you created. Again restart your computer. You can now see all the drives again. Magic.......

Convert any Web page or Document into PDF file

Somebody just told you that you need to have Adobe Acrobat (Writer) to create a PDF file? Guess what, you can get away from that pricey piece of software if you just need to convert some documents to pdf, without a need of fancy editing the pdf document.
Here's how. Thanks to the BullZip, who provides a Free Pdf printer. With this free tool, you can simply "print out" your document or webpage to a pdf file, just about the same way as you print it out to a printer.
You can visit BullZip.com for more information about the software.
Here the direct link to BullZip downloads page: Downloads

1. To get started, first follow the link above and download Free Pdf Printer from BullZip, then install it to your computer.
2. Once you're done, you might need to close the program (or the web browser) which you're currently viewing the document. This helps refreshing the list of available printers on your computer.
3. Once you get back to the document you want to convert, perform the same steps are you print out the document, i.e. File > Print ...
4. When you see the Print window pop-up, select "Bullzip PDF Printer" under "Printers", then click "OK".
5. BullZip PDF Printer will then start to analyze your document and display a new pop-up window, where you can direct it to the location you want to save the pdf file.
6. Follow the pop-up windows and.. hola! The PDF document is created!

Best P.C Tips and Tricks

Disable Remote Registry Editing

Only you should be editing your Windows registry, so make sure this service is disabled by clicking Start, Run, and then typing "services.msc." Scroll down to Remote Registry and make sure the service is stopped, and then set it to either manual or disable.

Lock It Down

It's always a good idea to lock your PC if strangers are nearby and you step away for a few minutes. Just press Windows key+L to lock your PC. Alternatively, you can set your screensaver (via the Screensaver tab in Display Settings under Control Panel) to require a password if it's deactivated by checking the box in "Settings" that says "On resume, password protect."

Prevent Phishing Attacks

Protect yourself from identity theft and phishing attacks by using the the latest versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera. These browsers include protection that double-checks URLs against a blacklist, and will notify you if you're about to visit a known phishing site.

Keep Your Software Up to Date

Hackers and crackers love to take advantage of exploits found in software, which causes the developers to release a patch to plug up the holes. Therefore, it's imperative you not only enable Windows Update but also download the latest version of any software on your system, especially your Web browser and antivirus program.

Be Wary of P2P Files

Virus makers love peer-to-peer file-sharing services. They name their virus "Angelina Jolie Wallpapers" or something similar and upload it. Then millions of people download it, launch it, and wonder why their computers are infested with viruses. Download with caution, and always use antivirus software. If you need an effective, free antivirus solution, we recommend AVG Free.

Wipe the Drive Before Donating Your Old Computer

If you are getting rid of a hard drive and want to render all or some of its data unrecoverable, you have two options. You can download Eraser to securely wipe any file or folder, and you can use Darik's Boot and Nuke SE (DBAN) to write over the entire drive. To use DBAN, download it and burn it as an ISO disc, then boot from it. It will provide you with instructions on the welcome screen.

Encrypt Sensitive Files

If you want to encrypt sensitive data, you can buy a portable USB drive with built-in encryption like the CMS ABS-Secure Encrypted Backup System, but if you just want to protect a specific folder or group of files, we recommend Truecrypt, which is free. It encrypts a custom-sized volume with 256-bit AES encryption, so it's extremely secure.

Verify Your Backups

Many people have a "set it and forget it" mindset when it comes to backups. Even after you establish a regimen, however, it's critical that you check the target folders periodically to ensure the proper files are being backed up. If not, re-configure your backup routine to make sure it's working properly.

Back Up Your Data

You must back up your data, period. If you have the means, we highly recommend an external USB drive like the Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus. If you already have an extra drive in your system—but just need some good backup software—try the free version of 2BrightSpark's Syncback, which is sublimely easy to configure.

Turn Off Your PC During Lightning Storms

Even surge protectors can be overwhelmed during electrical storms, and we've seen the results first-hand—fried motherboards, processors, hard drives and power supplies. If you're experiencing a heavy-duty electrical storm, take our advice and unplug your computer from the wall socket—just in case. And buy a laptop to use until the crisis passes.

Enable S.M.A.R.T for Your Hard Drives

S.M.A.R.T (self-monitoring analysis and reporting technology) allows your drive to report whether it's about to fail, which can give you a heads-up to replace it. All the modern hard drives have it—go into your PC's BIOS (press Del or F2/F10 during bootup) and enable it.

Enable Extension Viewing

By default, Windows hides file extensions, and virus-makers exploit this feature by giving their executable program names like Popularsong.exe, which appears as a harmless audio file if you have extensions hidden. To enable extension viewing, open any folder and click Tools, Folder Options, and uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types."

Memory Card Recovery Full Download free trick

Recover Ur Photos, Mp3’s and Videos deleted from your Mobile or DigiCam Memory Card.

     Features:

     - Recover deleted photos from memory cards

     - Recover lost photos from memory cards

     - Recover photos from formatted memory cards

     - Recover photos from damaged, unreadable or defective memory cards

     - Recover photos from removable storage including floppy disks, Zip disks etc.

     - Recover photo, audio/video, MP3, MP4 files from cellular phones, MP3 players, PDAs etc.

     Supported Storage:

     - CompactFlash Card, CF Card

     - Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Pro Duo

     - Secure Digital Card, SD Card, miniSD

     - MultiMedia Card, MMC Card

     - SmartMedia, SM Card

     - xD Picture Card

     - Micro Drive

     - Cellular Phone, PDA and MP3/MP4 Player

     - Floppy Disk, Zip Disk and more

     Supported Situations:

     - Photos deleted accidentally from memory cards

     - Photos loss due to formatting or “Delete All”

     - Corruption due to the card being pulled out while your camera is on

     - Damage due to turning your camera off during a write process

     - Data corruption due to critical areas damage e.g. FAT, ROOT, BOOT area damage

     - Data loss due to using between different cameras/computers/devices

     - Other events that could cause damage to data

     Supported Photo Types:

     - Common Picture Formats: JPG JPEG TIF GIF TIF PNG BMP

     - Common Video Formats: AVI MPG MPEG MOV ASF

     - Common Audio Formats: MP3 MP4 WAV

     - Common Archive Formats: ZIP RAR

     - RAW Image Formats: Nikon NEF, Canon CRW, Kodak DCR, Minolta MRW, Fuji RAF, Sigma X3F, Pentax PEF

     Supported Camera Brands:

     - Nikon, Canon, Kodak, FujiFilm Polaroid Casio Olympus Sony SamSung Panasonic

     - Fuji, Konica, HP, Agfa, NEC, Imation, Sanyo, Epson, IBM, Minolta, Goldstar

     - LG, SHARP, Lexar, Mitsubishi, Kyocera, JVC, Leica, Phillips, Toshiba, SanDisk

     - Chinon, Ricoh, Hitachi, Pentax, Kinon, Verbatim, Vivitar, Yashica, Argus

     - And much more…

     System Requirements:

     - Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003/VISTA

     - RAM 64MB or above

     - Free hard drive space 2 MB for installation, 128MB or above for photo scan & recovery

     - A memory card reader if your card/camera cannot appear as a drive letter in “My Computer”