Block certain e-mails on gmail, based on a certain search criteria.

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It is really annoying to watch your email account flooded with spam, or unimportant mails, especially if its a business or a professional mail account.
      There's a trick to automatically delete these mails , as soon as they arrive in your inbox. Follow the simple procedure given below.

1. In the Search bar on the top, there's an arrow pointing downwards(Tool-tip : Show search options).Click this arrow.
2. A window will popup,just enter your search criteria, for e.g the name of the sender you want to block.
3. Click "Create filter with this search".
4. A new Window will show up.Now check the "Delete it" option, and click on the "Create filter" button.

That's it! You're done. Now mails from this sender will automatically get deleted as they arrive in your inbox.

Hope it helps :)

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Change the default directory of cmd in Windows.

While using cmd for compiling and running programs of  <Insert favourite programming-language here>, it sometimes becomes tiresome to switch to the directory where you saved the source file. Worse yet,if you close the command prompt accidentally , you have to repeat the process again.
     Fortunately,there's a registry-hack to set the default directory whenever you open you cmd.Here are the steps.

1. Press Windows Key + R(Or Start=>Run).
2. Type "regedit".
3. From the menus in the left pane, navigate to
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Command Processor
4. If it does not already exist,Right click on any empty area on the right pane, click New => String value.Name it as "Autorun".
5. Now suppose you want to set the default directory to D:\Java , you can double click the autorun string,and in the value field type
   
   CD /d D:\Java

                                                        Hope it helps :)

Animate your mouse cursor,without using 3rd party softwares.

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You have to admit the default look of Windows cursor has become pretty stale and boring.One option to change is to use 3rd party tools to change the default cursor look.But the problem is,they take up system's memory to operate,causing PC slowdowns in case of low RAM.

Encrypt your data stored in Dropbox for enhanced security.

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Dropbox is a killer cloud based file-sync utility,but it isn't without flaws.Recent reports state that an authentication bug caused anyone to log-in to your account and steal important data.

     Today,I bring a fix to resolve the security problem.Follow the simple steps below:

• Download TrueCrypt from here :-
  http://www.truecrypt.org/downloads
• Install the program on your Hard-Disk.Once installed,launch TrueCrypt.
• Click on "Create Volume".
• Chose the default options-"Create an encrypted file container" and then "Standard TrueCrypt volume".
• Now when it asks to enter the location for the volume,browse to your Dropbox folder(C:\Users\YourUserName\Dropbox by default),and enter a name of your choice.
• Now chose a password for your TrueCrypt container.
• Hit the Format button.
• Once finished,your TrueCrypt volume is ready for use.

      Now,to mount this volume and copy important data in it,follow these steps:

• Launch TrueCrypt.
• Select a drive letter.
• Click on select file,and browse to the file you created earlier in the Dropbox folder.
• Hit the mount button.
• Your virtual drive will open in the explorer,where you can paste important data.
• Once done,click on dismount in TrueCrypt.
• Your data will be synced securely to Dropbox.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial :)

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How to compress captured video to a smaller size without any loss of quality.

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Earlier in one of my posts,I talked about image compression mentioning how the raw images captured through a Digital Camera takes up a large amount of storage space on your Hard-Disk.
In the same manner,the video captured through a source such as a Handycam,or say a desktpop video recording application such as Camstudio,gameplay recording softwares such as Fraps,and other such applications,is in a RAW format,that takes up incredible amount of memory space to store(With incredible I mean even 10 times the required storage space).This video is of such a large size because during recording,there isn't enough time to encode the movie and record simultaneously.

How to troubleshoot common PC problems online.

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No matter how much we learn about computers,or the way we use them,we all face problems once in a while.These problems may be categorized as:-

• Viruses,spywares,worms,keyloggers,trojan horses,etc.
• BSOD(Blue screen of death),errors,bugs,etc.
• Any other problem,related to a particular hardware/software usage.

Now,everyone who uses a PC is not a geek,and need not be either.While we can easily call for help from a knowledgeable person who can fix the problem,such a quick help might not be available at all times.
      So,today i'm going to solve all your queries and problems mentioned above.

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                                                                   THE FIRST STEP 
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The method that I personally prefer is to use the popular search engine GOOGLE for any help.What you can do is look for certain keywords that are most important in the long error statement.In case of viruses,you can search for symptoms of you infected system.
Some other useful sites to look for are:-
1. answers.yahoo.com
Here you can post you problem,and you'll get a response on your email,if a person answers your question.
2. http://www.wikihow.com  
Here you can see how-to tutorials for certain topics.
3. http://www.annoyances.org/
This site features common windows problems,and their solutions.Very helpful,and has support for many versions of windows,including XP

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                                                                  THE SECOND STEP
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In case the 1st step fails,its time to do the troubleshooting manually.Some of the tools that I recommend are:-

• Trend micro's HijackThis:- Creates system log,that you can use to identify unwanted system processes,or post the log online on tech forums,if you can't identify the virus.
  http://download.cnet.com/Trend-Micro-HijackThis/3000-8022_4-10227353.html
• TextGrabber:- lets you copy error statements from windows dialog boxes.
  http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/TextGrabber.shtml
• virustotal:- using this website,you can upload any suspicious file that you may feel,is a potential virus.The website then scans that file through many popular antivirus softwares, and then provides you the result of scan process.
  http://www.virustotal.com
• Windows snipping tool-It is a built-in utility in Windows7 that can be used to capture screenshot of user-specified area of the computer screen.
  Click on Start=>type "Snipping tool".

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                                                                THE THIRD STEP
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When both the above steps fail,and you're feeling helpless,you might want some other person to help solve your problem.Rather than calling them at your place,you may get a quick help,through REMOTE ASSISTANCE.Some of the tools that id recommend for this purpose are:-

• Teamviewer-allows for remote user to control your mouse cursor and control your system.
  http://www.teamviewer.com/hi/download/index.aspx
• ShowMyPC-same as Teamviewer
  http://showmypc.com

I hope after following these simple steps,all your PC related problems will be solved.Of course,if you arent able to solve them,my blog is always available.Just post your queries here.

                                                     HOPE YOU LIKE THIS POST :)

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How to compress Image files for web usage.

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The images you capture from your digital cameras mostly save the image files in the following formats

• Raw
• Jpeg

While these images are exceptionally good in quality,they also have a large file size.Cameras these days capture files of size varying from 3-4 mb.Imagine filling up your hard disk with a collection of your vacation trip photos,that would be huge.
   So,today ill describe how to compress these digital pictures without any loss of quality.Just follow the simple steps given below.

• Download Irfanview from here:- http://www.irfanview.com/
• Next,you need to download the RIOT plugin,which is used for our purpose.To download Click here
• Now extract the zip file you downloaded in the step above,and put its contents in the Irfanview installation directory,under the "plugins" folder.
• Now,Open Irfanview.Next,open the image you want to compress with it.
• Once the image is opened,Click on File=>Save for Web(Plugin).
• Select the quality options(I'll recommend medium)and give a file name for the saved file.
  NOTE:It is VERY IMPORTANT that you give a different name to your save file,from the name of the original file,as once compressed,if you name it with the same name as the original version,then you might not be able to get the original back.

Now,what you have is an image of the same quality,with a considerable lesser size.

                                        HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS TUTORIAL :)

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Install Windows 7 from a USB drive

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While installing Windows 7 from a DVD might me the most common and popular method around,some users face a problem with it,for instance,most netbooks lack a DVD drive,or otherwise some PC's might have a broken DVD drive.
Today,I bring a solution to this problem,and I assure you all,you don't need an external DVD drive just for installing Windows.Just follow the steps below:-

• Make a backup of your Windows 7 disc,and create an ISO image of it.If you already have an ISO image,proceed to the step below.
  
• Download and install a tool called Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool from here-
  http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
  
• Run the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.
  
• In the source file box type the name and path of Windows 7 ISO file, or click Browse and select the file in the Open dialog box, then click Next.
  
  
  
• Select USB device option.
  
• Insert a USB flash drive or external hard disk into USB port.
  
• Select your USB device in the dropdown list and click Begin copying.
  
  
  
• After the process completes,you will have successfully created a bootable Windows 7 USB drive.
  

TIP:MAKE SURE YOU CHANGE THE BOOTING OPTIONS FROM THE BIOS MENU TO BOOT WINDOWS FROM REMOVABLE DRIVE BEFORE INSTALLING WINDOWS FROM THIS PROCESS.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial :)

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Create a single password to manage all passwords on various websites

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It becomes very tedious and frustrating when we have to log-in to a website,and we can't remember its password,either because we don't use it regularly,or otherwise.Also,a major security concern is that we are reluctant to store password and login details,thinking it might get hacked.
Today,I present a simple and effective solution to counter this problem.LastPass is a password manager,available for all major web browsers,like Google Chrome,Firefox,Opera,Safari and IE.

• Download Lastpass from here
  https://lastpass.com/
  
• Create an account on this website.
  
• Log-in on LastPass.
  
• Now,whenever you login to a website,for eg facebook,It will prompt you to remember it,just click yes.
  
• Do the same for all your accounts,and enjoy a hassle free web surfing :)
  

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Start a torrent download from a PC to a remote computer

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This is one of the most amazing techniques i've read on the internet,combining the power of the popular utorrent client,and the online cloud storage service Dropbox.
Dropbox,is a service,that provides you with a software that adds a folder named Dropbox to your Documents folder.Whatever you add to this folder automatically gets syncronized to all your other machines,or mobile phones with dropbox installed.
Now,follow the steps as mentioned below for the process to work.

• Download and install Dropbox.Also,sign up on this website to create a free account.
• Install Dropbox on your remote machine also,for example,your home PC.
• On your machine,create a new folder inside the Dropbox folder.Name it "torrents".Just copy the torrent file(.torrent file)in this folder which you want to start on your home PC.
• This file will be synced to your home PC.
• Now configure utorrent on your home PC.Open utorrent,and go to option=>Preference=>Directories.
• Check "Automatically load .torrents from",and select the torrent folder in MyDropbox folder.
  
• you're done.Now just drag a torrent file on your machine in the torrent folder,and this file will be synced to your home PC,where utorrent is watching for .torrent file.As soon as the upload finishes,the torrent will start to download.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial :)

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A guide to PC automation

The PC software i'm going to talk about today is no ordinary one.Its potentials are beyond imaginations and is only limited by the creativity of its users.You can create custom shortcuts to run any programs on your computer,replace text with a smiley as you type them,and many other tricks.

is a free, open-source utility for Windows. With it, you can:

• Automate almost anything by sending keystrokes and mouse clicks. You can write a mouse or keyboard macro by hand or use the macro recorder.Then you can use them without even touching your keyboard and mouse.
  
• Create hotkeys for keyboard, joystick, and mouse. Virtually any key, button, or combination can become a hotkey.This might be useful in case if you have a broken key in your keyboard,or if your laptop lacks a numeric keypad.
  
• Expand abbreviations as you type them. For example, typing "btw" can automatically produce "by the way".
  
• Create custom data-entry forms, user interfaces, and menu bars. See GUI for details.
  
• Remap keys and buttons on your keyboard, joystick, and mouse.
  
• Respond to signals from hand-held remote controls via the WinLIRC client script.
  
• Run existing AutoIt v2 scripts and enhance them with new capabilities.
  
• Convert any script into an EXE file that can be run on computers that don't have AutoHotkey installed,THE BEST PART.
  

Some of my favorite Autohotkey scripts are mentioned on this awesome blog Lifehacker

DOWNLOAD Autohotkey

Compile and Run java programs directly through Notepad++

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I've always loved Notepad++,because of its ease of use,auto-indentation,syntax coloring and many other features,not found in the default Windows Notepad.
Today,I found an interesting technique,which allows you to Compile and Run java programs directly through Notepad++,without the need to open Command Prompt.
Follow the simple steps mentioned below:

• Download Notepad++
• I'm considering you have already downloaded java development kit(InShort: jdk).If not,download it from here
  Java development Kit
• Once installed,open Notepad++.Open "Plugin" menu
  Plugin=>Plugin Manager=>show Plugin Manager
• Find a plugin in the list,named NppExec,and click on it.Click Install button.
• Now,Go to Plugins=>NppExec,and apply the following.
  
  
  
  1. Disable or uncheck "Console command history".
  2. Enable "save all files on execute".
  3. Enable "Follow $(CURRENT_DIRECTORY)".
• Now,go to Plugins>NppExec>Execute
  
  
  
  1. Enter the following commands
     cd "$(CURRENT_DIRECTORY)"
javac $(FILE_NAME)
  2. Then choose Save..and save it with a name Compile
  3. Choose option from the menu,and enter the following commands
     
     cd $(CURRENT_DIRECTORY)
java $(NAME_PART)
     
     This time,save it with a name Run
  4. Similarly,Save another command Compile and Run
     
     cd $(CURRENT_DIRECTORY)
javac $(FILE_NAME)
java $(NAME_PART)
• Now,the final step is adding these commands in our Macro menu.Go to Plugins>NppExec>Advanced options.
• Enable "Place to the Macros submenu".
• Select Compile from under the "Associated script:" menu,and click on Add/Modify button.Similarly,choose Compile from this menu,write Compile in the "Item name" field,and hit Add/Modofy button.Similarly,add the Compile and Run script.
• Hit OK button,it will ask you to Restart Notepad++.
• Restart Notepad++,open a java program,and compile it and run,using the commands under the Macro menu.

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Add any application to the Windows Desktop Right-Click menu

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When you install a new program,sometimes it becomes tiresome to find its location,if you aren't able to place its icon on the desktop.

If you want really quick access to launch a frequently used application without putting extra icons on your desktop, you can add that application to the context menu for the desktop with a simple registry hack. Here’s how to do it.

For today,i'll show you how to add the popular Notepad++ editor option in your Right-click menu.Just follow the simple steps below

• Click the start button,type "Run".In the dialog box that opens up,Type regedit.Alternatively,you can also Press Windows-key+R on keyboard and then type regedit.
• Navigate to this key "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell".by this I mean,first expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,then expand Directory,continuing in the similar manner upto shell.
  
• Next, you’ll want to create a new key underneath the shell key, the name of which is exactly what is going to show up on the desktop menu.For instance,if you want to add Notepad++,type Notepad++ here.Right-click on the “shell” key, and then choose New \ Key from the menu.
  
• Next you’ll need to create the command key that will actually hold the command used to launch the application. Right-click on the new Notepad++ key, and then choose New \ Key from the menu.Name this key as command.
  


• Now,select the command entry,double click the Default key,and enter the following details as shown in this pic
  


• Now,Right click on the desktop,you'll find a working entry of Notepad++ in it.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial :)

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Bring images to life with "AMAZING" HDR effect

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HDR stands for High Dynamic Range.Basically, it is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods.For more details refer this Wiki.
Now,the process below is for Adobe Photoshop,although it would easily be replicated for any other image editor of your choice,for instance GIMP.Now,let's quickly head to the process.

• Open up the image file in Photoshop,using Ctrl+O or using the File menu.
• Now,right-click the only layer in the layers pallete(named "Background"),and select "Duplicate Layer" option.Name it copy
  
• Click and select the "copy" layer,and select "overlay" in the blending options
  
• Now,go to Image=>Adjustment=>Desaturate and then Image=>Adjustment=>Invert
• Go to Filter=>blur=>Gaussian blur,and set the value to 40 pixels.Click OK.
• Now,click and select the "Background" layer,right click it,and chose "Duplicate layer" option.Name this layer as "copy1".
• Drag this layer,moving it to the topmost position(above the "copy" layer).
• Click and select the"copy1" layer,and chose "linear light" in the blending options.Set the opacity(initially 100) to 62%.Play around this value for best results.

This is the final result I obtained for this image

Hope you all enjoyed the tutorial :)

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Resume a completely broken Google Chrome download

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It has always been a problem in Google Chrome,that whenever you download a file,and simultaniously perform another heavy bandwidth operation(eg torrents,watching online videos,etc),the download completes immediately,but when you try to open it,it displays an error:"The file is damaged or broken".Chrome creates a partially downloaded file(of much lesser size that the original download).

Today,I present a simple solution for this problem.Just follow the steps below:

• Download
• Right click on the download link=>choose Copy link address.
• Open winWget.Go to Jobs=>add new job
• On the "Add job" Window,in the "Input file" field,choose the broken download.And in the address field,paste the address you copied in Step 2.
• Click OK and Run.After a while,it will ask you to save the file.Click OK again.
• Now sit back and relax.Your broken download will get completed. 

Now,as people pointed out in the comments section,if winWget doesn't work,I have another solution for this problem.WGET is a command-line download manager which has a lot of features(in fact so many that I can't write in this post).Follow the steps to resume the broken download fro wget

1. Download wget from here.
2. Place the downloaded "wget.exe" in the same directory of the broken download file(ie your chrome download folder).
3. Rename the file by removing the .crdownload at the end of the file name.
4. Open run command ( winlogo+R) & type cmd then hit enter key.
5. Change the directory(cd command) to your wget file location.
6. Go back to chrome,copy the download URL,as in the previous process.
7. Now, Enter the following command:
   

   wget<space>-c<space>the copied URL

8. Your download will continue.

NOTE:If you get an error like"failed to establish an SSL connection",you have to downlaod from this command instead:

wget<space>-c<space>--no-check-certificate<space>URL

Hope it helps :)

Update:Since this is the most popular post on my blog,I made a video tutorial on it.Hope it clarifies all doubts.

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Remove vocals from a song(stereo) easily

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Many a times you hear a nice song,and want to download its Karaoke version.On the internet you are immediately provided with a lot of dumb sites that lead to no-where.
Today,i'll show you how to make instrumental versiong of songs on your own.Just follow the simple steps below.

• First,download
  
• Click on File => open => choose your mp3 file.It will import the track
  
• Open the track menu (click the downward arrow next to the track title), and choose “Split Stereo Track.”
  
• Select the lower track (the right channel) by clicking it in the area around the mute/solo buttons.
  
• Go to effects menu,click "invert".
  
• Using the track menus again , change each track to “Mono.”
  
• You're done.Click "file" menu => "Export as mp3" to save your karaoke song.
  

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Change Windows 7 logon screen "MANUALLY"

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Most people think that changing Windows logon screen is a dangerous process,and can only be done with the help of a software.Let's remove this myth today by following this simple process-

• Go to Start=>Run and type "regedit"
  
• Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background in REGEDIT, double-click the DWORD key called OEMBackground (not there? Create it) and set its value to 1.
  
• Now find a background image you'd like to use. Make sure it's less than 256KB in size, and matches the aspect ratio of your screen as it'll be stretched to fit.
  
• Now,copy that image into the C:\Windows\system32\oobe\info\backgrounds folder (create the info\backgrounds folders if they don't exist). Rename the image to backgroundDefault.jpg.
  
• Reboot your PC,and you should now have a custom log-on image.
  

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Saving flash videos for offline view from web browser cache

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Users who have slow Broadband connection have a habit of streaming complete videos from video sharing websites(youtube,dailymotion,etc) and then playing them.But what if you want to save it for offline viewing.
The solution to this problem is THE BROWSER's CACHE.Whenever your video completes streaming,a temporary file of that video is created in your browser's cache folder.While it might be easier to reach to the cache folders of IE & FIREFOX,viewing Google Chrome's cache is a tedious process.
So,to make the process easy,just follow this simple process to get the job done:

• Download this small tool for viewing browser's cache: Videocacheview
• Watch the video you want to save,and let it complete its streaming
• Note:Do not close the tab in which the video is streaming,even after it completes streaming.
• Open VideoCacheView,several cache files will be shown.Look for flv/mp4 files.Right click on them=>play selected files, to make sure the cache file you are about to save is the one you want to save.
• double click on that cache file,and copy the full path.Copy that path on any Window's address bar(The bar that shows folder paths for eg. C:/NewFolder etc).
• Now copy that cache file from this folder,and keep it in your desired location.
• Now you have to rename the file with a .flv extension.
• Hurray!! you have a full copy of that video file

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Set up your own Music server(both for LAN and online)

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(Note:This is a mega post guyz and gals.I'll update this post often.)

First i'll explaining the technical jagrons involved

A server can be thought of as a powerful PC from where we(the clients)can access its resources.
A music server is a special type of server that serves its clients with streaming music,without a need to download the song at once.This is advantageous for low speed connections.

Follow the steps below to setup a Music server without spending a single penny on web-hosting sites.

• Download
  
• After installing,in the task-bar,there will be a notification icon for subsonic.Right-click it=>subsonic control panel.
  
• On the settings tab,change the port-number to 8080.
  
• on the status tab,click stop,then start again to restart the server.You can close the panel now.
  
• Now open internet-explorer(the browser preferred for this process).type localhost in the address field,a page will open up.Click where it says "change password".
  
• change the login and password as you wish.
  
• There is also an option to "Set-up music folder".This is the folder that will contain the songs you want to share.Chose the folder on your PC that contains songs.
  
• Now its the most important part.For your music server to work online,you have to "PORT_FORWARD" your router(in case you use it).Check "Automatically configure your router" option,and then click save below.Subsonic will now port-forward your router.
  
• Your music server is ready now.Restart your browser and again open up "localhost".Enter the login and password.
  
• Now,if you want your friends to access your music files,when they are on other networks,just give them your "GLOBAL_IP:8080".You can find your GLOBAL_IP from whatismyip.com,and ask them to open this address in their browser.Tell them the login and pass also.
  
  

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Change the tempo of a song,and apply various other effects on audio files

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Audacity is my favourite audio editor,and with reasons.Firstly its completely free and open source.Secondly It has many exciting features,such as

• Cutting audio files..
  
• Recording sound from a PC
  
• Changing Tempo,i.e playing speed of music, without affecting its quality
  
• and apply numerous other effects on audio files such as BASS BOOST,NOISE REMOVAL and AMPLIFY.

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