When I was having my usual haircut at a salon near our house, my hairstylist (well, he just cuts my hair and I guess he doesn’t want to be called a barber), asked me for help on a problem in his laptop. I momentarily glanced at his table and there I saw his newly purchased gadget. I was quite surprised that there was already a problem when it was obviously brand new. He told me he’s been trying to change the wallpaper of his laptop for days and he couldn’t change it.

Now right after my haircut, I checked his laptop and saw that it was in Windows 7. When I checked what version/edition – voila! It was Windows 7 Starter. 

Windows 7 Starter Default Wallpaper

I immediately told him that Windows 7 Starter doesn’t allow the user to change the wallpaper. When I saw the long look of his face when I told him that, I knew I had to help this guy.

Windows 7 Starter: How to Change the Wallpaper

I know of two ways to change the wallpaper in Windows 7. Both methods require that you at least install a program to do it. Make sure you only install one.

1. Stardock MyColors

Stardock MyColors is a program which allows you not only to change the wallpaper but also the overall look of Windows. Stardock MyColors primarily changes the standard Windows 7 Aero theme to another theme.

You need to download and install Stardock MyColors (download it from Stardock MyColors official website)

After successful installation, just launch the application and go to My Themes. By default, there would only be 2 kinds of themes – Windows 7 Aero and Think Green. Choose the Think Green theme.

Now you can download several other themes from the Stardock website itself but the Think Green theme is the only additional theme in the default installation. This step (of choosing a theme other than Windows 7 aero) is important because if you have the Windows 7 Aero theme selected, you won’t be able to change the wallpaper.

After this just go to the Wallpapers tab, and choose any wallpaper which is in your Pictures folder.

Note that Stardock MyColors does not allow you to choose how to layout your wallpaper. By default, it would stretch your picture to fit the screen. So be sure to choose high resolution pictures so that it would not look pixelized in your screen.

2. Starter Background Changer

There are already several programs out there made by helpful people, which can change the background or wallpaper of Windows 7 Starter. Out of these programs, I have a favorite which is the Starter Background Changer by Renaud Gerson which he made available for download in his website renaudgerson.fr. His website and the actual installer are in French so I’ll help you on how to make it work. Once you’ve installed it, it would be in English so don’t worry about it.

You can download it at his official website renaudgerson.fr (just scroll down and click on the image saying Download), or you can use the download link I’ve provided below:

StarterBackgroundChanger v0.8

What’s good about this program is that you don’t have to change the overall theme and you can just change the wallpaper. What’s better is you can choose from a set of different layouts like stretch, tile, center, etc. (unlike Stardock MyColors which has the stretch layout only).

To install, just follow the screenshots below. “Suivant” means “Next”, and “Demarrer” means “To Start”.

Just choose “Suivant” on the following prompts.  

Choose “Yes”.

Then choose “Demarrer”.

Now once you’ve installed the program, just right click on your desktop and select “Personalize”. Notice that it’s not in French. It actually defaults to your language.

A new window would pop-up where you can change the wallpaper. It would have banner ads or advertisements at the bottom but it’s not that bothersome.

Note: If you’re going to upgrade to another version of Windows (i.e. Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, etc.) be sure to uninstall these programs.

There you have it! I hope I’ve helped you change your Windows 7 Starter wallpaper.

Related posts:

1. Web Folders / Web disk / WebDAV problems on Windows 7

Ever since the launch of Windows 7, I’ve been asked this question several times. Many people have already reported to me that they’re experiencing connection and setup problems for web folders or web disks (also called web client or WebDAV) .

I personally have Windows 7 64-bit in one of my PCs and I’m also having problems using web folders. Whenever I try to setup a web folder by “adding a network location” or “map a network drive” through My Computer, I’m given an error saying that either “The folder you entered does not appear to be valid. Please choose another” or “Windows cannot access… Check the spelling of the name. Otherwise, there might be…”. These errors appear whether I’m using SSL or non-SSL.

Your problem on Web folders or the WebDAV client in Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit may be a little different, but I’m guessing that what you’re experiencing falls under these two main categories:

1. Connection to a web folder or web disk cannot be established.

Whenever you try to setup a web folder or web disk (whether it is through “add a network location”, “map a network drive”, through the “net use” command, or any other method), it fails.

2. You can establish or setup a web folder but can only view contents.

Here, you can setup a web folder but you can only browse the root folder. When you try to open a folder or transfer a file to it, you won’t be able to.

What to do

This problem on web folders was also present on Windows Vista but it was easily resolved when Microsoft released a hotfix for it – Software Update for Web Folders (KB907306). I thought Windows 7 won’t encounter this kind of issue, but I guess it was just expecting too much.

To cut the long story short, I’ve tried to resolve the Web Folder problem of Windows 7 myself and have also sought help from other people as well. I’ve tried several solutions some of which are: using the update above, modifying registry settings (by modifying how the web client accepts Basic Authentication or by adding the “AuthForwardServerList” registry key), or by using different “net use” commands – all to no avail.

So to be able to setup or use web folders in Windows 7, we would be using a web folder or web client software until Microsoft fixes the problem.

BitKinex Web folder software

I’ve tested several free web folder software and found BitKinex to be the best so far. First of all is it’s completely free – it was once paid software but is now freeware. It’s very easy to use and work both for Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit. Bitkinex can be downloaded from their official website bitkinex.com or from download.com.

You can also just drag and drop files from your PC to the BitKinex window to copy files to your server or online storage (similar to windows explorer drag and drop functionality).

Just drag and drop files to the middle pane window (once you’ve chosen the correct folder on the left pane explorer window) to copy files to your server or online storage.

Setting up the web folder or WebDAV connection in BitKinex is easy as well. Once you’ve finished installation, it will automatically direct you to its network setup wizard – which would help you configure the application so it can have access to the Internet.

Once network setup is complete, it would ask you if you want to configure a WebDAV or FTP connection next. I suggest you DON’T click “yes” as it will direct you to another configuration wizard which doesn’t really properly configure the connection.

You could manually set-up a WebDAV or web folder connection in the BitKinex window by right-clicking Http/WebDAV then choosing New then Http/WebDAV.

You would then need to type a name for the connection. Once you’ve specified a name and pressed the “Enter” key, a new window would appear for you to specify the connection details.

After this, just double-click the newly created connection to connect to your server or online storage and start using WebDAV or web folders in Windows 7!

Do you know of another freeware which can use WebDAV in Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit? Please don’t hesitate to post it below so we can all check it out. I’ll also be updating this article (if in case Microsoft releases a fix for WebDAV or web folders) so be sure to check back to the site or subscribe to the feed or email updates. It’s free!

Related posts:

1. Change the Wallpaper of Windows 7 Starter

A friend recently complained to me that whenever she was browsing the net, she would get an error or pop-up saying: Adobe Flash Player: Where is the debugger or host application running? There would then be two choices: Localhost and Other Machine (directly below it is Enter IP address). She says that this always happens to her even though she upgraded from Adobe Flash Player 9 to Adobe Flash Player 10.

It gets pretty annoying as it always pops up several times in websites with flash graphics. And you can’t proceed any further without clicking “Ok” or “Cancel”

When I scoured the web for answers, I found that it was maybe because of a corrupt or unsuccessful installation of the Adobe Flash Player, or even wrong coding of the flash file in the website. Whatever it is, Tom the Designer of tomsskylinedesign.com wrote in his site that you just need to install the Adobe Flash Player Debugger update which can be downloaded from the official Adobe macromedia website to solve the problem. Thanks Tom!

Update for Adobe Flash Player 10 for Internet Explorer Browsers.

Update for Adobe Flash Player 10 for Firefox / Netscape compatible browsers.

Update for Adobe Flash Player 9 for Internet Explorer browsers.

Update for Adobe Flash Player 9 for Firefox / Netscape compatible browsers.

Just download and install the appropriate update for your browser using the links above and that annoying Adobe Flash Player: Where is the debugger or host application running? pop-up should be gone.

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It’s a challenge to find a laptop with the right mix. It has to have the specs you’re looking for, features you want, design that’s acceptable, and must fit your budget. However, sometimes we tend to neglect some of the minor things we should also be looking out for when buying a laptop – which is the keyboard button layout.

Have you ever felt that one of the keys in your keyboard just doesn’t feel to be in the right place? You felt that the Ctrl key shouldn’t be there and should be in the place of the Alt key? Or one of the keys needs to be disabled?

For desktop computers with separate keyboards, when you don’t like the layout or when you find some keys are in an uncomfortable place in the keyboard, it’s easy to change and buy another keyboard.

For laptops or notebooks however, you can’t do that. You’re stuck with how the keys are situated or laid out. So how do we fix that?

Fortunately for Windows users (Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/ Win 7), you just need to install KeyTweak created by Travis Krumsick. KeyTweak is technically a keyboard remapper which is absolutely free to download and use. You can interchange keys, change the assignment of several keys or change the layout of the whole keyboard if you want.

Using Keytweak is very easy. You can use the manual method where you click any of the keys in the virtual keyboard and reassign it using the dropdown provided.

Or you can use the Full Teach Mode or Half Teach Mode which can be activated through the buttons located at the bottom.

When in Full Teach Mode, just click Begin Teach Mode and then press (1) the key you want to modify and then (2) press the new key it would be assigned to.

When in Half Teach Mode, click Begin Teach Mode and then press the key you want to modify and then manually select the key it would be assigned to.

It’s really very easy to use and once you’re done reassigning keys, you don’t need to run it again as your keyboard will now have the new ones.

Limitations

Keytweak is great but it still has some limitations which I believe it really can’t be blamed for. One major limitation is the FN Key found in laptops can’t be reassigned. If you want the FN key to be reassigned, the BIOS of your laptop needs to be modified (usually through an update).

Keytweak doesn’t also support multiple keys in one keystroke. If you want that, use the Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator. I found it harder to use though and it can only modify the alphanumeric keys/buttons. You can’t modify the other keys like Tab, Caps, Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Enter, and Backspace buttons.

Keytweak also can’t modify the keyboard for a single application only. The change it makes is global and affects all applications in your operating system.

There you go, I hope I’ve helped you change or modify the Input Keys or Buttons of your Keyboard in Windows.

Related posts:

1. Change the Wallpaper of Windows 7 Starter
2. Web Folders / Web disk / WebDAV problems on Windows 7

There is another variant of the virus/worm/Trojan which makes your Windows Vista or Windows XP blank after login. We’ve discussed in an earlier article how to fix a previous variant of this virus (you can find the previous article here), but this variant requires another kind of approach.

To be more specific, the virus we discussed previously had 4 types of processes which it runs that we had to stop and delete – services.exe, lsass.exe, usb-hi.exe, and kbdrv16.com

However, this other kind of virus only has 2 types of processes which it runs that we have to stop and delete – services.exe and kbdrv32.com

Notice that the previous virus was kbdrv16.com, but now it is kbdrv32.com.

When you have this kind of virus its main symptom is still the same: Windows Vista / Windows XP displays a blank screen showing only the mouse pointer after booting-up (after the login screen which is usually after clicking the username).

Solution:

Make sure first that your Task Manager is working. You can check this by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL and then choosing Task Manager. If Task Manager doesn’t work, then this guide will not be able to help.

Moreover, unless specified, all the steps are applicable to Windows Vista and Windows XP.

1. Launch Task Manager and Restore your Desktop

Press CTRL+ALT+DEL and then click File->New Task

When the Run window appears, type Explorer or Explorer.exe or C:WindowsExplorer

Important: This step should already restore your desktop (your wallpaper, desktop icons, taskbar, etc). If it doesn’t, then this guide will not be able to help you.

2. Check your Registry

Create a New Task by again using the Task Manager or by clicking Windows Start and then choosing Run. When the Create a New Task or Run window appears, type regedit.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon. Once you’ve clicked on Winlogon look for Shell in the right pane. Double-click on Shell and the value for Shell should only be Explorer.exe.

As can be seen above, there is an additional entry which is C:Windowsservices.exe which the Shell key refers to. Normally what we should do is just delete this additional entry and leave Explorer.exe in the field. But even if you delete the additional entry, it would come back a few seconds after deletion as your computer is now infected with a Malware – specifically a Key Logger.

Important: If the value above is not just Explorer.exe and has a different additional entry (and not C:Windowsservices.exe), then you may have another kind of Malware. If the additional entry is C:WindowsSystem32keyboardservices.exe, then you should read my previous article here – Windows Vista / Windows XP Blank Screen after Login. If it’s neither of the two, then this guide would not help you.

3. Stop the Virus Processes

You’ll need to open Task Manager again by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL and choosing Task Manager. Click the Processes Tab and then sort by Description by clicking on the Description field.

Look for the description Win32 Keyboard Driver. You should be able to see 3 processes like below.

You would need to end the 3 processes shown above. You can do this by right clicking on the process and choosing End Process.

Important: You should end the 3 processes quickly because if you only end one and you don’t immediately end the other 2 processes, the recently ended process would just be started again.

Again, make sure that the three processes are all ended.

4. Delete the Malware Files

Go to C:Windows and look for services.exe and then delete it.

Go to following folders and delete the files indicated.

For Windows Vista
C:Users<Username>AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup – delete kbdrv32.com

Important: Change <Username> with the appropriate usernames that are being used in your Windows Vista. Check your C:Users folder and this folder should indicate all the usernames your Windows Vista is using. Check all the usernames for kbdrv32.com and delete it.

For Windows XP
C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsStartup – delete kbdrv32.com

Important: After checking C:Documents and SettingsAll Users, change “All Users” to the other usernames being used in your Windows XP. Check the C:Documents and Settings folder and this folder should indicate all the usernames your Windows XP is and has been using. Check all the usernames for kbdrv32.com and delete it.

C:WINDOWSsystem32configsystemprofileStart MenuProgramsStartup – delete kbdrv32.com

Thus, all we are deleting are two kinds of files, services.exe and kbdrv32.com. We are just making sure that all instances of the virus are deleted.

5. Clean your Registry

Launch Registration editor again by making a new task through Task Manager or by using the Run command and entering regedit.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon and then double-click on Shell on the right pane to modify it (You can now modify it). Only Explorer.exe should be the value left.

Click Ok to accept the changes.

The virus or malware should now be removed. If you experienced the blank screen after login symptom, be sure to restart Windows to test if it will happen again.

That’s it! I hope I’ve helped you solve your problem on Windows Vista / Windows XP blank screen after login.

Related posts:

1. Web Folders / Web disk / WebDAV problems on Windows 7
2. Change the Wallpaper of Windows 7 Starter

A few days ago, I was referred by a friend of a friend, who had another friend who was having some problems with her PCs (pretty far huh?). She said that she can’t use her PCs anymore as both show a blank screen after Windows boot-up. It was weird that both PCs were showing the same problem that I had to see it myself. It got even weirder as one PC had Windows Vista, and the other had Windows XP.

The problem: Windows Vista or Windows XP displays a blank screen showing only the mouse pointer after booting-up (after the login screen which is usually after clicking the username).

Solution for Windows Vista / Windows XP Blank Screen after Login

Make sure first that the Task Manager is working by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL, and choosing Task Manager. If Task Manager doesn’t work, then this guide cannot help you.

Moreover, unless specified, the steps below are both applicable for Windows Vista and Windows XP.

1. Launch the Task Manger and Restore your Desktop

Press CTRL+ALT+DEL and then go to File->New Task

When the Run window appears, type Explorer or Explorer.exe or C:\Windows\Explorer

Important: If this does not restore your desktop, your desktop icons and windows taskbar, then you should stop reading this now as this guide would not be able to help you.

2. Check your Registry

Create a New Task again by using the Task Manager. Since you now have the Taskbar restored, you can do this also by clicking Windows Start and choosing Run. When the Create a New Task or Run window appears, type regedit.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. Once you’ve clicked on WinLogon look for Shell in the right pane. Double-click on Shell and the value for Shell should only be Explorer.exe.

As can be seen above, there is an additional entry which is C:\Windows\System32\keyboard\services.exe which the Shell key refers to. Normally what we should do is just delete this additional entry and leave Explorer.exe in the field. However, if you’re seeing that value above, your computer is now infected with a Malware – specifically a Keylogger.

Important: If the value above is not just Explorer.exe but has a different additional entry (and not C:\Windows\System32\keyboard\services.exe), then you may have another kind of Malware. If the additional entry is C:\Windows\services.exe, then you should read my other article here – Windows Vista / Windows XP Blank Screen after Login – Version 2. If it’s neither of the two, then this guide would not help you.

3. Download and Install Unlocker software

We won’t be using any Malware scanner or virus scanner as I have not found any which can remove this Malware. Moreover, if there is a scanner out there which could remove this Malware, I think using Unlocker is still the most simple way where you have total control of what is going on.

As I’ve mentioned, download Unlocker from CNET as their official website is currently down. Once you’ve successfully downloaded the software, install it.

4. Delete the Malware files

Go to C:\Windows\System32\keyboard\ through Windows Explorer or by typing this in the Create New Task or Run command.

You should be able to see the services.exe file. DON’T execute or double click it. Right click on it and if you’ve successfully installed Unlocker, you should be able to select it like below:

The Unlocker program should now launch and show you the Processes that are using services.exe. Select all the processes and choose, Kill Process.

Once there is no more process using services.exe, quit Unlocker, and then delete services.exe. Make sure to delete it at the Recycle Bin as well. If we don’t use Unlocker, we won’t easily delete the Malware.

For Windows Vista
Go to the following folders and delete the files indicated. Use Unlocker as needed.

C:\ProgramData\Application Data\Fearghus\ – delete lsass.exe
C:\ProgramData\Fearghus\ – delete lsass.exe
C:\ProgramData\Application Data\microsoft\usb2.0\ – delete usb-hi.exe
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\ – delete kbdrv16.com

Important: Use the Create New Task or Run window as sometimes using Windows Explorer doesn’t work saying that the folder does not exist.

For Windows XP
Go to the following folders and delete the files indicated. Use Unlocker as needed.

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Fearghus\ – delete lsass.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\USB2.0\ – delete usb-hi.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\ – delete kbdrv16.com

5. Clean your Registry

Launch Registration editor again by making a new task through Task Manager or by using the Run command and entering regedit.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\ and then on the right pane click USB2.0 and Keyboard and then delete both.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon and then double-click on Shell on the right pane to modify it (You can now modify it). Only Explorer.exe should be the value left.

Click Ok to accept the changes.

The only thing left to do now is restart Windows and test if the Windows desktop would still be blank.

That’s it! I hope I’ve helped you solve your problem on Windows Vista / Windows XP blank screen after login.

Related posts:

1. Web Folders / Web disk / WebDAV problems on Windows 7

A lot of the people I know still use Microsoft Office 2003. Some still use Office 2000 and Office XP. A few of them are using Microsoft Office 2007.

There would be a few instances however; that these people still using Microsoft Office 2000, XP, and 2003 would need to open a Microsoft Office 2007 document. Microsoft Office 2007 documents are now saved in a new format which is .docx (Microsoft Word), .xlsx (Microsoft Excel), and .pptx (Microsoft Powerpoint). If you tried to open these documents in Microsoft Office 2000, XP, and 2003, you wouldn’t be able to.

Microsoft Office by robertnelson

(Note: Office 2007 documents can still be saved in the previous format of .doc, .xls, and .ppt, but you would have to manually specify it as it is not the default.)

The good thing is, Microsoft has released an update so that we can still open .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx, if we still use the three previous Microsoft Office packages.

Just download the Microsoft Compatibility Pack and install it to your computer using Microsoft Office 2000, XP, or 2003. The current file size of the compatibility pack is 27.5 MB.

That’s it! I’m sure you would now be able to open .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx using only your Microsoft Office 2000 / Microsoft Office XP / Microsoft Office 2003.

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I have the free antivirus Avira Antivir Personal Edition installed in my laptop but rarely update it as it doesn’t always have an Internet connection. When I do have an Internet connection, I even forget to update the Avira Antivir.

When I did remember one time, I tried to update the Avira Antivir when I was connected to the Internet. However the update failed and it gave me the error message “No Valid License File Found”. When I viewed the error logs, it indicated that the License Key has expired.

The first thing that I did was reinstall Avira Antivir Personal Edition using the installation file I downloaded a few months ago which I kept in my hard drive. After successful reinstallation I still couldn’t update Avira Antivir!

What the Problem was – Why It Didn’t Update

I found from Avira Antivir Support that every Avira Antivir installation has a time expiring license which renews and extends your license everytime you update. So if for some reason you don’t update your Avira Antivir for a long period of time, your license key wouldn’t be extended and your antivirus license would expire – you won’t be able to update.

How to Solve It

There are two ways on how to solve this:

1. Download and Replace hbedv.key

Just download hbedv.key. You may also visit the Download Server Page of Avira, where that download link is also located.

Once you’ve downloaded hbedv.key, just copy it to the installation folder of Avira Antivir usually at C:Program FilesAviraAntiVir PersonalEdition Classic. Replace your old file with your newly downloaded file. Make sure you’ve overwritten your old hbedv.key file with the new one.

You should now be able to update.

2. Download a New Installer for Avira Antivir Personal Edition.

I don’t really recommend this one as the first solution is very easy. You would need to download a new installer of Avira Antivir. Your old installer wouldn’t work as it would also have an expired license.

IMPORTANT: If the first solution does not work, check your computer’s system date and time. If it’s wrong, your Avira Antivir would surely not work. Set your computer’s system date and time correctly.

There you have it! You should now be able to easily update your Avira Antivir Personal Edition. If you have any questions or comments, you can write them at the comments section below.

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If you happen to have an Iphone 3G and inserting a SIM card doesn’t make it work, then you might not have activated it. The Iphone 3G is not your regular phone where you just plug in your SIM and it’s ready to go. Remember it’s an IPOD and phone rolled into one.

Let’s first install your SIM card into your Iphone 3G. You just need to use the small metal pin provided by Apple, and use it to push at the small hole located at the top of the Iphone 3G to reveal the SIM card slot.

Place the SIM card in the slot and push it back to the iPhone 3G. Once you do that, turn on the Iphone by pressing at the button near the SIM card slot. (Sometimes it would automatically turn on)

Now if you didn’t insert a SIM card or you improperly put it in, you’ll be presented with a screen like this.

Notice how the iPhone 3g says SIM locked and that you need to insert an unlocked and valid SIM to activate the Iphone? This is kind of misleading because if you improperly put in a SIM card and then powered it on, you might think something is wrong with your iPhone or it’s not unlocked for your SIM.

So make sure that you inserted the SIM card correctly and pushed the slot back in place. Once you do that and it’s powered on, you won’t see the SIM locked alert as seen above. You’ll just see the “connect to iTunes” image.

Now let’s download and install the latest iTunes from Apple. You can download it here.

Activate the Iphone 3G

Once you’ve done the preliminaries above, it’s now time to activate your iPhone.

Connect your iPhone 3G to your computer using the provided USB cable. Once its connected to your PC, it would detect the connected iPhone and automatically start iTunes.

Once iTunes starts, it would detect the carrier settings of your iPhone 3G and prompt you to download the latest one.

Just click on “Download and Update”.

The process of updating your carrier settings is quick, so once it’s finished just click “OK”.

You only need to follow the steps up to here to successfully activate the iPhone 3G. But I strongly suggest that you continue with the additional steps below to make the performance of your iPhone 3G better.

You’ll be presented with a screen like the one below after the carrier settings update.

If your screen doesn’t look like this one, just make sure that you click on “iPhone” on the left Pane which is under Devices category as shown below.

Just click “Register Later”. If you click “Continue”, you’ll be registering your iPhone 3G and need to create an Apple account.

(We’ll keep this guide as simple as possible so I won’t be showing you how to register your iPhone as this isn’t really a pre-requisite.)

Once you click “Register Later”, you’ll be presented with the screen below. (Make sure you click your iPhone at the Devices category at the left pane)

Just type in what name you would want for your iPhone 3G. I put in the name of Sam. (it’s his iPhone I’m using anyway)

Once you’re finished, just click “Done”.

If your iPhone 3G is new, I’m sure it needs a software upgrade. If it does, you’ll be presented with the screen below. Just click “Update”.

Just be prepared to wait as the download is about 200-250MB. Once the download is complete it would automatically update your iPhone 3G to the latest software. Remember not to unplug your iPhone 3G once it’s being updated.

That’s it! We did more than just activate the iPhone 3G. We upgraded your iPhone and made it ready for iTunes so you can transfer music, videos, and photos just like a regular iPod.

Your activated iPhone 3G should now look like this.

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1. How to Activate Your License for Kaspersky Internet Security 2010

However, after a week or so of playing it started to really slow down. It wasn’t just slow. It was really, really slow. The main menu of her PSP was so slow that the screen was sometimes flickering. It would take you about 5 minutes or longer before you can even go to the menu where you can choose and play a game.  

If you even got to choose a game, loading time is impossible to bear. If for some reason you were able to wait (I tried sleeping), the gameplay was in slow motion. 

Image Credit: Baby Turtle 023 by cygnus921

She brought it to a shop she knows and then it turns out that when she bought the PSP, it was already the cracked PSP and the configuration was all wrong. More so, what added to the situation is that her memory was full. Her memory stick had about 2 MB of free space.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE:

1. Set “UMD Mode” to M33 driver NO UMD

The PSP firmware version was 3.71 M33 but is also tested with higher versions like 3.8 M33. These firmware versions should have the UMD mode to M33 NO UMD.

To set the following you need to go to the Configuration Page. To go there you need to:

i.                    Turn off your PSP

ii.                  Press and hold the R button. While doing that, slide and hold the power button up. This would turn on your PSP. You should hold until the black screen appears saying “M33 Recovery Menu Configuration”

iii.                If the PSP just turns on to the normal menu, just repeat the two steps above.

 2. Set “Use VshMenu” to Disabled.

 It is also in the configuration page. Use the steps above and you should be able to find it.

Now after these two steps, if you continue no further, your PS would run faster – but only for the menu screen. The menu would be fast and really responsive. However, try playing a game. You would notice that loading is still slow and the gameplay is still played in slow motion.

Still Slow..

Image Credit: Speedy by me’nthedogs

3. Set the CPU speed to Default.

Now this is really important. The CPU may not really be used when playing music or in the menu screen but its very important when you play games.

There are two settings you need to adjust. Speed in XMB and Speed in UMD/ISO. For us normal users we just need to set these two to “Default”.

After this, your PSP should be running ok. However, I recommend that you do another step which would also help the performance of your PSP.

4. Free up memory from your Memory Stick.

You can do this using two methods. One, you could connect your PSP to your PC using a USB cable. Two, you could remove your memory stick and use a card reader. I prefer the second method but you may use any of the two.

Method Two: Remove your memory stick and use a card reader.

Image Credit: New Memory card slot by Jake of 8bitjoystick.com

Freeing up memory is easy, if you know what files to remove. As my friend is not really using her PSP for music and videos, majority of her files are game files. What she does is that she just puts games that she really plays. I recommend doing the same for your PSP.

Game files are located at the folder named “ISO”. The game files have a .CSO file name extension. You don’t need to delete them. Just transfer them to your hard disk. That way, when you want to play them again, you just have to transfer them back to your memory stick.

But if you have music and video files that take up much space, I recommend that you look into those first. Normally you would like to have at least 500MB of free disk space. You’d need the space for your game saves.

My friends have done the steps above with ease and have solved their slow PSP problems. Most of them, if not all, had to do all four mentioned above. The first three usually solves the problem.

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