Find out what TCP/UDP Ports are being used and by what program

I have been asked a few times in the past why certain programs will not work, mainly web-servers running on port 80, the sites wont start due to another application using the port.

There is a simple command you can run to cross check with task manager what ports are being used, you may already be familiar with netstat it is used for many things within the OS to check what your computer is doing on the internet, simply doing a "netstat -n -n -o" in a command prompt will give you a lot of results, showing all the inbound and outbound connections and what ports are being used.

If you specifically want to find a certain port you can use the pipe command after and the word findstr so the command would look like this netstat -a -n -o | findstr :80 this would find all the connections that are on port 80 in and out.

To drill down even further you need to put in 0.0:80 at the end so the command will look like this netstat -a -n -o | findstr 0.0:80 this will then give you a very small number of results specifically for the local host and anything with 80 in there as you can see from my picture it has both port 80 and port 8080.

 Now you will notice at the end of the results are some numbers these are whats known as the PID and we can cross check these in Windows Task Manager, then by going to the Services tab you will see there is a column with PID sort by numerical order and find the matching number to give you the service which is using the port, and if you need to stop the service.

How to convert videos for iPad / iPhone / iPod and other Mobile Devices

I have been asked a few times how i convert my videos so that they can be watched on the iPad / iPhone or iPod, whilst there are many programs out there that will do this for you and even iTunes itself not all videos will convert due to the source format, and also many of the programs are not free.

I personally use a program called Handbrake which is free and available on many operating system platforms. I am a windows user for my day to day computing so i will show you how to convert them using windows 7 and Handbrake.

First of all you need to get a copy of Handbrake which is free from here it comes in 2 versions for windows 64 bit and 32 Bit, if you are not sure what version of windows you have then just choose the 32 Bit version as this will work on both 64 and 32 bit.

Once it has downloaded open up the setup file and proceed to install it, click on Run.

Then click on Next.

Then I Agree.

Leave the default settings in place and click on Install. Once it has installed.

Click on Finish and you will now have the program available on the Start Menu.

Now find the program on the Start Menu and open it up.

 

You may get a Preset Update appear just click on ok as this is normal.

Once Handbrake is opened up you will see the image below.

There are 2 ways to convert your files if you have a folder of videos that you want to do in a batch you can do but today i will just show you how to convert just a single video file as it wont take as long.

I Have created a folder for my outputted files as i don't want them to go into the same folder that they came from just so that its not confusing. My folder is just in My Documents and Called iPad Videos.

Click on the Source button and then select the Video file option, now you just need to select your video file that you want to convert.

Once selected you will see that next to the word Source your video file will be displayed. We now need to select the Destination folder.

Click on the Browse Button and save the file into you iPad videos folder in My Documents, giving it the name of choice then click on the Save button.

The next thing we need to do is select the preset that we would like the video to be in, as we are doing this tutorial for a iPad video select iPad from the right hand side, you will see that it automatically changes the display size of the video. 

All we have to do now is to press the Start button and wait for it to finish this can take anywhere between 30 mins to 2 hours depending on the spec of your computer, so go and make yourself a cup of tea and sit back and relax.

You will see at the bottom of the screen it give you a rough estimate of how long is remaining until it has finished.

In the next part of the tutorial i will show you have to get these videos into iTunes and eventually onto your iPad so that you can watch them at you leisure.

Windows 8 - No Media Center Built in

Microsoft have slipped this one under the radar, it appears that all of you Media center PC owners that actually use Windows Media Center, will not be getting Media Center and its codecs for DVD playback and broadcast TV from Windows 8 instead you will have to pay for the add-ons.

However for people that bought the Pro version of Windows 8 will be able to get these add-ons for free until January 31st 2013, once the date has passed you will then have to pay for these extras if you should want them, Users that do want the freebies will have to input their product key on the Microsoft Website to get the files.

Microsoft Never released the actual cost of the add-ons only referring to it as "economical" but i can tell you that it will cost you an extra $10  for the content.

You can get the add-on from the link here, please let me know if you are able to get this without being on a pro version of windows 8.

Windows 8 Released

So today is the day that Windows 8 is released, but the big question is will you be buying it ?

The Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer called the introduction of Windows 8 a "bold, innovative" move that had been tested for more than 1.24 billion hours worldwide.

"No product anywhere receives this kind of testing anywhere in the world," Mr Ballmer told a New York audience.

But this new flavour of Windows has changed its appearance dramatically with the ditched start button and new full screen start screen. This screen now contains all the well known apps and extra ones that you can get from Windows Store.

Microsoft Windows business leader Tina Flammer said users would need to adapt to the new software menus, but it had been designed for an easy transition.

"Windows 8 was designed to be intuitive," she said.

"We know that without the traditional (start button) it is different. Every time we bring out a device the familiarity is different."

Microsoft faced further scrutiny at its Australian launch for differences around the software's pricing and packages.

While it wont be available to buy as a full product in stores over here it will be available as an upgrade.

The Windows 8 Pro upgrade package costs $69.99, she said, while the Windows 8 upgrade costs $39.99.

You can also upgrade from Windows XP,Vista and Windows 7 which is slightly different from Windows 7 that could only be upgraded from Windows Vista.

This version is going to be very important for Microsoft's Future in the Software business if this flops could it be the end for Windows, who knows i think not but it could severely impact them in future releases.

Earlier this week i Blogged about how to add the missing start button back this can be found here.

Stop your iPhone / iPod / iPad being tracked by advertisers

I recently discovered that our I devices have Advertiser tracking enabled by default within the iOS 6 Operating system, to the geeks this is basically identifierForAdvertising (IDFA) and identifierForVendor (IDFV), Apple had previously limited by denying app developers use of a device's UDID, but advertisers can now track and target users of the operating system.

To the non geeks this is basically tracking for Advertisers to target you to show adds that relate to your apps and what you search for on your phone.

To turn this off follow the procedure below.

Go into Settings > General > About.

Scroll down to Advertising.

You will see that Limit Ad Tracking is OFF by default, So what is the problem, if it is set to OFF you are open to the advertisers, simply slide it to ON and you will now be free from tracking.

You can click on the more info option at the bottom of the screen which basically tells you about what the Ad Tracking does, as per the image below.

Windows 8 / Server 2012 No start menu ! here is a solution

As windows 8 release is imminent you might or might not know that there is no start button, for some that are used to the old trusty start button fear not as there is a solution at hand.

The start button has been a prominent feature of windows since windows NT and windows 95, as Microsoft are stepping into a new world of touchscreen adn tablet computers, this could be an issue for many users who heavily rely on it.

From This 

To this

If you do buy a new PC or Laptop from the 26th of October you will more than likely have windows 8 Pre installed and if you are not wanting to learn all the new tips and tricks at the very beginning you will definateley want this app installed to help you get going.

Stardock have made applications for windows for years mainly the floating menu bar which gives you a Apple like bar at the top or bottom of the screen, the Start8 application can be purchased from stardocs website for $4.99 US to check it out click here.

If like me you will be staying away from this version of Windows as i believe it will be on the miss list, which us techies have been keeping for many years.

This will also work for Windows Server 2012 if you are an administrator this could be a breath of fresh air if your company insists on keeping upto date with the server side of things.

If you do get Windows 8 and you want to try this out let me know how you go. 

iPad Mini Announced

As i Predicted last week the iPad Mini was announced overnight by Apple, they had put on their website that there was going to be more to show and it was.

The new iPad which is 7" smaller version of the iPad 2 and 3, it has the same resolution as the iPad 2 (1024x768) and weighs in at just 308g and 7.2mm thick.

There is also a rumor that Apple have smart covers all ready and waiting to go on sale at the same time, it will feature the new iOS6 and the A5 Processor, Lightening Dock, but no retina display. 

Prices are starting at $329 for a 6GB model and go up to $429 for the 32GB model and $529 for the 64GB model all WIFI and the a little bit extra for the Mobile version, the good news is that it will be available for use on the new 4G LTE network in Australia and the rest of the world that has 4G LTE enabled.

This is Apple's addition into the 7" tablet market to compete with the new Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7, we will just have to see how the sales go, most of the die hard Apple fans will want to get in on the action and will already be lining up the purchase of the mini so look out for an abundance of the larger iPads for sale on eBay and the likes.

There is no firm date of the actual release of the iPad mini but it wont be to long away given Apples track record, so maybe this time next month, but definitely before Xmas to boost those sales.

Remove the Facebook colour change scam from your profile

Recently i have been spammed by my friends on facebook that have the "You Can Now Change The Color of Your Facebook" this is whats known as a Facebook Scam or Rouge App, this basically is an App that you have allowed to connect to your profile and spams all of your contacts telling them they can change their colours of their profile.

It doesn't work and can be removed by following this process.

Login to Facebook on your computer, go to the top right corner and click on the little drop down arrow as per the picture below.

Go to Account Settings then click on Apps on the left hand side, this will then load all of the Apps that have access to your profile.

One the list of Apps has loaded simply scroll down to the App that you want to remove and click on the little X at the side of the App it will then pop up asking you if you want to remove the app, make sure that you check the box that says "Delete All your Activity on Facebook".

You have now removed the Rouge App and it wont spam all of your friends anymore, you can follow this guide to remove any Apps that you no longer want on your Facebook.

Microsoft Surface Prices and Release Dates Announced

This one is for all you non Apple lovers, Microsoft have finally released information about their up and coming tablet computer called Surface, it will be running windows RT which is basically Windows 8 for tablets.

There are 2 versions of the surface a 32GB and 64GB model, the 32GB model is $559 or $679 with a Touch Cover, the 64GB version comes with a Touch Cover for $789, you can purchase the Touch Covers separately for $139.99 they come is 5 different colours (Black, White, Red, Blue and Pink), Or you can pick up a Type Cover for $149.99. All pre-sales are limited so if you want one you will have to be quick and they go on sale on the 26th October 2012.

For more info head over to the Surface website at www.surface.com  If you are a keen Microsoft fan (not many are these days) then it is a little pricey for what you get but the eventually had to bring something out to compete with apple.

iPad Mini - Is it coming out next week ?

Like the iPhone 5 rumors are wide spread about the imminent release of the iPad mini, could it be as early as next week or are Apple just playing a bluff.

Its rumored that there are to be 12 versions of the new iPad, each in white and black so to us that would mean 8,16, 32 and 64GB models maybe and also the normal WIFI only 3G and 4G LTE versions.

Whilst the price is still unknown and what plans and carriers they will  be available on, be sure to keep an eye out as they wont be to far away in my opinion.