Using Powershell to get Explorer as a system process

I was looking for a away to get rid of Mcafee AV which was slowing down my comp but had been forced to my comp by the companywide policy, when I ran across this article


This was similar to using cron in *nix systems to spawn a root shell.

Anyway I did try it. And it didn't work, as my computer was patched up to date, again by system policy. So the cmd call by at would show a failed result.

I thought that was that, till I ran across something called Microsoft Powershell. It struck me while I was downloading it that I might be able to use the same exploit through powershell.


This is what it looks like before


Note that cmd and explorer are processes run by my user id.

In powershell I repeat the steps like so...


and voila!


cmd as a system process

I kill explorer and fire up explorer from this instance



and now I have both cmd and explorer running as system.

I suddenly remembered, why I was doing all this. so I go into Add Remove. and uninstall McAfee :) and my computer flies...

More Pics from Thailand

Thailand Junket

Sep 20, 2006 - 21 Photos

Pics from Thailand

Thailand Junket

Sep 18, 2006 - 17 Photos

Off to Thailand

I'm off to Thailand tomorrow mornig for the week. My first trip abroad.

Googlesightseeing.com

Hmmm... what is this... Googlesightseeing.com (not affiliated with google ofcourse)

Yahoo does a Google & TOI

Yahoo is also doing celebratory mastheads like Google and Times of India. But with a twist

First I saw this in Firefox

Then a little later I saw this in Internet Explorer

Nothing different? Right?

Wrong!

In IE they are using a flash file for a dynamic masthead. Try chasing the crab…

Have a look. The flash file is here

Honda City Prices to fall?

Will Honda City VTEC prices fall, considering Toyota's super offer on their base model Corolla. i wish I could afford the EMI's...

Layer Cake

I just saw Layer Cake. While I was watching something about the movie kept reminding me of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Sure enough, it was by the same producer, Michael Vaughn. Only the producer is now the director... Very fitting and a fab flick.

This flick has to go down in my all time great list of thriller movies along with
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs &
Fight Club

Media and Pramod Mahajan

The ad nauseum coverage of Pramod Mahajan incident is irritating to say the least. It is quite obvious that they have nothing better to report. Bah! What rubbish.

Best of Luck to Pramod Mahajan for a speedy recovery. A big thumbs down to the mornic coverage by Indian Media.

More and more...

I finbally got these a couple of weeks ago

The Complete Peanuts 1950-1954 &
The Complete Peanuts 1955-1958

and I also ordered

The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 &
Wiener Dog Art &
Prehistory of the Far Side

this was in addition to
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes which I got last year...

Picture Seaarch Directly in Google results. If a search term is pre-pended with "pictures" Google returns pictures search as part of the search results...
 

Riya in Beta

Yay! I got an invite to Riya...

Screen shots on soon.

You'll remember that Riya is a photo recognition tool, which was supposed to be bought by Google...

For a change this is one beta, where they don't impose any of the usual restrictions on screenshots etc.

Not Bad, If I may say so myself...

The Blog has been around for six years today. not bad at all. talk about perseverence. Of ourse I've dropped out once in a while... But I'm still here...

Things that make you go hmmm...

This is a weird result. I was searching for HP Gas. and lo and behold look what I found... not only was an alternate suggestion offered by Google, but also some search results from that alternate option. Also the sugested option and results seem to be geo-targeted to India.

hmm...

 

Yet another Beta Invite... to Office Live...

I got yet another Beta Invite... This time for Office Live.

These are the various plans available...

The yummy part is that there is a domain going for free...


And this is what my (yet another) new address looks like... me at chiragpatnaik.com :D. Complete with a 2 Gb Mail Box.

 

Amazon Gold Box Algorithm needs some tweaking...

Now this is surely funny, I bought the Gillette Fusion Manual razor and some blades. And then straight from the Amazon Gold Box...

Cars to be cheaper...

Cars were to be cheaper this budget... and they are. Small Cars less than 4000 mm and 1200 cc petrol engines and 1500 cc diesel engines, But not the ones I was looking at. Honda City, Ford Fiesta. The Honda city misses the cut, in both the length and engine capacity. The Fiesta misses it by 282 mm. Tragic. Here is an opportunity for Ford to bring in a Diesel Hatch at dirt cheap prices... I hope they move fast...

Before Skoda brings in the Fabia hatch to India sometime early next year.

New Yahoo Mail beta Screenshots...

Landing Page for Yahoo Mail beta


Logging in Screen for Yahoo Mail beta


Right Click menu on the Yahoo mail Beta window


RSS Integration in Yahoo Mail beta

Yahoo Mail Screenshots

Yahoo Mail Beta Compose Window


Yahoo Mail, Folder Right Click


Forward Window

Yahoo Mail! Inbox View

Windows Live mail for Windows Live Custom Domains

This is the invitation being sent from the admin panel...



This is the invite for the migration to Windows Live Mail for Windows Custom Domains



This is after I accept the Invitation. Still waiting...

Windows Live Mail Admin Interface...

This is the admin window for Windows Live Domains. I was cribbing about access to more storage. Apparently my wish just got granted (or maybe it was always there, and I was blind). 40 invites for custom domains are now available...

Apparently, one can't just migrate to Windows Live Mail. After the invite has been accepted (screen shots follow). One may have to wait for some time before one gets access to the same.

Again, I skipped over the User Agreement, So i don't know if the Screenshot above is legit use... 

Hotmail for my mail, and maybe Gmail too...

I got an invite to try the Hosted service for Hotmail. It is branded as Windows Live Domains. What you see is a screen grab of the inbox with the domain. You'll notice the address at the top left.

I have been using it for quite a few days... No complaints, it works as advertised. Though there is a bit of a glitch in the sign up, one gets a 2 mb box initially as the default country is set to No option. The official work around is to reset the country to the US and delete the account and re-login. :D

There is a provision for 60 addresses with a 250 meg box each. (250 MB box limited to US, but we all know the solution to that).

Though my box, says 25 megs, I'm told that it will climb to 250 meg at the end of the month.

As usual, I skipped over the user agreement, so putting this screen shot up may be in contravention to that.

The admin interface is quite spartan. More screen shots on the way

I also got an invite to Google's Hosted seervice. unfortunately I have been unable to use it, as my ISP is not accepting Google's MX records right now.

Google is however limiting the free accounts to 20. Sufficient for me, but a point worth mentioning. Also, unlike standard gmail accounts, the size is frozen at the time one is signing up. For me this was 2GB. This is ofcourse way more than Hotmail's hosted service which is supposed to top out at 250 megs.

Hotmail is offering more space as part of their Windows Live Mail beta. Which also I have access to as part of a separate account. Unfortnately I can't migrate the custom domains to that one yet... As soon as I have invites, I may be able to do so... 

Windows Live Messenger beta invites...

I have some Invites free for Windows Live Messenger Beta. Going away to those who ask for it first.

Update...

Three left...

TSM is selecting

My Alma Mater, The Times School of Marketing is advertising to select students for the next batch. Check out the website

Ford Fiesta makes the shortlist

I rode the Ford Fiesta last week. It turns out to be a very nice car. No engine noise (for a diesel engine this cheap, that is almost incredible), unlike the Hyundai Accent CRDI.

There is a lot of road noise inside the car. Especially on the unsurfaced roads. It reduced once we got onto the highway.

Plastics were a trademark Ford, cheap, cheap very cheap.

And the Diesel version has been stripped of the eltctrical niceties like Electric Mirror control etc. (which are present on the top end petrol, priced the same)

This car (Diesel and Petrol variants) makes my shortlist of cars along with the Honda City ZX VTEC & ZX GXi

Peanuts - 50 years

I finally picked up

The Complete Peanuts 1950-1954 &
The Complete Peanuts 1955-1958

Amazon due date for recieving the books are 30th March... (ugh...). But actually it lands up much earlier than that... So I should have them anytime in this month.

I just can't believe that they are going to take naother 11 years to publish all of peanuts... While I've got the first few years, in 5 years will we still buying books?

These are collectors editions, but still...

Yet another Shopping List

These are some more books that I'm going to pick up... Why doesn't Amazon just set up shop in India... grrr...
The Complete Peanuts 1950-1954
The Complete Peanuts 1955-1958
The Complete Far Side 1980-1994

A cognitive analysis of tagging

A cognitive analysis of tagging is a must read as it clarifies a lot of this euphoria about tagging.